Chapter 010: If You Can't Beat 'Em, Join 'Em! What's There to Be Ashamed Of!
Hachiman was unaware of the words Sakayanagi had spoken in the private room.
If he had known, he probably wouldn't have refused. After all, while Ichinose from his own class was gentle, reliable, and possessed strong cohesive power, she ultimately lacked a certain sharp edge when it came to decision-making.
A class needs someone to unite people's hearts, but it also needs someone to take the initiative and attack. Horikita Suzune was the attacker he had his eye on, and if there could be someone even smarter—like Sakayanagi or Hiyori—that would naturally be for the best.
However, at this moment, he was walking down the corridor back to the classroom, his mind revolving around the arrangements for the Sports Festival entry list. There wasn't much to say about the compulsory events that everyone had to participate in, but the recommended events required careful deliberation.
Who would participate and who wouldn't, who would team up with whom, which events could be strategically abandoned, and which had to be won at all costs—all of this needed to be finalized within two weeks.
And Sakayanagi was smart. Since she knew he was a transmigrator, she would definitely make some changes; she wouldn't let Class B's entry list be exactly the same as in the original story. Thinking this, he mental-listed names as he walked, failing to notice a person standing at the corner of the corridor.
"Hikigaya-kun."
The other person's voice was soft, carrying a gentle, unhurried tone.
Hachiman looked up.
He discovered it was Shiina Hiyori standing by the corridor window. Her long silver hair shimmered softly in the sunlight. She wasn't holding a book—which was a rare sight in the past.
She wore a white shirt under the red blazer of the first-year uniform, her pleated skirt sitting a few centimeters above her knees. She looked clean and refreshing, as if she were specifically waiting for someone here.
She tilted her head slightly, a faint smile playing at the corners of her mouth.
"Good afternoon," Hiyori said.
Hachiman stopped and glanced at her. Hiyori's gaze fell on his face; those clear eyes were crystal clear, as if hiding a thin layer of shimmering light. He noticed her gaze linger on his face for a split second before shifting slightly, as if waiting for something.
It was a listening posture.
Hachiman sighed softly in his heart.
"Shiina-san," he began, his tone very calm. "My inner voice has disappeared. So, if you were hoping to hear it, you probably won't be able to for the time being."
Hiyori's eyelashes fluttered slightly.
She looked at Hachiman, a flash of surprise in her eyes along with an unidentifiable emotion—it seemed like relief, yet also a bit of regret.
"Is that so," she said softly.
Hachiman nodded.
Hiyori remained silent for two seconds, then the curve of her lips deepened slightly.
"However, even if Hikigaya-kun wanted to say something now, I actually wouldn't quite dare to believe it."
Hachiman looked at her, the corner of his mouth twitching slightly.
"The Boy Who Cried Wolf," he said.
Hiyori was momentarily stunned, then immediately understood his meaning. She lowered her head, silver strands of hair sliding down from behind her ear, obscuring half of her face.
"Yes," her voice was very faint. "After being fooled once, one does indeed become afraid."
Hachiman leaned against the corridor windowsill, hands in his pockets. Sunlight poured through the window, landing on the floor between them, illuminating that small patch of tile.
"During the VIP Exam," he started, "you were tricked, which directly led to Class C almost losing points. The responsibility was quite heavy. Though in the end, due to luck, you didn't lose points but gained them instead."
Hiyori's eyelashes fluttered again.
She didn't speak, but Hachiman knew she was listening intently.
"To some extent," he continued, "you actually gave your all for Class C."
Hiyori looked up at him. Those clear eyes reflected his shadow, quiet and peaceful, as if waiting for him to continue.
Hachiman met her gaze, thought for a moment, and asked the question he had always wanted to ask.
"Shiina-san, why do you work so hard for Class C?"
Hiyori was slightly dazed.
She lowered her head, looking at her hand resting on the windowsill. Her fair fingers curled slightly, her fingertips lightly grazing the seam of the tiles.
"Our Class C," she said softly, "is no different from previous Classes C. Our homeroom teacher, Sakagami-sensei, has said as much. Low academic ability, average physical fitness, poor self-discipline, and almost zero class cohesion. Without Ryuen-kun, we would probably be a scattered mess."
Hachiman listened quietly.
"But—" Hiyori paused. "This year's Class C is also somewhat different from previous ones. Because Ryuen-kun is here. He can gather a class that is like scattered sand and make everyone walk in the same direction. Although his methods are a bit crude, they are indeed effective."
She looked up at Hachiman.
"If Hikigaya-kun weren't here, Ryuen-kun might have had a hope of succeeding. But because Hikigaya-kun is here, I suppose I have to give it my all as well. Only—"
She stopped, a helpless smile appearing on her lips.
"Only, looking at the current situation, it is very difficult."
Hachiman understood what Hiyori meant. She knew he had been suppressing Class C—starting from the Code of Conduct exam, making Class C start with 0 points. Although the old questions exam let Class C get a hundred points, that was just giving them hope. Then, the deserted island exam exploited Class C's ambition to climb up, saddling them with huge debt. Next, the VIP exam induced Class C to guess the so-called "pattern." Thus, every time, he was holding Class C down, not letting them surge upward.
And she saw all of this, so she knew—he suppressed Class C precisely because he felt Class C had strength.
"Shiina-san," Hachiman spoke.
Hiyori looked at him.
"If I hadn't been assigned to Class B," Hachiman said, "Class C would probably be the strongest class in the entire school year. Even touching the position of Class A would be possible."
Hiyori's eyes brightened slightly. But Hachiman did not continue.
He paused.
Hiyori waited for two seconds, and seeing him not speak, she couldn't help but ask.
"But?"
Hachiman looked at her, his lips moving slightly.
He wanted to say: but Class C and Class D are actually the same. The school will not allow a group of academic underachievers to graduate as Class A representing the school. Even if
they get enough points, even if they climb to the Class A position, at graduation, the school will find a way to weed out those unsuitable people. Recommendation letters can get students into prestigious universities, but if the students can't graduate, the school's reputation suffers. So, although the school claims meritocracy and fair competition, in reality, Classes C and D have no hope from the start.
And this truth was excessively cruel.
If he said it, Hiyori would probably be completely disappointed. Not because of losing to someone, but because there was no possibility of winning from the start. Then, would there still be a need to work hard? No matter how brilliant the process, the result would be zero.
So Hachiman swallowed those words back.
"It's nothing." He shook his head. "I just think it's good that Class C has you and Ryuen, but it's also a bit of a pity."
Hiyori looked at him, a flash of confusion in those clear eyes, but she didn't press further.
Hachiman changed the subject.
"I just went to see Sakayanagi."
Hiyori's eyebrows twitched slightly.
"Class B's side," Hachiman said, "is already prepared. They've been training throughout this holiday; their physical fitness is probably the strongest in the entire school year."
Hiyori was silent for a few seconds, then nodded gently.
"We in Class C are also preparing. Although our physical fitness can't compare to Class B, it won't be too bad. After all, most of the students are delinquents or gyarus; they have some confidence in their physical fitness.
However, for this exam, it's really great that our Class C can be teammates with Hikigaya-kun's Red Team."
Hachiman glanced at her.
Hiyori met his gaze, a hint of playfulness added to her tone.
"Hikigaya-kun won't let the Red vs. White confrontation lose, right?"
The corner of Hachiman's mouth twitched slightly.
"Shiina-san," he said, "you're being too cunning."
Hiyori tilted her head slightly, silver hair falling from her shoulder, shimmering softly in the sun.
"Cunning?" she asked, her tone carrying a hint of innocence.
"Yeah." Hachiman leaned against the windowsill, arms crossed. "By saying that, aren't you just trying to get me to take action? As part of the Red Team, if we don't lose, your Class C can pick up two hundred points for free. Then you can operate however you want; as long as the Red Team wins, you have a safety net."
The curve of Hiyori's lips deepened; she didn't deny it.
Looking at her expression, Hachiman sighed softly.
"If Ryuen sent you to ask this," he said, "then you can go back and tell him—for this exam, the Red Team will win."
Hiyori's eyes lit up slightly.
"Really?"
"Yeah." Hachiman nodded. "I'll handle the Red vs. White confrontation."
Hiyori looked at him, was silent for two seconds, and then gave a slight bow.
"Thank you, Hikigaya-kun."
Her movement was light and her posture elegant, like a solemn expression of gratitude. Hachiman watched her silver hair sway in the sunlight, suddenly feeling that although this girl was always quiet, she was actually more stubborn than anyone at heart.
"No need for thanks," he said. "I'm also on the Red Team."
Hiyori straightened up, that faint smile still on her lips. She glanced toward the end of the corridor, then retracted her gaze. "Then I'll head back first."
Hachiman nodded.
And so, Hiyori turned and walked toward the other end of the corridor, her long silver hair swaying gently on her shoulders. After a few steps, she suddenly stopped and looked back at Hachiman.
"Hikigaya-kun."
"Hmm?"
"The matter of the inner voice disappearing—" she paused, "is it a good thing or a bad thing?"
Hachiman thought about it.
"Hard to say," he said. "But at least, there's no more need to worry about being eavesdropped on. And you don't have to worry about being cheated."
Hiyori looked at him, the curve of her lips deepening further. She said nothing more, turned, and continued forward, her footsteps gradually fading away in the corridor.
Hachiman leaned on the windowsill, watching her back disappear around the corner.
He stood for a while, then straightened up, brushed off non-existent dust from his sleeve, and walked toward the classroom.
The corridor was quiet, with only the sound of his own footsteps, one after another, unhurried.
When Hachiman returned to the classroom, the lunch break wasn't over yet.
People were scattered around the classroom; some were napping on their desks, some were wearing headphones looking at their phones, and others were flipping through textbooks.
It could be said that the atmosphere of this class had always been quite good.
It made Hachiman, who originally liked being a "human observer," sometimes unable to continue observing his classmates because they were too normal.
Hachiman quickly sat down at his spot and placed his phone on the corner of the desk. In the seat next to him, Ichinose hadn't returned yet, likely having gone to the cafeteria with the girls from the class.
"Hikigaya-kun."
A voice came from the left. Hachiman turned his head; Kanzaki Ryuji was looking at him, holding a reference book flipped halfway open.
"Hmm?" Hachiman responded.
Kanzaki closed the book, turned around, and lowered his voice. "Just now in the corridor, I saw you talking to Shiina-san from Class C."
Hachiman glanced at him and didn't deny it.
"Chatted a bit," he said. "Regarding the matter of this Sports Festival."
Kanzaki nodded. "Then for this exam, if the teammate is Ryuen, will there be a problem?"
Well, this was a lack of trust in Ryuen.
Of course, it could also be because teaming up with Ryuen made him worry that Ryuen would drag the Red Team down, leading to the Red Team's failure. Then the Class A position the class worked so hard to get would quickly drop. That would be too much of a loss.
Hachiman leaned back in his chair and thought for a bit. "No problem.
Regarding the current situation of the four classes, Class B had foresight and started training during the holiday. In terms of physical fitness, they are probably the strongest in the entire year. On Class C's side, Ryuen received a reassurance from me and knows the Red Team won't lose, so he will put his energy elsewhere."
"Elsewhere?" Kanzaki repeated the term.
"Yeah." Hachiman nodded. "If the Red Team wins, every class in the Red Team for the entire school year gets an extra two hundred points. In other words, even if a class ranks last in the year, as long as the Red Team wins, they can still make a net profit of two hundred points."
Kanzaki's brow furrowed slightly.
According to the arrangements for this exam, a Red Team victory equals +200 points.
As for the school year ranking: 1st place +200 points, 2nd place +100 points, 3rd place -100 points, 4th place -200 points.
So if the Red Team wins, it doesn't matter even if Class A is in last place.
They can stabilize the Class A position.
Only, for Hikigaya-kun to say that... it's like he wants to give Class C a safety net... wait!
Kanzaki suddenly had a realization!
So he quickly said, "So you gave Ryuen reassurance to make him stop worrying about the Red vs. White confrontation. That way, he can free up his hands to—"
"Attack." Hachiman finished the sentence for him.
Kanzaki looked at him, a flash of sudden understanding in his steady eyes.
"Driving the tiger to swallow the wolf," Kanzaki said.
Hachiman did not deny it.
Kanzaki leaned back against his chair, his finger lightly tapping the cover of the reference book. He recalled the sentence Hachiman just said—"If the teammate is Ryuen, there is no problem."
Now he understood the meaning of those words. It wasn't that Ryuen wouldn't cause trouble, but that Ryuen would aim his firepower at someone else.
"The target of the attack," Kanzaki asked, "is Class D?"
Hachiman glanced at him.
"Ayanokouji Kiyotaka," Kanzaki spoke the name.
Hachiman didn't say anything, but silence itself was the answer.
Read ahead (60 chapters) by supporting me on buymeacoffee com/varietl or ko-fi edwriting