"Alright, Dead-eyed Boy, I'll leave the cleanup to you. I've got a date waiting for me."
"Yeah, yeah, thanks for the hard work."
Despite having just finished a fight, Kouenji looked completely unfazed. For him, that probably didn't even count as a warm-up.
Honestly, Hikigaya hadn't expected things to end so quickly either. Ryuuen and his group really were weaker than he thought.
Perhaps he just didn't bring enough people this time...
"Speaking of which, I must say, I was quite surprised by the terms of this deal," Kouenji remarked playfully. "You want me to spar with Dragon Boy here every day after school until winter break? And you even transferred the full one million points upfront. You must be pretty confident in the outcome."
"Success... depends on how you define it."
"No word games now," Kouenji waggled his finger, his gaze shifting to the unconscious Ryuuen.
"You want Dragon Boy to use this as an opportunity to grow. But it's not about improving his fighting skills, is it? You want him to recognize his limits. Otherwise, you wouldn't have only asked me to knock them down without finishing them off."
That much was obvious.
Martial arts require consistent effort. Even if Ryuuen dedicated the next ten days solely to training, he wouldn't gain much in terms of raw strength.
His real issue wasn't a lack of strength—it was that he had yet to find the right way to fight.
And the right method could be discovered in a short period.
"However, you seem to be overlooking one key issue," Kouenji smiled. "Just because Dragon Boy accepted your sweet words this time doesn't mean he'll continue to act as you intend. If he fails to grasp your true intent, all of this will be for nothing."
Hikigaya shrugged. "That's fine. It's not like you lose anything."
"Heh, fair enough. After all, you've already transferred the one million points."
Since the paying party had no complaints, Kouenji had no reason to argue further.
However, there was one thing that piqued his curiosity.
"Dead-eyed Boy, should I interpret your actions as a sign that Dragon Boy is about to face an opponent on my level?"
"...Hmm."
Hikigaya hesitated for a moment before answering, "If we're talking purely in terms of raw power, maybe even stronger than you."
"Hohoho! Now that's interesting!" Kouenji burst into genuine laughter. "But, what a shame. To this day, I have yet to meet anyone in this school more beautiful than myself. In other words, there is no student here who surpasses me in any aspect."
The scariest part was that he wasn't joking.
"It seems even Dead-eyed Boy can be mistaken sometimes."
"Oh, is that so?"
Hikigaya had long since grown accustomed to Kouenji's self-absorbed monologues, but occasionally, he did enjoy messing with him.
"If I remember correctly, your grades aren't the highest in the year, are they? Even in the last exam, a classmate surpassed you."
"That was merely because I wasn't taking it seriously. This school simply doesn't excite me. I am merely here to sing the praises of youth."
Kouenji dramatically swept his hair back and flashed a dazzling smile.
It was impossible to tell if he was telling the truth or not.
Whatever. It didn't matter.
"Thanks to your proposal, I now have plenty of funds," Kouenji said, looking satisfied. "This holiday, I will be swept up in countless affairs with beautiful women, further refining my beauty."
…Wait.
Was he talking about something inappropriate?
Absolutely.
Hikigaya wisely decided not to comment. If he responded, this conversation would never have ended.
Better to pretend he hadn't heard anything.
"Well then, it's about time. See you."
With that, Kouenji strode out of the room with his usual flair.
Ryuuen, still unconscious on the floor, had yet to wake up. Hopefully, after taking that hit, he'd finally get a clue.
A few minutes later, Albert was the first to rise, followed by Ishizaki.
"Ugh..."
"You're awake."
Finally, Ryuuen came to.
He still seemed disoriented, which was understandable.
Ryuuen was undoubtedly skilled at fighting. He was also used to taking hits.
Precisely because of that, he believed he had an exceptional tolerance for pain and had never imagined he could be knocked out with a single punch.
As the saying goes, the ones who drown are often the best swimmers.
"Dead-eyed... You gave me a surprise, you bastard."
"What's so surprising?" Hikigaya replied. "Even if you've never fought Kouenji before, you should have at least realized how strong he is. I wouldn't have offered such a lucrative reward unless I was sure you'd lose."
"Hmph. In the end, it was just a game."
Ryuuen's words weren't mere bravado—he truly saw it that way.
If it was a game, there could only be winners and losers. But in a battle between classes, as long as you weren't expelled, anything was fair game.
His eyes made that clear.
Hikigaya understood that sentiment completely. He had prepared his response in advance.
"Ryuuen, I know what you're thinking. You believe that eventually, you'll turn things around. Just like at the start of the school year, when you weren't even a match for Albert."
As he spoke, Hikigaya pointed at the towering half-black student.
"But you never gave up. You challenged him over and over until his spirit broke, didn't you?"
"Heh. You sure know a lot about my class," Ryuuen sneered as he pushed himself up, forcing a twisted smile. "You're right, though. At first, I couldn't even beat Ishizaki. I've lost over a hundred fights, at least."
He chuckled as if recalling something amusing.
"But you see, humans are far more fragile than they appear. In the end, they always succumb to overwhelming violence. Even if I lose now, what truly matters is whose will lasts longer."
There was some truth to his words.
Like an unkillable cockroach, persistence could wear down an opponent's resolve. Most people had an internal scale, weighing risk against reward.
If the cost became too high, even the strongest would waver.
But that method didn't always work.
Hikigaya had foreseen Ryuuen's nature long ago, so he forced him to sign that contract, cutting off all possible escape routes.
If he got expelled, it would all be over.
Unfortunately, Ryuuen probably thought he wouldn't fall for the same trick twice.
In that case, Hikigaya would just have to use another approach to convince him...
And he had just the perfect example in mind.
"You think you have strong willpower, that no matter how many times you get knocked down, you can always get back up. But that's just because you haven't seen enough—because you've never faced the ultimate humiliation... Let me give you an example."
As if an amusing thought had crossed his mind, Hikigaya's lips curled up slightly.
"Imagine this: you get knocked out, and when you wake up, you're dressed in a full-on Pretty Cure costume. Then, you're dumped at the dorm entrance for everyone to see. Would you still have the confidence to stay in this school?"
"Uh..."
"Uh..."
"Uh..."
For a moment, Ryuuen, Ishizaki, and Albert were all at a loss for words.
The most disturbing part was that Hikigaya didn't seem to be joking.
He was seriously considering it.
"Hikigaya… you are a demon," Ishizaki muttered.
"Don't exaggerate." Hikigaya shook his head slightly. "I just don't want to see things escalate. If someone dares to cross the line, they should be prepared for the consequences. Dirty tactics aren't exclusive to any one person—you guys learned that the hard way during the sports festival, didn't you?"
"Hmph."
Ryuuen scoffed but didn't argue.
In truth, Hikigaya had never opposed his methods.
A head-on clash was rarely in the favor of Class C or Class D—against the upper classes, who had a clear advantage in overall ability, brute force alone wasn't enough to win.
But Ryuuen's habit of constantly skirting the edge of the rules? That was bound to backfire on him one day.
"If you insist on using violence to make others submit, what happens when you come across someone like Kouenji? Even with all your men, you still wouldn't be able to take him down. And if you resort to an ambush for revenge, it would just make you look like a clown in everyone else's eyes, wouldn't it?"
—If you're going to win, win beautifully.
Hikigaya hoped Ryuuen got the message. Then again, maybe he was overthinking things.
"Heh, Dead eyes, I don't get what you're up to anymore."
Suddenly, Ryuuen let out a cold laugh.
"The way I see it, you're deliberately pushing me to fight X. That's not like you at all—someone who always claims to hate violence."
"And if I tried to stop you, would you change your mind?"
"No, that's not the issue." Ryuuen eyed Hikigaya with interest. "If that were the case, you wouldn't be getting involved at all. You'd stay out of it. But instead, here you are... Hah, I get it now!"
As if he had a sudden revelation, Ryuuen smacked his forehead and burst into laughter.
"You lost to X, didn't you? At the start of the second semester, you were already trying to get him expelled. You even came to me for help. But when I turned you down, you suddenly went quiet. The truth is—you had already lost, hadn't you?"
"Yeah, I lost," Hikigaya admitted outright.
It wasn't that he had directly lost to Ayanokoji—in fact, Ayanokoji probably didn't even know about it. But the fact remained that he had failed to get him expelled.
Whether it was his failure or someone else's, the result was the same.
Even now… it wasn't about revenge. He just wanted to vent a little.
"Hmph. So what, did he beat you up?"
Now that Hikigaya had admitted it so easily, Ryuuen stopped laughing.
"Come on, don't lump me in with you."
"Save that line for yourself," Ryuuen said impatiently. "Why are you bringing up Kouenji? Are you trying to warn me that X is as strong as him? Are you seriously telling me there are two monsters like that in Class D? Don't you think that's ridiculous?"
Kouenji was only accepted as an exception after being tested and proven over a long period.
Someone like him, whose background already set him apart from the vast majority, naturally gave off an air of unpredictability.
But now, suddenly, someone was claiming that in this defective Class D, another individual of equal strength was hidden?
Forget Ryuuen—even Kouenji himself wouldn't believe that.
"Think whatever you want. The game is still ongoing."
That was enough. Saying any more would be meaningless.
"Same time, same place tomorrow. If you can defeat Kouenji before the break starts, then you win."
"Tch, you think I'll just obediently go along with your plan?"
Ryuuen's expression clearly said, Don't even think about using me.
"I never thought that in the first place. It's not like I don't know what kind of person you are," Hikigaya replied coolly. "I just think this deal doesn't put you at a disadvantage. Even if you consider X nothing more than an insignificant weakling, someone you can crush in a few hits—what happens if you end up facing Kouenji one day?"
"You think he'll get involved in Class D's affairs?"
In response to Ryuuen's skepticism, Hikigaya nodded as if it were a matter of fact.
"Why wouldn't he? Just because he doesn't care now doesn't mean he'll never contribute to the class in the future. No one can guarantee that."
"…Are you saying Kouenji's finally going to take things seriously?"
"I'm just giving an example."
Kouenji was a free spirit who did whatever he pleased. In other words, he could change his mind at any time.
Even Hikigaya could only make predictions.
"That's why taking this opportunity to gain experience isn't a bad idea. Don't think that just because you've dealt with a few small fries in your class, you're invincible. The world is bigger than you think. In tactics, you must respect your opponent."
But strategically? That was another matter entirely.
The so-called greatest masterpiece of the White Room?
Setting aside that exaggerated title, how much of it was actual truth, and how much was just self-aggrandizement? That remained unknown.
"Well, I should be going now."
With that, Hikigaya waved to the three of them and turned to leave the room.
But just before stepping out, he added, "Oh, by the way, feel free to use this place for training whenever you want. It's empty these days anyway."
"Uh…"
Hikigaya had expected Ryuuen to reply instantly, but instead, he fell into deep thought.
It seemed things were already halfway to success.
"…Sigh."
Stepping out of the gym, Hikigaya let out a long breath.
So far, everything had gone smoothly—far beyond expectations. Yet, he felt no joy or anticipation in his heart.
If this had been before the student council elections, he would never have done something like this.
Under Horikita Manabu's strict management, any act of violence would have been thoroughly investigated.
No matter how uneasy he felt inside, Hikigaya had never wanted to be the reason Ryuuen and Class C got into trouble.
Even if Ryuuen resorted to violence in the end, he would have simply turned a blind eye. He definitely wouldn't have actively provided assistance.
But things were different now.
If anyone still judged the current student council's stance based on how they handled Sudo's past fights, they were in for a rude awakening.
…Hopefully, Ayanokoji wouldn't make that mistake.