Chapter 66: Kamuro: I'm Going to Tell Sakayanagi Everything!
What did Chabashira-sensei's words mean?
Were they the key to Sudo's incident, or the excuse Hikigaya had been desperately searching for to justify his actions?
But whatever it was, Hikigaya didn't care anymore.
Chabashira glanced at Hikigaya, then turned and kept walking, with Sakura and Hikigaya closely following.
"So? What do you want with me?"
Hikigaya nodded without hiding it, looking at Chabashira ahead.
"I want to know how to access the school's security cameras."
"Cameras? You're asking the wrong person."
Chabashira didn't stop walking, though her pace slowed noticeably.
"Even we senseis don't have the authority to access the school's cameras."
Chabashira gave a cold laugh, as if mocking herself.
Her words snapped Hikigaya awake. After all, whether it was Chabashira or the homeroom senseis of Classes A, B, or C, they instinctively protected their own students. For senseis, they too wanted to climb to a higher class.
So… despite seeming powerful, they were little different from students. And because of the school's rules, they couldn't reveal too much.
Chabashira quickly regained her calm, arms crossed, continuing forward.
"You should understand by now, right? Why this school is called the pinnacle of meritocracy."
"…"
Seeing Hikigaya stay silent, Chabashira continued: "Though the exams and systems are already harsh for many first-years, as your homeroom sensei, I can responsibly tell you: the upcoming exams will only get harsher, to a degree you can't even imagine. Without enough resolve, you'll be eliminated eventually, whether you're from Class D or Class A. If you stay stagnant, you'll be weeded out someday."
As she spoke, Chabashira deliberately glanced back at Sakura Airi, giving a satisfied smile.
The future? Whether staying in this school or leaving, with so many uncertain factors, the future was unknowable.
With preparation came new worries—that's the way of the world. But… Everyone has the right to pursue happiness.
So, the conclusion was clear…
'For the happiness that will eventually come, you must never slack off.'
Chabashira finally stopped, turning fully to face them.
"Lastly, as your homeroom sensei, I'll tell you, Hikigaya Hachiman."
"The student council. That's where you'll find what you need."
After nodding lightly to Chabashira, Hikigaya and Sakura decided to leave.
Watching the two disappear down the hallway, Chabashira turned and headed toward the faculty office.
"Hikigaya Hachiman… if it were ten years earlier… could you have saved me? Could you have saved Class A back then?"
For the first time, a relieved expression appeared on Chabashira's face.
Old memories surged back, an unforgettable past.
Meanwhile, as Hikigaya and Sakura headed to the student council, he received a photo from Horikita.
Though he didn't know how she managed it, the photo clearly showed Ishizaki's current state, wrapped in bandages from head to toe, looking severely injured.
'Whoa, that's brutal…'
Just from the photo, it was impossible to confirm if the injuries were real. But if they'd gone this far, this matter would likely be a fight to the end.
"Ding…"
Another message from Horikita came through.
"The three who fought Sudo were led by Ishizaki, a former delinquent in middle school with plenty of fighting experience… and in a one-against-three situation."
The message cut off abruptly, and Hikigaya sighed softly.
'Classic Horikita-style message.'
But Hikigaya wasn't an idiot. Since she'd said this much, he couldn't possibly not understand.
In short, he could confirm their injuries were from a secondary beating, not Sudo's fight, which allowed them to pose as victims.
Just as he was about to message Horikita about the next steps, Hikigaya paused his typing and put his phone away.
'At a time like this, let her handle it alone…'
Just one step away. To win this judgment, they were just one step away.
Even without his instructions, Horikita should know what to do.
[Horikita: "This guy's approach is completely different from ours back then, Ayanokouji."]
[Ayanokouji nodded. Back then, they only wanted to resolve the incident, but this boy was different—he genuinely wanted to use this chance to take on Class C's Ryūen.]
[Horikita: "And that's not all… I can feel that I've been subtly changed by this guy without realizing it."]
[Ayanokouji glanced at Horikita, closing his eyes and nodding lightly again.]
['It took you this long to notice? Your reaction time's a bit slow, Horikita…']
[But…]
[Ayanokouji glanced at the pink-haired girl sitting in the back row with him. Since her true self was exposed, even outside the video, she was affected, with more and more boys flocking to her.]
[For Ayanokouji, though, that wasn't his concern. If the video could affect reality, he was curious to see how chaotic the class would become if Kushida Kikyo's true nature was revealed.]
[Right now, Ayanokouji Kiyotaka had no confidence in controlling that ticking time bomb.]
[At the same time, Kushida shot Ayanokouji a cold glance, but quickly reverted to her angelic smile. In those brief seconds, no one but Ayanokouji noticed her expression change—it was like a warning, directed solely at him.]
Hikigaya and Sakura arrived at the student council again.
Wait, why "again"…
"Kamuro, are you going in or not?"
"Idiot, no way! I'm not going in with you jerk!!!"
'That's got some personal bias, doesn't it…'
Sakura didn't know where the female voice came from, only standing there, momentarily stunned.
However, after getting a clear response, Hikigaya didn't linger. After all, time waits for no one.
The two exchanged a glance, then knocked on the student council's door.
"Come in."
Unlike last time when Tachibana personally greeted them, this time the purple-haired loli seemed absent. Inside the student council room, only Horikita Manabu was handling affairs.
'Working this hard when he's about to step down? Being student council president sure is tough.'
Hikigaya nodded to Horikita Manabu, who returned a nod. However… upon seeing the girl closely following behind, his expression shifted slightly.
Horikita Manabu: "You coming to the student council isn't just for casual chat, I presume."
Hikigaya didn't answer Horikita Manabu's question, simply taking a seat where he could face him directly. Sakura, flustered, hurriedly sat beside him.
"Long story short, how can I access the school's security cameras?"
"Submit an application. After getting the student council's approval and then the school's, you can gain 24-hour access under supervision."
That process would take several days at least.
'Such troublesome bureaucracy… but it's not hard to understand.'
If anyone could casually access the school's cameras, that would be the scariest thing.
After all, it concerns the privacy of everyone on campus.
Hikigaya shook his head, rejecting the proposal.
"I can't wait that long. By tomorrow at the latest, I need access to the school's surveillance."
Horikita Manabu gave a cold smile, resting his chin on his hands, and said: "There's a way."
"First… become a student council member."
Student council members inherently have authority to manage students, including accessing cameras, though every use is recorded. If caught doing anything odd, you'd be kicked out immediately.
"Second… work under me."
Though the two options seemed similar to Hikigaya, they weren't equivalent in Horikita Manabu's eyes. The student council was still the student council. Though he was president, it now included many second-years, including… Nagumo Miyabi.
Working directly under him, however, was different. Though he was stepping down soon, he wouldn't graduate immediately. In the next year, he wanted to reform the student council as much as possible.
Hearing these suggestions, Hikigaya felt that agreeing to either would be like stepping into an abyss.
Horikita Manabu stayed silent, just watching the boy.
"What if… I don't want to do either?"
"Then there's no choice. Submit the application like everyone else."
"I have points."
"For a Class A student and student council president about to graduate… your measly points don't interest me."
"Fair enough…"
Though points could buy anything in this school, that was only if both parties agreed.
For someone like Horikita Manabu, points probably meant nothing.
"Hikigaya, I'll lower the conditions…"
"If you join the student council before I graduate, I'll help you this time. How about it?"
Sakura looked at the boy beside her, her face full of worry.
But the boy casually said: "I don't think I'd contribute much to the student council. I might even be a bit rebellious, ruining the council you've built over three years."
"That's fine… you don't even need a position or to do any work. Just be a nominal member. How's that? This chance won't come again."
"Let me make it clear: if I become a corporate slave, I'll quit immediately."
"Then it's settled. Before I step down, you must join the student council."
Horikita Manabu, as if his scheme had succeeded, showed a rather pleased smile.
Hikigaya's calculations were simple. If the other side put it that way, and he didn't have to work or deal with council affairs, just being a nominal member was fine. Plus… if the day came when they tried to make him a corporate slave, Horikita Manabu would have already graduated. He could just submit a resignation. If that didn't work… sneaking a peek at the cameras would get him kicked out instantly, right?
Both were thinking different things, but one thing was certain: Hikigaya could finally access the school's surveillance.
Led by Horikita Manabu, the two reached the surveillance room. Clearly, only the student council president, Horikita Manabu, held the key. Others would need to follow the process he described.
Horikita Manabu opened the surveillance room door but kept eyeing the pink-haired girl.
Obviously, while he'd allowed Hikigaya entry, Sakura Airi was an outsider.
Per regulations, she shouldn't enter without submitting an application.
Feeling Horikita Manabu's sharp gaze, Hikigaya also looked at the girl clinging to his sleeve.
Her head was lowered, but it was as if she had a thousand words in her heart.
"I… I-I-I-I… I want to join the student council too!"
"Sakura, you don't have to force yourself."
"Hikigaya-kun, didn't you say I should become a different person in this school… So I've made up my mind!"
Sakura's gaze became resolute, shaking even Hikigaya, who had tried to dissuade her.
Hikigaya didn't like influencing others' lives. Sakura's reliance on him stemmed from that incident, where he inadvertently became someone she trusted.
He'd intended to keep her from joining, no matter what.
But…
Now he couldn't tell if this was her own will or the result of his influence.
The girl was no longer stammering, her eyes unprecedentedly firm.
After a brief moment of thought, Horikita Manabu unexpectedly agreed.
Honestly, since Hikigaya didn't want to deal with troublesome tasks, they could be left to Sakura. It was like being a secretary.
Though it might be tough for her now, with training, it'd be fine.
Horikita Manabu: "I can agree, but given your current abilities, after Sudo's incident is resolved, you must come to the student council early to learn from Tachibana and undergo training."
Sakura Airi knew her limits. Joining the school's student council wasn't easy, and she'd only been miraculously accepted because of Hikigaya.
To better support Hikigaya Hachiman in the future, the girl nodded firmly once more.
"Then… you can go in. Every computer inside can access all the school's cameras."
"If you don't understand something, just call me. Here's my number."
After exchanging numbers with Hikigaya, Horikita Manabu returned to the student council room.
Hikigaya, watching Horikita Manabu leave, waved toward an empty spot with no one around, then pulled Sakura into the surveillance room.
Kamuro, watching them enter a restricted school area, realized she could clock out early today.
But that guy actually waved goodbye to her… as if they were friends or something…
When he's clearly just using me as a tool! Going off alone with a girl to a place like that—who knows what they're up to!
Unknowingly, Kamuro's emotions were being stirred by Hikigaya.
In the end, she decided…
To viciously, with exaggeration, report everything about Hikigaya and Sakura to Sakayanagi!
[Yukinoshita: "Hikigaya-kun, alone with a girl again, huh."]
[Hikigaya: "This is clearly for serious business, okay? Well… never mind, I won't say more."]
[Yukinoshita's heart kept reassuring itself, finally saying: "Honestly, I never expected Hikigaya-kun to make so many friends at his new school… and female friends, no less. It makes me wonder if you're even Hikigaya."]
[Yuigahama: "Yeah, yeah, Yukinon's right. Is this that thing they write about online, where everyone's personality changes in a parallel universe?"]
[Isshiki: "But isn't Senpai the same? Still with that awful personality, still so twisted, still with those dead-fish eyes, still…"]
[Hikigaya: "Alright, alright, stop, stop, stop. I get it, Isshiki-san, my existence annoys you. No need to keep going."]
[Isshiki flashed a devilish smile, whispering: "Not at all, Senpai. I'm just stating facts!"]
[Hikigaya: "You're picking a fight, aren't you! Isn't this just subtly insulting me?"]
[Yukinoshita couldn't help but laugh, though she quickly returned to her usual demeanor. But Hikigaya still heard it.]
['Hey, Encyclopedia Yukinoshita, have some respect, you idiot!']
[But in the end, Hikigaya swallowed those words. If he said them, Yukinoshita would probably feign confusion and say something like, "Oh? Can Hikigaya germs be considered human?"—words that cut deep.]
[Since he could predict her response, it was better not to ask such a humiliating question, especially with Hayama watching…]
[Even without saying those words, Yukinoshita still gave a gentle smile, as if seeing through him, which was terrifying.]
Entering the surveillance room felt different from other classrooms. Not only were there 360-degree cameras monitoring in real-time, but everything was fed to computers via live terminals, giving a sacred atmosphere.
There weren't many computers—just four, easily countable. Most of the room was occupied by cloud data cables, and each computer had a large screen clearly displaying surveillance footage.
"So, Sakura, want to sit and rest for a bit?"
Hikigaya turned to Sakura. Since her earlier declaration, she seemed deflated, lacking the resolve she'd shown when responding to Horikita Manabu.
But that was understandable.
For Sakura, it was precisely because it was Hikigaya that she could let her guard down and show this weak side.
Though she wasn't inherently strong, that didn't mean she was weak. To those she didn't trust, she only showed resistance.
Despite everything, Hikigaya Hachiman had never looked at her strangely. On the contrary, he always felt that everyone in Class D was similar to him, if not better.
Facing the boy's question, the girl waved her hands in a flustered refusal.
"N-No, no… I want, want to try helping Hikigaya-kun. It's also preparation for joining the student council later."
"There'll definitely be tougher things in the future…"
Finding a suitable excuse, Sakura looked at the boy with serious eyes.
Hikigaya thought it over. Sakura had a point. The future was long, and now was a chance to train her.
"Then let's get started."
Sakura nodded obediently.
Hikigaya sat at one computer, while Sakura sat at the one next to him.
"Hikigaya-kun, what should I do?"
"It's simple. There aren't many cameras in the special classroom building. Save all the footage from the day you saw Sudo and the three Class C students, even if it's just a fleeting moment."
'They definitely chose a spot without cameras to provoke the fight. Though we can't capture the whole incident, this is enough. A few seconds of footage showing changes before and after the fight, plus the exact time—that's what we need from the surveillance room. Combined with Horikita's information, it's enough.'
(End of this chapter)