"Ishikura-senpai, can I have a quick chat with you?"
Among the third-year students, Ishikura was undoubtedly one of the most popular. His reputation rivaled that of Hirata—both boys and girls trusted and admired him. As a result, he was often surrounded by a large group of students.
Hikigaya wanted to resolve this matter as discreetly as possible, and breakfast time provided the perfect opportunity.
Everyone was busy in the open-air kitchen, preoccupied with cooking, making it unlikely for anyone to pay attention to their conversation. Even if they were noticed, it would simply seem like a routine discussion between team leaders.
"What do you want to talk about?"
Ishikura skillfully added prepared tofu and scallops into the boiling pot. After waiting for the water to reach a rolling boil again, he added okra and slowly stirred the miso paste into the soup with a ladle.
From the way he handled the ingredients, it was clear—he was quite experienced in cooking.
"It's about the exam."
As he spoke, Hikigaya picked up a ladle and casually stirred the pot, pretending to be occupied so that no one would accuse him of slacking off.
"Senpai, do you think our group has a chance of winning?"
"…It's hard to say." Ishikura shook his head slowly. "From what I see, everyone in our group is highly capable. They take their studies seriously, and their overall abilities aren't inferior to other groups."
That much was expected. After all, most of the students in their group were from the B classes across different years.
Among them, the first- and second-year B classes were formerly A classes, meaning the school had already filtered and selected these students beforehand. Naturally, there were no troublemakers.
"But," Ishikura continued, "we lack one crucial thing—team cohesion… Especially in your group and Mikiya's group. To put it bluntly, it's a scattered mess."
"Well, that can't be helped."
Hikigaya deliberately shrugged, flashing a lighthearted smile.
"If Mikiya and the others obediently follow Nagumo-senpai's orders, they have a shot at getting into Class A. Given that, it's no surprise they don't care about this exam."
"That's not necessarily true," Ishikura refuted.
"The most obvious example is Kiriyama," Hikigaya pointed out mercilessly. "That guy is supposed to be the leader of Second-Year Class B, yet instead of leading his classmates, he joined Nagumo-senpai's group. I was honestly shocked. That's pretty much full surrender, isn't it?"
This alone made it clear—Kiriyama had completely given up on reclaiming Class A's position and had accepted his reality.
"I'm sure he has his reasons. As an outsider, I have no right to judge," Ishikura replied as if trying to end the conversation.
Unfortunately for him, Hikigaya wasn't about to let it go.
"No, no, senpai, you have the right to look down on Kiriyama. He still has over a year left, yet he surrendered so quickly to Nagumo-senpai. Meanwhile, you haven't given up even now… Let me confirm something—you're still planning to defeat Horikita-senpai, right?"
Ishikura didn't look pleased with that question, but he didn't deny it either.
"Yeah. Our class hasn't given up yet."
"Oh, I knew it! You're not another Kiriyama."
Despite his words, Hikigaya's tone was laced with sarcasm, almost as if he were teasing him.
But that was precisely the effect he was aiming for.
"If I remember correctly, the gap in points between Third-Year Class A and Class B is 312, right? That's already dangerously close. If you win this exam, you might just turn the tables."
"That's the plan, but some people refuse to cooperate," Ishikura said, glancing at Hikigaya.
"Are you talking about me? That's a huge misunderstanding," Hikigaya smirked. "I want you to win, senpai. But I did a little digging yesterday—Horikita-senpai is strictly managing his entire group. From their academic performance to their physical training in PE class, even down to breakfast duties, everything is tightly controlled."
Of course, Hikigaya hadn't done any digging. He was just making things up on the spot.
But it sounded reasonable enough, so it should be fine.
"Yeah… Horikita is particularly good at—no, actually, he's excellent at everything."
As he spoke, Ishikura's grip on the ladle unconsciously tightened.
He still held some resentment over being constantly overshadowed by Horikita Manabu.
Good. That resentment would be useful.
If he had already given up, Hikigaya wouldn't have had much to work with.
"Perfect? That's a bit of an exaggeration, don't you think?"
"You were personally recruited into the student council by Horikita. You've observed him up close—are you saying you don't recognize his strength?" Ishikura shot back.
"Hah. It's precisely because I know him well that I can say he's not perfect… I know, senpai. You've been making some moves behind the scenes. You're working hard, huh?"
Hikigaya suddenly changed the subject, catching Ishikura off guard. But despite the surprise attack, Ishikura's expression remained unchanged.
Impressive. He deserved some praise for that.
"It's nothing out of the ordinary. It's normal to strategize to win the exam."
"Yeah, usually, that's true."
Hikigaya locked eyes with Ishikura and lowered his voice.
"But, senpai, doesn't Nagumo-senpai's 20 million points feel a little too hot to hold?"
"…!"
Ishikura's eyes widened in shock.
After a long silence, he finally muttered, "Did Nagumo tell you?"
"If I said I figured it out on my own, would you believe me?"
Of course, Hikigaya wasn't expecting an answer. He was just trying to shake him up.
"It's a bit underhanded, sure, but you know your limits. If you faced Horikita head-on, you'd have no chance of winning, so you accepted Nagumo-senpai's offer. That's just the smart move, right?"
"Urgh…"
Ishikura was irritated by the sarcastic tone but couldn't find the words to argue back. In the end, he simply changed the subject.
"The miso soup is ready. I'm going to help out elsewhere."
"No need, senpai. You've already done enough. The others can handle the rest."
Hikigaya smiled and blocked his way.
To be fair, Ishikura hadn't done much, yet he was the first to try and leave.
But as he had pointed out earlier, thanks to the efficient third-years, no one else dared slack off. Things were running smoothly.
"Senpai, I don't mind your actions. Your third-years are about to graduate. As a leader, whatever you do for the sake of your classmates' future, outsiders have no right to criticize."
"…That's hard to say," Ishikura muttered, brushing off the remark.
But deep down, he probably felt some guilt about resorting to such tactics.
"No, I mean it," Hikigaya emphasized. "Winning against a stronger opponent is impressive. I respect it… However, there's a small flaw in your plan."
Ishikura glanced at him, expressionless. "Are you planning to tell Horikita?"
"No, no, of course not. Why do you and Nagumo-senpai always jump to the same conclusion?"
Hikigaya chuckled.
"You guys are way too paranoid. Think about it—what could Horikita do even if I told him? He wouldn't be able to stop this from happening."
Hikigaya couldn't help but chuckle as he spoke.
"You guys are way too paranoid. Just think about it—what difference does it make if I tell Horikita-senpai? He can't stop this from happening anyway."
"That's not necessarily true. If it's Horikita, he might just come up with some unexpected way to counter this strategy."
Even though they were opponents, Ishikura still held Horikita Manabu in high regard.
Hikigaya shook his head. "If the target were Horikita-senpai himself, I'd believe he could handle it. But right now, the one being targeted is Tachibana-senpai. That's a whole different story. No matter what, he can't influence what happens on the girls' side."
That was probably why Nagumo hadn't gone after Horikita Manabu directly.
Of course, considering that Nagumo was a twisted fanatic, he probably never even considered expelling the person he admired. He was likely just trying to leave an unforgettable mark on Horikita-senpai's heart.
…Wait a second.
If one of them were a different gender, wouldn't this be full-on yandere behavior?
Is Nagumo, gay, for Horikita-senpai? That's kind of terrifying… No, no, better not to overthink it.
Hikigaya shook his head, clearing away the absurd thoughts, and continued. "But even if your plan succeeds, it doesn't give you that much of an advantage, does it? You'd just end up with an extra 20 million personal points over Class A."
"You're speaking way too arrogantly. That's 20 million points."
"It's not about arrogance. Personal points don't have that much impact on exams. I don't think it's enough to close the gap in class points."
After cutting off Ishikura's rebuttal, Hikigaya figured it was about time to move on to the real topic.
"Especially since, after this exam, Horikita-senpai's large group is very likely to take first place, right? If that happens, the gap in class points might widen even further."
"…Maybe," Ishikura muttered, lowering his head slightly.
But that wasn't the reality. The large group Horikita Manabu was in was, at best, average in strength.
Ishikura's large group was far superior overall.
Unfortunately, his inferiority complex toward Horikita Manabu severely clouded his judgment.
"Isn't this what they call 'picking up sesame seeds and dropping watermelons'?" Hikigaya mocked. "At this rate, Ishikura-senpai and the others are getting further and further away from Class A. Plus, this whole alliance with Nagumo-senpai is starting to lose its meaning. If this keeps up, some people might even start laughing at you, saying, 'You submitted to a second-year junior just to graduate from Class A, and in the end, you got nothing.'"
"Ugh…"
"Oh, by the way, that 'some people' laughing at you? That's me."
Hikigaya made sure to kindly clarify, in case Ishikura didn't get it.
"…What the hell are you trying to say?"
That finally got Ishikura riled up. His fists clenched so tightly that they cracked as if he were ready to punch Hikigaya at any moment.
For someone with a relatively mild temper, getting insulted like this was bound to push him over the edge.
"I'm saying something very simple." Hikigaya gave a sly smile. "Since you're already throwing away your dignity, why not just go all the way? Tell me, Ishikura-senpai—don't you want to completely defeat Horikita-senpai? Just once, even?"
"And how exactly am I supposed to do that—"
"You already know the answer, don't you?"
Hikigaya placed a firm hand on Ishikura's shoulder and leaned in to whisper, "If you abandon Igari-senpai… Class A won't just be a dream anymore, will it?"
"…What?"
Ishikura froze, then immediately shoved Hikigaya's hand away.
"This is Class B's business. Stay out of it!"
"Why, though? I'm only saying this for your sake, Ishikura-senpai."
Hikigaya put on an earnest expression.
"Think about it. If you just sacrifice Igari-senpai, everyone in Class B can step onto a rose-colored future. No matter how you look at it, that's a great deal. Besides, even in Class A—including Horikita-senpai's group—so many third-years have already been expelled. One more wouldn't make much difference, would it?"
"…That's not the point," Ishikura said in a low voice.
"In my eyes, the real issue is senpai's indecisiveness." Hikigaya sneered. "Once you graduate as Class B students, you'll all have to fend for yourselves. Years down the line, when you have your class reunions and hear about how Class A graduates are living easy, while you've struggled through countless setbacks… I wonder if the middle-aged you will regret the decision you made today."
The best example was Chabashira-sensei. Her irrational obsession with Class A was probably because she had narrowly missed the chance to be part of it.
To the point that even now, she hadn't been able to graduate from this school.
"I don't want to think about something that far ahead," Ishikura muttered dismissively.
"Could it be that Senpai likes Igari-Senai?" Hikigaya continued. "But you know, girls can be pragmatic. If you can't graduate from Class A, can't get into a good university, or land a solid job, they'll just see you as a loser. They won't even bother looking your way."
"I'm not in that kind of relationship with Igari."
Although Hikigaya's words continued to strike deep, Ishikura wasn't going to give in so easily.
He still needed time to struggle with his own thoughts.
"It's fine, take your time." Hikigaya understood this well and patted Ishikura on the shoulder. "There are still a few days left before the final exam. You can make your decision then. By the way, Nagumo-senpai has already promised that no matter what happens, that 20 million won't be taken back."
When drafting this strategy, Nagumo-senpai had already considered this possibility.
That's why the contract he signed with Ishikura mainly restricted him from using the 20 million to transfer classes. In other aspects, there were no limitations, and there was no specific requirement that he had to save Igari.
This was all designed to give Ishikura flexibility in his actions.
"No matter what you say, I won't betray Igari."
"Mm-hmm, got it."
Even though Ishikura rejected him outright, Hikigaya showed no sign of disappointment.
After all, this was the expected response.
"In any case, I just wanted to tell you—there's no victory without sacrifice. Sometimes, if you want to win, you have to abandon your conscience."
Hikigaya's words drilled into Ishikura's ears like a curse, replaying over and over in his mind.
"Igari may hate you to the core, but the rest of Class 3-B will see you as a hero. Which side you choose… is up to you."
"…There's nothing to choose."
"Mm, I trust you'll make the right decision."
That being said, it didn't matter how Ishikura chose. The burden of responsibility was already weighing down on his shoulders.
As a class leader, his primary duty was to lead the class to A-Class—that was the goal of everyone in the class. Everything else was secondary.
Along the way, some sacrifices might be necessary.
After all… this world is neither kind nor fair.
That said, Hikigaya wasn't a completely heartless person.
He had made it seem like Ishikura was facing a dilemma, but in truth, no such dilemma existed.
The good news was that Ishikura wouldn't have to suffer through any inner turmoil.
The bad news was… he wouldn't even get the chance to.
Today was Saturday, and classes had ended in the morning, leaving the rest of the day free.
With all this free time, Kushida would surely put it to good use. Hopefully, she could establish a good relationship with Igari as soon as possible.
A "best friend's" whispers can be a deadly weapon.
Most importantly, the 20 million points was never in Igari's hands to begin with.
Even she wouldn't be able to convince herself that she wasn't feeling uneasy about that.
Once they targeted that weakness, pushing Igari into a state of panic was only a matter of time.
Hikigaya sincerely looked forward to seeing Kushida's skills in action.