Hachiman’s Classroom of Strength’s Supremacy

Chapter 175: Sakayanagi, How Are You Planning to Use Your 20 Million?

“The 22nd Annual Sports Festival of our school is now officially open.”

At the opening ceremony, the sports festival’s general director, Fujimaki from Class 3-A, whom they had met once before, delivered the opening declaration.

With a stir of excitement, the students dispersed into their respective red and white teams.

The competition was tightly scheduled, with no time wasted on unnecessary formalities. In other words, all 13 events would be completed in a single day.

Not only that—

Starting with the first-year boys, groups of eight were already lining up to begin their 100-meter race trials.

The order of the races was structured as follows: first-year boys would run first, followed by the rest until the third-year girls finished their races. After a short intermission, the order would reverse, starting with first-year girls and ending with third-year boys. The schedule was extremely compact.

There were a total of 10 groups for the first-year boys.

Though the sports festival was a grand display, its real focus was Ryuen.

However, in order to bait Ryuen into action, Hachiman made sure his class’s lineup looked somewhat convincing.

Hachiman’s strategy was to have Sudo take the lead and secure the first victory to boost morale.

The first group was now in position.

Bang!

With the sound of the starting pistol, Sudo shot forward like an arrow, finishing first with an astonishing ten-meter lead over the second-place runner.

As expected from someone with extraordinary athletic prowess.

Then came the second group.

Without giving the crowd much time to recover from their excitement, the next race was already getting into position.

However, when the third group stepped forward, a commotion broke out among the students.

“This kind of race is too boring—”

Koenji Rokusuke declared his withdrawal. Without a hint of regret, he simply left the track on his own.

“Just as planned.”

From the Class D section, Ryuen Kakeru, holding a pair of binoculars, observed Koenji from a distance, analyzing the situation in his mind.

“Koenji really did forfeit!”

In Class A’s camp, Hashimoto’s voice rang out.

He was part of Sakayanagi’s faction, but the entire class knew that Katsuragi had arranged for someone to bribe Koenji.

Anyone who had participated in the deserted island exam knew that Sudo was at most an overpowered athlete, but Koenji was a complete monster.

And then there was Class B, which had both overpowered athletes and monsters—wasn’t this making it impossible for other classes to compete?

So—

When Katsuragi learned from his spies that Koenji had no interest in the sports festival, he proposed using money to buy him off. In exchange for a payment, Koenji would sign an agreement stating that he would not participate.

The cost was 1 million yen.

This amount was shared among the entire class, with each student contributing 25,000 yen.

Yet, no one had any objections.

And now, Koenji seemed to have honored his agreement—he truly forfeited.

“I’m a little curious,” Sakayanagi suddenly said while seated in a corner of the base camp.

“About what?”

At that moment, the only person beside Sakayanagi was Kamuro.

“If Koenji was willing to give up participating for such a small amount, could it be that Hikigaya actually has another plan?” Sakayanagi said. “After all, there’s no reason to leave such a powerful asset unused.”

“……” Kamuro.

What do you mean ‘such a small amount’? That was 1 million yen!

“But since you bought a camera, aren’t you planning to use it?” Kamuro pointed out. She had accompanied Sakayanagi yesterday to buy the camera, yet now, even though the sports festival had begun, the camera was just sitting there, gathering dust.

“Because the right moment hasn’t come yet.”

“Hmm. For example, my dear Kamuro hasn’t gone up yet.” Sakayanagi said, looking as if she wanted to take pictures of Kamuro.

Yeah, right.

Kamuro didn’t believe for a second that Sakayanagi had any interest in her. If anything, she felt like Sakayanagi had already figured her out completely.

So there was no reason for her to be so focused on her.

“I’ll probably use it during the final 1,200-meter relay,” Sakayanagi said. “I think that’ll be the perfect time to capture some interesting footage of Vice President Nagumo.”

“He’s my opponent in the student council election. If I can get some unflattering footage of him, wouldn’t that help boost my popularity a little?”

So that’s how it was.

Thinking about this, Kamuro watched as Sakayanagi gripped her cane, stood up, and left the camp, heading toward the track.

That was where the 100-meter races were taking place.

The boys had already started competing.

—

According to the race lineup, Hikigaya had arranged for Sudo and Koenji to be in the first group.

Although Koenji forfeited, Sudo took first place, boosting the class’s morale.

In the second group, Hirata and Yukimura were up.

Hirata also took first place, while Yukimura placed sixth. As per their agreement, two students from Class C voluntarily forfeited, securing the last two spots.

Then, in the third group, Class C continued throwing matches.

Hikigaya’s deal with Ichinose was that, in the nine mandatory events, whenever his class had strong competitors, Ichinose’s class would avoid competing directly. And when Hikigaya’s class sent weaker students, Ichinose’s class would arrange for some of their members to forfeit.

This way, Hikigaya’s weaker students could at least score some points.

At the same time—

Ichinose’s class would gain access to Hikigaya’s class lineup, allowing them to avoid pitting their strongest competitors against each other and thus maximize their overall scores.

Since each event had multiple heats, as long as they didn’t stack too many strong competitors in the same group, securing first or second place was practically guaranteed.

It was a mutually beneficial arrangement, albeit a somewhat forced one.

Hikigaya himself was assigned to the fifth group.

However—

He ran into a familiar face.

It was Kanzaki Ryuji from Class C.

Since there was no need to forfeit this time, Class C could arrange their races normally.

Still, Hikigaya hadn’t expected them to send a seeded competitor.

Although he had interacted with Kanzaki several times, Kanzaki didn’t seem to enjoy socializing and wasn’t very good at communication. According to the information Hikigaya had gathered, Kanzaki was also a core member of the soccer club—meaning he was an elite athlete.

The question was, could Hirata keep up with him?

“Hikigaya-kun, do you lack natural athletic ability?” Kanzaki asked bluntly, proving once again that he was terrible at making conversation.

“Yeah.” Hikigaya nodded.

And with that, he ended up with a weak fourth-place finish, as expected of someone without talent.

But there was no time for him to rest now.

Next, he had to participate in the hurdles race.

Ten minutes later, the sound of the starting gun rang out.

The second round of the hurdles race had begun.

The hurdles race wasn’t much different from the 100-meter sprint—the distance was still 100 meters.

The only difference was the addition of hurdle obstacles.

Two additional rules applied:

1. Touching a hurdle added 0.3 seconds to the time.
2.
3. Knocking over a hurdle added 0.5 seconds.
4.
Each hurdle was equipped with sensors, ensuring highly accurate judgments with minimal miscalculations.

Hachiman was in the last group, where he unexpectedly encountered a familiar face.

“Hikigaya-kun.”

It was a tall, bald male student who looked directly at Hachiman. “Your class has performed exceptionally well in the recent exams, and it’s undeniable that you played a crucial role in that. So, I’m here to test you.”

“Is that so?”

Hachiman remained indifferent. It was somewhat surprising to see Kanzaki Ryuji in the same group as him, but now it was clear—both Kanzaki and Katsuragi had the same idea.

They wanted to gauge his abilities.

They were trying to determine whether Hikigaya was another athletic powerhouse worth keeping an eye on.

Well, they were wasting their efforts.

Back in middle school, Hachiman had essentially been part of the “go-home club.”

That meant he went straight home after school, lay on the couch, and never bothered to train or improve his physical abilities.

So, athletically, he was just average.

However, since his class was the weakest in the school, he ranked slightly above average within it.

And yet, despite his unimpressive skills, these two were treating him as a serious threat—so much so that they had arranged for two seeded competitors to go up against him?

It was worth noting that both in the 100-meter race with Kanzaki and in this hurdles event, there were seeded athletes from Ryuen’s class.

As a result, neither Kanzaki nor Katsuragi had managed to take first place.

“It seems like Hikigaya-kun’s limits end here.”

After finishing the boys’ 200-meter race, Hachiman arrived at the finish line and noticed a familiar face.

It was a girl.

She had beautiful silver-white short hair, snow-white skin, and a petite frame. She was wearing white stockings.

However, likely due to her poor health, she was holding a black cane in her left hand.

It was Sakayanagi Arisu.

At the same time, Hachiman noticed that she was holding a camera in her right hand.

“What are you doing here?” Hachiman asked.

At the same time, he felt a little uneasy—judging by her posture, she had just taken some pictures.

As expected, if he had trained even a little beforehand, he might have placed second instead of third.

“Don’t worry,” Sakayanagi said. “I didn’t take any pictures of you embarrassing yourself.”

…Is that so?

So she took pictures of moments that weren’t embarrassing instead?

For a brief moment, Hachiman felt a sense of shame rising within him, but he still asked, “So, did you come here just to ask me something?”

Given Sakayanagi Arisu’s physical condition and the fact that he had convinced her not to take control of Class A for this sports festival, there was no real reason for her to be here.

“Since you were willing to give up Koenji, one of your strongest assets, I had a feeling you were planning something interesting. And then—”

She stopped mid-sentence.

Hachiman scratched his head.

She wanted a piece of the action.

“The points earned from buying off Koenji will be used where they’re needed,” Hachiman said. “And what about the 20 million points you have, Sakayanagi? How do you plan to use them?”

“Hmm?”

“During the deserted island exam, Ryuen signed a contract with Katsuragi—your class has to pay him 1.2 million private points per month until graduation.”

“If I told you that you could buy out this contract for 20 million, what would you think?” Hachiman asked.

That contract was supposed to be in Ryuen’s hands, yet Hachiman was bringing it up as a negotiation piece. Something about that didn’t seem right.

“I’ll think about it,” Sakayanagi responded.

However, she didn’t question the matter outright. She didn’t reject the offer immediately, but she also didn’t accept it on the spot.

“Well, let’s talk again after the sports festival,” Hachiman said.

The girls’ events were about to start.

The school’s schedule was organized by grade level—first-years went first, followed by second-years, then third-years. The mandatory individual events took place first, followed by team events, and then, after lunch, the elective events.

Within the mandatory events, the boys’ competitions were held before the girls’ competitions.

The schedule was tight.

Since Hachiman had finished his individual mandatory events, it was now time for the girls’ individual mandatory events to begin.

He made his way over to the girls’ side.

—

The girls had already taken their positions, and Hachiman quickly spotted Horikita Suzune.

First-Year Class D.

Ibuki Mio.

Horikita had never competed against her directly, but she had reviewed Ibuki Mio’s records.

The school had compiled data on every student’s academic ability, intelligence, decision-making skills, athletic ability, and teamwork skills.

And when it came to athletic ability, Ibuki Mio stood out—her rating was a solid B.

That was higher than most boys in the school.

Horikita had also heard that Ibuki had some experience in martial arts.

In a sense, she and Horikita were quite similar.

“Ibuki Mio.”

Ibuki Mio looked at Horikita, her eyes burning with an intense passion.

She had set her sights on Horikita.

She had also seen the physical test data of Class B students that Kushida had obtained and found that Horikita Suzune’s data was very close to hers. That made her want to compete against Horikita.

Moreover, this was an opportunity.

She happened to be assigned to the same group as Horikita, allowing them to compete directly.

“Horikita Suzune.”

Suzune, however, showed no fear.

As someone who had once been proud and believed she shouldn’t have been placed in Class D, Horikita Suzune had a reason for her pride—her academic and athletic abilities were both outstanding.

Although she had suffered several setbacks since arriving at this school, she had also grown.

So, she had no reason to fear Ibuki.

Besides—

She was actually quite displeased with Ibuki for infiltrating their class as a spy. It was an act of disrespect. If they had been strong enough, other classes wouldn’t have been able to send spies in.

Although Ryuen’s class had ultimately failed, there had been no real consequences for Ibuki’s infiltration.

So—

Here, Horikita wanted to defeat Ibuki.

This was her event, and she was the second-fastest girl in their class.

With the lineup chosen by Hikigaya, Horikita hoped to secure first place in the 100-meter race for Class B right from the start.

That would boost their class’s morale and put pressure on the other classes.

It would also serve as a strong opening against Ryuen, who had his sights set on her.

Now—

As the starting gun fired, all the runners dashed forward. Ibuki took the lead, while Horikita was slightly slower at the start.

The lineup was as planned—Class C had not sent any of their top athletes. That meant the real competition was just between Horikita and Ibuki.

Though Horikita’s start had been slightly slow, her speed was excellent. She pushed herself during acceleration and gradually closed the gap with Ibuki.

Ibuki, on the other hand, kept glancing back at Horikita during the race. Perhaps due to the distraction, she tensed up and slowed down slightly, losing her advantage and bringing them neck and neck.

The two were locked in an intense battle.

As they entered the final sprint of the 100-meter race, both pushed themselves to their limits. In the final moment, Horikita leaned her body slightly forward, edging out a narrow victory. The thrilling race excited the audience, and the cheers around them grew louder.

“Good job.”

At the finish line, Hikigaya stood waiting with two bottles of water.

One bottle was, of course, for Horikita. The other—was for Ibuki.

“Eh?”

Horikita accepted the mineral water but was momentarily stunned.

Because Hikigaya wasn’t talking to her—he was speaking to Ibuki.

At the same time—

Why was he telling Ibuki, of all people, that she worked hard? Horikita was his classmate!

“Your start was really impressive. Have you done any specialized training?” Hikigaya asked Ibuki.

“……”

“……”

Ibuki didn’t know how to respond.

Because—

This was really suspicious behavior.

“Did you put something in the water? Like a laxative or something?”

“That would be against the rules of the sports festival!”

Ibuki didn’t accept the water. Instead, she immediately questioned him. After all, what kind of person tries to flatter a rival?

“What would I put in it? Why would you even say that? I just think you’re really strong,” Hikigaya said. “But Horikita is still stronger. If it were a 200-meter race, Horikita would have won even more convincingly.”

That, at least, sounded a little more reasonable—like a roundabout way of praising her.

Horikita finally eased up a little, though she wasn’t fond of flattery.

“……” Ibuki really thought Hikigaya was acting weird. She didn’t say anything.

“I’ll be watching when you and Horikita face off again in the 1200-meter relay,” Hikigaya said.

“……That won’t happen,” Ibuki muttered somewhat dejectedly before turning away. It seemed she didn’t want to spend any more time around Class B people.

But Hikigaya felt relieved.

He had been saying those things just to get Ibuki to reveal this information.

Ryuen’s strategy for the sports festival had two main targets: 1) Sudo, and 2) Horikita.

The information about targeting Horikita had come from Kushida, but since it was originally from Ryuen, Hikigaya wasn’t sure if it was completely reliable.

But now, it was clear—Ryuen was indeed someone who fully trusted his subordinates.

All the leaked information was true.

Through his informants, Hikigaya even knew that Ryuen had held a meeting in his class to plan their strategy.

However, since the information had come so easily, Hikigaya needed to verify it.

And Ibuki had just given him confirmation.

On the event roster, Ibuki was listed for the 1200-meter relay. In Class D, there was another girl named Kinoshita, a track team member, who was even faster than Ibuki. But she wasn’t in the relay event, which was very strange.

From Ibuki’s comment, Hikigaya could now confirm—Kinoshita was likely being saved as a piece in Ryuen’s strategy to take out Horikita.

That meant before the 1200-meter relay even started, Ryuen would make a move to take Horikita out. That’s why Ibuki had said—she wouldn’t be facing Horikita again.

Would Hikigaya’s strange behavior make Ibuki realize he was fishing for information?

Would she report to Ryuen and make him more cautious?

No need to worry.

Ibuki was simple-minded—in other words, not very bright. That had already been proven during the VIP exam.

“Get ready,” Hikigaya said. “Ryuen will likely follow through with his plan.”

“……” Horikita remained silent.

Horikita Suzune gripped the water bottle in her left hand. She knew this was Hikigaya’s way of informing her that the next phase—the part where she would play the victim—was about to begin.

“My phone is ready.”

She had already mentioned that she would record audio. If Ryuen tried to frame her, she would have proof of her innocence.

“A phone might not be enough,” Hikigaya said. “Take a voice recorder as well.”

“A… voice recorder?”

Horikita was surprised. Using something like this felt like a real espionage operation. She hadn’t expected Hikigaya to be this prepared.

“If we’re putting on a show, we should at least make it convincing,” Hikigaya added.

That made sense.

Horikita took the voice recorder and put it in her pocket.

Just as Hikigaya was about to continue speaking—

“Hikigaya, we have a problem!”

A classmate suddenly ran over.

“Sudo went to find Koenji!”

…??

Sudo went to find Koenji?

Everyone had seen how much effort Sudo had put into preparing for this sports festival.

And now, Koenji had arbitrarily withdrawn from the competition, completely disregarding class unity. That kind of behavior was infuriating to someone who was serious about the event.

Koenji withdrawing wasn’t surprising—it was expected. But the real problem was Sudo.

Sudo had a short temper. If he got into a fight with Koenji, he might end up disqualified for brawling. And the entire strategy revolved around Sudo earning a massive amount of points.

If he got kicked out now, it would be a disaster.

“KOENJI!!”

Sudo’s furious roar echoed as he confronted Koenji, who was sitting near the small washroom, casually brushing his golden hair in a mirror.

Someone held Sudo back.

It looked like they had made it in time.

Seeing Ike and the others restraining Sudo, Hikigaya let out a breath of relief.

A sudden fight breaking out wouldn’t be a huge issue. The real concern was whether Sudo would be banned from competing.

They couldn’t afford to lose Sudo now.

Ryuen hadn’t even made his move yet, so it would be a waste if Sudo ruined everything now.

Thankfully, Sudo was successfully calmed down. Hikigaya left him in the capable hands of the ever-reliable Hirata and returned to the White Team’s rest area.

The 100-meter races went by quickly, and by the time Hikigaya returned, the girls were about to start the hurdles event.

However—

“H-Hikigaya—”

As soon as Hikigaya reached the resting area, a girl with a white headband came running toward him, panting heavily. It was Sakura Airi.

With one hand pressed against the left side of her chest, she gasped out, “Hikigaya-kun… did you watch my race?”

Uh.

Uh.

Uh.

You already ran? And finished?

Ever since the sports festival’s physical test results came out, Hikigaya had known that Sakura had the worst stamina in the class.

Considering how much she had helped him, he had gone out of his way to ask Kamuro, who was skilled in athletics, to coach her.

Kamuro, despite her cold demeanor, had agreed to help. But Sakura was aware that this was only because of Hikigaya’s influence.

Now, this was her moment—to show the results of her training.

She had wanted Hikigaya to witness it with his own eyes.

But—

“……” Hikigaya.

Had she really already finished her race?

He had been so focused on preventing Sudo from getting disqualified that he had completely missed it.

Or rather, he had perfectly missed it.

Now, Sakura was looking at him with a slightly anxious expression, as if she were hoping for praise.

“Uh—”

So, how should he respond to this?

“Sakura…” Hikigaya immediately said, “You worked really hard! I’m very happy.”

In the end, he went with a vague answer.

It was an analytical decision.

If she had done poorly, she probably wouldn’t have come running to him.

“Mm… mm.” Sakura nodded, clasping her hands together, and then revealed her decent result—she hadn’t come in last but had finished in third place.

She was in the “cannon fodder” group, meaning there weren’t any strong competitors. Class C, which had allied with their class, had intentionally placed two throwaway members in the race. Since each group had eight participants, with only six actually competing, finishing in third place was indeed a commendable effort for Sakura.

She deserved praise.

It made Hikigaya, who had been sleeping in during the mornings, feel a bit guilty.

“Don’t push yourself too hard,” Hachiman added.

“Mm, mm.”

Only then did Sakura seem relieved before heading back to the competition area, as her events weren’t over yet.

Learning from this experience, Hikigaya went over to the hurdle race area to watch Sakura’s next event.

It didn’t take long.

Sakura, who was in the sixth group of the hurdle race, stepped onto the track.

But this time, luck wasn’t on her side. She only managed to finish in fifth place.

Still, not coming in last showed she had put in the effort.

However—

“You ended up in the same group as Sakura? That’s just cruel,” Hikigaya commented, looking at the first-place finisher in Sakura’s hurdle race group.

The person had long and powerful legs, likely tied her long hair into a ponytail for convenience during the race.

It was Kamuro Masumi.

Kamuro had been the one coaching Sakura recently, yet now, the mentor and the student had ended up competing in the same group.

It was quite brutal.

“It’s not like I arranged the matchups,” Kamuro replied with a sigh.

“By the way,” she added, “where’s my bottled water?”

“Bottled water?”

“You gave one to Horikita and even to Ibuki from Class D,” Kamuro pointed out.

“Oh, that,” Hikigaya said. “I didn’t bring that many bottles. Besides, you don’t look like you need it.”

“……” Kamuro.

Hmph.

She clicked her tongue in irritation and walked away proudly.

She had no words for this oblivious guy.

Kamuro wasn’t interested in Hikigaya, but the girl who finished second in the same race was now looking at him with interest.

“Hikigaya-kun, right?”

The girl spoke.

Hm?

Hikigaya turned around and immediately saw a fair-skinned, clean-looking face.

She had beautiful silver hair, also tied into a ponytail for convenience during the race.

If Kamuro’s ponytail gave off a fresh impression, then this girl’s ponytail was simply stunning.

She was a familiar face from the library—Shiina Hiyori.

Silver-white straight hair, clear eyes, fair skin.

A literary girl like her stood out in an athletic setting.

“I twisted my ankle just now,” Shiina Hiyori said. “Could you take me to the infirmary?”

“The Class A competitor was pushing too hard.”

“I wanted to contribute to my class, but I guess I pushed myself beyond my limit,” she added.

I see.

Hikigaya glanced around. There had been another girl from Class D nearby, but she had already left.

Shiina Hiyori was still here.

And she had gotten injured for her class’s sake.

Now that she had asked for help, and since there was still some time before the boys’ team event, Hikigaya didn’t mind doing her a favor.

So, he walked over to Shiina.

“Do you need me to support you as you walk?” Hikigaya asked.

“Umm… Yes, support me… No, actually, could you carry me?”

As Hikigaya approached, about to support her by the shoulder, Shiina suddenly changed her request. She seemed a little embarrassed, as if she realized she was asking for too much, and her cheeks flushed red.

“——” Hikigaya.

Whoa, whoa, whoa.

I’m just helping you out, but why are you blushing?

Hikigaya felt that if this continued, the atmosphere would get weird.

But since he had already agreed to help, he moved closer to Shiina Hiyori. Just approaching her, he caught a faint, pleasant scent.

It was probably her shampoo. It smelled similar to the one Sakayanagi used.

Of course—

Now was not the time for such thoughts.

Hikigaya pressed down with his left hand and lifted with his right, picking Shiina Hiyori up in a princess carry.

“Ah!” At that moment, Hiyori let out a sound.

“Don’t make weird noises, or people will misunderstand,” Hikigaya quickly said.

“Sorry,” Shiina also responded hastily.

But she placed both hands on her chest, looking flustered. For a literary girl like her, this kind of physical contact was way too much.

So, Hikigaya recalled the cold and expressionless look of Student Council President Horikita and imitated it, maintaining a straight face as he carried Shiina away.

Shiina was really light.

And her legs were really slender.

Hikigaya was experiencing, for the first time in his life, what it felt like to carry a girl.

…

In the infirmary.

The distance from the sports field to the infirmary wasn’t far—only about five minutes.

When Hikigaya arrived carrying Shiina Hiyori, he found the infirmary door open but no one inside.

“The infirmary teacher isn’t here.”

Hikigaya placed Shiina on a bed.

“They’re probably with the medical team over there,” he said, recalling the school’s medical team he had seen earlier at the entrance. The infirmary teacher had likely been called over to assist.

“So we went in the opposite direction.”

“That’s unfortunate,” Shiina said, a little embarrassed. “I wasted your time.”

“It was only five minutes,” Hikigaya replied. “But…”

“I don’t think you actually need to go to the medical team,” he continued. “Rather, going there would probably be more of a hassle for you.”

“Eh?”

Hearing that, Shiina’s expression showed a hint of confusion. “Hikigaya-kun, what are you talking about? I don’t quite understand.”

“You don’t understand?”

Hikigaya then reached into his pocket and pulled out a pair of blue-framed glasses, putting them on.

He imitated Horikita’s brother’s habit of pushing up the glasses and, in a knowing tone, looked down at Shiina Hiyori.

“Shiina, you’re not actually injured, are you?”

“You just wanted to be alone with me.”

“……” Hiyori.

Wow.

Hikigaya actually looks pretty good with glasses.

Wait, no.

Hikigaya is way too scary!

Hiyori quickly pulled herself together.

Yes.

Hikigaya’s appearance might have leveled up, but he was giving off an intimidating aura.

Hiyori was familiar with him—they had met in the library occasionally and had even recommended books to each other.

But she also knew that Hikigaya was from Class C… no, now Class B.

He was essentially the equivalent of Ryuuen in her class.

Yet now, it seemed his insight far exceeded even Ryuuen’s.

Seriously, how is someone this sharp even allowed to exist?

How are other classes supposed to compete?

Perhaps because she had just thought of something depressing, Shiina’s expression turned slightly melancholic.

“Since you’ve already seen through me,” she said, lowering her head slightly, as if contemplating how to deal with Hikigaya.

Because, just as he said, she had indeed wanted to be alone with him. More precisely, she had wanted to distract him and keep him away from the competition.

But she really wasn’t skilled at doing things like this.

So, after several seconds, she still hadn’t come up with a proper reason to justify spending time alone with him.

But then she heard Hikigaya say:

“By the way, Shiina, do you have any expectations for the future?”

“I currently have 20 million points,” he continued. “At the end of our school years, those 20 million points can be used to secure a graduation from Class A. No matter what class you’re in at the time, as long as you have 20 million points, you can graduate as a Class A student.”

“And that 20 million points… must be quite tempting for you, right?”

Oh.

Wait, what did Hikigaya just say?

Of course, 20 million points was tempting—hold on.

In the past two exams, Ryuuen had lost a massive amount of points to Hikigaya.

And now, Hikigaya was casually bringing up 20 million points…

Was he trying to tempt her into betraying her own class?

“Hikigaya-kun,” Hiyori adjusted her posture. “At first, I was a little surprised to be placed in Class C, but I’ve grown to really like my class. So, I won’t do anything that would harm it.”

“And trying to buy me off won’t work.”

“That’s not what I meant,” Hikigaya shook his head. “This is just an olive branch.”

“If, two years from now, when we graduate, you want to secure a bright future as a Class A student, I can offer you the 20 million points needed to make that happen,” he said.

??

Shiina was confused.

Because 20 million points could be used as money to make purchases in the school, and according to information from upperclassmen, the school would exchange the points for cash upon graduation.

So essentially—

It was still money.

There was no way Hikigaya didn’t understand the significance of 20 million points.

“Then what price do I have to pay?” Hiyori asked.

“For that…” Hikigaya seemed a little embarrassed. “Actually, it’s just a personal goal of mine.”

“When I grow up, I don’t want to become a corporate drone. I want to stay at home and be a househusband.”

“If I want to achieve that goal, my best bet is to find a rich wife. But in this school, my options expand—if you can graduate from Class A, you won’t have to worry about your future income.”

“And at that time, I’ll only have one condition: marry me and never divorce,” Hikigaya said.

“……”

Oh.

So, the ‘price’ of getting 20 million points is marrying you in the future and earning money to support you?

“……” Hiyori.

Hikigaya, you’re really casting a wide net here.

Shiina realized that this was the first time she was seeing Hikigaya’s true nature.

But his true nature was a bit too much.

She had thought he had some specific intentions toward her, but it was more like he was just testing the waters with everyone.

Whenever he found a suitable candidate, he would just throw out his offer.

But—

What a pity.

Because she also wasn’t the type who wanted to work hard as a corporate drone in the future. In fact, she thought being taken care of sounded pretty nice.

Maybe because they shared the same dream, Shiina had initially found Hikigaya’s offer outrageous, but now she found him a little more agreeable.

…

After Hikigaya left the infirmary, a first-year student from Class D arrived.

As soon as this Class D student entered, they saw Shiina Hiyori sitting in a chair, lost in thought.

“Shiina.”

“Shiina.”

Perhaps she hadn’t reacted the first time, but after hearing her name again, her eyes finally regained some focus.

“Ryuuen.”

That’s right.

The one who arrived was Ryuuen.

“You’re pretty good at thinking on your feet,” Ryuuen said. “Everything’s settled. Kinoshita has completed her task.”

There was a note of praise in Ryuuen’s tone.

Because Shiina had deliberately led Hikigaya away, preventing him from staying on the field.

If he had remained there, he might have interfered with Kinoshita’s attempt to frame Horikita Suzune.

When Ryuuen saw that Hikigaya had been lingering on the field, he was still thinking of a way to deal with him—but Shiina had simply taken care of it herself.

Brilliant.

“Eh.” Hearing this, Shiina sighed softly.

“Is this really the right thing to do?” Shiina murmured. “Relying on methods like this…”

“Don’t overthink it,” Ryuuen said bluntly. “With a trash class like ours, if we don’t resort to underhanded tactics, we’ll never climb up. This is the only way.”

“And don’t have any illusions about society. The world out there isn’t any cleaner than this.”

“So, our way isn’t wrong,” Ryuuen declared.

“Maybe so,” Shiina said.

She was starting to understand why Hikigaya had extended that 20-million-point olive branch to her.

Because while Ryuuen insisted that this was necessary, and Shiina didn’t deny his methods, she also didn’t believe that this approach could last forever.

Which meant—

Losing was a possibility.

And Hikigaya had probably already seen this coming. He assumed her class wouldn’t be able to rise to the top, and that if she wanted to change her fate in the end, she would need those 20 million points.

But—

Marrying Hikigaya for the sake of 20 million points, and more importantly, having to work and support the household, just seemed like too steep a price.

After all, she only had some affection for Hikigaya, but not nearly enough to consider marriage.

Shiina found herself troubled.