"…Wild boar?"
Hearing that, Hikigaya froze, his expression turning confused.
"You mean… that kind of wild boar?"
"I don't know which one you're thinking of, but I'm just referring to a wild boar, nothing more."
After a round of pointless back-and-forth, Hikigaya finally grasped Ayanokoji's implication.
Could he be talking about the wild boars in the mountains?
In a few days, they'd be running the mountain trails in PE class. The school-issued materials had mentioned the presence of wild boars in the area, advising students not to provoke them.
Generally speaking, wild boars wouldn't attack humans unless provoked, so there wasn't much to worry about.
But why bring it up now?
Even if Ayanokoji was the White Room's masterpiece, there's no way he could control wild animals… He wasn't some kind of druid—wait.
A sudden thought flashed through Hikigaya's mind.
Then, a rather disturbing idea slowly took shape.
There's no way… right?
"So, Hikigaya, will you agree?" Ayanokoji asked, his expression completely unchanged.
He hadn't shown a single hint of emotion. That, in itself, made him all the more unsettling.
"I know you don't trust me, but all I'm asking you to do is pass along a message. Just that, and we can weaken Nagumo's faction. It's a pretty good deal, don't you think?"
"…Enough."
After a long pause, Hikigaya exhaled slightly, as if making up his mind.
"No matter what you say, I won't help you."
"Why? The outcome isn't bad for you, and there's no real risk involved."
Despite asking, Ayanokoji didn't seem surprised at all by his rejection—almost as if he had predicted it from the start.
"Also, aren't you going to ask me what I plan to do or what message I want you to deliver? If it were someone else, they'd definitely ask… Don't tell me you've already figured it out?"
"…You're so annoying."
This response was somewhat unexpected for Ayanokoji, but it also provided him with an important piece of information.
—So Hikigaya had noticed after all.
The reason he responded this way was most likely because he wanted to avoid the issue.
He probably wouldn't inform Nagumo but instead pretend he hadn't noticed anything. In other words, he was deceiving himself.
Ayanokoji had always had a hunch about this, but now he was certain. That being the case, even if this plan got leaked, it would still be worth it.
After all, there were countless similar strategies that could be used.
"Can you stop testing me all the time?" Hikigaya's voice sounded irritated. "What you want to do is your business. Do you really need to tell me? Or are you saying you can't get things done without me?"
"If I've upset you, I can apologize."
Now, Ayanokoji was certain—Hikigaya had not only understood the meaning behind the phrase "wild boar," but he had also grasped the deeper intent behind it.
He must have put himself in the other party's shoes, imagined their emotions and thoughts, and then deduced the answer from there.
That was an impressive skill.
Ayanokoji could understand most human emotions—like how children would naturally feel sad if their parents passed away, or vice versa.
But that was all. He merely understood them; he couldn't truly empathize.
Human emotions were incredibly complex, far beyond what could be captured in books or language alone… Just like that time on the rooftop—Ayanokoji couldn't be sure whether Karuizawa would betray him or not.
"What kind of apology is that? Do you think you're an Amazon customer service rep or something?"
"Uh…" The guy who had set up this whole mess was now turning around to criticize him.
Well, at least that man should be arriving soon…
Just as Ayanokoji was thinking this, he sensed a faint presence nearby.
At the same time, Hikigaya suddenly shut his mouth, which meant he must have noticed it too.
"I didn't expect you to contact me first, and you even brought Hikigaya along."
"Sorry for calling you out so late at night."
"It's fine. I had some things on my mind as well."
The newcomer was none other than Horikita-senpai, who arrived right on time, as if he had calculated it precisely.
Additionally, Ayanokoji hadn't informed him about Hikigaya's presence. But knowing him, he would probably grasp the situation instantly.
"Horikita-senpai, do you know why I called you out at this hour?"
"Other than Nagumo, I can't think of anything else." Horikita-senpai replied flatly. "But I don't understand why you brought Hikigaya as well. Considering your relationship, I don't think he'd agree to help you. Don't tell me you're unaware of that."
"I just wanted to give it a shot." Ayanokoji brushed it off casually.
But Hikigaya seemed dissatisfied with that answer, glaring at him with clear irritation.
…Better not provoke him any further.
"Actually, this isn't just about cooperation. Since Hikigaya is here, I want to confirm something important with you, Horikita-senpai."
"What is it?"
"We may not be fully aligned, but we share a common goal—to stop Nagumo."
After a brief pause, Ayanokoji continued, "So, what I want to confirm is… how far are you willing to go to stop him? To put it bluntly, would you accept any outcome, no matter how severe?"
"No, my goal is to protect and maintain the order of this school," Horikita-senpai shook his head. "I've said before that I won't restrict the methods you use, but that's ultimately just to stop Nagumo. Whether that means forcing him to step down, restraining his actions, or even, in the worst case, making him drop out, that's fine. But there's no need to drag innocent students into this."
"You did say that."
Saying this, Ayanokoji intentionally glanced at Hikigaya.
"What about Hikigaya? Does he share your view?"
"This has nothing to do with the current situation," Hikigaya replied. "I did ask you guys to stop Nagumo, and I hope for a peaceful resolution. But how you go about it is up to you. Forcing my ideals onto you would be my own problem. So no matter the outcome, I won't interfere."
Sensing an ulterior motive in Ayanokoji's question, Horikita-senpai subtly stepped in to support him.
However, Ayanokoji wasn't ready to let this go just yet.
"So, by your logic, does that mean that if someone gets expelled in the process of stopping Nagumo, you'll just accept it?"
"As long as I'm in this school, I'll do my best to prevent that from happening."
Horikita-senpai's unspoken implication was that once he graduated, it would no longer be his concern. And realistically, there wouldn't be anything he could do about it anyway.
"What about you?" Ayanokoji turned to Hikigaya again. "Horikita-senpai wants a peaceful resolution. I want to know if you'll get in my way. After all, unless something unexpected happens, we'll be in the same class for another two years. It's best for both of us to confirm our positions in advance."
"…Don't get the wrong idea. I'm neither being targeted by Nagumo-senpai nor interested in his so-called reforms. I have nothing to do with you guys."
Under their gaze, Hikigaya spoke with visible irritation.
"The only reason I agreed to help Horikita-senpai stop Nagumo is that it happens to align with my own reasons."
"Is it because you dislike him?" Ayanokoji asked.
"As if." Hikigaya's expression turned strange. "Sure, I find Nagumo-senpai annoying, but no more than I find you annoying. And I don't see any reason to go to extreme lengths to get you expelled, do I?"
"…That's true."
It was a sharp retort, but not entirely without merit.
Hikigaya's words essentially meant that he wouldn't take drastic action over personal grudges. However, if it was for something he truly desired… then he might stop at nothing to achieve it.
If things continued like this, he might do something far beyond what Horikita-senpai imagined.
For some reason, Ayanokoji had a strong feeling about that.
"There's another thing about Nagumo that's been bothering me. I wanted to hear your opinion on it."
At that moment, Horikita-senpai casually shifted the topic.
"This time, you and he were in the same large group, so I thought you might have picked up on something."
"Unfortunately for you, that was a wasted expectation. Nagumo didn't do anything unusual."
In truth, Ayanokoji had already noticed several noteworthy things—not just about Nagumo, but also about the third-years as a whole, whose problems seemed even more severe.
But there was no need to tell Horikita-senpai that.
"I see… Well, if you say so, perhaps that's how it is."
Even so, there was something off about Horikita-senpai's attitude, as if he were implying something between the lines.
Had he already figured out Nagumo's intentions?
Or was he hiding something as well?
Just then, Hikigaya sneered and said, "Horikita-senpai, you're asking the wrong person. You should be asking your little sister instead."
"…Suzune?"
"Yeah."
Although his name hadn't been mentioned, Ayanokoji suddenly had a bad feeling.
"That girl's been pestering me with questions these past few days," Hikigaya continued. "Especially about the third-years. It seems like there's some trouble among the third-years in her group, and she's been actively gathering intel."
"Is that so… Suzune actually doing something like that."
Horikita-senpai's expression showed slight surprise. Considering his sister's progress thus far, she had indeed improved a lot, but taking the initiative to engage with others—especially senior students—was quite unlike her.
Could it be that Hikigaya was helping her from the shadows or covering up certain details while making it seem like it was all Horikita Suzune's doing?
As Ayanokoji pondered this, the situation took an unexpected turn.
"If you really want to know, senpai, you should go ask your sister—or Ayanokoji, who's just standing there dumbly. Based on what you said, it sounds like he's involved too."
"…What?"
Ayanokoji was stunned. This guy really didn't hesitate to throw people under the bus.
Just as he was about to refute, Hikigaya cut him off again.
"No need to deny it. I know you've been using Karuizawa to gather information on the third-year girls, including their grouping. You've been working hard, huh?"
"What? I haven't even spoken to Karuizawa these past few days."
Ayanokoji attempted to play dumb, but that tactic didn't work on Hikigaya.
"She just got the wrong target."
"…Kushida or Matsushita?"
"Oh? You just admitted it yourself."
At this point, denying it was meaningless.
Among the girls, the only piece Ayanokoji could use was Karuizawa. Even though she was clever, there was no way she could hide her actions from Kushida, whose social network was vast. Not to mention, Matsushita seemed to be keeping an eye on her as well.
Most importantly, what happened over winter break had made Karuizawa stand out significantly.
While that wasn't necessarily a bad thing for her, she wasn't as useful as before… Perhaps it was time to find someone else.
"Anyway, we all have our own battles to fight. Let's end this pointless conversation here. And don't call me out in the middle of the night again—what if I catch a cold?"
Leaving those words behind, Hikigaya turned and walked toward the dormitory.
That guy sure had the nerve to complain…
Ayanokoji had a lingering feeling that Nagumo would eventually target him. Perhaps someone was stirring things up behind the scenes.
The only problem was that he had no proof.
But suspicion alone was enough. Even if Hikigaya was innocent, Ayanokoji would still find a way to drag him into this.
"Ayanokoji, do you have anything to say to me?" Horikita-senpai asked calmly.
"I do think something is off about Nagumo, but I haven't been working with your sister."
He could have ignored it, but he didn't want to worsen his relationship with the former student council president before his graduation.
After all, Horikita-senpai still had significant influence within the school.
"Nagumo has challenged you head-on, but he hasn't strictly controlled his group. His performance has been merely average, and I haven't seen any signs of him preparing any real strategy. That's all I find suspicious."
"I see… Thank you for telling me."
After saying that, Horikita-senpai slowly closed his eyes.
And for a brief moment, Ayanokoji saw something on his face—was it disappointment?
Or perhaps something else, an emotion too complex to put into words.
"What's wrong?"
"I just thought of the worst-case scenario… No, never mind. Forget I said anything."
Although he didn't finish his sentence, it wasn't hard to guess what he meant.
He had likely realized Nagumo's true intentions—that he wouldn't hesitate to break the rules, even betray his own word, just to defeat him.
After working together in the student council for two years, Horikita-senpai must have had some level of trust in Nagumo.
But that trust might soon be shattered by his own junior.
And the worst part? Even if Horikita-senpai had seen through Nagumo, there was nothing he could do. His only option was to play defense, relying on the enemy's integrity—something that was likely just self-deception.
Because he didn't want innocent students to get caught in the crossfire, he would inevitably be forced to hold back.
This naive way of thinking had only fueled Nagumo's ambition.
Still, what Horikita-senpai did wasn't Ayanokoji's concern.
What truly intrigued him was whether Hikigaya would get involved—and what kind of strategy he would use when the time came.
For now, one thing was certain: Hikigaya wouldn't stay out of this.
He had already positioned Horikita's group among the girls, but that alone wouldn't be enough to stop Nagumo.
Ayanokoji's curiosity grew.
At that moment, he felt something he had never experienced in the White Room.
This was why he had come to this school—because staying there wouldn't allow him to continue growing.
By observing Hikigaya, he might be able to learn things that no textbook could ever teach.
If that were the case, then these three years wouldn't be a waste.