Chapter 96: Collecting 20 Million to Protect Classmates? No, This is a Harvest! F***!
After more than an hour of travel, Katsuragi Kohei finally returned to the Class A gathering point with Totsuka Yahiko and the others, their steps slightly hurried.
His face showed a hint of fatigue, but his eyes burned with a bright light. Anyone could see that in this hour, he had led the Katsuragi faction to seize spots with relentless intensity. The harvest, clearly, far exceeded the effort.
The students following him couldn't hide their smugness. As they approached the camp, they held their chests high. In just over an hour, their ten-man team had seized 15 spots. This number was undeniably the lead among all classes.
According to the rules, a spot can be occupied once every 8 hours for 1 point. That means 2 bonus points today, 3 points on normal days, and 1 point on the seventh day. Totaled up, one spot provides 18 bonus points over the full exam. If they hold them, that's $18 \times 15 = 270$ bonus points. Even if they spent all 300 base points, these 270 points would secure their standing. It was a record worth being proud of.
However, as if by appointment, the moment Katsuragi's group stepped into the camp, Ichinose arrived with Ryuen Kakeru and two Class C students. Ryuen maintained his arrogant demeanor, his eyes full of disdain even though he was in Class A territory.
Ryuen also had the capital to be arrogant. He had led his team to seize 12 spots, which would yield 12 *18 = 216 points. With his superior survival experience, he planned to save 180 to 200 of his 300 base points. Without even guessing a leader, he was looking at a total of nearly 400 points. Plus, he had already sent Ibuki to infiltrate Class D. If she succeeded, that was another 50 points. Class C was looking at nearly 450 points.
So, even though Ichinose had invited him on behalf of Hachiman, he arrived with the attitude of a victor.
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Katsuragi soon heard the shocking news: Class B intended to "forfeit" the special exam.
Upon hearing the details, he realized it wasn't a literal forfeit. Rather, Hachiman planned to sell Class B's 300 base points for a massive amount of private points. To Katsuragi, this seemed like a "B-tier" strategy at best.
'This is a special exam for class rankings! Does Hikigaya Hachiman not want to rise to Class A? Is he not afraid of falling behind?'
Katsuragi walked straight up to Hachiman.
"So, Hikigaya Hachiman, you're giving up on this special exam?"
Hachiman shook his head. "This exam has risks. Classes A, B, and C are all rushing to seize spots. It looks like a lot of points, but if your leader is guessed, all that effort becomes zero, and you lose base points."
As the students from A and C looked over, Hachiman continued: "Besides, 300 base points for 40 people to survive seven days? It's impossible to spend nothing. Even with extreme rationing, you'll likely only have 100 to 150 points left. I believe it's more effective and stable to convert these points into private point reserves directly."
"So you're just seeking a cash reserve?" Ryuen arched an eyebrow, feeling like he'd lost a worthy opponent. He and Katsuragi were ready to fight for 400+ points. Now Hachiman was saying he just wanted money?
"Class B is special," Hachiman said. "They trust me. They've delegated the entire strategy to me. They even support me by giving me 30% of their monthly points as a leadership fee. Every comrade is important; we shouldn't lose them easily. We need to collect 20 million private points as insurance to prevent expulsions. This exam can fulfill that goal."
Everyone went silent. Class B was "supporting" Hachiman? And he wanted to reward them by making Classes A and C pay for it? Did they look like suckers?
"You should prepare too," Hachiman added. "In the upper grades, few classes maintain a full 40-person roster. 20 million points can be used to reach Class A or negate an expulsion. It's risk-management capital."
Katsuragi and Ryuen remained unmoved by the "comradeship" talk.
Katsuragi believed those who lacked strength deserved to be eliminated. Ryuen thought spending 20 million to save one person was idiocy—that money could be used to buy a transfer to Class A at graduation or to bribe students from other classes to sabotage exams.
However, Katsuragi realized Hachiman wasn't quitting; he was reselling the 300 base points.
If Class A bought them, Class B would have zero points, removing them as an obstacle. This was a massive temptation for Katsuragi, who wanted to secure Class A's lead while Sakayanagi was away. If he pulled this off, the credit would be his, not hers.
"Don't dawdle," Ryuen said impatiently, though he didn't move an inch. He was ready to bid. He knew Hachiman was making a "harvest."
Ryuen thought: If the deal with Hachiman fails, I'll go to Class D. Those paupers would probably sell their 300 points for 2 million.
But he stayed because if Class A bought B's points, Class B would be crippled with 0 points, which favored Class C's ambition to rise.
Katsuragi calculated: If he paid 20 million to take B's 300 points, Hachiman gets 0 points. Class A keeps its 270 base points. The gap between A and B would instantly widen to 420
points (excluding spots). Add the spot points, and the gap hits 600. No one would support Sakayanagi's radical methods if he could secure such a lead with a "stable" deal.
Hachiman announced the terms: "The monthy payment is 1.6 million private points to Class B, continuing until we graduate. No interruptions, no defaults."
The crowd gasped. Someone did the math: "1.6 million a month for 33 months... that's 52.8 million private points! Hikigaya, you're treating us like fat pigs!"
Katsuragi spoke up, his voice steady. "Hikigaya, Class A cannot accept this. You're transferring the survival risk to us, but the price is absurd. This is a robbery."
Hachiman countered, "This price represents Class B exiting the competition entirely. You aren't just buying 300 base points; you're buying a guarantee that Class B will not challenge you this time. For the Katsuragi faction, isn't protecting Class A's #1 status worth it? Or would you rather go back to school and find you've lost your position to Sakayanagi?"
Ryuen stepped in. "Stop trying to trick an honest man like Katsuragi. I'll deal, but the price is 1.2 million a month. My condition: you must tell me Class B's leader identity unconditionally."
The silence was deafening. If the leader identity was leaked, B would be guessed by everyone, ensuring a 0-point finish regardless of spots.
Katsuragi's heart skipped a beat. If Class B got 0 points, Class A would be safe. He knew Class B was dangerous—not because the students were elite, but because they were unified by Ichinose and led by Hachiman, who combined Sakayanagi's aggression with Katsuragi's caution.
Katsuragi made his move: "Class A will accept the deal. But you must provide the leader identity to us as well."
Hachiman smiled. This was exactly what he wanted. He knew they would be blinded by the chance to crush Class B.
"Fine. My initial goal was 20 million, but exceeding it is even better," Hachiman said. "Ichinose, prepare the contract. We sign now."
"You agreed awfully fast," Ryuen noted.
"It's 50 million points, Ryuen. I have info that the school buys back points at graduation at a 0.8 ratio. We are talking about 40 million yen in cash. Who wouldn't be moved?" Hachiman grinned.
"Plus, I have a deal with my class: 50% of the income I generate goes to my personal account. I just made 20 million for myself. That's two years of salary for a super-elite corporate executive, earned in one exam!"
The realization hit the students like a truck. Points weren't just for school—they were real-world wealth after graduation.
Everyone looked at Hachiman with a mix of envy and jealousy.
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