Just like that, Yahiko inexplicably became the victim of this exam.
Though calling him a "victim" wasn't entirely accurate—strictly speaking, no one had intentionally set him up.
The only person remotely involved was Hikigaya, but he had never called for Class B to vote against Yahiko.
Rather than blaming someone else, he should blame his own lack of popularity.
In the end, Yahiko was the only one left to suffer.
"Totsuka… I'll take you to the office first. I'll handle your luggage later."
Hiding the pain of losing a student, Mashima-sensei spoke in a calm tone, arranging the necessary follow-ups.
He wasn't one for words of comfort, so he simply did what he could to make Yahiko feel a little better.
"Uh…" Yahiko dumbly nodded in response, seemingly still in shock.
And it wasn't just him—everyone else was equally shaken by the outcome.
Especially those who had received a considerable number of votes against them—each of them was left with lingering fear.
Had things gone slightly differently, it might not have been Yahiko who was expelled, but one of them instead.
Aside from that, there was another pressing concern for Class B students.
Naturally, it was about Hikigaya's so-called "satisfying result."
The moment Mashima-sensei left the classroom with Yahiko, everyone began chattering anxiously.
Their biggest fear was that Hikigaya might try to backtrack or play with words.
However, a single action soon silenced the entire room.
Katsuragi, without a word, walked straight to Sakayanagi's desk. His furious eyes locked onto her, his expression dark enough to drip with malice.
Seeing this, Hashimoto and Kito hurriedly stood up, preparing to intervene—just in case things turned violent.
Hashimoto, at first, had no intention of getting involved. He knew Katsuragi wasn't the type to resort to violence, and even if he did, it had nothing to do with him.
After all, the one getting hit would be Sakayanagi.
Just a few days ago, Hashimoto had even considered distancing himself from her to avoid getting dragged into trouble.
But who would have thought that Sakayanagi wouldn't be expelled? And worse… well, whatever the case, now that things had turned out this way, Hashimoto Justice was once again the loyal knight of his princess!
"Katsuragi-kun, is there something you need?"
Sakayanagi's expression remained unchanged as she asked, as if completely oblivious to his hostility.
"…I just want to ask you one thing." Katsuragi took a deep breath. "Was this all planned between you and Hikigaya?"
"Planned? Are you suggesting we deliberately had Totsuka-kun expelled?" Sakayanagi chuckled, her tone laced with disdain.
The implication was crystal clear.
—As if someone like him was even worth it?
Katsuragi, of course, understood. In fact, he had expected it.
He had only asked because he simply couldn't let it go.
If this had been Sakayanagi's scheme from the start, at least he would have a reason to hate her. But now… even he didn't know what to do.
Fortunately, she immediately gave him a reason.
"Katsuragi-kun, I know you're upset, but don't be." Sakayanagi mockingly consoled him. "As Totsuka-kun's friend, it's clear you didn't want him to leave. But you should look at it from another perspective. From the standpoint of a class leader, keeping Totsuka-kun offered no benefit to Class B. Using this exam to remove an unnecessary student should actually be something to celebrate."
"…I withdrew from the leadership competition long ago."
Katsuragi clenched his fists, resisting the urge to punch her.
But Sakayanagi, as always, kept talking.
"If you want to blame someone, you're mistaken. I was practically forced out of power, and Hikigaya-kun never showed any hostility toward Totsuka-kun. If you don't believe me, ask the others."
"…I know that."
"So cheer up, Katsuragi-kun. Think of this as a small stroke of luck—at least none of the more useful students were expelled."
Sometimes, Sakayanagi's words were infuriating beyond belief.
Even worse, no matter how much Katsuragi thought about it, he couldn't argue back.
Ignoring their friendship, he really couldn't say Yahiko was more capable than the others—especially considering the trouble he had caused before.
With a wounded heart, Katsuragi lowered his head and left the classroom, needing some time to think.
Sakayanagi, on the other hand, felt thoroughly refreshed after verbally tormenting her classmate.
Heh. Katsuragi-kun really is similar to Ichinose.
No wonder bullying them is so therapeutic.
Just as she was basking in her amusement, Hashimoto spoke up in a deliberately flattering tone.
"My, my. As expected of our princess, rendering Katsuragi speechless with just a few words. You really do see things more clearly than anyone else in our class."
He was testing the waters.
After all, with things unfolding as they had, nobody knew what would happen to Class B next.
Sakayanagi had nearly been voted out by her own classmates. While they could all pretend it never happened, certain things were difficult to overlook.
Some wounds didn't heal so easily.
Unfortunately for Hashimoto, Sakayanagi only smiled.
"Kito-kun, Hashimoto-kun, I truly appreciate your support during all of this."
"It was nothing. Just doing what I should," Hashimoto quickly waved it off.
He wasn't stupid. He knew there was more to her words.
But then again, a wise bird chooses the best tree to nest in.
Sakayanagi understood that principle well.
And she knew Hashimoto was the type to shift allegiance when convenient—so she didn't hold it against him.
The trust had never been part of the equation anyway.
Their relationship was purely one of mutual benefit.
"More importantly, I'd like to hear your thoughts on something." Sakayanagi suddenly smiled playfully. "Regarding this exam, what do you two think about me and Hikigaya-kun?"
"…Think about what?"
Kito looked confused.
"Oh, I just mean… don't you think we're a good match? Of course, I'm only referring to our strategies in this exam."
Her attempt at clarification only made it more suspicious.
But Hashimoto wasn't even paying attention to that.
Good match…?
Even someone as smooth as Hashimoto nearly broke his polite smile, his lips twitching uncontrollably.
Seriously? A good match?
Well, in terms of being absolute lunatics, maybe.
Hikigaya's actions, in particular, left him speechless.
After going through so much effort…
Just to scare Sakayanagi?
Then why didn't he just scare him instead?
For free!
Thinking about the two contracts Hikigaya sacrificed—contracts worth millions—Hashimoto felt a deep, painful sting in his chest.
Not even his own money, yet he still felt the loss.
Seriously, what was wrong with Hikigaya? Wouldn't squeezing every last point out of their classmates have been the smarter move?
By graduation, he could have accumulated tens of millions!
Why throw it all away for some ridiculous stunt?!
To Hashimoto, graduating from Class A was his only goal.
That's why he had always hedged his bets—maintaining good ties with strong figures like Kanzaki, Ryuuen, and Ayanokoji.
But none of them could compare to Hikigaya.
They had the potential to lead their classes to Class A.
But Hikigaya?
He already had the power to send someone there.
They weren't even in the same league.
Rather than gambling on an uncertain future, wouldn't following Hikigaya be the smarter choice?
Of course, lackey didn't sound great.
Let's call it follower or partner instead.
And yet, despite such a golden opportunity…
Hikigaya and Sakayanagi played around and wasted it?
"Sigh, you two really have no sense of fun."
Sakayanagi sighed melodramatically and even started fangirling. "As expected, Hikigaya-kun is the most interesting… Hehe, what do you think his reaction would be if we met face to face?"
"He'd probably be overjoyed," Hashimoto couldn't help but add sarcastically.
Whether he'd be happy or not was debatable, but things would take a turn for the worse.
Sakayanagi seemed oblivious, looking delighted with the response, nodding in satisfaction.
Sakayanagi acted as if she didn't notice anything unusual. She seemed very pleased with this response, nodding in satisfaction.
One could only say—shamelessness truly made one invincible.
"Hey, come with me for a moment."
At that moment, a cold voice suddenly came from the side.
Hashimoto and Kito turned their heads to look and found that it was Kamuro. Moreover, Kamuro did not look happy at all.
Both of them were tactful enough to quickly pat their backsides and leave.
But Sakayanagi wasn't so considerate. She continued to tease as usual, "What's wrong, Masumi-san? You seem to be in quite the bad mood today."
"Cut the nonsense and just follow me."
"Alright, alright, of course, I'll obediently come with you, Ma-su-mi—"
"Ugh…" The way she stretched out those last syllables made Kamuro frown.
For some reason… it sounded a little strange.
But now wasn't the time to dwell on that. The two of them left the classroom, and under Kamuro's lead, they arrived at a deserted corner of the hallway. Without another word, Kamuro took out her phone and held the screen up for Sakayanagi to see.
"Explain. What is the meaning of this?"
"Hmm? What do you mean?" Sakayanagi tilted her head, feigning innocence.
"Don't play dumb with me." Kamuro's impatience was evident. "I'm asking why you transferred your points to me. And not just a small amount—two million points? Have you lost your mind?"
At the mention of that number, an inexplicable emotion welled up inside her.
She had only received the transfer notification a minute before the voting exam began.
She had wanted to question Sakayanagi immediately, but at that moment, Mashima-sensei had already stepped into the classroom, so she had to put it off.
She initially thought Sakayanagi had decided to drop out and left her the points as a parting gift. But the way things turned out afterward… left Kamuro completely baffled.
"Hehe, isn't it obvious?"
Sakayanagi let out a soft chuckle, responding in a way that was guaranteed to be infuriating.
"Since I was leaving anyway, keeping the points wouldn't serve much purpose, so I decided to gift them to you, Masumi-san."
"Cut the crap." Kamuro's frown deepened. "At this point, what's the point of pretending? You must have planned something in the background."
"Unfortunately, I haven't."
"Then how could this…?"
"If I had to make a comparison, I suppose Hikigaya-kun and I are like the protagonists in The Gift of the Magi."
Sakayanagi deliberately used this somewhat far-fetched analogy, just to get a reaction out of Kamuro.
As she eagerly awaited Kamuro's response, Kamuro simply scratched the back of her head and pretended to stay calm. "Oh, so you mean Magi? That expensive gift story, right…? Hmm, I see."
"…Masumi-san."
"W-what?"
"If you have time, perhaps I should tutor you in literature?"
"…Please do."
Although it was a bit embarrassing to admit… no, wait!
Kamuro suddenly snapped back to reality, her face flushing with frustration. "Who asked for your help?! Besides, you no longer have anything on me, so do whatever you want—it has nothing to do with me! And take your dirty money back!"
"Hehe, don't be so heartless."
Sakayanagi maintained her usual smile, tapping her cane as she closed the distance between them.
"After all, I helped 'Masumi' protect her precious 'Hachiman' from being expelled. That alone proves I'm your dear friend, doesn't it? So don't be so stingy."
"Who's your friend… Wait a minute?!"
Kamuro suddenly turned to look at her.
Her expression was a mix of shock and disbelief.
"What the hell are you talking about?!"
"Oh, my? Did I say something wrong?" Sakayanagi lightly covered her mouth, though she couldn't quite hide the amusement in her eyes. "Yesterday, in the art clubroom, weren't you two calling each other 'Masumi' and 'Hachiman' so affectionately? Hehe, just listening to it gave me goosebumps."
"Y-you-you—you—!"
Kamuro trembled as she pointed at Sakayanagi, her face turning red at a visible speed.
"You were eavesdropping?!"
"I wasn't~ I just happened to be standing outside the door," Sakayanagi replied with an air of righteousness.
"You… I… Wahhh!"
The usually cool and composed Kamuro suddenly collapsed, crouching down and burying her face in her knees.
Just to be clear—this was merely an ostrich-like reflex.
"Hehehe, I never expected Masumi-san to have such a girlish side."
Sakayanagi laughed heartily, reaching out to pat Kamuro's head. "But it's still a bit early, you know? You'll probably be seeing Hikigaya-kun soon. It's not too late to start blushing then."
"Uuuuu…"
Hearing that, Kamuro let out an incomprehensible groan.
That was the last thing she wanted to deal with right now.
"Well… whatever, I won't bother anymore."
Seeing Kamuro remain silent, Sakayanagi shrugged, as if giving up.
Then she stretched out her hand. "But since you insist on returning my points, I'll accept them. Please lend me your phone for a moment."
"Hmph… Take it."
Kamuro didn't think much of it at first, tossing the phone over without even looking.
But after some time passed and the phone wasn't returned, she suddenly felt something was off. She quickly raised her head.
"Hey, Sakayanagi! What exactly are you doing with my phone?!"
"I'm transferring the points back. What else?"
Sakayanagi replied matter-of-factly.
Just as Kamuro was about to breathe a sigh of relief, she heard Sakayanagi add, "Oh, and I also scheduled a meeting with Hikigaya-kun at the special building."
"AH!!!"
That completely sent Kamuro into a panic. She practically leaped forward, snatching her phone back from Sakayanagi.
"You little—what have you done?! Cancel it! Cancel it now!"
"Hehe, too bad, it's already marked as read." Sakayanagi was laughing so hard she almost bent over. "Really, I never thought Masumi-san had such a rich emotional side. But it's fine, just go meet Hikigaya-kun. And then, like a tragic heroine—oh, I mean, become lovers."
"Shut up! I have my own pace! Mind your own damn business!"
Kamuro shouted at the top of her lungs before dashing away at full speed, as if she couldn't take it anymore.
Watching her retreating figure, Sakayanagi chuckled to herself. "Oh dear, it seems I went a bit too far teasing her. But what can I do? A flustered Masumi-san is just too rare—I couldn't help myself."
In any case, a certain mischievous white-haired girl showed no signs of remorse.
"But since Masumi-san won't be showing up… I suppose I'll take her place. Hehehe, I've been wanting to meet Hikigaya-kun myself."
And besides, regarding this exam… there was still much to discuss.
Ten minutes later, Sakayanagi got her wish—she was greeted by Hikigaya's thoroughly unamused expression.