Chapter 46: Unexpectedly Smooth Development
Yukinoshita suddenly stood up, puffed out her chest, and said sarcastically,
"Wow, I never thought Hikigaya-kun would become this popular. First, there was that Sakayanagi guy, and now there's Kushida Kikyo. And let's not forget Horikita Suzune, who's always willing to listen to you. You're so lucky, aren't you?"
"Yukinon… you…" Yuigahama whispered awkwardly.
Yukinoshita blinked, finally realizing her outburst. It was improper to act like that in front of everyone. She slowly sat back down, her sharp gaze still fixed on Hikigaya.
Hikigaya scratched his cheek nervously.
"It's just a video… really, just a video. How could I possibly be popular?"
He didn't even know what he was afraid of. But if he didn't clarify, the fragile relationship he'd just built might collapse in an instant.
Sensing the tension, Hayama stepped in to defuse the situation.
"Yeah, I don't know what's going on either, but Hikigaya's standing right here in front of us."
Miura placed her hands on her hips, frowning as she glanced at the video.
"It can't be a movie or something, right?"
"Please!" Hikigaya groaned. "I'm not talented enough for that. I can't even stand being in front of a camera."
Isshiki, ever quick on her feet, took the opportunity to continue the conversation.
"Yeah, I've never seen you take a picture before, senpai. Are you really that against having your photo taken?"
"I just think it's unnecessary and troublesome," Hikigaya replied flatly. "It's not that I resist it, but… there's another reason."
He reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone. The moment he flipped it open, everyone went silent.
A flip phone.
Even if it could take pictures, the quality would be awful. It was the kind of phone that existed purely to send messages and make calls.
Yuigahama sighed helplessly when she saw it, then laughed softly.
That was just like him—completely unchanged. No matter what video was circulating, the Hikki she knew would always be this awkward, outdated guy.
Isshiki tilted her head, pressing a finger against her lips as she eyed him curiously.
"Senior, you're really smart, but your science grades are so average. Isn't that dangerous in this school?"
Before Hikigaya could answer, Yukinoshita and Yuigahama both exhaled in relief—as if they'd just scored a small victory. The others around them exchanged puzzled glances.
The two girls knew the truth: Hikigaya's low science scores weren't due to inability—he just didn't care enough to study. Now that he'd started borrowing science textbooks, it was only a matter of time before his scores improved drastically.
That's why they wore those relieved smiles. It was something that could only be understood by people who'd spent time with him.
And as always, when someone like Isshiki brought up his science grades, Hikigaya's reply was the same:
"Science and all that… explode for me."
The club fell silent. The Service Club members stared, dumbfounded.
Sure enough—this guy was still weird.
---
"Classmates, these are the results that Kushida and I calculated after combining the error rate and accuracy rate from your past quizzes. Our final class average comes to about sixty-four points. The passing mark is thirty-two."
Hirata stood at the podium, posting the results of Hikigaya's work from several sleepless nights onto the blackboard.
Each number represented painstaking effort. By mapping the specific strengths of each student, they could determine accurate score targets and ensure that Sudo and the others passed safely.
Thanks to Hirata and Kushida's presence, no one had voiced any complaints yet. But to Hikigaya, the silence felt eerie.
It was too smooth.
He sat quietly in the corner, watching as the two explained the plan. No one in Class D objected. Then, Hirata and Kushida began handing out sheets detailing the sections each student was responsible for on the exam.
Ike finally broke the silence.
"So we're… lowering our class average on purpose? Is that really a good idea?"
There it was—the question he'd expected. Asking everyone to aim for pre-set scores was bound to sound wrong to some.
But Hikigaya had already prepared for this. As long as Hirata followed the plan, everything would go fine.
Before Hirata could respond, Yukimura—usually the one concerned with academic integrity—stood up.
"The exam rules are clearly written. And this time, there's no mention of linking the results to points. So… technically, there's nothing wrong with this plan."
Miyake Akito added, "That's true. But not just for this exam—if we keep doing this, every time someone close to the pass line fails, our class's total score will lag behind the others. For Class D right now, that's risky."
Wang Meiyu lowered her head. "Sudo can be annoying sometimes… but seeing how hard he's been trying lately, I don't think we can just let him drop out. Losing him now would be a waste."
Chiaki Matsushita nodded softly. "Yeah… I agree."
With both the high scorers and the low scorers in rare agreement, there was no longer any dissent in the room.
Hikigaya leaned back in his chair and exhaled quietly.
He still had one final backup plan if this failed—but this smooth cooperation was far beyond what he'd expected.
"It seems Class D isn't so hopeless after all…" he muttered under his breath.
The current Class D still had a long way to go before reaching the top, but progress was being made.
He turned his head toward Horikita. She was already staring at him.
Their eyes met in silence—an unspoken acknowledgment passing between them.