[——Please do not spread or believe in rumors.]
After repeating this three times, Hikigaya finally left the broadcasting room.
Sigh… In the end, I went through with it.
To say he regretted it—well, maybe a little. But it wasn't because of the method he used against Sakayanagi.
This was nothing more than using her own tactics against her.
If Sakayanagi could slip notes into mailboxes and spread rumors everywhere, then there was no reason others couldn't do the same.
…Logically speaking, this should be fair.
Yet, no matter how he looked at it, Hikigaya couldn't bring himself to expect anything good from what would happen next.
It wasn't that he was worried about failure—on the contrary, he was quite confident in his plan.
At this point, Sakayanagi had no way to prove her innocence.
Even if she went to the school or her homeroom teacher for clarification, it wouldn't work.
First of all, the faculty had no obligation to answer the question of who designed this exam. And secondly, they couldn't answer it.
Every special exam was developed through collective discussions involving multiple parties—not just the chairman, homeroom teachers, and subject instructors, but sometimes even input from the student council.
Because of this, if students were given such information, it could lead to lobbying and influencing those who made the decisions.
This was something the school wanted to prevent, so a strict gag order had been put in place.
Moreover, Sakayanagi couldn't simply ignore the rumors.
Doing so would be equivalent to courting disaster.
Under normal circumstances, even if her father had been the one behind this unreasonable exam, the students of Class B might grumble about it internally, but it was unlikely that their resentment would be directly aimed at Sakayanagi.
It would be the same for the other classes—at most, they'd curse her behind her back a little.
After all, setting aside her father's position as chairman, Sakayanagi was the top-ranked student in their year—a certified genius.
When faced with undeniable academic achievements, any accusations would only sound like the whining of sore losers.
But the problem was—Sakayanagi's situation was terrible right now.
On one hand, she had failed to bring her class back to Class A, and their class points had barely increased. The only reason they surpassed Katsuragi's class was because they were simply less terrible.
To put it bluntly, she was merely the tallest among a group of dwarves.
More importantly, just a few days ago, Sakayanagi had launched a despicable attack against Ichinose, one of the most well-liked students in the entire grade.
Yet instead of crushing Ichinose, she ended up making a fool of herself.
Worse still, in the end, her entire class was penalized by losing three months' worth of personal points.
Hikigaya couldn't believe that Class B students weren't harboring resentment over this.
Still, they were supposed to be elites. After weighing the pros and cons, they had chosen to endure. Besides, no one wanted to be the first to stick their neck out.
Sakayanagi originally had a chance to redeem herself—by securing a victory in the next special exam.
That way, she might have been able to regain some control over the class situation.
Unfortunately, this unexpected additional special exam came at the worst possible time.
With all the negative rumors swirling around and her father's scandal adding fuel to the fire, this would be the fatal blow.
Now, Hikigaya had only one thing left to do.
He needed to fan the flames of revenge.
Does the chairman want a first-year student to be expelled? Fine. Then let's have his daughter be the one to drop out.
Once the students of Class B began to entertain this thought, even a genius wouldn't be able to do anything about it.
People who had lost their rationality were blind. They wouldn't think about the consequences.
Even if a handful of students could still keep a clear head, their voices would inevitably be drowned out by the tidal wave of resentment.
Unknowingly, Hikigaya had already arrived at the entrance of Class B's classroom.
Unlike Sakayanagi's underhanded tactics of secretly recruiting Yamauchi and colluding with Nagumo, this time, Hikigaya would defeat that damn white-haired brat fair and square.
…Crap, he was starting to feel nervous.
Even though he had done something similar before, he could never quite get used to it.
"Huh? Hikigaya?"
Just as he was trying to psyche himself up, Kamuro happened to walk out of the classroom.
She was probably heading to the cafeteria.
In any case, they ran into each other head-on… a bit awkward.
Though, it seemed that Hikigaya was the only one feeling awkward. Kamuro greeted him casually.
"What's up? You came to our class for something?"
"…Yeah, I'm looking for someone."
"…Sakayanagi again?"
Kamuro raised an eyebrow, looking unsurprised.
Well, that was the most logical assumption.
Even without Kamuro having witnessed everything firsthand, any student with a brain could tell that Hikigaya's public announcement had been aimed at Sakayanagi. Coming here now was nothing more than kicking someone while they were down.
That said, while Kamuro had guessed his intentions correctly, she had gotten the target wrong.
Hikigaya wasn't here for that petty, scheming little brat.
Whether she was in the classroom or not didn't matter to him.
"No, I'm not looking for Sakayanagi."
"Eh…? Then who?"
"You'll find out soon enough."
With that, Hikigaya brushed past Kamuro and walked straight into Class B's classroom.
…Come to think of it, this brief exchange had helped him steel his resolve. How strange.
Hikigaya wasn't someone who cared much about appearances.
But for some reason, he didn't want to look pathetic in front of Kamuro.
It wasn't like he wanted to look cool, but at the very least, he didn't want to appear weak or indecisive.
"Hey, wait—ugh, seriously."
Kamuro watched, dumbfounded, as Hikigaya strode into the classroom with unwavering determination.
She raised a hand, instinctively wanting to stop him—but in the end, she let it drop.
After all, she hadn't stopped Sakayanagi from doing whatever she wanted.
So, she had no reason to stop Hikigaya, either.
But… was it okay to just let these two keep tearing each other apart?
Though it was just her personal opinion, Kamuro felt that if Sakayanagi got expelled, it would be her fault. The girl would probably even accept her defeat without complaint.
What worried her more was Hikigaya's mental state.
That guy… is going to regret this.
Feeling uneasy, Kamuro quickly followed him inside.
Inside the classroom, things were already underway.
Because of the recent penalties, many Class B students had been bringing homemade lunches to save money, so there were still quite a few people inside during lunchtime.
Yet at this moment, none of them dared to confront Hikigaya, who had entered with an almost provocative air.
Some merely cast sidelong glances at him. Others pretended not to notice, keeping their heads down and chatting idly with their friends.
Even Sakayanagi simply sat at her desk, silently eating her lunch.
The once-busy classroom inevitably fell silent, everyone waiting for Hikigaya to speak.
But he didn't say a word.
Instead, he stepped onto the podium and slowly scanned the room.
Anyone who made eye contact with him instinctively lowered their head, as if afraid of being singled out.
A tense standoff ensued.
The scene was undoubtedly bizarre, yet no one found it surprising.
Ever since the last incident, Class B students had been terrified of this guy.
Sakayanagi, who once held absolute power in her class, had been utterly humiliated by an outsider.
When they thought about what had happened on the deserted island, and the disastrous results of both the Preferential Exam and Paper Shuffle, many had begun to suspect that Hikigaya had played a role in those defeats as well.
Because of that, the once-proud elites of the former Class A were now terrified of making him their enemy.
[T/N: Bro ain't even farming aura at this point, he is generating it! ☠️]
After all, if Sakayanagi couldn't even protect herself—there was no way she could protect them.
And if they had to risk expulsion to stand up for her, well… being a dead fish was the better option.
No matter what, everyone came to this school for the privilege of graduating as a member of Class A. At the very least, they could enjoy the benefits of free tuition and living expenses. Who would risk everything for the sake of a mere brat?
Some students had even started to complain about why Sakayanagi hadn't stepped up yet.
It was obvious that this trouble was meant for her. Stop acting like a turtle hiding in its shell, already.
At the very least, don't drag the rest of us down!
This growing sense of frustration slowly spread throughout the classroom. Noticing this, Sakayanagi let out a quiet sigh and set down her chopsticks.
Her initial plan was to leave Hikigaya hanging for a while and see who would lose patience first.
But just because she could ignore him didn't mean the rest of the class could.
Simply standing there, Hikigaya exuded an immense pressure that weighed on everyone. And now, that pressure was rebounding onto Sakayanagi, the leader of the class.
"What brings you to our class, Hikigaya-kun?"
Sakayanagi's tone was as elegant as ever, as if nothing had happened.
It seemed as though neither the rumors nor the clarifications had affected her in the slightest. And in truth, they hadn't.
However, that wasn't the real issue here.
Sakayanagi should be well aware of that too.
Hikigaya sincerely hoped she had a way to resolve this situation, but all he said was:
"I'm here to see Katsuragi."
"Katsuragi-kun…?"
That unexpected answer made Sakayanagi pause for a moment.
Then, she lightly shook her head. "I'm afraid that's unfortunate. Katsuragi-kun isn't here right now. He's most likely having lunch in the cafeteria."
"I see. Then I'll wait here."
Hikigaya made himself comfortable, showing no intention of leaving.
This was Class B's classroom, but since it was lunchtime, there was no reason for them to kick him out.
Of course, someone was probably already rushing to inform Katsuragi.
That guy would likely hurry over to avoid any unexpected situations… Hikigaya couldn't help but feel a little bad for him.
"I understand. Do as you please."
Sakayanagi said no more and returned to her seat.
Naturally, as long as Hikigaya remained in the room, the atmosphere wouldn't improve. The oppressive silence was akin to a wake.
Eventually, someone couldn't stand it any longer.
"Hey, Hikigaya, don't you think this is a bit much?"
Kamuro looked at him with exasperation. "You're just standing there staring at people. How are they supposed to eat in peace?"
"But I'm not staring at anyone."
Hikigaya scratched the back of his head in confusion before suddenly realizing, "Oh, you mean my dead-fish eyes are ruining their appetites? But that's not really my fa—"
"Idiot! You know that's not what I meant."
Kamuro cut him off irritably, then strode over and grabbed his wrist.
"You always do this, huh? What's with the self-deprecating act… Ugh, whatever. If you're going to wait, at least sit at my desk. Stop making things harder for everyone else."
"Making things harder? But I see someone enjoying their meal just fine."
"Less talking, more moving."
"…Oh."
Seeing that Kamuro was actually a little annoyed, Hikigaya had no choice but to follow her to the back of the classroom.
"Here, sit."
Kamuro pointed to a desk with her name on it.
"You can wait here. I'm sure Katsuragi will be here soon."
"Why is your seat all the way in the back corner? Are you being bullied?"
"What nonsense are you spouting? Seats here are assigned alphabetically."
Now that she mentioned it, that was true. Coincidentally, Hikigaya's seat was also in the last row.
No helping it. The back row is the designated spot for those who lurk in the shadows.
"Stop thinking about weird stuff and just sit down."
"…Huh?"
For some reason, Kamuro seemed to have mind-reading abilities. How did she even know what he was thinking?
To avoid further exposure, Hikigaya quickly emptied his mind and reached a state of nothingness.
Still, he couldn't understand why sitting at a girl's desk made him feel so oddly tense.
Even stranger, Kamuro didn't leave after setting him up. Instead, she plopped herself onto the desk.
…Oi, Kamuro-san?
That's seriously bad manners, you know!
The worst part was that she just sat there in silence, staring blankly at him.
"Um, Kamuro?" Hikigaya couldn't help but break the silence. "Aren't you hungry? Weren't you heading to the cafeteria? You should go before you starve."
"…Have you eaten?" Kamuro countered.
"…Not yet."
"Then let's eat together when you're done."
"Uh…"
Hikigaya was dumbfounded.
Why was Kamuro casually inviting him to eat in front of everyone?!
Did she forget this was Class B's classroom?!
"Uh, actually, I brought my own lunch today." Hikigaya awkwardly admitted.
It wasn't a lie, and in fact, it was a bit of a problem.
This morning, he suddenly received three bento boxes… and the senders were very insistent that he return the containers empty.
…What was this?
Were they trying to stuff him to death?!
Even if he was a growing high school boy, three bentos in one sitting was way too much!
Also, why was Matsushita giving him a bento? She couldn't even cook!
Suspicious, Hikigaya had secretly opened it earlier—only to find a beautifully arranged meal with dishes that a beginner wouldn't be able to prepare so easily.
This completely contradicted Matsushita's supposed skill level…
Wait a minute… did she buy the food and transfer it into a homemade-looking box?
…Never mind. Better not dwell on it.
Just shut up, accept it with gratitude, and move on.
"I see. Next time, then."
Kamuro didn't question it further and simply replied indifferently.
How should he put it… this girl was seriously cool.
Even so, Hikigaya still felt awkward. He made some small talk with Kamuro while waiting—until finally, Katsuragi arrived.
For the first time in his life, Hikigaya had never been so glad to see that bald head.
Before Katsuragi could even say anything, his lackey, Yahiko, scowled and spoke up first.
"Hikigaya, are you here to cause trouble for Katsuragi-san again?!"
For this exam, Katsuragi had already been chosen as the dropout from Class B.
Yahiko had wanted to spend time with him while he still could, so getting interrupted mid-meal made him especially irritable.
"Yahiko, calm down."
Katsuragi gestured for him to be quiet before turning to Hikigaya.
"I heard you were looking for me?"
"Yeah. There's something I want to tell you."
"Then let's talk outside."
"No need. It's nothing that needs to be hidden."
"But—"
"Relax, this won't take long."
Ignoring Katsuragi's hesitation, Hikigaya got straight to the point.
"I have grand gift for you, Katsuragi, I'm here to invite you to join the student council."
"…Huh?"
Not only was Katsuragi stunned, but everyone else in the room was also dumbfounded.
The student council?
Why bring that up now?
Most had assumed that Hikigaya's visit had something to do with the exam.
And in a way, they weren't wrong.