The inn courtyard.
Horikita Suzune, wearing a down jacket, sat on the veranda staring at the snow, reflecting on yesterday's school trip.
It was a failure.
Her group.
They actually failed to complete the test of visiting six sightseeing spots and were forced to study at the inn until now.
Horikita Suzune didn't mind the studying; she could study for any length of time.
What she cared about was why they failed, which she had thought about for almost the whole day.
Only then did Horikita Suzune reach a conclusion.
It was that the people in her group were completely devoid of rationality.
They were simply impossible to communicate with.
Though there were places she wanted to go.
But her requirements weren't high, and she was even inclined to compromise.
As long as they could visit 3 or 4 of the nearest spots and satisfy the condition of visiting six spots in total.
Whether they obtained the 20 points and 50,000 personal points.
Could be decided based on the situation.
Any result would have been acceptable.
However.
Some people were deliberately causing trouble.
Adopting an attitude of "I won't," "no," and simply looking down on you—completely devoid of rationality.
To put it bluntly.
This person was Kaneda from Class C.
Some people gain a sense of superiority by belittling others, acting as if they are the righteous ones.
The problem was.
The people around didn't think there was anything wrong with what Kaneda did; instead, they could understand his reasons for doing so.
Only Horikita Suzune could not understand.
Most importantly.
The fault was instead pinned on her.
Even during today's study session, those around her had an air of disdain.
As if saying.
Ah, if it weren't for the person from Class D, why would we still be here having a study session? This is terrible.
If.
Only her group had encountered such a situation, Horikita Suzune wouldn't be this lost.
However.
Whether it was Horikita's group, Sudo's group, Yukimura's group, or Hirata's group, all failed across the board.
But correspondingly, there were groups that successfully passed the test.
Ayanokouji, Sotamura, Karuizawa, and Hasebe Haruka managed to succeed.
The more stubborn, the more straightforward, the more capable a person was.
The easier it was for them to fail instead.
Horikita Suzune really couldn't figure out why.
But there was one common point among the successful groups.
They were relatively quiet within the group and rarely gave opinions—not because they didn't want to speak, but because they could no longer speak and could only remain silent.
Resistance was futile.
So they could only remain silent.
However.
Silence would only cause the situation to continue deteriorating.
Gaining superiority by belittling others is naturally repulsive; one would naturally keep their distance when encountering it.
But.
When the target is Class D.
The people around can all understand, at most saying "say less" or "don't be too direct."
The reason is simple.
How can one promote good without punishing evil?
Class D has already been labeled as evil.
Then.
I, standing on the opposite side of Class D, am naturally a good person.
The more self-righteous a person is, the harsher they curse Class D.
Even if there are rational and kind people who can maintain restraint, most are just ordinary people following the crowd.
When Class D wants to get things done.
The difficulty is much higher than for others.
Simply put.
They have to pay a much higher cost than ordinary people to possibly achieve the same thing.
Only.
Horikita Suzune couldn't understand it.
Soon.
Leaving Ibuki to wait nearby, Hikigaya came to the courtyard.
Bringing Ibuki along would make the intention too obvious, and Horikita Suzune wasn't an idiot; it might affect her judgment.
He would wait for the snowball fight to start before letting Ibuki act as the opportunity arose, while he assisted from the side. He also had Ichinose organize the snowball fight.
After all.
Putting Class B aside, Hikigaya knew his own reputation in school wasn't great. Such things had a higher chance of success if Ichinose did them.
"What are you doing here?"
Hikigaya walked up to Horikita Suzune.
Is there something wrong with this girl's head, sitting outside in the cold staring blankly?
"Nothing."
Looking at Hikigaya in front of her, Horikita Suzune was a bit surprised.
Although this place wasn't hidden, it was only a spot people occasionally passed by.
Given Hikigaya's relationship with Ichinose and the others.
He would more likely be playing around if he had time.
"What did you come here for?"
"There are only a few hours left in the school trip. Since we came all the way to Hokkaido, it's a rare chance and Honami and the others want to have a snowball fight."
Hikigaya explained without blinking:
"I'm looking for people. Do you want to join?"
"I see..."
Hearing Hikigaya's invitation, Horikita Suzune hesitated for some reason—a snowball fight with Hikigaya and the others.
She felt a bit like joining.
Moreover.
It was a rare opportunity to have a snowball fight to relax and vent.
After just a moment's hesitation.
Horikita Suzune still shook her head.
Ultimately, the classes were different.
There was no benefit in playing with Hikigaya and the others. As a leader of Class D, it might even worsen the already poor class situation.
"No, I'm not interested."
This girl is indeed a bit difficult.
Loner types like her generally don't like participating in group activities; Hikigaya could understand that.
"What? Are you scared?"
"How is that possible?"
Horikita Suzune gave him a slightly dissatisfied look.
"What a clumsy provocation. Do you think I'd join some snowball fight because of that?"
"No... but you have nothing to do here anyway. Are you planning to stay here until the school trip ends?"
After a moment of silence, Horikita Suzune stood up and said:
"Fine. With your strength, you're definitely no match for me. I'm going to beat you into a pulp."
"Heh."
A smile appeared on Hikigaya's lips.
He didn't know what was up with Horikita Suzune, but she particularly enjoyed competing with him.
"Are you that confident? You should know that my current physical ability isn't inferior to yours."
Hikigaya led Horikita Suzune away as she stood up:
"And, considering the physical differences between men and women, I should have the advantage, right?"
"You're too naive if you think just having strength means you can beat me. Your motor skills don't seem that great, do they?"
Hmm.
Granted.
Even if physical abilities are equal.
It doesn't mean one becomes skilled at sports.
After all, the various skills in sports aren't learned overnight.
Forget it.
He only started exercising for the sake of an impart anyway.
Hikigaya didn't really care.
"But the most important thing in a snowball fight is stamina. Even if your motor skills are good, it won't give you much of an advantage."
"That might not necessarily be true."
Horikita Suzune didn't say more, but a faint smile couldn't help but appear at the corner of her mouth.
Let this guy dare to look down on her.
She decided to give Hikigaya a good lesson later.
She hadn't wanted to participate.
But for some reason.
Even just bickering with Hikigaya, Horikita Suzune felt a trace of pleasure in her heart.