Hikigaya doesn't want to be a force of strength

My goodness, can you read minds?

How can you know what I'm thinking...

While Hikigaya was confused, Kushida Kikyo sighed deeply, as if she had made a silent decision in her heart.

Seeing Kushida like this, Hikigaya couldn't help but ask:

"You don't reject Horikita Suzune anymore?"

"How is that possible?!" Kushida decisively refuted Hikigaya's words, with obvious disgust on his face, "Of course I hate that woman, and I don't want to ask her for help no matter what, but if this matter can only be solved by her power, I won't continue to be willful, after all..."

"after all?"

"nothing."

Kushida suddenly stopped talking midway, leaving Hikigaya confused.

Kushida took another sip of coffee, then frowned and said, "It's so bitter, too bitter. It's amazing that you can drink something so unpalatable!"

"No, I don't like bitter coffee either."

"You don't like it?"

"Yes, but people always have to learn to accept things they don't like."

Hikigaya said, smiling as he took a sip of the bitter coffee, "Whether it's people or things, if you keep rejecting and resisting things you don't want to accept, then the place you can survive will become smaller and smaller, until there is no place for you at all. On the other hand, if you can accept those things you hate and reject, and live more freely, then you will naturally be able to live freely enough and survive anywhere."

"...You are such a talker, even though you are at the bottom of the class!"

Kushida's voice did not sound very happy, and she was obviously still a little resistant to this matter, but under Hikigaya's guidance, her belief had obviously become firmer.

"I understand. I will do as you say... You are right. People cannot do everything well. Sometimes we have to seek help from others."

"Well, in this way, the troubles you are facing now should disappear."

Hikigaya spoke silently, finishing the rest of his coffee.

He didn't lie just now, he really didn't like this bitter coffee and preferred the pure sweetness of max coffee, but in order to convince Kikyo Kushida, he had to set an example and accept this thing he hated.

Of course, Hikigaya is also very clear about his own weight. Although he knows a lot of truths and can say a lot of words that convince others, his own abilities are actually quite limited.

Therefore, he never gave advice to others from a condescending position, but just shared his own insights.

In essence, it is still just a form of self-satisfaction.

Human existence is complex, and human thoughts are like countless tangled silk threads that are impossible to untie no matter what.

Receiving text messages from the other party, unintentional physical touches, smiling when eye contact met in class, hearing gossip that someone liked him, sitting next to each other and talking often, always going home at the same time after school... He had long lost count of how many times he had misunderstood.

So, now he no longer has any unnecessary fantasies, only his rational self remains.

The essence of a lone ranger is absolute loneliness.

No one can understand them, just as they can never understand anyone else.

……

After a full night of healthy sleep, Hikigaya woke up in the cruise ship's upscale dormitory, and saw an unfamiliar ceiling and sunlight coming in through the window.

He opened his eyes and found that his roommates with diverse personalities had gone out and were nowhere to be found.

Needless to say, Koenji must have gone to be happy.

Ayanokouji... I have no idea what that robot might do.

Hirata Yosuke must still be dealing with the mess in Class D.

The other party has always hoped that class members can live in harmony, or at least be able to work together to fight various crises and challenges in unity.

Unfortunately, Hirata's approach would never succeed, because he never discovered where the real problem of Class D lay.

But I think Hirata won't have to worry about that soon.

After all, Hikigaya has already convinced Kushida, so I think the D class issue will be resolved soon.

Thinking about all sorts of things, Hikigaya quickly put on his coat and went straight to the cruise ship's restaurant to have a good breakfast.

This cruise ship is simply a paradise on earth, where all kinds of delicious food can be found. Hikigaya feels that he must praise Komachi well after returning home.

But what if Komachi is tempted by my words and insists on applying to Tokyo Metropolitan Advanced High School?

For a moment, Hikigaya inexplicably empathized with a certain student council president, Horikita Manabu, and felt the other's pain...

"Can I sit next to you?"

Suddenly, while Hikigaya was having breakfast, a cold voice came from beside him.

After making basic polite inquiries, Horikita Suzune sat down next to Hikigaya without waiting for his response.

Seeing this, Hikigaya couldn't help but complain: "Haven't you ever thought that someone might want to sit next to me?"

"Really? Is she your imaginary friend or a beautiful girl imagined in the second dimension?" Horikita Suzune was as sharp-tongued as ever. "It's a blessing for you to have a real beautiful girl like me sitting next to you in three lifetimes."

"..."

Horikita's bad personality really hasn't changed at all.

Hikigaya was almost beginning to admire this guy who was consistent in his actions.

The two of them sat together and ate breakfast in silence.

Just as Hikigaya was about to finish eating and was about to pack up and leave, Horikita Suzune suddenly spoke up: "A lot of things happened yesterday, and I think I need to discuss this with you."

"Eh?"

Hikigaya was stunned.

He didn't expect that Horikita Suzune would one day take the initiative to discuss something with him.

Is the other person hypnotized?

Or is the world about to end?

As if she had noticed Hikigaya's confusion, Horikita Suzune quickly turned her head away and said silently: "Don't get me wrong, it's just that you treated me like that during the uninhabited island exam, so I have to punish you a little bit!"

Wow, what a classic tsundere!

The word "tsundere" is almost written on her face.

However, Hikigaya was indeed interested in hearing what Horikita had to say.

"What do you want to say?"

"Yesterday, Kushida came to discuss with me and said that he wanted me to help solve the problems of Class D. Do you think I should agree?"

As Horikita Suzune spoke, her face showed obvious confusion. It was obvious that she had been thinking about this matter for a long time and couldn't make up her mind easily.

Chapter 238: Horikita Suzune, I am not a substitute for your brother!

Hikigaya was very surprised that Horikita Suzune came to him on her own initiative to discuss Kushida's matter.

After all, he originally thought that based on Horikita's personality, the other party would never actively come to him for help, let alone ask him for any advice, and would solve the matter alone in private.

In fact, Horikita Suzune has always done this in the past.

The other party is like a cold flower on an iceberg. She never seeks anyone's advice and only follows the path she believes in.

But now, the other party's performance has undoubtedly denied this impression.

So why did this happen? Was it because he had never understood Horikita Suzune's true nature, or had something changed in her?

Hikigaya had no idea of ​​the truth.

However, when facing such a Horikita Suzune, Hikigaya inexplicably felt a sense of disillusionment in his heart, as if a certain belief that he had always believed in was shattered.

But he quickly suppressed this incredible thought and regained his rational thinking.

The change in Horikita Suzune should be related to the previous uninhabited island exam.

Similar to Kushida Kikyo, Horikita probably also blamed herself for the failure of the uninhabited island exam, and thus felt a strong sense of frustration.

In fact, Horikita Suzune does have to bear more responsibilities than Kushida.

After all, if she hadn't fallen ill unexpectedly, her identity as the leader of Class D might not have been exposed, and Class D would not have lost a large number of points.

Based on this, the pressure on Horikita Suzune's heart is probably far greater than that on Kushida.

The other person will naturally and instinctively begin to rely on the person around him.

In the past, Horikita was almost completely isolated from social interaction, so she had almost no one to rely on, so she was able to forcibly maintain her independent character.

But now, Hikigaya has already established a certain connection with her, so it is natural for Horikita to come to him for help.

But Hikigaya didn't want to give Horikita Suzune any help.

"There's no need to ask me about this."

"This... I think I need to ask for your opinion to some extent."

Horikita Suzune spoke hesitantly.

The other party's posture was completely different from the past. It was a look that Hikigaya found strange, yet also a little familiar.

Yes, the opponent now is not normal, but like when he faced Horikita Manabu a long time ago, fragile and self-blaming, completely losing the confidence he should have had in the past.

The reason why it turned out like this was most likely because of what Hikigaya said when he saw Horikita Suzune off at the end of the uninhabited island exam.

He originally just wanted to make things clear, so that Horikita Suzune could face reality and know the limits of her own abilities.

But now it seems that those words were a bit too harsh, and directly caused Horikita Suzune to fall into a personality collapse.

Sigh, the guys in this class are really a bunch of people who make me worry...

Hikigaya sighed, he knew he couldn't give Horikita Suzune directions.

If that happens, Horikita will be like Karuizawa and Kushida, who will be influenced by his words and become a puppet-like existence.

If Horikita's ability was only at the level of Karuizawa and Kushida, he wouldn't have any psychological burden to do so, but Hikigaya knew very well that Horikita Suzune's ability was not limited to the current level. If he gave her too much guidance and made her start to rely on him, it would only ruin her completely.

Therefore, he spoke without hesitation:

"Horikita, I have no power or qualifications to interfere with your personal behavior... or do you want to get my approval and consent by doing this?"

"I……"

Hearing Hikigaya's words, Horikita instinctively lowered her head.

She seemed to be aware of her problem, but was unable to solve it. She looked painful, as if a soft knife was pressing against her chest.

Finally, she spoke slowly, almost forcing out words: "...No, I just want to confirm with you the risks of doing this."

"risk?"

Facing Hikigaya's confusion, Horikita Suzune avoided his gaze and spoke in a panic: "Class D is in such a mess right now that it's almost impossible for anyone to handle it. Although Kushida's suggestion seems reasonable, no one knows what the consequences will be. If we completely push Class D into the abyss..."

"So, you feel that you can't control the risks of this matter, and you want to find some self-confidence from me, so you come to ask for my opinion?"

Hikigaya interrupted Horikita Suzune's illogical defense.

"You can't say that..."

Horikita Suzune was completely confused. She couldn't even show any confidence in her words, and her expression showed a panic that was completely different from the past.

The other party shouldn't be so cowardly.

There is probably only one reason why this happened.

"Horikita, you are treating me like your brother, Horikita, right?"

"I don't!"

As soon as Hikigaya finished speaking, he was greeted by Horikita Suzune's exclamation, which was almost like a rebound.

The latter's reaction made her realize her naked lie, and her expression became empty and even chaotic.

"Ugh……"

Hikigaya sighed deeply at such a Horikita Suzune. He should have realized the problem of Horikita Suzune long ago and understood that more than half of her problems were related to her brother, the student council president Horikita Manabu.

After all, only when facing Horikita Manabu does Horikita Suzune show that fragile and cowardly attitude.

The opponent now is almost exactly the same as the way he faced Horikita Manabu back then.

Timid, cowardly, lack of self-confidence...