This whole thing wasn't really a big deal—just two people showing off.
Ryuen was arrogant and untamed, his presence exuding dominance.Sakayanagi remained calm and composed, unfazed.
Normally, once they finished their little act, things would end on a high note for everyone.
But someone just had to step in at that moment. Not only did he manage to make the entire situation unbearably awkward, but he also turned the two proud class leaders into complete clowns.
"…Since neither of you wants to fight, let's just drop it for today."
Seeing that neither of them spoke, Hikigaya lost interest in dragging this out any further and casually offered them an easy way out.
"But I have to say, Ryuen, you're being a bit too much. Giving people random nicknames like that? Not everyone is as generous as I am, you know."
"Tch, boring."
Ryuen clicked his tongue in annoyance and turned his head away.
At last, the tense atmosphere began to ease.
Seriously, this guy had no problem calling people "Dead Eyes" all the time, yet he couldn't handle being called "Dragon Boy" a few times.
What a sore loser.
"Heh… Looks like this little farce has finally come to an end."
Koenji stood up, looking thoroughly satisfied.
"Little girl and Dragon boy are both rather dull people, but thanks to Dead-eyed Boy's arrangements, this turned into quite an entertaining show. You should be proud of yourselves."
"Ugh…"
Sakayanagi, despite once again being labeled as "boring," remained silent from beginning to end this time.
She simply glared at Hikigaya, gripping her cane so tightly that it creaked ominously.
…Terrifying.
"Well then, my date is waiting. See you."
Koenji waved a casual goodbye before elegantly striding away.
No one present dared to stop him.
Dealing with an existence beyond common sense was exhausting enough as it was.
Although this whole mess started because of Ryuen's unreasonable provocation, in the end, he was the one who got humiliated.
Even that white-haired girl ended up being dragged into it.
Honestly, even if Hikigaya hadn't been here, they probably would've still been played like fools.
"It seems that's the end of it. Time to head back."
Sakayanagi finally spoke.
"Hikigaya-kun, I'll settle—play with you some other time."
"Oh? Are you mad?" Hikigaya feigned ignorance. "It's not like I kicked you in the face. If anything, I saved you. You should be thanking me."
"…How thoughtful of you."
With that, Sakayanagi turned without another word, tapping her cane briskly as she walked away.
She had lost her usual composure… How amusing.
From the moment he enrolled, Hikigaya had been toyed with and disgusted by this obnoxious white-haired girl time and time again.
Now that he finally had a chance to "correct" (read: get revenge on) her nasty personality, he wasn't about to let it slip away.
Still, something felt off.
Why had she come back to school in the first place?
Just to watch the commotion?
She didn't even bring her bag with her, meaning she'd have to make another trip back to get it.
That was kind of dumb.
Then again, Hikigaya had also left his bag in the classroom.
But he got dragged into this against his will, so clearly, Sakayanagi was the dumb one here.
Meanwhile, Ryuen and his lackeys had also quietly left.
He moved fast when it came to making himself scarce.
But just before walking away completely, he suddenly turned back with a smirk.
"Hey, Dead Eyes, I've got some good news for you."
"What?"
"Don't think you can always protect your classmates. It's only a matter of time before I drag X out into the open."
With the lead he got from Karuizawa, Ryuen no longer cared about a few minor setbacks.
Even if he knew Koenji wasn't X, he still resorted to nearly violent intimidation just to put pressure on the real X.
This was a game of patience.
"So, if you want to save them, you better start thinking of a plan soon."
"Oh, is that so? Then let me give you some advice."
Hikigaya sighed.
"Before throwing punches, maybe try using your brain a little. Do you think just having numbers on your side guarantees victory? Take today, for example. Even if you had the strength to crush Sakayanagi, in the end, you accomplished absolutely nothing."
"Hah, that's none of your business."
Ryuen flashed a sinister grin.
It seemed he was feeling quite confident.
Of course, Hikigaya didn't think he was just some musclehead.
He would set the stage beforehand, making sure the school couldn't interfere.
Then, he'd corner X with force and make them submit.
That was the best-case scenario for him.
But reality was rarely that kind.
One misstep, and he'd end up like Ayanokoji—so convinced his plan was flawless that he wouldn't even realize he was standing at the edge of expulsion.
Sigh…
This was just a low-budget knockoff of a masterpiece.
"What the hell was Ryuen even talking about? I didn't understand a word."
Sudou scratched his head in confusion.
"His actions defy common sense. It's only natural that he's hard to understand. Don't bother trying to figure it out—you'll just be giving yourself a headache."
Horikita seemed to be covering for Ayanokoji—or maybe she was just making an offhanded comment.
Then, her gaze shifted toward Hikigaya.
"Hikigaya-kun, what you did earlier was problematic. Even if you wanted to stop the conflict, there were other ways to go about it, weren't there?"
"You've got it all wrong. I don't care what happens to them."
Hikigaya waved her off dismissively.
"…Let's just go with that."
Horikita sighed.
"But have you considered what happens if they turn their attention toward you? You know Ryuen has no qualms about using violence, right? He wouldn't hesitate to attack even Sakayanagi."
"Oh, that's easy. I'd just run away."
Hikigaya grinned, completely unfazed.
"If all else fails, I'll just hide behind Ayanokoji."
"Hey."
The previously silent Ayanokoji finally spoke up—only to be cut off by Horikita's heavy sigh.
"You are… I don't even know what to say to you anymore."
She shook her head in exasperation.
"But fine, let's just have Ayanokoji-kun take the hit. He is good at fighting, after all."
"Uh…"
Ayanokoji was utterly speechless.
He had been suspecting for a while now that Hikigaya and Horikita were conspiring to set him up, trying to force him to reveal his true strength.
Given Horikita's previous attempts to dig into his past, that wasn't entirely impossible.
"Wait, Suzune, are you saying Ayanokoji is strong?"
Sudou wasn't pleased.
He hated seeing the girl he liked praise another guy.
"You're joking, right? This guy doesn't look like he's ever been in a fight. I could take him down with one hand."
"That's just Horikita's misunderstanding."
Ayanokoji hurriedly denied it.
"Like you said, I've never fought before. I wouldn't stand a chance against you."
But Sudou wasn't convinced.
"Then let's test it out."
Although Hirata had managed to smooth things over at the time, that didn't mean Sudou had let it go.
He was probably just looking for an excuse to get revenge for Horikita—or maybe even make her fall for him in the process.
Sigh, boys were simple creatures.
That being said, Hikigaya had no intention of stopping him.
Who wouldn't want to see the so-called masterpiece suffer a little?
Come to think of it, Sudou was Ayanokoji's kryptonite. Every time they crossed paths, Ayanokoji ended up in a mess he couldn't easily talk his way out of.
Unfortunately, the fight never happened in the end. Horikita stepped in and put a stop to it.
Now that the class had finally earned 100 points, there was no way they could afford to lose them over something this stupid.
"Knock it off already," Miyake added, trying to de-escalate things. "It's getting late. We should head back. Club activities are starting soon, and we need to tell Hirata what happened."
Yeah, it was time to go back and grab his bag.
After all, Hikigaya still had something important to take care of.
…
Back in his room, Hikigaya tossed his bag aside and pulled out his phone, opening a specific app.
It was connected to a listening device hidden inside the student council office.
Though calling it a "device" made it sound more sophisticated than it was—it was just a GPS tracker with a recording function, about the size of a matchbox, easily available on Amazon.
The hardest part had been planting it.
Fortunately, Horikita Manabu had taken care of that before stepping down. There was no way Nagumo would ever suspect that his upright, honorable predecessor had done something like this.
Unfortunately, Hikigaya would.
He pressed play, letting the day's recordings run.
Most of the time, he only listened on weekends, checking for any useful intel.
But it was always the same—pointless conversations, half of which were just Nagumo bragging to girls.
Seriously, what did this guy think the student council was for?
If he wanted to pick up girls, he should do it somewhere else!
Hikigaya had started wondering if this was all a waste of time and if eavesdropping wasn't even necessary.
After all, he visited the student council office almost daily, and Nagumo never hid his schedule. Everything he did was out in the open.
But today was different.
For once, Hikigaya had been told not to come.
Which made him wonder—was something unusual happening?
Yet as he skimmed through the recordings, it was just the usual nonsense. Nothing stood out.
Just as he was about to give up, the final recording played—
And an unexpected voice came through.
[Thank you for taking the time to meet with me today, President Nagumo.]
It's Sakayanagi… Why would she visit the student council?
She couldn't possibly be thinking of joining, could she?
Besides, her name isn't on the appointment list, which means she must have contacted Nagumo privately to arrange this meeting.
…Just what is she planning?
For some reason, a sudden unease surged in Hikigaya's heart, but overthinking it now wouldn't help.
He focused and continued listening.
Nagumo: [Haha, no worries. You're an outstanding student—and I'm more than happy to spend my time with you.]
Nagumo: [But I must remind you, being late is quite improper behavior.]
Sakayanagi: [I sincerely apologize for that. Something rather interesting happened in my grade, and I simply couldn't ignore it.]
Nagumo: [Ah, you must be referring to the conflict between Ryuen and Class D. He is quite the fascinating character.]
So Nagumo already knows about that… As expected, his informants are everywhere.
It was right after school, so it wouldn't be surprising if students passing by witnessed the incident.
But what was strange was how quickly the information reached Nagumo. Once again, Hikigaya felt a growing concern for the future.
Nagumo's control over the second year might be even greater than he had imagined.
Sakayanagi: [I didn't expect you to be aware already. I had planned to share it as an amusing anecdote, but it seems that won't be necessary.]
Nagumo: [Haha, I'm always happy to hear what you have to say.]
Nagumo: [But let's put that aside for now. What I'm more curious about is the reason for your visit. Could it be that you want to join me? If so, you're welcome anytime.]
Sakayanagi: [I appreciate the offer, but if I'm not mistaken, Ichinose from Year 1's Class A is already a member of the student council, isn't she?]
At that moment, Hikigaya had a bad feeling.
Could it be…?
Nagumo: [That's correct. But is there a problem?]
Nagumo: [The student council doesn't have a membership limit. As long as a student is outstanding, we welcome them at any time.]
Sakayanagi: [Is that so? But in reality, that only applies under your leadership, President Nagumo, since you've already dominated the entire second year.]
Sakayanagi: [The status of Class A is something every class desires. In our grade, no decisive winner has been determined yet. If I were to join the same organization as Ichinose, I wouldn't be able to bring myself to attack her.]
…Does she even believe what she's saying?
Hikigaya couldn't help but inwardly mock her while sparing a thought for Katsuragi, who had suffered at her hands.
Not that he wasn't an accomplice himself.
Nagumo: [Haha, I won't bother judging whether that's true or not. In that case, what is your real reason for visiting?]
Sakayanagi: [I have a request to make. In the third semester, I will be launching an attack against Ichinose. When that time comes, it may cause some instability.]
…Huh?
Not an attack on a class, but on Ichinose herself?
Hikigaya frowned at her phrasing.
Or did she simply equate Ichinose with her class?
Nagumo: [Are you asking for my permission? There's no need for that. Go ahead and act as you please—it's all part of the school's rules.]
Sakayanagi: [That puts my mind at ease.]
Nagumo: […One more thing. What kind of strategy do you plan to use? Don't worry, I won't tell Honami.]
Sakayanagi: [Oh? But if I recall correctly, President Nagumo, you invited Ichinose to join the student council.]
Nagumo: [If you think that means I'll show favoritism toward Honami, then you're gravely mistaken.]
Sakayanagi: [Hehe, how impolite of me.]
Up to this point, their conversation wasn't particularly concerning.
As Nagumo said, class competition was a fundamental part of the school. Sakayanagi's actions were perfectly reasonable.
The fight for Class A's position wasn't limited to special exams alone.
But what she said next… was when things started to take a turn.
Sakayanagi: [It's not that I don't want to tell you, but my specific approach will depend on the circumstances at the time.]
Nagumo: [How secretive… Well, in that case, let me share something about Honami that might be of great use to you.]
Sakayanagi: [Oh? And what might that be?]
Nagumo: [You'd never expect it—but back in middle school, Honami stole something.]
…What?
Hikigaya stared blankly at the screen, his hands unconsciously clenching into fists, his fingers turning white from the pressure.
The ominous feeling he had earlier had finally come true.