Although Sakayanagi and Nagumo had teamed up to corner him, Hikigaya didn't see it as a major problem.
To put it arrogantly, there were plenty of ways to escape the crisis.
He just didn't want to use any of them.
Originally, he had planned to use twenty million private points to save the student ranked last in the voting exam. But now, not only had his account been frozen, but Hirata had also done absolutely nothing.
Not that he had high expectations for that guy from the start.
Hikigaya had merely hoped that through this exam, Hirata would come to understand his responsibilities, which might lessen Horikita's burden. If that happened, Class D might improve as a whole.
But regardless of whether Hirata took action or not, Hikigaya's course of action wouldn't change.
Unfortunately, that plan was no longer viable.
At this rate, most of Class D would likely be swayed by Sakayanagi's influence and vote against him.
Even if he explained that his account had been frozen, what difference would it make?
Since this exam was bound to have a sacrificial victim, why couldn't it be Hikigaya Hachiman? Besides, the 'offering' had already been chosen—there was no way to change it now.
It was an obvious outcome… Hmm, that wouldn't be too bad.
More importantly, Hikigaya had no intention of fighting tooth and nail with his classmates just to avoid expulsion.
That would be way too pathetic.
Besides, he was getting tired of constantly scheming against people—Ayanokoji, Sakayanagi, Ryuuen, and Nagumo.
Dealing with just one of them was annoying enough, yet somehow, this school had gathered every single one of them here.
What were they, Stand users drawn to each other?
If anything, this was probably the school's doing—gathering the most troublesome students on purpose.
…Wait. Wouldn't that mean he was just like them?
That thought left Hikigaya with mixed feelings. It also made him even less inclined to stay in this godforsaken school.
There was no way he wanted to be lumped together with those guys.
In any case, if Sakayanagi wanted him gone so badly, then so be it.
His parents already knew about his situation. If he told them that he got expelled because the whole class voted him out for being unpopular, they'd probably just accept it immediately.
…Ugh. Why did that thought feel kind of depressing?
Looking at it positively, though—if he made it home before Valentine's Day, he might still have a chance to get Komachi's chocolate.
That alone would make getting expelled worth it!
Thus, no matter the outcome of the exam, he intended to accept it quietly and wouldn't waste energy on unnecessary actions in class.
However… giving Sakayanagi some trouble was a personal grudge.
Through negotiations with Nagumo, Hikigaya had already gotten what he wanted—
Katsuragi joined the student council.
He hadn't looked into Class B's situation yet, but he was certain that Sakayanagi and her lapdogs would focus their attacks on Katsuragi.
Her control over the class had already been shaken by previous events, though not enough to fully destabilize it.
But with Katsuragi's status rising, that balance would soon tip.
Heh… He couldn't wait to see the look on that smug little brat's face tomorrow.
Before he knew it, the school day had ended. Since there was no student council work today and he wasn't in the mood to visit the library, Hikigaya headed straight back to the dormitory.
That reminded him… What was he going to do for food this week?
For lunch, he had settled for the free vegetable set meal. Was he going to have to eat that for an entire week?
Also, at some point, the miso soup in the vegetable set had started containing pork. He was pretty sure that wasn't the case before.
Thanks to that, even the free meal tasted a lot better. Hikigaya wasn't picky about food—aside from tomatoes, he could eat almost anything.
But going a whole week without coffee? That was hell.
"Ugh, I should've stocked up…"
Back home, he used to buy entire boxes of coffee whenever there was a sale.
But this was a school, not a supermarket. Plus, there were vending machines downstairs, so there had never been a need to hoard.
Who would've thought his account would get frozen…
His resentment toward Sakayanagi and Nagumo only deepened.
Seriously, what kind of people were they? …Ah, whatever. Not like he'd have to see them for much longer anyway.
Out of sight, out of mind. Rather than letting those two idiots make him miserable, quitting school would be the easier option.
Though he did feel a little bad for Horikita-senpai…
Oh well. Stopping Nagumo could be Ayanokoji's job.
No matter how impressive the "Ultimate Masterpiece" was, surely he could handle a mere student council president, right?
Besides, those two already had a grudge. Even if Ayanokoji wanted to play dead, Nagumo wouldn't let go that easily.
"Hey, isn't this Hikigaya-kun? Hello there!"
Just then, a cheerful voice called out from behind.
Turning around, Hikigaya saw Asahina. …Huh?
Were they even close enough to warrant a greeting?
Then again, normies were like that—shouting greetings the moment they spotted someone they knew.
Maybe it was people like Hikigaya, who either took a detour upon seeing someone or pretended not to notice them, who were the weird ones.
Well, for now, he should at least return the greeting.
"Hello, Miss Trip-and-Fall."
"This is the first time I've seen you after school—huh?"
Midway through her sentence, Asahina frowned, realizing something was off.
"Wait, what did you just call me?"
"Wasn't it Asahina-senpai?" Hikigaya feigned innocence.
Damn. His bad habit slipped out again.
That fall of hers had just been too memorable.
Until then, he had never seen someone trip on flat ground in real life—only in anime and movies.
Especially since Asahina didn't seem like the clumsy type, the contrast had been even more striking.
Truly, you couldn't judge a book by its cover… No offense intended, of course.
"Don't play dumb! You called me something else just now!"
Unfortunately, Asahina had wised up and wasn't so easily fooled this time.
"You used… that rude nickname!" she huffed. "Hikigaya-kun, you're not cute at all! Do you enjoy mocking people that much?!"
"No, I just thought it was kind of funny."
"Isn't that the same thing?!"
Puffing out her cheeks, Asahina grumbled, "And to think I came over because I was worried about you! I shouldn't have bothered!"
That caught Hikigaya off guard.
"…Worried about me?"
"I heard about the special exam you first-years got stuck with. It forces some students to drop out, right?"
As she spoke, the irritation on Asahina's face faded, replaced by genuine concern.
"I didn't expect even second-year students to know about this. It seems everyone is paying close attention to the new chairman's actions."
"Are you worried that I might get expelled?" Hikigaya joked on purpose.
"As if I care about you." Asahina rolled her eyes at him, clearly annoyed, then added, "Besides, someone like you who can casually lend out millions wouldn't let himself end up in a situation where he'd get expelled. Worrying about you is completely unnecessary."
"…That's true."
Hikigaya felt that Asahina probably hadn't heard anything from Nagumo—unless she was just acting.
But if it really was an act, it was far too convincing. He could basically rule out that possibility.
Then, an unexpected name came from Asahina's lips.
"I wanted to talk about Honami."
"Ichinose?"
"You know, right? Honami is such a good girl—cute and smart. Even among the second-years, no one speaks badly of her. Unlike a certain someone."
Asahina deliberately glanced at Hikigaya as she spoke.
Well, that was only natural. It would be shocking if he were treated the same way.
Hikigaya was self-aware enough to acknowledge that.
"So, does that mean some second-years are badmouthing me?"
"You idiot, that's not the point right now! Stop trying to change the subject." Asahina sighed in exasperation. "What I'm saying is about this exam. You should know that Honami really cares about her friends. With her personality, she wouldn't easily accept someone from her class getting expelled, right?"
"Yeah. I think she'd rather drop out herself than sacrifice a classmate."
Some might call that foolish, but what if the person being saved happened to be you?
Ever since elementary school, Hikigaya had always been at the bottom of the social hierarchy. That's why he understood just how rare someone like Ichinose was.
If this were ancient times, she might even be revered as a saint.
"So, how do you think Honami will handle this exam?" Asahina asked.
"I ran into Ichinose on my way to school today," Hikigaya said frankly. "She plans to gather 20 million points. She said their class is still short by a few hundred thousand, so it doesn't seem like a big issue."
"…A few hundred thousand?"
For some reason, Asahina frowned.
Then, as if realizing something, she pressed a hand to her forehead and let out a heavy sigh.
"Sigh… Honami is a foolish girl. Hikigaya-kun, she lied to you. Class A is missing far more than that."
"…Is that so…"
To be honest, Hikigaya had already suspected as much.
But out of consideration for Ichinose's pride, he chose not to expose her lie. Besides, she probably had a lot of reservations about borrowing money.
Especially from students in the same grade. Everyone was facing the same exam, and they were all competing for Class A. No one had a reason to hand resources to a potential rival.
Because Ichinose was an understanding person, she found it difficult to ask.
In the end, the only ones she could turn to were upperclassmen.
"Did Ichinose ask President Nagumo for help?"
"Yeah. Can you guess what he asked for in return?"
"In return…"
Hearing that word, Hikigaya suddenly had a bad feeling.
Before he could respond, Asahina revealed the answer herself.
"That guy offered to lend Honami the points… on the condition that she dates him."
"…Oh, I see."
"You're calmer than I expected."
Asahina gave him a scrutinizing look, as if trying to gauge his true feelings.
"Is there a reason to panic?" Hikigaya countered. "But still… I have to admit, this pisses me off a little. That sleazy blond bastard is really scum."
"Ahaha, can't argue with that." Asahina let out a bitter laugh.
Anyone who heard this would probably curse at Nagumo too.
To be honest, whoever Ichinose made deals with or dated was her own business. Hikigaya had no right to interfere.
But Nagumo? That was another matter.
That guy was still in debt, yet instead of talking about repaying it, he had the nerve to spend money chasing girls?
If you think about it… wasn't he basically using my money to hit on Ichinose?!
The more Hikigaya thought about it, the angrier he got.
And suddenly, it all made sense.
No wonder Nagumo agreed so quickly to help Sakayanagi. He wasn't just trying to avoid paying back the five million—he also wanted to freeze Hikigaya's account, forcing Ichinose to rely on him for points.
That shameless bastard!
And Sakayanagi… So in the end, she still wasn't giving up on bringing Ichinose down.
If Ichinose actually agreed to Nagumo's demand, Sakayanagi could easily use it against her in the future. Combine that with the fact that Ichinose had stolen something in the past, and she could completely ruin her reputation.
It wasn't that Hikigaya was deliberately painting Sakayanagi as a villain.
That little devil was just naturally rotten to the core.
"Hikigaya-kun, are you okay?"
Noticing his prolonged silence, Asahina called out with concern.
"It's nothing." Hikigaya shook his head. "I was just wondering what it takes to be as shameless as Nagumo. Or maybe he just forgot about his debt?"
"…Actually, I did try to remind him."
Asahina looked a little embarrassed.
After all, she was also in Class 2-A, and that five million had essentially been loaned to her class.
Realizing he might have hurt her feelings, Hikigaya quickly clarified, "I didn't mean you, senpai. It's fine to pay back money slowly. It's just…"
"It's okay, I understand how you feel." Asahina nodded sympathetically. "Our grade is already struggling financially, and the final special exam of the year is coming up. Personal points might be crucial. But even so, Nagumo insisted on lending two million to a first-year."
So Ichinose's class was actually short by two million?
No wonder she was reluctant to ask for help. That was an impossible amount for an ordinary student to gather.
"The worst part is, it's unfair to Honami… And honestly, I don't want my class taking unnecessary risks either. If Honami ends up with painful memories just for protecting her classmates, that's not good for anyone."
Asahina didn't have to explain all this.
She claimed it was for her class's benefit, but 2-A had always been stable. There was no real reason for her to get involved.
A sense of respect welled up in Hikigaya's heart.
This senpai was genuinely righteous—completely different from someone like Kiriyama, who only claimed to care about his juniors.
"Anyway, I just wanted to tell you. What you do with this information is up to you."
"Got it."
"Oh, and one more thing—stop being so dense." Asahina glared at him. "If you weren't so slow, Honami wouldn't have gone to Nagumo in the first place. But she hasn't given him an answer yet. She's waiting until the morning of the final exam."
"…I see. This is my fault, huh."
Hikigaya had wanted to respect Ichinose's pride.
But maybe that was unnecessary.
Maybe he should've just offered to lend her the points himself. That way, she wouldn't have ended up in this mess.
Would that really have been better for her, though?
Or… was he misunderstanding something again?
Asahina studied his face and smirked. "I see. No wonder the former student council president thought so highly of you. That poker face of yours is impressive."
"…It's not a poker face if you can read it."
"Haha, guess you're right."
Asahina scratched her head awkwardly, then hesitated before saying, "Sorry if I was a little harsh earlier. Honestly, I owe you a lot, so I have no right to lecture you. Besides… this is something you and Honami should decide yourselves."
"Don't apologize. I appreciate you telling me."
"Just don't make a choice you'll regret."
"…I won't."
Regret?
That was impossible.