Chapter 124: Grip Strength Genius Hikigaya at 55
After parting with Ryuen, only Hikigaya and Kushida remained.
As they headed back to class, he couldn't help asking again, "You really didn't plot with Class A against me?"
Kushida feigned an angry look, as if saying, "How dare you doubt me?" "You suspect me? How could I do that to a classmate?"
Hikigaya fell silent. "It's not exactly a suspicion… It just feels off. Why didn't you help me get out of it earlier?"
With no outsiders around, she reverted to her cold, ruthless demeanor, though it felt slightly different with him.
"Honestly, I think training's not a bad thing."
"That's the only reason?"
"What else could there be?"
Hikigaya was speechless again, unable to detect any lie in her expression.
Fine, no point dwelling on it. If the training got unbearable, he'd find an excuse to slip away. Sakayanagi wasn't likely to be there, she didn't seem the type to waste time.
With that thought, he reluctantly accepted the situation.
Back in class, they learned a small dispute had erupted.
The sports festival penalized the lowest ranks with exam point deductions. Using a sacrificial strategy would upset those weak in both athletics and academics.
Like Yamauchi Haruki.
When he learned he'd be grouped with Sudo Ken, he fiercely resisted, even insulting Horikita's arrangements.
His outburst ignited the class's underlying tensions.
Horikita lacked Ichinose's unifying charm or Ryuen's intimidating presence. Facing this, she was at a loss.
She'd done well, as even Sudo, assisting her, thought. She'd listened to classmates' opinions and analyzed past data to optimize event assignments, aiming to avoid last-place finishes.
But for Class C, mostly risen from Class D, many hadn't changed, true underperformers. Some sacrificial roles were inevitable.
Yamauchi, selfish and lazy with poor grades, was a burden in any event. Horikita struggled to place him in a good one.
Most sided with Horikita, thinking she was right, but Yamauchi felt suppressed by those with talent, like Sakura Airi and Karuizawa Kei, who got better assignments despite similar athletic weaknesses.
This perceived unfairness fueled his frustration.
In truth, Sakura's grades had risen above the bottom tier. Karuizawa, though academically weak and unathletic, excelled at rallying others, so Horikita assigned her to the two-person three-legged race, fitting her strengths.
If Yamauchi were in that event, his selfishness would likely alienate his partner, guaranteeing poor results.
Hikigaya learned this afterward. By the time he and Kushida returned, the class's mood was tense.
Sakura told him about it, but for him, such a minor issue was easy to resolve.
Simple: swap his event with Yamauchi's. Anyone else dissatisfied could swap with him too.
It wasn't confidence in his athletic ability. The deducted points wouldn't affect his grades.
He could easily rank in the class's top five academically if he wanted.
As for athletics, he'd be near the bottom anyway, so he might as well let others swap with him.
After suggesting this to Horikita, she considered briefly and adjusted, swapping Yamauchi's optional event with Hikigaya's.
Yamauchi thought the scavenger hunt relied on luck, believing he'd made a smart trade. With Hikigaya's grades, expulsion wasn't a concern.
Of course, this was Yamauchi's delusion. Hikigaya didn't even know what the scavenger hunt entailed.
After further tweaks, Hikigaya ended up in the mixed-gender two-person three-legged race.
Not entirely unacceptable.
But his partner was Kushida Kikyo.
Her athletic ability was rated B, and imagining her cold face, Hikigaya could already picture her snapping at him if he tripped her.
Okay… he was starting to regret the swap.
The class dispute settled, but event assignments and strategies needed more planning.
The next day, with the sports festival nearing, gym classes increased. With weeks until the event, they needed to assess classmates' physical conditions before training and coordination.
Hirata Yosuke borrowed a grip strength tester to measure everyone's baseline fitness.
Many, including Hikigaya, didn't know how to use it, so Sudo demonstrated.
He gripped it lightly, then tightened gradually, the numbers climbing.
Under the class's watchful eyes, he exerted full force, and the result flashed on the device.
"80.4 kg?! Sudo, are you a freak?"
"Amazing…"
"As expected of Sudo. You're definitely the class's top."
Sudo scratched his head, embarrassed. "I've actually dropped a bit. Been busy studying, so I've cut back on training."
His words reshaped everyone's view of him.
Once one of the "three idiots", the reckless redheaded Sudo had transformed.
Though he'd regressed, 80.4 kg was terrifying. Except for Koenji Rokusuke, no one could likely withstand his full punch.
Hikigaya watched the class swarm excitedly, stunned.
Yesterday, they lacked passion; today, they were transformed.
Honestly, seeing Sudo's monstrous number, Hikigaya was dazed. If Sudo had punched him during the island exam, he'd probably still be bedridden.
No more risks in the future.
But he still didn't know the average grip strength. Besides Sudo's 80, numbers ranged from the tens to over sixty, showing Class C's uneven strength.
Hikigaya didn't plan to hide anything. From classmates' reactions and the feel of the grip, even his max effort wouldn't exceed 45.
Karuizawa Kei, done with her test, casually approached him.
"How'd it go?"
She smiled shyly, as if pleading, "Let me off."
"17…"
"Not bad."
"Huh?"
"I don't know my score yet, so I can't judge you."
Karuizawa crossed her arms, acting like a pouty girl. "You don't trust yourself enough. You're a guy, gotta hit at least 40."
"Hey, that's pressure! If I don't hit 40, am I not a guy?"
Just then, they saw "Sotomura" grip a pitiful 29.
Sorry, Sotomura, your man card's been revoked.
Hikigaya gave Karuizawa a "See?" look.
But she wasn't buying it, arms still crossed, ignoring him.
He realized how hard it was to please her. When his turn came, the pressure surged.
Though Karuizawa was joking, he didn't want her bringing this up later, reopening painful memories.
Come on, Hikigaya, go all out!
Under Sudo's guidance, he adjusted his posture, found the optimal muscle and device leverage, and, yes, the best way to cheat. Then he slowly applied force.
"10… 20… 30…"
He started feeling strain, using his whole body's strength. For Karuizawa's amusement, he went all in.
Then…
"40… 41… 42…"
The numbers climbed steadily. As it neared 45, his heart felt like it would burst.
When the needle hit 45, he exhaled in relief. That breath cost him; he couldn't push further, and the needle stopped at 45.
Phew, I preserved my manhood.
Sudo Ken took the grip strength tester from Hikigaya Hachiman's hands, but instead of giving a thumbs-up, he looked at the device oddly.
"Uh… I forgot to reset it. You started from -10."
"Are you messing with me?!"
"Don't be like that, bro. Didn't this unleash your potential? I overheard you talking with Karuizawa, you'd have stopped at 45 on purpose."
In truth, even after being tricked, Hikigaya had deliberately let go.
"Knowing my 'potential' came from your screw-up makes it feel like a prank."
Sudo, uninterested in his complaints, slapped his shoulder with a grin.
"Congrats, 55 kg! Impressive, but you've still got to learn from your bro here."
"Don't get too full of yourself and inflate your ego."
In the end, Sudo recorded Hikigaya's actual score.
Karuizawa Kei stared at the number, then at Hikigaya, repeating this four or five times until her eyes widened and her mouth hung open, making Hikigaya sense something was off.
"What? Is there something weird on me?"
"No… just, Hikigaya, how did you hit 55?"
He didn't know how to explain.
He couldn't exactly say Sudo tricked him. And…
Sudo was right. If he'd known the tester was accurate, he'd have stopped at 45.
Karuizawa knew his athletic skills were subpar, but 55 was above average, surpassing most boys in Class C.
As she thought this, Ike Kanji's score came up: a mere 42.6. Next was Akito Miyake with 48. Then Hirata Yosuke, drawing attention due to his good looks and central role in the class. Everyone wondered how strong he'd be.
Even the all-capable Hirata only hit 57, a top-tier result in Class C.
Aside from Sudo's 80, no one reached 70. Only one hit 60, and just four or five reached 50.
Most clustered around 30-40, a sobering spread.
Hikigaya felt utterly played by Sudo.
Karuizawa, enjoying the show, patted his shoulder. "Hikigaya-kun, you're a man!"
"You're gonna make me a public enemy saying that."
As they talked, the girls' grip strength results started coming in.
Sakura Airi scored around Karuizawa's 19. Kushida Kikyo did better at 27. Horikita Suzune, likely due to martial arts training, hit an impressive 38, far above most girls.
But the top girl wasn't her, it was Onodera Kayano, a carefree girl.
Somewhat like Sudo, yet distinctly different as a girl.
She dominated with 44, claiming the girls' top spot.
Compared to the boys, the girls' results were even more uneven, with the lowest at 11.
But since they were girls, no one commented on weaker scores. It was just a test, not definitive.
And everyone knew an angry girl could unleash strength beyond her limits.
So… better not to provoke them. You never know when they can't open a bottle cap or when they'll knock someone out with a punch.
After learning Hikigaya's score, Sakura's expression mirrored Karuizawa's initial shock.
As the first to truly know him, Sakura hadn't seen his athletic potential. His unassuming build and his island exam rest period, when she cared for him, clouded her view. But knowing he'd been running a fever then made it unreliable.
Still, it was astonishing.
Everyone assumed he'd be average or below, but this misconception forced them to rethink the Hikigaya they knew.
Sakura: "Hachiman… you're amazing."
After holding back, that's all she could say.
Kushida approached, her cold demeanor briefly gone, replaced by furrowed brows and unmasked surprise.
"You're hiding so much from us."
"It's gotta be a fluke. Sudo tricked me. Try again, and I definitely won't hit 55."
Karuizawa saw through him. "Nonsense. You'd have stopped at 45, right?"
Kushida teased, "You're hiding all this, but I told you everything about me. Makes it hard to trust you."
Sakura smiled. "Hachiman always surprises us with new things."
Oddly, Sudo's 80-plus score drew less attention than Hikigaya, now surrounded by more people.
Exasperated, he said to the three, "You guys really don't believe me? It's a fluke."
As expected, they shook their heads in unison.
Though frustrated, he pressed on. "And Kushida, you can't say that, you never asked me."
Kushida, knowing him well, shot back, "If we asked, you'd dodge with some twisted logic."
Karuizawa nodded. "Exactly!"
Even Sakura nodded, abandoning his side.
At this point, he pulled out his trump card.
Yes, change the subject.
Looking at Koenji Rokusuke, lounging with hands behind his head, Hikigaya needed a way to drag him into the testing.
[Chat Room…]
[Hashimoto Masayoshi: "Uh, Hikigaya, 55? I didn't misread, right?"]
[Kamuro Masumi: "This guy's got so many secrets."]
[Katsuragi Kohei: "He's impossible to read. Even those around him don't know. This isn't just caution, he has no desire to reveal himself."]
[Kito Hayato: "55, huh? He's almost on my level…"]
[Ryuen Kakeru, frowning: "55? I hit 72 last time, but… he held back, while I went all out."]
[Ibuki Mio: "If he didn't hold back, he'd hit at least 60. But Ryuen, it's not about his strength, it's how everything he does is so unbelievable."]
[Ryuen: "Idiot, I know that without you saying."]
[Sudo: "Bro, you're hiding everything from us."]
[Hikigaya: "I wasn't hiding, okay? Why's everyone so shocked? You never asked, and… I don't know why I gripped that hard."]
[Horikita: "Do you exercise regularly?"]
[Hikigaya thought. He didn't, really. He biked to school for a long time, but… how does biking build hand strength? No way.]
[In the end, he couldn't figure it out.]
[Yuigahama Yui: "Hikki, you're so weird. How do you not know your own strength?"]
[Yukinoshita Yukino, focusing elsewhere: "With those dead fish eyes, you already seem intimidating. Add this strength, and you're aiming to be a delinquent?"]
[Hey, that's a bit too personal!]
(End of this chapter)