"Are you Ryuen?"
"Kuku, I'm honored that you remember me, Fujimaki-senpai, the number two in Class 3-A."
In a densely wooded area near the school building—a spot hard for others to see—Ryuen had summoned Fujimaki.
"So, what do you want? You went through quite the roundabout way to call me out."
To avoid drawing attention to the fact that he was the one who summoned Fujimaki, Ryuen had used connections within clubs, leveraging Komiya and Kondo to arrange contact through several students.
"Nothing much. Just a little consultation today."
"A consultation?"
"Yeah. But it's not my consultation. It's yours—the third-years'."
"...What are you talking about?"
Fujimaki, unable to grasp the full picture of the conversation, stiffened slightly as Ryuen smirked.
"Horikita Manabu, right? I hear he's going up against Nagumo Miyabi. How's that going for you?"
"Why do you care about that?"
"Come on, don't be like that. A junior's asking—can't you at least answer?"
At Ryuen's tone, Fujimaki's expression hardened slightly, but he decided to engage in the bare minimum of conversation.
"There's no problem. We're planning to give it our all. Is that all? If so, I'll take my leave."
"Fine by me. But you're the one who'll regret walking away."
"...What?"
Just as Fujimaki was about to head back toward the dorm, Ryuen's words made him stop in his tracks.
"You deaf, senpai? I said you're the one who'll regret not hearing me out."
Ryuen stepped in front of Fujimaki, standing face-to-face with the larger upperclassman.
"That girl in your class—Tachibana Akane—is being targeted by Nagumo Miyabi."
"What?!"
The unexpected statement made Fujimaki raise his voice involuntarily.
"I had some guys from my class who are in the same group as Tachibana investigate. Hit the jackpot. Seems she's getting hit pretty hard with criticism."
At that moment, Fujimaki recalled the expulsion rule in this exam—the "taking responsibility" system where a designated student could drag others down with them.
At first glance, it hadn't seemed like a problem, but if Nagumo Miyabi was the one who introduced it…
"Tachibana… could be expelled?"
"Seems like she's not just some small fry, huh? She's not the designated responsible one, but if she's forced to take the blame for everything while failing to meet the average… Well, you get the idea."
While Fujimaki was lost in thought, Ryuen continued.
"If it were some nobody, maybe you'd let it slide. But you'll save her, right? Motivation for the future, losing a capable person—Horikita Manabu would save her after calculating all that."
This wasn't Ryuen's own assessment.
All of this was information he'd gotten from Hikigaya Hachiman. With almost no direct interaction with Horikita Manabu, Ryuen was using Hachiman's intel to pressure Fujimaki.
"If it happens, that's minus 300 class points and 20 million private points. Even if Class 3-A is way ahead of the others, that'll put a serious dent in your reserves for future exams."
Coldly, Ryuen laid out the harsh reality to Fujimaki.
Meanwhile, Fujimaki was scrambling for a solution, but with Nagumo—a man as troublesome as they come—in the picture, nothing good came to mind.
"That's where we come in. We'll save you from this crisis."
"...What?"
Fujimaki, who had been staring at the ground, froze for a moment before looking up at Ryuen.
"Just get one of the third-years connected to Nagumo to meet with me. Do that, and I'll handle the rest."
"And you expect me to believe that…?"
"I'll even sign a contract if you want. But we'll need proper compensation for this."
"..."
Fujimaki weighed his options. Could he really leave this to Ryuen?
And then—
"...Fine. Ryuen, I'll trust you. Just make sure Tachibana doesn't get expelled."
Bowing deeply, Fujimaki was met with Ryuen's predatory grin.
"Kuku, glad you're so quick to decide, senpai. We can talk payment after we get results. Make sure to tell Horikita Manabu about the deal and Tachibana's situation. Oh, and set the meeting for Sunday."
"Understood."
"Then our deal's settled. Sorry for taking up your time."
Watching Fujimaki's slightly relieved expression, Ryuen turned and walked back toward the dorm.
(If this works out, I'll be making bank.)
As he walked, Ryuen inwardly smirked at the thought of the massive payoff—worth more than any exam.
But at the same time, he realized something.
Why was he so certain about this course of action?
Ryuen thought he understood his own nature.
He was no stranger to gambling, even on low odds—pushing through until success was his way.
But what was this now?
He had absolute confidence in Hikigaya Hachiman's words—another person's opinion.
Ryuen didn't usually trust others' input. He knew that behind kind words often lurked malice, and blindly following advice could lead to disaster.
Yet now, he was acting as if Hachiman's words were fact.
It wasn't that he hadn't doubted. He was confident he wouldn't believe Hachiman if he was lying.
But something in his gut told him this was the truth.
Because he knew Hachiman's real ability, he trusted him completely.
"...Disgusting."
The more he thought about it, the more his fighting spirit surged.
He sighed at himself for even entertaining such thoughts.
"Kuku, whatever. I'll just make sure that bastard kneels before me one day."
Eyes burning with battle lust, Ryuen reveled in the thought of his eventual revenge.
.....
Sunday, 9:00 AM.
I was waiting in the farthest empty classroom on the third floor of the facility.
The person I was waiting for was Igari Momoko—someone connected to Nagumo.
"Fujimaki-kun? ...Huh? Who are you?"
"Nice to meet you, Igari-senpai."
Naturally, she was confused to see me instead of Fujimaki.
"Um... Where's Fujimaki-kun—"
"You're connected to Nagumo-senpai, aren't you?"
Cutting her off, I got straight to the point. Her face stiffened slightly, as if she understood the implication.
"What are you talking about? And who even are you?"
"Your target is Tachibana Akane-senpai. You're planning to make her the scapegoat as the responsible student."
"...I have no idea what you're saying. Stop making baseless accusations."
She glared at me sharply, taking a few cautious steps back.
I had already predicted Nagumo's strategy from a different angle.
Horikita Manabu probably believed Nagumo would fight fair and square. But trusting that and doing nothing would be a fatal mistake. From what I'd seen of their relationship, Nagumo was obsessively fixated, while Manabu remained indifferent.
The third-years would soon graduate. Nagumo likely thought that once Manabu was gone, he'd be left with meaningless days.
So Nagumo devised a plan.
To force Manabu to take things seriously, he'd expel someone from Class 3-A.
A simple yet precise idea. And the target was Tachibana Akane.
Igari's group was practically made up of Nagumo's subordinates. Most of them were unremarkable, but among them was Tachibana Akane—a student from Class 3-A. Nagumo wasn't aiming for a direct confrontation in this exam. He was aiming for Tachibana's expulsion.
Manabu wouldn't act for a low-influence student. So the targets had to be narrowed down to either the highly capable Fujimaki or Tachibana.
Tachibana, being a girl, was likely easier to isolate. Outside of the cafeteria, she rarely interacted with male students, while Fujimaki and Manabu were too focused on securing first place to pay attention.
"...Seriously, I don't get what you're saying. I'm leaving."
With an irritated tone, she reached for the door—
"—Gh!?"
I grabbed both of her wrists and slammed her against the wall, pinning her firmly.
The impact sent wood splinters flying from the aged classroom wall, followed by silence.
"W-What the hell are you doing!? If you do something like this, you won't just get expelled—you'll be finished!"
Her eyes widened in disbelief before she glared at me, spitting out her words.
What I was doing now was undeniably problematic. Assaulting a female student? Expulsion was absolutely on the table.
"Talk! Now!"
"Why do you think I'm the one here?"
"...Huh?"
She stared blankly, unable to comprehend. She tried to shake off my grip, but my hands didn't budge.
"Let's start from the beginning. Why is me here when Fujimaki was the one who contacted you?"
"...W-What are you even—?"
As I stared into her eyes, I could see them slowly filling with fear.
"Why do you think someone from a different grade—me—is helping Horikita Manabu's class?"
"..."
"Still don't get it? Horikita Manabu already knows about your plan."
"!?"
This was a bluff. A lie meant to break her.
"My class and Class 3-A are in an alliance. That's why I'm helping."
Also a lie.
"Th-That's impossi—"
"You don't believe me? But it's the truth. The fact that I'm the one acting now proves it."
A lie could sometimes corner someone completely.
A baseless lie meant nothing. But you could make that "lie" feel like the truth.
I forced her face back toward me as she tried to look away.
"Your Class 3-B's goal is to reduce Class A's class points, right?"
The penalty for expulsion—300 class points and 20 million private points—was more than enough to close the gap between them and the leading Class A.
"..."
Whether I'd hit the mark or her body was rejecting my words, she fell silent.
"In this exam, Horikita Manabu is focused on taking first place. But what do you think the others are doing?"
With my free hand, I grabbed her hair.
"Gh—!"
"Most of my class and Class 3-A are working to sabotage your Class B."
"Y-You're lying..."
She weakly protested, as if she'd lost the will to resist.
"It's the truth. Even if you do expel Tachibana Akane, your class will lose far more students in return."
All nonsense. Pure bluff. But the way I spoke—without a hint of hesitation—made it feel real.
"Th-That's..."
"So, what'll it be? Play it safe and aim for a comeback in the next exam? Or widen the gap with Class A and lose your chance at the top? Choose."
"I... I..."
I forced her face up again, making her meet my eyes.
"Well? It's your call. Your class's future depends on this. A crucial decision. If you mess up here, your class is finished in this exam."
"W-Wait—"
"No waiting. Decide now."
Her body trembled in fear, and the look in her eyes slowly changed.
"I... I'll stop. I-I won't expel Tachibana... s-so... p-please... let me go..."
Her gaze had fully transformed into terror.
"Got it. I'll let Horikita Manabu know."
I released her wrists, and the moment I did, her legs gave out. She collapsed to her knees, breathing heavily, over and over.
As I headed for the door, I decided to leave her with one last warning.
"One last thing—I'd recommend you don't try anything funny."
"..."
Though I couldn't see her face as she looked down, I could tell her ears had gone pale.
"Seems it's over."
When I stepped out of the classroom, Ryuen walked toward me from the end of the hallway, his usual smirk in place.
I'd asked Ryuen to keep watch.
If anyone had seen what I'd just done, expulsion would've been guaranteed. I wasn't stupid enough to take that kind of risk without precautions.
"Thanks for keeping watch."
"Man, that was boring as hell. Looked like you were having fun, though."
"Like hell I was..."
Where exactly did it look like I was enjoying myself?
All that was left was to report the results to Horikita Manabu. Once that was done, I decided—I was going to rest properly.
...
After completing all the exams, we changed back into our uniforms for the first time in a while, gathered our belongings, and assembled in the gymnasium.
We lined up by group and waited for a while until Shibata, the de facto leader of our group, spoke up.
"This training camp was really exhausting. How about you, Hikigaya?"
"It was pretty tough for me too. Though, thanks to your communication skills, things went smoothly in the big group."
"Hehe. Flattery won't get you anything~"
As we chatted, a figure who appeared to be a teacher stepped onto the stage. The students noticed, and the gym gradually fell silent.
"Congratulations on completing your time at the forest school. This exam is held only once every few years. This year's results were even better than previous years, which is a testament to all of your efforts."
Everyone turned their attention to the person in charge of the forest school as they spoke.
"Without further delay, I'd like to announce the rankings for the large group exam results."
As everyone eagerly awaited the results, I caught a glimpse of Nagumo smiling out of the corner of my eye.
"First, the overall boys' first place goes to… Group Ninomikuya Kosuke from Class 3-C."
That was Horikita Manabu's group. Cheers erupted from the crowd.
"Nice work, Horikita. As expected."
While the group praised Horikita Manabu, the rankings from second to sixth place were announced. Nagumo's group took second, and my group seemed to have placed fourth.
"Truly impressive. You've completely lost, Horikita-senpai."
Nagumo approached Horikita Manabu with a smug grin, offering praise, but he didn't seem frustrated at all.
Probably because he was expecting some *nonexistent* result later.
"...You lost, Nagumo."
Fujimaki-senpai and Horikita Manabu, who knew the situation, narrowed their eyes as they looked at Nagumo.
"Is that so? The announcements have only just begun."
"Right. I'm looking forward to the results."
"..."
Fujimaki-senpai smiled slightly at Nagumo's words, while Horikita Manabu remained silent, closing his eyes.
"...?"
Nagumo must have expected some kind of rebuttal. He looked puzzled but waited for the girls' results.
"Next, I'll announce the rankings for the girls' groups. First place goes to… Group Ayase Natsu from Class 3-C."
Just like with the boys, cheers rose from the crowd, and Nagumo's smile deepened.
As the announcements continued, the final group was finally revealed.
"That concludes the announcements. Just like the boys, all the girls' groups surpassed the average score threshold, meaning there will be no expulsions."
The moment those words were spoken, Nagumo's expression twisted.
"......Huh?"
A dumbfounded voice escaped him as he looked around in confusion, unable to process the situation.
"What the…!? Igari-senpai!?"
"..."
When called out, Igari seemed to hide herself among the crowd, avoiding his gaze.
"This can't be!? How…!?"
Nagumo's group, who likely knew the plan, was in turmoil. Meanwhile, Horikita Manabu approached Nagumo and stood before him.
"Nagumo."
"Tch… Horikita-senpai…!"
Horikita Manabu faced Nagumo directly, looking him straight in the eye.
"...Haha, as expected of you, Horikita-senpai. So you saw right through my plan…"
Nagumo let out a dry laugh.
"...It wasn't me."
"...Huh?"
"The one who saw through your plan and stopped it beforehand wasn't me."
Nagumo seemed unable to comprehend the words, staring blankly for a few seconds before his expression slowly shifted to shock.
"I didn't realize you were targeting Tachibana. The reason for your failure this time… wasn't me."
"Horikita-senpai… didn't notice…?"
"I trusted you. No matter how obsessed you were with me, I thought you were the kind of man who would face competition head-on… But it seems I was mistaken."
With those final words, Horikita Manabu walked away from Nagumo.
The last thing I saw was Nagumo standing there, head lowered in thought, before we all headed toward the buses for departure.
"Kuku, what a masterpiece."
While preparing to board the bus, Ryuen, standing next to me, chuckled as he glanced back toward the gym where Nagumo remained.
"You really do have a terrible personality."
"Says the root cause of all this."
He shot back with sarcasm of his own. After a short wait, the second-year buses departed first.
Once we boarded and got our phones back from our belongings, I found a single message waiting for me.
'Thank you.'
The sender was Horikita Manabu—a brief but sincere message. At the same time, another message came through.
'5,000,000 PP.'
This was likely the reward Fujimaki-senpai had mentioned. Given how much of a disadvantage this exam had been, sending this much was only natural.
"No need to reply, I guess."
Without responding to Manabu's message, I forwarded the full 5,000,000 points directly to Ryuen's phone.
"Kuku…!"
The moment I sent the points, Ryuen, sitting in front of me, let out a laugh. At the same time, another notification arrived.
'1,000,000 PP.'
Ryuen had sent back about a fifth of what I'd given him. Was this my share?
"Hikigaya-kun, how was the training camp for you?"
"It was tough, but pretty interesting. What about you, Hiyori?"
Feeling slightly pleased with the sudden increase in funds, I decided to relax and enjoy some casual conversation for now.
....
Horikita Manabu, who had just sent the reward to Hikigaya Hachiman, leaned back in his bus seat and stretched, as if releasing all the tension from his recent struggles.
Yet his gaze lingered on his phone—the one he had just used to message Hachiman.
"..."
"This time, we were saved by a first-year. Tachibana said she wants to thank him too, but... Horikita?"
"...No, you're right..."
Perhaps, just perhaps, there was a part of Manabu that had been quietly hoping for a reply from Hachiman...
=================================
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