At this point, continuing to feign ignorance would just be impolite, Hikigaya thought.
Still, he hadn't expected Ryuuen to see through things this clearly… No, perhaps it was better to call it an animalistic instinct.
No wonder he survived a whole week alone on an uninhabited island.
"And that's not all," Ryuuen continued his analysis. "That day, Ayanokoji brought in the former student council president as his support. You predicted that and deliberately called that blonde over. On the surface, it looked like you were just trying to suppress Horikita's brother, but in reality, you wanted to use this opportunity to make the blonde think Ayanokoji had already been roped in. That way, you could manipulate Ayanokoji into dealing with him, letting them tear each other apart while you sat back and watched. Am I wrong?"
"Don't spout nonsense," Hikigaya denied immediately. "I had no idea Horikita-senpai would show up there. I just wanted Nagumo to witness Ayanokoji single-handedly take on four people, so he'd understand who the strongest person in this school really is."
"Hah, you're still as shameless as ever."
"Coming from you, that's the last thing I want to hear… Speaking of which, you know Nagumo? You seem to know a lot about him."
"What, you think I know nothing about other grade levels?"
Ryuuen scoffed dismissively.
"That blonde has practically monopolized the second-year students. He even outright overturned the policies left behind by the previous student council. No matter how bright and cheerful he pretends to be, I can see what kind of person he is and what he's capable of doing, even with my eyes closed."
Tch, the dragon boy had really grown.
What surprised Hikigaya the most was that Ryuuen had managed to figure out that Ayanokoji was merely being used as a shield.
Even the person himself hadn't realized it.
A strategy that Ryuuen could see—
Yet Ayanokoji could not.
Maybe it wouldn't be a bad idea to just hand over the title of "ultimate masterpiece" to Ryuuen.
"Alright, fine. Let's say you're right… So, what do you want?"
"Hah, talking to you really is easy."
For some reason, Ryuuen pulled out his phone from his pocket. But instead of doing anything with it, he simply held it in his hand.
"Hikitani, if you went all out, how many personal points do you think you could amass over three years in this school?"
"…You really have a way with words that just makes people uncomfortable."
Despite saying that, Hikigaya still seriously considered the question.
Then, he answered, "If we're talking tens of millions, then just getting a few classes to sign contracts, like we're doing now, would be enough. But once the target surpasses a hundred million, things get significantly more complicated."
"I see…"
Ryuuen fell silent for a moment, then dropped an unexpectedly bold statement.
"What about eight hundred million?"
"Eight hundred million… You're planning to buy your entire class into A-Class?" Hikigaya immediately caught on and couldn't help but sneer. "Wow, I never thought you'd secretly care so much about your classmates. That's not like you."
"It's just about preparing the right compensation."
Indeed, in this school, the only way to make others obedient was to promise them a path to A-Class.
Ryuuen must have determined that, given C-Class's current strength, they had little chance of winning through confrontation. That was likely why he came up with such an outrageous plan.
"Listen up, Hikigaya. The flow of personal points in this school is enormous. Ignoring those who drop out, there are 160 students per grade, totaling 480 students across three years. If you could extract 100,000 points from each of them per month, that alone would add up to 48 million. Over a year, that's 576 million."
As he spoke, he turned his phone's screen toward Hikigaya, displaying the point fluctuations of all twelve classes over the past year.
In the third year, after two and a half years of accumulation, both A-Class and B-Class had exceeded 1,000 class points.
In other words, if executed properly, Ryuuen's plan wasn't entirely impossible—yeah, right.
This guy was dreaming way too big.
"I won't even comment on the success rate of this plan," Hikigaya said seriously. "If you're aiming for this, then your entire approach is wrong from the start. At the very least, you shouldn't be the reviled figure you are now. You should be someone like Ichinose—someone well-liked."
"Tch, don't joke with me."
Ryuuen clicked his tongue, clearly unimpressed with the idea of being like Ichinose.
Hikigaya could tell exactly what he was thinking. It was clear Ryuuen's mindset hadn't fully shifted yet.
"I'm not joking. Your plan relies on increasing the class points of the entire grade, which means manipulating special exams so that all four classes benefit. To achieve that, 'public favor' is essential."
Whether it was a good person, a bad person, or an average person, people naturally preferred working with someone likable.
Executing the plan wouldn't be easy, but at least cooperation would be a possibility.
On the other hand, if it was someone like Ryuuen, an infamously detestable tyrant, most people would rather avoid him altogether.
"Also, if it were me, I wouldn't try to squeeze every last point out of the other classes. At the very least, you can't take all their points. That would only backfire and create instability. You've experienced that yourself, haven't you?"
"…Tch, can you not bring that up?"
Ryuuen looked visibly annoyed.
Previously, he had forced Class D into signing a contract to pay 20,000 points per month. But in the end, they barely paid anything—because they had chosen to go bankrupt instead.
And in reality, Hikigaya would face the same problem sooner or later.
"But if you don't exploit the other classes, there's no way to amass that kind of amount, right?" Ryuuen asked.
"No, it's possible." Hikigaya shook his head. "Don't forget about the VIP exam. If you have enough influence and skill, you can ensure that all groups achieve Result 1. That alone would significantly boost the first-year students' total wealth. At the very least, you wouldn't have to worry about everyone being broke."
Excluding Sakayanagi, a single special exam could generate 85.5 million personal points.
Even if those points were distributed across the entire grade, it was still significant.
After all, even if you wanted to harvest a field, you had to fertilize it first.
Unlike when they first enrolled, students now understand the importance of personal points. Hardly anyone wasted them anymore.
"Of course, the VIP exam was a special case. The school won't always be that generous."
After a brief pause, Hikigaya suddenly locked eyes with Ryuuen.
"That's why I said your approach is wrong from the start… You should have joined the student council."
"…Hah, you're not seriously suggesting I turn into another Ichinose, are you?" Ryuuen snorted.
"You really shouldn't underestimate her," Hikigaya said. "A lot of what she does is worth learning from. She may be naive, but building connections and joining the student council were excellent moves. Her only problem is that she never realized it."
Even if you had a powerful weapon, it was useless if you didn't know how to wield it.
"Ryuuen, if you become the student council president, you'd have the power to influence exam rules. In my opinion, that's the best way to amass a fortune."
If his guess was correct, that was exactly what Nagumo was doing.
"…Heh, how convenient."
For some reason, Ryuuen suddenly burst into laughter.
"Hikigaya, let's make a deal. I'll lead C-Class to help you take down Nagumo. In return, once you become student council president, you help me complete the Eight-Hundred-Million Plan."
It was an audacious proposal.
"Well? It's a fair trade, isn't it?"
"…Yeah, it's not a bad deal."
To truly overthrow Nagumo, Hikigaya couldn't do it alone—not even with Ayanokoji.
At most, they could defeat Nagumo as an individual, but not the entire interest group behind him.
The ideal scenario would be to gain the support of the entire grade, rallying all four classes to join the fight against the second year.
However, for now, that was just wishful thinking.
It would be more realistic to start with his class first.
It was precisely because of this consideration that Hikigaya decided to help Class D regain its footing—while also pushing Ayanokoji into the spotlight.
Even if most of the class were deadweights, they could still be useful if utilized properly.
And if they could gain Class C's cooperation, their chances of victory would be even greater.
However—
"Ryuuen, how about adjusting your request a little?" Hikigaya suggested. "I don't mind cooperating with your plan, but I have no interest in becoming the student council president. Spare me from that one."
Ryuuen blinked, momentarily taken aback. "You're hilarious. If you don't want to be student council president, then why are you going after Nagumo?"
"That's none of your business. I just have no interest in the position… Why don't you take it instead?"
A thought crossed Hikigaya's mind.
"I could get Horikita-senpai to recommend you for the student council. Once you take down Nagumo, you'd naturally become president. Wouldn't that be ideal?"
In fact, he had seriously considered this possibility.
If, back then, Ryuuen had applied for the student council instead of Ichinose or Katsuragi, Horikita Manabu might have actually agreed.
Someone like Ryuuen would never submit to Nagumo's rule—he'd rebel at every turn.
But unfortunately, the world didn't work on "what ifs."
Still, it wasn't too late—
"Don't be stupid. Why the hell would I join some elite students' club?" Ryuuen sneered in disgust. "And don't think you can manipulate me so easily, Dead Eyes. Last time, I only listened to you because it was interesting. If you want my cooperation, you have to agree to become the student council president. Otherwise, forget it."
"...Then how about we find another student from Class C? You can control them from behind the scenes—it'd be more convenient for you anyway."
Hikigaya, seeing no way around it, offered a compromise.
But Ryuuen flatly refused. "No. It has to be you."
"Are you out of your damn mind...?"
Hikigaya was utterly speechless.
He only owed Horikita Manabu a favor, and he didn't want the school to turn into a complete survival-of-the-fittest hellscape. That was the only reason he wanted to take Nagumo down.
As for the student council presidency? He had absolutely zero interest in that.
Whoever wanted it could take it.
"Forget it. It's too early to talk about this. Let's focus on your '800 million' plan instead."
Since he neither wanted to be president nor outright refuse Ryuuen, Hikigaya decided to table the discussion.
"There's a major flaw in your plan—not just in terms of success rate or minor details, but in something we students have no control over."
At that, he suddenly shifted gears.
"Do you remember the school's promotional slogan when we applied?"
"Tch. Of course, I do." A cold smirk appeared on Ryuuen's face. "'Every graduate can choose their desired university or job'—what a load of crap. But that just makes things even more fun for me."
"No one asked for your opinion," Hikigaya muttered.
"Anyway, as you just said, this school has been deceptive from the start. It has zero credibility."
He pointed out the real issue.
"So here's the question: they claim graduating from Class A guarantees special privileges—but who can confirm that's true?"
Once a system lies once, it's bound to lie again.
Trust, once lost, is an irreversible collapse.
"Besides, say every Class A student demands admission to the University of Tokyo. Sure, the top students might get in without issue, but what about the ones barely scraping by? You think Tokyo University will just accept them?"
This was something Hikigaya had been considering for a while.
Even if ANHS was government-backed, Tokyo University was a globally renowned institution—it wouldn't just accept arbitrary arrangements.
And even if, by some miracle, they forced their way in, what if those students couldn't keep up and ended up failing? That would just be a massive waste of time.
"Who cares? That's not my problem." Ryuuen shrugged. "I only promised to get them to Class A. Whether the school keeps its word is its issue."
"You idiot. Think a little further, will you?"
Hikigaya let out a deep sigh.
"Even if you manage to legally accumulate 800 million points, don't forget—the school's rules only apply to students. Forget 800 million—even if you just gathered 100 million, the school would probably call you in for a 'discussion.' They could invalidate all your points on the spot, no explanation needed. Hell, they could just make up some nonsense excuse on the spot."
If Ryuuen's plan succeeded, it would mean 40 students graduating as Class A.
That would devalue Class A's prestige. There was no way the school wouldn't step in with arbitrary interference.
At the end of the day, the school had complete control over all interpretations of the rules.
It wasn't answerable to students, parents, or even external oversight. No societal forces could intervene. Against powerless students, the school could do whatever it wanted.
Bluntly put—what could they even do about it?
"Heh. What's the matter, Dead Eyes? You scared?"
"...No, I'm just giving you a heads-up so you don't start cursing later."
Hikigaya didn't bother arguing with Ryuuen's provocation.
People wouldn't understand these things until they experienced them firsthand.
"Oh, quit overthinking it. That's a problem for the future."
With that, Ryuuen stood up and extended his hand toward Hikigaya.
"So? Yes or no?"
"Uh..." Without answering, Hikigaya simply reached out and shook his hand.
[T/N: 800 million points deal. This fic is insane.]