COTE : There is Something Wrong With Hikigaya-Chapter 149: My Money Isn’t That Easy to Take

Kushida couldn't help but recall yesterday evening when she suddenly received a message from Hikigaya, asking her to get Ayanokouji to buy surveillance equipment. At first, she didn't understand what he meant, but since nothing seemed off, she followed his instructions.

And then... this afternoon, she broke out in a cold sweat.

After leaving the student council room, she couldn't stop thinking about Ayanokouji's 'miserable state.' Just imagining what would have happened if Ayanokouji had revealed that she had asked him to buy the surveillance equipment made her panic.

Even though she had plenty of excuses to distance herself from it, that wasn't the point. She didn't want to get dragged into this mess at all. If things went badly, suspension would be the lightest punishment—there was a high chance she'd get expelled!

"So, did you set me up on purpose? Just so that when Ayanokouji was cornered, he'd drag me down with him?"

Kushida couldn't hold back anymore. She stood up, marched over to Hikigaya, and confronted him.

"This way, not only do you get rid of Ayanokouji, but you also take me down with him!"

She gritted her teeth. The more she thought about it, the angrier she got. She couldn't just let this slide—she had to face Hikigaya directly!

"Looks like you're not that dumb after all."

"!!!"

Kushida's eyes widened, just about to speak, when Hikigaya cut her off.

"But have you ever thought about this? I have our chat records. Do you really think I wouldn't be worried about you exposing them?"

Kushida froze. That... actually made sense.

"No, wait!"

She glared at Hikigaya. "Are you trying to trick me again?!"

Hikigaya set his book aside and looked at her deeply.

"Kushida, did you really think my money would be that easy to take?"

Kushida's expression stiffened, and her aggressive attitude instantly faded.

"I get it, you don't want to take any risks... but don't you think that's a little naïve?"

Hikigaya's words made her feel uneasy.

"You should know this by now—if there's an easy way to make money without risk, it wouldn't be your turn to get it. People like me... if you want to climb higher, if you want to be more successful than anyone else, there's no way to do it without taking risks, without paying the price."

"Besides, even if Ayanokouji did expose you, wouldn't I still have your back?"

Hikigaya patted her shoulder.

"Don't forget, we're all in the same boat. Helping you is helping myself, isn't it?"

"You..."

Kushida instinctively took a step back. For the first time, she found Hikigaya terrifying.

"Oh, right. There's something else I need you to do."

The moment she heard that, Kushida didn't even hesitate—she turned around and left immediately.

"Hey, this time it's really not a scam... no, I mean, there's really no risk!"

"Get lost!"

"Thirty thousand private points!"

Kushida suddenly stopped in her tracks.

"...You gotta pay more!"

"No problem!"

...

"Ryuen-san?!"

In the dimly lit alley, before Ishizaki could react, Ryuen kicked him to the ground. Lying there, clutching his backside, Ishizaki looked completely confused. Albert, Ibuki, and the others standing nearby were also baffled—why did Ryuen suddenly snap?

Ryuen's face was terrifyingly dark.

"R-Ryuen-san, what did I do wrong this time?!"

Ishizaki had no idea what mistake he had made. He had just reported everything that happened in the afternoon to Ryuen, thinking he would be praised. Sure, it was a shame that Ichinose didn't get punished, but at the very least, Class D had taken a serious hit!

But to his shock, the moment he finished speaking, Ryuen kicked him over.

"Why didn't you contact me immediately?!"

Ryuen crouched down and grabbed Ishizaki by the collar.

"Huh? How is this any different from reporting to the student council?"

Ishizaki was completely lost.

Ryuen let go of him with a look that screamed, *I can't believe how dumb you are,* and snapped, "Idiot! This was a perfect chance to grab hold of some dirt on Ichinose and Class D! If we used it right, we could have... Ugh, just thinking about it makes me mad. And you, you absolute moron, went and reported it to the student council?! And now you're here all smug, telling me about it?!"

Ryuen looked like he was about to explode from rage.

"Huh?"

Ishizaki finally started to catch on, but then he hesitantly said, "B-But, Ryuen-san, didn't you say at lunch that 'this matter ends here'? S-So I didn't think to contact you..."

That was the last straw.

Ryuen's forehead veins popped, and he kicked a bush nearby in frustration.

"So that's why I finally get it now—why that dead-fish-eyed Hikigaya suddenly showed up to 'make peace' with me!!!"

Ryuen gritted his teeth. "His real goal was to make us drop our guard, so we wouldn't react in time. Damn it, Hikigaya, well played!!!"

He finally realized it—Hikigaya's so-called "peace talk" earlier that day had nothing to do with settling their previous fight. It was all just a distraction to eliminate a future problem before it even became one!

After hearing the whole story from Ishizaki, Ryuen immediately knew they had missed a golden opportunity—one that could have put both Class B and Class D in a tight spot. But thanks to Hikigaya's interference, that chance was gone.

Once again, Class C had been outplayed by Hikigaya.

Or rather, Ryuen himself had been completely manipulated and made a fool of.

That thought made Ryuen furious.

For all he knew, even his current outburst—beating up Ishizaki—was something Hikigaya had predicted. But even if that were the case, Ryuen still couldn't suppress his rage.

"...Well, at least we did gain something from this. We now know that Class D is full of internal conflicts."

Ryuen could only comfort himself with that thought.

—

The next day at school, the students of Class D noticed that several classmates were missing. But instead of reacting, everyone carried on as if nothing had happened. This was thanks to the efforts of Hirata, Kushida, and others, who had already explained and reassured people the night before.

Of course, the bigger reason was... Ike, Yamauchi, and Sudou were widely disliked in class. Their suspension was actually welcomed by many, especially the girls, who saw it as a satisfying outcome. Hirata and the others simply pretended not to notice.

Because of the so-called "Three Monkey Idiots" getting suspended, hardly anyone even noticed that Horikita and Ayanokouji were also gone.

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