Hikigaya doesn't want to be a force of strength

After a long moment, she nodded slowly. "Humph, I didn't expect that I would be persuaded by you, Hikigaya. It's even more disgusting than being bitten by a fly."

"Hey, isn't it a bit too bad to say bad things in front of others?"

Hikigaya looked at Horikita helplessly. He didn't expect that this sharp-tongued woman would complain about him at this time.

Horikita's mouth suddenly curled up slightly, and she slowly said to Hikigaya: "I will take care of Sudo and the others for my own sake, and I hope that keeping them will be beneficial to future development. Is it okay even if I want to plot against others?"

"Don't worry, this is what you would do."

"Hmph, although it's unpleasant, you are indeed the only one who can understand me now."

Horikita said this and held Hikigaya's hand again, as if to fully acknowledge him.

Chapter 117: I want to see where your confidence comes from, Hikigaya!

After Hikigaya and Horikita parted ways, they immediately returned to their dormitories.

Next, he spent the entire night curled up in his quilt, tossing and turning, before he finally recovered from the extreme shame.

I'm really not suitable for doing this kind of thing!

The next morning, he went to the classroom feeling extremely tired, and he saw Horikita Suzune who had arrived earlier than him.

"Hmph, you're so slow. Haven't you heard the old saying - the early bird catches the worm?" Horikita Suzune launched a familiar venomous attack as soon as they met.

"..."

Hikigaya was silent for a moment, then sighed and said, "You can also understand this sentence the other way around, Horikita. That is, the early bird catches the worm, just like me now."

"Comparing yourself to a bug is quite typical of you."

Horikita Suzune responded coldly, ending the morning greetings.

This woman is still as unpleasant as ever. She greets others in this tone. Is she going to make people feel dizzy when they wake up in the morning?

Hikigaya sighed and sat down in his seat.

Before he could even sit down, Horikita's voice sounded again from behind him.

"You haven't forgotten what happened yesterday, have you? Have you figured out how to get those guys who failed the exam to come back to study?"

"Ah this..."

Hikigaya was a little surprised that Horikita would take the initiative to ask him about this.

He had thought the other party would be a little more reserved.

So Horikita was also anxious?

Seeing that the other party clearly didn't want to waste time, Hikigaya didn't keep him in suspense and said calmly: "I will go talk to Sudo this afternoon, I should be able to convince him."

"persuade?"

I didn't expect Hikigaya's method to be so simple. Horikita Suzune couldn't accept it for a moment. "Are you going to kneel down and beg him to learn from you?"

"Do you look down on me so much?"

"Humph, I'm not looking down on you, I just think it's impossible. Do you think there's any way to make that guy who only has muscles in his head willing to calm down and study? I don't think there's any possibility of this happening."

"If you were to talk to Sudou, Horikita, this would certainly not happen."

Hikigaya casually took out a novel he had just borrowed from the library and said frankly, "Whether a sentence makes sense or not does not depend on whether the words are correct, but on who is saying it. I should be more suitable than you to deal with Sudo Ken."

"It's so funny! Do you think your words can be more convincing than mine?"

"Why not?"

"Humph, I want to see where your confidence comes from!"

Horikita Suzune pouted in dissatisfaction.

Although she didn't believe Hikigaya could do it, she still gave him a chance to try. This was obviously due to the conversation last night.

Horikita Suzune gradually became aware of the world outside of herself, and began to realize that her abilities were flawed.

"I can't say I'm confident, but I've definitely thought of a solution." Hikigaya said, "To solve Sudo Ken's problem, there must be no coercion, and we can't just talk about big principles. We must grasp what he values ​​and start from what he cares about. For example, the reason I was able to convince you last night was also based on this reason."

"Humph, that's just you being clever."

Horikita Suzune was still stubborn and unwilling to admit the fact that Hikigaya was more capable than her.

Hikigaya was too lazy to argue, and just smiled and said, "I am indeed just a little clever, but as the old saying goes - no matter whether the cat is black or white, as long as it catches mice, it is a good cat. The so-called little cleverness, as long as it can accomplish practical things, is also a powerful weapon that can be used."

"..."

Horikita Suzune fell silent. She was obviously convinced by Hikigaya's words. After a long while, she said, "Then let me see how far you can go."

"Well, there's no need to expect too much from me."

"If you want to be cool, just be honest and do it to the end. Being so coy will only make people feel disgusted!"

"S-Sorry?"

Why do I have to apologize for no reason?

For a moment, Hikigaya felt helpless about his own weakness, but perhaps this was the fate of the Lone Ranger. He finally looked at the book in his hand decisively, waiting for the opportunity to come.

……

When school was over, Hikigaya left the classroom immediately as usual.

But this time he did not go to the library or return to the dormitory. Instead, he walked slowly towards the stadium.

Since he was often dragged here by Horikita Manabu to exercise, he was now very familiar with the route and soon arrived at the path that led to the basketball court.

Hikigaya took out a novel from his bag and started reading it, while paying attention to the pedestrians on the road, patiently waiting for the person he was waiting for, and soon saw Sudo Ken.

"Sudou... classmate, huh? I want to talk to you about something."

"Hikigaya?"

When Sudo Ken saw Hikigaya appear in front of him, he immediately showed a surprised expression. For a moment he didn't expect that the other party would come to find him.

"Sudo, are you going to the basketball court for training?" Hikigaya saw Sudo stop and put the novel in his hand back into his schoolbag. "You must be tired from going to school every day and practicing at the same time, right?"

"What are you talking about?"

Sudo Ken rolled his eyes, unable to understand why Hikigaya, who usually had almost no presence in the class, would come and talk to him.

It just doesn't make any sense.

But he quickly thought of a possibility, and couldn't help but ask with a strange look in his eyes: "You are not here to see me about Horikita Suzune, are you?"

It was a recognized fact in Class D that Hikigaya and Horikita Suzune were quite close, so he instinctively guessed that Hikigaya came to him because of Horikita's performance in the previous study session.

But why did Hikigaya come here alone?

Could it be that their relationship is as close as rumored?

Sudo couldn't help but reveal a look of doubt.

"No, my visit to you has nothing to do with Horikita's matter. I just want to give you some advice as a student council member."

"what?!"

Hikigaya's words contained so much information that they directly froze Sudo Ken's brain.

Obviously, he never expected that the Hikigaya in front of him would be a member of the student council.

I have never heard of such a thing!

Hikigaya had anticipated the development of all this, which was why he told Horikita before that he believed his identity could convince Sudo Ken.

Because being a member of the student council is his most powerful card.

Chapter 118: Maybe there is a way for someone like you to pass the exam

"You said you were a member of the student council?"

Sudo Ken looked at Hikigaya in front of him with a confused look on his face. He obviously couldn't believe such a fact. His face was full of doubt and disbelief.

"I've never heard of such a thing. Are you kidding me?"

"What good would it be for me to lie to you?"

Hikigaya didn't say much about Sudo Ken's confusion, but calmly said, "Regarding the incident in which you were notified by the student council for causing trouble in the club some time ago, the student council president has handed it over to me to handle."

Hikigaya's words were half true and half false.

He did learn from Horikita Manabu about Sudo Ken being notified, but the student council president did not leave the matter to him.

He just wanted to intimidate Sudo Ken, so he was just pretending to be powerful. Of course, he didn't think there was any possibility of such a thing being exposed unless Sudo Ken was able to directly ask the student council president Horikita Manabu.

As expected, Sudo Ken couldn't doubt Hikigaya's words.

Almost no one else knew about the trouble he caused in the club except for a few members of the basketball team who were present that day. Under the influence of the student union, it was impossible for them to reveal it to others.

"I already admitted my fault, so that matter should be over now, right?" Sudo Ken inexplicably didn't want to face Hikigaya again, and said loudly, "That's enough, I have to go to the club to participate in club activities, get out of my way!"

Faced with Sudo Ken's violent charge, Hikigaya did not forcibly stop the other party and ask questions.

He just let the other person leave generously without any obstruction throughout the process.

After all, although he was forced to exercise every day at the request of Horikita Manabu during this period, making his body much stronger than before, he was obviously still far behind the core members of the basketball club like Sudo Ken.

It is impossible for him to actively create any conflict with the other party.

Time passed and the sky gradually darkened.

When Sudo Ken finished the club activities and dragged his tired body out of the club, he saw Hikigaya outside the club again.

"Hey, Sudou."

Hikigaya took out a bottle of water and handed it to the other person with a calm expression.

"You, how could you..." Sudo Ken stared at Hikigaya blankly, confusion written all over his face.

"I just read a novel here for a while. Fortunately, the street lights here are brighter."

Hikigaya answered silently. He actually felt sorry that Sudo came out too early, otherwise he could have finished reading the content of "The Count of Monte Cristo" in his hand.

Sudo Ken looked at the water that Hikigaya handed him and his body was in hesitation.

But seeing that Hikigaya's profile had not changed, he finally took it, put down the backpack in his hand, and sat directly on the edge of the road.

"What's the matter with you?"

"Nothing, I just want to tell you that this school's basketball club has not only requirements for ability to recruit regular players, but also some other hidden requirements. The most direct one is that you cannot be expelled. If you are expelled, you are doomed to fail to achieve your goal, right?"

"..."

After hearing what Hikigaya said, Sudo Ken was silent for a moment, and finally spat in dissatisfaction, "That's true, but I will rely on my own perseverance to overcome the difficulties."

"Well, I believe you have the ability to do so."

Hikigaya's words made Sudo Ken's eyes widen.

He didn't expect the other party to acknowledge his abilities instead of belittling himself like everyone else.

This was the first time for him.

After all, most people's attitude towards him has always been to give up completely, and they don't think he has any special talents or value to show.

From the past to the present, the only place where he can feel that he can play his value is basketball. Only on that court can he truly experience the joy of being alive.

"You're such a weirdo." Sudo Ken curled his lips in dissatisfaction. At the same time, he picked up the water handed to him by Hikigaya and drank it down with a gulp.

"hehe."

Hikigaya smiled. He didn't expect that Sudo would have such a tsundere attitude. He looked a bit like Horikita Suzune.

After he came to this school, why did he meet such a group of people who were not frank at all?

Although he was complaining in his heart, Hikigaya remained calm on the surface and said, "In short, I think you are not incompetent, Sudo, but you still lack some organization in doing things. If you can calmly think about the pros and cons before encountering things instead of being blinded by anger, you may be able to get better results."

"So you're trying to persuade me to accept tutoring from that Horikita?"

Sudo Ken spoke with a hint of irritation, but his attitude was not as sharp as when he treated other people.

Actually, it's strange. Horikita Suzune, Hirata Yosuke and other people in the class all wanted to help Sudo Ken sincerely, and even behaved in a humble manner, but Sudo didn't approve of it at all. Instead, Hikigaya's few casual chats in this corner made Sudo let down his guard a little.