As November neared its end, the weather grew increasingly cold.
In just a few days, the first Monday of December would arrive, marking the beginning of the final exams.
The Paper Shuffle exam brought immense pressure to Class D students, mainly because one of their opponents was Class B—formerly the elite Class A, presumably filled with academically gifted students.
Fortunately, the ones setting the questions for them were from Class C.
Of course, Class C had its share of strong students as well, but in terms of numbers, they were still relatively easier to deal with compared to the other two classes.
At Ayanokoji's suggestion, Horikita and Hirata immediately took action.
At 7 PM, after club activities had concluded, the members of Class D gathered in a private karaoke room.
Holding the discussion here ensured their plans wouldn't leak outside.
Ideally, they would have met in one of their dorm rooms, but someone had objected to that idea.
"Hey, Yousuke-kun, can I sing?"
"Wait a second, Karuizawa-san, we're not here to have fun," Hirata gently scolded. "Tonight is really important. We only came all the way to Keyaki Mall because you absolutely refused to discuss this in the dorms."
Yes, the one who objected was none other than Karuizawa.
However, she had only made this unreasonable demand under Ayanokoji's instructions. Fortunately, no one was in the mood to argue over it.
The real reason Ayanokoji had chosen this location was for the convenience of what was about to happen next.
"At least let me order some food, then."
Karuizawa compromised and quickly placed an order. The table soon filled with junk food and drinks.
She even ordered extra portions for Hikigaya and Matsushita, who had yet to arrive.
"Since we're still waiting for some people, let's first go over the results of our study sessions," Horikita suggested, unwilling to waste any time.
"Honestly, I think the results have been great," Hirata said. "Kushida-san has been organizing study sessions since the first semester, and thanks to her, many students have already developed good study habits. I really think we don't have much to worry about."
Kushida quickly waved her hands. "It's nothing, really. I just don't want to see anyone from Class D getting expelled. Let's all pass the exam together!"
It seemed Horikita acknowledged Kushida's efforts, which might explain the recent improvement in their relationship.
But then, Horikita's expression turned cold.
"There are still a few problem students, though. Especially Yamauchi—he even went and harassed a Class A student. I had to apologize to Ichinose because of him… Honestly, I want to castrate that hormone-driven primate."
Class A and Class D weren't facing each other in this exam, so they occasionally held joint study sessions in the library.
For someone as prideful as Horikita to bow her head and apologize to another class, Yamauchi must have really pissed her off.
But honestly, he brought it upon himself.
"Hahaha, I don't think Yamauchi-kun meant any harm," Hirata tried to mediate. "Anyway, things are going well on my end too. Everyone is working hard, and I'm sure we'll get through this exam just fine."
Of course, those were just reassuring words. With students like Karuizawa and Sudou barely clinging to a passing grade, no one wanted to be the pessimist in this situation.
"By the way, how's Yukimura's group doing?" Horikita asked.
"The results have been promising. Akito and Haruka have a solid foundation… Well, I think that's enough about the study sessions for now."
Yukimura adjusted his glasses and shifted the conversation to the real topic of the night.
"Our main concern should be stopping Hikigaya from intentionally failing the exam, right? If he does, not only will he be expelled, but he'll drag Ayanokoji down with him. This has been weighing on everyone's minds in our group."
"It's not just this time," Hirata added. "We have to find a way to stop Hikigaya from withdrawing entirely, or similar problems will keep happening in the future."
Everyone here was already aware of the situation.
"Uh, can I say something?"
Surprisingly, Sudou raised his hand, requesting to speak.
"I don't want to see Hikigaya get expelled, but… he has his own reasons, doesn't he? I mean, family comes first, no matter what."
"Yeah, I can understand his feelings… But shouldn't he at least try not to drag Ayanokoji down with him?"
"Exactly," Karuizawa chimed in, siding with Hirata. "And seriously, saying he'll get kicked out of his house if he doesn't leave school? Isn't that a bit dramatic?"
"Not necessarily," Sudou countered, uncharacteristically serious. "I grew up in a single-parent household, so I know that there really are parents who abandon their kids."
His words brought an awkward silence to the room.
"…Sorry."
The atmosphere grew tense.
It was true—many parents disregarded their children's wishes.
Ayanokoji understood this all too well.
"In any case, I have to try. I need to convince Hikigaya to reconsider."
Hirata, the most dedicated to his class, clenched his fist with determination.
Ayanokoji sincerely hoped he would work a miracle.
That would certainly save him a lot of trouble.
"Sorry, we're late."
Before long, Matsushita finally arrived, dragging Hikigaya into the room.
The latter looked extremely reluctant.
Of course. Only Matsushita could pull this off.
Having Karuizawa ask her for help was the right call.
"You can let go of me now, right?" Hikigaya said, looking displeased. "Did you really have to drag me out at night? Couldn't this wait until school tomorrow?"
"If I didn't drag you here, you'd just run away."
Ignoring everyone's gazes, Matsushita kept her grip on Hikigaya's hand and pushed him onto the couch.
"…Why are there so many people here?"
Hikigaya scanned the room, taking in the situation.
Given his intelligence, he must have realized it instantly.
Sure enough, his next words were:
"So… everyone here already knows?"
As the group nodded in unison, Hikigaya let out a deep sigh.
"Damn it… I should've kept my mouth shut. Maybe if Ayanokoji never found out, he could've spent his final days here in peace."
"Oi."
Don't make it sound like he has a terminal illness.
That aside, if things had played out like that, it really would have been a dead end.
Even as the "White Room's greatest masterpiece," Ayanokoji couldn't see any way to avoid expulsion under those conditions.
Fortunately, Hikigaya couldn't ignore his conscience and confessed in advance.
At least now, they didn't have to worry about an immediate double expulsion.
As for the next issue… that depended on how things unfolded.
"Hikigaya-kun, I'd like to have a serious talk with you," Hirata spoke first.
"…There's nothing to talk about," Hikigaya propped his chin on his hand, looking bored. "No matter how many times we go in circles, my answer won't change. Compared to my sister, the entire school is insignificant."
"Wow, that level of sis-con is just disgusting," Karuizawa grimaced.
Hirata raised his hand slightly, signaling her to hold back. Then, he turned back to Hikigaya.
"I'm not denying how much you care about your family. In fact, I completely understand your feelings… But don't you think this isn't like you?"
"Tch, why do you sound like you know me so well?" Hikigaya scoffed.
But Hirata nodded sincerely.
"Because, in my eyes, you're not just capable—you're also incredibly kind. You don't mind suffering if it helps others. I've always respected you for that."
"Ugh…"
Faced with Hirata's earnest words, Hikigaya let out a small groan and shrank back slightly.
"Geez, popular guys like you really can say this stuff without cringing."
"It's the truth."
"Ugh… I know I'm in the wrong, alright?"
Hikigaya let out a deep sigh.
"I actually received news from my family last month. Originally, I planned to rank within the top 20 in the quiz so that I wouldn't drag anyone down. But things didn't go as expected… In the end, this was indeed my mistake. Though, should I call it a blessing in disguise? Fortunately, the one who paired with me is Ayanokoji."
"Huh? Why is that?" Hirata asked, confused.
"Because I don't like him," Hikigaya answered without hesitation.
Hey, hey, isn't that a bit too blunt?
Being disliked wasn't a big deal, but to be completely indifferent to it? Even Ayanokoji found that a little difficult.
The others were equally surprised. After all, these two never seemed to have any conflicts—barely any interactions at all.
"Hold on, isn't that a bit too reckless?" Hirata tried to mediate with a gentle tone. "I think we should have an open conversation. Hikigaya-kun, could you explain why you dislike Ayanokoji-kun? I feel like this might be a misunderstanding. After all, Ayanokoji-kun isn't a bad person."
"Not a bad person, huh… Hmph, fine."
Hikigaya let out what sounded like a sneer.
Was he about to bring up the swimming pool incident?
If so, Ayanokoji wasn't too concerned. He had long anticipated that day would come and had already prepared a proper explanation.
However, Hikigaya's gaze suddenly shifted to Horikita.
"Horikita, during the uninhabited island exam, you had to withdraw due to a high fever, right?"
"Eh? Ah, yes, that's true."
Caught off guard by being addressed, Horikita hesitated for a moment before responding.
"But I clearly remember you took cold medicine. So why did you collapse?"
Before she could answer, Hikigaya continued on his own. "Of course, taking medicine doesn't guarantee a recovery—it's not some miracle cure… But something still felt off, so after the exam, I asked the ship's medical officer who was in charge at the time. She told me your temperature was normal. You didn't collapse from a fever."
Upon hearing this, Ayanokoji immediately realized the situation had taken a troublesome turn.
This was an unexpected blind spot.
"Hikigaya, what exactly are you trying to say?" Sudo couldn't hold back any longer.
"What I'm saying is… Horikita, your reason for withdrawing was the same as Ryuuen's. You were deliberately knocked out, weren't you?"
"That is..." Horikita hesitated, words caught in her throat.
"But there's a fundamental difference between you and him—you wouldn't have thought of such a method, nor would you have had the resolve to go that far. At least, not the you from back then."
Perhaps the others were still lost in confusion, but the two people involved, Horikita and Ayanokoji, knew exactly what Hikigaya was referring to.
Sigh, yet another unplanned hassle.
Ayanokoji sighed inwardly, already contemplating how to handle the inevitable storm ahead.
Had he known this would happen, he wouldn't have invited Sudou today.
"If I remember correctly, the only one who brought you back to the ship at that time was Ayanokoji, right?"
Hikigaya finally touched on the crux of the matter.
"Be honest with me—was it your request for Ayanokoji to knock you out? Of course, if I'm wrong, I'll kneel and apologize right now."
"I..."
All eyes turned to Horikita, awaiting her answer.
She let out a soft sigh. "Hikigaya-kun... Can we not bring up the past? At the very least, it minimized our class's losses back then."
Even without explicitly stating it, her words already confirmed everything.
Even Sudou understood. After standing frozen for a few seconds, he suddenly grabbed Ayanokoji by the collar.
"Ayanokoji! What the hell did you do?!"
"Sudou-kun, stop!"
Hirata was the first to react, rushing over to hold Sudou back.
As for Ayanokoji himself, he remained calm, silently observing the others' reactions.
He had considered refuting Hikigaya, but the latter wasn't lying—he was wielding the weapon of truth.
Unless Horikita denied it, saying anything more would only worsen his situation.
What surprised Ayanokoji the most was Horikita's attitude.
She should have known that exposing the truth would only make things worse for their class... Was she that enamored with Hikigaya?
The room quickly descended into chaos. No one had expected the usually unassuming Ayanokoji to have done something like this.
Yukimura stared at his recently befriended classmate with uncertainty.
Only Hikigaya yawned out of boredom. "Looks like I don't need to kneel after all. Not much left to say, is there? I'll be going."
"Wait."
Just as he was about to leave, an unexpected person called out to him.
"So what you're saying is that you hate Ayanokoji because of this incident, and you don't care if others get dragged into expulsion?"
"You can see it that way." Hikigaya nodded.
"If that's the case, aren't you just like him?" Karuizawa sneered. "Or is this just an excuse? Could it be that you like Horikita and got mad because the girl you like was hit? So now you're trying to take revenge on Ayanokoji?"
"Is that the only thing your brain can think of?"
Hikigaya's expression was less helpless and more bewildered.
"It wouldn't matter if it were Horikita, Yamauchi, or even you—I was just angry at what Ayanokoji did."
However, his words set off a bomb.
"Don't make it sound so noble! People like you always act like you're above it all but just stand by and watch in the end!"
Karuizawa snapped.
"We fought desperately to pass the exam, terrified of dragging our partners down! But you, for such a stupid reason, want to take others down with you! Do you even realize how much trouble that would cause?! You have good grades, so even if you get expelled, some top-tier school will still take you! Ha! Must be nice to be smart!"
Completely irrational.
At first, it seemed like Karuizawa was standing up for Ayanokoji, but it soon became clear she was just venting her own emotions.
The exam must have put her under immense pressure.
But that wasn't surprising—this was just who Karuizawa Kei was.
"I don't think I'm particularly smart."
Compared to her outburst, Hikigaya remained as calm as ever. However, his indifferent tone made it seem like he was simply humoring an idiot.
"Ha! So you're secretly looking down on me for being dumb, huh?" Karuizawa pressed.
"If you agree, I can say it outright."
"...!" His response, like throwing fuel on a fire, only escalated the situation.
Karuizawa grabbed a full glass of Calpis and threw it at Hikigaya, drenching him instantly.
The milky beverage, thick with a sweet aroma, soaked into his clothes.
If it were just dirt, some guys might tolerate it, but a sticky, fragrant mess was another story—it was bound to cause trouble for those around him.
Everyone froze at Karuizawa's sudden action, even Sudou, who instinctively loosened his grip on Ayanokoji.
At least Ayanokoji could breathe for a moment now.
That was quite helpful.
"Karuizawa, what do you think you're doing?!"
Horikita immediately snatched the glass from Karuizawa's hand, while Kushida reached for her cup.
Whoa, seriously?
If she did that, her entire persona would collapse.
Not that it would be a bad thing for Ayanokoji.
But before Kushida could act, someone else held her hand down.
"Thanks, I was a bit thirsty."
"Eh..."
Hikigaya casually took Kushida's glass and took a small sip.
From beginning to end, he never once looked at Karuizawa, let alone showed any anger.
But it wasn't forgiveness—it was complete disregard.
What an utterly unordinary high schooler.
Horikita was still arguing with Karuizawa, while Hirata was torn between scolding Karuizawa and stopping Sudou from causing more trouble. Truly a rough day for him.
"Hikigaya-kun, are you alright?"
Matsushita approached, offering tissues to wipe the milky-white liquid from Hikigaya's clothes.
"You have school tomorrow. You can't wear that jacket. Do you have a spare?"
Usually, jackets were hard to get dirty, so even with just one, washing it on weekends was manageable.
The school provided each student with two jackets to prevent accidents like this. If damaged or outgrown, students could order replacements from Keyaki Mall's specialty store, but custom orders took time and were expensive.
"No," Hikigaya shook his head. "I only have this one. The other had its sleeves cut off."
"Cut off?"
"Yeah, at the hospital."
For a fractured arm, medical staff wouldn't risk removing a jacket normally—they would just cut it off.
This matched what Ayanokoji had previously investigated.
"Then let's go to a laundromat. There's one nearby that's open 24/7. If we drop it off now, you can pick it up early in the morning." Matsushita suggested.
Ayanokoji silently approved—this was a good chance to tackle the problem at hand.
"Alright, thanks."
Without protest, Hikigaya headed for the door, with Matsushita following.
But before leaving, she suddenly picked up a glass of grape juice.
"Oh, Karuizawa, I have something for you."
"Huh? W—Ah?!"
Before Karuizawa could react, Matsushita splashed the juice on her face.
"Cough, cough! What the hell?!"
"Nothing much." Matsushita smiled sweetly. "Just returning something you forgot. See you at school tomorrow! Let's go, Hikigaya-kun."
Ignoring the furious Karuizawa, she dragged a bewildered Hikigaya away.
...Girls were terrifying.
One second best friends, the next, bitter enemies.
What surprised Ayanokoji most was that Matsushita dared to treat Karuizawa like this...
Perhaps her control over the girls' group was beginning to slip.
Thinking about it, it made sense. Back on the deserted island, Kei Karuizawa had been publicly criticized by Hikigaya. During the Preferential Exam, her identity was exposed, and afterward, she hadn't made any significant contributions to the class.
On top of that, her boyfriend, Hirata, was no longer as trusted by his classmates as before.
If there ever came a day when Karuizawa lost her status, it wouldn't be much of a surprise.
"Ah, wait! I'm coming too!"
Kushida, who had been standing frozen in place, suddenly snapped out of her daze and hurriedly ran after the others, leaving the rest behind.
Horikita glanced at Karuizawa, who was still shouting in frustration, and sighed. "Hirata-kun, next time we discuss this, it would be best if you didn't bring your girlfriend along."
"Hey! What's that supposed to mean?!"
"The time's about up. Let's end things here for today."
Ignoring Karuizawa's protest, Horikita casually brushed her hair aside and walked out of the booth.
Even though the discussion had turned chaotic, Ayanokoji was still satisfied with the outcome.
Despite some unexpected developments, everything remained within a controllable range.
The primary objective had been achieved—that was all that mattered.
Now, it was confirmed that Hikigaya only had one wearable jacket, and he would soon have it washed.
The next step was simple—when the opportunity arose, perhaps during P.E. class, a cheat sheet could be slipped into the inner pocket of his jacket or discreetly attached inside the sleeve.
If too much time passed, it might be discovered, but with the exam just days away, it wouldn't be unusual for someone to avoid touching their freshly laundered jacket's inner pocket for a day or two.
To be extra cautious, the desk would need some tampering as well—maybe sticking a few cheat notes inside the drawer.
Although the classroom was under surveillance, the cameras didn't cover every angle. With Karuizawa providing cover, avoiding detection wouldn't be difficult.
However, Ayanokoji wasn't doing this to frame Hikigaya for cheating.
If Hikigaya were caught, Ayanokoji himself would also be implicated and expelled.
The real goal was to plant the suspicion of cheating on Hikigaya.
The notes being planted wouldn't match the actual test questions or answers. When discovered, Hikigaya would naturally claim he had been set up.
Even if he were innocent, the school wouldn't simply let the matter slide after finding such materials on him.
According to ANHS's rules, while he might avoid expulsion, as long as doubt remained, his test results would be voided.
In other words, even if Hikigaya left his exam sheet blank, his score would still be rendered invalid. Since Ayanokoji was his designated partner, neither of them would be expelled.
Of course, this only worked because Hikigaya was a high-performing student. The school might show leniency once or twice, but abusing this loophole too often wouldn't be possible.
If someone like Yamauchi, who couldn't even maintain an average score, were in the same situation, the school wouldn't hesitate to expel him.
With this, whether Hikigaya genuinely wanted to drop out or had some ulterior motive no longer mattered.
As the prime suspect in a cheating scandal, he would undoubtedly face the wary gazes of his classmates.
But that, of course, had nothing to do with Ayanokoji.
—As long as I'm the one who wins in the end, that's all that matters.
Then, time moved forward to December, and the final exams had finally arrived.
During this period, all the necessary preparations had been completed, and everything had gone according to plan.
However, on the morning of the exam, a small problem arose.
Until Chabashira-sensei stepped into the classroom, Hikigaya was nowhere to be seen.
Staring at the empty desk and chair in the corner, Ayanokoji couldn't help but fall into deep thought.
…Is he seriously going this far?