COTE : Is Talent Everything? (Rewrite)-Chapter 139: Extra - 6: Kiyotaka Ayanokoji’s Proposal 5

I bristled at being lumped in with him, but I couldn't deny it.

"Hence, SNS. Every normal high schooler uses it. If we can find it interesting, we might inch closer to being 'normal.'"

"...That's your logic?"

"Solid logic. Trying SNS together could be a good experience, don't you think?"

I always end up dragged into his nonsense, but this time, it was just SNS. Harmless fun. No shady drugs or life-threatening schemes. Probably safe.

Still feeling manipulated, I nodded, and Ayanokouji immediately pulled out his phone.

"First, do you even use SNS, Hikigaya?"

"I downloaded the app because Ishizaki pestered me, but I've barely touched it. Never even opened it."

"Followers? Following?"

"Just Ishizaki's group and Hiyori. Literally only touched it when we first enrolled."

No posts, no activity—just a dead account. Turns out Ayanokouji was in the same boat. Both of us were starting from zero.

"Follow my account for now. I'll search for yours."

"Got it."

We tapped the app open for the first time in over a year. Surprisingly, I felt a flicker of curiosity. I searched Ayanokouji's account and hit follow. A notification popped up—he'd found mine too.

"Huh. Never noticed all these features before."

"There's rankings, categories, even live streaming. Viewers can send points, apparently."

"Points? Just for streaming?"

"Tipping, super chats—that kind of thing."

Hard to believe people would pay for that, but whatever.

The rankings were dominated by Nagumo, Horikita Manabu, Ichinose... and, huh, Asahina Nazuna was up there too.

"...Hikigaya, check Sakayanagi's post. She's rank 5."

"Arisu? What about h—"

His grave tone made me scroll down. Then I saw it.

arisu_H

[Our Time Together] (attached photo)

A photo of me sleeping in bed, with Arisu smiling beside me. The caption and image were so couple-coded that the post had hundreds of comments.

"...That time she stayed over."

No wonder she'd woken up early that day.

"The comments are... something," Ayanokouji added unhelpfully.

My hand trembled as I tapped the comments, but morbid curiosity won.

[NOT THIS GUY AGAIN AAAAAAAAAH!!!]

[I HATE YOU HIKIGAYA HACHIMAN!!!]

[Sakayanagi can make that face!?]

[How many girls is he gonna 'soft-launch' with!?]

[And now guys too!?]

[Protagonist privilege is REAL!!!]

[I've seen you more than my own parents' faces!!!]

[I DMed her 'What does the H in your name stand for?' and she replied 'His initial.' I vomited sugar.]

[Bro's involved with EVERY top-ranked account!!!]

[Last time, Nagumo even—[REDACTED]]

"Hold up—'Again'!? This isn't the first time!?"

My brain short-circuited, but the first comment stuck like a knife.

"You mean... there are other posts of me!?"

I whipped my head toward Ayanokouji, but he averted his eyes like a traitor.

"Calm down. Look, there's wholesome comments too." He shoved his phone at me.

[Sakayanagi x Hikigaya = OTP!!]

[Nah, Nazuna's the best match!]

[Hiyori-chan's my fave, but she barely posts T_T]

[You haven't seen Nanase's purity in action!!!]

[1st-years, it's Ichika all the way!]

[Peek 2-C—Matsushita & Horikita go feral when Hikigaya's mentioned.]

[Takuya and the incest—[REDACTED]]

[Nagumo's jealou—[REDACTED]]

[Horikita Manabu's—[REDACTED]]

Ayanokouji looked smug, like he'd done me a favor. How was this wholesome? It was just girls clowning me.

"By the way, Matsushita and Amasawa commented too. Wanna see?"

"...Hard pass."

I'd lost my appetite before even starting. I closed Arisu's post before my sanity crumbled further.

"Seems you're infamous on campus SNS, Hikigaya."

"A fact I never wanted to know."

Ayanokouji, ever the menace, grinned. "Your little brother's posts are tame, though."

He showed me Takuya's latest:

takuya_yagami

[Café with Onii-san (intruder included)] (photo)

A shot from when Takuya, Ichika, and I went to a chain café. Ichika was clinging to me while Takuya glared.

itika_hachimanLOVE♡

['Intruder'? You mean ME?]

takuya_yagami

[Who else would it be?]

The comments were a warzone, but at least it was normal chaos.

"Peaceful. Well, aside from Ichika being called an intruder."

"This is how SNS should be used. Sakayanagi's isn't wrong, just... provocative."

Scrolling further, I saw posts about cooking, pranks, hobbies—stuff that actually made SNS seem fun. Maybe now that I had more connections, it wouldn't be so bad.

Then Ayanokouji stiffened. "Huh. Interesting."

"What?"

"There's a daily ranking. And the top spots are all... you-related."

He showed me:

1: Horikita Manabu

"You went out with him recently?"

"...Two days ago. He treated me to lunch."

The post was a video titled simply [Lunch].

manabu_horikita

[Lunch]

[Horikita Manabu: "Is it good?"]

[Hikigaya: "You've asked seven times. Yes, it's good. But are you sure about paying?"]

[Manabu: "It's fine. Conversations with you are worthwhile. Lunch is cheap in comparison."]

[Hikigaya: "You don't need to pay to chat. My room's open if you want."]

[Manabu: "...Really?"]

[Hikigaya: "We're past being strangers."]

[Manabu: smiles faintly]

[Tachibana (off-screen): "H-Horikita-kun is smiling!? Hikigaya-kun, this is rare!!"]

The comments exploded:

[Dating for THREE DAYS and already this sweet!?]

[HORIKITA MANABU SMILES!?]

[Is it just me, or do they look like a new couple!?]

[Tachibana's the only thing saving my sanity rn.]

nagumo_miyabi

[Heh... bold move, Horikita-senpai.]

itinose_honami

[S-So Hikigaya-kun and Horikita-senpai really are close! Later, Hikigaya-kun took him to his room and—[REDACTED]]

"Why is this 1? It's just lunch!"

"The participants matter. Check the comments."

Next was 2: Nagumo Miyabi.

"You ate dinner with him that same day, right?"

The video played:

miyabi_nagumo

[Got something to say, Horikita-senpai?]

[Nagumo: "Open your mouth, Hikigaya."]

[Hikigaya: "I can feed myself. I'm not a chick."]

The source of this c𝐨ntent is freёnovelkiss.com.

[Nagumo: "Just accept the favor."]

[Hikigaya: "This isn't 'favor,' it's 'ulterior motive.'"]

[Nagumo: "Tch. Keep whining and I'll shove it in your mouth."]

[Hikigaya: sighs "...Fine. eats It's good."]

[Nagumo: "Better than Horikita-senpai's treat?"]

[Hikigaya: "What's that supposed to mean?"]

[Nagumo: "...Nothing."]

The comments were worse:

[The TITLE alone is a provocation!]

[The jealousy is PALPABLE.]

[Hikigaya's the real victim here.]

[My eyes broken? All I see is a couple. (Part 2)]

horikita_manabu

[Nagumo... you brat.]

itinose_honami

[N-Nagumo-senpai's close too! Later, they totally—[REDACTED]]

"This isn't a battleground, Student Council duo."

Ayanokouji tried to show more, but I refused. My mental health had limits.

"Anyway, back to the original plan. What's next?"

"SNS is better with groups. Let's try something together."

We brainstormed—cooking (I'm decent), dances (Ayanokouji has no rhythm), studying (his White Room methods would break people), sparring (hard pass)—but nothing stuck.

"Let's regroup tomorrow. Think of ideas by then."

"'Abandon this' isn't an option?"

"Nope. We're doing this."

---

Later: SNS Chaos Unleashed

Back in my room, Hiyori noticed me grimacing at my phone.

"SNS? That's unlike you."

"Forced participation. Regretting it already."

She shyly suggested we make a post together. How could I say no to her sparkling eyes?

We settled on a simple photo: Hiyori leaning against me, both of us smiling. Normal.

---

The Aftermath

The next morning, my phone exploded. Notifications flooded in—followers, likes, comments—all in numbers that defied logic.

"...A dream?"

Hiyori stirred beside me. "Mmm... morning...?"

"Must still be dreaming. Let's sleep more."

I hugged her like a lifeline and shut my eyes. Reality could wait.

---

P.S. Unrelated, but Ichinose's account got suspended. No one knows why.

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