"Good day, Hikigaya-kun."
"Uh…" Seeing Sakayanagi standing before him with her usual mischievous smile, Hikigaya didn't even have the energy to be annoyed or argue. He just felt utterly exhausted.
He had mentally prepared himself to face Kamuro, but… the one who showed up was this little troublemaker instead?
Why did things turn out like this?!
To make matters worse, seeing Sakayanagi now also made him feel awkward—though a different kind of awkwardness compared to Kamuro.
…No choice, then.
He had to use that method.
"I'm heading back."
"Hehe, I knew you'd say that."
As if anticipating this outcome, Sakayanagi chuckled while reaching out to grab Hikigaya's sleeve.
Unfortunately for her, Hikigaya had also anticipated her move, sidestepping swiftly to avoid her grasp.
Hmph, don't underestimate my reflexes!
However, just as he was about to feel a sense of triumph, Sakayanagi—perhaps using too much force—lost her balance and tumbled forward.
"Oi?!"
Hikigaya's body tensed instinctively, and before he could think, he rushed forward to catch her.
It was a bit clumsy, but at least he managed to stop her from falling flat on the ground. Carefully, he helped her regain her balance.
Phew—good thing I reacted fast. Otherwise… huh?
Just as he was about to breathe a sigh of relief, Hikigaya suddenly felt a tight grip on his sleeve.
Looking down, he saw Sakayanagi's small hand clutching his sleeve firmly, her face adorned with a sly, fox-like grin.
…Why does this feel oddly familiar?
"Hehe, you fell for it again, 'Hayama'-kun."
"…Seriously?"
Hearing that name made Hikigaya pause for a moment before letting out a wry chuckle.
Almost unconsciously, memories from the past resurfaced.
Has it really been almost a year already? Feels like it all happened just yesterday.
And yet… this girl still hasn't learned her lesson.
"You know, can you not do things like this next time?" Hikigaya sighed, exasperated. "What if I hadn't reacted in time? This isn't something to joke about."
"No need to worry. This is just an everyday occurrence for me. I've fallen countless times since I was little—I've built up a resistance to it."
Sakayanagi smiled as she spoke, as if discussing someone else's misfortune instead of her own.
That… made Hikigaya feel a bit conflicted.
"Besides, this time was a genuine accident. Thanks to you, I was saved, Hikigaya-kun."
With that, Sakayanagi finally let go of his sleeve and gave a small nod of appreciation.
…Seriously, I can't win against her.
"Fine, fine. So? You went out of your way to trick me into coming here—what do you really want to talk about?"
Faced with this scheming loli, Hikigaya decided to just get to the point.
"Hehe, 'trick' is such a harsh word, don't you think?" Sakayanagi chuckled. "Actually, I wanted to ask you about the hidden aspects of this exam."
"…Boring. Nothing worth talking about." Hikigaya averted his gaze.
Right now, this was the last topic he wanted to discuss.
Seeing his reaction, Sakayanagi's smile only deepened. "Don't be so cold. Besides, I know what you did—despite saying otherwise, you skillfully manipulated the students of Class D and got them to vote for me in the praise poll, didn't you?"
"Don't be ridiculous. It wasn't me."
"A simple question to any Class D student would confirm it, you know? You can't deny it forever."
"Ugh…"
Even though Hikigaya didn't want to admit it, as Sakayanagi pointed out, there was no real way to refute it either.
Sigh… sigh… sigh… sigh…
The more he thought about it, the more he couldn't help but let out another long sigh.
Seriously—this was a problem he never should have had to deal with in the first place!
"But… speaking of which."
Receiving so many praise votes from others, even though it's just meddlesome behavior, it still makes one feel… a little happy, right?
…Tch!
Like hell Hachiman would be happy!
"And what about you?" Hikigaya grew increasingly annoyed and immediately retorted, "Those guys in your class inexplicably voted for me—you're the one behind this, aren't you?"
Unfortunately, he forgot for a moment who he was dealing with.
"Yes, it was me."
Sakayanagi nodded cheerfully without the slightest hesitation, a mischievous smile playing on her lips. "After all, I've caused you a lot of trouble, Hikigaya-kun. So before I leave, I thought I'd make up for it a little. But… it seems someone else had the same idea as me. Hehe, is this what they call a meeting of minds?"
"Ugh…!"
Even though it wasn't his first time witnessing this, Hikigaya was still taken aback every time.
Why can you say something like that with a straight face?!
"A-Anyway, this has nothing to do with me."
Seeing that he was about to lose the exchange, Hikigaya decided not to dwell on the consequences.
After all, there was no way this annoying white-haired girl would go out and verify it now!
"I have no idea why Class D voted for you. If I had to guess… maybe they suddenly awakened to a love for lolis?"
"Uh…" Sakayanagi didn't react much to that statement. She simply took a few steps forward with her cane, once again closing the distance between them.
Eh? Isn't this a little too close?
Just as Hikigaya was starting to feel uneasy, he noticed a faint vein twitching on Sakayanagi's forehead.
"Hikigaya-kun."
"Y-Yes…?"
"If you dare say something like that again, I'll scream harassment, okay?"
"Why?!"
Or rather, isn't that too much of a leap in topic?!
Before he could protest, Sakayanagi puffed up her cheeks and complained, "I've said this many times already—I'm a high school girl, not a little kid!"
"Uh, yeah, I know that." Hikigaya scratched his head, unsure how to respond.
So, Sakayanagi-chan…
The fact that you have to keep emphasizing that kinda proves the opposite, you know?
"Hikigaya-kun, I don't care if you're trying to get me expelled, but you absolutely must not turn into someone like Kouenji-kun!" Sakayanagi warned him seriously.
"…You're not really in a position to criticize others."
In terms of eccentricity, these two were pretty much equal.
The only difference was in their approach, which made them seem different to others.
But in the end, they were both just bored with too much time on their hands!
Tap… tap…
At that moment, faint footsteps echoed from the stairwell.
Hikigaya turned toward the sound and found that it was none other than Ayanokoji.
This was the third floor of the Special Teaching Building. The exam had ended, and most students had already gone home. There was no reason for anyone to be here.
In other words, he was called here by Sakayanagi too…?
"Hikigaya… did Sakayanagi call you here as well?" Ayanokoji asked the same question.
"No."
Sensing impending trouble, Hikigaya's brain immediately went into warning mode, and he shook his head without hesitation.
"I just happened to be passing by. Since you two have something to talk about, I'll just—Ow, what the hell?!"
Before he could finish his sentence, Sakayanagi reached out and pinched his cheek hard.
"Hehehe, Hikigaya-kun, you really like to joke around, don't you?"
"I'm not joking!"
"Alright, alright, let's put the jokes aside for now." Sakayanagi smoothly transitioned the topic. "Since Ayanokoji-kun is here, do you remember what I told you before? This exam was designed as a stage to force you into expulsion… Though, thanks to Hikigaya-kun, everything ended up in chaos."
Hearing this, Hikigaya immediately sensed danger and quickly interrupted, "Sakayanagi, stop talking nonsense! W-Why would anyone want Ayanokoji to be expelled? He's such a g-great guy!"
"Uh…" Ayanokoji's expression turned rather complicated.
Sakayanagi, on the other hand, gave Hikigaya a strange look. "Hikigaya-kun, saying that… doesn't it make you feel uncomfortable?"
"…A little nauseous."
There was no helping it—his dislike for Ayanokoji was real.
But why did Sakayanagi suddenly bring this up? Had she received some sort of message?
As Hikigaya pondered, Sakayanagi took out her phone. "To get to the point, someone actually sent me a message, asking me to force Ayanokoji-kun into expulsion."
"A message?"
"Yes, most likely from the people responsible for forcing my father to step down. Originally, in this additional exam, votes from other classes weren't supposed to be praise votes but rather critical votes. That would have made it an incredibly unfair test."
As she spoke, Sakayanagi once again cast an intentional glance at Hikigaya.
It was obvious.
"I was planning to retaliate slightly, but due to certain circumstances, I ended up completely powerless toward the end. So, I figured the opposition wouldn't rely solely on me. After all, there are even more capable first-years who could accomplish this goal."
"I see."
The hint was too obvious for Ayanokoji, and he immediately turned a meaningful gaze toward Hikigaya.
"Why are you both looking at me?"
Hikigaya had initially planned to play dumb, but under their combined stares, he felt too uncomfortable and gave in.
"Fine, I did receive a message telling me to get Ayanokoji expelled. But I just treated it as a scam message and deleted it. That's all I know."
"So I was right—Hikigaya-kun was contacted too."
Sakayanagi sounded neither surprised nor disappointed. To her, this was completely expected.
In this exam, if someone wanted to get Ayanokoji expelled, Hikigaya was undoubtedly the easiest target to manipulate.
To outsiders, he also had the apparent motive.
"If you just wanted to warn Ayanokoji, can I leave now?" Hikigaya yawned out of boredom.
He had barely slept last night. All he wanted now was to go home and take a nap.
"Don't be so hasty." Sakayanagi smiled. "I just wanted to ask—what kind of deal did they offer you?"
"…A deal?"
"Yes. For me, they promised ten million points."
"W-Wait a second!" Hikigaya suddenly became agitated, cutting Sakayanagi off.
"You're saying you could have gotten ten million? They offered you ten million private points?!"
"Yes. What about you, Hikigaya-kun?" Sakayanagi asked curiously.
"Th-they… I… I didn't read it carefully before deleting it. Either way, I wasn't interested in participating in such a ridiculous scheme."
After a long pause, Hikigaya still couldn't bring himself to tell the truth.
Mostly because he was pissed off.
Why did Sakayanagi get ten million while he got absolutely nothing?!
Not only that, but they expected him to do the work for free.
This was blatant discrimination!
"Well, well, good day to you all."
Just as Hikigaya was cursing Tsukishiro in his mind, the man himself appeared.
And he actually had the nerve to show up!
"I believe I've met the three of you before, correct?" Tsukishiro greeted them with a warm smile. "If I recall correctly, it was in the student council office… Could it be that you're having another conflict?"
"Thank you for your concern, but we were just having a casual chat," Sakayanagi replied politely. Then she asked, "By the way, I remember you're Mr. Tsukishiro, correct? Are you a new teacher here?"
"No, I am the acting chairman."
For the first time, Tsukishiro formally revealed his position.
Though, aside from Ayanokoji, the other two had already known.
"Heh, so that's how it is. But why would the Acting Director be here? Or rather… did you spot us through the cameras and come over to check on the situation? Looks like you've been keeping a close eye on us."
"You certainly say some interesting things. Are all students in this school like you? Just as I've heard, I see."
Tsukishiro smiled warmly and made a few remarks, but he didn't directly answer Sakayanagi's question, choosing instead to brush past it.
Then, he turned to Hikigaya.
"Now that I think about it, this is my second time speaking with you, Hikigaya-kun. Congratulations on your performance in this exam. You've made quite the name for yourself in your grade."
"…Tsukishiro-acting director."
Hikigaya paused for a moment before speaking in a slow, deliberate manner.
"You seem to have a lot of free time. Shouldn't you find something more useful to do?"
"Don't be fooled by my appearance, I'm quite busy."
"Is that so? Doesn't seem like it."
"Heh, then let me put it this way… something like your case, Hikigaya-kun."
As he spoke, the smile on Tsukishiro's face gradually faded, and a subtle hint of threat crept into his tone.
"I'm still troubled over how to handle your account suspension."
"If I'm not mistaken, Acting Director, didn't Class B's students already withdraw their complaint?" Sakayanagi suddenly interjected.
"That's a separate matter. Aside from the complaint from their class, during our investigation, we also happened to discover some suspiciously sourced private points in Hikigaya-kun's account."
At this point, Tsukishiro no longer seemed intent on keeping up the pretense.
The next moment, he made his stance clear:
"Hikigaya-kun, I believe I've already given you instructions—push Ayanokoji-kun into dropping out."
That statement was outright baffling.
"And so what? Just because you said it, I have to obey? Who do you think you are?" Hikigaya asked with an utterly bewildered expression.
"Uh…"
Perhaps he hadn't expected such a blunt response, as Tsukishiro was momentarily stunned for a few seconds.
Then, he let out a soft chuckle.
"Seems like you still don't understand your position… You might have made a name for yourself in this grade, but don't forget, in the end, you're just a mere student."
"Oh? So you do know I'm just a student." Hikigaya shot back without hesitation. "Then, since you're aware of that, have you ever stopped to think about how despicable your actions are? Threatening one student to force another into dropping out? And you have the nerve to call yourself an educator? Do you even know the meaning of the word shame?"
"…So it seems you don't want your account anymore." Tsukishiro's expression darkened.
"Do whatever you want. Try starving me if you dare."
Hikigaya had no interest in such petty threats.
More importantly, ever since this absurd exam was announced, he had been bottling up his frustration.
And now, with Tsukishiro throwing himself right into the fire, Hikigaya saw no reason to hold back.
Worst case scenario? He'd drop out.
"Hehehe, as expected of Hikigaya-kun, well said."
Sakayanagi, as if relishing the drama, continued to fan the flames.
But… what she said was probably sincere, too.
Not only did the other party frame her father and force him to step down, but they also used their position as acting director to oppress students. There was nothing respectable about them at all.
"You don't have to worry about your daily life. Just leave everything to me—I'll take care of your meals and accommodations."
"No need."
Hikigaya immediately changed his expression, rejecting her coldly.
Are you kidding me…? Even if he were starving, even if he had to jump from here, he would never let Sakayanagi treat him to a meal again!
"My, my, I didn't expect today's students to be even ruder than I imagined."
As he spoke, Tsukishiro returned to his usual smiling demeanor.
"It seems this conversation can't continue. Well then, I'll excuse myself for now."
He lowered his head slightly in a polite gesture, and just as everyone thought he was about to leave—
Tsukishiro suddenly threw a kick without warning.
Wait, what?!
Hikigaya instinctively tried to dodge the unexpected attack. However, the moment he remembered that Sakayanagi, who had difficulty moving, was right next to him, he gritted his teeth and stood his ground, raising his arms to block the strike head-on.
Yet, the expected impact never arrived.
It was Ayanokoji who had intervened and stopped Tsukishiro.
Oh, oh! As expected of the strongest je—
Before Hikigaya could even celebrate, he saw Ayanokoji looking almost dumbfounded, barely resisting Tsukishiro's follow-up attacks.
Within just two or three moves, Ayanokoji was completely subdued.
"You're not as strong as the rumors claim, Ayanokoji-kun."
With a loud thud, Tsukishiro, displaying an absurd level of brute strength that didn't match his usual image, grabbed Ayanokoji by the throat with one hand and pinned him against the wall.
His voice was dripping with provocation, likely an attempt to goad Ayanokoji into fighting back.
Although Tsukishiro had initiated the attack, considering his status as the acting director, it wouldn't be difficult for him to manipulate the security footage. Altering it or tampering with the records would be a trivial matter for him.
Ayanokoji had probably realized this, which was why he refrained from resisting.
After all, if he carelessly fell into the trap and ended up expelled, it wouldn't be worth it.
However, there was one thing Hikigaya just couldn't wrap his head around.
And that was… Tsukishiro-san, was it really necessary for you to get your hands dirty personally?
You're the acting director, for crying out loud!
Don't act like some thug like Ryuuen, picking fights at every turn!
Even Ryuuen usually lets Albert handle the dirty work!
It wasn't that Hikigaya was overreacting or that he had little experience with this kind of thing.
It's just that he had never seen someone so high-ranking act in such a lowly manner.
If Tsukishiro were part of a yakuza gang, at least that would make some sense… Wait a minute.
Could it be that this so-called White Room is just a underworld organization?!
…In that case, why not just go ahead and rename it the Black Room?!
...
T/N: You all should check out You Will Regret This, Ichinose! on Scribble Hub! I originally wanted to translate it, but someone else is already doing an amazing job—huge kudos to them.
The MC gives off major Danzo vibes, while Ichinose feels like the Hiruzen of this story.
Just look at these lines (No Spoiler):
"Ichinose, you're being too naive. I'm doing this for Class B!""But I am Class B's leader, Uesugi-kun!""Ichinose, you'll regret this!"
LMAO, this is peak drama. 😂