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★★★
So, I'm afraid that even trying to hold a study group will fail.
Then, we'll definitely have to seek help from another Class.
"Therefore, finding a high-profile Class and having them support us is the best solution." Hikigaya Hachiman said.
"Then..." Horikita thought for a moment.
"Do you already have the contact information for a Class B student?"
"No." Hikigaya Hachiman shook his head.
How could he possibly know anyone from another Class?
At most, he knew Sakayanagi Arisu.
And Sakayanagi Arisu was from Class A, which was essentially the big boss of the opposing faction.
And it was only the beginning of the school year.
Most of the students' interactions were still confined to their small circles.
But there was one person who was different.
That person had already made contact with Class A students on the second day of school, and presumably, she was already getting along well with Class B students by now.
So, this required another person to make an appearance.
...
The person Hikigaya Hachiman needed was Kushida Kikyo.
Yosuke was mainly dedicated to the students in his Class, but Kushida Kikyo had connections both within and outside her Class.
She could often be seen greeting students from other Classes in the common hall on the Floor of the dormitory.
And Hikigaya Hachiman also noticed that among the students from other Classes who greeted Kushida, there was one who had a similar aura to Kushida, but was even more popular than Kushida, with long pink-gold hair, a good figure, and an outgoing personality.
Although he hadn't initially intended to contact Kushida, he now needed her help.
So, Hikigaya Hachiman sent her a message: Horikita needs you, and she came immediately.
"Heh... heh--"
She must have run over in a hurry, arriving at Horikita Suzune's dormitory door, and when she opened the door, she could be seen panting with her hands on her knees.
However, her face, slightly flushed from the exercise, was quite cute.
"But." Kushida's eyes seemed a little surprised.
"Why is Hikigaya in Horikita's dorm, and already inside?"
Already... inside?
Right.
Hikigaya Hachiman also felt a hint of pressure.
Because Kushida stuck to Horikita every day, but Horikita was as cold as ice, yet Hikigaya could enter and exit Horikita Suzune's dorm.
Was that strange?
It was indeed a little strange.
At the same time, Kushida's gaze fell on his feet.
He was wearing a pair of men's slippers.
But this was a girl's room, so why would there be men's slippers?
In other words, Hikigaya Hachiman, you actually have a super good relationship with Horikita Suzune, right?
"..." Hikigaya Hachiman.
He slightly regretted having Kushida come here, and instead should have met her in his room, or somewhere else.
"Horikita had a new idea, and then invited me over." Hikigaya Hachiman said.
"And the shoes are the reward."
Shoes as a reward?
This statement was strange, but Kushida could understand it, because Horikita Suzune's personality was quite odd.
For example, if she invited you to eat, she would probably ask for your help as soon as you took the first bite.
So, it wasn't incomprehensible to use shoes as a reward now.
However.
In fact, all of the above were Hikigaya Hachiman's thoughts.
Including the excuse about the shoes.
Horikita Suzune listened silently from the side.
The slippers Hikigaya Hachiman was currently wearing were prepared by her.
But there was no other meaning.
The shoes were just because she thought if there were many special exams, and there were cameras everywhere in this school, then the relatively safe places were only dormitories and the like.
Going to the male dormitory was strange, although she didn't care about others' gazes, she just didn't want strange rumors to spread, so it was better to have Hikigaya come over himself.
And the last time he came over, she noticed that he could only take off his shoes and wear socks, which was not a polite gesture.
So, when she went shopping at the supermarket, she bought a pair incidentally.
However, Horikita did not explain.
She didn't really like dealing with Kushida.
So, if Hikigaya Hachiman could deal with Kushida, that would be excellent.
Moreover.
Earlier, Hikigaya Hachiman had a record of damaging a camera in the Class, and in reality, only a few scattered people knew the truth.
So, it was easier to understand that whatever Hikigaya Hachiman did was Horikita's idea, and if Horikita had an idea, Kushida could help, and so on, pushing the blame over.
Moreover.
Horikita Suzune had been harassed by Kushida, and she probably somewhat understood that the other party seemed to be eagerly hoping to get along with her, which meant that inviting Kushida out in her name was very effective.
And very clearly, Hikigaya had already grasped this point.
"This is water."
Since it was her own dormitory, Horikita was still somewhat prepared.
She served water to both Hikigaya Hachiman and Kushida.
Warm boiled water with a little salt.
It looked very ordinary.
But.
"Thank you." Kushida felt a little flattered.
Then, after taking the water glass, she looked at Hikigaya Hachiman with a slight touch.
Hikigaya Hachiman quickly met her gaze.
But no, Kushida.
He didn't say anything good about you just now.
So, Horikita was just being a normal host.
Rather, you are actually being treated as a useful person by everyone now.
As long as you drink her water, then you can officially be used.
Look.
She's watching you drink water.
"You want to form an alliance with Class B... Hmm... When you mention alliance, it feels a bit like the Class competition is starting." Kushida probably understood what they meant.
Then she said, "However, Class B already has people who can make decisions for the Class."
"There are two people, one is Ichinose Honami and the other is Kanzaki Ryuji."
"How should I put it, the students in Class B all trust them very much."
Kushida shared her information. "And they have also gained a position similar to that of a leader."
Then that's correct.
For Class confrontation exams, someone needs to lead.
Like Class D, well... let's not mention Class D.
Hikigaya Hachiman didn't think a disorganized group would produce a heaven-sent strong man as a leader.
Rather, it was already quite remarkable that they could stick together like Yosuke.
"Do you have any other information about them?" Hikigaya Hachiman asked.
Since the target of the alliance had been determined to be Class B, obtaining more information about the other party was very useful.
"I don't have a picture of Kanzaki, but I do have a picture of Ichinose saved on my phone."
Kushida probably felt that her relationship had increased by 1 after getting Horikita Suzune's water.
So, she started working hard.
However, when she tried to open the picture, she accidentally pressed the chat application.
Then she reacted quickly.
"Ah, don't look, Hikigaya-kun." Kushida said.
Hikigaya Hachiman immediately turned his head, but he still noticed.
Kushida's chat application was quite something.
She actually had 67 groups.
Moreover, some groups had five girls, but she actually created 6 groups.
In other words, it was like that, the relationships between girls are very complicated.
There are people you have to interact with, but also people you collectively dislike.
Even the same dormitory can be divided into several factions.
And they are different both openly and secretly.
Although she pressed the wrong button for a moment, Kushida quickly found the album and then found the picture.
However, being able to display her phone on the table indicated that she was very clean, didn't download anything strange on her phone, and allowed some of her phone's information to be seen by others.
The picture opened.
It was a very beautiful girl.
She had beautiful pink-gold long hair, and charming facial features.
Her skin was fair and delicate, and her waist was slender.
At the same time, she had an excellent figure.
Her looks were very high, and the picture taken showed her smiling, looking quite approachable.
"This person is..." Hikigaya Hachiman murmured.
"Is this Class B...?" Horikita Suzune also said.
"No, it's probably F." Hikigaya Hachiman said.
?
Horikita didn't immediately understand what that meant.
Because there was no Class F in the school.
"..." Hikigaya Hachiman.
"Uh, I misspoke just now. Is this Ichinose Honami from Class B?"
Then he glanced at Kushida.
Kushida didn't show any strange expression, maintaining her previous expression, which meant she didn't hear it.
Horikita's emotional intelligence was not enough, but Kushida was different, otherwise his phrasing would have been taken as that of a hateful guy whose mind was full of perverted thoughts.
Actually, he couldn't be blamed.
Because the picture Kushida showed was Ichinose's school swimsuit picture.
It highlighted her figure very much.
However, it was probably because she had a very good private relationship with Ichinose that she had such a picture.
"Does Hikigaya know Ichinose?" Kushida said.
"Yes, because we live in the same building, I occasionally see her." Hikigaya Hachiman said.
"She's always surrounded by friends."
"Right, Ichinose is very popular. Many boys like her." Kushida said.
Oh.
So, why are you telling him this information?
He wouldn't like Ichinose.
Hachiman was just startled by her photo.
Ichinose is quite beautiful, but don't underestimate him.
If Horikita Suzune, who is by his side, were truly ranked among beautiful girls, she wouldn't lose to Ichinose.
"And it seems there are also girls who like Ichinose." Kushida then revealed another big piece of news.
"Ichinose's academic performance is excellent. She seems to have been first in the entrance written exam."
"Also, she's extremely popular, and all the students in her Class trust her."
"However, there doesn't seem to be any tense atmosphere in her Class." Kushida continued to provide information.
"Everyone is enjoying their school life, and about two-thirds of the students in their Class have joined various clubs."
A tense atmosphere, huh.
And they're also joining clubs and enjoying life?
This means that Class B hasn't fully entered a state of Class competition yet.
Then there's room for smooth manipulation.
Hachiman felt that an alliance with Class B would no longer be difficult.
...
The next morning was the weekend, so there was no need to go to the classroom for lessons, but Hachiman went directly to the public hall on the Floor.
And there, a cute girl with short blonde hair was already waiting.
She was sitting on a chair, looking at her phone.
Probably hearing footsteps, she looked up, noticed Hachiman's arrival, and although she had just been focused on her phone, she immediately put it away, stood up from the chair, and walked towards Hachiman.
Kushida is very popular.
She's very cute, like a Little Angel, but Hachiman felt that some of her subtle actions also added to her charm.
"Then let's go." Hachiman said.
"Hehe... but why are we going to the Student Council? Isn't Horikita going?"
Hachiman had already decided to ally with Class B.
So what he needed to do was arrange a meeting with Class B's representative, then have a face-to-face discussion, and sign the agreement.
However, since they were a lower Class, a little preparation wouldn't hurt.
The negotiation materials Hachiman prepared were the entire Grade's roster, or rather, the basic information of all students in the entire Grade.
If you want to move up Classes, you first need to gather information on your enemies.
And Class B, according to Kushida's introduction, hasn't yet realized this.
So it can be used perfectly as a bargaining chip.
"Horikita doesn't think it's necessary for so many people to go together." Hachiman said.
"I see." Kushida nodded. "So Hikigaya is very enthusiastic about getting into Class A, huh."
"Because this is like a bug, an opportunity. Normally, my academic performance isn't very good, so it's hard to easily get into the university I want. But if I can get into Class A and get a tuition waiver from the school, it's like taking a shortcut." Hachiman said.
I see.
Hikigaya is doing it for himself.
Kushida then had no other doubts.
Kamuro from Class A contacted her last night, asking about Hikigaya's female relationships and if there were any signs of romance with anyone.
This action felt a bit strange.
It even surprised Kushida, making her wonder if Hikigaya's luck with women had arrived?
Did he already have a girlfriend?
Is it Horikita Suzune?
But looking at it now, no, it's not.
He and Horikita share the same goal, and their relationship is more like a cooperative one.
Moreover.
It's almost impossible to imagine what Horikita Suzune, someone who finds it hard to even make friends, would be like in a romantic relationship.
And Hikigaya...
Hmm...
Kushida felt that Kamuro didn't need to worry either, because very few girls would like Hikigaya.
Because this boy, if he could hide his dead fish eyes, might look quite handsome.
But he doesn't.
And what girls care about most is appearance.
...
"Excuse us."
The two arrived at the entrance of the Student Council.
Today was the weekend, but only one person was on duty at the Student Council. He had short blonde hair, long limbs, and probably excelled at sports.
And on his desk was a flashy sign that read "Vice President Nagumo."
It's worth noting that the desks of other staff, the accountant, and the Student Council President didn't have such signs.
However.
Doing this also had its purpose, because anyone who came to the Student Council would notice him.
However, today only Vice President Nagumo was in the Student Council office.
"Are you first-years? What do you need?" Vice President Nagumo seemed to be all business.
"Well, we'd like to print a roster of the entire Grade." Hachiman said.
"Oh?"
Actually, Nagumo had a very strong memory.
When he was sitting there, he noticed the arriving first-years, and the boy was the same one who had come to the Student Council last time to ask about the punishment for breaking a camera.
And now he was back again today.
And he even brought a very cute School Junior!
However.
Nagumo initially didn't focus on Hachiman, thinking he had probably done something wrong again.
But now, he became slightly interested.
"Why would you want to print a roster of the entire Grade?" Nagumo asked.
"We're quite unfamiliar with students from other Classes, and we hope to understand their information first. Because there are people we'd like to befriend." Hachiman said.
"..." Nagumo.
Then never mind.
This is truly embarrassing.
If you want to make friends with others, then you should actively approach them.
Preparing information beforehand is ridiculous.
"Printing the roster requires 100,000 points." Nagumo said, then took out a QR code for payment.
"You can print it after paying the points." Nagumo said.
"That expensive!" Kushida was shocked.
But Senior Nagumo smiled slightly.
"Although you can buy anything at this school, many things are also very expensive."
Perhaps because he was facing a super cute School Junior, Vice President Nagumo's expression softened considerably.
"But since you want to print it."
"I'll pay 20,000 points for you." Nagumo said.
"Eh..."
"Really?" Kushida seemed a little surprised.
"That's not a small sum."
"Yes, it is. After all, for us upperclassmen, the abundance of points is different from yours." Vice President Nagumo said lavishly.
"Then thank you, Senior Nagumo." Hachiman said. "Can we print it now? I've paid 80,000 points."
"..." Nagumo.
So you really know how to ruin the mood.
Nagumo did indeed have points, and losing a few tens of thousands wouldn't pain him.
It was almost mealtime, and he was planning to eat.
So if this could serve as an excuse to get to know a School Junior from Grade 1, it wouldn't be bad.
He was currently the Student Council Vice President, and once President Horikita stepped down, he would take over.
Then he could fulfill one of his dreams.
He wanted to form a Student Council composed entirely of girls, so cute girls were welcome to join.
And the School Junior just now was quite cute, so he could leave a good impression.
However.
While giving the computer the print command, Nagumo looked up.
"By the way, you still have so many points left?"
Nagumo had already confirmed that Hachiman had indeed spent 80,000 private points.
But it was important to know that first-years received a uniform 100,000 points upon enrollment, so Hikigaya Hachiman had already been enrolled for a week, still had so much left, and wasn't even pained by spending it like this?
"Sometimes students from Class A treat me to meals." Hachiman said.
"So I can save a lot of money."
Is that so.
So your Class is heavily infiltrated, huh.
Are you being kept by students from Class A? Or rather... have you become a tool for Class A?
Nagumo Miyabi became even less interested.
...
Hachiman received two copies of the roster, one printed and two photocopied.
According to Hachiman's explanation, it was to keep two extra copies as backup.
Since he had already collected the printing fee, Nagumo didn't charge for the photocopying.
Thus, Hachiman and Kushida left the Student Council.
Then they headed to the cafe where Kushida, Ichinose, and Kanzaki had agreed to meet.
But on the way.
"Why does Hikigaya need to keep two extra copies of the data?" Kushida asked.
"One copy we can keep for ourselves." Hachiman said.
"One copy can be used as a bargaining chip for our deal with Ichinose and them."
"Then, another copy can be sold to students from Class A for 80,000 points."
"If they were to print it themselves, it would cost 100,000 points, so our ready-made list, plus only 80,000 points, means there's a high probability of selling it."
"And as long as students from Class A buy it, the points we paid will come back." Hachiman said.
"..." Kushida.
???
Goodness.
As expected of you.
You're essentially freeloading!
No wonder he paid the points so readily.
He had already planned for students from Class A to take over the cost.
Kushida's thoughts were still on Hachiman's statement that sometimes students from Class A would treat him to meals, allowing him to save his points.
And as for students from Class A, Kushida knew that he only knew Kamuro and Sakayanagi Arisu from Class A.
Then she connected this to Kamuro's inquiry last night about Hikigaya's romantic prospects.