"I'm... going to get a perfect score?"
The sudden declaration made my thoughts freeze for a moment, but judging from Ayanokouji's demeanor, he didn't seem to be joking.
"First, explain why I need to do something like that. We'll talk after that."
I couldn't act without an explanation.
Ayanokouji seemed to have anticipated my words and immediately began explaining.
"To put it simply, Horikita and I have agreed to compete in the next test. The terms are straightforward—we'll compete over the score in one subject she designates."
Why Ayanokouji and Horikita ended up in this competition was unclear, but that wasn't what I needed to ask right now.
"What does that have to do with me?"
"You've probably already noticed, Hikigaya, but there's no doubt Tsukishiro has tampered with this exam. The rules are stacked against us—it's obvious, right?"
Hearing that far, I finally understood what Ayanokouji was getting at.
"I see... You're trying to provoke him."
"Glad you caught on quickly."
Ayanokouji's proposal for me to aim for a perfect score was meant to provoke Tsukishiro during this exam.
By scoring a perfect mark—and in just one subject—he wanted to send the message that we'd seen through Tsukishiro's schemes, making it clear that preventing our expulsion would be child's play. A cheap provocation.
"But I doubt Tsukishiro will take the bait."
I'd only interacted with him a few times, but even that was enough to tell me Tsukishiro wasn't the type to fall for provocations.
"Probably not, but trying costs us nothing. Besides, aiming for a perfect score has another purpose."
"Another purpose?"
"To solidify the board in a way that makes it easier for us to move. Getting a perfect score this time is just the beginning. From now on, I plan to gradually reveal my abilities to those around me so that no matter what actions I take in the future, they won't seem out of place."
Ayanokouji had spent this past year deliberately staying under the radar. Was he saying he intended to act now to shed that image?
"...So you're giving up on seeking a peaceful everyday life?"
"I wouldn't say that, but I'm prepared to discard my previous mindset for now. Between the White Room students, Tsukishiro, and other enemies... until all of that is settled, I have no intention of holding back anymore."
Even if he started giving his all now, the label of mediocrity that had been stuck to Ayanokouji would still be an obstacle, making it take time for his true abilities to be fully recognized. Still, this was a major shift.
"Got it. I'll aim for a perfect score in one subject on the next test too."
"Is that so? Then I'm counting on you."
"Yeah."
With that brief reply, Ayanokouji and I parted ways.
....
The day after the exam announcement, during lunch break.
Today, Ishizaki invited me to lunch, so I left the classroom to head to the cafeteria.
"Ryūen-senpai? What are you doing here?"
As soon as I stepped into the hallway, I ran into Ryūen leaning against the wall with his arms crossed. His gaze seemed fixed in one direction—toward Class D's classroom.
"What's going on…?"
"Tch. Looks like some first-year Class D kids came barging into the second-year Class D's space."
Turning my attention to the source of the commotion, I saw a male and female first-year student arguing with Horikita and Sudō.
I recognized the two first-years from checking the OAA yesterday. The large guy was Hōsen Kazuomi, and the girl was Nanase Tsubasa, if I remembered correctly.
Right now, Horikita seemed to be calmly handling Hōsen, but Sudō was unusually irritated—probably because Hōsen had a difficult personality.
The tense atmosphere continued, but it was Hōsen who made the first move. He shoved Sudō, who had stepped in front of Horikita in a protective stance.
"Whoa—?!"
Losing his balance, Sudō fell back, landing hard on the floor.
"Big guy like you, but you're all show, huh? Just a little tap and down you go."
Hōsen's reckless action left everyone around visibly shaken. What he did could easily be considered an act of violence.
"You—!!"
Realizing what had just happened, Sudō's pent-up anger finally exploded.
But before he could act, Ishizaki—who, like us, had been watching from a distance—suddenly rushed over to Sudō.
"What the hell are you doing?!"
Ryūen let out a rare sigh as Ishizaki charged at Hōsen with a confrontational tone.
"Tch. What the hell's he doing? Idiot."
"Well, it's Ishizaki."
Even though this had nothing to do with us, Ishizaki, being the hot-blooded guy he was, couldn't stand seeing Sudō get disrespected like that.
"One after another, huh?"
Hōsen grinned in amusement, but Nanase, who had been silently observing from behind, lightly restrained him.
"Hōsen-kun, didn't you come here to talk? If you're just here to start fights, I'm leaving."
"Violence? I just tapped him like petting a cat. My bad, Sudō."
He spat out the words with clear disrespect toward his upperclassman. Naturally, Ishizaki wasn't about to let that slide.
"You bastard! Don't screw around!"
Ishizaki reached out to grab Hōsen by the collar. The moment his hand extended, I thought I saw the corner of Hōsen's mouth twitch upward.
"You wanna die? Back off, Ishizaki."
Ryūen stepped into the fray, stopping Ishizaki before he could make contact. Without thinking, I followed Ryūen.
But what caught my attention more than anything was the brief moment Nanase's eyes met mine. It was so fleeting it could've been accidental, but something about it stuck with me.
"W-Why'd you stop me?!"
Ishizaki looked bewildered by Ryūen's intervention. Ibuki, who had also approached, voiced her confusion.
"You're the one stopping him? What's your angle?"
Ryūen wasn't the type to shy away from conflict—whether there were surveillance cameras or not, if he decided to act, he'd do it without hesitation. That's why his restraint now was unusual.
Ryūen pushed Ishizaki aside and stepped toward Hōsen himself.
"So now it's your turn? You look even weaker than that idiot Sudō over there."
"I know all about you, Hōsen. You were kinda famous back home, weren't you? Never thought you'd look this stupid, though."
The way Ryūen talked so casually was typical of him. This situation was lucky for Class D—having Ryūen involved in this kind of mess bought them time to sort things out.
"Y-You know him, Ryūen-senpai?"
Hōsen's expression shifted slightly when he heard Ryūen's name, then he burst into loud, amused laughter.
"Ha! No way. What are the odds? I've heard all kinds of crap about you, Ryūen."
"At least you've got the brain cells to remember names."
Apparently, the two knew each other from before. Hōsen, the first-year from Class D, seemed to have some connection to Ryūen's past.
"But damn, never thought the great Ryūen'd be this scrawny… Surprising."
"And you're exactly what I expected—muscles for brains."
"I was plannin' to kill you a few times when I came around, but you were too scared to show your face, huh? Sending your lackeys to do your dirty work while you hid?"
"Tch. Lucky for you we never met, Hōsen. If we had, you wouldn't be acting so tough right now."
"I figured you tucked tail and ran. Wanna settle this now?"
Hōsen clenched his large fist, looking completely at ease. Normally, someone who knew Ryūen from middle school would think twice about picking a fight with him, but Hōsen showed no fear.
"Pass. No point brawling with a gorilla for free."
Despite the provocation, Ryūen refused. Of course, fighting here would be impossible anyway.
Ishizaki and Ibuki, who had expected Ryūen to retaliate, were stunned.
"Is that Hōsen guy really that strong? I mean, yeah, he's built bigger than Sudō, but…"
"Who knows?"
Ryūen didn't seem inclined to answer. He smirked slightly before giving orders.
"We're leaving."
"You're just gonna let a first-year walk all over you?"
Ibuki knew better than anyone that Ryūen was the type to lash out at anyone.
"Tch. I can finish this anytime."
That was all Ryūen said in response before turning away.
As we started to leave, Hōsen stepped forward, closing the distance behind us.
"That girl and the guy with the nasty glare—they your lackeys too?"
Probably referring to Ibuki and me. Rude for a first meeting.
"Something like that."
"Excuse me? Don't just decide I'm your lackey!"
"Even girls, huh? You really use anyone, Ryūen."
"Look who's talking. You've got a cute little lackey yourself."
Just like Ryūen, Hōsen had Nanase by his side.
"She's not a lackey. Whatever. Let's have some fun, Ryūen-senpai."
"I already said no."
No matter how much Hōsen provoked him, Ryūen wouldn't take the bait. He turned his back, signaling his intent to leave.
"Fine. Then—"
Losing interest in Ryūen, Hōsen suddenly swung his thick arm toward Ibuki. She tried to brush it off.
But at the last second, his arm shot forward with terrifying speed—aiming straight for Ibuki's neck.
"—?!"
Ibuki clenched her eyes shut, sensing danger.
But before Hōsen's grip could reach her, I intercepted, letting his hand clamp onto my wrist instead.
"Wha—why'd you—?!"
Ibuki's shout made Ryūen and Ishizaki turn back, finally grasping the situation.
"Heh. Nasty glare, but you've got guts protecting a girl. Too bad you picked the wrong guy to mess with."
"That's unfortunate."
Hōsen laughed at my defiance, then tightened his grip. The force would've made an ordinary person cry out in pain, but I didn't react.
"…?!"
Hōsen's expression flickered slightly. He must've expected me to crumple.
"You bastard!! What the hell are you doing to Hikigaya?!"
"Let him go!"
Ishizaki and Ibuki tried to attack Hōsen to free me, but he kept his grip firm, expertly fending them off with just one arm.
Ryūen, meanwhile, showed no intention of helping me—if anything, he looked faintly amused.
Just as things were about to escalate into a full-blown fight, Nanase, who had been silently watching, suddenly spoke up.
"Hōsen-kun, please sto—"
"Hey, Nanase. What's this guy's name?"
Hōsen, who had been crushing my wrist, suddenly released me and pointed.
"Huh? Oh, um… Hikigaya Hachiman-senpai."
Nanase seemed slightly flustered, clearly not expecting Hōsen to stop on his own. She pulled up my name on the OAA.
"Hah! I underestimated you 'cause you looked weak. Hikigaya, what exactly are you?"
"Just your average student."
"Not much of a liar, are you? You seem way more interesting than Ryūen."
"If you really think that, your eyes are broken."
"Talkin' big. Wanna play with me?"
Great. Now I've caught the attention of some weird first-year.
That said, this Hōsen guy was no ordinary person. Just that brief exchange was enough to tell. Ryūen had stopped Ishizaki from acting recklessly because he knew a straight-up brawl would be a bad idea. Seems like a real monster of a first-year just showed up.
"Hōsen-kun, any more of this will cause problems."
"I know, I know. We're done here. Let's go, Nanase."
"Right. That's the smart choice."
After one last glance at me and Ryūen, Hōsen turned to leave—but not before looking back at Ryūen one more time.
"I'll team up with you if you get on your knees and beg, Ryūen-senpai."
"Sorry, but I only team up with humans. No interest in pairing up with a wild gorilla."
"Too bad."
But this wasn't over yet.
Because besides Hōsen and Nanase, there was one more first-year who had been silently observing the whole time.
"Just gonna lurk and watch, huh? You."
Annoyed by the hidden spectator, Hōsen finally turned his attention to the other first-year.
"'A wise man keeps away from danger.' Ever heard that saying?"
The male student, unfazed by Hōsen's glare, responded with a refreshing smile.
"Chatting's fine, but causing any more trouble here isn't a good idea, Hōsen-kun. I think it's best to withdraw for now. Don't you agree?"
As if on cue, a teacher in a suit finally appeared, cutting through the crowd of students. Most of the onlookers quickly scattered back to their classrooms.
"Hōsen, I understand you're eager, but we've drilled the school rules into you enough to make your ears bleed."
"Yeah, yeah, I know."
"Then disperse. This isn't the place for fights."
"Tch. This wasn't even a fight."
With a scoff, Hōsen left the second-year floor in a visibly foul mood.
At the same time, Nanase approached me.
"Hikigaya-senpai, I'm sorry about Hōsen-kun. Is your wrist okay?"
She bowed deeply, her eyes flickering to the wrist Hōsen had grabbed.
"It's fine. He didn't squeeze that hard."
A lie, but it wasn't like I was seriously hurt.
"I'm glad. Sorry for the trouble."
Letting out a relieved sigh, she bowed once more before following after Hōsen. But as she left, her eyes met mine again—that same searching gaze from before.
Once Nanase was gone, the composed male student bowed to all the second-years present.
"My classmate, Hōsen-kun, seems to have caused you all some—"
Before he could finish his apology, Ryūen signaled for us to leave. Apparently, he had no interest. Ishizaki followed, and so did I, but Ibuki suddenly grabbed my sleeve.
"…Thanks. For protecting me."
"Don't worry about it. Like you saw, I'm not hurt or anything."
"…Yeah."
She gave a small nod, and I turned to head back to class.
But then—
"My name is—Yagami Takuya."
The moment those words reached my ears, I froze.
"Hey, what's wrong?"
"Hikigaya? You good?"
"…"
Behind me, the student who had introduced himself as Yagami was now greeting Horikita.
Yagami.
That was my old surname.
The one I had back in the White Room.
Once, Ayanokōji had mentioned that I had a younger brother. The name "Yagami Takuya" matched exactly.
But that was impossible. There was no way.
The White Room's curriculum was brutal. No one could endure its extreme demands.
—Except for me and Ayanokōji.
And yet, if a brother of mine had survived that hell and been sent here as a White Room agent to expel me…
How unlikely was that?
I knew the odds were near zero.
But I couldn't completely dismiss the possibility.
"Um… by any chance, are you Kushida-senpai?"
"Huh?"
While I was lost in thought, Yagami had approached Kushida, who had just returned from lunch.
"Uh…?"
Kushita looked puzzled, clearly not recognizing him.
"It's me. Yagami Takuya."
"Yagami… Oh! Yagami-kun!?"
"That's right! Long time no see!"
They exchanged cheerful greetings, but my doubts didn't fade. Ayanokōji, standing nearby, was also eyeing Yagami with suspicion.
"Hey! Hikigaya! You spacing out or what?!"
Ibuki's voice and Ishizaki's yelling snapped me back to reality.
"Sorry. Just got a little dizzy for a second."
"You okay? Don't push yourself."
"Fine?"
"Yeah, I'm fine."
Cutting the conversation short, we headed back to class.
But my mind was elsewhere.
......
After the incident with Hōsen, that same afternoon, we finally put Ryūen's plan into motion.
Breaking it down step by step, it went like this:
First, Ryūen lured first-year students from Class A or Class D with academic ability B or higher into the classroom, using a hefty sum of Private Points as bait.
Next, inside the classroom, me, Ryūen, Albert, and Ishizaki confronted them, pressuring them into accepting a drastically reduced amount of Points under the guise of negotiation.
"U-um, wasn't it supposed to be 500,000 Points at first...?"
A first-year from Class A with B-rank academic ability, who had taken the bait, stammered without making eye contact.
"That was the plan, but we're kinda short on funds now. You understand, right?"
"B-but..."
"OK?"
"Eek—!"
"Hey, cut it out, Albert. We're having a civil discussion here, aren't we?"
(Who does he think he's fooling?)
But with Ryūen, Albert, and Ishizaki—three intimidating figures—surrounding them, there was no way they could argue back.
After this process, we finalized the contract with a severely reduced amount of Points.
"Hey, we're asking nicely here. You'll cooperate with our terms, right?"
"Eeek! Y-yes! O-of course!"
"Glad you're so reasonable. Then we'll have you pair up with this guy."
Ryūen presented a student with a C-rank in academic ability.
The first-year who had been brought in seemed slightly relieved to be paired with someone of C-rank. Given how things had gone, they must have expected to be forced into a much worse pairing.
"Heh, that settles the pair. Thanks for playing along. Hey Albert, see them out properly."
"OK Boss."
"N-no need! I can leave on my own!"
Grabbing their belongings in a panic, the first-year hurried out of the classroom. Ryūen waved cheerfully at their retreating back.
"This is amazing, Ryūen-senpai! That makes six already! And all of them B-rank or higher!"
As Ishizaki said, we had successfully formed pairs this way several times already, but there was no denying the method was questionable.
Still, there was something else bothering me more right now.
"...Why am I even here? You guys could handle this on your own."
With Ryūen, Albert, and Ishizaki here, was I really necessary?
"Having more people helps intimidate them. And your glare is more effective than most. Take that as a compliment."
"I didn't ask for that kind of compliment."
Seems like today's the day everyone keeps bringing up my eyes.
"But is this really okay? If we keep doing this, won't it make it harder to team up with first-years in future exams?"
Ishizaki's concern was understandable. If we kept strong-arming them like this, forming partnerships in future exams might become impossible.
"That's why we're only targeting Class A and D. Class A students look down on the lower classes. Their pride means they'll only pair with other Class A students anyway. That's why we're focusing on them."
So far, we had formed pairs with four Class A students and two from Class D—all handpicked by Ryūen.
"As for Class D, it should be obvious. That class is a jungle with that gorilla running around. There's no way we'd ever team up with them in an exam."
Seeing Hōsen must have convinced him of that.
After that, we had what Ryūen called a "pleasant discussion" with two more Class A students, successfully forming pairs with a total of eight first-years.
(A/N: Come to think of it, the beginning might not be that interesting.
I'll do my best to make it more exciting from now on!)
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