Hikigaya's words not only surprised Sakayanagi and her group but also caught most of Class A, led by Ichinose, off guard.
It seemed Kanzaki hadn't publicized the matter but had instead carefully selected whom to inform, ensuring that it remained a secret until now.
If Ichinose had known earlier, her kind nature would have prevented her from pursuing the issue, and she likely would have stopped it entirely.
"…May I ask what this is about?" Sakayanagi was the first to question. "The rumors about Ichinose shouldn't affect Class A students, right? Or has Ichinose herself expressed concern to the school?"
"No, she hasn't said anything."
"If she hasn't, I don't see why the student council would accept the complaint."
Sakayanagi had likely investigated the procedures thoroughly.
After all, the student council only handled complaints submitted by the affected party. Even classmates couldn't act on someone else's behalf.
This rule wasn't just a way to avoid responsibility; it had deeper reasons behind it.
For instance, in court, a lawyer might ask a witness, 'I heard you have a 20-year-old son. How old is your son this year?'—a question that seems absurd at first.
But it isn't.
The goal is to make the witness personally confirm, "My son is 20 years old," so that statement can be legally valid.
Otherwise, if conflicting evidence arises, the opposing side could always deny it, claiming they never said such a thing.
These situations happen in reality.
The same logic applies to the student council.
Back when Sakura had an issue, Horikita Manabu had refused to take action unless she personally reported it. That was precisely due to similar concerns.
If the student council recklessly intervened in matters like catching a stalker, there was always a chance they themselves could be framed as the stalker.
A previous student council had fallen into such a trap.
They had genuinely tried to help, only to realize too late that a student had set them up. In the end, they were caught between both sides and taken down.
These were hard-learned lessons.
After all, student council members were also competitors in the struggle for Class A. They were always at risk of being targeted.
Moreover, they weren't law enforcement officers wielding the authority of the state. They were just students, unable to use their status to deter others. If they were falsely accused, they would have to find a way out themselves.
That fact could never be forgotten.
As a result, the student council's rules became stricter over time.
It was the same in society—large corporations implemented complex regulations to prevent loopholes from being exploited.
However, this case was different.
Hikigaya hadn't falsely claimed to represent Ichinose. Rather, her classmates had felt troubled by the rumors, prompting him to intervene.
Of course, this reasoning was somewhat shaky.
After all, the rumors targeted Ichinose alone—she was the only directly affected party.
If it were anyone else, the student council wouldn't have accepted the case. Not to mention, Nagumo had already assured Sakayanagi that he wouldn't interfere.
"This has nothing to do with you," Hikigaya's tone was firm. "Anyway, I've received a signed petition from Class A. And didn't you say you weren't the one spreading the rumors? Why do you seem so nervous, then?"
"I truly wasn't the one spreading them," Sakayanagi replied, her expression unreadable. "I don't understand why you think I'm nervous."
She glanced toward Ichinose, who looked completely bewildered—clearly, she had just learned about this.
Unless she was a fantastic actress… But that was highly unlikely.
"I'm simply concerned that someone might be abusing their authority to show favoritism," Sakayanagi remarked pointedly.
Hikigaya wasn't afraid of her and immediately retorted, "If you're suspicious, take it up with the school. You don't need to talk to me about it."
"So, the petition is real?"
"No shit. Do you think I'd fake something like that?"
Hikigaya wouldn't leave any openings on a matter this serious.
"I see… That confirms it," Sakayanagi mused. "So, this so-called petition was done behind Ichinose's back? I never expected Class A to make such a move. You've certainly surprised me."
Her words immediately caused a stir among the Class A students.
Until now, they had always acted as a unified front, consulting Ichinose on every decision. It was rare for them to act independently, and they had grown accustomed to this dynamic.
But now, it seemed cracks were forming within their group—leaving them unsettled.
"Hehehe, I thought so."
Sakayanagi smiled with satisfaction before making an unfiltered remark.
"To outsiders, Class A seems like an incredibly united group. But in reality, you're just playing house. No wonder you all forgave Ichinose so easily."
As annoying as Sakayanagi was, her words often struck at the core of things.
After all, Ichinose had stolen something in the past.
Even if she had her reasons, shouldn't at least one person have criticized her?
Yet, back in that karaoke room, everyone had brushed it off as if nothing had happened.
Even the new rule they had implemented had only come about because Ichinose insisted on it—many felt it was unnecessary.
Right now, since they were still in the lead, it wasn't an issue.
But if they fell in the rankings, their lack of a sense of crisis would make them lose their drive.
They could easily end up like the lower-ranked upperclassmen, sleepwalking through exams.
No wonder Sakayanagi didn't take them seriously.
But the seeds of change had been planted.
It all depended on whether Kanzaki could nurture them.
Back in the VIP Exam, he had secretly made a deal with Ryuuen for the sake of Class A's victory—most likely without Ichinose's knowledge.
That was why Hikigaya had chosen him.
As for Himeno, her involvement was just a happy coincidence.
"Sakayanagi, I don't believe our class only has superficial bonds."
Ichinose met Sakayanagi's provocation with a smile.
Thanks to a certain someone, at least in this matter, she no longer had any doubts.
"But they did keep this from you, didn't they?"
"There was never any rule saying they had to tell me everything."
"How do you feel about them making this decision on your behalf?"
"I'm honestly very grateful to everyone… Though I still don't want to pursue the matter. It's in the past now."
That was just like Ichinose.
Even after being hurt, she still found it in herself to sympathize with others.
Hikigaya didn't think that was a bad thing.
He just didn't want to see that kindness taken advantage of.
"So, since even the person involved wants to let it go, will the student council really insist on proceeding?"
Sakayanagi's expression was one of triumph.
She had talked this much just to lead Ichinose into giving up on pressing charges.
How irritating.
"You don't get it—this isn't just about Ichinose anymore," Hikigaya snapped. "Class A students are frustrated by the rumors. They say it's interfering with their exam prep. Not everyone is a genius like you, Sakayanagi—some actually have to study."
His words could be taken as a jab, but unfortunately, they were true.
Sakayanagi was a prodigy. She grasped most subjects at a glance and had never fallen out of the top three in the rankings.
Her twisted personality likely stemmed from how boring everything was to her.
"Well then, could you have them step forward? I'd like to ask how exactly the rumors are affecting them," Sakayanagi pressed, unwilling to let the matter go.
"This involves personal privacy, so I won't reveal anything."
Hikigaya crossed his arms and eyed her with a sideways glance.
"Besides, what do you plan to do if you find out? Are you going to take revenge or something?"
"Hehe, how could that be?" Sakayanagi smiled faintly. "I'm just a little puzzled. There were already rumors about Ichinose holding a large number of private points, weren't there? Back then, why didn't Class A pursue the matter? Instead, it was Ichinose herself who requested the school to prove her innocence. I'm curious—what changed their mindset?"
From her perspective, the good-natured students of Class A wouldn't suddenly act like this. Someone must have been manipulating them.
And without a doubt, her prime suspect was Hikigaya.
However, what intrigued her more was how he influenced them—specifically, who acted as the intermediary.
"Hmm… you actually reminded me of something," Hikigaya mused.
But rather than taking the bait, he smoothly steered the conversation forward.
Rubbing his chin, he turned to look at Ayanokoji, who was casually watching the commotion from the hallway.
Immediately, Ayanokoji felt an impending sense of doom.
"If we're already investigating one person, we might as well drag that guy into it too… I mean, it's not like anyone else would be dumb enough to go out of their way to buy a printer, right?"
"Uh…" Sakayanagi's expression stiffened for a moment before she forced herself to remain composed. "But didn't Ryuuen-kun already admit to doing that?"
The others shared the same doubt.
To them, Ryuuen was the obvious culprit—especially since the note even had his signature on it.
"That's where you're mistaken," Hikigaya sneered. "Or are you just playing dumb? All Ryuuen said was that the content of the note was 'interesting.' He never actually admitted to writing it. At best, he just didn't deny it outright."
At his words, the students of Class A started recalling the incident more carefully.
Back then, when they confronted Ryuuen, his initial reaction was odd—almost as if he had no idea what they were talking about. It was only after reading the letter that he regained his usual demeanor.
They had assumed it was an act… but could it be that there was someone else pulling the strings?
"Anyway, I'm just here to deliver a message," Hikigaya said, expressionless.
Then, once again, he turned his gaze toward Ayanokoji.
"I still don't know who the culprit is. But with the end-of-term exams coming up, I'll give you an opportunity—if you confess now and show the right attitude, I might be willing to let this slide."
His eyes moved between the two of them.
But both Ayanokoji and Sakayanagi had incredibly thick skin. Neither showed any signs of flinching.
"Let me make this clear—if you decide to mess with me and force me to waste my time running around, then once I figure it out, I will make sure to give you the harshest punishment allowed by the school."
"Uh…" Ayanokoji's face darkened slightly, probably remembering what had happened over winter break.
Sakayanagi, on the other hand, remained composed as she said, "Hikigaya-kun, I understand your resolve to stand up for Ichinose, but shouldn't you be saying this to the actual culprit? Why are you looking at me?"
"I'm simply fulfilling my duties as a student council member."
Hikigaya leaned in slightly, lowering his voice so only she could hear.
"Go ahead and keep up the act. When the time comes, I'll set up a special forum page displaying both your and Ayanokoji's written confessions side by side. That way, you two will be officially recognized as evenly matched rivals."
"…I'll look forward to it, then."
Sakayanagi didn't back down, maintaining her usual composed demeanor.
However, her voice betrayed her. The arrogance she once held over him was gone.
Seeing this, Hikigaya said nothing more and simply turned to leave.
But as he passed by Ayanokoji, he couldn't resist patting him on the shoulder.
"Sigh… I told you not to watch the drama so casually."
"…Miyake was the one who dragged me here," Ayanokoji muttered, exasperated. "And from how things turned out, it wouldn't have mattered whether I was here or not."
"Yeah, fair point."
Watching Hikigaya walk away, Ayanokoji once again felt that faint, needle-like prickle at the back of his head.
It had been a while since he last experienced that sensation.
Miyake and Yukimura, who were with him, also seemed to sense something was off and kept pestering him with questions.
But right now, Ayanokoji had no time to deal with them—he was too busy trying to think of a way out.
Back then, he had banked on Ichinose not blowing things out of proportion. And given Ryuuen's personality, he wasn't the type to go out of his way to explain himself.
Everything had gone smoothly. Even Sakayanagi's attention had been diverted elsewhere.
Yet now, an entire semester later, the matter was being dragged back into the light.
For a brief moment, Ayanokoji even wondered if Sakayanagi had done it on purpose.
But this wasn't the time for speculation.
The unfortunate reality was that no matter how much he thought about it, there was no way out except for turning himself in.
Against modern technology, human efforts were laughably insignificant.
Once again, Ayanokoji was reminded of that fact.
"No wonder detective novels are always set in the past… sigh."
At the time, he had deliberately printed those notes at different convenience stores to cover his tracks.
But in the end, it was all for nothing.
What was he supposed to do? Smash every single copier?
With nothing else to do, the White Room's finest creation could only sigh.
Meanwhile, the so-called "genius girl" was left reeling.
After Hikigaya left, Sakayanagi finally felt her body relax—she was no longer as tense as before.
And then, she realized something.
…Was she afraid just now?
The thought alone was humiliating.
But no matter how much she tried, she couldn't immediately think of a way to counterattack.
Taking a deep breath, she forcibly suppressed her frustration.
"…We're leaving."
With that, she quickly exited the classroom, Kamuro and Hashimoto hurrying after her.
As soon as she left, the Class A students erupted.
"Hikigaya-kun definitely came here for Ichinose's sake!"
"He completely shut down Sakayanagi! I have a whole new level of respect for him!"
"But wait, who was he talking about at the end? Was it… Ayanokoji?"
Excited chatter filled the room.
Especially when it came to gossip about Hikigaya and Ichinose—everyone speculated enthusiastically.
Ever since learning about the 2 million points at karaoke, their impression of Hikigaya has skyrocketed.
Some had even become his fans, second only to Ichinose's.
Just thinking about it was unbelievable—he was willing to go that far just to repay Ichinose's kindness.
Even if it wasn't love back then… it was now.
At this rate, dating was only a matter of time.
It was the only possibility!
Even Shiranami had to admit it. Wiping away tears, she wholeheartedly wished for Ichinose's happiness.
Faced with this, Ichinose turned bright red, hurriedly trying to clarify that they weren't in that kind of relationship.
But no matter how much she protested, everyone just cheered louder.
In the end, Ichinose could only bury her face in her desk, refusing to get up no matter what.
However, not everyone was optimistic.
At the very least, Himeko didn't believe things would go that smoothly.
She could tell how incredibly stubborn Hikigaya was.
Dating? If he had any real intention of doing that, he would've made a move ages ago.
Still, rather than interfering, Himeko simply licked her lollipop and stayed silent.
For her, watching the chaos unfold was far more entertaining.