On the third day of the class vote exam, which was Wednesday morning—
The moment Hikigaya stepped into the classroom, he immediately sensed an atmosphere vastly different from the previous two days.
Up until yesterday, everyone had been on high alert, wary of each other due to the nature of the exam. But now, they were chatting and laughing as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
This strange sense of unity could only mean one thing.
That large faction had likely expanded even further.
Not only did it include Ayanokoji's group and the boys' clique led by Yamauchi, but now several girls who had some level of connection with them had also joined in.
Judging by the current situation, their numbers had already exceeded half the class.
Sigh... Though Hikigaya had anticipated this development, seeing it unfold in reality still left him feeling somewhat melancholic.
But that was all it was—just a fleeting sentiment.
"There are no inherently bad people in this world. On a normal day, everyone is a good person, or at the very least, an ordinary one. But what makes people frightening is that, when push comes to shove, even the kindest of them can turn into villains. That's why you can't afford to let your guard down."
This famous quote from Natsume Soseki had always remained in Hikigaya's heart.
That was why he never placed too much expectation on others.
When their own interests were at stake, people would bare their fangs without hesitation.
Hikigaya didn't resent them. They were strangers to begin with. Some of them might not even feel the slightest bit of guilt.
After all, this was what ordinary people truly were.
"Good morning, Hachiman-kun."
As usual, Matsushita greeted him with a smile from the seat next to him.
However, the fact that she was acting as if nothing had changed was precisely what made it unnatural.
Given Matsushita's keen perception and insight, there was no way she hadn't noticed the strange atmosphere in the class. Yet, she chose not to mention it at all.
On top of that, Kushida had been acting mysteriously these past two days. Who knew what she was up to?
Could it be...
A bad feeling suddenly crept up Hikigaya's spine. He couldn't shake the thought that these two might be scheming something unnecessary behind the scenes.
But he had no right to pry into others' affairs… It was better to just let it be.
"By the way, you're a bit late today."
Matsushita, unaware of his thoughts, casually struck up a conversation.
"Did you oversleep? That's no good. You should go to bed earlier at night. And don't stay up too late playing games."
"Are you my mom?" Hikigaya couldn't help but retort. "Besides, I wasn't playing games. And I don't really game that much when I'm by myself."
Back when he was home, though, he had played every single Pokémon game. Thanks to Komachi's terrifyingly vast social network, completing the Pokédex had been an easy feat.
"Then what was it?"
"...Got too into a novel."
That wasn't exactly the truth. Hikigaya had actually sneaked off to do something early in the morning while everyone else was heading to school.
But it wasn't the right time to talk about it.
And just like that, Matsushita completely misunderstood.
"Oh, so you were reading a novel… One of those light novels with lots of revealing pictures of girls? The kind that's a little… you know, naughty?"
"Oi."
Why did she have to phrase it like that?
Sure, the joke about "buying illustrations and getting toilet paper for free" was common among readers… probably.
And it wasn't about being revealing—residents of fantasy worlds were just naturally more resilient to the cold. Plus, with limited resources, conserving fabric was simply a way of upholding traditional frugality.
…Anyway, she really didn't have to put it so bluntly!
As Hikigaya silently ranted in his head, Matsushita suddenly gave him a faint smile.
"If you're losing sleep because you're worried about the exam, there's no need for that."
"...Why would I be worried about the exam?"
"Hehe, don't mind it, don't mind it."
How should he put this… Matsushita's habit of deliberately keeping people in suspense was really aggravating.
She might as well have "Hurry up and ask me!" written all over her face.
Too bad for her—Hikigaya would never ask!
Before their conversation could go any further, the chime signaling the start of the morning assembly rang. Right on cue, Chabashira-sensei walked in.
Oddly enough, she didn't step up to the podium right away. Instead, she stood silently to the side, waiting.
This unusual behavior left the students puzzled.
Then, a certain girl's actions drew everyone's attention.
Horikita suddenly stood up from her seat, walked to the podium, and spoke in a clear voice.
"Excuse me, everyone. I'd like to take up a bit of the morning assembly time. I have already received permission from Chabashira-sensei."
"Horikita-san, what do you want to say?"
In this unexpected situation, Hirata was the first to react.
His instincts told him that whatever Horikita was about to say wouldn't be pleasant.
"It's about the special exam. There's something I must address."
"W-What is it?"
"Of course, I'm talking about the expelled student." Horikita didn't hesitate to bring up the topic that no one wanted to touch. "I've been thinking over and over again these past few days—who should stay, who should leave, and what the right answer truly is. So now, I want to share my conclusion with everyone."
Hearing that, Hirata immediately tensed up.
"Horikita-san, wait! No one in this class deserves to be expelled."
"If you want to say something pretty, that's your business," Horikita said bluntly. "But the rules of this exam are clear—someone has to be expelled. If you really have a problem with that, you should be protesting to Chabashira-sensei and the school, not interrupting my speech."
Chabashira hadn't expected to be used as a scapegoat.
But with all the students now staring at her expectantly, she had no choice but to say something.
"I know you might think this exam is unfair and that the school is being unreasonable. But once you enter society, situations like this are bound to happen. A colleague you've worked with for years might be fired overnight by upper management. And one day, you might find yourself on the chopping block, too."
That was an irrefutable truth.
But… wasn't she just forcefully drawing a parallel?
School and work were two completely different things. One was for learning and making friends, while the other was about building a career and earning money.
Then again, this school was probably designed to make students realize that as early as possible.
"We conduct various types of education to nurture you into capable individuals. If you dismiss this exam as merely an arbitrary decision by the school, you won't grow from it."
As expected of an adult in the workforce—Chabashira's ability to spout nonsense with a straight face was impressive.
In reality, this whole exam was just something Tsukishiro came up with on a whim. Even Mashima-sensei had protested against it multiple times.
But deceiving a bunch of students wasn't all that difficult.
Teachers could just spew a bunch of seemingly reasonable rhetoric, and most students would start doubting themselves instead of questioning the so-called "authorities."
Honestly, if Advanced Nurturing High School really wanted to cultivate talented individuals, the first thing they should teach them was how to resist the school's unfair rules.
But that was another issue.
For now, honor student Hirata had been silenced by Chabashira's speech.
Horikita seized the moment to continue.
"Now, let's move forward. From the moment we were informed of this exam, I've had one major question. This is an exam that should be decided through internal discussions within the class. Yet, the school made it an anonymous vote, effectively preventing us from openly communicating. It feels as if they did this on purpose."
If the vote were not anonymous, there would be chaos.
But Horikita seemed to think that even so, it would be better than the current system.
"If this continues, the exam will turn into a game of forming alliances and controlling votes. That could lead to a situation where a student who should have stayed ends up being expelled. That would no longer be an exam—it would be a disaster."
"Hehehe, Horikita-girl, your words cut straight to the point,"
Kouenji clapped his hands, adopting a neutral stance as he supported Horikita's argument.
"So, may I ask how you plan to handle this?"
"Originally, we should have openly exchanged opinions and collectively decided on an expulsion. But I understand that's difficult. So, allow me to name the student who should be expelled—"
Horikita's voice was unwavering as she declared the name in front of the entire class.
"Yamauchi Haruki-kun."
It seems she has finally made up her mind and resolved to fulfill her duties as the class leader.
The first person to react to this was, of course, the one whose name had been called—Yamauchi.
"H-Horikita, why me?!"
"I have a clear reason, of course. First, over the past year, your contributions to the class have been particularly low, and your test scores have consistently been at the bottom."
"T-That's not true! My test scores have always been better than Ken's!" Yamauchi argued.
But his feeble excuse was instantly shattered by Horikita's indifferent remark.
"That was in the past. Recently, Sudou-kun's scores have already surpassed yours."
"That was just a fluke! A fluke! I can catch up anytime!"
"I'll take it that way, then," Horikita said, unwilling to argue further. "But in terms of physical ability, you are far inferior to Sudou-kun. His athletic skills are ranked among the best in our entire grade, whereas you can't even compare to him."
"But there are other people in class who aren't good at sports either! Like Haruka and Sakura! Those two dragged the whole class down in the last sports festival!"
If ranked purely by overall ability, Yamauchi might not actually be at the very bottom.
Horikita acknowledged this point.
"You're right. Your abilities aren't significantly worse than some others; you could say you're within the same range."
"T-That's right! So please, don't single me out…"
"But!" Horikita suddenly shifted her tone. "Even compared to those at your level, you're still slightly worse. Based on your attitude in class, your attendance record, your strengths, and your weaknesses, when it comes to contributions to the class—you rank dead last."
"I can't accept that! I'm a pretty honest guy, you know?! If anything, shouldn't someone like Kouenji be the problem? He doesn't even show up for special exams!"
"Kouenji-kun does have some problematic behaviors that need addressing, but at the very least, he understands the significance of this discussion. And when it comes to ability, the gap between you and him is like night and day. At the very least, he is not someone who should be expelled from this exam."
Realizing that he was already in the safe zone, Kouenji crossed his arms and smirked with satisfaction.
But for Yamauchi, this was nothing but bad news.
"Don't just decide that on your own! I refuse to accept this!"
"Then, shall I tell you the key reason why I chose you from this group of useless students?"
Horikita's tone suddenly turned sharp, her piercing gaze locking onto Yamauchi.
Feeling the pressure of her intimidating aura, Yamauchi instinctively shrank back.
"W-What key reason? I don't know what you're talking about."
"If you insist on playing dumb, I'll spell it out for you," Horikita said coolly, cornering him. "Yamauchi-kun, you've been in private contact with Sakayanagi from Class B, haven't you? This time, under her orders, you secretly rallied the class and got them to vote against Hikigaya-kun. Isn't that right?"
"No way! I never did anything like that!"
Now that his backroom dealings had been exposed, Yamauchi immediately panicked.
But the classroom had already erupted into murmurs.
While more than half of the students had agreed to form a coalition to vote against Hikigaya, they had no idea that Yamauchi was the mastermind—let alone that another class was behind it.
"Oi, Haruki, what's this about working with Sakayanagi?!"
Even Yamauchi's closest friend, Sudou, couldn't help but question him.
Given how widely the situation between Hikigaya and Sakayanagi had spread, it was easy to suspect that this was Sakayanagi's way of taking revenge—using Yamauchi to attack Hikigaya.
"I told you, it wasn't me! And where's the proof?!"
Of course, Yamauchi wouldn't admit to it. As long as he kept denying, he thought he could get away with it.
Unfortunately, his delusion was about to be shattered.
"Actually, I saw it happen." Matsushita stood up leisurely. "On the day the exam results were posted, after school, I happened to be in a café and saw Yamauchi-kun and Sakayanagi walking into the KTV across the street."
"W-What?! Matsushita, stop making things up! I swear that never happened!"
Yamauchi sounded confident because, indeed, he had never entered a KTV with Sakayanagi.
But Matsushita remained completely unfazed. "Well, I can swear too. I saw you and Sakayanagi… Oh, and Kamuro was there as well. It was definitely the three of you."
"N-No! That never happened!"
Now that even Kamuro's name had been mentioned, Yamauchi started to panic.
And his unease only deepened the suspicion of those around him.
"Haruki… don't tell me you really—"
"I said it wasn't me!"
Cornered, Yamauchi first lashed out at Sudou, then turned to Matsushita, shouting desperately, "Where's your proof?! If you have proof, show it!"
"Well, I didn't think to take a photo at the time… Oh, wait."
Matsushita pretended to struggle in thought before suddenly making an expression as if she had remembered something.
"I just recalled—Kushida was there too. I was meeting her to discuss the exam, so she must have seen it as well."
"Oh? Then let's hear it from Kushida-chan herself!"
Hearing this, Yamauchi's spirits suddenly lifted.
Because in this matter, he and Kushida had some kind of connection, so he naturally assumed they were on the same side.
Unfortunately, the next second, he was ruthlessly slapped in the face.
"Yeah, I did see it."
"K-Kushida-chan?" Yamauchi's eyes widened in disbelief. "How could you have seen it?! That's impossible!"
Kushida smiled awkwardly. "Yamauchi-kun, I know you want to keep this a secret, but things have already come to this point… It's better to be honest, don't you think?"
"What do you mean, be honest?!"
Yamauchi slammed the table in agitation.
"I went in separately from them! How could you have seen me?!"
"But I was talking about when you came out of the karaoke place."
"That's still impossible! We also left separately—ah!"
Halfway through his sentence, Yamauchi finally realized his mistake.
But it was already too late. The others were looking at him differently now, as if they were watching an idiot.
"N-No! It's not what you think! Sakayanagi and I… we're just friends! I only went to the karaoke place because she was tutoring me in English! There were no secret instructions! This is all Horikita's delusion!"
Yamauchi struggled desperately, but his words were becoming increasingly ridiculous.
By the end, he was even holding his head, playing the victim.
"Why are you saying I'm colluding with Class B?! Seriously, just spare me already… I wasn't trying to betray the class! I was just trying to make sure no one got expelled… Yes! That's why I nominated Hikitani!"
As he spoke, it was as if he had found a way out.
Pointing at Hikigaya, he shouted loudly, "Sakayanagi told me—Hikigaya has 20 million private points! He can use that money to save himself! So what's the problem with making him the last-place student? He won't get expelled anyway! That's what everyone was thinking, right?"
Yamauchi was trying to drag the rest of the class into his argument, but he didn't understand one thing.
Some things could be done, but they couldn't be said out loud.
Just because Hikigaya had 20 million private points, they should vote him as the one to be expelled?
Even if that thought had crossed their minds, it was something no one should ever say.
Everyone here was smart enough to protect themselves—no one was going to jump into the mud with him.
Horikita remained calm and asked, "You said Sakayanagi told you this. Did she provide any evidence?"
"E-Evidence?"
That question immediately stumped Yamauchi. He had never even considered whether there was proof.
But now, he could only bite the bullet and say, "Sakayanagi said it herself! There's no reason for her to lie to me! A-And besides, Kushida agreed to it too! She also agreed to vote against Hikigaya!"
"Yamauchi-kun, that's not right." Kushida immediately furrowed her brows. "Didn't you tell me that Hikigaya-kun had 20 million private points?"
"Yeah! So you agreed to vote against him, right?!"
"Not at all."
Kushida shook her head firmly, then spoke in a slightly reproachful tone.
"I said I would confirm it with Hikigaya-kun first. If he really had 20 million, then I would negotiate with him to exchange his protection points for the money, and I would take charge of convincing everyone to vote in his favor. I never said I'd vote against him."
"Wh—?! But you promised!" Yamauchi was dumbfounded.
"I promised to help you." Kushida smiled bitterly. "Yamauchi-kun, I know you don't want to be expelled, and I don't want anyone in our class to be expelled either. But no matter what, we can't betray our own classmates, right? Besides, exchanging protection points for Hikigaya-kun's money is a solution that everyone can accept."
Upon hearing that, the others nodded in agreement.
After all, protection points had little to do with them—it was always either Hirata or Kushida who had them. Giving them to Hikigaya was just a small favor, and it even eased their guilt.
Many of them were already regretting listening to Yamauchi.
Of course, this was also due to the difference in trust that had built up over time.
Almost everyone believed Kushida without hesitation. Now, no matter what Yamauchi said, it would just sound like an excuse.
"I don't understand why Yamauchi-kun took it upon himself to make everyone vote against Hikigaya-kun… Could it be that you just wanted to please Sakayanagi?"
Kushida's words were like a bomb, reigniting everyone's suspicions about Yamauchi's collusion with another class.
"That's probably not the only reason," Matsushita added. "Maybe Sakayanagi also offered him some kind of reward—like promising to date him after it was done."
"Urgh!"
The truth he desperately wanted to hide was being exposed one after another.
Yamauchi could no longer keep up the act.
In the eyes of his classmates, the label of "traitor" was already burned into his identity.