The special exam has already reached its third day today.
At 8:00 AM, the OAA updated, displaying the currently formed pairs for the special exam.
"34 new pairs have been formed, huh?"
Combined with Monday's results, that makes 56 pairs established so far.
With a maximum of 157 possible pairs, that means over 30% of students have already secured partners.
The reason it seems like more students have paired up compared to yesterday is likely due to the influence of the exchange event organized by Ichinose. Many first-years must have been charmed by the good-natured atmosphere of Ichinose's class and decided to confirm their partnerships on the spot.
"...Yagami Takuya has also apparently found a partner."
His name has been stuck in my mind since yesterday.
While checking everyone's faces, names, and academic ratings on the OAA, I noticed Yagami had already secured a partner. Given yesterday's events, he might have teamed up with Kushida.
"Is this a coincidence, or is he targeting someone?"
Until Ayanokōji shared the information with me, I hadn't even known I had a younger brother.
If Yagami really were a White Room operative, he could have easily changed his name. There'd be no reason for him to keep the same surname as my old one. It's possible this is just a coincidence—but if so, it's a little too perfect.
Either way, the priority right now is to avoid any potential White Room assassins and find a partner I can confirm isn't an enemy.
...Though, that might be difficult today, since I have some business to take care of.
.....
After school, I was about to leave to take care of some business, but first I decided to speak with Hiyori.
The reason? Hiyori was planning to stay over at my room tonight.
We had originally planned this around spring break, but due to my circumstances, it kept getting postponed. Now, with the new semester just starting, the day had finally arrived.
Honestly, at first, I wondered if it was really okay for a girl to come to a guy's room. But I quickly dismissed those concerns—Hiyori wasn't the type to have any impure intentions.
"Hiyori, about today—"
"Ah, you mean the sleepover, right?"
I had spoken quietly, so Hiyori also lowered her voice in response. It wasn't exactly the kind of conversation we wanted others overhearing.
"Actually, I've got something to take care of after school today. I'll give you my spare key—could you head to my room first?"
Hiyori was also planning to make dinner for me, so I didn't want to waste her time waiting around. It made more sense for her to go ahead and get things ready.
"Eh? B-but… is that really okay? Giving me your spare key like this…"
"That's not a problem. I trust you."
The idea of Hiyori doing anything shady was unthinkable.
That's exactly why I could hand over my key so easily.
At my words, Hiyori's cheeks flushed slightly with happiness as she hesitantly accepted the key.
"By the way… have you ever given a spare key to anyone else before?"
"Nope. You're the first one I've given one to."
"…Yes! ♪"
For some reason, Hiyori pumped her fist in quiet celebration.
"Then, I'll give you one too. Here's the spare key to my room!"
She rummaged through her bag and pulled out a key identical in design to the one I'd just given her, presenting it to me with both hands. She offered it as if it were the most natural thing in the world—but there was no way I could accept.
"Hiyori, that's not okay. A girl shouldn't be giving something like this to a guy."
"But I trust you, Hachiman-kun. Please take it."
She smiled brightly, throwing my own logic right back at me.
"…Fine, I'll take it. But don't expect me to actually use it."
"Just knowing you have it makes me happy. And if it's you, Hachiman-kun, you're welcome anytime."
I still don't really understand Hiyori's way of thinking.
What's so great about giving me her key? Most girls would at least recognize the risk of letting a guy have access to their room…
....
The main objective for today was to make contact with first-years, assess them, and ideally establish a partnership.
And then there was one more thing—something rather personal that I wanted to wrap up smoothly.
"This is the place."
Leaving the usual school building where classes were held, I arrived at the building housing club-related activities. Among them, the Game Club was my destination today.
The reason? A wager match—essentially, gambling.
I had no intention of joining the club, but it was possible to bet Private Points in games like chess.
Besides, I knew someone who was good at chess and seemed like the type to enjoy this kind of gamble.
"My, my. What a coincidence, Hachiman-kun. What brings you to a place like this?"
Just as I was thinking about Arisu, I happened to run into her in the hallway.
"What about you? This is the club activities building. Don't tell me you're joining a club?"
"Fufu. Unfortunately, I have no interest in clubs. But today, I do have some business with the Game Club. Most likely the same as yours."
…I see. Of course, Arisu would know about the wager matches—no surprise there. Still, the fact that she deduced my purpose just from seeing me here was a testament to her sharp observational skills.
"Would you care to go together? Our destination is the same, after all."
"Yeah, sure. Doesn't matter to me."
"Then… shall we?"
Arisu leaned in, linking her arm with mine as we walked.
Hmm. Somehow, I've grown accustomed to girls latching onto my arm like this. Lately, the distance between me and the girls around me—Hiyori included—has been shrinking, to the point where it's starting to feel familiar.
"How unexpected. I thought you'd be a little more flustered."
A sudden remark from beside me. Apparently, Arisu had been hoping to see me panic.
"I don't know if it's a good thing, but lately, I've gotten used to you guys getting way too close."
"…'You guys'? And who, exactly, would that be?"
Arisu's tone dropped a notch, her eyes turning icy.
…I should've chosen my words more carefully.
"I'm aware you have connections with many women, but your treatment of them leaves much to be desired. Normally, when alone with a woman, one doesn't bring up other women's names. It seems you still have much to learn in that regard, Hachiman-kun. Not that I ever expected you to understand a maiden's heart in the first place."
"…I get it, I messed up. No need to rapid-fire scold me."
She spoke so fast I barely caught half of it, but the message was clear—I screwed up.
"…Hmph."
Pouting in dissatisfaction, Arisu's expression naturally drew my attention.
This was a side of her only I got to see. If other students saw her like this, they might mistake it for vulnerability—something her pride would never allow.
"Can I ask you something?"
"Hm? What is it?"
*Why is it that you only show this side of yourself to me?*
I almost asked, but at the last second, I held back.
"Never mind. It's nothing."
....
Upon arriving at the Game Club's clubroom, I opened the door.
Inside, students were engrossed in tabletop games, poker, chess, and a wide variety of other multiplayer games.
"Hey there— Oh, what the hell? Sakayanagi?"
"Pardon the intrusion, Club President. Why do you look so displeased?"
"Because whenever you show up, we get cleaned out. Seriously, nobody here can beat you at chess yet."
It seemed Sakayanagi frequented this place often. The fact that the Game Club president remembered her name suggested she visited quite regularly.
"Huh? Sakayanagi bringing a guy along is rare. Is he your boyfriend?"
"No, I'm—"
"That's right, Club President. He's my boyfriend. He seemed interested in the club's betting games, so I brought him along today."
My words were drowned out by Arisu's voice. She introduced me as her lover as if it were the most natural thing in the world. Did she even realize she was blatantly lying?
"Huh. Never thought Sakayanagi would have a boyfriend. So, boyfriend-kun, you play chess too?"
"Like I said, I'm—"
"Yes. He's quite skilled at chess, so he'd like to participate in a betting match."
"Got it. I'll take you two to the chessboards, then. Follow me."
...Do I not get a say in this?
Before I knew it, things had progressed smoothly, and I was roped into playing chess. Not that I minded, but the real issue was Arisu, who stood beside me looking rather pleased.
"I didn't even get a word in, and things moved way too fast. And what's this 'boyfriend' nonsense?"
Walking behind the club president, I whispered to Arisu.
"Isn't it fine? Calling you my boyfriend makes things go smoother, and more importantly, it puts me in a good mood."
"...Is that how it works?"
"That's how it works. So, Hachiman-kun, just play along, alright?"
I couldn't shake the feeling that I'd been manipulated, but since it made things easier, I nodded.
When we reached the chessboards, the other students turned their attention toward us.
"So, who's going first?"
At the club president's question, Arisu and I exchanged glances. After a few seconds, she seemed to understand my intent and took a seat in front of the board.
"Allow me to go first, then."
"Ugh, I really didn't wanna face Sakayanagi... So, how much are we betting?"
"Hmm... How about a light 100,000 points?"
"You're on! I'm winning today for sure!"
The club president pumped herself up, while Arisu moved her pieces with effortless grace.
Still, "a light 100,000 points"? Given that the opponent was the third-year club president, it made sense, but casually throwing around numbers like that really drove home the fact that she was the leader of Class A.
"By the way, Sakayanagi, how long have you and boyfriend-kun been dating? You never showed any signs before."
The club president made small talk mid-game.
"We only recently started dating. He was the one who confessed to me, you see."
Stop making up lies with that smile of yours.
"Damn, boyfriend-kun must be something to win Sakayanagi over. So, what do you like about him?"
Was this some kind of psychological attack from the club president? She kept up the casual conversation while still carefully considering her moves.
"I love everything about him. If I had to pick one thing, it'd be how multifaceted he is."
She glanced at me and smiled faintly.
"Ugh, stop flaunting your lovey-dovey stuff."
The conversation continued without my input, but the match progressed steadily.
"Checkmate. That's my win."
"Argh! Lost again!"
The defeated club president transferred the points to Arisu, but she didn't seem too bothered—just frustrated. Third-years must have plenty of points to spare.
From there, Arisu went on to face the vice president and two other club members, racking up a total of around 500,000 points.
"Man, Sakayanagi's just too good at chess. I don't even feel like I can win."
"Oh, no, I just got lucky."
"Yeah, yeah, humble, humble. So, what about boyfriend-kun?"
Finally, the spotlight turned to me, and I decided to start with the club president, just like Arisu had.
Switching places with her, I took my seat.
"How much do you wanna bet? Any amount's fine, since it's your first time here."
The club president left the amount up to me. It wasn't that she was underestimating me—she just had no way of knowing my skill level, so she was playing it safe.
"Let's go with 100,000, then."
"! You sure? Starting with 100,000 is pretty steep."
"I'm in a bit of a pinch for points right now, so... Is that alright?"
"If boyfriend-kun's fine with it, then so am I. Let's get started. You can go first."
With the club president's approval, I moved my pawn.
Arisu accompanying me here had been a stroke of luck. Thanks to her, I now had a grasp of the other students' skill levels. All I had to do was manipulate the game to win by a narrow margin.
"Boyfriend-kun, you're pretty good. I'm kinda surprised."
"Thanks. You're no slouch either, Club President."
We exchanged small talk as we quietly moved our pieces.
"So, boyfriend-kun, what do you like about Sakayanagi?"
"...Huh?"
Mine and Arisu's voices overlapped in surprise. I never expected the same question to be thrown at me...
"Ahaha, I'm just really curious about Sakayanagi's boyfriend. I had to ask."
At this point, I had no choice but to answer. But I had no idea what to say, and Arisu's expectant gaze was practically drilling into me.
"Well... I love everything about Arisu. If I had to pick one thing, it'd be how she only shows her true self around me."
I borrowed Arisu's earlier phrasing and gave what I thought was a solid answer. There might've been a hint of truth in there, but it wasn't anything worth dwelling on.
The club president seemed momentarily stunned by my response, but she soon turned to Arisu with a smirk.
"Wow. Just wow, boyfriend-kun. I've never seen Sakayanagi make that face before."
"That face?"
The way she said it piqued my curiosity, and I instinctively glanced at Arisu.
"P-Please don't look at me...!"
Her face was beet red, and she desperately covered it with both hands, avoiding my gaze. She kept stealing glances at me, but the moment our eyes met, she'd immediately look away.
As a guy, it was impossible not to be captivated by her like this.
"Hey, hey. Boyfriend-kun, aren't you gonna say something to Sakayanagi?"
"If I say anything now, I'll probably get scolded by Arisu later."
As much as I hated to disappoint the smirking club president, dragging this out would only risk angering Arisu, so I decided to wrap things up quickly.
After that, just like Arisu, I defeated the club president, then the vice president and other club members, successfully amassing a total of 550,000 points.
The only thing that stuck out to me was when Arisu handed 100,000 points to the club president as a "thank you."
....
Arisu seemed to have some business to attend to, so we parted ways earlier. Now, as I left the Game Club room and headed toward the entrance to go home, my steps naturally quickened—after all, Hiyori was supposed to be making dinner for me tonight.
"Trying out betting matches today was definitely the right call."
Just knowing that gambling matches could be this profitable was a worthwhile discovery. This would make things much easier going forward.
"Eek!"
As I descended the stairs from the second floor toward the first-floor entrance, a female student coming up the stairs in the opposite direction suddenly slipped, losing her footing.
"Whoa—"
I caught her from below before she could tumble down the stairs, steadying her gently.
The girl—probably a first-year—blinked in mild surprise for a second before breaking into a radiant smile as our eyes met.
"Thanks, Senpai! I almost got hurt there."
Her manner was soft-spoken, though there was a slight awkwardness to it.
"Don't worry about it. Be more careful."
"W-Wait, Senpai! At least tell me your name so I can thank you properly! If you're busy, I can pay you back later!"
She grabbed my arm as I tried to leave, grinning pleadingly. Despite her slightly gyaru-like appearance, she seemed oddly earnest.
"Second-Year Class B, Hikigaya Hachiman. And you?"
For just a moment, the look in her eyes shifted—then she smirked, clasping both of my hands with hers.
"First-Year Class A, Amasawa Ichika, at your service~! Nice to meet you, Hikigaya Senpaaai ♪"
.....
(A/N:
I have too many things I want to write.
Or rather, I want to try out all sorts of different scenarios.
The next one will be a story focused on Amasawa.
After that, maybe a story about Hiyori staying over?
Since I also want to involve someone from Ichinose's class, Matsushita, and the third-years, I think after those two stories, we'll be able to head to the uninhabited island exam in about three or four more chapters.
)
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