Chapter 098 Kushida: I speak for him because I get a cut, what's your reason?
The written agreement was finalized, and the two documents were carefully tucked away by Ichinose into a small bag. Completing these simple steps made her heart tremble slightly. These two pieces of paper were light in hand, but their weight was staggering: one carried a debt of 52.8 million private points, and the other 46.2 million, totaling 99 million.
It was a "small goal" of nearly a hundred million.
No one would have guessed that such astronomical spoils of war would be created by Hikigaya-kun's hand during this small island special exam.
With the agreement settled, the entire landscape of the exam was completely altered: Classes B and D were pulling out entirely, while Classes A and C were left on the island, gritting their teeth to endure for their classes while burdened with massive debt.
Thinking of this, Honami Ichinose couldn't help but look at Hikigaya-kun nearby, her heart still filled with shock.
Although she knew he was a "transmigrator," the way he utilized information was terrifying. She never imagined a survival exam could be played so masterfully.
This went far beyond simply knowing the plot or exam content; Hikigaya-kun was perfectly adapted to this school where merit is everything.
In contrast to Ichinose's reflection, the smoothness of the proceedings felt surreal even to someone as steady and suspicious as Katsuragi Kohei. However, as Katsuragi looked down at the agreement he had signed, a trace of complexity flashed in his eyes.
A debt of 52.8 million, distributed among the 40 students of Class A, meant a significant monthly point expenditure for everyone. This heavy burden was facilitated by his own hand.
Yet, the thought that this debt bought Class B's total withdrawal—removing them as a threat to Class A's score and securing Class A's lead—caused much of that heaviness to dissipate.
Ryuen Kakeru stood not far away, feeling somewhat numb.
He was now carrying the largest debt of his life, but he had no choice. If he passed on this deal, Class C would not get Class D's base points or leader information, and they would miss the clue to the hidden spot worth an extra 50 points.
By then, Class A—with the supplies and leader info bought from Class B—would be untouchable. For Ryuen, it was better to seize this sliver of a chance for a comeback than to sit and wait for death, even if it meant a massive debt.
This was Ryuen Kakeru: even in a desperate situation, his stubbornness and ambition would never allow him to surrender easily.
This was exactly what Hachiman wanted Ichinose to notice: that Ryuen was the most sharp-edged and dangerous opponent among the class representatives.
That was why he targeted Class C for a zero-point start from the beginning.
At this moment, Katsuragi Kohei gave Ryuen a discreet look, signaling him to talk privately. Ryuen was puzzled but suppressed his irritation and followed Katsuragi to the shade of a nearby tree. The wind carried the faint scent of salt, momentarily cooling the afternoon heat but failing to calm their hearts.
"Ryuen, let's make a deal," Katsuragi began.
"A deal?" Ryuen raised an eyebrow, a mocking curve on his lips. "Katsuragi, you just let Hikigaya slaughter you like a fat pig, and you want to talk deals? Don't tell me you want me to help share your debt. Dream on."
Thinking about Katsuragi's even larger debt made Ryuen feel slightly better. It seemed his alliance with Hachiman had some benefits, like a slight discount, even if the downside was that Hachiman harvested his own allies as well.
Katsuragi ignored the mockery.
"I'm not asking you to share the debt. We both know that besides spot points and base points, guessing other classes' leaders is key—50 points for each correct guess, plus invalidating their held spots. Right now, I have Class B's leader info, and you have Class D's. If we exchange, our respective classes gain an extra 50 points."
Katsuragi paused. "Those 50 points are a safety net and slightly offset the debt we've taken on. It's the best way to lower our risks."
Ryuen's mockery faded, replaced by a deep scowl as he calculated.
Katsuragi was right. 50 points could be decisive. Class A held 15 spots, worth 270 points. With the 100 points from exchanging leader info for B and D, their total would break 300. Adding the 270 base points, they could hit 640 points—a score that would easily secure first place.
Class C held 12 spots for 216 points.
With this 50 points, they'd hit 266.
Adding the 300 base points (since Ibuki no longer needed to stay with Class D, she wouldn't miss roll call), and the potential 50 points from the hidden spot, Class C could reach a score of 666!
Exchanging the info cost him nothing. He already had Class D's info.
Why not trade it for Class B's? The only concern was if Katsuragi would lie.
But Katsuragi was famously steady and honest; with shared interests, there was no reason to lie. If Katsuragi gave fake info, Ryuen could retaliate with fake info.
Besides, Ryuen was the leader of Class C and knew that leader info was recorded on official cards that couldn't be forged. They could just verify the cards on the spot.
"Fine," Ryuen relented, dropping his defiant attitude. "But I want to verify the Class B info first. If it's fake, the deal is off, and you'll compensate Class C for the loss."
Katsuragi nodded. "No problem. We can have the BD leaders show their cards later."
Their conversation, though hushed, was overheard by a few sharp-eared Class A students from the Sakayanagi faction. Since Sakayanagi Arisu wasn't on the island, Kamuro Masumi and Hashimoto headed the faction. They followed Sakayanagi's aggressive style and despised Katsuragi's steady approach.
"Katsuragi-kun, how can you get so close to Class C?" one Sakayanagi supporter complained loudly. "Class C is a bunch of impulsive, undisciplined savages! If they leak our leader info, all our efforts and 50 million in debt will be for nothing!"
Other students chimed in.
"Yeah, it's too dangerous!"
"If Sakayanagi-san were here, she'd never agree!"
"Associating with a bottom-tier class is an insult to Class A!"
"Ryuen won't forget that you reported them before; this is a trap!"
The voices grew louder, turning the private chat into a public spectacle. Katsuragi looked grim, while Ryuen wanted to laugh.
Katsuragi knew the Sakayanagi faction was just trying to sabotage his success. Ryuen saw that Class A was still divided and decided to stoke the fires. Since both A and C were paying Class B, they were still competitors. If he could provoke a Sakayanagi loyalist to betray Katsuragi, Class A would crumble further, leaving Class C as the sole winner.
Katsuragi's lackey, Totsuka Yahiko, stepped forward. "Stop your alarmist talk! Katsuragi-kun is doing this for Class A! How is gaining 50 points and lowering risk a mistake?"
"Exactly!" another Katsuragi supporter added. "You don't care about Class A's risk; you just don't want to see Katsuragi-kun lead this exam so easily. You only care about Sakayanagi-san and your own interests!"
These words hit a nerve. The Sakayanagi faction students turned red and white, unable to find a retort. Deep down, they didn't want Katsuragi to replace Sakayanagi as the core of the class. But without their leader, they were headless and couldn't mount an effective counter-argument. Other neutral students began to realize the infighting was detrimental to the exam.
Kamuro Masumi, standing in the crowd, felt helpless. She knew her faction was being too obvious and losing ground. Hashimoto quickly stepped in, pulling his peers back and signaling them to be quiet to avoid further embarrassment.
Katsuragi remained calm, letting the scene play out to highlight his leadership during Sakayanagi's absence. He eventually raised a hand for silence.
"Enough. The agreement is set. Let's not waste time; we need to exchange supplies at the supply point. No one can afford the responsibility if the exam is affected."
The crowd quieted down. Katsuragi and Ryuen returned to Hachiman.
"Since you've reached an agreement, I have nothing to hide," Hachiman said.
"I am the leader of Class B, and Hirata Yosuke is the leader of Class D. You can verify our cards at the supply point near the landing area."
"You better be telling the truth," Katsuragi said warily.
"I'm an honest man," Hachiman replied. "And you should move quickly. Class C needs to gather people to haul supplies. Class D is already there, waiting to sell their 300 base points and officially withdraw."
Hachiman paused, then added, "My class is the same. Once we convert the base points to supplies for you, Class B will withdraw and head back to the cruise ship."
A dead silence fell, followed by collective gasps of shock. Even though they knew B and D had sold their points, hearing "withdraw and go back to the ship" now was a different kind of blow.
It sparked a wave of envy. While Class A and C would spend the next seven days worrying about survival and scores on this hot island, Classes B and D were going back to air conditioning, Simmons mattresses, and steak dinners.
The Class A students felt a sting of jealousy. They wanted to go back, too, but they had the burden of maintaining their position. They tried to console themselves: Class B was trading away their future possibilities for temporary comfort, while Class A was securing their glory and status.
Katsuragi selected twenty students—mostly from the Sakayanagi faction, as a "punishment" for their earlier defiance—to haul the supplies. Ryuen followed behind with a sour face.
"Ryuen, aren't you going?" Hachiman asked.
"Of course I am!" Ryuen snarled. "I'm not letting my 46.2 million go to waste!"
Ryuen was fuming. Hachiman was using the exact strategy Ryuen would have used! If he hadn't gotten zero points the first month, he wouldn't be in this mess.
He swore that this cooperation was temporary; he would eventually take a piece out of Class A.
Half an hour later, most of Class A, all of Class B, most of Class C, and 39 students from Class D were back at the landing point. The beach was bustling. The Class D students were already there, looking relaxed and joyful, chatting about the luxury waiting for them on the ship.
When Hachiman and the others arrived, Ichinose explained the plan to her class and revealed the 52.8 million private points they would receive from Class A. Even after Hachiman took his
half, the class fund would jump to 26.4 million. Including their previous funds, they had nearly 28.4 million. That was enough to cancel an expulsion or guarantee a transfer to Class A.
"Is our class really that amazing this time?"
"A zero-point strategy is so bold."
"Trust Hikigaya-kun; he might have more plans."
The Class B students were slightly disappointed about the zero-score, but the massive amount of points quickly washed that away. No class dislikes a huge emergency fund.
The four homeroom teachers were also there: Mashima (A), Hoshinomiya (B), Sakagami (C), and Chabashira (D). They stood by the ship, looking perplexed.
Mashima was surprised that Class B, which he considered strong, would choose to withdraw alongside Class D. To him, it seemed a bit lacking in competitive spirit.
Hoshinomiya Chie, however, was completely dazed. She had initially planned to mock Sae Chabashira when she saw Class D withdrawing, thinking Chabashira's high hopes for Ayanokouji had failed. But seeing her own class doing the same thing left her speechless.
She knew Hikigaya was cunning, but she couldn't ask Ichinose for details with the other teachers present. She forced a stiff smile, unable to accept that her class would be ridiculed by "Sae-chan."
Chabashira Sae was calm, having processed her shock when Hachiman first approached her. Beneath her calm, however, was a touch of sadness as her ambitions seemed to dissipate once again.
Sakagami, the Class C teacher, adjusted his glasses, his eyes full of undisguised jealousy.
He had heard from his students that Hachiman had brokered deals totaling 99 million points. He had never seen that many points in his life.
He began to wonder why he wasn't a student here back in the day and why his Class C didn't have a student as brilliant as Hachiman.
While the teachers processed their feelings, Katsuragi and Ryuen used the catalogs to spend the 600 base points from B and D. The supply transfer took twenty minutes. Mashima, the head examiner, stepped forward to address the withdrawal requests.
"Hoshinomiya-sensei, Chabashira-sensei, are your classes really choosing to withdraw?"
Hoshinomiya took a deep breath and nodded.
"Yes, our students are feeling unwell and cannot stay on the island. Except for Hikigaya-kun, everyone is withdrawing."
Chabashira nodded. "Yes, Class D is also withdrawing."
Mashima checked his tablet. "Understood. Classes B and D have spent all their base points. Since their balance is zero, no further points will be deducted for withdrawal. Students may board the ship."
A cheer erupted from Classes B and D. They were finally leaving the island for food and comfort. Classes A and C watched them board with envy as they prepared for the heavy labor of moving the massive amounts of water, food, and tents that had been traded.
A few Class B students, acting out of kindness, offered to help Class C move their supplies. However, Ryuen snapped at them. "No! We can handle our own business! Keep your noses out of it!"
Ryuen's hostility confused the Class B students, who didn't understand his anger. Ryuen didn't want "charity" from Hachiman's "accomplices." He felt that even if he eventually beat Class A, he might still lose to Hachiman. This realization frustrated him.
As Classes B and D boarded, the reality set in for everyone: the exam was over for them.
"So Class B bought our points and flipped them to A and C?" Yukimura Teruhiko, a Class D student, asked.
"Looks like it," Miyake Akito replied. "Hikigaya is amazing. He got us points, made a fortune for Class B, and saddled A and C with debt."
"It's a scam!" Yamauchi complained. "He bought our stuff low and sold it high! He took money that should have been ours!"
"Forget it," Ike Kanji waved him off. "We got points and we're going back to the ship. Who cares if A and C got scammed? That's their problem."
"Exactly!" Kushida Kikyo chimed in. "Having money for the next two years is what matters most. Real points are better than imaginary scores."
As the "Angel" of Class D, Kushida's words were immediately supported by her admirers.
She didn't call them "idiots" like Yukino might have, but she was in a good mood. She was part of the group working with Hachiman and would likely get a share of the profits.
Plus, now that Class D had money, they could finally pay back the 30,000 points she had lent them.
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