At nine in the morning, Hikigaya left his dormitory, yawning as he trudged toward the campus with heavy steps.
Having to return to school on the very first day of winter break—this was something he had never expected.
Seriously, this was just too weird...
He wasn't some hot-blooded idiot from a sports club, so why did he have to suffer like this?
If working overtime was necessary, couldn't they at least schedule it after Christmas?
However, considering that he was somewhat responsible for this whole situation, he felt like he wasn't exactly in a position to complain.
Sigh...
Aside from sighing, there was nothing else he could do. He just had to accept his fate.
The meeting was scheduled for ten o'clock, and as the host, he needed to arrive early. But honestly, shouldn't this kind of task be left to Ichinose or a second-year student? No matter how he looked at it, it didn't make sense for someone from Class D like him to be in charge.
Seriously, what was Nagumo even thinking?
Stop causing trouble for people!
As he mulled over Nagumo's intentions, Hikigaya reached the fourth floor. There, in front of the student council office, he spotted Horikita.
She stood with her arms crossed, leaning against the wall with her eyes closed, seemingly resting. But the atmosphere around her felt somewhat uneasy as if she wasn't entirely at peace.
Horikita must have heard the commotion near the staircase—her eyes fluttered open, and she took the initiative to walk over.
"Hikigaya-kun, good morning."
"Morning… You're here pretty early."
"Yeah," Horikita replied, wearing a troubled expression. "I just couldn't sleep, thinking about what's coming… You saw the class group chat, right?"
"Yeah, it was lively."
Last night, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka's name had, without a doubt, become the hottest topic in Class D. Everyone was talking about his heroic feat—it had even spread to other classes and grades.
Taking on four opponents alone and even knocking down someone as massive as Albert… Considering how unassuming Ayanokoji usually was, many students found it hard to believe. But once Kushida personally confirmed the event's authenticity, they had no choice but to accept it.
Of course, fully processing everything would still take time.
Horikita continued, "Neither Hirata-kun nor Kushida seems to know much, but based on what we have, it's easy to deduce—Ryuuen-kun must have been targeting Ayanokoji-kun, trying to flush him out by going after Karuizawa. And to save her, Ayanokoji-kun went to the rooftop alone."
As expected of Horikita. Even without any explanations, she quickly pieced together the truth.
"Everything makes sense up to this point—Ayanokoji-kun used his strength to suppress Ryuuen and the others, forcing them to back off… But what's strange is what happened next."
At that moment, Horikita suddenly fixed her sharp gaze on Hikigaya.
"Ayanokoji-kun doesn't like attention. I don't believe he would have told the class about this—it would only blow things out of proportion. And then there's my brother and Nagumo. Why did they suddenly show up there?"
"I have no idea about your brother," Hikigaya quickly clarified.
"So that means Nagumo being there has something to do with you?"
"Well, who knows?"
"You are… Never mind."
If it had been the old Horikita, she would have immediately pressed for answers. But she had become a bit more tactful now.
"I just want to confirm—this was you, wasn't it?"
Horikita took out her phone and opened the class group chat. The screen displayed an anonymous message.
"Judging by the tone and wording, it's hard to tell. But Kushida immediately followed up and even urged the boys to rush to the scene. The only person who could get that kind of reaction from her… is you."
"What are you talking about? She's always very enthusiastic about class matters."
Hikigaya wasn't trying to deny it—he just felt Horikita's reasoning sounded off. It gave him a strange feeling.
Horikita shook her head lightly. "I'm not blaming you. I just hope that next time, you'll inform me in advance. That way, I wouldn't have to be caught off guard like this."
By the end of her sentence, exhaustion was clear in her voice.
"We need to minimize the impact of this incident… The class absolutely cannot suffer because of it."
Hikigaya could understand her concerns. Class D had only just started to regain morale. If they lost class points again, the students might completely give up.
Seeing her like this, Hikigaya felt a little bad and tried to reassure her. "You don't have to worry too much. The outcome of this incident will likely be a settlement. At the very least, I doubt we'll lose class points."
"…Why do you think that?"
"Because there's no plaintiff. And Nagumo is pretty lenient when it comes to fights."
That was the reality. Ayanokoji didn't want to escalate the situation, and Ryuuen, after losing a four-on-one fight, had no face left to file a complaint.
If Nagumo hadn't interfered, this matter would have ended already.
But he was only interested in Ayanokoji—using this incident to test him. It had nothing to do with upholding school rules or anything else.
"Besides, this isn't entirely a bad thing, right?" Hikigaya smirked. "Ayanokoji's strength is completely exposed now. He won't be able to use 'X' as an excuse in exams anymore. He won't get to slack off in peace."
"That may be true… But this could also create another Kouenji." Horikita wasn't as optimistic.
If Ayanokoji truly decided to stop contributing, no one could do anything about it.
That, of course, would have consequences.
"You're not entirely right," Hikigaya said. "In a group, someone with no ability but who contributes is usually tolerated. But someone who's highly capable yet refuses to help? That kind of person is the first to be cast out."
For now, everything was fine. But if a special exam ever required students to vote for someone to expel, Kouenji and Ayanokoji would be prime candidates.
Smart, strong, but unwilling to contribute—such people would naturally be disliked.
It was just like Kiriyama, who blamed their class's failures on Kiryuin's lack of participation. That kind of thinking was common.
And Ayanokoji's case was even worse.
Kouenji and Kiryuin had at least made their positions clear from the start and still performed well in exams. But Ayanokoji had been hiding his strength—deliberately holding back points that he could have earned.
The class's distrust of him would eventually explode.
Hikigaya had orchestrated this situation himself, but did he feel guilty about it?
Of course not.
The original plan had been to get Ayanokoji expelled—this was already a generous outcome.
"If the class faces difficulties in the future, just redirect their attention to Ayanokoji," Hikigaya advised. "Unlike Kouenji, he won't completely isolate himself from the group."
Now that his strength was exposed, if he didn't contribute and regain the class's trust, he might face an expulsion crisis.
There was no way Ayanokoji wouldn't realize this.
Horikita was smart. She understood the implications immediately and chuckled. "You're awful. I don't know what Ayanokoji-kun did to offend you, but I almost feel sorry for him now."
"He didn't offend me."
"Eh? Then why—"
Before she could finish her question, footsteps echoed near the staircase. The two of them instinctively fell silent.
It was Hirata Yosuke, with Karuizawa and Ayanokoji following behind him. They had likely come together.
Seeing them, Hirata greeted them with his usual cheerful smile.
"Good morning, Horikita-san, Hikigaya-kun. Did you come together?"
"No, we just ran into each other at the entrance… Heh."
Hikigaya had thought that even if he saw Ayanokoji beaten up, he wouldn't feel particularly happy.
But he had overestimated himself.
The moment he saw Ayanokoji's swollen face, the corners of his mouth twitched upward.
It was like when Kamuro stole the boys' toothbrushes on the uninhabited island and framed Shinohara. Even knowing it was wrong, Hikigaya couldn't suppress his amusement.
Sigh… He wasn't a good person.
"Hey! What's so funny? Do you think it's entertaining to see your classmate get beaten up?"
Ayanokoji said nothing, but Karuizawa immediately jumped in to scold him.
"Yeah… Heh, my bad, my bad."
Hikigaya covered his mouth to stifle his laughter.
Then, he gave Karuizawa a peculiar look.
"W-What? Stop looking at me like that! It's gross!"
"No, I was just thinking… something even more interesting might happen soon. Especially to you."
"Ah…"
As if realizing something, Karuizawa's face turned pale, and she took a few steps back.
Seeing this, Hirata quickly stepped in to mediate. "Come on, Hikigaya-kun, let's not scare Karuizawa-san. She went through a lot yesterday."
"I'm not scaring her. I'm just telling her to be prepared."
Hikigaya wouldn't spread rumors, but he couldn't stop Class C from doing so either.
And right at that moment, Nagumo arrived.
"Why are you all standing outside instead of going in?"
"Good morning, Nagumo-senpai."
"Ah, Hirata. Sorry for calling you out like this. You had to take a leave from the soccer club, right? You guys should still be in training."
Before becoming the student council president, Nagumo was a member of the soccer club. Even after leaving, he frequently visited to provide guidance, so he was fairly familiar with Hirata.
"It's fine. After all, it's for the class. But next time, please join us for practice more often."
Perhaps having learned from yesterday's events, Hirata was trying to draw Nagumo's attention, hoping to prevent a confrontation between Ayanokoji and him.
However, Nagumo wasn't the type to be easily swayed.
"By the way, Hikigaya, you still haven't answered my question."
"Question? Huh, were you asking me?" Hikigaya scratched his head and casually brushed it off. "If I had to say, it's nothing much. I just explained to Ayanokoji why the student council president had his eye on him."
"Hey, hey, don't make it sound like I'm bullying my juniors."
Nagumo chuckled and shook his head, but his gaze remained fixed on Ayanokoji.
"Well, he does seem like a worthy opponent. After Senior Horikita graduates, I'll have a whole year of boredom ahead. Ayanokoji, you'd better become my plaything and keep me entertained."
"...Can I ask you a question?"
This time, Ayanokoji didn't evade or stay silent. Instead, he countered with his inquiry.
"When you took office as student council president, you said you wanted to make the school more interesting and let strength determine everything. What exactly do you plan to do?"
It seemed he had resigned himself to the fact that Nagumo had his sights set on him and was preparing a countermeasure in advance.
"I don't know what kind of exams you first-years have gone through, but they must have been boring and rigid. I'm sick of those kinds of tests. Think about it—wouldn't it be fun if special exams were based on popular virtual online games?"
"Virtual online games…?"
"Don't take it seriously. Alright, let's go in."
With that, Nagumo took the lead and walked into the student council office.
Hikigaya had heard some rumors about this matter, mainly about a new system being introduced.
But to him, it wasn't anything significant. More importantly, Ayanokoji could no longer dream of keeping his abilities hidden.
The others followed Nagumo inside, and just as Hikigaya was about to do the same, Class C's group arrived.
"Good morning, Hikigaya-kun."
"Morning… Where's Ryuuen?"
The one greeting him with a smile was Shiina. Aside from Ryuuen, the other three involved in the recent incident were all present, though they all looked a bit worse for wear.
"Ryuuen-kun was injured quite badly, so he couldn't come."
Shiina must have already gotten the details from Ishizaki and the others. It seemed she intended to attend the hearing in Ryuuen's place.
That wasn't a bad idea.
"Although that's the official reason, let me tell you a little secret." Shiina suddenly leaned in and whispered, "Ryuuen-kun lost the fight and is sulking. He refuses to come. Make sure to comfort him when you see him, okay?"
"…No way."
Hikigaya looked exasperated. No matter what, Ryuuen wasn't the type to throw a tantrum over losing.
The more likely reason was that he simply didn't want to entertain the student council president's nonsense.
Speaking of which, Albert was looking pretty banged up. His face was covered in bandages.
Noticing Hikigaya's concern, Albert silently gazed at him, exuding an aura of "I'm fine"… Wait, could he even express something like that?
On the other hand, the other two—Ishizaki and Ibuki—looked completely unscathed, as if nothing had happened.
Hikigaya thought for a moment, then turned to them and said, "I heard Ayanokoji took all of you down by himself, but something seemed off. Did you two even put up a fight? You're as untouched as Karuizawa."
"Hah? What's that supposed to mean?!" Ibuki immediately bristled at the comment.
Sigh. This idiot.
Shiina, however, immediately understood the implication and smiled. "Thanks for the reminder, Hikigaya-kun. But don't worry, I've already thought of a strategy. Ibuki-san will be useful, too."
"Wait, Shiina, what are you talking about?"
"Don't worry. You'll find out soon enough."
Shiina easily brushed off Ibuki's concerns. Then, she turned to Hikigaya and gave him a meaningful wink.
"By the way, yesterday, when you asked me to help Ryuuen-kun, you were referring to this situation, weren't you?"
Hikigaya neither confirmed nor denied it.
"It's about to start. Let's head in."
"Hehe, if I succeed, will you give me a reward?"
"…Huh?"
Before Hikigaya could even react, Shiina had already walked into the office with a cheerful smile.
Wait a second—wasn't this way too strange?
Shiina-san, you're clearly doing this to help your own class, so why are you asking a student from another class for a reward?
This girl is way too shameless!
And she didn't even give me a chance to refuse!
Hikigaya was at a loss for words. At this point, he could only accept it.
That said, he was somewhat curious about what kind of trick Shiina had up her sleeve to turn this unfavorable situation around.
Not long after, the homeroom teachers of the two classes, Chabashira-sensei and Sakagami-sensei, arrived, marking the official start of the deliberation.
"Regarding the violent incident that occurred yesterday, we will now hold a discussion on the matter. However, before proceeding, given the sudden nature of the incident and the fact that one of the parties involved, Ryuuen Kakeru, is unable to attend due to injuries, the student council would like to hear both sides' statements before making a judgment… We'll start with Class D."
After finishing his statement, Hikigaya nodded toward Horikita as a signal for her to begin.
"What I'm about to say may sound abrupt, but it's an undeniable fact. The conflict between Ryuuen-kun and Ayanokoji-kun can be traced all the way back to the deserted island."
It was unclear whether Horikita had discussed this with Ayanokoji beforehand, but she went ahead and exposed the fact that Ayanokoji was "X" without any hesitation.
Of course, aside from Nagumo, most people present were already aware of this to some extent, and Nagumo could easily learn the truth through Hikigaya anyway.
Perhaps this was precisely why Ayanokoji didn't bother stopping her.
"—In summary, Ryuuen-kun forcibly brought Karuizawa-san to the rooftop in order to lure Ayanokoji-kun into revealing himself. He even went so far as to disable the security cameras there, a fact that has been confirmed. From beginning to end, Ayanokoji-kun was merely forced to fight back."
Horikita completely absolved Ayanokoji of any responsibility—though in truth, that was indeed the case.
No matter how you looked at it, the one in the wrong was Ryuuen.
But if it were that simple, Shiina wouldn't have come here in the first place.
She slowly pulled out her chair and stood up.
"First of all, allow me to express Class C's sincerest apologies to Class D. There's no doubt that Ryuuen-kun's actions caused a great deal of trouble for everyone. We are truly sorry."
She bowed deeply as she spoke.
Upon seeing this, both Ishizaki and Albert immediately lowered their heads as well. Ibuki, though visibly reluctant, was forcibly made to bow by Albert pressing down on her head.
"However, there is one thing I believe needs to be corrected." Shiina raised her head and continued, "It's true that Ryuuen-kun wanted to uncover the identity of Class D's 'X.' But the reason he called Karuizawa-san to the rooftop… wasn't to find out who X was."
Horikita frowned. "Then what was it for?"
"To confess his feelings to Karuizawa-san."
"…Huh?"
The entire room fell into stunned silence. Everyone was utterly dumbfounded.
But Shiina wasn't done.
"That's right. The real cause of this incident wasn't about 'X' at all. It was simply because Ryuuen-kun and Ayanokoji-kun were competing for Karuizawa-san's affection. This was nothing more than a dramatic love rivalry between the two of them."