Hachiman’s Classroom of Strength’s Supremacy

Chapter 155: Ryuen – This Time, I Will Make Class A Fall! Attack!

Ichinose’s gaze instantly turned sharp.

However.

“I also think peaceful coexistence is best.”

After Hikigaya spoke, Sotomura, who just wanted to maintain stability and receive his 100,000 living expenses next month, also said so. Or rather, this plan was perfect for him. If everyone sat down together and chose to follow the exam rules—honestly ending the exam on the third night with each person receiving 500,000 points and the preferential treatment recipient getting 1 million—then his financial crisis of wanting to buy video games and a game console would be completely resolved.

“Hey—” However, some students from Class A were still dissatisfied.

While Machida had shut up, two others had not. “Isn’t that question a bit too cunning? This is an attempt to identify the preferential treatment recipient, isn’t it?”

This student directly pointed out the possible intention behind Ichinose’s question. “But this question isn’t mandatory, is it? So we’ll just stay silent.”

“Huh? Was my question really that cunning?” As the one who had posed it, Ichinose Honami looked troubled. “Isn’t this a peaceful choice that leads everyone to shared prosperity?”

The preferential treatment recipients reveal their identities, and then everyone answers at the correct time, ensuring rewards for all.

This kind of thing was probably only possible for Class B.

So wasn’t she simply being kind rather than trying to probe?

“Threats and intimidation are not allowed. The only solution to this exam is through discussion and dialogue. But you, Class A, refuse… so doesn’t that make you suspicious? Can you accept that?” Ichinose Honami kept pushing forward.

“Are you threatening us?” Some students from Class A seemed impulsive, while others, like Machida, backed down as soon as they were confronted.

However, it was undeniable that their stern expressions made it impossible to tell if the preferential treatment recipient was among them.

Because.

Even if they weren’t, as long as others believed they were and made a mistake in answering—

Then the class that answered incorrectly would lose points.

For Class A, this would further stabilize their position as the top class.

So.

In other words, Class A couldn’t be trusted at all right now. Every single one of them was acting. They were waiting for others to make mistakes.

They were deceivers. They were doing it on purpose!

“Anyway, whatever suspicions you have are your problem. We’re not participating in this discussion!” And these actors all maintained their silence. “From now on, we won’t say a single word. What do you think about that?”

No answers. No talking.

Naturally, this meant there were no more useful clues.

Class A’s actions were suspicious, but unexpectedly steady.

Because by refusing to participate, they left open the possibility that the preferential treatment recipient was among them. But by not revealing anything, the others had no way to confirm. Threats and intimidation weren’t allowed, so if a Class A student was isolated, their entire class would remain under suspicion.

The final exam result would be—no one finding the preferential treatment recipient, meaning the recipient would win in the end, receiving 1 million personal points. This was the second possible outcome where only the recipient won.

And now, after refusing to participate, Class A even asked, “What do you think about that?”

How sinister.

Because at this moment, if anyone supported Class A’s decision, it would imply that their class might have a preferential treatment recipient. Otherwise, why would they agree to something that only benefits classes with a recipient? If there’s no benefit, why support it? It would expose too much.

In other words, without confirming whether their own class had a recipient, they couldn’t respond. Otherwise, they’d be harming their class. Of course, if they were certain their class had no recipient, they could agree, but such an action would also invite reverse suspicion.

They would immediately be identified as agreeing so calmly because their class had no recipient.

Simply put, the moment someone joined the discussion, they would be suspected. So Class A chose not to respond at all! Completely blocking any attempts to probe.

Katsuragi was truly an outstanding person. These students were part of the Katsuragi faction and fully supported his strategy.

“Eh—” Ichinose seemed a bit anxious. “So now, what should we do?”

There really was no solution.

“It seems we’ve reached an impasse.” Hikigaya finally spoke. Because he had knowledge of the preferential treatment recipient, Ichinose’s actions gave him a headache, while Class A’s steady approach was ruthless. The atmosphere in the room felt suffocating, filled with constant scheming.

So what could they do now?

As for Class C and Class D—

Well, these two groups were just playing on their phones, completely unaware that Class A and Class B had already clashed.

Since that was the case—

“By the way, why are the phones from your Class C so weird?” Suddenly, Ibuki from Class D spoke up. “They’re black.”

“Oh, this?” She seemed to be speaking to Karuizawa.

“……” Karuizawa was silent for a few seconds.

Because she had already confirmed that the one who stole her underwear on the deserted island was Ibuki.

And now, Ibuki shamelessly asked her about it, so even Karuizawa was momentarily stunned.

But she still answered.

And only then did everyone notice that Yukimura and Sotomura from Class C were holding black phones, while everyone else’s phones were white.

“It’s a temporary replacement,” Karuizawa said. “Because our phones were all confiscated before 8 PM.”

Just a simple statement, but the impact was huge.

Class A and Class B students’ expressions changed simultaneously.

Their phones were confiscated before 8 PM—before the information confirming the preferential treatment recipients was sent out?

Class A gasped.

They had just felt proud for staying silent and not participating in the discussion. But now—

Wasn’t this the same thing? Even their own classmates didn’t know who the recipient was, so how could they give away clues or be discovered?

This was an even more extreme move than what Class A had done!

For Ichinose, her earlier probing was now meaningless.

Because there was no way to test anything from Hikigaya’s class.

And so.

With Class A’s refusal to participate, and Class C’s lack of awareness, the students from Class B and Class D were left in agony. Meanwhile, the students from Class D still didn’t fully grasp the exam’s mechanics, so after two hours of “discussion,” Ichinose Honami let out a sigh.

“If this keeps up, I don’t know how we’re supposed to complete the exam.” She was troubled, but not just about this Rabbit group—she was also worried about the other 11 groups. If Class A refused to participate and Class D had no clue about the recipients’ identities, then the exam truly couldn’t proceed.

“Hikigaya-kun, what are you…?” As she sighed, she noticed Hikigaya walking upstairs. If he were heading to the deck or back to the dorms, he should be going down.

She hurried to catch up.

“I’m going to pick up Horikita,” Hikigaya said. “Her discussion should be ending around now.”

“Ah, you and Horikita have a really good relationship,” Ichinose said with a slight blush.

That was probably just a school rumor. Hikigaya often ate lunch with Horikita in the classroom, and the food was even made by her.

So many people mistakenly believed they were dating.

“No, I’m just returning her phone,” Hikigaya said. “I originally planned to use it to fool people, but I didn’t get the chance.”

Returning Horikita’s phone?

Did that mean Hikigaya was currently holding her phone?

Ichinose was smart, and she instantly understood what he meant. If anyone tried to ask him whether he was the preferential treatment recipient, he could just take out the phone and show the message saying [Not Chosen as a Recipient]. But since he was holding someone else’s phone, it was impossible to confirm whether he was the recipient or just faking suspicion.

So cunning.

Ichinose felt an even bigger headache. If students started swapping phones and didn’t carefully check personal information, mistakes would be inevitable.

She needed to warn her classmates in Class B.

But at this rate, Class B had no chance of winning this exam.

Ichinose began to consider whether to reveal her class’s recipients and continue forming an alliance with Hikigaya.

But this exam was an opportunity for Class B.

They were close to Class A. And Hoshinomiya-sensei wanted her to step up.

But facing Hikigaya—

Wasn’t this already over before it even started?

Ugh.

Ichinose felt troubled.

Meanwhile, Hikigaya continued walking forward, and she quickly followed him.

“Hm?”

“I want to convince Katsuragi to abandon Class A’s strategy.”

Ichinose walked beside Hikigaya on his right. “Or is walking with me making you uncomfortable?”

She seemed a little dejected.

Not at all.

Because Ichinose smelled nice—whatever shampoo she used, it left a pleasant fragrance.

“Ichinose, what do you think about the previous island exam’s results?” Hikigaya suddenly asked.

Hmm.

That was a difficult topic for Ichinose.

Not only had she sheltered Kaneda, who turned out to be a spy, but Kaneda had also discovered their leader’s identity.

To maintain their score, she had been forced to negotiate with Hikigaya, and even now, her class still owed him a debt worth 98 class evaluation points until graduation.

It had been an expensive lesson.

“I originally thought this school was a bright and happy place, and I was excited to spend three years here with everyone,” she said. “But now, it seems this school isn’t just about fun. So my classmates and I need to work hard, and I’ll do my best for them.”

Her answer somewhat avoided the question, but Hikigaya understood—this meant Ichinose was completely serious now.

Class B remained in Class B simply because their abilities were strong enough that they could pass exams without resorting to any underhanded tactics. In other words, they followed the normal, standard procedures honestly.

At the same time, even though they knew that Shirakawa Chihiro’s leader status had been exposed, they still chose to retain her as their leader.

To put things into perspective—

If they had changed their leader at that time, their class’s score in the uninhabited island exam would have become 1,221 points, while Class A, which had guessed the wrong leader for Class B, would have ended up with 1,208 points. At that moment, Ichinose’s class would have become Class A.

But they didn’t do that.

This class was truly an anomaly in this school.

“Well, I’m looking forward to it,” Hachiman said. “Looking forward to your growth, and when the time comes, maybe you’ll take me in.”

“Take you in?” Ichinose blinked.

“You know, right? If you save up 20 million points, you can transfer to any class you like. And honestly, I don’t really like Class A. I think Class B has a nice atmosphere.”

They were all kindhearted fools—so naive they’d count the money even after being sold out. That kind of environment was reassuring.

Besides, if he transferred to Class B, they still owed him money. He’d be joining them as a creditor.

Given the kind-hearted nature of the class, it was unlikely that he’d be ostracized. And if he could convince Class B to pool their resources and buy off Sakayanagi Arisu, then even as part of Class B, they might have a chance to challenge Class A and secure stability.

That was another way to compete.

Hearing this, Ichinose looked momentarily surprised.

But soon—

Ichinose cautiously asked, “So, does that mean you don’t want to stay in Class C, Hachiman?”

“Yeah. This exam will make it clear—if they weren’t so incompetent, why would we have to keep them from even knowing who their own VIP is? It’s because if they knew, it would be too easy for others to tell and make our class lose points,” Hachiman said, feigning frustration.

It seemed like idle chatter, but in reality, he was making a statement—this exam had already been decided. No one in Class C knew who the VIP was.

So Ichinose shouldn’t waste her time.

Even if Class A agreed to participate in discussions, Class C students would still remain clueless. That fact wouldn’t change.

And Ichinose was smart enough to get it. The way her expression turned sour immediately showed that she had realized it.

She understood now—her class had almost no chance of winning this exam on their own, nor could they suppress Hachiman’s strategy.

However—

Ichinose still hadn’t completely lost.

Because apart from her own class struggling, there was one class in an even worse situation.

Class A.

“Ichinose, what are you doing here?”

A member of the Dragon Group stepped out of the room, and when Katsuragi looked up, he immediately spotted Ichinose Honami.

As a Class A student and a leader, he had thoroughly studied Class B’s top student, Ichinose Honami, since both her academic and physical abilities were comparable to theirs.

With the close competition between Class A and Class B, keeping an eye on her was a necessity.

Especially since she wasn’t originally assigned to the Dragon Group, making her presence here even more notable.

“If you already knew I would come, then you must also know what I want to talk about.”

Katsuragi was tall and muscular, but Ichinose didn’t waver in the slightest.

“Why did you have Class A refuse to participate in the discussion segment? It’s as if you’re rejecting this entire exam, Katsuragi.”

“You’re absolutely right,” Katsuragi leaned against the wall and replied indifferently. “I am rejecting this exam.”