The day after the class vote exam was announced, Hikigaya woke up early for some reason.
The sky outside was beginning to brighten. Checking the clock, he realized it was only 5:30 AM.
"…Can't sleep."
Even though he wanted to go back to sleep, the moment he closed his eyes, his mind was flooded with worries—perhaps due to lingering thoughts or something else entirely.
Sigh… I really shouldn't have meddled in this.
Letting out a sigh, Hikigaya pressed his fingers against his forehead and sat up in bed.
At the end of the day, he never wanted to get involved in such an unreasonable exam. Even if he became the target of the class's attack, he was prepared to quietly accept that outcome.
But that kind of thinking was just an escape—and ultimately unrealistic.
As long as he remained in this class, as long as he stayed in this school, it was impossible to avoid getting entangled in various situations.
Even Kouenji had gone out of his way to advocate his stance during this exam, even approaching Hirata—someone he barely spoke to—for support. That guy was seriously giving it his all this time, completely different from his usual carefree rich-boy demeanor.
Not that it was surprising. While Kouenji might not care about getting expelled, being eliminated by a bunch of people he deemed beneath him would no doubt be a humiliating disgrace.
To put it in a crude analogy, it would be like a capitalist being hanged by the proletariat… Hmm, that's quite an apt comparison.
If anyone truly set their sights on eliminating Kouenji, all they had to do was expose his proud background and pair it with his usual condescending attitude. Fueled by jealousy and resentment, the class would have no trouble voting him out.
It wouldn't matter how capable he was—if his abilities didn't contribute to the class, he was better off being a scapegoat.
Kouenji must have understood that which was why he was trying so hard to prevent such an outcome.
After washing up, Hikigaya glanced at the clock. It was barely past 6 AM—still too early for school.
There wasn't much to do in the dorm, so he figured heading to school early for a walk wouldn't be a bad idea.
Whenever he felt stressed, he usually buried himself in books or went to bed early.
But this time, he couldn't concentrate on reading anything. Maybe exposing his head to the cold air would help clear his thoughts.
It was already early February. The moment he stepped outside, a sharp gust of wind hit his face, making him wonder if his cheeks would freeze.
As he strolled toward the school, his mind inevitably drifted back to yesterday's events.
Come to think of it, Kouenji went to Hirata for help…
He would've thought Kouenji would put more faith in Horikita.
But their conversation at the café yesterday proved that Horikita was just as lost as Hirata due to this exam. She wasn't in much better shape.
Even though Hikigaya had assured her of his support, she still couldn't make up her mind.
In contrast, Hirata had quickly set aside his hesitation and made a direct request for help.
Hikigaya had forced Hirata to step up, knowing Horikita was under too much pressure. At the very least, he didn't want the class to spiral into chaos.
Thinking about it that way… Kouenji's judgment wasn't bad at all.
"Good morning, Hikigaya-kun."
Lost in thought, Hikigaya was suddenly greeted from behind.
Turning around, he found himself face-to-face with Ichinose.
Was she unable to sleep too?
"Morning… You're up early today."
"Yeah, I just couldn't sleep," Ichinose replied with a troubled smile before asking, "You too? Because of the class situation?"
For some reason, her expression and movements seemed stiff, lacking her usual puppy-like energy.
…Of course, that could just be his imagination.
But no matter how he looked at it, Ichinose was acting uncharacteristically tense. That much wasn't a mistake.
Pretending not to notice, Hikigaya nodded. "I'd be lying if I said I wasn't. I even got called in for a discussion yesterday. This exam is a real pain."
"Yeah, it is."
Noticing her awkwardness, Ichinose moved to walk beside him, still a little stiff.
"Um… Would you mind if we walked to school together?"
"…Sure, let's go."
If this were the usual Ichinose, she wouldn't have phrased it as a question—she would've just cheerfully invited him along.
This exam must be weighing on her heavily.
It couldn't be helped. After all, she was in that Class A, where everyone was all about love and friendship.
Having to single out someone for expulsion in such a close-knit group was undoubtedly difficult for Ichinose.
She might even choose to sacrifice herself in the end…
That thought prompted Hikigaya to ask, "Ichinose, if you don't mind, I'd like to hear how your class plans to handle this exam."
"Ah… To be honest, everyone is feeling uneasy. Even I…"
A shadow crossed Ichinose's face.
Like Hirata, she was one of the class's central figures, making her essentially untouchable in the vote.
But because of that, she bore immense psychological pressure.
Having to decide who to sacrifice while knowing she was safe was an impossible burden, especially when the candidates were people she considered friends.
Only two types of people could make such a decision without hesitation—those who were exceptionally strong-willed or those who were cold-hearted.
Unfortunately, Ichinose was neither. That was why she was struggling so much.
"But… even though this exam is so difficult, we still have to do something, right?"
"…Yeah."
If she could pretend not to see anything, if she could just ignore it all, maybe things would be easier.
But Ichinose had chosen to do something—a decision that would inevitably bring her pain.
"Yep, I have to do my best!"
As if psyching herself up, she repeated those words with a familiar, determined smile.
That forced optimism… It was still the same as ever.
Hikigaya sighed internally. It was time to break the fragile illusion.
"Since you put it that way, let me take a guess. If your class were to hold an open discussion to decide who gets expelled, would you base it on academic performance?"
"Huh? No, no!" Ichinose shook her head frantically. "Our class would never do that! Grades aren't everything. If we openly discuss it, it would… Besides, I won't let anyone be expelled."
Her voice was calm, but her determination was absolute.
"That 'anyone'… Does that include yourself?" Hikigaya asked quietly.
"Huh? What do you mean by that?"
"It's written all over your face."
Hearing that, Ichinose's gaze wavered.
He didn't even need to ask—she was already prepared to sacrifice herself for her classmates.
"I see… Heh, as expected of you, Hikigaya-kun." Ichinose let out a self-deprecating chuckle. "But please, keep this a secret. I don't want to burden everyone even more."
"Shouldn't they be burdened? This isn't just your exam."
If Ichinose kept carrying everything alone, her class would never have grown.
But then again, Hikigaya wasn't really in a position to lecture others about that…
"But I... but I'm the leader. Everyone trusts me so much... I have to repay their kindness."
Ichinose's tone was filled with firm rejection. She clearly didn't want Hikigaya to continue speaking.
This was just like what happened with Hirata yesterday. If the class were to hold an open discussion, it would inevitably lead to someone being singled out as the weakest student. And neither of them could accept that.
After all, tearing open an old wound is painful.
But the issue remains—no matter how united and harmonious a group may be, individual differences in ability still exist.
A mature team shouldn't avoid this reality but should instead encourage everyone to acknowledge each other's shortcomings within reason and find ways to help each other improve.
Take Sudo, for example—his grades were poor, and everyone in the class knew it. He himself had accepted this fact, which is why he had been studying desperately to catch up with the others.
Likewise, during the sports festival, he had no problem helping others train. This was the kind of positive cycle that should exist.
But Class A wasn't just overly reliant on Ichinose—Ichinose herself also carried too much responsibility.
That said, this wasn't something Hikigaya, an outsider, could point out.
After all, he wasn't a student of Class A. He neither had the qualifications nor the responsibility to do so. At best, he could only hope they would come to realize it themselves.
It was just a hope, nothing more.
Besides, changing a person wasn't something that could be done with just a few words. More importantly—
Hikigaya didn't dislike the kind and gentle Ichinose Honami.
"Ichinose, from what you're saying... can I take it to mean that your class also can't gather the full twenty million?"
"...Yeah, we're still a little short."
"In that case... I do have some extra points on hand. Why don't you tell me how much more you need?"
Truthfully, Hikigaya hadn't planned to say that.
It wasn't that he was unwilling to lend out his points—it was more that he didn't want to burden Ichinose any further.
As the saying goes, "A small favor is kindness, a great favor breeds resentment." Of course, Ichinose wasn't that kind of person, and Hikigaya had never thought of himself as someone she owed a debt to.
But objectively speaking, from Ichinose's perspective, she had indeed received a lot of help.
Even her current position in Class A was closely tied to Hikigaya.
While she felt grateful, there was no doubt it also placed an enormous psychological burden on her.
To put it bluntly, she and Hikigaya were merely classmates—not even from the same class. Technically speaking, they should even be considered rivals.
She probably thought she had no right to accept so much kindness.
And... it wasn't just Ichinose.
If he wasn't overthinking things, Hikigaya felt that recently, several of the girls around him had started speaking to him with a subtle, almost cautious sense of flattery.
Especially in Horikita's case—it was particularly obvious.
If it were back at the beginning of the school year, no one would have imagined she would show such an expression toward Hikigaya.
This realization troubled Hikigaya, making him reflect on himself.
Helping others wasn't something that could simply be brushed off with a casual "You don't need to thank me."
When it happened too often, the other person would inevitably start feeling guilty.
Even if Hikigaya only did it for his own satisfaction, never expecting anything in return, he couldn't control how others perceived it.
…Sigh, relationships are such a hassle.
If everyone were just strangers, Hikigaya wouldn't be so bothered—he would help simply because he felt like it.
As long as he was satisfied, that would be enough.
But because he already considered these people his friends—even if it was just a one-sided sentiment—he couldn't help but think about more than just himself.
For example, Ichinose's growth… and her pride.
If it were now, Hikigaya wouldn't have chosen to help Ichinose cover up the loss of two million points. Instead, he would have advised her to come clean to the class and seek forgiveness.
Because that would have been truly beneficial for her growth.
But back then, he didn't know Ichinose well. He just thought she was a good person and, on a whim, decided to help her.
As for anything beyond that, it wasn't his concern.
The same applied to this situation. It was precisely because he was considering Ichinose's feelings and pride that Hikigaya wanted to avoid interfering too much.
But in the end, he was only half-committed to this resolve.
Seeing Ichinose so troubled, he couldn't bear it and ended up asking anyway.
"If it's just a little, I can lend it to you… I don't have anything to spend my money on anyway."
"No! It's fine!" Ichinose quickly shook her head. "Um, how should I put it… Our class is indeed a little short, but it's only a few hundred thousand. I think if we work hard and ask around, we should be able to gather enough. And besides… after troubling you so much already, I really can't let this happen again."
As expected, Hikigaya had been right—Ichinose felt deeply guilty about it.
"Honestly, I'm grateful to you, Hikigaya-kun, for everything… But I can't always rely on you. So this time, even if I have to take risks, I have to fight with my strength. I can't keep being so pathetic."
Though she spoke slowly, her determination was clear.
There was no need to expose her stubbornness—doing so would just be tactless.
"…Got it. Do your best."
"Mm! Just hearing that from you is enough for me."
Ichinose nodded firmly and smiled brightly.
Then, as if trying to lighten the slightly heavy atmosphere, she changed the topic.
"Speaking of which, the school is really cruel, huh? Forcing students to drop out… Even if you can get praise votes from other classes, someone still has to be sacrificed in the end."
"Yeah. And they chose this timing, too."
"Right?! It's just too unreasonable!"
Forcing expulsions right at the end of the first year—there had to be a limit to how ridiculous this was.
At the start of the year, students were warned, at least under the previous chairman, Sakayanagi, that failing meant expulsion. They were given a month's notice and even a way to clear the exams.
But that guy Tsukishiro… To make Ayanokoji drop out, he was willing to go to any lengths.
No, that wasn't quite right.
If anything, Hikigaya felt Tsukishiro's actions seemed grandiose but lacked true ruthlessness.
Just like Ichinose had pointed out—"Even if you can get praise votes from other classes"—as long as Ayanokoji managed to secure votes, he wouldn't be in danger, despite being a target.
It felt like Tsukishiro was holding back.
Of course, this was just Hikigaya's speculation—he had no proof.
"Oh, right—Hikigaya-kun, is your exam going to be okay?" Ichinose asked, a little worried.
"Well… uh…"
"Why are you hesitating? Is it bad?"
Hikigaya faltered, making Ichinose even more anxious.
The truth was, he did feel he was in significant danger.
His conflicts with Sakayanagi had caused quite a stir lately, and on top of that, he wasn't exactly on good terms with most of his classmates. There were plenty of people in his class who disliked him.
Honestly, getting twenty or so criticism votes wouldn't be surprising. Maybe even thirty.
Even if he didn't care about expulsion, it would still sting a little to be rejected by so many people.
Imagining his reaction when he saw the results…
—Hahaha! So I am the most hated person in my class!
Also, everyone, don't forget to update the "Most Hated First-Year Boy" rankings!
…Nope. He couldn't bring himself to laugh about it.
He wasn't a masochist, after all.
"Hikigaya-kun, are you okay?"
"I'm fine. I've already prepared myself to face the cruel reality."
"You've already decided it's going to be cruel?!"
"...Ichinose, thanks for bothering to joke with me at a time like this."
"No, I wasn't trying to joke!" Ichinose sighed with a helpless smile. "Then, how about this—I'll vote for you. It's just one vote, but maybe it'll help a little…"
"Yeah… Let's call it a consolation prize."
"Geez! Don't say such depressing things!"
Hikigaya had intended to comfort Ichinose, but in the end, it was she who ended up worrying about him instead.
In the end, he really was hopeless.