Unlike Class C, which was caught in heated disputes, Class B treated the situation like a routine procedure. Their class meeting ended early without any discussion about the exam.
Since yesterday, apart from Yahiko, who was tirelessly rallying votes against Sakayanagi, everyone else had been avoiding the topic altogether.
After all, this wasn't something they could take pride in.
While Hikigaya had thoroughly ignited the entire grade's hostility toward Sakayanagi, Class B was, at its core, an elite group.
Of course, that didn't mean their moral standards were necessarily higher than others. They simply knew how to suppress their emotions and maintain a sense of decorum.
The students who once surrounded Sakayanagi were nowhere to be seen.
There was no need for loud accusations—actions spoke louder than words.
For that reason, most of them had already decided to cast a critical vote against Sakayanagi, and at the same time, they found Yahiko's lack of awareness irritating.
He'd probably end up receiving a critical vote himself.
Additionally, many had expected Sakayanagi to take some kind of action, but she remained eerily calm throughout the day. She attended classes as usual and did nothing out of the ordinary, even as the class meeting concluded.
When the dismissal bell rang, even Kamuro didn't walk back with her like usual. Instead, she picked up her bag and left the classroom alone.
Watching Sakayanagi quietly pack her things by herself, many students felt a sense of unease.
Even her closest ally had abandoned her… This was over.
Some who had hoped for a dramatic comeback from Sakayanagi felt a twinge of disappointment, but at the same time, they acknowledged that this outcome was inevitable.
Not only was she losing ground within the class, but her situation in the entire school was worsening.
Other students had already started whispering behind her back in the hallways.
Online forums were filled with thinly veiled insults directed at her.
For an ordinary person, enduring this humiliation and dropping out would just be a matter of time.
Although Sakayanagi likely didn't care about such things, even if she stubbornly stayed, there was no way she could regain her former prestige.
For someone like her, who refused to live beneath others, this was an unacceptable reality.
Rather than enduring such humiliation, it would be better to leave on her terms—it would at least preserve some dignity.
As the class quietly speculated about what would happen next, a student suddenly took action.
However, her movements didn't attract any attention.
Instead of approaching the storm's center—Sakayanagi—she left the classroom to chase after someone else.
"Kamuro-san, may I have a moment of your time?"
"Yamamura… What do you want?"
Kamuro looked at Yamamura, who had jogged up to her, with mild surprise. Then, her expression quickly turned indifferent.
"If you're here to talk about Sakayanagi, you've got the wrong person."
"And why would you assume that?" Yamamura asked softly.
"Don't play dumb." Kamuro frowned in irritation. "You're one of Sakayanagi's people, pretending to be neutral on the surface."
"No. From my perspective, I truly consider myself neutral."
"Hah? Cut the crap. You were under Sakayanagi's thumb from the start… No, more like you were planted by her as a pawn, weren't you?"
"Uh…" Yamamura fell silent for a moment before suddenly smiling.
"Kamuro-san, you know… I've always felt a sense of camaraderie with you."
"…What?"
"I mean it."
Ignoring Kamuro's dumbfounded look, Yamamura continued matter-of-factly, "Every time I see you being bossed around by Sakayanagi, I think to myself, 'We're both errand runners, aren't we?' That thought alone makes me feel a strange kind of closeness to you. Don't you agree?"
"You've got to be kidding me!"
Kamuro nearly shouted in frustration.
She hated people bringing up how she always ran errands for Sakayanagi.
But before she could snap further, Yamamura smiled again.
"Heh, I was just joking. You looked a little down, so I wanted to chat. If I upset you, I apologize."
She even bowed slightly after saying that.
"…Hmph." Kamuro stared at her for a moment before sighing in exasperation. "What's your deal…? What do you want from me?"
"Nothing much. I just saw that you looked exhausted and thought we could talk."
"What the hell? You're not the kind of person who worries about others."
"Yeah… I suppose it's not my place to do something like this. I'm well aware of that."
Yamamura suddenly spoke in a self-deprecating tone, which caught Kamuro off guard.
She had always assumed Yamamura was distant, like an untouchable figure.
Yet, she had such a low opinion of herself.
"But as I said, I truly consider myself neutral." Yamamura's voice was soft yet firm. "I know I'm not particularly useful, but I still want to contribute to the class however I can. Right now, the only person capable of leading us to victory is Sakayanagi. That's why I agreed to support her."
Kamuro was silent for a moment before speaking.
"You don't think Katsuragi can do it?"
"Katsuragi-kun is an excellent student, but…"
Yamamura hesitated slightly.
"But what?" Kamuro pressed impatiently.
"…But when it comes to class competition, his abilities aren't enough." Yamamura finally admitted. "I don't mean to discredit his efforts—I don't have the right to do so—but the reality is that when facing the leaders of other classes, he has too many shortcomings. Even against Ichinose from Class A, he doesn't have a significant advantage."
"So you're saying even Ryuuen is harder to deal with than Ichinose?"
"…At least, given our class's current situation, I think so. But don't mind me—I'm just rambling."
While Ichinose's class was known for their unity, at the end of the day, they were just playing the "good friends" game.
That kind of so-called unity only ensured that their class wouldn't collapse in tough situations. It didn't mean they could magically perform at twice their actual strength.
This wasn't some Shonen manga.
Just like during Paper Shuffle, Class A simply couldn't outperform Class B in scores. No amount of friendship could change that.
Of course, it wasn't entirely meaningless either.
The incident with Ichinose proved that—despite her past shoplifting being exposed, her classmates still accepted her.
In contrast, Class B, just because of a few rumors and personal points, had chosen to abandon Sakayanagi under Hikigaya's influence.
If this were Class A, such betrayal would be unthinkable.
On the other hand, as long as other classes could maintain stability and push toward "graduating as Class A," Ichinose's unity wouldn't be a real advantage.
"Anyway, forget all that." Kamuro frowned. "What's with you? You talked so much in the class meeting the other day, but now you're acting all awkward in private?"
"That's because… I determined I had to do so at that time."
Yamamura lowered her head slightly, seemingly embarrassed.
"I know there's tension between Katsuragi-kun and Sakayanagi-san, but they are both valuable to our class. That's why I decided…"
"You decided to play the bad guy and vote for Totsuka?" Kamuro finished her sentence.
Logically speaking, there shouldn't have been a problem with that.
Totsuka Miyahiko was weak and had only harmed the class. If someone pointed it out, the others would naturally follow suit.
But Yamamura had underestimated Katsuragi's loyalty to his friends.
"…I think I failed."
"Why are you apologizing to me?"
Kamuro sighed, rubbing her forehead.
"Listen, you came to the wrong person. I'm not going to convince Sakayanagi to do anything. She's the one who gave up, and I never planned to help her in the first place."
"But… Kamuro-san, aren't you and Sakayanagi-san friends?" Yamamura asked hesitantly.
"Hmph! Who said I'm with her… Even if we're friends, some things are just impossible."
Halfway through her sentence, Kamuro hesitated slightly, adjusting her wording, but the conclusion remained unchanged.
"Besides, it's not like Sakayanagi necessarily has a solution, right? Or… have you thought of something?"
"I'm sorry, but with my abilities, I can't do anything."
"Then just let it be. Sakayanagi probably understands this too, which is why she plans to leave quietly."
At this point, Kamuro felt a tinge of regret for losing her temper yesterday.
She realized that from the moment Hikigaya struck back, Sakayanagi must have understood who the class would target to vent their emotions.
When consumed by anger, no words would reach them.
Understanding this, Sakayanagi likely chose not to resist at all.
At this stage, doing anything in class would be utterly meaningless.
"But… that's not right," Yamamura hesitated for a long moment before finally gathering the courage to speak. "Kamuro-san, I want to ask you to persuade Sakayanagi-san to use her private points to buy praise votes from Class A. As long as she gets twenty votes, she can avoid expulsion."
"It's useless," Kamuro slowly shook her head.
"Why? If it's an issue of not having enough points, I can contribute all of mine."
"…That's not the problem."
Seeing Yamamura's anxious expression, Kamuro sighed and revealed the truth.
"You went to the student council to report on Sakayanagi under her orders, didn't you? Do you know why the student council president agreed to cooperate? One of the key factors in Sakayanagi convincing him involved Class A… Even if we set that aside, do you think Sakayanagi would ever bow her head to Ichinose? She'd rather die than do that."
"So… to put it bluntly, Sakayanagi-san has already been completely stepped on. She has no dignity left."
"…You sure have a sharp tongue," Kamuro couldn't help but retort.
"I'm just stating the facts," Yamamura persisted, refusing to give up. "Since there's no reputation left to protect, wouldn't it be better to stay and find a way to make a comeback rather than leave in disgrace? Kamuro-san, could you try convincing her with these words?"
"Why don't you do it yourself?"
"Because I'm insignificant—Sakayanagi-san wouldn't listen to me."
"You are…"
Kamuro clutched her head, sighing in exasperation.
"That should be my line. Sakayanagi doesn't listen to everything I say. The times she does are rare. Besides, her attitude toward Hikigaya and Ichinose is completely different. There's no way she'd seek help from someone she looks down on."
"This isn't seeking help—it's a transaction."
"That argument won't work."
"Which is exactly why I'm asking for your help, Kamuro-san," Yamamura suggested. "From the way you talk, it seems like Sakayanagi only sees Hikigaya-kun in a different light. Could you use him as a breakthrough?"
"…Are you kidding me?" Kamuro's face immediately turned cold.
Yamamura, unfazed by her reaction, continued speaking. "Hikigaya-kun also used a transaction to obtain praise votes from Class C. If that counts as seeking help, doesn't that mean Hikigaya-kun bowed down to Ryuuen-kun?"
"Eh…?"
"If even Hikigaya-kun, who defeated Sakayanagi-san, had to do something like that to avoid expulsion, then wouldn't it be easier for Sakayanagi-san, as the one who lost, to justify doing the same?"
Yamamura remained unaware of Kamuro's surprise and kept explaining her thoughts.
— If Sakayanagi-san's only concern was her pride, then using Hikigaya-kun's case as an example might persuade her.
She hoped Kamuro would understand this.
"Wait, wait—hold on a second."
Suddenly, Kamuro forcefully interrupted.
"Did you just say… Hikigaya traded for Class C's praise votes?"
"Yes." Yamamura nodded firmly. "Hikigaya-kun told me himself. He said he exchanged Class C's contract for Katsuragi-kun's contract and praise votes. I don't think he would lie about that."
"I see…"
From a value standpoint, it was a fair exchange, so Yamamura firmly believed it to be true.
However, Kamuro's expression turned strange.
Noticing this, Yamamura asked in confusion, "Is something wrong? Did I say something off?"
"…It's nothing."
Leaving those words behind, Kamuro abruptly turned and walked away.
Yamamura hurriedly called after her. "Wait, Kamuro-san! You haven't told me—"
"If you want to say it, say it yourself." Kamuro suddenly turned back, her expression firm. "Yamamura, you're part of the class too. If you don't want Sakayanagi to be expelled, then go and tell her yourself."
"But I—"
"No buts. If you can't say it, that's your problem."
"…You're right. Sorry… I pushed too much."
Ignoring Yamamura, who lowered her head, Kamuro quickly left the scene.
Yet, after turning a corner, she hesitated and stopped.
After a brief moment of contemplation, she pulled out her phone and sent a message.
—
"Art room… art room… Ah, here it is."
After school, Hikigaya suddenly received a message calling him to the art room.
He originally planned to ignore it, but since the sender was Kamuro… and considering that they might not meet again in the future, he decided to go after some thought.
Besides, he was a little curious about why she suddenly called him there—especially to the art room.
Although he knew Kamuro was a member of the art club, he never really associated her with it.
Come to think of it… was she one of those so-called ghost members?
Forget about an outsider like Hikigaya—even if Kamuro walked into the club, would anyone recognize her? That would be awkward…
No, no, no way would actually happen.
…Probably.
With unease, Hikigaya pulled open the art room door.
"Excuse me."
However, the person who greeted him wasn't Kamuro. There wasn't a single student inside—only a beautiful teacher in a white coat.
"Oh my, you're not a club member, are you? Could it be you're here to apply?"
If he wasn't mistaken, she was the club's advisor.
Her enthusiasm felt almost like a sales pitch…
"No, um… Is Kamuro here? She called me over."
"Kamuro?"
The beautiful teacher tapped her chin in confusion.
…Wait, don't tell me she doesn't know who Kamuro is?!
Just as Hikigaya felt a wave of secondhand embarrassment coming on, the teacher suddenly clapped her hands in realization.
"Oh! Do you mean the girl with purple hair? She looks so cool—I was wondering if she had any friends, but it turns out she does… Hehe, and a boy, no less."
"Uh, it's not like that…"
"Oh, no need to be shy."
What do you mean, "no need to be shy"…? Why do female teachers always seem so nosy?!
Thankfully, at that moment, Kamuro walked out of the back room. "Why are you just standing there? Come in already."
"O-Oh… The teacher was talking to me."
"Ignore her."
Without hesitation, Kamuro grabbed Hikigaya's wrist and dragged him inside.
The teacher, instead of being offended by the rudeness, placed a hand on her cheek with an amused sigh.
"Ah, this is youth. Kamuro-san is quite capable too. A male friend? Or a boyfriend? I'm not sure yet, but at least now I feel a little relieved."
"…You're so annoying."
"Hehehe, well then, I'll leave you two alone. Don't forget to lock the door, okay?"
With that, the teacher left the art room…
What the heck was with that weird atmosphere?
A brief silence fell between them before Kamuro finally spoke.
"D-Don't take her words seriously."
Kamuro turned her head away slightly. From the side, Hikigaya could see a faint blush on her face.
"That teacher is always like that—constantly joking around with students, never serious about anything."
"Oh…"
It seemed like Kamuro was quite familiar with her. That was unexpected.
Hikigaya had assumed she was just a ghost member, but apparently, she participated in club activities.
Well, that made sense. Even if she usually stuck around Sakayanagi, she couldn't be with her every second of the day. She had to have time for herself.
That said, this club didn't seem to have many members. Even though tomorrow was the weekend, Kamuro was the only one here.
…Were all art kids extroverts?
"Anyway, come with me. There's something I want to show you."
Saying that Kamuro led Hikigaya toward the back of the room, where various paintings were displayed.
Was she about to show him her work? That was kind of exciting.
But just as they were halfway there, she suddenly stopped.
As Hikigaya wondered what was wrong, Kamuro lowered her head and, in a barely audible voice, asked, "Hey, Hikigaya… Can I ask you something?"
"What?"
"For this exam… are you planning to drop out?"