The second semester's closing ceremony was scheduled for December 22nd, immediately followed by the much-anticipated Christmas holiday.
As the day drew closer, Ryūen's excitement became more pronounced.
However, what preoccupied his mind was not Christmas—it was the closing ceremony.
For some time now, he had been ordering his subordinates to harass Class D. But this wasn't to force X to slip up; rather, it was to send a clear message.
—I'm watching you.
Beyond that, Ryūen had even sent over photos of Karuizawa.
She must be living in constant fear, dreading the moment her true identity would be exposed.
Ryūen kept applying pressure, bit by bit, cornering X until there was no escape.
Then, when the moment was right, he would deliver a grand surprise.
Everything was already mapped out in his mind. All that remained was execution.
But in reality, unexpected things always have a way of happening.
"Tch... What's that bastard Dead Eyes up to this time?"
Looking at the message on his phone, Ryūen clicked his tongue in irritation.
Whenever Hikigaya took the initiative to contact him, it usually meant things were about to get serious. Otherwise, that guy—who always found everything a hassle—would never take action.
So it was about X again.
During their last meeting, Hikigaya had declared his intent to make X drop out. But months had passed without any significant progress—he had probably failed to find the right opportunity.
Could it be that guy wanted to team up?
Of course, Ryūen rejected the idea outright. X was his prey alone, and the spoils of victory would be his alone.
More importantly, he had never actually intended to force X to drop out.
Someone that interesting—letting them disappear would be such a waste.
Initially, Ryūen had planned to ignore Hikigaya's message, but one particular line made him reconsider.
[If you don't come, I'll spread X's true identity to the entire school.]
That hit the mark.
The only reason Ryūen hadn't pressured Hikigaya for answers before—besides the possibility of being deceived—was that he wanted to uncover X's identity himself. He wanted to see for himself what kind of expression X would make when the truth was finally revealed.
It was just like reading a detective novel, where the reader follows the clues to unmask the culprit. The satisfaction came from solving the mystery.
Getting spoiled was no fun.
"Fine, I'll go… Ishizaki, Albert, come with me after school," Ryūen ordered his subordinates.
It wasn't about showing off or anything like that. Hikigaya had specifically requested that he bring a few people along.
No matter how much Ryūen thought about it, he couldn't figure out the reasoning behind such a request.
Surely, it wasn't just to start a fight?
Either way, he was curious to see what that bastard Dead Eyes was scheming.
After school, following the address Hikigaya had provided, Ryūen and his men arrived at a gym inside Keyaki Mall.
"Ryūen-san, I don't see Hikigaya here," Ishizaki muttered, scanning the area.
"Shut up and follow me," Ryūen snapped.
With that, he led the way toward the deepest part of the facility.
Upon pushing open a door, he found Hikigaya inside—alongside an entirely unexpected figure.
"Yo, Dragonboy-kun, we meet again."
"Kōenji? What the hell are you doing here?"
Ryūen's brow twitched. The absurdity of this scene hit him like a wave.
He needed to know what was going on.
Yet, Kōenji ignored the question. Instead, he pulled out a small comb from his pocket and began fixing his hair in the reflection of the large mirror beside him.
As if to say, This question is not worth answering.
"Hey! Ryūen-san just asked you a question!"
Ishizaki was grumbling on the side, but with just a glance from Ryuuen, he immediately quieted down.
The current situation felt oddly unsettling—like prey unknowingly walking into a trap. Yet, there wasn't any clear sense of malice, making it all the more unnerving.
"Dead eyes, why did you go out of your way to invite me here this time?"
Ryuuen decided to temporarily ignore Kouenji and focus on the real issue at hand.
"By the way, this is a nice room. Must've cost a lot to rent, huh?"
"Not a single point."
Horikita Manabu rented this room for an entire year to train Hikigaya. However, since Hikigaya had injured his arm, training wouldn't resume until winter break.
Since the room was just sitting empty for now, he had no qualms about borrowing it.
Of course, there was no need to explain the details.
"But you are right about one thing—this place is quite convenient." Hikigaya's gaze deliberately shifted toward the corner of the room. "Since there aren't any surveillance cameras installed, students from sports clubs often rent this space for sparring. Even if someone gets injured, they don't have to worry about false accusations. After all, in this school, you can never be too careful."
Ryuuen sneered. "So what, are you asking me to beat you up?"
"What kind of nonsense is that? I'm not a masochist."
Hikigaya shook his head, feeling exasperated by Ryuuen's usual tendency to resort to violence.
Unfortunately, that was precisely the trait he needed right now.
"Ryuuen, I called you here because of yesterday. You were rather unreasonable in picking a fight with Kouenji."
"Oh? And what, you want me to apologize?"
"Of course not." Hikigaya shook his head lightly. "If apologies were enough, we wouldn't need the police—wait, that's off-topic. Anyway, that's not the point. What I want is to play a game with you."
"...A game?"
Ryuuen narrowed his eyes at the unexpected choice of words. Ishizaki and Albert also looked confused.
"Hikigaya, you're not making any sense. What the hell are you trying to do?" Ishizaki scratched his head.
"It's simple. Yesterday, Ryuuen went after Kouenji because he suspected him of being 'X', right? Our game is based on that assumption."
Seeing their blank expressions, Hikigaya elaborated further.
"The game is called 'If Kouenji Were X.' Got it now?"
"...You're insane."
After a brief silence, Ryuuen's first reaction was to curse.
"Dead eyes, did you hit your head or something?" Ryuuen scowled. "If Kouenji were the guy I was looking for, do you think I'd have let him walk away so easily yesterday? You should know that better than anyone."
"Of course, I know. But you're misunderstanding my point."
Hikigaya clarified again.
"Whether it's true or not, let's assume for now that Kouenji is X. I want to see what you'll do."
"Heh, I normally hate playing along with nonsense, but fine, I'll humor you just this once. Consider yourselves lucky."
Even though no one had asked, Kouenji suddenly interjected.
It's better to just ignore him.
"Tch, this is stupid."
Ryuuen seemed to think it was a waste of time and turned to leave with his subordinates.
But Hikigaya's next words made him stop in his tracks.
"Relax, I wouldn't make you play for nothing… Ah, found it."
As he spoke, Hikigaya pulled a crumpled piece of paper from his bag.
"This looks familiar, doesn't it?" He waved it in front of Ryuuen. "If you win this game, I'll tear up this contract. No tricks, no loopholes—just a straightforward cancellation."
The paper Hikigaya held was none other than the contract he had signed with Class C.
From their perspective, the terms were completely unfair. But considering that it allowed them to prevent four students from being expelled, it was a huge bargain.
"You always pull this card, huh?"
Ryuuen scoffed, clearly unimpressed.
"Same as last time. Do you think dangling this in front of me will make me go along with your scheme? And what if I refuse? What are you gonna do?"
"Then I'll have no choice but to strictly enforce every clause in the contract," Hikigaya replied nonchalantly.
The contract had originally been drafted to push Ryuuen into leading his class properly—it had never been meant to force him out of school.
So far, Hikigaya has been strict with the rules but flexible in enforcement.
But if he got serious… with the way Class C students kept causing trouble, three strikes would come sooner rather than later.
"Besides, what do you have to lose?" Hikigaya shrugged. "You like games, don't you? Here's a fun one delivered right to your doorstep. Why pass it up?"
"Tch, what pisses me off is how smug you always look like everything's going according to your plan."
"Not at all. I rely on luck more than you think."
Even though Hikigaya had managed to get Ryuuen to listen, he wasn't entirely confident he'd go along with it.
And even if he did, success wasn't guaranteed.
Still, it was worth a try.
At last, Ryuuen showed a hint of interest. "Fine, enough stalling. What do you want me to do?"
"Like I said, it's just a game." Hikigaya pointed at Kouenji. "Right now, he is X. The rest is up to you. You decide the victory condition."
"...Heh."
Ishizaki and Albert still looked confused, but Ryuuen finally seemed to understand.
"Dead eyes, I seriously think you've lost it. Otherwise, you wouldn't be saying this crap."
"Maybe so."
Hikigaya didn't argue—not just because it was pointless, but because, in some way, he agreed with Ryuuen.
Circumstances could change a person… That was the only way to justify this.
"Since you get the gist of it now, let's get started." Hikigaya gestured around the room. "No cameras, a space meant for sparring—whatever happens here won't be questioned. If you're worried, feel free to record me saying this."
He held up the contract again.
"When you think you've won, this prize is yours."
"Heh… Hehahaha…!"
Ryuuen let out an amused chuckle, which quickly grew into a wild, almost menacing laugh.
"You are underestimating me."
That statement meant only one thing—he had accepted the challenge.
Not that Hikigaya had intended to provoke him in the first place.
"Oi, Ishizaki, Albert. Get him."
"Eh? Get who?"
Still confused, Ishizaki hesitated.
"Are you an idiot? Dead eyes is telling you to beat Kouenji into the ground."
"You should say 'we', not 'you'," Hikigaya corrected seriously.
Unfortunately, no one was paying attention to him anymore.
"Wait… is this okay?"
Ishizaki hesitated. If the target were someone like Sudo, there'd be no issue.
But Kouenji? He was eccentric, sure, but not the type to get into fights.
Beating him up felt… wrong.
"No need to hold back."
To everyone's surprise, Kouenji spoke up.
"If you're going to attack, hurry up. I have a beautiful date after this. But let me warn you—I'm very strong. Even all three of you together won't stand a chance."
"You little—!"
Provoked, Ishizaki charged forward, Albert following right behind.
As Hikigaya idly wondered why Albert still wore sunglasses indoors—what was this, a Teiai loan shark cosplay?—Ishizaki's fist swung forward.
A sharp smack rang out.
Kouenji effortlessly caught Ishizaki's punch with one hand, even having the leisure to brush his bangs back with the other.
"Ugh… L-Let go!"
"I told you. I am very strong."
With an air of absolute confidence, Kouenji spoke the absurd words.
"In this world, beauty is power. And since I am the most beautiful, that makes me the strongest... Oh my? A sneak attack? How unbeautiful."
As he spoke, he effortlessly caught Albert's incoming punch with his other hand.
"W-Wait, stop!"
"Ugh…" Ishizaki instantly sensed trouble. A sharp, unbearable pain shot through his fist as if it could shatter at any moment. Albert wasn't faring any better—cold sweat trickled down his forehead and along his cheek.
The two of them instinctively exerted all their strength, using their free hands to desperately grab at Kōenji's arm, attempting to break free.
Yet, their struggle was futile. He didn't budge an inch.
"How disappointing. Your punches are as weak as a baby's."
Kōenji smiled faintly. Then, with terrifyingly well-defined muscles, he slowly lifted both of them into the air, raising them above his head.
And with a sudden, powerful swing—
"Ah?!"
A pair of ungraceful screams filled the air as Ishizaki and Albert spun midair like helpless tops before crashing heavily onto the ground.
This wasn't even a fight… No, it couldn't be called a fight at all. It was merely one-sided child's play.
Hikigaya wasn't the least bit surprised by the outcome.
To be fair, Ryūen hadn't underestimated Kōenji. Otherwise, he wouldn't have sent two of his subordinates in at once.
At a glance, Kōenji was a towering, well-built man.
Even if he lacked actual combat experience, his sheer physique alone was beyond what an average person could handle.
Ishizaki and Albert clearly understood this, which was why they had attacked with full force from the start. They just hadn't expected to be caught so effortlessly.
After all, this was a guy who could do handstand push-ups using just two fingers.
"Ryūen, for now, we should—hey, what are you doing?"
Hikigaya had intended to suggest taking a moment to reassess, at least to help Ishizaki and Albert get back on their feet.
But Ryūen? He simply clenched his fist and walked forward.
"Dead eyes, do you know what I always say in situations like this?" Ryūen asked, completely unfazed.
"…You're not about to say, 'Fighting isn't just about strength,' are you?"
"Heh, you do know me well."
With a fearless grin, Ryūen continued,
"Strength alone doesn't determine victory. It's about willpower."
He lowered his stance slightly, assuming a boxer's posture.
"And now, I'll show you exactly what I mean."
With those words, Ryūen launched a fierce punch straight at Kōenji's abdomen.
Yet, Kōenji neither dodged nor blocked it—he simply took the hit head-on.
However, he wasn't doing this for fun or to test himself—he simply wanted to end it quickly.
Bang—!
Seizing the opening in Ryuuen's attack, Kouenji mercilessly delivered an uppercut straight to his chin.
With just a single punch, Ryuuen's eyes rolled back as he collapsed to the ground, completely unconscious.
Ah… that bluff sure fell apart fast.
"Heh, looks like today's lesson has come to an early end."
Kouenji pulled out his small comb once more, tidying up his hair, which had been slightly disheveled.
"Making a hundred thousand points in under ten minutes—even I'd call that a good deal, wouldn't you, Rich Boy?"
"I told you not to call me that…"
That's right—this entire setup was orchestrated by Hikigaya, with Kouenji brought in solely as a sparring partner.
He had never considered the possibility of Ryuuen and his group winning.
At first, he thought Ryuuen had brought too few people, but after reconsidering, he figured it didn't matter.
Even if he had brought another one or two, even if Ibuki and the others had joined in, the outcome was already decided.
Fortunately, there was still time to make adjustments.
The battle against X wasn't just a fight—it had to be treated as a war.
As long as Ryuuen could come to terms with that, he might still have a chance to turn the tables.
At the very least, he could get a few good hits in on that so-called "masterpiece."
And that alone would be enough to satisfy Hikigaya.