With the exam scheduled for tomorrow, Hikigaya decided to spend his last dinner at the forest school alone.
After all, he had been eating with girls every day recently, always in the cafeteria. He was starting to get used to it… which was honestly a terrifying thought.
Mostly, it was because Horikita kept pulling him into discussions about class matters, while Matsushita and Kushida found amusement in complaining about their classmates.
Hikigaya had no interest in any of that, but during these days, he had no choice but to sit through it as a reluctant audience.
Thankfully, his ordeal was about to end. He had already done everything he could—whether it would succeed or not depended on tomorrow's results.
Tonight, he just wanted to eat in peace… and maybe, for a change, observe humans from a distance.
The number of students wearing smiles and those frowning in worry had noticeably increased compared to the past few days, making the contrast all the more apparent.
The reason was simple. Even though the exam hadn't started yet, most students already had a rough idea of their fate.
This test was assessed on a group basis, evaluating overall competency. Individual excellence wouldn't be the key to victory.
In short, the fewer weak links a group had, the higher the chances of achieving a good score.
Take the first-year groups, for example. Shibata's team, primarily composed of Class A students, was undoubtedly the most promising.
Class A didn't have any particularly outstanding individuals, but they had no major weaknesses either. More importantly, they were highly cohesive, which gave them a significant advantage in this type of exam.
However, due to the recent baseless slander against their spiritual leader, Ichinose, many of the boys in Class A were visibly distracted.
No matter how hard Shibata tried to liven up the mood, he received little response. The entire table remained dull and lifeless.
…What a struggle.
Hikigaya couldn't help but feel a deep sense of sympathy for Shibata.
Trying to initiate a conversation only to be met with silence—there was nothing more awkward in the world.
It reminded him of his elementary school days when a group of boys next to him was discussing Pokémon. He casually chimed in with a comment, only for the entire group to fall silent instantly.
…What the hell? Did you all suddenly lose your ability to speak?!
Meanwhile, the second-years weren't in a great mood either.
Most of the boys had likely received Nagumo's orders—to deliberately underperform in the exam to lower the passing threshold.
Even so, with two members missing from a group, there was still a real risk of failing.
Of course, Nagumo himself was never in any danger. The one who would be expelled was the unlucky student from Class 2-C.
If the second-year students truly functioned as a unified entity, then even if the one being sacrificed was from Class C, everyone should cooperate with Nagumo's plan for the sake of minimizing losses. It was a strategic, big-picture approach.
The real problem was whether some individuals had their agenda—such as Class 2-B.
For them, this was a golden opportunity to turn the tables on Class A. The question was whether they could seize it.
As Hikigaya contemplated the various developments ahead, he suddenly sensed movement behind him. Someone had taken the seat directly behind him.
Normally, he wouldn't pay it any mind, but something about this person felt deliberate.
Ayanokoji… What is this guy up to now?
Hikigaya frowned. There was no way this was a coincidence. Ayanokoji wouldn't go out of his way to approach someone without a reason.
And whenever that happened, it was never anything good.
Just as he was thinking that Ayanokoji spoke.
"Hikigaya, I have a question. Why is there a rumor going around the school that I assaulted a wild boar?"
"…Isn't it true?"
"Of course not. Also, the 'assault' in question has… uh… certain implications."
"Ugh, you don't need to clarify."
Hikigaya was momentarily dumbfounded. This guy was way too straightforward.
"And besides, telling me about it won't change anything. I wasn't the one who spread the rumor."
"There's no one else I can think of but you." Ayanokoji sounded somewhat exasperated. "Do you have any idea how many girls gave me weird looks when I went to get dinner just now? And whenever I made eye contact, they screamed and ran away."
"…Huh? Why?"
"…, according to Kei, some girls believe that making eye contact with me will get them pregnant."
"…Wait, what? You have that kind of power?!"
Hikigaya was all too familiar with this kind of situation. He had faced similar treatment before.
At least in his case, people only reacted when there was physical contact. If he so much as bumped into someone, they would scream, "It's the Hikigaya bacteria!" and then flee.
…Weird. Why am I suddenly feeling kind of sad?
"Don't you think this joke has gone too far?"
"Look, I swear this wasn't my doing."
Strictly speaking, it wasn't. All Hikigaya did was get Ryuuen and Manabe to spread a story about "Ayanokoji attacking a wild boar." At most, he had used some ambiguous wording that hinted at a wrestling-like struggle.
The rest was just people's imagination running wild. Maybe those two embellished the details a bit, but that wasn't Hikigaya's intention.
Then again… it was pretty amusing. The creativity of human beings truly knew no bounds.
"Forget it. As long as you know the truth yourself."
Realizing that arguing any further was pointless, Ayanokoji got straight to the point.
"By the way, you didn't report what I told you that night to Nagumo, did you? Otherwise, he wouldn't have sent Gokyou and Tonegawa to continue following me."
"…How the hell was I supposed to report it?!" Hikigaya retorted in annoyance. "You just said 'wild boar' to me. What was I supposed to tell Nagumo? 'Hey, President, I had a super important meeting with Ayanokoji at midnight, and he mentioned a wild boar'? He'd think I'd lost my mind. And I'd have to explain why I was even meeting you at that hour."
"But you didn't tell him your conclusions, did you?"
Ayanokoji's pointed question was met with an unimpressed eye roll.
"I also think you're going to die tomorrow. Should I report that to you too?"
"…No need."
Sometimes, Hikigaya really couldn't figure out what this guy wanted. Was he deliberately trying to get insulted?
"Just tell me what you want." Hikigaya got straight to the point. "You've already taken care of all your problems, haven't you? What's the point of dragging me into this?"
"Did Hashimoto from Class 2-B tell you?" Ayanokoji asked casually.
"…What does Hashimoto have to do with this? Oh, I see—you're deliberately avoiding mentioning Ryuuen, huh?"
Hikigaya scoffed at his feigned ignorance, and Ayanokoji immediately caught on.
"So Ryuuen couldn't keep it from you after all." Ayanokoji sounded unsurprised as if he had anticipated this outcome. "But my collaboration with him is limited to this exam. I don't want to get expelled, and Ryuuen doesn't want his classmates dragged down with me. Even that disobedient Tokito—if he got expelled, it would be a loss for the class."
"…Who said Ryuuen told me anything?"
Hikigaya smirked at Ayanokoji's overanalysis.
"You can tell just by looking at Tokito's face. A few days ago, he was all smug, but today, he looks just as dead inside as you."
Originally, Tokito had Nagumo's support, and he was confident that dealing with Ayanokoji would be a sure thing.
However, ever since the news spread that Gokyou and Tonegawa were injured by a wild boar yesterday, he realized that the situation was not as simple as he had imagined.
Others might think it was just an accident, but Tokito, knowing the inside story, was well aware that things weren't that straightforward.
Without a doubt, this was a trap set by Ayanokoji.
Not only did it leave Nagumo humiliated, but it also completely absolved Ayanokoji of any responsibility, forcing the other party to swallow this bitter loss.
Even worse, when Tokito reviewed the entire sequence of events, he realized that he had been used as a pawn.
In other words, their plan had already been seen through by Ayanokoji from the very beginning...
Frightened by this realization, Tokito quickly caved when Ryuuen, along with Ishizaki and Albert, came to pressure him.
As a result, even Yamauchi and the others scattered like monkeys fleeing a fallen tree, no longer daring to target Ayanokoji.
However, while the immediate crisis had been resolved, it didn't mean there would be peace moving forward.
Nagumo wasn't the type to retreat just because of a minor setback. Even if he had been the one attacked by the wild boar this time, it wouldn't change anything.
"Ayanokoji, you won't be bored in the coming year," Hikigaya said with a hint of schadenfreude. "Before graduation, Nagumo-senpai will do everything in his power to take you down. He's not like Ryuuen—even if you knock him down with a single punch, he absolutely won't give up."
Nagumo was exceptional in both academics and physical ability, but he didn't believe in brute force.
So, even though Ayanokoji had demonstrated extraordinary combat skills during the rooftop incident, Nagumo didn't take it seriously and merely saw him as a reckless fighter.
Even now, after suffering a setback at Ayanokoji's hands, he would likely just label him a cunning brute.
"Why? Wouldn't it be best if he just ignored me?" Ayanokoji asked, puzzled.
Logically speaking, that would indeed be the best course of action, as the two of them had no direct conflicts of interest.
Ayanokoji had revealed only a portion of his abilities without completely burning bridges.
Given that, Nagumo should have realized the difficulty and backed off.
You do your job as student council president, and I'll continue being a masterpiece—wouldn't that be ideal?
Unfortunately, Ayanokoji had misjudged Nagumo's nature.
As long as he could ensure victory, Nagumo would use any means necessary, even if it meant mobilizing all the second-year students at his disposal.
From Nagumo's perspective, no matter how strong Ayanokoji was, a lone wolf could never defeat an organized force.
In other words, the only way to truly make Nagumo yield and give up was to counter him with an equal level of "authority."
"You're supposed to be smart, aren't you? Figure it out yourself." Hikigaya had no intention of spelling it out for him.
In reality, anyone who worked with Nagumo for a while would easily understand what kind of person he was.
But Ayanokoji spent his time after school holed up in his room, relying solely on Karuizawa and Hirata for information.
The former was inexperienced, while the latter saw Nagumo through an idolized filter.
That kind of intelligence network was practically useless.
"I see. Then I won't ask," Ayanokoji said, not pressing further. "But I am curious—given the current situation, are you still not planning to make a move?"
"Make a move? What are you talking about?" Hikigaya feigned confusion.
"I mean Nagumo. Now is the best time to deal with him, isn't it?"
"Sorry to disappoint, but I've never even considered that."
With so many people around, Hikigaya wasn't about to admit anything outright—getting overheard would be a hassle.
But even if they were alone, his answer wouldn't have changed.
The situation Ayanokoji had created might seem impressive, but it couldn't expel Nagumo or shake his rule.
At most, it was just a minor scrape.
"Do you think that?" Ayanokoji countered. "If everything goes well, Year 2 Class A might lose 400 class points. If that happens, Kiriyama won't just sit idly by, will he?"
Currently, the gap between Year 2 Class A and Class B is close to 600 points.
If they could close that gap by 400 points in one move, Kiriyama might start reconsidering his stance instead of obediently following Nagumo's orders.
However, from Hikigaya's perspective, that wasn't the real issue.
Even if Year 2 Class B took the lead by 600 points, it wouldn't matter because, as a leader, Nagumo was far superior to Kiriyama.
Not just in academics—Nagumo had orchestrated the expulsions of over a dozen students.
That kind of behind-the-scenes maneuvering was something Kiriyama wouldn't be able to counter, and it was only a matter of time before his class fell apart.
Besides... Hikigaya had a feeling Ayanokoji wasn't suggesting this out of goodwill—he was probably trying to set him up.
Might as well toss this problem right back at him.
"Ayanokoji, you sound like you're quite familiar with Kiriyama-senpai," Hikigaya asked.
"We've only met. Horikita's brother introduced us, saying he was one of the few students dissatisfied with Nagumo."
Ayanokoji didn't bother hiding anything—not that there was any need to.
"The second-year representative in your group is Mikiya from Class B, right? I heard he's close with Kiriyama. So if you can convince Kiriyama to have Class B's students take the exam seriously instead of throwing the match, then Nagumo's group will be more likely to fail."
So he even investigated this? And what's worse, it made sense.
As they spoke, Mikiya, who had been sitting at a nearby table, suddenly stood up with his tray—he must have finished eating.
At the same time, another student also stood up and subtly followed him out of the cafeteria.
Many people were coming and going, so such actions wouldn't usually attract attention.
However, Hikigaya happened to recognize both individuals, so he took note.
Looks like Ishikura-senpai finally figured it out... He can't afford to underestimate him anymore.
Indeed, the one following Mikiya out was Ishikura.
Hikigaya had assumed he wouldn't realize the situation until the exam was over, but at least now, he was finally making a move.
Whether he would succeed was another matter—after all, Mikiya alone couldn't make decisions for Year 2 Class B.
Ishikura definitely picked the wrong person.
"Hikigaya, aren't you going to give it a try? I think Kiriyama might actually be persuaded by you."
Ayanokoji was still talking about that… Man, this guy is seriously annoying.
In reality, persuading Kiriyama wasn't actually that difficult.
The main reason was that Horikita Manabu hadn't graduated yet, and Kiriyama was the kind of guy who cared deeply about appearances. Even if he wanted to side with Nagumo and enter Class A, as long as the senior who had once mentored him was still in school, he'd at least keep up appearances on the surface.
If I could take advantage of that, getting Kiriyama to cooperate would be easy.
The real problem, though, was that even if he agreed to help, he might turn around and report everything to Nagumo.
There was no need to take that risk. Besides… it wouldn't be a bad thing if Nagumo's group passed. At the very least, that unlucky guy from Class C wouldn't have to drop out.
"If you think it's that easy, why don't you just do it yourself?" Hikigaya said impatiently.
Unexpectedly, Ayanokoji actually agreed.
"I can go, but in return, I need your cooperation in a certain matter."
"…What?"
"If Nagumo makes any moves in the future, I want you to inform me in advance."
So it really was this… Looks like Ayanokoji was planning to take Nagumo seriously.
Or maybe he was just making preparations to avoid trouble.
The latter seemed more likely.
Seeing that Hikigaya remained silent for a while, Ayanokoji suddenly spoke again, "If that condition doesn't work for you, I have another one—you answer a question for me."
"What question?"
"Ever since our conversation during winter break, I've felt like something was off… Why did you go easy on me and not expel me?"
"…Hah?"
Hikigaya was utterly baffled.
"I thought I made it clear back then. Ryuuen refused to back down and insisted on settling things with you personally. You saw how that ended."
"No, that's just an excuse," Ayanokoji rejected outright. "I've been thinking about this ever since that day. You're not the type to compromise on principle, especially not for someone like Ryuuen. You had no reason to do that. Besides, I manipulated Manabe and the others into bullying Karuizawa—that should've crossed your bottom line no matter how you look at it."
"It doesn't matter. You got beaten up by Ryuuen and the others anyway."
"You might not believe me, but I underestimated them a little. Still, from the beginning, I intended to take a few punches—excluding anything life-threatening, of course."
Ayanokoji said something completely absurd.
"I wanted to see what getting beaten felt like."
"…And? What did you find out?"
"Nothing. Pain is just pain—it spreads through the body, that's all."
He said it so casually… Was this guy for real?
Were all the people raised in that White Room like Ayanokoji?
Forget kindness or camaraderie—what about anger? Jealousy? Fear?
Was there not a single normal person among them?
One of Hikigaya's worst habits was overthinking things—unconsciously trying to read into the hidden meanings behind anomalies.
Honestly, it was a terrible trait to have.
It was like those horror movies where there's always that one side character who insists on doing something that gets them killed.
Likewise, as an ordinary student, I shouldn't be getting involved in things beyond my status. Hell, I shouldn't even be thinking about them.
"So, Hikigaya, can you tell me the truth?"
Ayanokoji was convinced that the reason he hadn't been expelled wasn't because Hikigaya had personally spared him, but because of some other external factor.
To be honest, his insight was impressive.
"Fine, since you're so curious, I'll tell you after you succeed tomorrow." Hikigaya agreed.
Even if he told Ayanokoji about Chairman Sakayanagi's intervention, it wasn't a big deal.
After all, barring any surprises, that man was about to become the former chairman.
If I could use this outdated information to stir up more conflict between Ayanokoji and Nagumo, then that would be a nice little bonus.
Finally, the last day of the forest training camp arrived.
Over the past week, Hikigaya had been running around, trying all sorts of strategies. But most of them had to be carried out indirectly, making the success rate rather uncertain.
Still, no matter the outcome, he had done everything he could.
If he still couldn't help Horikita-senpai and Tachibana-senpai… Or if Ishikura and Igari ultimately chose to trust each other, leading the plan to fail, then there was nothing more to be done.
Fortunately, Hikigaya still had plenty of private points. If Class 3-A's points didn't reach twenty million, he could offer a little assistance.
No matter what, he couldn't just stand by and watch the seniors who had once looked out for him get expelled.
At that moment, Katsuragi suddenly walked over and extended his hand.
"Hikigaya, thanks for taking responsibility this past week."
After spending this time together, the different groups had grown a little closer. People were shaking hands, wishing each other good luck on the exam.
Hikigaya had assumed that kind of thing had nothing to do with his group—at least not with him. I mean… obviously, right?
He hadn't expected Katsuragi to do something this unnecessary.
Honestly, it was kind of embarrassing.
But since the other guy had already reached out, ignoring him would be too rude.
"It's nothing. It's not like I wanted to do it." Hikigaya lightly shook his hand. "Besides, you're thanking me too soon. If our group ends up winning first place, your class will suffer a huge loss."
The leader's class would receive double the reward—too bad someone had messed things up.
"It's fine. We've decided that as long as we give it our all, that's enough."
It wasn't Katsuragi who answered, but Sanada, who suddenly chimed in from the side.
Adjusting his glasses, he spoke somewhat awkwardly, "Um… Hikigaya, we had some conflicts at first, but thinking back on what you said, I realized you had a point. Maybe we have been too dependent on Sakayanagi… Oh, and thanks for lending us that game console. It was fun."
"…Oh. Oh."
Hikigaya was caught off guard.
Ugh, why was this guy suddenly being so friendly?
We barely spoke after that argument… If we had communicated properly from the start, would this camp have been a better experience?
And if I had seriously tried to persuade Ishikura and Igari, could I have prevented them from plotting against Tachibana-senpai?
…No, probably not.
Hikigaya quickly dismissed those useless thoughts. Ultimately, he wasn't some kind of social genius.
He was just good at irritating people—at provoking them into revealing a weakness and then either persuading or threatening them.
He would never be like Ichinose or Hirata, who could use their charisma to win people over completely.
But that was fine.
There was no need to force himself to be something he wasn't.
As always, Hikigaya Hachiman would remain a shameless lone wolf, leaving the whole "turning enemies into friends" thing to the so-called heroes.
After that, the groups headed to their designated classrooms to begin the exam.
There were four parts: zazen meditation, a speech, a relay marathon, and a written test.
Everything was as expected. Hikigaya's group had no problems—their overall competency was high, and the larger group's members were strong.
The only uncertainty was whether Ayanokoji had successfully persuaded Kiriyama.
All second-years had been instructed by Nagumo to deliberately perform poorly. In other words, if even one large group's second-years defied that order and took the exam seriously, that group would have a good shot in the first place.
Then again, nothing was guaranteed.
With three grade levels involved, there were just too many variables.
The first-year exam begins with meditation, followed by a written test in the next classroom. After that comes a relay marathon, and finally, a speech.
By the way, the order is different for each grade. For example, the second-years start with the relay right away, making it quite challenging from the beginning.
But the first-years don't have it easy either. After the long-distance run, they have to deliver a speech, which is a tough test of endurance.
Well, all we can do is give it our best.