"This concludes the class meeting. Even during winter break, please remember to uphold the standards expected of students at this school. That is all."
Finally, Sakagami's tedious speech was over.
If everything went according to plan, X's true identity would soon be revealed.
Yet, Ryuuen didn't feel as excited as he had imagined. Rather than anticipation, he felt a sense of relief—like a long, drawn-out ordeal was finally coming to an end.
Tch... all thanks to that bastard.
Ryuuen hadn't just wanted to unmask X; he had wanted to break X's spirit, to see them panic, flustered, and helpless.
But all the fun had been ruined.
Dead eyes had seen through everything. Even without explicitly stating it, Ryuuen could tell what he meant.
—X is not someone you can handle.
Hmph, how condescending.
Surprisingly, Ryuuen didn't feel as frustrated as he thought he would. Instead, he was unusually calm.
After all, he'd already witnessed what someone like Kouenji was capable of. Even with Ishizaki and Albert assisting him, they had only managed to leave a minor scratch on that monster.
Would X be the same kind of beast?
If so, would the people he had arranged be enough?
Not that it mattered. If anything, Ryuuen hoped X would provide an unexpected twist.
According to Dead Eyes' prediction, X would show up and retaliate against their violence.
And then what? That's it?
With Kouenji as a precedent, even if X managed to take them all down, Ryuuen wouldn't be too surprised.
At most, he'd just sigh and remark, "So Class D has two monsters."
But if things didn't go that way—if X turned out to be someone even less predictable, someone who took an entirely different approach—then that would be truly exhilarating.
Not only would it double Ryuuen's enjoyment, but it would also completely humiliate Dead Eyes.
Just imagining that smug know-it-all getting knocked down a peg made Ryuuen want to laugh.
He would make sure to mock him thoroughly when the time came.
"Heh..."
Strangely enough, even though he was about to meet X, Ryuuen found himself more eager to see the dumbstruck expression on Hikigaya's face.
Within minutes, more than half the students had left the classroom.
Today's dismissal was early, and there were no club activities. Few would linger in the school building.
This morning, a message had already been sent to Karuizawa. It had been marked as read.
That woman wouldn't want her secret exposed. She had no choice but to obediently meet them on the rooftop.
"Ryuuen-kun."
At that moment, Shiina approached him.
"What is it?"
"This morning, I ran into Hikigaya-kun. He asked me to give these to you."
She pulled a few thick books from her bag and placed them on the desk.
Ryuuen picked one up. It was a copy of Jump.
"What the hell is this?"
"Hikigaya-kun said these were manga magazines he finished reading. I'm not too familiar with them myself." Shiina responded earnestly.
"...Of course, I know what it is." Ryuuen nearly rolled his eyes. "I meant, why is he giving this to me? What's wrong with that guy?"
"Sorry, he just asked me to pass them along."
"Tch, that idiot is up to his nonsense again."
Ryuuen tossed the magazines aside with a look of annoyance, but Shiina seemed hesitant as if she had something more to say.
"What now?"
"Well... I was just wondering when you and Hikigaya-kun started exchanging books." Shiina looked as though she had just uncovered some shocking secret.
She was still the same as always—jumping to conclusions on her own.
Ryuuen couldn't be bothered to deal with her. Waving her off, he said, "If you're done, just go home."
"I was planning to go to the library next. Would you and the others like to join me?" Shiina asked. "I mentioned it to Hikigaya-kun this morning, and he said he'd come too. It might be fun to read together."
"As if!"
Ibuki, who had been listening quietly, couldn't hold back her exasperation.
By now, only the essential members of Ryuuen's operation remained in the classroom.
There was no need for too many people.
Even if X was an absolute monster, sending too many would attract attention and create unnecessary problems.
Besides, Ryuuen wanted to see the results of the past ten days firsthand.
"Just get going. I still have people to meet—I don't have time for this."
"I see... then I won't bother you. Have a great winter break."
Shiina gave a slight bow, picked up her bag, and left.
Just as she reached the door, she suddenly stopped and said without turning back, "Ryuuen-kun, don't go too far, okay? At least, don't push them into a corner."
"...Heh."
Ryuuen paused for a moment before letting out a chuckle.
"I appreciate your concern, but maybe I'm the one who'll end up cornered."
"Huh?"
Shiina turned around, looking puzzled.
But Ryuuen didn't explain. Instead, he added, "Also, if you run into Dead eyes, tell him... never mind. Forget it."
"Wait a minute." Shiina looked even more bewildered. "Since when did you and Hikigaya-kun get so close? And why are you hiding it from me?"
"We're not close."
"But—"
"Just shut up and go already!"
Pushed out of the classroom, Shiina could only sigh as she walked toward the library.
Hikigaya and her hadn't made any progress at all, yet somehow, Ryuuen...
Could it be that Hikigaya liked the rough treatment?
Now that she thought about it, he also got along well with Sakayanagi and Kamuro from Class B. Though Shiina hadn't interacted with them much, they both seemed like strong-willed types.
Maybe she should try being a little more forceful with Hikigaya next time.
But when she finally arrived at the library and saw him, that ridiculous idea vanished instantly.
"Good afternoon, Hikigaya-kun. Sorry to keep you waiting."
"No worries. I just got here."
Hikigaya had already picked out a book and was reading in his seat. He merely greeted her briefly before returning to his pages.
This familiar scene put Shiina at ease.
That was what being book friends was all about—reading together without forcing conversation.
Shiina selected a book from the shelf and sat beside him.
The library was peaceful, filled only with the quiet ticking of the clock and the sound of pages turning.
This was the perfect environment for reading.
Before she realized it, half an hour had passed, and Hikigaya had reached the final pages of his book.
Though, it seemed like he hadn't absorbed much of it.
"Hey, Shiina?"
"Hm? What is it?"
"This might be a bit sudden, but can I ask you a few questions?"
"Of course. What is it?"
Shiina looked at him curiously.
"Don't you think Ryuuen was acting a little strange today?"
"Yes." Shiina lowered her head slightly. "It looks like he's up to something bad. Ibuki and the others followed him too… I just hope they don't get into any trouble."
"Hmm… I see…"
Hikigaya carefully considered his words before speaking slowly. "If he does get into trouble, would you be willing to help him?"
"Huh?"
For some reason, Shiina's expression turned strangely complicated.
Of course, hearing such a request out of nowhere would seem baffling. But Hikigaya had a feeling that her reaction wasn't just because of that.
"Hikigaya-kun, why are you asking me to help Ryuuen-kun?" Shiina tilted her head in confusion. "It's not that I can't care about students from other classes, but the way you put it sounds strange. What exactly is going on?"
"…Forget I said anything."
"Once you say something, you can't take it back, right?"
"Uh…" Hikigaya felt a headache coming on. Why did this girl have to be so persistent?
But then, Shiina suddenly smiled and said, "Well, Ryuuen-kun and I are in the same class, after all. If he gets into trouble, I wouldn't just ignore it… Especially since you asked me, Hikigaya-kun. Right?"
…Wait.
Was she implying something?
Better to pretend he didn't notice.
Besides, there was another, more pressing issue on Hikigaya's mind.
"Um, setting Ryuuen aside for now… Shiina, hypothetically speaking—just hypothetically, okay?"
He felt the need to emphasize that.
"If I were to transfer to Class C, would your class… uh, would they—whoa?!"
Before he could finish, Shiina suddenly lunged forward with an excited expression, grabbing both of his hands tightly.
"Really?! When?!"
"No, no, I was just saying hypothetically—"
"You're welcome anytime, no matter when!"
Would she let him finish his sentence?!
Hikigaya had only wanted to probe into Class C's situation just in case, but Shiina had already worked herself into a frenzy on her own.
Wasn't the normal reaction supposed to be skepticism?
No matter how you looked at it, transferring classes wasn't exactly an easy thing to do.
"…Hachiman."
Just as Hikigaya was about to explain, a low voice suddenly sounded in his ear.
At the same time, a pair of hands pressed heavily onto his shoulders.
"…Kushida, don't scare me like that."
There was no need to turn around… No, to be precise, he didn't dare to turn around.
"I wasn't trying to scare you," Kushida's voice was devoid of emotion, which made it all the more terrifying. "I just want to know—what did you mean by 'transferring classes' just now? Did I mishear something?"
"I was just asking casually…"
"Is that something you can ask casually?"
"Uh…" Hikigaya could feel an overwhelming pressure from behind. He really couldn't understand why, of all times, he had to run into Kushida now.
She never even comes to the library!
Luckily, Shiina spoke up to offer some assistance: "Kushida-san, transferring classes is a personal decision, isn't it? I think forcibly interfering isn't good. Also, before getting permission, it's best not to address someone by their first name. Doing so might make you as annoying as Ryuuen-kun."
…Oh, so it wasn't assistance. It was adding fuel to the fire.
For a brief moment, Hikigaya felt the small hands on his shoulders suddenly tighten, the pain making him almost cry out.
"Shiina-san, is it? Please don't misunderstand." Kushida spoke with a smile that didn't reach her eyes. "Hachiman and I have always called each other by our names. There's no need for permission. You could say it just naturally became that way."
"Is that so? But didn't Hikigaya-kun just now address you by your last name?"
"Oh, that's just because he's shy. It's not like that in private."
Kushida lied without the slightest hesitation.
Honestly, Hikigaya wanted to correct her, but his shoulders hurt too much, so he decided to let it slide.
…That aside, could you two please let go of me and step back a little?
No loud noises in the library, okay?
—
At the same time, Ryuuen arrived at the rooftop of the school building with Ibuki, Ishizaki, and Albert.
After waiting for thirty minutes, the campus was almost deserted. No one would notice their actions.
"So what exactly is your plan? It's about time you told us, don't you think?" Ibuki's voice carried a hint of impatience.
It was mainly because she noticed that Ishizaki and Albert remained completely composed in this situation. If it were just Albert, fine—he was always silent anyway—but what was Ishizaki acting all mature for?!
In the end, it felt like she was the only one getting anxious.
"Heh, no rush. You'll find out soon enough."
As he spoke, Ryuuen pulled a black spray can from his bag and sprayed it over the surveillance camera above.
The rooftop was rarely visited, and with sturdy fences around the perimeter and surveillance cameras in place, it remained open year-round without issues.
However, unlike other parts of the campus, there was only one camera installed here.
In other words, as long as this single device was disabled, the rooftop would become a perfect hiding spot—where no one could see what was happening.
"Hey, won't this get you into trouble?" Ibuki cautioned.
"No need to worry. It'll just be considered a prank."
Ryuuen was confident because he had already tested this before.
The punishment for spraying a surveillance camera was merely a deduction of some private points and a warning. Besides, he had gathered intel from Sakayanagi about how the security office operated.
With hundreds of surveillance cameras across the campus, it was impossible for the staff to monitor all of them in real-time. The security personnel only focused on the main areas, meaning the rooftop's anomaly wouldn't be noticed immediately.
"Albert, go downstairs and stand by. If Karuizawa arrives, let her through. But if it's anyone else, call me immediately."
Hearing Ryuuen's instructions, Albert nodded silently before leaving the rooftop.
Ibuki, however, was puzzled by the mention of that name. "You mean Karuizawa? That annoying girl from Class D? You think she knows who X is?"
"That's right. That's why I texted her today and asked her to meet me here."
"What? Like she'd actually listen to you."
"Heh, she'll come for sure. Because I wrote about her past in the message."
Ryuuen's tone was filled with confidence.
After all, Karuizawa cared deeply about her current status. If her past as a bullying victim were exposed, she'd have a hard time in her class.
The very students who followed her orders now would surely turn against her and trample her instead. She understood that better than anyone.
Because of that, even knowing the risks, Karuizawa would still take the gamble and show up.
"But even if she comes, do you really think she'll reveal X's identity?" Ibuki asked skeptically.
"Normally, she wouldn't. Manabe and the others were already warned by X before. So I'm guessing X must have promised to protect Karuizawa as well." Ryuuen smirked. "But once she realizes that was just a lie… Well, people who feel betrayed tend to break easily."
"What the hell are you planning…?"
A bad feeling suddenly crept over Ibuki as she glared at Ryuuen.
"I should warn you—Karuizawa received a threatening letter from you, right? What if she takes it to the school and reports you?"
"Not happening. And besides, I didn't send her a threatening letter."
At this, Ryuuen's lips curled into a malicious smile.
"I only said I wanted to talk to her about the past. How she interprets it is entirely up to her."
After everything that had happened—especially after being tricked by Hikigaya so many times—Ryuuen had finally learned his lesson.
At the very least, he wouldn't be foolish enough to leave behind evidence that could be used against him.
"You're seriously disgusting," Ibuki sighed in disgust. "But what if your plan doesn't work? What if Karuizawa refuses to talk no matter what?"
"In that case… well, that wouldn't be so bad either."
To her surprise, Ryuuen just shrugged as if he didn't mind giving up.
Though Ibuki found this highly suspicious, he didn't seem interested in explaining further.
He simply told her, "You'll find out soon enough."
…This wasn't like him at all.