In a way, Sakayanagi and Ryuen were actually quite similar.
Both were dictators in their own right, preferring to solve problems themselves while treating their classmates as nothing more than tools or chess pieces to execute their plans.
Because of this, whenever they encountered events like the Sports Festival or the Paper Shuffle—where underhanded tricks had little room to play—they would find themselves at a loss.
That said, this dictatorial approach also came with a powerful ability to mobilize people.
Just as Ryuen could command his subordinates to keep an eye on Class D, Sakayanagi could just as easily do the same. The reverse, however, was practically impossible.
Every time Class D faced an exam, they would argue endlessly over points and other trivial matters—let alone agree to something with no direct benefit to them.
Staking out after school, after a whole day of classes?
What a joke.
Simply put, expecting them to sacrifice their personal time for the sake of the class was a pipe dream.
Of course, this situation wasn't without its advantages. If the class ever failed, the blame would be shared by everyone rather than falling squarely on the leader's shoulders.
In other words, if Sakayanagi or Ryuen were ever taken down, their respective classes would suffer devastating consequences.
And the method to achieve that? Simple—destroy their credibility.
It wasn't just Ichinose who needed to maintain her reputation. In reality, these two had even more reason to be careful.
Their ability to rule with an iron grip wasn't solely due to intelligence or brute force; at its core, it was because their classmates had chosen to believe in them—the belief that they could lead their class to A-Class.
But the truth was far from that.
Neither Sakayanagi nor Ryuen actually cared about reaching A-Class. Their goals had never aligned with their class from the start.
Compared to the collective interest, they prioritized their whims and simply disguised their true intentions.
Of course, exposing that alone wouldn't be enough.
But if their incompetence were to be laid bare as well, then betrayal within their class would only be a matter of time.
Before dealing with Nagumo, Hikigaya hoped that the first-year situation would remain as stable as possible. Even if he couldn't help, at the very least, he didn't want anyone making things worse.
Unfortunately, the two people standing before him were exactly the kind who loved stirring up trouble.
The only silver lining was that both Class B and Class C were struggling with their class points.
Especially Sakayanagi's class. Hikigaya was glad he had managed to knock them down to Class C over the summer. If Sakayanagi had remained in Class A, her position would have been virtually unshakable.
But now? Inciting these two classes to stage an uprising wasn't an impossible task.
It was just… a pain to execute. Hopefully, it wouldn't come to that.
"Hey, Sakayanagi, get lost. I'm talking to Dead Eyes."
"Is that necessary? Didn't Hikigaya-kun just say we're all fellow losers here? May I join your conversation as well?"
Sakayanagi responded to Ryuen's hostility with words laced with provocation.
"I find your discussion quite interesting. I heard rumors that Dragon-kun has been looking for someone. Could it be that you're asking Hikigaya-kun about that? Or perhaps... you suspect him?"
"Shut up, Sakayanagi. This has nothing to do with you. And if you call me that again, I'll make sure you regret it, Little girl." Ryuen snapped back instantly.
"You're misusing that English phrase," Sakayanagi corrected him without missing a beat. "I am not a little girl."
"Heh, have you ever looked in a mirror?"
And just like that, the two devolved into a childish squabble.
Sakayanagi, however, seemed genuinely fixated on the matter. She pressed on, "I told you, that usage is incorrect. 'Little girl' is a term exclusively used for elementary school girls. Honestly, it's precisely because you lack proper education that you reacted so flustered when your plans were exposed, dragging unrelated students into your mess. A rather disgraceful display, wouldn't you say?"
"Tch, what the hell do you know?" Ryuen scoffed, unimpressed. "If I wanted to, I could end this game in an instant. That sneaky bastard lurking in the shadows? I could drag him out right now."
"Oh? Is that so? Then why haven't you?"
"I'm just enjoying myself."
"Heh, and yet, somehow, it feels like you're just bluffing."
Sakayanagi chuckled, continuing to poke at Ryuen with her words. "I heard from Masumi-san and Hashimoto-kun that even though you devised plenty of strategies on the uninhabited island, you still lost in the end. But really, if you just analyzed the situation properly, uncovering the mastermind shouldn't have been difficult. Or is it that you cannot simply do so, leaving you with nothing but empty threats? That kind of behavior only highlights your incompetence."
"You've got some nerve bringing up the island exam. You're the real incompetent one here."
Ryuen grinned, firing back without hesitation.
"Not only did I manipulate Katsuragi into signing that contract, but thanks to you, Dead Eyes here managed to fill his pockets quite nicely. I should thank you for that, shouldn't I, Miss Moneybag?"
"That was Katsuragi-kun's decision," Sakayanagi replied flatly. "And speaking of moneybags, weren't you the first? If I recall correctly, your class became Hikigaya-kun's funding source much earlier than ours did."
Not only did she completely dismiss Ryuen's accusation, but she also dragged Hikigaya into the conversation.
Ah, this was what he got for standing around and spectating.
It was a bit annoying, but considering it wasn't something he could hide forever, it didn't matter.
Besides, Sakayanagi targeting him was expected.
At least Ryuen was bound by their contract, limiting his actions. Sakayanagi, however, had no such restrictions.
That 1.1 million point deficit—if she didn't find a way to plug that hole, Class B would be in serious trouble sooner or later.
"Hikigaya, what are they talking about? What's this 'moneybag' thing?" Sudou asked, looking thoroughly confused.
The other students from Class D also turned their gazes toward him, seeking an explanation.
…What a hassle.
"…It has nothing to do with you."
"Huh? But we're teammates, aren't we?"
"We're not."
If a small favor was enough to be considered a teammate, that would be way too troublesome.
It wasn't about being tsundere or anything—Hikigaya genuinely thought that way.
"Hehehe, looks like Hikigaya-kun still hasn't integrated into his class," Sakayanagi smirked, clearly amused. "How about this? Why don't you just transfer to our class? Then you could attend lessons alongside your favorite Masumi-san. What do you think?"
"Wha—Sakayanagi! Quit spouting nonsense!"
Kamuro, who had been silently watching from the sidelines, suddenly turned red with anger, nearly ready to throw a punch.
Jeez… don't take Sakayanagi's jokes so seriously.
"Not interested."
Hikigaya shot a glare at the scheming troublemaker.
"Besides, what's in it for me? For all I know, your class might drop to Class C again."
"So, you're saying that if we reclaim our spot in Class A, you'd consider transferring in and becoming my loyal subordinate for life?"
"I never said that."
Wait, did she just sneak in some weird phrasing?
What's this 'for life' nonsense? This school only lasts three years!
Hikigaya figured this conversation was a waste of time and decided to switch to his role as a student council member.
"Hey, Ryuen," he turned to the instigator of this whole mess. "You've been making all this fuss because you suspect Kouenji is the mastermind, right? So, what if he is? What do you plan to do?"
"What else? I'll deal with him."
As expected of Ryuen, he casually uttered something completely reckless.
"Even if there's no benefit, even if it's pointless, I'll beat him into submission with force."
"Ah, is that so?"
Hikigaya responded with a deadpan expression, completely unsurprised.
Then he turned to Kouenji. "You hear that? What's your move? Gonna take them all on?"
"Is there any other choice?" Kouenji replied as if the question itself was absurd.
"Figured as much. Ten minutes enough?"
"Heh, Dead-eyed boy, you underestimate me. Five minutes will suffice. I might even have time left over to fix my hair."
"Is that so…"
It wasn't just the others—Hikigaya himself found Kouenji's narcissism hard to endure.
But as a student council member, he had a duty to help the weak.
"Ryuen, you get it now, right?" Hikigaya said earnestly. "You and your lackeys don't stand a chance. Even if you're a delinquent, getting beaten up for no reason doesn't sound appealing, does it? So why not take the smarter approach?"
Unfortunately, good advice often falls on deaf ears.
Class C didn't appreciate his kindness. Ishizaki, in particular, shouted, "Say that again, I dare you! Ryuen-san, this guy's looking down on us! Shouldn't we teach him a lesson?"
"Huh? You sure about that?" Hikigaya looked genuinely surprised.
Did Ishizaki forget about the contract?
Wait… was he trying to get Ryuen expelled?
So, he was a tactician after all.
"Ishizaki, you don't seem very bright, but secretly, you're plotting to replace Ryuen? I underestimated you… Ah, truly, appearances can be deceiving." Hikigaya nodded in mock admiration.
"What the—wait! No! Ryuen-san, don't listen to him! I wasn't—!"
"Shut up."
Ryuen cut him off impatiently, then locked eyes with Hikigaya for a long moment.
"Dead eyes, you're saying Kouenji alone could handle this?"
"You don't believe me?"
Underestimating someone could lead to disaster, no matter how many people you have.
Hikigaya hoped Ryuen would grasp that lesson.
Just then, Kouenji cut in. "Forget it, Dead-eyed boy. No amount of words will change anything. Only a rare few can appreciate my beauty. Dragonboy-kun and Littlegirl here are merely engaging in meaningless squabbling—frankly, I find it dull."
"I can't just pretend I didn't hear that. You're Kōenji-kun, right?"
Compared to Ryūen, Sakayanagi's reaction this time seemed even stronger.
"When you say 'boring,' does that include me as well? And I already told you earlier—your use of English is incorrect."
"Hehehe, that's not for you to decide—it's for me." Kōenji remained completely unfazed by Sakayanagi's words. "As long as I think you meet the standard of being called 'Little Girl,' then that's what I'll call you."
"This world won't allow you to do as you please."
"Not being bound by common sense is my style."
Kōenji casually brushed his hair back with a flourish.
But his blatant disregard for Sakayanagi did not sit well with someone else.
"…That's enough, Kōenji."
Perhaps to defend his superior's honor, Kitō took a step forward and made a motion to remove his gloves.
Huh? Was he about to unleash some kind of hidden power?
Seeing that the situation was about to escalate, I couldn't afford to dwell on such silly thoughts. I quickly spoke up to de-escalate the tension.
"Hey, hey, how about you all calm down? Even if you add in your two and a half members from Class B, you still wouldn't stand a chance."
"Please hold on a moment, Hikigaya-kun."
At my words, Sakayanagi furrowed her brows.
"The 'half' you mentioned… You don't mean me, do you? Be careful, or I might get angry."
"That's not what I meant," I explained patiently. "Strictly speaking, the 'half' refers to Kamuro. After all, she still has to split her attention to protect you."
"Uh…"
"If a fight breaks out, she might not even count as half."
Even though I made an effort to clarify, Sakayanagi still looked rather annoyed… Sigh.
Girls are unreasonable.
Forcing a smile, Sakayanagi said, "Hikigaya-kun, you seem to have misunderstood something. Let's put aside Dragon Boy-kun for now—I certainly don't like—"
Before she could finish, Ryūen suddenly lunged forward.
Then, without hesitation, he launched a powerful kick.
"Whoa—!"
Hashimoto reacted quickly, stepping in front of Sakayanagi and using his left forearm to block the kick.
He was instantly sent flying, crashing onto the concrete ground.
At the same time, Kitō and Kamuro immediately went on high alert, assuming combat stances, while the Class C students rallied behind Ryūen.
The atmosphere grew dangerously tense.
"Hey, what the hell are you guys doing?!"
I was startled and quickly shouted, "Hashimoto, are you alright?"
"Haha, don't worry, I'm fine."
Hashimoto let out a chuckle and quickly got back on his feet.
But before he could even thank me for my concern, I continued, "If your brain is still working, why did you block that? You should've just let Ryūen kick Sakayanagi in the face. That way, one of them ends up in the hospital, and the other goes to jail. Then our whole grade would finally know peace."
"Uh, that's a bit…"
"Well, they brought it on themselves, didn't they?"
No matter how many lessons they've been taught, these two just never seem to learn.
Honestly, dealing with just one so-called 'masterpiece' was already exhausting. And now, with Sakayanagi and Ryūen in the mix… Maybe the world really should just end.
Ignoring me, Sakayanagi turned to Ryūen with a smile.
"What's wrong? Did I upset you?"
"I told you before—if you call me that again, I'll kill you." Ryūen enunciated each word with clear menace.
"That's enough," Horikita finally intervened, unable to watch any longer. "All of you need to stop. If this continues, things are going to get out of hand."
However, the one who responded wasn't Ryūen—it was Sakayanagi.
"Hashimoto-kun, did something just happen?"
"No, I just tripped."
Hashimoto immediately caught on, signaling that it was simply his own carelessness.
"You heard that, didn't you, Horikita?" Sakayanagi said with a sweet smile. "That's what he claims."
"Ugh… You guys and Ryuen are all so abnormal."
Horikita was speechless. Compared to these people, even Sudou seemed like a model student.
Not only did they show no displeasure toward violence, but they also exuded an aura that suggested they wouldn't mind settling things with a fight.
Fortunately, there was an expert on handling unruly children present.
"Well, since you all want to fight, I won't stop you. I'll just pretend I didn't see anything… Oh, by the way, Ryuen." Hikigaya helpfully offered a strategy. "When the fight breaks out, have Albert hold off Kito, Ishizaki take care of Hashimoto, and Ibuki keep Kamuro busy. Meanwhile, Komiya and Kondo can move around as support. As for you, go straight for the 'capture the leader' tactic—take down Sakayanagi and, for good measure, give her a solid kick to the face. I'd love to see how long she ends up in the hospital… and how many years you'll get sentenced for."
Ryuen: "…"
Sakayanagi: "…"
"If you're worried about the student council, don't be. The current president, Nagumo, is pretty lenient about fights. As long as no one dies, it's usually fine."
[T/N: This guy!🤣]
Noticing that some of them might still be hesitant, Hikigaya kindly reassured them.
The group fell into a stunned silence, unsure of how to respond.
Despite his bold words, everyone knew that if they actually followed Hikigaya's plan, things would spiral out of control fast.
But at this point, they couldn't just walk away without saying anything either.
Now, neither leaving nor fighting seemed like a viable option.
The two groups remained frozen in place, stuck in an awkward stalemate.