Chapter 97: Ryuen: Swindler, You Liar! You F***ing Set a Trap for Me!
Since Katsuragi had made up his mind, Ichinose smoothly began drafting the agreement with Class A. Unlike Class D, which required signatures from every student, Class A was represented by Katsuragi Kohei; his signature alone held total authority.
'So, Class D can't even produce a single representative for their class? They have to sign individually to be bound?' The thought flickered through Ichinose's mind but quickly vanished.
Katsuragi signed the agreement. From this moment, Class B was set to receive a total of 52.8 million private points. Even with Hachiman taking half, 26.4 million would belong to the class fund—more than the 20 million required to negate an expulsion.
Ichinose remembered Hachiman's inner voice earlier, cold-bloodedly mentioning that if someone had to be expelled, he would sacrifice Kanzaki. Yet here he was, doing his absolute best to secure enough points to save everyone.
She felt that Hachiman being assigned to Class B wasn't a mistake; birds of a feather flock together. He possessed the same sense of responsibility as them, even if his words were harsh.
As the signing finished, another person looked on with a serious expression: Kamuro Masumi. She wasn't watching Katsuragi, but Hachiman. She was still tasked by Sakayanagi to monitor his heart, but all she heard was:
'This exam brings over 20 million in assets to Class B, enough to handle the inevitable in-class voting expulsion. Kamuro doesn't need to worry yet; she won't be expelled in this exam, but in the second year.'
'Holy crap.' While harvesting massive points from Class A, he was casually predicting her "fate" of being expelled in the second year. How cruel. Yet, she was envious. Sakayanagi had offered her a job as a personal maid after graduation for 500,000 a month if she passed her "test."
Hachiman had just earned two years of that salary in a single hour.
She realized Hachiman wasn't lying; he truly intended to take a 0-point score in exchange for cash. As a Class A student, she preferred a 0-point Class B over a competitive one. She decided to back Katsuragi's stable approach.
'Sakayanagi, you really lost out by not coming. Your plan to have me eavesdrop didn't change anything; it just helped Katsuragi gain the upper hand.'
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Ryuen Kakeru stood to the side, watching like a spectator at a tiger fight. He had been waiting for Class A to fall for the trap. Once the signatures were dry, he burst out laughing.
"Hahaha! Katsuragi, you're such an idiot! You think you won? You were slaughtered like a fat pig by Hikigaya Hachiman! If you wanted supplies, Class D is cheap. I could have bought their 300 points for a pittance. Instead, you took on a 50 million point debt before the exam even ended. Stupid!"
Katsuragi remained calm. "Ryuen, you think I paid too much, but I paid to ensure Class B gets zero points. I am protecting Class A's position. If I've suppressed Class B, it helps your ambition to rise too. You should be thanking me."
Ryuen sneered. He was delighted to see Class A get fleeced. If Hachiman's price had been lower—say, 20 million—Ryuen might have taken it himself. But now, with A and B neutralizing each other, he had a chance to catch up.
However, Ryuen felt a prickle of unease. Hikigaya Hachiman was too meticulous to let him sit back and profit for free.
Sure enough, Hachiman turned his gaze to Ryuen. "Ryuen, you just said you were going to Class D to buy their 300 points?"
Ryuen stiffened. "So what? You going to stop me?"
Hachiman shook his head. "Stop you? Why? I just wanted to tell you—even if you go now, you'll get nothing. I already bought Class D's supplies and their leader information. And the price? They're also paying me 1.6 million points a month."
The words hit Ryuen like a lightning bolt. His arrogance vanished, replaced by shock. He stepped forward, glaring.
"What? You bought Class D? Impossible! I sent Ibuki as a spy! I even staged a fight to get her in! How could you beat me to it?"
Ryuen had completely lost his cool, revealing his own cards. Hachiman signaled to Ichinose, who pulled a document from her bag and displayed it.
Agreement: Class D members voluntarily sell their 300 base points and leader info to Hikigaya Hachiman. In exchange, Hachiman pays Class D 800,000 points per month until graduation.
Signatures: All 40 students of Class D.
Witness: Chabashira Sae.
The Class A students were dumbstruck. Katsuragi realized he had still underestimated Hachiman. Hachiman hadn't just come to fleece Class A; he came to devour both A and C. If they hadn't bought his resources, he would have used Class D's resources himself to win.
"D*** it! Those Class D losers!" Ryuen cursed. "And Ibuki, that idiot, didn't report this!"
"Ibuki isn't an idiot," Hachiman corrected. "We finished the deal before she even approached them. Class D isn't even at their camp anymore."
Hachiman looked at the fuming Ryuen. "Ryuen, you can't get anything from Class D now. But don't be disappointed. We're allies. I can sell you Class D's resources instead. Don't you want to close the gap with Class A? Don't you want to lead Class C to an upset victory?"
Ryuen was cornered. If he didn't buy, Class A would buy Class D's info from Hachiman and pull even further ahead. His only goal was to reach Class A; if he didn't aim for the top, he was just a bottom-feeder. But buying meant a massive debt for the already poor Class C.
"I'll only pay the equivalent of 200 evaluation points," Ryuen squeezed out, trying to stay calm. He realized he'd been played from the start. While A and C were running around the island, B and D had stayed back to set up this "ATM" scheme.
Hachiman shook his head. "No. My deal with Class D is already worth 200 points. I need a profit. I charged Class A for 400 points. Since these are 'rare goods,' I'll charge you the same. It's only fair."
Ryuen's rage was boiling. Class A paid to stay #1; why should he pay the same just to climb? But Hachiman added the killing blow: "If you refuse, I'll just use Class D's supplies myself and keep B in the exam. Then we'll take the points, and you'll still be at the bottom."
"Ryuen, just agree," a Class A student urged, wanting to ensure Class B stayed at 0 points.
"Shut the f*** up!" Ryuen roared at them. But he was trapped. This exam could yield over 500 points—enough to wipe out his first-month deficit. This might be the only chance he'd ever get to jump that far.
Finally, Ryuen made a stand. "Equivalent to 300 evaluation points. That's my final offer. If you refuse, I'll gamble on Class C's luck and my own strength. I won't be led by the nose anymore."
Hachiman looked at Ichinose, who gave a subtle nod. She was his "clerk" in this transaction. Hachiman turned back. "Since we're allies, I'll give you a discount. 350 points equivalent. In exchange, besides the info, I'll tell you about a 'Special Spot'—a hidden easter egg on the island that likely gives a 50-point bonus."
Ryuen's interest piqued. If he got an extra 50 points, he'd be getting the Class D info for a lower net cost than Class A and a better chance to win.
"If the spot gives 50 points, I agree to the 350 price. If not, we drop it to 300. Write it in the contract."
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The deal was done. Before the exam even reached its midpoint, Hachiman held two contracts:
Class A: ~52.8 million points Class C: ~46.2 million points
Total: Nearly 100 million private points.
Ichinose looked at the papers with awe. If she were leading, she would have spent the week sweating on the island to save a few points. She never dreamed someone could "harvest" such an astronomical sum through negotiation alone.
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