Three girls stared intently at Hikigaya's phone screen. For a moment, neither side spoke.
Weird… At least give me some kind of reaction.
Also, holding this up for so long is getting tiring…
Just as Hikigaya was beginning to feel uneasy, Matsushita was the first to break the silence.
"Hachiman-kun, isn't it a little too early for April Fool's Day?"
"Huh…?"
Hikigaya was momentarily dumbfounded. That was quite the unexpected jump in conversation.
"If it's not April Fool's, then why did you ask the entire class to vote against you?" Matsushita looked at him with a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. "I just can't seem to figure it out… Ah, or are you saying the account suspension is the joke here?"
"…No, it's not a joke."
"Then why did you do it? Hmm?"
As expected of Miss Matsushita—she immediately zeroed in on the hardest part for him to explain.
He had assumed their first question would be about why his account got suspended. Who would've thought they'd go straight for the special exam?
Hikigaya could have simply said he didn't care about expulsion, but Yamauchi's situation this morning had been a wake-up call.
If he told the truth, who knew what these three might do?
There was no need for them to take unnecessary risks for someone like him.
Just as he made up his mind and was about to speak, Kushida suddenly shoved Horikita aside and stormed toward him.
"Hachiman, what the hell is this supposed to mean?!"
"Uh, let me explai—"
"Don't tell me… don't tell me you actually want to drop out?!"
"…That's not it."
Wow, it had been a while since he last heard Kikyo use that tone.
At first, he was relieved that she had interrupted Horikita—the real troublemaker here. But he had forgotten something important.
Compared to Horikita, Kikyo was an even bigger headache…
Lately, she'd been acting more relaxed, which made him lower his guard.
"You guys, just hold on a second. Let me sort out my thoughts."
"That won't do," Horikita said coldly. "Hikigaya-kun, I've already said that this exam is something our entire class must face together. Your actions could cause irreparable damage to us. I won't let you make this decision alone."
"I'm telling you, I never planned on dropping out."
"But your actions this afternoon—I can't think of any explanation other than self-sacrifice."
"No, no, I would never sacrifice myself for the class."
Hikigaya had indeed considered dropping out before, but that was only because he was exhausted and didn't want to stay at this school anymore.
It had nothing to do with Class D.
"In that case, I assume you can give us a reasonable explanation right now?"
Horikita was clearly determined to get to the bottom of this, and Kushida was also staring at him intently.
Matsushita, on the other hand, was still smiling… Actually, that was even more unsettling.
"…Fine. I'll explain from the beginning."
Hikigaya originally had no intention of saying anything, but at this point, he had no choice but to reveal part of the truth.
"It all started with the rumors about Ichinose."
"…Ichinose? What do you mean?"
Hearing that, Kushida couldn't hide her surprise. The other two had similar reactions.
Taking note of their expressions, Hikigaya continued.
"I'll keep it brief. Basically, Nagumo told Sakayanagi about Ichinose's past thefts and allowed her to spread those rumors throughout the school. They were working together."
"But isn't Ichinose a student council member? Why would President Nagumo do that?" Horikita asked.
"He wants to break Ichinose's spirit so he can swoop in and take advantage of the situation."
"…Huh?"
For someone as straightforward as Horikita, that explanation was hard to process. She looked utterly dumbfounded.
Her eyes even turned into little dots… Honestly, it was a bit funny.
"Tch, that blonde bastard is disgusting," Kushida muttered in disgust.
She had encountered plenty of guys like that—some of whom had even pursued her—so this kind of nasty scheming wasn't new to her.
Matsushita, meanwhile, nodded thoughtfully. "I see… I did hear from some second-years that President Nagumo is interested in Ichinose, but apparently, she never really responded to him. So now he's getting impatient?"
"…Something like that," Hikigaya replied with his own guess. "This time, it's the same. Sakayanagi was furious that I ruined her plans during the rumor incident, so she roped in Yamauchi and joined forces with Nagumo again."
"And by 'joined forces,' you mean…?"
"Class A is still two million points short of the twenty million they need. Nagumo wants to lend them that amount so he can use it as leverage to ask Ichinose out. But he's worried that I might lend Ichinose the points first, so he and Sakayanagi worked together to get my account suspended."
"W-Wait, you said… ask her out?"
Horikita looked like her worldview had just been shattered.
She hurriedly asked, "Are you saying that Ichinose is willing to accept President Nagumo's conditions just to prevent anyone in her class from getting expelled?"
"This... she's still very hesitant." Hikigaya wasn't sure how to phrase it and could only give a vague response.
"But this isn't even a matter of hesitation." Horikita frowned in confusion. "If it were me, I'd make sure the other party regretted ever making such a condition. Besides, who would go this far for their class? And I certainly don't agree with this kind of behavior."
"Exactly! This time, I have to agree with Horikita!"
Even Kushida, who usually enjoyed contradicting others, voiced her agreement. It seemed that all the girls strongly opposed this matter.
The only one who remained calm was Matsushita, who sighed with a wry smile. "Don't be so quick to judge. I think Ichinose still carries a deep sense of guilt. I heard that she stole something in middle school, and her mother made her apologize in public... You have to understand, kids at that age are incredibly sensitive."
In reality, the situation had been much worse.
Ichinose would probably rather kneel and admit her mistake herself than have her mother take the blame for her.
Logically speaking, since both the store owner and her mother forgave her in the end, it should have been a happy resolution. But it wasn't. After that incident, Ichinose locked herself in her room for six whole months.
Even though she had since stepped out of that room and openly confessed her past to her classmates, it didn't mean she had completely escaped its shadow.
The wounds inflicted in childhood often take a lifetime to heal.
And in some cases, there's not even a chance to heal.
At an age where pride means everything, some teenagers consider suicide just from being slapped or scolded by their parents. Cases of impulsive suicides—jumping from buildings in a moment of distress—aren't all that rare.
"I think Ichinose might actually want to be punished," Matsushita said with a hint of sympathy. "That's probably why she didn't respond or fight back during the rumors—she saw it as a form of atonement."
Kushida frowned. "That's ridiculous. She didn't steal from Nagumo, so why would she go so far as to date someone she doesn't even like because of this? That girl must be out of her mind."
"It's not that simple. I believe there's a psychological term for it—compensatory behavior... Anyway, didn't Hachiman already explain it? The main reason is that she needs to gather twenty million points." Matsushita trailed off mid-sentence, seemingly giving up on further explanation—it was just too tiring.
"Tch." Kushida scoffed. "It's not like she's actually going to be expelled. At most, she just needs to rely on her friends. There's no way all thirty-nine people in her class would be completely useless, right?"
The logic was sound, but her tone was rather off-putting.
Matsushita immediately shot back, "But if she thought like you, she wouldn't be Ichinose, would she?"
"Oh? You trying to pick a fight?"
"Besides, if she really can't borrow the points from anyone, I think Ichinose might actually choose to sacrifice herself... Right, Hachiman?"
Ignoring Kushida's irritation, Matsushita redirected the conversation back to Hikigaya.
Sigh. And that's exactly why she was the most troublesome to deal with.
Hikigaya shook his head. "Regardless of Ichinose's situation, this is how things stand. My account won't be unfrozen until this exam is over."
"Why is that?" Horikita asked, puzzled. "Even the student council president shouldn't have that kind of authority. If he did, the whole school would be in chaos."
"Nagumo doesn't have that power, but you all know that I signed a contract with Class B, right? Sakayanagi exploited some loopholes in the details and got over ten students to file complaints together, which gave them the right to request a temporary freeze on my account."
"Even so, outright freezing your account is ridiculous. We should definitely protest."
Horikita still found it unacceptable, and that was an understandable reaction.
"Remember what happened when Sudo got into a fight?" Hikigaya brought up an example. "Back then, the entire first-year student body had their personal points delayed because of it. Did protesting help?"
"But we can't just do nothing! Besides, didn't Chabashira-sensei say you were being treated unfairly? She even offered to help."
"It's true that I can fight back, but I don't want to waste my precious time on something so uncertain."
Seeing that Horikita still didn't quite understand, Hikigaya elaborated. "There are only three days left until the voting deadline. Even if I file a complaint against Nagumo, all he has to do is find an excuse to stall until the exam is over. If that happens, he wins. That's why I can't let them dictate the pace."
"...So what's your plan?"
"It's simple—there are two main steps."
Hikigaya held up two fingers.
"First, about Ichinose... Normally, whether Class A can gather twenty million points has nothing to do with me, and I have no reason to help them. But Nagumo has been acting way too disgustingly, and now he's even targeting me. If I let him get his way this time... to put it bluntly, he'll start thinking he's some kind of big shot."
"Yeah, exactly!" Kushida nodded vigorously. "We can't let a guy like that get away with it! Just say the word, Hachiman—I'll help however I can!"
"Good. Then, I need you and Matsushita to lend your personal points to Ichinose."
Hikigaya still had concerns.
From the perspective of other classes, the fact that Class A had zero expulsions meant they had an extra advantage. Supporting them wasn't necessarily a good idea.
So if Kushida or Matsushita refused—or if Horikita stepped in to stop them—it would be completely understandable.
...If worst came to worst, he'd just have to try begging on his knees.
Hikigaya didn't care about pride, but he absolutely refused to be at Nagumo's mercy.
Unexpectedly, Kushida agreed immediately. "Sure! I figured you'd say that. I have about 1.5 million right now. How about you, Matsushita?"
"I have a little less than you." Matsushita responded just as readily. "Since Ichinose needs two million, we can each lend half. That way, it won't affect our daily expenses."
"Uh... you guys agreed way too fast."
Hikigaya had expected at least some hesitation, given how much money was involved.
"Why wouldn't we agree? I already said it—he's a total enemy of women. We can't just sit back and let this slide." Kushida responded like it was obvious.
"Yeah. The fact that someone like him is the student council president is a disgrace."
By the end, Horikita's voice was cold as ice.
It wasn't surprising. To her, the student council was associated with her respected older brother. The fact that Nagumo was his successor, combined with the events at the forest training camp, had made her loathing for Nagumo reach its peak.
"Let's set Nagumo aside for now." Hikigaya waved a hand. "Since you guys are on board, we'll go see Ichinose on Friday night."
"Wait... why the last day?" Matsushita asked curiously.
"Because I have a little surprise prepared for Nagumo. You'll find out soon enough."
Of course, there was always the risk that Ichinose might accept Nagumo's offer before then. But as long as the points hadn't been transferred yet, she could still back out.
Not that Nagumo would have the shame to accept a rejection gracefully... Actually, he probably would be shameless enough to push back.
But as long as Ichinose wasn't doing it willingly, nothing else mattered.
"I see… Even if that situation is resolved, what about our class?"
Matsushita directly bypassed Ichinose and pointed out the real issue they were concerned about.
"Hachiman-kun, because of your statement, almost everyone in the class will likely vote to criticize you, right? The worst part is that even if you explain now that your account has been frozen, not to mention how many people would believe you, I think that most of them would still vote against you."
"Yeah, I think so too."
Hikigaya nodded approvingly.
The hardest part of this exam was choosing three people to vote against. Depending on the target, there would inevitably be some moral discomfort.
So once a decision was made, it wouldn't be easily changed—otherwise, it would just lead to more hesitation.
Matsushita's ability to see through this was truly commendable.
"…Then, judging by your attitude, Hachiman-kun, you must have already come up with a solution, right?" Matsushita probed.
"That's right. You guys should already know that I also signed a contract with Class C."
The reason he explained so much just now was simply to buy time.
By now, Hikigaya had already prepared his response. Without hesitation, he said, "After learning this morning that Sakayanagi had recruited Yamauchi to vote against me, and considering the freezing of my account, I immediately realized the full scope of Sakayanagi's plan. So at noon, I made a deal with Ryuuen—I canceled Class C's debt, and in return, Class C agreed to give me all their praise votes."
Although he felt a bit guilty, he decided to tell a small lie here.
Worst case, he'd just apologize before leaving.
"So in the afternoon, I voluntarily asked the whole class to vote against me to prevent Sakayanagi from using Yamauchi to stir up more trouble in our class… Though, honestly, that guy couldn't accomplish much anyway. Still, it's better to keep him quiet. Just listening to him making a racket all day is already annoying enough."
"Ohh! As expected of Hachiman!"
Kushida exclaimed, both pleased and frustrated.
"Jeez, if you already had a plan, why didn't you say so earlier? You made me worry for nothing!"
"…Sorry."
Seeing Kushida believe him so quickly made Hikigaya feel a little guilty.
Oh well, if necessary, he could always kneel and apologize later.
"I see, I understand your method now, Hikigaya-kun… But since it's Ryuuen we're talking about, be careful, okay?" Horikita warned.
"It's fine. Sakagami-sensei was there as a witness—I handed the contract to Ryuuen right in front of him."
"Then there shouldn't be any problem."
Horikita nodded and said nothing more.
She probably thought that he had already prepared everything perfectly.
…Sigh, sorry.
However, Hikigaya didn't notice that Matsushita, standing beside him, was giving him a strange look, as if she were deep in thought.
"But with this, we still don't know who will end up getting expelled." Horikita suddenly sighed.
"Originally, Yamauchi-kun was the undisputed best choice, but as Hikigaya-kun pointed out, with Sakayanagi interfering, the outcome has become unpredictable."
"No, that's not necessarily the case."
Since they'd find out tomorrow anyway, Hikigaya decided to give them a little spoiler.
"In the next two days, I'll push Sakayanagi to the point of expulsion. At the very least, I'll completely dismantle her rule over Class B. In other words, whether she intends to have her people vote in favor of Yamauchi or not, by that time, she won't be able to do it anymore."
"…Huh?"
Maybe because the revelation was too shocking, the three girls all wore stunned expressions.
If they doubted him, that was understandable.
But this time, Hikigaya wasn't just talking big.
By tomorrow… No, maybe even tonight, they would understand.
"Hikigaya-kun, what exactly… are you planning?"
For some reason, Horikita's voice sounded cautious.
"It's too much trouble to explain. Just wait and see."
It wasn't that Hikigaya didn't want to tell them—he was just starving.
Now that he had explained everything, they should finally let him leave, right?
However—
Gurgle…
Before Hikigaya could say anything, his stomach answered for him.
The four of them exchanged glances, and for a moment, the room fell into silence.
At that moment, he was infinitely grateful that he was a guy… Wait, no! Even as a guy, this was embarrassing!
"Hehe… Hehehe."
Then, the three girls chuckled in unison.
Ugh… just kill me.
Hikigaya kept a straight face, trying to act indifferent, but his ears, now burning red, betrayed him completely.
But at this point, he couldn't be bothered anymore and hurriedly said, "A-Anyway! If you're all good now, I'm heading back!"
Yet, before he could even take a step, Kushida, standing closest to him, suddenly grabbed his arm.
"Hey, hey, Hachiman~ Your account's frozen, isn't it? How are you planning to get dinner tonight?"
Seriously, this girl was the worst.
Why bring that up now?!