Chapter 016: Evil Hikigaya! You Are Planning to Suppress Class D!
Nagumo Miyabi withdrew his gaze, looked at Hikigaya, and then said, "Hikigaya-kouhai, you really are a devil."
'A devil?'
He actually used such an excessive term to describe him.
Hikigaya glanced at him without speaking.
Horikita Manabu stood at the front of the third-year lineup, watching this scene, and smiled in a somewhat dumbfounded manner.
He withdrew his gaze and pushed up his glasses.
"Since that's the case, then let's do it as you said," Horikita Manabu said.
Hikigaya nodded.
The class representative of Class 3-C, however, was slightly stunned, because it really was just like this... not only could they be bribed, but they could also continue to earn points?
There was actually such a good deal?
"However, since you want to do it this way, we also need some points." Nagumo Miyabi attempted to secure some points for his second-year group.
"Fine." Ninomiya Kuranosuke, the class representative of Class 3-C, had no objections.
Because this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity: not only did the Red Team have a chance to win and gain 200 evaluation points for free, but there was also a chance to seize points from Class 1-B. Moreover, even the Student Council President had no objections—this was truly a great thing!
Therefore, he couldn't help but feel a little thrilled.
"Then that's basically it," Hikigaya said. "Since each class needs to perform as well as they can, I'll leave the rest to you."
Nagumo didn't continue speaking.
Because Hikigaya's arrangement looked simple, but all the pressure was placed on him.
If Class 1-C—that is, the class belonging to that guy Ryuen—decided to slack off, then he would have to make the Red Team's score high. And now that Hikigaya had also arranged for Class 3-C to take bribes from Class 1-B and intentionally perform poorly, he could only further elevate the Red Team's scores.
Therefore, what he needed to do was to completely command Class 2-A, Class 2-C, and Class 2-D.
By making Class 2-D earn fewer points, and having Class 2-A and 2-C earn more, he had to put much more thought into arranging the entry list to maximize the score.
So this guy Hikigaya was just here to command, but all the work had to be done by him.
Simply heartless.
However, considering that the recording of him and Ryuen that flashed by and was taken by Sakayanagi to report him might have been designed by Hikigaya-kouhai, Nagumo felt a chill down his spine.
Thus, Nagumo was still a bit wary of Hikigaya-kouhai, but he also felt slightly relieved. At the very least, in this exam, Class 2-A and Class 1-A were in the same camp.
That was some consolation, at least.
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On the other side, Nagumo's childhood friend Asahina stood next to him. She hadn't said a word since just now. She just stood there quietly, her gaze resting on Hikigaya, as if she were looking at something interesting.
To her, that guy Miyabi was lying again.
Because she recalled that sentence Nagumo said before—"He's alright. Just an ordinary boy."
She had believed him back then.
Now she felt that Nagumo was either lying to her, or he hadn't seriously looked at this kouhai at all.
Because this kouhai not only had an appearance that made people look twice, but just now, even as a kouhai, he had directly suppressed Nagumo.
So, as she thought.
Miyabi was no match for this Hikigaya-kouhai.
Asahina thought to herself.
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Because there were very few details to discuss, and basically everything had been left for Vice President Nagumo to "arrange," Hikigaya did not stay here any longer.
After achieving his goal, he took Ichinose and Kanzaki and left the scene.
Just like what Ryuen said, was there any need to stay and continue the discussion?
Because they had already contacted the upperclassmen, and with Class 1-C being absent, they, Class 1-A, could also leave.
Thus, students from other classes watched in surprise as, following the departure of Class 1-C, Class 1-A also followed Hikigaya's lead and left the area with their classmates.
While the discussion for the Red Team was still ongoing, someone on the White Team side had already taken action.
It wasn't Class D. In the Class D lineup, the forty people were still standing in place; some were looking down at their phones, some were boredly kicking the small stones on the ground, and some were gathered together whispering. No one walked towards the direction of the upperclassmen, and no one stood up to say, "We should go and discuss this with Class B."
Because Class D currently couldn't select a class representative.
Hirata Yosuke stood at the front of the queue, wearing a gentle, saintly smile on his face.
But his gaze fell on the direction of Katsuragi in the distance, his brow furrowing slightly, as if he were thinking about something. It wasn't that he lacked ability, nor that he lacked willingness. He simply couldn't gain everyone's consensus. In Class D, some respected him, some trusted him, but others thought he was too easygoing and too prone to compromise.
He knew very well that he was not a reliable or suitable class representative, and he had never had that kind of ambition.
Kushida Kikyo stood next to Hirata. Perhaps she had been "corrupted" by Hikigaya; as an official of the Student Council, she now carried that small notebook with her to record things when necessary. But she held her pen between her fingers and took no action.
After all, she was not the class representative of Class D.
Her expression was very calm, and the corners of her mouth held a perfectly measured smile, making her look gentle and harmless. But she would not make a decisive decision—everyone in the class knew this. Kushida-san was a very good friend and a very good listener, but not a leader.
Horikita Suzune stood at the edge of the queue, her long black hair blown by the wind, her wine-red eyes looking into the distance, wondering what she was thinking. She had the ability, the brain, and the decisiveness, but she couldn't convince the crowd. In Class D, some feared her, some respected her, some thought she was too arrogant, and some thought she was too cold. She wasn't the type who could make people willing to follow her.
As for Ayanokouji Kiyotaka—
Miyake Akito stood beside him, his gaze sweeping over the looks cast at Ayanokouji from those around them. T
here was suspicion, vigilance, and even disgust.
He knew Ayanokouji had the ability, but it was also a fact that Ayanokouji's reputation was poor. Even if Ayanokouji had the ability, even if Ayanokouji had demonstrated his skills in the deserted island exam, there were still many in Class D who didn't want to support him. Especially after those words Ryuen said on the deck, the girls in particular were terrified that Ayanokouji was going to attack them.
So, no one in Class D moved.
It wasn't that they didn't want to move, it was that there was no one who could move them.
"Speaking of which," Ike Kanji stood in the back row with his hands in his pockets, his gaze fixed on Katsuragi Kohei in the distance, who was leading several Class B students towards the upperclassmen's area, "Katsuragi and the others have gone to discuss with the Class B representatives of the second and third years. Shouldn't we, Class D, also arrange for someone to go?"
Yamauchi Haruki stood next to him, and hearing this, he immediately shook his head, "Arrange who? You?"
Ike Kanji was stunned for a moment, "Me?"
"You didn't even understand the rules; what are you going to do? Be a mascot?"
"Who are you saying didn't understand?!" Ike's face flushed red, "You didn't understand either, okay!"
The two were about to quarrel again. Sudo Ken, who was next to them, glanced at them without speaking, just casting his gaze into the distance. He wasn't that kind of material either. Letting him run was fine, but letting him negotiate with upperclassmen representatives? It would be better to let him run a 100-meter dash.
"Actually," a voice came from the side, with a tone of "it's only natural," "isn't it better not to go?"
Everyone looked at the person who spoke. It was a boy sitting in the back row named Hondo. He was usually inconspicuous and had very low presence, but at this moment he was raising his hand, the expression on his face carrying a kind of calmness that said, "I'm telling the truth."
"Anyway, Class D doesn't have any events that we can show off," Hondo continued, "going there would just be listening to Class B's arrangements. It's better not to go and save the trouble. When the time comes, we just have to cooperate with Class B; whatever they tell us to do, we do. If we lose, it won't be our fault alone."
Once these words were out, several people around nodded. It sounded reasonable. Class D had no competitiveness to begin with; rather than going in front of the upperclassmen and making a fool of themselves, it was better to stay honestly and wait for Class B's arrangements.
However, at this moment, Horikita Suzune spoke up.
"If Class D cooperates and ends up in last place, we will be deducted two hundred points. Although we have living expenses, do we really not need the current evaluation points anymore?" she said.
This caused the area where Class D was to fall silent for a moment.
Everyone's eyes turned to her. Horikita's expression remained unchanged as she pulled her phone from her pocket, unlocked the screen, glanced at it, locked it, and put it back.
That movement was very light, but Ayanokouji noticed it.
He stood at the back of the lineup with his hands in his pockets, his expression showing no change. But the moment Horikita took out her phone, his eyes flashed slightly.
What message did she receive?
Ayanokouji silently noted this detail in his heart, then withdrew his gaze and looked back at the distant athletic field. Katsuragi Kohei had already walked to the upperclassmen's area and was saying something to several second and third-year representatives. The distance was too far to see their expressions clearly, but judging by their posture, it should be going smoothly.
In the Class D lineup, murmurs started again.
After all, it didn't matter how the class was doing, but it was not okay if it involved themselves.
"Two hundred points..." Ike Kanji's voice sounded a bit dry, "How many points does our Class D have now?"
"130 points." Yukimura Teruhiko pushed up his glasses and stated a number in a flat tone.
"130 points? Then a deduction of two hundred points would mean—negative 70 points?" Yamauchi Haruki's eyes widened, "What does negative points mean? Owe the school money?"
No one answered him. But the silence itself was the answer.
"Wait a minute," Hondo's voice came from the back row, carrying a hint of nervousness, "Does the rule for this exam mention what happens if we get negative points? Is it possible for us to have negative points?"
Several pairs of eyes looked at Hirata Yosuke at the same time. Hirata was stunned for a moment, then shook his head, "The rules don't mention negative points. It only mentions deductions and additions. If we really get deducted below zero—"
He didn't finish the sentence, but everyone understood.
Negative points meant owing the school.
Although it was exaggerated, it wasn't impossible.
After all, why would the school cover for you every time you hit 0 points, but not let you go negative once?
So, when Horikita Suzune said that, the students of Class D immediately looked unwell.
"Then the points we get from Hikigaya-kun every month—" Ike Kanji's voice became even drier, "Will they be deducted back?"
No one answered. But everyone's complexion looked bad.
Class D currently received 800,000 points in living expenses from Hikigaya every month, with 20,000 points distributed to each person. This money was something they had exchanged for basic points during the deserted island exam. If they were deducted to negative points in the sports festival and the class evaluation score became negative, would the school deduct money from their individual points to fill this hole?
No one knew the answer. But no one dared to gamble.
Horikita Suzune stood at the edge of the lineup, looking at the faces around her that were becoming nervous, and the corners of her mouth moved slightly.
Ayanokouji's gaze lingered on her face for a second, then shifted away. He quickly analyzed the situation; that expression Horikita Suzune had just shown—it wasn't nervous, it wasn't worried, but a kind of certainty of "having achieved her goal." She wasn't analyzing the situation; she was guiding the situation. She was using the words "negative points" and "owing points" to draw everyone's attention in Class D to the results of the sports festival.
This wasn't something Horikita Suzune could have thought of on her own.
Ayanokouji made a judgment in his heart. In all likelihood, the moment she checked her phone, she had received a message from Hikigaya Hachiman.
Thinking of this, Ayanokouji looked at the empty space in the area of Class 1-A; Hikigaya Hachiman had long been gone.
But Ayanokouji knew that Hikigaya Hachiman, even if his promotion was successful, was still controlling Class D from afar.
Ayanokouji withdrew his gaze and looked at Horikita again. She didn't speak anymore, just stood there quietly, waiting for those discussions to ferment, waiting for the tension to spread, waiting for the best moment.
So, she was indeed doing it on purpose.
Ayanokouji confirmed this in his heart. At the same time, he understood that it was actually Hikigaya Hachiman who was mobilizing the emotions of Class D. He let Horikita create pressure within Class D, making everyone realize that the results of the sports festival were related to their individual points. In this way, the people in Class D would do their best.
But this wasn't good for the Red Team.
Because Class D belonged to the White Team. If Class D did their best, the White Team's total score would increase. It would be even harder for the Red Team to win.
But Ayanokouji quickly found a reason: Hikigaya Hachiman didn't care. He didn't need the Red Team to win. He didn't even think that Class D could influence the outcome of the Red and White competition, and all he needed was for Class A not to lose.
Ayanokouji's brain turned rapidly, putting those scattered pieces together. Hikigaya let Class C leave to create pressure—forcing the other classes on the Red Team to work harder. He let Horikita create panic in Class D to stimulate the internal drive of the White Team—making Class D work hard themselves. He didn't need to control everyone; he only needed to get everyone moving. Then, in the chaos, Class A would steadily get the points they deserved.
This was his strategy.
It wasn't control, it was disruption.
It wasn't an arrangement, it was stimulation.
It's just that, if Hikigaya let Class C take action, then after Class C took action, their total score would naturally drop, which was good for Class A. But how would his "injecting adrenaline" into Class D be favorable for Class A?
Ayanokouji frowned slightly.
And at this moment, someone shouted.
"Katsuragi is back."
Everyone's eyes turned toward the direction of the field. Katsuragi Kohei was walking back from the upperclassmen's area, followed by Totsuka Yahiko and several Class B students. His pace was fast, the expression on his face still steady, but his brows were slightly furrowed, as if he were thinking about something.
He walked to the front of the Class D lineup and stopped.
"Class B has already consulted with the senpais," Katsuragi, as a member of the White Team, told Class D, "The White Team's strategy is—everyone fight their own battles and try their best to score. We don't need much cooperation, as long as everyone performs at their best in their own events."
He paused, his eyes sweeping over the Class D lineup.
"And you in Class D, can you do it?"
Clearly, "everyone fighting their own battles and trying their best to score" seemed to give each class enough freedom, but it could also be interpreted as having no hope for Class D, to the point where there was no need for cooperation.
However, when Katsuragi said this, no one answered. The forty people stood there, some bowing their heads, some looking elsewhere, some uneasily wringing their hands. No one dared to say "Yes," and no one dared to say "No."
This caused Katsuragi's brows to furrow even more tightly. Just as he was about to say something, a voice came from the lineup.
"Regarding this exam, we in Class D actually have an idea."
It was Horikita Suzune's voice.
Katsuragi looked at her, "What idea?"
Horikita was silent for a second. Her gaze swept over the Class D lineup, over the nervous faces, over the uneasy eyes, and then landed on Katsuragi again.
"Can we ask you, Class B, to throw the matches?" she said.
And when Horikita Suzune said that, the field went silent instantly.
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