Hachiman’s Classroom of Strength’s Supremacy

Chapter 193: Sakayanagi Arisu Wants a Gift!

High-end ingredients often only need simple cooking to bring out their natural flavors.

Arriving at the shopping street, Sakayanagi was at a high-end wagyu steakhouse.

The restaurant is known for its high-quality wagyu, which has marble-like clear patterns, and of course, it’s more famous for its price.

100 grams cost several thousand points.

And a full meal would cost no less than 20,000 points.

This was just for one meal.

Generally, no student would come here to dine.

“You can choose any set meal and portion size,” Sakayanagi said, “Although I’m not very wealthy.”

No, no, no, that was just modesty on her part.

When Hachiman arrived at the restaurant, he found Sakayanagi Arisu sitting at a table, looking quite extravagant.

That’s to be expected.

It was the beginning of the month, and as the representative of Class C, she could now collect points from her classmates.

At the same time, she was the first person in the school to have 20 million points.

Hachiman had noticed during the sports festival that Sakayanagi attended the opening ceremony in a very high-profile way, and he thought that Nagumo might not let this slide, so something might happen.

He then took a look at the class evaluation scores for the third years.

The scores for Class C and Class D were somewhat outrageous.

There were signs of artificial intervention.

So, Hachiman wasn’t surprised that during the deserted island exam, although she stayed at school, Sakayanagi didn’t remain idle.

Therefore,

Her income had increased again.

Hachiman looked at the silver-haired girl sitting across from him.

It was after school, but unlike him, Sakayanagi wasn’t wearing a school uniform.

It was likely because the weather was just starting to turn cool, so she wore a purple skirt paired with a beige trench coat, left unbuttoned.

Under the purple skirt were white stockings.

Undeniably, cute people can pull off any look.

Hachiman quickly averted his gaze.

“Isn’t Kamuro here today?” Hachiman noticed that there was only Sakayanagi in the restaurant, and now, they were eating together, just the two of them.

Kamuro Masumi, who usually followed her, was not there.

“I let her rest today.”

“I invited you here today, and it’s also related to Kamuro,” Sakayanagi Arisu said leisurely, taking a sip of tea before setting the cup down with her fair hand. “The 6th of this month is Kamuro’s birthday.”

“And I want to pick a gift for her. Even though I usually boss her around, if I don’t give her a gift, no one will remember her birthday,” Sakayanagi explained.

It seemed that Sakayanagi was aware of her behavior, knowing that she had been bullying Kamuro all this time.

Speaking of birthdays,

Hachiman’s birthday had already passed; it was on August 8th.

And now, it was already September 2nd.

It was long past.

But back at home, only his sister would remember his birthday, so it didn’t feel particularly special even though he was now staying at the school dorm.

So,

After dinner, the two of them left the restaurant and began searching for an appropriate gift.

This was the shopping street, which was also a facility provided by the school. Whether for eating, drinking, or having fun, there were plenty of options, so finding a birthday gift was more than feasible.

However, Hachiman didn’t have much experience picking gifts.

So he directly asked.

“What are Kamuro’s interests or preferences?”

“Her preferences, huh…”

Sakayanagi Arisu seemed to think for a moment, “Let’s go here.”

Sakayanagi Arisu grasped her cane and began walking in one direction.

Hachiman looked around several times, confirming that this was a shop that girls would enjoy.

Inside were many plush toys.

There were giant bears that were about 1.8 meters tall and could be hugged to sleep, as well as cat-sized cat plush toys and fluffy “Mr. Pan” plush toys.

“Does she like Mr. Pan?” Hachiman asked. “Some girls I know collect different styles of Mr. Pan.”

“Hachiman, you’re from Chiba, right?” Sakayanagi said.

“Yeah.”

“There’s a Mr. Pan theme park in Chiba,” Sakayanagi said. “I saw the opening video of the theme park online.”

Is that so.

It seemed like mentioning Sakayanagi’s sad memories triggered something.

The opportunity for her to come to this school was rather rare.

So in the past, maybe she really did just stay at home.

Soon, Hachiman noticed that Sakayanagi was at a stuffed animal store, and she was looking at a white bear.

“How about this white bear?” Hachiman asked.

“No, I don’t need it,” Sakayanagi shook her head. “It’s too big.”

Too big?

Hachiman focused on the bear.

This white bear was only about 1.2 meters tall.

Kamuro’s height was about 167 cm, so this white bear should be the perfect size for her.

However, dormitory beds weren’t very big, and having such a large bear would take up space.

“How about something smaller?”

Hachiman looked at the other plush toy options.

“Do you think those types of toys would be better, Hachiman?” Sakayanagi asked. “Cats, dogs, bears?”

“If you’re asking for my preferences, I might not be able to answer,” Hachiman said honestly. “I would choose based on quality and durability at most.”

“Looks like I’ll have to choose it myself,” Sakayanagi Arisu sighed lightly.

It seemed like she was disappointed that inviting Hachiman for a meal didn’t achieve her goal.

Saying this, her left hand picked up a small white bear, about the size of a palm.

The fluffy texture felt comfortable.

This size could be attached to a backpack or placed on a dormitory desk, making it very convenient.

It was cute and didn’t take up much space.

“Then I’ll choose this one,” Sakayanagi Arisu said.

Although she said that, it was clear she liked the plush toy very much, as she petted it several times with her left hand.

“Well then, Hachiman-kun, please go ahead,” Sakayanagi added.

Hmm?

Hachiman looked over and understood.

Sakayanagi Arisu wanted him to pay for it.

That made sense.

He had enjoyed a luxurious meal courtesy of her earlier, and since he had received 100,000 points from her, paying for a small gift now was easy enough.

So, Hachiman went ahead and paid.

The price wasn’t expensive.

4,500 points.

Hmm.

Wasn’t it a little surprising that such a small plush toy cost 4,500 points?

…

“Then I’ll get off here.”

After returning from the shopping street, Sakayanagi didn’t ask Hachiman to continue escorting her.

Although they were both in the same student dorm, Sakayanagi left at the gate.

And halfway through, the two of them showed a tacit understanding.

They didn’t mention that Sakayanagi had met with Kushida yesterday, or that she had deliberately tried to provoke him through Kushida.

However, both Kushida and Horikita were waiting for his response.

So,

[You can continue your bet. I won’t interfere or take sides, but if you’re at a disadvantage, I might lend a hand.]

Hachiman sent the message to both Kushida and Horikita.

Soon, he received replies.

Things like “You said so yourself,” “I’m not mature enough, I’m sorry for making you worry,” and similar responses.

…

Horikita and Kushida had a bet. They were betting on the math subject of this upcoming paired exam.

If Kushida won, Horikita would have to become Kushida’s assistant. If anyone dug up her past, Horikita would have to help.

On the other hand, if Horikita won, Kushida Kikyo, the “bomb,” would be expelled.

Looking at the bet’s content, it seemed like Horikita would have a significant disadvantage, but academically, Horikita had the upper hand.

So,

This bet was something Horikita seemed to accept, but it was the action of an honest person, thinking in an honest way.

The reason was simple: the exam papers for this round weren’t written by the school. The real trick was to get the exam paper from the opposing class. Even if you weren’t great at the subject, you could still get a perfect score, easily surpassing Horikita’s 98 points.

So, did Horikita have a chance to win?

Yes, she did.

This time, it was a class pairing exam, where the four classes (A, B, C, D) each wrote papers for the other classes. Class A was Hachiman’s class, Class B was Ichinose’s class, Class C was Sakayanagi and Katsuragi’s class, and Class D was Ryuen’s class.

Classes B and C had absolutely excellent results, while A and D were the “bad student” classes.

For Horikita to win, she would need to write an exceptionally difficult exam paper, and there wouldn’t be an option where the opposing class would give Kushida the answers.

But unfortunately,

Horikita hadn’t focused on this point, as she had been studying diligently in recent days.

Also, the exam paper for her class’s math subject had been entrusted to Matsuhita Chiaki.

Which meant Horikita was in a disadvantageous position.

She hadn’t even realized that she could use her own class’s exam paper as a weapon.

Meanwhile, Kushida had already been contacted by Sakayanagi and could easily obtain the math paper from Sakayanagi’s class.

Looking at this, Horikita’s chances of losing were very high.

“…”

Now, Horikita had no idea and was still studying.

Reviewing, preparing for what’s to come.

She was focused on reading her books.

But Kushida, do you really understand? You think the most reliable thing is that Sakayanagi will give you the exam paper.

But do you really think Sakayanagi will give you the real exam paper?

Sakayanagi was waiting for his response.

She wanted to see if he, in his current apathetic state, would make a move.

As expected.

At that moment, when he arrived at class, the students were buzzing.

“I can’t believe it, Horikita-senpai actually—”

“But that’s so surprising, she even got injured for the class during the sports festival.”

“It must have been an accident.”

“After all, she has an older brother who’s the student council president, it’s different, right?”

They were discussing a rumor that had spread through the evening.

“Why—”

Horikita Suzune, who had been studying, found herself unable to continue.

But some students had already walked up to her.

“Hey, Horikita-senpai, is it true that your older brother is the student council president?”

“Then can you give us the exam papers for this test? It’s so hard to study for!”

“…”

So that’s how it is.

Kushida had just learned that Horikita was the younger sister of the student council president.

But now, it was immediately exposed.

And it was exposed at the worst possible time—right now, not earlier or later.

It was very likely that the information came from Kushida.

However, Hachiman didn’t think this was Kushida’s doing.

Because Kushida probably still naively believed that as long as Sakayanagi gave her the math exam paper, she would definitely win, so there was no need to mess with Horikita’s mindset. But now, the exposure of this relationship could easily shake the already vulnerable Horikita’s mindset.

So.

Although it feels a bit bad to say this, Hachiman didn’t think Kushida was clever enough for this.

It was likely Sakayanagi’s guidance.

Eh.

Sakayanagi, who had treated him to dinner like a nice person last night, had now ruthlessly attacked the representative of his class.

Hachiman felt a bit mentally exhausted.

“Why—”

Horikita realized that most of the students were staring at her.

Just by listening, her face turned pale.

Student council president, her older brother.

Horikita and the student council president were siblings.

Just the spreading of this news directly shattered her.

Especially since her older brother’s class wasn’t exactly stable.

Third-year Class A: 2154 points

Third-year Class B: 1730 points

Third-year Class C: 410 points

Third-year Class D: 0 points

Class A was only 400 points ahead of Class B.

So if this information affected her brother… the effort he’d put in over the last three years could be ruined.

“Um… Horikita-senpai, I guess we don’t need to study that hard this time, right? Since you have an older brother who’s the student council president, you must have some insider information, right?”

In this situation where everyone was gossiping, the only one who approached Horikita was someone who didn’t know how to read the room.

That was Yamauchi.

But this time, Yamauchi represented the voice of most of the bad students.

That’s right.

As a member of the student council, Karuizawa-senpai had once helped them cheat, contributed exam papers, meaning there was a past where everyone could [get something without working for it], and now Horikita-senpai, with such a simple identity as the younger sister of the student council president… that meant…

This time, they wouldn’t need to study.

Because the student council had a lot of power.

Hachiman glanced over at Kushida, who seemed to have smiled for a moment.

But she quickly regained her composure.

When Horikita met with Kushida, she had said that she didn’t want to bring shame to her older brother, Horikita Manabu, who was the student council president.

That meant she absolutely rejected anyone finding out that she was related to Horikita Manabu.

It wasn’t that she disliked her brother, but she felt inferior, thinking she would drag him down and become a weapon for others to attack him with.

She hated the idea of being a burden and not being able to help at all.

And now.

Her relationship with her older brother, Horikita Suzune, had been made public.

“You’ve gotten a lot from the student council president, your brother, right? Giving us a little benefit wouldn’t hurt, would it?”

Yamauchi chattered away, completely oblivious to Horikita’s growing pallor.

“What… what have I gotten?” Horikita’s state was becoming more and more disoriented.

“I’m taking you out of this class!” Hachiman immediately stood up, then forcefully grabbed Horikita and pulled her out.

Probably due to her disorientation, or because she didn’t know how to handle the situation, Horikita followed along obediently as Hachiman pulled her away.

She was no longer putting up any of the defensive “hedgehog” barriers she normally did.

This person really had lost all fighting spirit after being attacked.

However, he wasn’t just casually pulling her away to escape; he was deliberately guiding her outside. There were some upperclassmen who had come to school on the playground outside, but as they walked past Horikita, Hachiman noticed that the older students weren’t pointing fingers or gossiping about her.

This indicated that the sudden rumors hadn’t reached the upperclassmen. Had they not had time to spread yet?

Or perhaps this was just a self-created drama by the lower grades, and they didn’t want to make it a bigger deal.

Hachiman pulled her to the playground.

“…” Horikita didn’t say anything.

Or perhaps, her emotions hadn’t settled down yet.

But Hachiman felt he needed to speak up. “…Calm down. I’ve mostly figured out what happened, but right now, there are rumors spreading in the class that are bad for you. And this is part of Kushida’s plan. It should have come from her.”

Actually, he suspected the mastermind behind this was Sakayanagi.

But Horikita hadn’t interacted much with Sakayanagi recently, so he immediately pointed to Kushida, someone Horikita was more familiar with, as the scapegoat.

Horikita might have some reaction to confrontation, schemes, or plans.

Hachiman guessed that Horikita’s fear of these rumors was mainly because she thought her existence could bring danger to her idol-like older brother and that she would be a hindrance, unable to help and only dragging him down.

That kind of inferiority complex.

“I know,” Horikita said. “I’ll try to calm down.”

“But—” She grabbed Hachiman’s hand. “How can I calm down?”

“The whole class, the whole class knows now… everyone knows… I’ll be used as material to attack my brother. I’m going to cause him trouble.”

Horikita’s emotions were extremely agitated. “Like Yamauchi just now, directly asking if I got any information from my brother… hasn’t that already damaged my brother’s reputation?”

“And when I enrolled, my brother said that if his younger sister got placed in D-class, he’d be the one who’d be embarrassed…”

Eh.

Hachiman looked at Horikita’s expression.

She really was a fragile younger sister.

And if this was a psychological attack, then Sakayanagi’s strategy had succeeded.

Horikita’s fighting spirit had been weakened.

But.

Hachiman placed a hand on Horikita’s shoulder. “Your way of thinking is a bit off. Rather than seeing this as a bad thing, it might actually be a good thing.”

“Because others didn’t know you were the student council president’s sister, but now? You’re in Class A! It can be understood that you’ve helped bring D-class up to A-class! That’s already quite impressive, don’t you think?”

“This will add credit to your older brother, the student council president, and make him look even better.”

Hachiman told her, “So, this isn’t a negative influence at all. It’s a positive one.”

“So, actually, this is good news. You should be thanking the person who spread the rumors. Right? Kushida.”

Hachiman glanced behind Horikita. Without her noticing, a short-haired girl with golden hair stood there.

The short-haired girl, hearing Hachiman’s words to Horikita, seemed to suddenly feel dissatisfied.

Because she probably hadn’t considered that the rumors might actually work in Horikita’s favor.

“Bottom line, those idiots in the class who want to take advantage of your connection to the student council president are nothing to worry about. You can just ignore those students. Am I right, Kushida?”

“…” Kushida.

“Alright, Horikita, you go back to the dorm,” Hachiman said. “Kushida, come over here!”

…

“…Did three students not come today?”

In the classroom, Chabashira-sensei closed her eyes briefly, then opened them again. Her history lesson was about to begin, but the classroom wasn’t full.

The front row, Kushida Kikyo, was absent.

The back row, Horikita Suzune, was absent.

And the student by the window, Hachiman, was also absent.

“About this—”

Kind-hearted Hirata-kun stood up but wasn’t sure how to explain. If he told the truth—saying that Horikita was suddenly being criticized and was then taken away by Hachiman, and that Kushida left because she was worried about them—

That was the truth, but saying it out loud would make the teacher think that their class was embarrassing.

Because it would mean gossiping about their classmates and making them uncomfortable.

Such actions definitely didn’t align with the standard of Class A.

But if he didn’t explain—

“Oh.” Chabashira-sensei glanced at her phone.

“They’ve all taken leave today. So everyone, turn to page 188 in your books. Today’s lesson will be about clan divisions…”

Chabashira-sensei transitioned into her teaching mode.

“Phew—” This made Hirata-kun sigh in relief.

But one student was still troubled.

He realized that several girls were glaring at him.

It was the girls led by Karuizawa Kei. She, along with Sato-san and Satsuki-san, were glaring at him.

The disdain on their faces was clear.

Yamauchi, though a bit slow, also realized that they were likely upset because of the things he had said to Horikita earlier.

“This has nothing to do with me—”

He felt wronged because, if Horikita could get the exam papers, wouldn’t that mean no one would have to study?

After class.

As Chabashira-sensei left, Yamauchi tried to stand up, but several girls surrounded him.

Leading the group was Karuizawa Kei, who slammed her hand on his desk. “Yamauchi, are you an idiot?”

“W-Why do you say that?”

Although surrounded by beautiful girls, Yamauchi was actually a little scared by the pressure they were giving off.

Because they were coming at him fiercely.

“Isn’t that obvious?” Satsuki-san said. “Even I know that for this pairing exam, the ones who set the papers are Sakayanagi and the others from Class C. And what does the student council president know? Did you take money from someone to slander our class?”

“We finally made it to Class A, and now this happens. Yamauchi, just drop out.”

“W-Why— I didn’t, I didn’t take any money!”

“If you didn’t take money, why say such nonsense?”

“I… I—”

It was about to escalate into a fight.

“Alright, everyone, let’s stop discussing this matter. It’s disrespectful to Horikita and anyone else. We are a class, a collective. However, Yamauchi, regardless of whether the rumors are true or not, what you said was indeed very disrespectful. When Horikita returns, I hope you can apologize to her.”

The good-hearted Hirata quickly stood up to speak. “Also, everyone, stop discussing it recklessly. We’re in Class A now, and it’s not easy. Whether it’s Katsuragi and Sakayanagi’s class, or Ryuen’s class, or even Ichinose’s class, they’ll all be watching us. If we cause internal strife, we’ll suffer a huge loss.”

“That’s right, Yamauchi, couldn’t you study a bit more? Fortunately, I didn’t partner with you this time, or I’d be really worried!” said the academically excellent Yukimura Teruhiko, also joining the conversation.

Sitting in his seat, Ike Kanji initially thought he could use this opportunity to talk about Yamauchi’s behavior. Not only was he inconsiderate of others, but he also couldn’t stop himself from blabbering nonsense.

But now, looking at the situation, Ike realized he didn’t need to stir the pot.

Because everyone’s remarks had already made Yamauchi feel like he couldn’t stay in the class anymore.

…

On the other side.

Kushida was left alone with Hachiman.

“Alright, I’ve said enough,” Kushida said in a bad mood. “Actually, it was Class A’s Sakayanagi Arisu who instruct me. And this was Sakayanagi’s plan. She said, although it’s possible to defeat Horikita Suzune in the written exam, psychological attacks are also important.”

She directly acknowledged the mastermind’s identity. “I admit I didn’t think it through, I just wanted to defeat Horikita Suzune.”

“I already knew that,” Hachiman replied.

Seeing Hachiman thinking deeply, Kushida felt confident she wouldn’t lose.

Because that person had guided her like this.

[Once the rumor is out, you’ll just have to take the fall for it. Don’t worry about whether the rumor will be handled because it’s just a distraction, making others think you’ve already acted when you actually haven’t.]

[You just need to use this distraction to make others believe you’ve made an effort, so when you win in the end, it will seem natural.]

“But you want me to deal with the rumors, I don’t think I can do that.” When Kushida saw that Hachiman had finished thinking, she rejected. “Anyway, the mastermind has already told you, I’ve done all I can.”

“No need.” Hachiman replied. “This rumor isn’t going to spread, so there’s nothing to do.”

Is that so?

Nothing needs to be done?

Looking at her phone and seeing the situation in the class, Kushida realized that the class group had completely stopped talking about the rumors.

A quick inquiry revealed that the “gyaru” group had gotten into a quarrel, and then Hirata-kun had erupted, leading everyone to be muted. Yamauchi was even instructed to apologize to Horikita Suzune face-to-face when she returns.

Damn.

So, this class had already been subtly controlled by Hachiman without her realizing it?

Kushida’s small sense of excitement instantly vanished.

“However,” Hachiman said. “Sakayanagi had you do this…”

“Then I can confirm.”

Sakayanagi will definitely tamper with the test papers she gives you.

Because this rumor wasn’t about attacking Horikita Suzune; it was… damn it, to fool you, Kushida Kikyo.

Making you think you were already working hard on the bet.

And then, when you’re completely at ease, she can backstab you.

“What are you thinking…” At this point, Kushida realized that Hachiman’s expression was off.

“You really are an idiot.” Hachiman bluntly updated his evaluation of Kushida. “Do you really think Sakayanagi would give you the real test papers?”

“Why wouldn’t she give them to me?” Kushida asked.

“Then, would she 100% give them to you? Isn’t there a 1% chance she won’t?” Hachiman replied. “Kushida, can you accept a 1% risk?”

A 1% risk?

So, if that 1% exists, wouldn’t it mean a 100% chance of expulsion for her?

Ugh.

Damn!

The bet she had thought would absolutely succeed suddenly wavered.

“Hachiman-kun!”

Kushida hurriedly grabbed Hachiman’s left hand.

Her delicate, gentle hands gripped his, and she adopted a pitiful expression, “Please… help me!”

It was truly pitiful because, at this moment, she realized she had entered a bet she couldn’t back out of.

Moreover, the terms of the bet were full of clauses that worked against her.

How the hell did she agree to such a risky bet?

Kushida was regretting it deeply.

And to be expelled over such a small risk was incredibly stupid. Once expelled, she would have nowhere to turn.

So even a 1% risk put a lot of pressure on her.

But she soon realized Hachiman seemed to be taking no action.

After a brief consideration.

“Hachiman, haven’t you always wanted to be a leisurely stay-at-home husband? You even offered Shiina 20 million to help her get a good job, and in return, she would support you.”

Hm?

It seems that Kushida’s ability to manipulate others’ words is quite strong. She has already managed to influence Shiina.

And Hachiman had indeed said such things to Shiina.

But she had rejected him.

And now…

Kushida is saying the same thing.

Hachiman looked over.

So, Kushida, are you trying to start working hard now?

…

“Horikita.”

The next day, when Horikita Suzune returned to class, Yamauchi Haruki, with an awkward expression and tone, apologized to her.

But his voice trembled, almost as if he were about to cry.

Yes.

Yamauchi was on the verge of tears.

Because it was too much.

It was really too much.

Yamauchi felt extremely wronged.

After being told by Hirata that he needed to apologize to Horikita in front of the class, he felt aggrieved, but that wasn’t the end of it.

Last night, he found that his indoor shoes in his shoe locker had been cut with scissors. His shoe locker had also been filled with garbage.

When he returned to the dormitory, he was repeatedly subjected to pranks—people knocking on his door and ringing the doorbell.

But when he went to the door, he found no one, and on the ground, there was a dead rat.

How disgusting.

Why was this happening? Why was he being treated this way?

Last night, he cried as he went to find Hirata, but Hirata explained that he was also troubled. He didn’t want any students to behave this way, but he suspected that everyone was unhappy with Yamauchi and thus hoped that Yamauchi would apologize to Horikita.

It would be best to do it in front of the whole class.

This way, those “pranks” would disappear.

Hirata didn’t want to hurt anyone, so he used a more gentle approach.

So, all Yamauchi had to do was apologize.

He just needed to apologize to Horikita the next morning.

When he arrived at the classroom in the morning, however, he found that someone had written cruel words on his desk—things like “trash” and “go die,” as if the words were from the devil himself. He almost cried.

He had never been bullied like this, but he knew very well that if he didn’t apologize immediately, he would be bullied even worse.

So, when Horikita appeared, he couldn’t hold back anymore.

“Sorry, Horikita, I spoke without thinking yesterday. I apologize for my behavior.”

“…” Horikita Suzune maintained a stern expression.

Or rather, she was also somewhat surprised.

Yesterday, she had been advised by Hachiman to return to the dormitory first, and he would handle the matter. She hadn’t expected Yamauchi to apologize to her in this way.

“I didn’t hear anything yesterday,” Horikita said calmly, analyzing the situation in the class. It seemed everyone was watching Yamauchi, paying attention to this matter, so she gave a calm response.

She sighed internally. She understood that Hachiman had likely dealt with this matter for her.

And he had handled it perfectly.

It was clear that she was still far from being able to handle things like he did.

“Ah, alright, I didn’t hear anything. I didn’t hear anything, and no one heard anything, right?” Yamauchi blinked, then immediately said, “Is this enough?”

He looked pitifully at the classmates.

Many students turned their heads away.

Probably, they had all been involved in bullying Yamauchi.

Now, it was probably settled for the time being.

“However, I only sent a message to prevent the rumors from continuing in the class, and yet you went and bullied Yamauchi,” Hachiman, sitting at his desk, spoke. Horikita seemed to be curious about the matter, so she kept looking at him, but he sent a message to the front-row student, Karuizawa Kei.

Yes.

Rumors were spreading, and the upperclassmen hadn’t caught wind of them yet. So how should they be handled?

Simple.

Just cut them off directly.

Make sure they have no ground to grow.

So he entrusted Karuizawa with the task.

“Those were just things I experienced in the past, and they were… relatively mild,” Karuizawa replied.

“Sorry for making you recall unpleasant memories,” Hachiman quickly responded.

But Karuizawa didn’t reply further.

Still, he had to head to the student council later. When he pulled Horikita out yesterday, he had spotted a familiar face among the upperclassmen.

…

“What a rare guest.”

In the student council room, Horikita Manabu sat at his desk, which was covered with stacks of documents awaiting review and approval.

Though he often kept a stern expression, even Hachiman couldn’t deny that this student council president was highly capable.

“So, what brings you here this time? Or is it about yesterday?” Horikita Manabu paused before speaking.

Yesterday, in the morning, Hachiman had taken Horikita Suzune outside the field, and Manabu had likely seen them in the crowd.

As her older brother, he wouldn’t just stand by if his sister was in trouble.

“It’s about that rumor, isn’t it?”

He asked.

“No,” Hachiman shook his head. “That issue has already been resolved.”

“…” Horikita Manabu was taken aback.

“Resolved?”

“Yeah,” Hachiman nodded. “Since it’s just a class full of idiots, suppressing them a little was enough to stop the discussion. And if our own classmates aren’t talking about it, then there’s no point in other classes discussing it either. After all, Horikita is now in Class A—it doesn’t embarrass you at all, does it?”

“Heh.” Horikita Manabu actually smiled.

Indeed.

If his sister were in Class D, it would be a disgrace to him. But now that Class D had been promoted to Class A, it wasn’t just not embarrassing—it was something to take pride in.

Because in this school’s history, no student from Class D had ever been promoted to Class A before.

Achieving something this close to a miracle was anything but shameful.

Moreover…

“I think you’ve misunderstood something all along,” Manabu said. “Even if Suzune had stayed in Class D without any achievements, even if she was maliciously slandered and rumors spread about her, I still wouldn’t have felt ashamed.”

“Because I am her brother,” Horikita Manabu stated.

Is that so?

That was something Hachiman hadn’t expected, but he could understand.

Because he was also an older brother.

Even if Komachi did something foolish, he would still accept it as a part of who he was.

In some ways, he and Horikita Manabu were quite similar.

That was probably why Manabu, despite noticing that Hachiman had come for a different reason, asked about Suzune’s situation first—out of concern.

With that, the matter of the rumors was roughly settled.

Hachiman also arranged for Horikita to take charge of drafting the math exam for Class C, with one simple requirement—make it as difficult as possible.

…

Meanwhile…

On September 6th.

Hachiman lay in bed after taking a bath, but he wasn’t asleep.

Instead, he recalled that on the 2nd, Sakayanagi Arisu had invited him to dinner. At that time, they had picked out a birthday gift for Kamuro Masumi together.

Although the gift seemed somewhat mismatched, he was surprised to learn that despite Kamuro’s tall stature and independent demeanor, her tastes were unexpectedly feminine.

Considering that Kamuro probably didn’t have many friends,

Maybe Sakayanagi was the only one who would remember her birthday.

So, Hachiman sent a message to Kamuro.

A simple birthday greeting.

But Kamuro didn’t reply immediately.

It took a few minutes before she finally sent a message back.

[What are you talking about?] — Kamuro

[Isn’t today your birthday?]

[Who told you that? My birthday is in April.] — Kamuro Masumi

Oh.

I see.

Wait…

Then whose birthday is it today?