Chapter 18: The Truth Revealed
[Hashimoto: "He even fooled the princess? Impossible… He's practically a born deceiver."]
[Kito: "I don't quite get what's going on, but… the princess didn't see through his true nature?"]
[Sakayanagi: "His every move was so natural, without a single unnecessary action. In fact, he didn't lie. Mixing truth and lies to protect himself—that's the smartest choice…"]
[Kamuro: "Class D actually has someone this smart? It makes you wonder if the school's allocation system messed up."]
[Sakayanagi: "This time, we were all deceived."]
[From the video's perspective, they could hear the boy's thoughts, but inside the video, they were completely unaware.]
'So that was Sakayanagi… Good thing I got out of there fast.'
The memory of being stopped at Class A's door was still vivid, and the ponytail girl's mention of Sakayanagi likely referred to Class A's terrifying leader. He hadn't expected her to be a silver-haired fairy.
Now that he'd met the real deal, she was indeed scary. Better keep his distance in the future.
Sakayanagi had seen through him right away, as if no secrets could hide in her eyes.
But it didn't matter. Like his encounter with Class B's leader, Ichinose Honami, he believed both would soon forget an insignificant nobody like him.
After all, he just wanted to live a quiet life for three years. In a way, he wasn't their enemy.
Hikigaya thought this while flipping through his science book, until his brain was consumed by a storm.
'Sure enough, science can just go die.'
Some time later, Hikigaya collapsed onto his bed. Compared to drowning in science studies, a big comfy bed was far more appealing.
Having resolved the class's point issue and seen the school's true nature without making enemies, Hikigaya could finally sleep well at this school.
But he had underestimated just how incompetent Class 1-D was.
After a day of rest, Hikigaya returned to class with a heavy heart.
If possible, he'd rather stay in his dorm. Even math class didn't let him sleep—this life was unbearable.
Seeing that the class was all present, Hirata Yosuke stood up, maintaining his gentle smile.
"Everyone, listen to me for a moment."
Since the first day, Hirata had become the class's backbone. He was popular with both boys and girls, the kind of normie Hikigaya despised.
But normies had their uses. Since he was so well-liked, his words carried ten times more weight than Hikigaya's.
As expected, the moment Hirata spoke, everyone's attention turned to him.
"Through Hikigaya's discovery and our joint verification, we've uncovered the school's hidden rules. This school is far more terrifying than we imagined…"
Karuizawa Kei, confused: "Hikigaya? Who's Hikigaya? Well, whatever, if Hirata says it, it must be true."
Shinohara: "Yeah, yeah, we all trust Hirata."
Yamauchi: "Go ahead, Hirata."
Hikigaya, observing everyone's reactions, wasn't surprised. It didn't matter who he was or where the information came from—as long as it came from Hirata's mouth, it was fine.
Though most were listening, a few students who didn't get along with Hirata were exceptions.
Like the red-haired hedgehog Sudo, the golden lion Kōenji Rokusuke, the popular idol Sakura Airi, and the lone wolf beside him, Horikita Suzune. Their variables were beyond Hikigaya's control.
Whether they'd listen to Hirata, Hikigaya didn't know. The only silver lining was that Kōenji seemed to have already figured out the hidden rules, never violating discipline in class. Horikita, too, had never broken rules. As for the others, with good communication… it should be manageable, right?
While Hikigaya was lost in thought, Hirata continued: "About the 100,000 points we received initially, I have bad news. Any disciplinary violations will lead to deductions until they reach zero."
"And it seems our A, B, C, D class rankings are based on these points."
His words caused the class to erupt.
Over the past week, everyone had spent their points recklessly, some with barely any left. And now… they were told it wasn't like that.
Yamauchi: "What… Hirata, are you serious?"
Ike: "I thought the classes were randomly assigned. Are you saying we're the worst class?"
'You're a caveman, Ike. Your reaction already proves we're the dumbest class.'
Karuizawa Kei: "How… what do we do now?"
Shinohara: "Yeah, I don't have many points left. If I don't get points next month, I'll have to eat relief meals."
The class exploded into discussion. The news was completely unexpected. Though it was basic common sense, they'd been so blinded by the 100,000 points that they couldn't even judge the simplest things.
Hirata: "For now, we can only protect the points we have. From now on, no sleeping in class, leaving early, arriving late, or anything like that. Let's supervise each other and get through this together."
Hirata's words inspired everyone, and they nodded, determined to protect their remaining points, agreeing to monitor each other and attend classes properly.
As long as they avoided violations and serious issues, their points wouldn't be deducted. For ordinary students, this was just basic responsibility—not a big deal.
(End of this chapter)