"If you think this plan isn't good, then let's change it."
Hearing Hikigaya's words, Manabe instinctively halted her steps.
She turned to him with a suspicious look. "What the hell are you up to now?"
"You tell me," Hikigaya replied knowingly. "Weren't you the one begging me to come up with a plan? If you don't like it, we can switch, but why do you have to hit me?"
"Wha—! It's because you—!"
"But all you said was that you didn't want to get expelled. You didn't mention anything else. And given your current situation, do you think you're in a position to make demands? Think about it for a second. No wonder Ayanokoji played you for a fool."
"Ugh… You've said enough!" Manabe bristled in anger. "I'm never betraying my friends! And stop bringing up that dead-faced freak in front of me! Just hearing his name pisses me off!"
It seemed she still held a grudge over that incident.
Which made sense. If not for Ayanokoji, Manabe's standing in her class wouldn't have been jeopardized, and she wouldn't have had to come begging Hikigaya for help.
Come to think of it, she walked into that trap in the first place because she wanted to get revenge for a friend. Though, admittedly, her dislike for Karuizawa probably played a role too.
Hmm… So basically, she's just a simple-minded idiot.
"Yeah, yeah, we all know how loyal you are. Happy now?" Hikigaya replied absentmindedly.
"…I get the feeling you're making fun of me."
Faced with Manabe's disgruntled expression, Hikigaya wisely chose not to respond.
Some things were better left unsaid.
"Anyway, I'm not helping you for free."
"Huh? What's that supposed to mean?"
"It means the first suggestion was on the house. But if you want another one, you'll have to pay for it."
"W-What do you want?" Manabe took a wary step back. "Let me make this clear—I won't agree to anything weird! Also, that 500,000 you gave me? I've spent most of it. There are less than 100,000 left. If you want it, I can transfer it to you right now."
"Forget it. Just keep it." Hikigaya waved his hand in exasperation.
What did she take him for?
He had no interest in something that crude.
Instead, he made a completely unexpected request.
"Buy me a yakisoba bread… Oh, and a can of coffee."
"…Hah?"
Manabe stared at him, dumbfounded.
"What the hell are you saying all of a sudden?"
"Huh? You've never heard of yakisoba bread?" Hikigaya raised an eyebrow. "It's a bread roll stuffed with fried noodles. Pretty popular at school. Wait, don't tell me you don't even know about that? Wow, that's surprisingly old-fashioned of you."
"Of course, I know what it is!" Manabe shouted, furious.
"Then what's the problem?"
"I'm asking—ugh, whatever! You're so damn weird!"
Manabe had expected him to take advantage of the situation, and she had mentally prepared herself to accept whatever demand he made, as long as it wasn't outrageous.
But just asking for bread?
Instead of feeling relieved, she felt like she was getting played again.
If their roles were reversed, she definitely would've extorted him for everything he had.
Yet Hikigaya showed no signs of joking. He even sounded a little impatient. "What's so weird about it? You need my help, but I can't exactly assist you on an empty stomach. Or are you saying you can't even handle this much?"
"…Geez, making a girl run errands for you… You have no sense of chivalry."
Manabe grumbled and scratched her head, feigning annoyance.
It was a cover for the surprise—and the strange, unexplainable feeling—that welled up inside her.
"Less talking, more running."
Unfortunately, Hikigaya believed in gender equality. He had no intention of treating her any differently.
He pointed toward the school courtyard, where a row of empty benches sat in the shade.
"I'll be waiting over there. You'd better hurry. If the bell rings before you're back, I'm out."
"…Fine, fine."
Clicking her tongue, Manabe jogged away.
Hikigaya watched her retreating figure for a moment before heading toward the courtyard himself.
Realistically, he had no reason to help Manabe. They weren't even in the same class and barely interacted before this.
If this were a service club request, that would be a different story—but that club was long gone.
And besides, there was no such thing as a club like that here.
That said… an empty stomach was a serious problem.
A man must do what he must to secure his beloved yakisoba pan.
But then, a thought struck him.
Half of lunchtime had already passed. The yakisoba bread was probably sold out by now.
That stuff was insanely popular, especially among the boys. Every time, Hikigaya had to sprint the moment class ended to have a chance at getting one. Even then, he sometimes failed.
If she couldn't buy one… well, it wouldn't be a big deal.
Knowing her, she'd probably grab some other bread to make up for it.
Oh well. Anything was better than nothing.
To his surprise, though, Manabe soon returned, panting slightly, with a crumpled paper bag in hand.
Wait, that was fast.
Could she be good at running?
Before he could dwell on the thought, Manabe shoved the bag at him.
"Here. Everything you asked for."
"Oh… Oh."
Hikigaya quickly took it and peeked inside. Sure enough, there was a yakisoba bread and a can of coffee.
Weird. She got it.
Did yakisoba bread fall out of popularity?
That would be a crime against humanity.
How could people abandon it so quickly?
"Well? Everything's there, right?"
Without waiting for an answer, Manabe plopped down beside him, staring expectantly. "Now that I did what you asked, you better tell me—how do I avoid expulsion?"
"Yeah, yeah, keep your voice down."
Hikigaya leisurely popped open the coffee and took a sip—only to frown.
Black coffee? Seriously?
Life was bitter enough. At least let the coffee be sweet.
Then again, that was on him for not specifying.
…Ugh. Whatever. He'd deal with it.
"First, let me confirm something—Ryuuen hasn't given any clear instructions to the class yet, right?"
"Mm… Yeah. He told us to think for ourselves about who to vote for."
"I see."
As he suspected, Ryuuen planned to move in the shadows.
After all, in a test like this, protection points were a powerful tool—something that shouldn't be left in just anyone's hands.
Most likely, he would secretly approach students one by one, giving them specific voting orders while making them swear secrecy.
A simple strategy, but highly effective in an exam where everyone was looking out for themselves.
—As long as they obeyed Ryuuen's instructions, they wouldn't get expelled.
That thought would take root in their minds.
"Manabe, I already told you before—hold on."
Hikigaya suddenly paused, frowning.
He realized that he and Manabe were sitting a little too close. Normally, this wouldn't matter.
But since they weren't even in the same class, people might get the wrong idea if they were seen together like this.
"You should move to the bench behind me. If someone spots us, you can just pretend it's a coincidence."
"Huh? You're so annoying!"
Oblivious to his concerns, Manabe grumbled in frustration.
"How could anyone possibly come here? And even if someone saw us, so what? Talking to students from other classes is completely normal, isn't it?"
"But talking to you isn't exactly normal."
"Tch, are you bragging or something?"
Despite saying that, Manabe still obediently stood up and moved to the seat behind him.
But… bragging? About what?
Hikigaya didn't dwell on it. He kept an eye on his surroundings while straightening up and lowering his voice. "I already told you before—there's a good chance Ryuuen has long decided who's getting expelled. He just hasn't needed to say it out loud yet. On the day of the exam, he'll just send you packing."
"Eh?! He's already set on me?!"
"You're free to keep deceiving yourself if you want."
"…Forget it."
Now that Manabe had accepted reality, the conversation would be much easier.
Hikigaya continued, "The problem is, even if you try to win people over and control the vote, Ryuuen is most likely doing the same thing. When the time comes, do you think people will listen to you or him?"
"That's… isn't that obvious?"
"Which is why the key to solving this problem is figuring out how to disrupt Ryuuen's plans."
Hikigaya tore open a bread wrapper and took a firm bite.
"The simplest way… is to hand him a target on a silver platter."
"Huh? A target?" Manabe looked utterly confused. "You mean a student who dares to rebel against Ryuuen-kun? That's impossible. Everyone's too afraid of being singled out, let alone stepping forward. Otherwise, I wouldn't have come to you."
She added a little flattering remark while she spoke.
This delinquent sure knows how to butter people up, huh?
"Normally, yeah. That's why we need to give them a reason to be brave."
Hikigaya slowly chewed his bread before mentioning an unexpected name.
"For example… that guy, Tokito. You're still in contact with him, right?"
"I have nothing to do with him, okay?" Manabe's voice was full of disdain. "Back at the forest school, that guy backed down the moment Ryuuen-kun threatened him a little… Tch, what a useless man."
"You're not really in a position to say that, are you?"
The truth was, Manabe herself had agreed to help out after just a little threat from Hikigaya—of course, the fifty thousand private points he offered also played a part.
"By the way, that recording pen I showed you back then? It was a bluff."
"…Huh?"
"It was just a regular pen. It only looked high-end, that's all."
"Wh—!"
Manabe was so pissed she nearly exploded on the spot, but in the end, she held it in.
"Forget it, forget it! This isn't the time for that. Why the hell did you bring up Tokito's name?"
"It's pretty simple." Hikigaya tilted his head slightly, whispering into Manabe's ear. "If you can convince Tokito to challenge Ryuuen publicly during this exam, then only one of them will end up expelled. Wouldn't that mean you're safe?"
"Uh, you sure about that?"
Surprisingly, Manabe didn't seem thrilled at all after hearing this. Instead, her expression grew complicated.
"I mean, logically, yeah, that might happen. But before that… How the hell am I supposed to convince Tokito? That guy is a total coward! The best he can do is pull some sneaky moves behind the scenes!"
Her voice suddenly grew agitated, practically shouting by the end.
Seriously, what's with this girl?
Hikigaya sighed, looking exasperated. "Hey, hey, at least let me finish. Of course, Tokito wouldn't dare do anything on his own. But what if he had a powerful ally?"
"An ally?"
Manabe stroked her chin in thought for a moment, then firmly shook her head.
"That's impossible. Tokito isn't an outstanding student. If anything, he's kind of annoying. Hardly anyone in our class even talks to him, let alone supports him."
"Idiot, I wasn't talking about your class."
"Then who… Wait, don't tell me you're talking about yourself?" Manabe asked smugly.
"…Like hell I am."
Hikigaya was at a loss for words, sighing in frustration. "I said Tokito's name, and you still can't figure it out? Think back carefully—on Christmas, who was it that tried recruiting both you and Tokito at the same time?"
"Eh…? You mean Nagumo-senpai?"
Manabe finally realized.
But she didn't seem particularly impressed. After all, that incident had ended in Nagumo's complete failure.
In her mind, the so-called student council president was nothing more than that level of guy… Hmm, well, she wasn't exactly wrong.
"That's right, Nagumo." Hikigaya smirked. "If you can get Tokito to seek help from Nagumo, then with the student council president backing him up, he'll have the courage to challenge Ryuuen."
Class C was like a pack of wolves, and Ryuuen was their alpha.
Once a challenger appeared, the loser would have no choice but to drop out.
Tokito probably wanted to take Ryuuen down but knew he was too weak to act alone. That's why he hadn't made a move yet.
So, he just needed a little push.
"Wait a sec, even if he goes to Nagumo-senpai, what good would that do?"
Manabe quickly voiced her doubts.
"I know the student council president is pretty strong, and the entire second-year listens to him, but no matter how powerful he is, he can't influence the first-year exams, right? Unlike last time, this isn't a school-wide event."
On the surface, that seemed true.
Nagumo certainly couldn't manipulate the first-year votes. He wasn't arrogant enough to think he could… except when it came to Class A.
At least, he probably believed he could.
That damn blonde even offered Ichinose two million points in exchange for dating him.
If he was shameless enough to do that, changing his conditions last minute to include an extra request wouldn't be surprising at all.
For example—getting all of first-year Class A to vote in favor of a certain person.
With Nagumo's mind, he'd consider that possibility.
Plus, he probably wanted to plant some pawns in the first year, preferably a few obedient puppets.
And someone as brainless as Tokimori was the perfect candidate.
So, Nagumo wouldn't mind throwing in a favor—it was just a simple matter of mentioning it to Ichinose.
Too bad for him, Hikigaya never intended to let things go his way.
It might be a little unfair to Tokimori, but it couldn't be helped. Someone had to drop out of this exam—why shouldn't it be him?
Besides, back on the cruise ship during summer break, that guy had latched onto Hikigaya like a rabid dog.
There was no need for petty revenge, but if there was a chance to dig a hole for him, Hikigaya wouldn't hesitate.
Most importantly, he had accepted Nagumo's recruitment offer.
Tch, using my money to chase girls… That damn blonde bastard sure has some nerve!
The only regret was that they weren't in the same grade, making it difficult to teach Nagumo a proper lesson.
At most, Hikigaya had managed to cost him forty million during the forest school event.
For this exam, he'd have to settle for taking down Sakayanagi instead.
Otherwise, he would've dealt with both of them at once!