Due to Hikigaya's statement, the three of them were left somewhat confused—though for different reasons.
As soon as he left, Kushida was the first to complain.
"What the heck? Hachiman himself planned to cast a criticism vote on Yamauchi, so why did he refuse Matsushita's 'malicious' proposal?"
"…Who are you calling malicious?"
Matsushita maintained her smile, but a faint vein pulsed on her forehead.
She didn't have the energy to argue, though. Instead, she sighed. "Sigh, Hachiman-kun is still too soft-hearted. Honestly, even if we don't do anything, Yamauchi is already the most likely candidate to be expelled."
"That's not necessarily true," Kushida disagreed. "People like Sudou and Kouenji are also strong candidates for expulsion… Oh, right, there's also Ayanokoji—that deadpan guy."
In terms of ability, Yamauchi was undoubtedly the weakest among the four.
Kouenji and Ayanokoji were both academically and physically exceptional, while Sudou, despite his past troubles, was one of the top athletes in their year, and even his grades had been improving.
But that wasn't the main factor in this exam.
If anything, the most important thing was popularity within the class.
And in that regard, Yamauchi was far ahead—not because he was well-liked, but because the others were simply worse.
Sudou had a history of getting into fights at the start of the year. Even though he'd improved, he was still prone to conflict—just this morning, he'd clashed with Kouenji.
Kouenji was on another level. Whether it was his arrogance or his privileged background, he always acted as if he were above everyone else, never contributing to the class. It was only natural that most people couldn't stand him.
And then there was Ayanokoji—who might be even worse.
At least Kouenji openly flaunted his strength, consistently ranking among the top in exams. But Ayanokoji? He went out of his way to pretend he was average while repeatedly pulling off shocking feats.
Suddenly becoming a fighting expert was one thing, but then there was the time he got a perfect score on the Paper Shuffle exam—only to later claim that some 'X' had given him the answers, and later he turned out to be the 'X' himself.
Even now, people still bring that up in conversation, and as a result, their feelings toward Ayanokoji were… complicated.
Compared to those three, Yamauchi's position seemed more secure.
In a group of short people, even the tallest among them stood out.
Though many girls disliked him, he still had plenty of male friends to hang out with.
"That's exactly why this situation is so frustrating," Matsushita said, rubbing her temples. "If things continue like this, an 'excellent student' might end up getting expelled. I wanted us to secretly coordinate our votes, but if Hachiman-kun won't cooperate, then there's nothing we can do… Sigh."
Her suggestion to expel Yamauchi wasn't personal—it was purely because he contributed the least to the class.
Kushida, on the other hand, simply hated Yamauchi.
"Let's just leave this responsibility to Horikita—she's the leader of our class now, after all. Right…?"
Kushida had been speaking sarcastically, but when she turned to look, she realized Horikita was spacing out.
"Oi, what's wrong with you?"
"…I was thinking about what Hikigaya-kun just said."
Horikita touched her chin, her face full of doubt. "I can understand why he singled out Yamauchi-kun and Ayanokoji-kun. But why did he mention Sotomura-kun? Have they even had any conflicts?"
"Uh… probably not?" Matsushita said uncertainly. "At least, I don't remember them even talking much."
"Exactly. Plus, while Sotomura-kun is bad at sports, his grades are around the middle of the class."
In other words, Hikigaya's choice wasn't based on ability.
More importantly, Horikita didn't believe Hikigaya was the kind of person to judge someone's worth purely by their skills.
"Well, I don't know either," Matsushita shrugged, indicating she had no answer.
"No problem. I'll ask Hikigaya-kun directly next time."
Just as she finished speaking, Horikita noticed Kushida—who had been unusually silent—wearing an expression of deep thought.
"Kushida-san, did you figure something out?" Horikita couldn't help but ask.
"…Do you guys remember what happened at the pool during summer break?"
After hesitating for a moment, Kushida finally voiced her thoughts.
"Officially, the school only punished Ike, but in reality, he wasn't the only culprit. The school just didn't want to make a big deal out of it, so they pinned it all on him."
"Mmm, Hachiman-kun also hinted at that before," Matsushita nodded. "Yamauchi-kun was involved, though I don't know about the others. But a lot of people suspect Sudou-kun and Ayanokoji were part of it too."
"I asked Sudou-kun about it before," Horikita added. "He said he was at basketball practice that day, and there were other club members and teachers who could confirm it—so he's probably telling the truth."
Horikita furrowed her brows.
"Wait… are you saying Sotomura-kun was involved too?"
"Exactly! That's what I'm getting at!" Kushida looked as if she had just cracked a case. "I heard upperclassmen talking before—, in the last few days of summer break, that fat guy Sotomura went to the student council office with Ayanokoji and Yamauchi. Most likely, they were turning themselves in. And that's why Hachiman wants to vote against them!"
"But… that's just a rumor, isn't it? We can't be completely sure," Horikita hesitated.
"Tch, then just ask your brother—he was the student council president at the time, right?"
Kushida's words struck a chord with Horikita.
She had been struggling with this exam, unsure of who should be expelled. At one point, she had even considered accepting Hikigaya's offer.
But that was under the assumption that no one had caused serious damage to the class.
If this could be confirmed… then there was no need to hold back.
"Sorry, you two, I just remembered something important. I'll be leaving first."
Horikita grabbed her bag and quickly headed for the door.
"I've already paid the bill. Let's have tea together another time."
"Hmph, as if I care."
"See you later, Horikita-san."
Kushida turned her head away with a pout, while Matsushita waved with a bright smile.
After Horikita left, the two exchanged a glance, feeling as if they had met their match.
"You're pretty ruthless, Matsushita, using Horikita like that."
"Hehe, you played along nicely too, Kushida-san."
Their interests were aligned.
Not just in expelling Yamauchi, but also—
"Besides, our work isn't finished yet," Matsushita reminded. "Knowing Hachiman-kun, he might say he'll vote against them, but if he thinks they've already confessed to the school, he might change his mind at the last minute… In other words, he might still do something stupid. We have to stop that."
"Tch, if you want to deal with it, do it yourself. Don't drag me into it," Kushida waved her hand dismissively.
"Eh~? But I thought you wouldn't want to see Hachiman-kun waste so many personal points."
"…That's his money. It's none of my business."
In reality, Kushida hated the idea.
Spending even a point on someone like Yamauchi was unbearable, let alone 20 million.
But she could tell—Hikigaya detested this unreasonable exam. If she interfered too openly, he might end up resenting her instead.
Still, the thought of all those points being wasted on Yamauchi… It's not even a shame at this point, it's a sin!
Matsushita noticed her hesitation and quickly tried to persuade her again.
"Kushida-san, think about it carefully. If Hachiman-kun really spends twenty million points to save Yamauchi-kun, what happens if he himself faces the risk of expulsion next time? We wouldn't be able to gather that many personal points for him."
"That's…"
"Besides, even if Yamauchi-kun is saved, do you think he'd be grateful?"
"…That's true. That guy is just an ungrateful scoundrel!"
Kushida seemed to be convinced by Matsushita, but in reality, she had merely found a reason to convince herself.
In fact, Yamauchi might not even be the one getting expelled.
In other words, the two of them had simply made this decision for their own convenience.
"So, what exactly do you plan to do?"
"Well, the plan is… huh? Isn't that—?"
Halfway through her sentence, Matsushita caught an unexpected figure from the corner of her eye outside the window.
Noticing her reaction, Kushida followed her gaze and saw the very person they had been discussing.
"Tch, of all times, we just had to run into Yamauchi now. How annoying."
"Looks like he's heading to a karaoke place."
"Let him go, then. What, do you want to sing with him or something?"
"…Kushida-san, could you not target me right now?" Matsushita said in exasperation. "And take a good look—Yamauchi-kun is completely alone. Why would he go to karaoke by himself?"
"Who knows… Hmm, that is a bit unusual."
Kushida furrowed her brows, then suddenly had a look of realization.
"Come to think of it, Hachiman mentioned seeing Sakayanagi and Kamuro entering a karaoke place earlier. Could it be that Yamauchi…"
Matsushita smirked knowingly. "Heh, exactly that 'could it be.'"
"But we don't have any proof, right? We didn't get a chance to take a photo just now," Kushida said, sounding a bit concerned.
"Why would we need proof?" Matsushita countered. "Besides, aren't we the best witnesses ourselves?"
Even if they hadn't seen Yamauchi meeting Sakayanagi inside, as long as they insisted on it, others would surely believe them.
That was the difference in levels of trust.
Not to mention, everyone in Class D knew that Sakayanagi had been coming to their class recently to talk to Yamauchi.
"…Matsushita, you're really wicked."
"Right back at you."
The two exchanged a knowing smile before quietly leaving the café.
—
Meanwhile, at the designated location, Yamauchi stepped into a private karaoke room.
Sakayanagi and Kamuro were already waiting inside.
"Kamuro-chan, you're here too…"
"Sorry, I'm still not used to the idea of a two-person date," Sakayanagi said, pretending to be shy.
"N-no, it's totally fine! Just being here like this already makes me so happy!"
Yamauchi, completely fooled by the act, desperately tried to reassure her.
Kamuro couldn't help but laugh at the sight. In reality, Sakayanagi hadn't done much—just a couple of coquettish remarks—and yet this brainless man was immediately swayed, utterly mesmerized.
Thinking back to another guy who had also been toyed with by Sakayanagi... The difference between people really was astonishing.
At that moment, Sakayanagi suddenly called her name.
"Well then, Masumi-san, please conduct a body search."
"…Got it."
With a sigh, Kamuro followed the instructions.
Meanwhile, Sakayanagi smiled sweetly and explained, "Apologies, Yamauchi-kun. You know a lot has been happening recently, and a secret meeting like this between us absolutely cannot be known by others—especially not your classmates. You understand that, don't you?"
"I understand! Of course, I understand!" Yamauchi nodded frantically. "Sakayanagi-chan, don't worry! I'm not like Bitoku or anything—I'd never do something as shameless as recording our conversation!"
"Excuse me, but… who is Bitoku?"
"Huh? Oh, um, that guy."
"Which one?"
"That annoying Hikigaya!"
"Oh, so you were talking about him."
Sakayanagi nodded as if suddenly enlightened, then tilted her head in feigned confusion. "But you know his name, so why call him that? At first, I thought perhaps Yamauchi-kun's head couldn't even remember his own classmates' names…"
"N-No way!" Yamauchi hurriedly denied it. "I'm smart! Back in elementary school, I even won a math Olympiad!"
"Hehe, how impressive."
"Heh, it's nothing, really."
Watching Yamauchi's little performance with amusement, Sakayanagi played along with a gentle gaze, like a puppeteer watching a monkey dance.
Then, she got to the point. "By the way, Yamauchi-kun, are you alright with the upcoming additional exam?"
"Huh?"
"No worries, if you can handle it, then that's fine. It's just…"
She deliberately paused.
"If you were expelled, I wouldn't be able to see you anymore. That's something I'd really like to avoid."
"S-Sakayanagi-chan!" Yamauchi was immediately moved to tears. "I hate that idea too! I want to see you again!"
"That's wonderful. So if you ever run into trouble, feel free to come to me for advice, okay?"
"But…"
Seeing Yamauchi still hesitating, a flicker of impatience flashed in Sakayanagi's heart.
She knew he was only pretending—otherwise, he wouldn't have been so desperate to contact her right after school.
"We may technically be on opposing sides, Yamauchi-kun," Sakayanagi continued with her angelic act. "But this exam is different. There's no competition between classes at all, is there?"
"…That's true."
"So, if necessary, I can even give you my praise vote."
"Y-You would?"
Yamauchi swallowed hard at those words.
"Actually… I think my classmates are jealous of me. I'm worried they might give me criticism votes."
"I see." Sakayanagi smiled. "In that case, I'll teach you a secret strategy. If you can gather the support of over half your classmates, you can concentrate the criticism votes on one person and force them into expulsion."
"But… if I do that, wouldn't I become a target instead?"
Even Yamauchi understood that taking the lead in ousting a classmate could backfire, drawing criticism votes onto himself.
"That's true, normally. But as long as you pick the right target, it won't be a problem."
"W-Who?"
"Hikigaya-kun, of course." Sakayanagi chuckled. "Just tell everyone that he has 20 million personal points. That way, they won't feel guilty at all."
Yamauchi's eyes widened in shock. "T-Twenty million?! That guy has that much?!"
"Yes. He's been siphoning massive amounts of points from our class and Class C every month—you've heard about that, haven't you?"
"Of course! That guy is so selfish—I mean, so unfair!"
Many students had indeed heard rumors about this, but no one imagined he could amass 20 million in under a year.
However, in reality, Sakayanagi was making it up.
According to her intelligence, after deducting the 5 million he lent to Nagumo, Hachiman barely had 15 million at most.
A far cry from 20 million.
But Yamauchi didn't need to know that. As long as he believed it, that was enough.
While formulating her next move, Sakayanagi continued to reassure him. "Even if the worst happens, it's fine. Over 20 of my classmates admire me—I'll make sure they give you their praise votes, just to be safe."
"Eh?! A-Are you serious?"
"What benefit would I have in lying to you? Besides, you already know why I'm doing this, don't you?"
"…Y-Yeah."
Hikigaya's intrusion into Class B had been a huge scandal, humiliating Sakayanagi.
Of course, Yamauchi knew all about that.
"Sakayanagi-chan… so you want me to help you get revenge on Bitoku—uh, I mean, Hachiman?"
"It's not just about that." Sakayanagi smiled faintly. "I also don't want you to be expelled. That's why I'm helping you gather praise votes—so you can rest easy. And besides, you and Hikigaya-kun don't exactly get along, do you?"
"Of course not! That guy's a total eyesore!"
"Besides, even if Hikigaya-kun ends up in last place, he just has to pay personal points to escape expulsion, right?"
That final remark was the last straw.
It was as if she had whispered, This way, no one has to feel guilty.
And with that, Yamauchi made up his mind.
"Yeah! Serves him right to hoard all that money instead of sharing! He deserves it!"
For the first time, he felt a rush of excitement.
His imagination ran wild—if he succeeded, surely he would win Sakayanagi's favor!
"Well then, I'll be watching your performance, Yamauchi-kun. And even if word of this reaches Hikigaya-kun, it doesn't matter. As long as everyone believes he has 20 million, that's enough."
"I got it!"
With an elated grin, Yamauchi hurried out to contact his friends.
Sakayanagi, meanwhile, made an excuse about wanting to sing for a while and remained with Kamuro.
"…What are you planning?"
"If you don't say it clearly, people won't understand, you know."
"…So you just want to make him spend money?" Kamuro asked, looking puzzled. "I mean, it's not a bad move, but I feel like that guy… wouldn't even care."
Kamuro suspected Hachiman would be willing to fork over that amount without a second thought.
Because that's just the kind of idiot he was.
"Hehe, you do understand Hikigaya-kun."
Sakayanagi teased, her lips curling into an amused smile.