The day the unreasonable additional exam was announced.
In Class A, immediately after Sakayanagi revealed the exam details, it was decided to target Katsuragi and gather votes to criticize him.
Katsuragi accepted this, while Totsuka desperately tried to persuade him.
"Let's go home, Masumi-san."
"...Yeah."
After briefly observing the classroom after school with a smirk, Sakayanagi called out to Kamuro and stood up from her seat.
"I heard a new drink is available at the café in Keyaki Mall. Shall we stop by on the way home?"
By the weekend, a classmate would be expelled.
And yet, despite having personally named the student, her demeanor remained unchanged.
"Hey, you."
"Yes?"
"...Never mind."
Kamuro reconsidered, realizing it was pointless to ask.
Sakayanagi's cold, calculated judgment toward people she deemed insignificant was utterly devoid of warmth.
Kamuro, being much the same kind of person, felt it would be hypocritical to point that out.
The silence between them was broken by a phone call.
Sakayanagi pulled her phone from her pocket.
With a faint smile, she answered cheerfully.
Kamuro watched her with a look of boredom, as if she had seen this scene too many times.
"Good day, Yamauchi-kun. I had a feeling you'd contact me around now."
"You really are something..."
Lately, it wasn't uncommon to see Sakayanagi engrossed in conversation with Yamauchi.
They had been calling each other almost daily, indulging in trivial small talk.
But to Kamuro, it was blindingly obvious that Yamauchi wasn't Sakayanagi's real target.
"Today? Of course, that's fine. Let's meet up. Though, I have a prior engagement right now, so how about we meet up later?"
It was immediately clear from the call's content that Yamauchi was making romantic advances.
"I'm on the move now, so I'll contact you later."
With those words, she ended the call after just a few seconds and quietly put her phone away.
"Well then, it seems I'll be meeting Yamauchi-kun tonight."
"Hey, you've been contacting Yamauchi a lot lately. What's your deal?"
"My deal?"
Sakayanagi tilted her head, while Kamuro sighed and replied.
"Don't play dumb. I know you're not actually interested in him. Why are you going this far with Yamauchi?"
"Don't you think he's an intriguing presence?"
"Not a chance. You already have someone else in mind."
Kamuro pointed this out while thinking of Hachiman.
She recognized that Hachiman was the only person who could make Sakayanagi openly show her emotions.
"...Let's not pursue that topic."
"If you say so, I won't push. But then, why bother with Yamauchi?"
"I'm considering whether he can be useful as a spy for Class D. I'm in the process of training him."
"'Training him'... Like it's that easy."
"In his case, it might be. With this interesting exam announced, he'll serve as an experimental pawn."
While keeping some things hidden, Sakayanagi revealed just enough of her intentions for Kamuro to understand.
"For now, I'll meet him tonight. You should be able to see some of my goals then."
"Yeah, yeah..."
Just as Sakayanagi was about to walk away, another message notification sounded from her phone.
"What? Yamauchi again?"
"..."
Sakayanagi slowly took out her phone, reacting completely differently than she had with Yamauchi.
She stared at the screen for a while before starting to reply.
"Whoa... You look ridiculously happy..."
Kamuro couldn't see what was sent, but Sakayanagi's expression as she typed her reply made her blurt out in surprise.
"Did you say something, Masumi-san?"
"...No. So, what now? Are you prioritizing Yamauchi?"
"...No. Let's cancel for today. You may go home as well, Masumi-san."
Easily dismissing her earlier plans with Yamauchi, Sakayanagi now wore an uncharacteristically delighted expression, seemingly waiting eagerly for a reply.
"Hey, was that email from Hikigaya?"
"...Yes, but what about it?"
Her cheeks tinged slightly pink as she answered.
"You're more of a romantic than I thought..."
"'More than you thought' is unnecessary."
Kamuro felt her impression of Sakayanagi shift slightly, realizing Hachiman's presence loomed larger than she'd realized.
...
The atmosphere in class was unusually gloomy after the announcement of the class vote exam.
By the weekend, someone from this class would disappear. And there was no way around it.
While Ryūen held all the decision-making power in the class, it seemed true that he had told his classmates in the morning that he would let them choose. Right after homeroom ended, he left the classroom.
Whispers could be heard from all directions.
Some were about the exam, while Kaneda was rallying votes to place Ryūen at the top of the praise votes. Meanwhile, Manabe appeared to be instructing others to send their praise votes to her.
In Manabe's case, it was likely because she was at risk of expulsion. If the entire class truly understood Ryūen's intentions, such a strategy would be pointless.
"...Let's go."
After briefly observing the class, I left the classroom.
The exam was one thing, but I had something else on my mind.
It was about Chairman Sakayanagi. For this matter, the only person I could ask was Arisu, his daughter.
After sending her a message earlier, we agreed to meet in my room, so I headed straight for the dorm.
I stepped into the elevator and pressed the button for my floor. When I arrived at my room, Arisu was standing in front of my door.
"Sorry, did I keep you waiting?"
"No, I just arrived. Please don't worry about it."
It didn't seem like she had been waiting long, so I felt a little relieved as I let her into my room.
My room wasn't particularly messy, so it should be fine.
"I called you out suddenly, but did you have any plans?"
"...No, I didn't have anything in particular."
There was a slight pause in her response. Maybe she had canceled something to accommodate me. I felt a little guilty.
"Make yourself comfortable. I have coffee and cocoa—would you like some?"
"Thank you for your kindness. Then, I'll have cocoa, please."
"Got it."
For some reason, Arisu had taken a seat on my bed, but I focused on preparing the cocoa. It was just the instant kind, where you only needed to add hot water.
Once I finished making two cups, I placed them on the central table.
"What happened to Chairman Sakayanagi? That man wouldn't approve such an unreasonable exam."
I might have been rushing things, but there was no point beating around the bush, so I went straight to the point.
Arisu frowned as if she had been waiting for this question.
"There's a reason. Actually, my father was recently suspended and is currently under disciplinary action."
I figured as much. That man must have orchestrated this. There's no other explanation.
So this exam was designed to expel me and Ayanokōji.
"Please don't misunderstand—my father isn't the kind of person to engage in corruption."
"I know that. If he were, I wouldn't even be here."
In truth, the only reason I'm here at all is because of Chairman Sakayanagi's mercy.
"As students, we have no choice but to comply. We must face this exam."
"...Right."
Even with her father suspended, Arisu remained as composed as ever. That calmness came from the trust between parent and child.
I wanted Chairman Sakayanagi to return as soon as possible, but this wasn't something I could ignore either. From now on, they would likely use the school's authority to push me toward expulsion.
Either way, the options available to me now were extremely limited.
"Has Class A already decided who to expel?"
I asked, trying to change the subject. Arisu responded with a faint smirk.
"The moment this exam was announced, I decided who would be expelled."
"You moved quickly to eliminate someone. A sound decision."
Only someone like Arisu, who firmly controlled the class through sheer power, could make such a move.
"Knowing you, you've already informed the class, right?"
"Of course. If I waited until the last minute to reveal who would be removed, it would only cause unnecessary anxiety."
If she had already announced it when the exam was revealed, the targeted student must have been in a terrible position.
Yet, there was no sign of unrest in Class A.
"Can you guess who it is?"
If I analyzed Class A simply, the lack of chaos gave me a clue.
Katsuragi would be the obvious candidate for expulsion, but Arisu understood the true nature of this exam—to eliminate unnecessary people.
In that case…
"Totsuka Yahiko."
"Fufu. As expected of you. That's correct."
So Katsuragi was just a decoy. By using the calm and collected Katsuragi as bait, she prevented unrest in the class while sacrificing the real target. Even from my perspective, it was the best strategy.
"I just thought you'd keep Katsuragi since he's a capable student."
It was just an observation, but Arisu smiled happily in response.
.....
The next morning, I finished getting ready and left my room.
"Ah, Hachiman-kun! Good morning!"
As I stepped out of the dorm, Hiyori, bundled up in a scarf and gloves for the cold, waved at me and approached.
"Morning. What a coincidence."
"Yes. I usually leave a bit earlier, but... well, today I overslept a little."
Hiyori blushed slightly in embarrassment.
As we walked to school together, chatting casually, hushed whispers could be heard from all directions—no doubt due to the exam's influence.
"Hachiman-kun, have you decided who to vote for in the exam?"
By "vote," she likely meant the criticism votes. I could tell from the unease in her eyes.
"Not yet. What about you, Hiyori?"
"I haven't decided either. Ryūen-kun said we should vote for the least capable people, but even after hearing that, I still can't make up my mind..."
It wasn't that Ryūen's words from yesterday felt unrealistic—it was more like Hiyori had never judged people based on ability before.
Even someone as sharp and observant as Hiyori seemed to find this exam perplexing.
"What... should I do...?"
I took a few seconds to think of a response.
"Just do what you think is right."
"What... I think is right...?"
Ultimately, the answer to this question was something only Hiyori could decide for herself.
"I don't know who you should vote for. That's something you have to think about and decide on your own."
"...Is that really okay?"
"Yeah. Whatever choice you make, I won't mind. It's your decision. The rest depends on how the other students vote."
In a harsh way, you could call it leaving it up to others—but that was the nature of this exam.
"...You're right. I'll think about it until the very end."
It might have been a forceful way of putting it, but Hiyori seemed satisfied. Her previously anxious expression shifted into a smile.
"Also, I'm curious about the praise votes too."
The criticism votes were one thing, but the praise votes were just as important. The "Protect Point" system would have a major impact on future exams.
"I've already decided on my praise votes! Ryūen-kun, Ibuki-san, and... you, Hachiman-kun."
"...Ryūen and Ibuki make sense, but you're voting for me?"
That was unexpected. Sure, I've been saddled with the unflattering nickname of "Ryūen's right-hand man," but the only time I really stood out was during the sports festival.
Aside from that, the only notable thing I did was swindling 500 million points from the former student council president behind the scenes.
"Of course! Besides being my friend, you've contributed a lot to the class!"
Hiyori leaned in closer, pressing the point.
"Is that... just from your perspective?"
"I don't think so! I've heard a lot of people in class say they're voting for you too."
"Seriously...?"
Honestly, I hadn't realized I'd left that much of an impression on the class.
Before I knew it, we had already reached the classroom door.
I reached out to open it, but Hiyori grabbed my hand to stop me.
"What's wrong?"
"U-um, if it's okay with you, Hachiman-kun... from now on, in the mornings, could we...?"
Her face slightly red, Hiyori leaned in close to my ear as if to whisper something—
"Oi, quit flirting in front of the damn door."
"R-Ryūen-kun...?!"
Ryūen, who had come up behind us, cut between us with an exasperated look.
"Don't put on a show first thing in the morning. If you wanna do it, do it in your room."
"Hey, saying that in front of a girl counts as sexual harassment, you know..."
"The hell do I care? You're the one getting all worked up this early."
"That's a really shitty way to put it..."
Ryūen clicked his tongue and walked into the classroom.
That guy... How can he say stuff like that in front of Hiyori?
"Hiyori, what were you trying to say earlier—?"
I tried to ask what she had been about to say, but Hiyori's face had turned bright red at Ryūen's words. When she noticed me looking, she desperately covered her face with both hands.
"N-no! It's... it's nothing...!"
In the end, I never found out what Hiyori had been about to say.
I don't usually walk to school with others, but today was refreshing since it was with Hiyori.
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