Just as the punch was about to land, Katsuragi suddenly stepped in front of Hikigaya, firmly grabbing Mikiya's wrist.
"Let go of me!"
"Senpai, please calm down! Are you planning to use violence in front of so many people?"
At Katsuragi's stern shout, Mikiya seemed to snap back to reality, staring blankly at the surrounding students.
Luckily, the second-year students had already enclosed the area, preventing any immediate chaos. Though a few nearby students cast glances in their direction, the situation hadn't yet escalated into a full-blown disturbance.
"Hikigaya, you too. Why would you deliberately say something so provocative?" Katsuragi said seriously. "If a real problem arises, not only will you be held accountable, but the entire group will be implicated. I don't think that's something a leader should be doing."
"No, if you hadn't interfered, only that second-year would be the one facing the consequences."
That said, Hikigaya hadn't expected Mikiya to resort to violence… After all, he had merely stated a few truths.
It seemed Mikiya still lacked strategic composure.
In some cases, the truth was far more hurtful than insults—especially for teenage high school boys, who often valued pride and dignity above all else. A little provocation was enough to make them lose their rationality.
Hikigaya, relieved that he had long since abandoned such meaningless notions, continued, "Your name is Mikiya, right? You should be thanking Katsuragi this time. Otherwise, not only would the teachers hold you accountable, but even Nagumo's evaluation of you would take a hit."
"Shut the hell up!" Mikiya snapped. "Who do you think you are, first-year? From Class D, no less? What a joke. Just because you're hanging onto Nagumo's coattails, you think you're important? You're no different from the rest of us!"
"No, no, you misunderstand."
Hikigaya chuckled at Mikiya's words.
"You all bow to Nagumo because you believe that by performing well, you have a chance to enter Class A and receive the 20-million-point reward. But as a member of the student council, I simply must follow the student council president's instructions. That's a completely different concept from what you second-years are doing."
"Tch, trying to act noble," Mikiya sneered.
"Oh? You seriously think I'm after Nagumo's money?"
Seeing Mikiya's disbelief, Hikigaya could only sigh and shake his head.
"Alright, I suppose there's no harm in telling you—I simply adopted the same strategy as Nagumo."
"…What do you mean?"
"It's simple," Hikigaya said, leaving his words hanging. "I heard that second-years must hand over any personal points exceeding 500,000 to Nagumo. Isn't that right?"
This wasn't exactly a secret—many third-years were aware of it.
Judging by Katsuragi's expression, however, it seemed this was news to him.
"So what? Don't tell me you're capable of doing the same thing," Mikitani scoffed.
"There's a slight difference. In your case, it appears voluntary. In ours, we're voluntarily forced—in other words, it's more like a tribute system."
"Hah, quit spouting nonsense—"
Mikiya stopped mid-sentence. Something in Hikigaya's calm gaze made him hesitate.
And really, was there any reason for him to lie about this?
"If you don't believe me, you can ask Nagumo yourself. He knows all about it."
That final statement completely crushed Mikiya. He froze as if something had lodged itself in his throat.
If this were true, it meant that this dead-eyed first-year had already secured his graduation from Class A.
The very thing Mikiya was willing to throw away his pride for—to grovel at Nagumo's feet just to obtain—was something this guy had effortlessly acquired?
After a few seconds of stunned silence, Mikiya gritted his teeth and returned to his seat without another word.
The overwhelming sense of disparity drained even the desire to argue from him.
That was how things worked at ANHS. Class A stood far above the others. If one had already secured a Class A graduation, their status became virtually untouchable.
Take Nagumo, for example. Even though his class had fallen to Class D, he could still use personal points to transfer at any time.
For people like him, class battles no longer held any meaning.
The other second-years began to realize this too. Though they found it hard to believe, they weren't sure what to say, so they gradually dispersed in small groups.
Perhaps it was precisely because they were former Class A students defeated by Nagumo that they accepted reality so quickly. The gap between people could be that large.
Now that things had settled down… what about the cooking arrangements?
Hikigaya thought about calling Mikiya back, but given the current atmosphere, it didn't seem appropriate. Oh well.
"Ishikura-senpai, I'm sorry. It seems I've ruined the mood here because of me."
"…Forget it. Mikiya's attitude was a problem too," Ishikura sighed. "But let me give you some advice—you should be more reserved when dealing with upperclassmen. There's no need to make unnecessary enemies."
"Thank you for your guidance. Unfortunately, I only respect those who are worthy of respect."
Hikigaya observed Ishikura's reaction as he spoke.
"It's not that I enjoy badmouthing others, but those second-years are pathetic. They surrendered to Nagumo just for a chance at Class A, selling their dignity for a mere twenty million points—money they might not even receive in the end. How am I supposed to respect seniors like that?"
"…Maybe you have a point," Ishikura muttered.
"But on the other hand, you, Ishikura-senpai, are truly admirable," Hikigaya said sincerely. "Even when facing an overwhelming opponent like Horikita-senpai, you never once gave up. You kept leading your class, fighting against the odds. Compared to Mikiya and the others, the difference is night and day."
At those words, the third-years—who had been somewhat displeased with Hikigaya—visibly relaxed.
Especially the students from Class 3-B, who looked rather pleased. It was clear they greatly respected Ishikura as their leader.
Ishikura, however, merely smiled wryly. "And yet, I've never once surpassed Horikita's Class A."
"No, the effort itself has meaning."
Even if only Class A graduates received preferential treatment, that didn't mean the efforts of other students were worthless.
Students who displayed strong leadership in class battles often had their achievements recorded by the school. Exceptional ones might even receive recommendations to prestigious universities or major companies.
If Advanced Nurturing High truly existed to cultivate talent, then the real question was this:
On one hand, you had students who merely coasted along and graduated from Class A due to their class's advantages.
On the other, you had leaders from lower-ranked classes who constantly strategized and fought against superior opponents.
Which of them truly counted as talent?
The answer was obvious.
Of course, this was just Hikigaya's speculation. There was no need to say it out loud.
"Hah, getting comforted by a junior, huh?" Ishikura chuckled, shaking his head. "But we still haven't solved the real issue. What about tomorrow's breakfast?"
"Yeah… If all else fails, each year group will just handle their meals separately."
There were fifteen first-years in their group. Maybe splitting into two teams and alternating cooking duties every three days would work.
…Rice balls should be enough to get by, right?
That said, Hikigaya still wanted to cooperate with the third-years.
After all, he had a few things he wanted to 'discuss' with Ishikura-senpai.
However, since Ishikura wasn't willing to ditch the second year, they ultimately agreed to manage their meals separately.
A bit of a shame, but it couldn't be helped.
Returning to his seat, Hikigaya noticed that the others had almost finished eating. Fortunately, there was still some time left before breakfast ended, so there was no need to rush.
"Hey, Hikigaya," Machida suddenly called out to him. "Did you just get into an argument with the seniors? And how did the breakfast cooperation talk go?"
"There's no cooperation. Everyone is handling their matters separately."
Hikigaya glanced at Machida and kindly advised, "If you want to complain, now's your chance. I don't like responding while I'm eating."
"It's not that, I just wanted to confirm," Machida hurriedly shook his head. "And honestly, I don't want to wake up two hours earlier either. That would be exhausting... Anyway, you're the group leader, so it's up to you to decide."
"...Oh."
Hikigaya had expected some criticism, but Machida turned out to be more obedient than anticipated. Could it be that the food was poisoned? Just kidding.
It wasn't just Machida—the other Class B students were also casting him complicated looks.
The real reason for their sudden change in attitude was most likely his confrontation with the second-year students.
Not only did he dare to argue with upperclassmen, but he even made them back down on their own.
Even though they found him unpleasant, they couldn't help but admire his ability to pull that off. And watching those arrogant seniors suffer a setback was oddly satisfying.
On the other hand, Hikigaya found this shift a bit troubling.
Weird… why does it feel like my reputation in this grade is getting more terrifying?
Yet, despite feeling annoyed, he also thought that maybe this wasn't so bad. At the very least, it would save him a lot of trouble in this exam.
What a contradictory feeling.
After finishing breakfast peacefully, it was time for the official lessons to begin.
Hikigaya and the others were led to a large lecture hall, similar in structure to a university-style tiered classroom. Judging by its size, it seemed like the entire big group would be attending class together here.
At the moment, the second and third-year groups had yet to arrive, leaving only the first-year students in the room.
Since there were no assigned seats, they could sit wherever they liked. However, Katsuragi and the other Class B students didn't move freely but stood in place, waiting.
It seemed they intended to decide on their seats only after the upperclassmen arrived… Talk about rule-abiding.
But where there are rule-followers, there are also rule-breakers.
Ryuuen, of course, couldn't care less about the seniors' opinions. He simply found a seat he liked and plopped down without hesitation.
"Wait a second, don't just—" Katsuragi started to reprimand him but quickly changed his mind. "Never mind, everyone can just sit wherever they want."
Ryuuen, amused by this, smirked. "Hey, what's up with you, Katsuragi? Did you have a change of heart? Or are you starting to disregard the seniors too?"
"I was initially considering their feelings," Katsuragi replied with a helpless expression. "But after Hikigaya caused such a stir with the second-years, I figured there's no point in being overly cautious. So, I believe it's better to follow our steps in preparing for the exam."
"Heh, now you're starting to get it."
Ryuuen grinned and moved on to teasing Kanzaki.
Hearing Katsuragi's reasoning, the other students seemed to find it logical—or maybe they just realized standing around waiting was pointless. One by one, they picked seats they liked.
Still, most of them stuck together, ensuring they wouldn't create unnecessary friction with the upperclassmen.
Hikigaya's seat happened to be next to Katsuragi… No, it probably wasn't a coincidence.
"Before class starts, can we talk?"
As expected, Katsuragi got straight to the point.
"You want to tell me not to stir up trouble, don't you?" Hikigaya cut in before he could say anything.
"Yeah, that's part of it," Katsuragi admitted with a slight nod. "But I also know that no matter what I say, it won't change anything. So, I just want to ask you one question… Have you finished probing Ishikura-senpai?"
"...Huh?"
Now it was Hikigaya's turn to be surprised.
No way… Katsuragi saw through it?
In truth, he was right. On the surface, Hikigaya had been provoking Mikiya and the others, but his real goal was to test Ishikura's reaction.
Logically speaking, when the argument first started, as a third-year, Ishikura should have stepped in.
But when Hikigaya deliberately mentioned the 20 million points, calling Mikiya and his group Nagumo's lapdogs, Ishikura's reaction was visibly shaken. If those words hadn't affected him, he wouldn't have shown such a guilty expression.
From that reaction, Hikigaya deduced that the third-year Class B must have some sort of deal with Nagumo.
Of course, the entire class might not be aware of it—this was likely something Ishikura, along with Igari and the other class leaders, had arranged in secret.
In short, Nagumo's 20 million points were most likely being managed by Ishikura.
The person in charge of the funds had to be someone loyal to the class, someone who wouldn't just take the money and buy their own way into Class A. Given the trust Class B had in Ishikura and his usual reputation, he was the most suitable choice.
Hikigaya had been feeling pretty pleased with himself for figuring it out, but he hadn't expected Katsuragi to catch on so quickly.
Seeing Hikigaya remain silent, Katsuragi spoke first. "Although the second-years can be unreasonable, I didn't think you were the type to pick a fight with them for no reason. That wouldn't solve anything or benefit you in any way. Someone like you wouldn't do something pointless."
...Wait a second, since when did this bald guy get so smart?
"But then I saw you having an extended conversation with Ishikura-senpai afterward, and it hit me—you had another motive. Those second-years were just a tool you used to probe Ishikura-senpai."
"Whoa, whoa, calling a senior a 'tool'… Katsuragi, you're turning bad."
By saying this, Hikigaya had essentially admitted it.
Now, he needed to figure out how to shut Katsuragi up. If this leaked to Nagumo, everything would be over.