At this moment, Sakayanagi truly understood what it meant to feel a thorn in her back.
Normally, she would have enjoyed the mixed gazes of shock, doubt, and anger from those around her—it was always amusing to watch.
To Sakayanagi, her classmates were nothing more than chess pieces, disposable pawns.
Of course, leading them to Class A while treating class battles as a form of entertainment was fine.
But the moment something she truly desired came into play, she wouldn't hesitate to sacrifice the entire class if it meant achieving her goal.
Simply put, even if her classmates found out about her betrayal, she wouldn't care in the slightest.
She might even relish the sight of their frustration and outrage.
However, all of that was based on the premise that she remained in control. Not like now—where she was being publicly humiliated like a clown!
"...Hikigaya-kun."
Sakayanagi slowly took a deep breath before using her cane to stand up. She walked to the podium and locked eyes with Hikigaya.
"The recording is finished, right? So, what exactly are you trying to convey?"
"What am I trying to convey?!"
Before Hikigaya could reply, Katsuragi's follower, Yahiko, shouted in anger.
"Sakayanagi! You colluded with students from other classes to attack Katsuragi-san? That's way too much!"
"Too much? I have no idea what you're talking about."
"Still playing dumb?!"
"It's not my problem—it's you who's misunderstanding." Sakayanagi gradually regained her composure and smiled. "I did indeed commission Hikigaya-kun to target Katsuragi-kun during the uninhabited island exam. But tell me, what exactly is wrong with that?"
"Hah?! Do you even hear yourself?!" Yahiko was dumbfounded.
The other students also couldn't comprehend her response. She had essentially admitted to betraying her class.
Seeing their confusion, Sakayanagi chuckled lightly.
"What exactly is so hard to understand? I simply asked Hikigaya-kun to test Katsuragi-kun."
"T-Test him?"
"During that period, Katsuragi-kun and I were competing for the leadership position. But since I couldn't participate in the uninhabited island exam, I used the opportunity to have Hikigaya-kun serve as a touchstone—to see if Katsuragi-kun was truly capable of leading the class. As for the results, I believe they are quite clear, so I won't elaborate further."
Anyone with a brain could tell that this was just a convenient excuse.
She had done it solely to win the factional struggle.
However, her words also made Class A's students realize something—
No matter what, the fact remained that Katsuragi had suffered a crushing defeat in the exam. That was undeniable.
For a moment, the atmosphere in the classroom turned strange.
Nobody knew how to process the situation—it was all too chaotic.
At that moment, Morishige suddenly spoke up.
"Sakayanagi-san, please wait a moment. If I remember correctly, in the recording just now, you said you would provide Hikigaya-kun with assistance during the exam. How do you explain that?"
"Y-Yeah! Explain that!" Yahiko immediately pressed the issue.
Morishige had originally been a loyal supporter of Sakayanagi, believing that following her would guarantee graduation as a Class A student.
Even when their class dropped to Class C, he still had faith that she would turn things around.
Unfortunately, reality had struck him hard.
Damaging the class's interests for the sake of power struggles was something he simply couldn't accept.
"That was just provocation." Sakayanagi lied without hesitation. "I merely wanted to motivate Hikigaya-kun. Otherwise, I wouldn't have been able to properly assess Katsuragi-kun's capabilities. In reality, I never provided any help at all… Isn't that right, Hikigaya-kun?"
She even turned to him for confirmation.
"Yeah, I refused."
Although lying here would undoubtedly put Sakayanagi in an even more difficult position, Hikigaya had no interest in doing something so petty.
Sakayanagi understood this as well, which was precisely why she had deliberately asked that question.
However, she had miscalculated one thing—
Hikigaya still had plenty of truths left unsaid.
"Sakayanagi, there's no need for you to say all this," Hikigaya said indifferently. "I didn't come here to stand up for Katsuragi. I just wanted to tell your class that if it weren't for your unnecessary interference, I wouldn't have deliberately targeted them. That's all."
"But no one can guarantee that, can they?"
Sakayanagi smiled slightly, pointing out an undeniable fact.
"This school's system is built this way—every class aims for Class A. Even if you claim you have no interest in Class A, Hikigaya-kun, there's no way to prove that isn't a lie. In other words, sooner or later, our class will have to face you. If we let our guard down because of wishful thinking, we might suffer an even greater loss."
"...Sakayanagi, your self-righteous concern for your class is truly disgusting."
"Hehe, I'll take that as a compliment."
Simply put, Sakayanagi was using her words to convince her classmates that she was making a masterful move.
By having Hikigaya attack her class, she was not only using him to test Katsuragi's abilities but also increasing her classmates' vigilance toward him.
Just as she said—no one could guarantee whether Hikigaya was being honest.
Only he knew whether he truly had no interest in Class A.
More importantly, Hikigaya could pose a threat to the other classes. That fact alone was enough.
Yet, despite all the explanations, the truth was simple—
Sakayanagi had been bored at the time and had orchestrated everything just to see what would happen when Hikigaya confronted Katsuragi.
Her only miscalculation was that Hikigaya had already been planning to betray her back then.
"You don't have to admit it," Hikigaya said calmly. "I won't make any moral criticisms of you—I'll simply present the facts and let your classmates judge for themselves."
"Haven't you already played the recording?"
"Unfortunately for you, I have one more."
Under Sakayanagi's surprised gaze, Hikigaya once again pressed play on his phone.
This time, the voice that came through was that of Class B's homeroom teacher, Mashima.
[Mashima-sensei, I just remembered I have one more question.]
[…I'll answer depending on the situation.]
[Sakayanagi didn't participate in this exam, did she?]
[That's correct. She didn't join the trip, so she missed both exams.]
As the students listened to the recorded conversation between Hikigaya and Mashima, their expressions gradually became strange.
They all recognized this as something from the Preferential Exam.
Why was that being brought up now?
Meanwhile, Sakayanagi's eyes widened as if she had realized something.
[No, this is about fairness. If it were just the uninhabited island exam, I could understand why the school wouldn't let Sakayanagi participate in the trip. But considering there was also the Preferential Exam, she had no reason not to board the ship, right?]
The conversation continued to play, and the entire classroom fell into a dead silence.
At first, some students didn't understand Hikigaya's intent, but as the recording went on, more and more of them began to catch on.
That's right—why hadn't Sakayanagi participated in the Preferential Exam?
The school had tricked them onto the island under the pretense of a trip. At the time, they thought it was natural for Sakayanagi to stay behind.
After all, given her physical condition, it made sense. If something happened to her, it would have been a major issue.
Because of that, no one had thought about the bigger picture.
Logically, the uninhabited island exam had been announced suddenly. Even if she couldn't participate, Sakayanagi should have at least been waiting on the ship. That way, she wouldn't have missed the Preferential Exam afterward.
"Sakayanagi, is your health so poor that you couldn't even board the cruise ship?"
"Uh…"
Faced with Hikigaya's questioning, Sakayanagi remained silent.
Of course, she wasn't that weak. She had traveled with her father before, and she had enrolled in this boarding school alone—she didn't need anyone to take care of her.
In other words, lying about this was meaningless. It would be too easy to expose.
"Hikigaya-kun, I didn't expect you to record even your conversations with teachers."
"Oh? Is there a problem with that?"
Hikigaya glanced at Mashima.
"I was called in to listen to the exam rules. I was afraid I'd forget something, so I recorded it… Mashima-sensei, was that against the rules?"
"No."
Mashima, who had been silently observing from the corner, simply shook his head.
Even though he was Class B's homeroom teacher, as a teacher, he wouldn't show favoritism toward any student.
"I never expected to capture such an interesting piece of information along the way."
Hikigaya looked at Sakayanagi expressionlessly.
"The way I see it, you didn't join the trip because you got wind of the uninhabited island exam in advance. So you took the opportunity to skip it. That way, no matter how badly your class performed, none of the blame would fall on you."
"…That's just your misunderstanding."
"Yeah, I did say it was just my take on things."
When the island exam had been announced, even Class B had been surprised. Some of them had even questioned the school about it.
In other words, Sakayanagi hadn't warned her class.
She had planned to completely remove herself from the consequences of the exam, so of course, she had to pretend she knew nothing about it.
Unfortunately for her, she hadn't anticipated the additional Preferential Exam afterward. If she had known, she definitely would have boarded the ship.
It was easy to guess—if Katsuragi had failed on the island, all Sakayanagi needed to do was turn things around in the next exam. That would have solidified her leadership.
Especially since the Preferential Exam was well-suited for her skills. Regaining Class A's position wouldn't have been impossible.
But instead, she had missed the opportunity and left herself open to criticism.
"Hikigaya-kun, no matter what you say, it doesn't erase the fact that Katsuragi failed both exams."
At this point, that was all Sakayanagi could emphasize.
If she claimed she had simply skipped the trip for personal reasons, she'd be treating her classmates like idiots.
Maybe Class D students would buy it, but Class B wasn't so easy to fool.
"Why are you telling me this?" Hikigaya chuckled. "I already said—I'm not here to stand up for Katsuragi. I'm just here to tell them the truth."
Although the blame undoubtedly lay with Katsuragi, at this moment, many students were also beginning to resent Sakayanagi.
If she hadn't been so focused on internal power struggles and had participated in the exams, they wouldn't have lost so badly.
When people face failure, their first instinct is often to shift the blame.
Every exam tested individual ability—this was no exception. But admitting one's incompetence was far harder than finding an excuse.
—Clap! Clap! Clap!
At that moment, applause echoed through the classroom.
Ryuuen clapped as he laughed. "Hahaha, dead-eyes, you're something else. Pretending to be close to Sakayanagi while stabbing her in the back without hesitation."
"I just couldn't bear to keep hiding the truth from Class B."
Hikigaya replied indifferently before stepping off the podium.
"That's all I had to say. Apologies for taking up your time—I'll be leaving now."
With that, Hikigaya strode out.
Ryuuen, after enjoying Sakayanagi's troubled expression for a while, also left with his subordinates.
The once noisy Class B fell into complete silence.
It would take time for them to digest everything.
Even though there had been factional struggles within the class, most students believed those conflicts were internal and never considered the possibility of external interference.
Moreover, Hikigaya had slammed the evidence right in their faces, even pulling the teacher into the matter—making it impossible for them to deceive themselves any longer.
Now, what was left for Sakayanagi was an even bigger mess than when they had fallen to Class C.
"Everyone, I suggest we head back for now."
In this tense atmosphere, the first to break the silence was a girl named Yamamura Miki.
"I understand how everyone feels—I'm just as overwhelmed myself. But don't forget, next week is our final exam. It's best not to dwell on unrelated matters before the exams are over."
Yamamura had not originally been part of either the Sakayanagi faction or the Katsuragi faction. She belonged to the small group of neutral students.
Due to her sharp mind and calm personality, she had often acted as a mediator in disputes between the two factions even before Katsuragi relinquished his leadership. As a result, she earned a fair amount of trust in the class.
However, in Yamamura's own words, she simply hated having people argue near her.
Since she usually kept to herself, absorbed in books, her presence in class was extremely faint—so much so that unless something major happened, no one would even think of her.
"Yeah, we should just head back for now."
"Mm… let's focus on studying."
The students of Class B began to move again, leaving the classroom in small groups.
It was precisely because Yamamura had remained neutral that she found it easiest to speak in situations like this.
If it had been Sakayanagi or Katsuragi who spoke first, their words might have sparked even greater conflict within the class.
Perhaps Yamamura understood this well, which was why she chose to step up and persuade her classmates to leave.
Once most of the students had dispersed, Sakayanagi approached her and offered her thanks.
"Yamamura-san, I truly appreciate your help this time."
In truth, Sakayanagi had long recognized Yamamura's potential and had even reached out to her in private.
Unlike the followers who openly pledged loyalty, Sakayanagi intended to cultivate Yamamura as a hidden piece—a secret ally whose presence she would not disclose to Kamuro and the others.
Even among her subordinates, if someone could not be fully trusted, some things had to remain hidden.
"It's nothing. I'm part of Class B as well."
Yamamura responded politely, then subtly leaned in closer to Sakayanagi.
"But Sakayanagi-san, you do understand how serious this situation is, right? I hope you'll demonstrate your leadership skills."
"Heh, you needn't worry about that." Sakayanagi smiled and nodded. "There was a bit of an unexpected setback, but I don't believe it will affect our plans. As long as we make it to Class A, none of this will matter."
It was a blunt statement, but that was the reality.
Sakayanagi's biggest problem wasn't betraying her class—it was the fact that they were still stuck in Class B.
Most of the students in her class had been assigned to Class A when they first enrolled. Their strongest desire was to reclaim their former status.
Even if Sakayanagi had committed acts of betrayal, as long as she could fulfill her promise, no one would hold it against her.
After all, wasn't their ultimate goal to graduate as members of Class A?
—
Meanwhile, Hikigaya had barely stepped out of Class B's classroom before he was immediately surrounded by Kushida and the others.
"Hikigaya-kun, are you okay?" Kushida asked with an expression of deep concern. "You were way too reckless this time—we were all worried about you!"
In truth, she hadn't been worried at all. If anything, seeing Hikigaya leave Sakayanagi speechless had been the highlight of her day.
"Yeah, to be honest, I have a ton of questions for you right now." Horikita looked at Hikigaya with a complicated expression.
She figured the reason he did all this was to help Ichinose out of her predicament.
Without a doubt, once today's events spread, Sakayanagi would be branded as a traitor to her class.
Even if she insisted on spreading rumors about Ichinose, her reputation had now sunk to the same level as Ryuuen's.
No one would believe her words anymore.
However… this wasn't the outcome Horikita had wanted.
"What's there to be worried about? And what's there to ask?" Hikigaya said indifferently. "I've already said everything I had to say."
Hikigaya stared at these guys with a deadpan expression.
Seriously, why did they even follow him here? They claimed to be worried about him, but wasn't this just an excuse to watch the drama unfold?
Especially Ayanokoji... That guy ended up getting caught in his spectacle.
Thinking of this, Hikigaya couldn't help but chuckle.
"What's so funny?" Horikita frowned.
"Nothing." Hikigaya shook his head, suppressing his amusement. "I just wanted to give someone a piece of advice—maybe think twice before butting into things for fun. You never know when you might end up becoming the main character yourself."
Ayanokoji: "..."
Aside from Sudo, everyone present knew exactly who Hikigaya was referring to.
Horikita pressed her fingers to her forehead as if she was getting a headache. "I feel like our class is full of problematic students… Well, whatever. At least nothing major happened this time. Let's go back."
She had initially planned to question Hikigaya further, but with Ayanokoji around, she figured he wouldn't say anything anyway.
Better to find another opportunity later.
Kushida and Matsushita had the same thought—everyone was thinking along the same lines.
However, Matsushita, having been his peer since middle school, noticed something sooner than the others.
She deliberately slowed her pace, falling behind to walk beside Hikigaya. Then, in a low voice, she asked, "Hey, Hachiman… you're not…?"
"Hmm?"
Seeing Matsushita hesitate, Hikigaya already had a rough guess.
But since she wasn't saying it outright, he had no reason to admit anything.
"It's just… never mind. We can talk about it later." Matsushita decided to drop the subject for now. "By the way, finals are coming up soon, right? We should have a study session sometime. There are a few questions I wanted to ask you."
Studying was important. Hikigaya agreed without hesitation.
Then, he returned to his seat, grabbed his bag, ignored the variety of reactions from his classmates, and left the classroom.
Unfortunately, he still had some student council work to take care of, so he couldn't head straight back to the dorm.
The only good news was that today was the last day—after this, he wouldn't have to report to the student council until the end of finals. He could focus entirely on the exams.
Not that it mattered to him—passing was never an issue. This was practically a vacation.
By the time he finished his work, an hour had already passed.
Speaking of which, he was the only one in the student council room today.
He knew Ichinose was off at karaoke with her classmates, but… where was everyone else?!
Especially the upperclassmen—where the hell had they disappeared to?!
Don't dump all the work on your juniors, damn it!
Hikigaya felt like he was being treated even worse than Horikita-senpai back in the day.
And the main culprit was that bastard Nagumo, who spent all his time dating girls and letting the workload pile up.
Seriously, if you don't want to do the job, just quit already!
That would save everyone a lot of trouble.
Grumbling to himself, Hikigaya walked through the corridor to the entrance, only to run into someone unexpected.
"Hikigaya-kun, looks like the student council keeps you busy. I've been waiting for quite some time now."
"...I'm surprised you can talk to me like nothing happened."
The person standing there was none other than Sakayanagi, whom Hikigaya had just exposed.
Looking at her now, there was no sign of distress.
She had taken a blow just an hour ago, yet she looked completely unfazed.
Was her recovery that fast? No… maybe she hadn't cared in the first place.
Although Hikigaya had used a recording to reveal Sakayanagi's true nature, it hadn't done her much harm.
For one, the students of Class B were still unsure how to deal with her.
Even though she had tried to seize power at the expense of the class, they still had a shot at reaching Class A. Many of them felt conflicted.
On top of that, Katsuragi had done nothing—only his underling, Yahiko, had barked a bit.
Hikigaya had expected Katsuragi to take this chance to strike back at Sakayanagi. Maybe even overthrow her.
But in the end, even though Katsuragi's gaze burned with fury, he held himself back.
Guess I underestimated him.
If Katsuragi had acted as Hikigaya expected, it would have only thrown the class into further chaos.
Even though he was the most unwilling to accept the situation, he still chose to endure for the sake of the class's future.
That guy had matured.
Compared to him, a certain white-haired brat…
"Hikigaya-kun, why are you glaring at me?" Sakayanagi blinked innocently. "I don't recall doing anything to you. I just wanted to have a little chat—no need to be so on guard."
"...What do you want to talk about?"
"Heh, no need to be so wary. I don't have any recordings on me—you can check if you want."
"Even if you did, I wouldn't care."
Sakayanagi's words were a subtle jab, but Hikigaya had thick enough skin to not be bothered in the slightest.
"There's no need for that," Sakayanagi continued. "Honestly, you taught me a valuable lesson today. I was careless… but you also gave yourself away."
She looked at him with an inquisitive gaze.
"This time, the rumors about you and Ryuuen-kun… you orchestrated them yourself, didn't you?"
"Yeah."
To Sakayanagi's surprise, Hikigaya admitted it without hesitation.
"Anything else? I'd like to go back now."
"You… Hehehe, Hikigaya-kun, you are an interesting person." Sakayanagi chuckled happily. "But wouldn't it be a shame to just leave things here? I let you talk so much in Class B's classroom earlier. Shouldn't you let me indulge my desire to express myself too?"
"…What do you want to say?"
"The rumors."
Sakayanagi slightly lifted her head, gazing at Hikigaya's face.
"At first, I couldn't tell who was behind the first two rumors. Ayanokoji-kun, President Nagumo, even Ryuuen-kun—all of them were suspects in my eyes. But after the third one… Hikigaya-kun, I started to suspect you. Before I could confirm it, you came knocking at my door yourself."
"Uh…"
"Hehe, even though your expression hasn't changed at all, I still feel like I guessed correctly."
As if she had just won a game, Sakayanagi smiled in satisfaction.
"The reason I know about your past is that, after learning that you were a graduate of Sobu High, I found an upperclassman from the same school in the second year. He was the one who told me about it."
—Huh… So that's how it was?
Hikigaya had always assumed Sakayanagi had looked into his past through her father's connections, but he had completely forgotten about the existence of senior students.
"Do you remember what I told you back in the library?" Sakayanagi continued. "I only mentioned that some girls received disciplinary action, but in the rumors, a teacher was also involved. In reality, that upperclassman only told me about the disciplinary measures. I don't think he was hiding anything—he simply didn't know more than that."
Officially, Sobu High hadn't punished Hiratsuka-sensei; it had merely transferred her.
Only a small number of students had guessed that it was a disguised punishment.
So it wasn't surprising that third-year students at the time didn't know the truth, while someone like Matsushita only knew about it because of family connections.
"Hikigaya-kun, it was precisely because you overlooked this detail that I managed to expose you." Sakayanagi's voice carried the pride of a victor.
"…You're mistaken."
"Oh? Still trying to deny it?"
"No, I'm not denying anything." Hikigaya said flatly. "I did it. But I wouldn't release only bits and pieces. If I were going to leak something, I'd release everything."
"…Is that so…"
Sakayanagi seemed genuinely surprised by his response. After a moment of contemplation, she spoke again.
"Back in the library, the reason you got so angry… It wasn't because I mentioned the punished girls. It was because I brought up the teacher involved? You must have had a good relationship with that teacher. That's hard to imagine."
"That has nothing to do with you."
Hikigaya responded coldly and turned to leave without so much as a farewell.
"Hehe, don't be like that."
Sakayanagi chuckled softly, covering her mouth as she took a step forward, following after him.
"I'm curious. You went so far for Ichinose-san… do you like her that much?"
"Ugh…" Hikigaya was speechless.
Why did everyone assume he liked Ichinose?
Just because he helped her? He had helped Sudo before—did that mean he liked Sudo too?!
Something similar had happened back in middle school. Isshiki had assumed Hikigaya liked her because he had dealt with those girls for her.
In the end, she even said a whole bunch of nonsense before "dumping" him… Well, whatever, that wasn't important.
The real problem was that nobody ever considered the most obvious reason.
"Sakayanagi, have you never thought…"
Without looking back, Hikigaya spoke slowly and clearly:
"The reason I went after you is because you were in the wrong."
"Oh? And what exactly did I do wrong?"
"You used rumors to attack someone."
"Hehe, but I never spread any rumors."
"…I don't have a recording either." Hikigaya retorted.
He had no patience for Sakayanagi's stubbornness. There was nothing left to say.
In truth, he hadn't wanted things to come to this.
Even if he took a step back—if Sakayanagi had only used Ichinose's shoplifting incident against her, Hikigaya would never have released the recording just to ruin Sakayanagi's reputation.
Not.
After all, that was Ichinose's own mistake. If people criticized her for it, she had no excuse.
At most, Hikigaya would have helped that idiot stand back up—but nothing more.
But Ichinose had never engaged in compensated dating or drug abuse.
If he failed to convince her to pick herself up, and she broke under Sakayanagi's psychological attacks—what would others think?
Wouldn't they assume all of the rumors were true?
It was because Sakayanagi had gone too far that Hikigaya had made up his mind to retaliate.
More importantly, he hadn't acted without warning.
Ever since returning from the training camp, he had repeatedly tried to persuade Sakayanagi to stop. He had even pointed out the flaws in her paper note strategy, hoping she would take the hint and back off.
Even the three rumors he had spread were meant to serve as a wake-up call.
From Sakayanagi's perspective, she knew she wasn't behind those rumors, which meant a third party was involved.
If she had chosen to stop there, it would have been better for everyone—at least she wouldn't have been used by someone else.
But Sakayanagi had been stubborn, or perhaps arrogant, and she had continued to target Ichinose relentlessly.
The most telling sign? The rumors about Hikigaya and Ryuuen had died down after a few days, yet the ones about Ichinose had remained a hot topic. Even as recently as yesterday, people were still talking about them.
Without a doubt, Class B students were still spreading them.
As long as people kept discussing them, the rumors wouldn't die.
That was why Hikigaya had decided to take action—not only to dump the blame on Sakayanagi but also to portray her as a traitorous villain within her class.
Even if Class B chose to turn a blind eye for the sake of advancing, Sakayanagi's grip on the class wasn't as strong as before.
And the other classes? They certainly wouldn't trust her anymore.
B Class's credibility would also take a hit.
All of this was to cut off the source of the rumors.
Hikigaya quickened his pace, completely ignoring Sakayanagi and leaving her behind.
Then, her voice reached him from behind.
"Hikigaya-kun, one last question." Her voice carried a deep sense of confusion. "Since you care so much, is it necessary to reopen your wounds like this?"
"...So what?"
Hikigaya paused for a moment but eventually stopped walking.
"Do you think that just because I don't talk about it, what I did never happened?"
"I see... You've grown."
Sakayanagi couldn't help but sigh. She still remembered how, back when they played chess in the library, just mentioning that incident would make Hikigaya bristle.
But now, he was finally able to face it.
"Though this may be unnecessary, my opinion hasn't changed… Hikigaya-kun, you did nothing wrong in that situation."
"…Of course, I know that."
Whether it was Yukinoshita, Yuigahama, Isshiki, Komachi, or even Hiratsuka-sensei—none of them ever thought he had done anything wrong.
Then, who was at fault?
Even now, Hikigaya hadn't found the answer. But…
If even Ichinose could face her past head-on and was prepared to confess her mistakes to the people she cherished the most, then… couldn't he do the same?
To find the answer, he had to confront it properly.
Whether he found it or not, he had no intention of running away anymore.
As for the first step… he'd just treat that incident as nothing more than another embarrassing black mark in his past—on the same level as confessing and getting rejected.
That should be enough. That should be fine.