Chapter 107: The Key to Victory
[Horikita's Class…]
[Shinohara Satsuki: "This is the new exam? Right after the deserted island exam, and it's so… ruleless?"]
[Wang Mei-Yu: "I still don't understand what the school's planning. Are these groups balanced by ability, or are they random? Why send messages like this? Wouldn't it be more efficient to gather everyone and announce it together?"]
[Even a high-intelligence girl like Wang Mei-Yu was baffled, and the class began discussing the upcoming exam, clearly still confused.]
[There were simply too many unknowns. Figuring it out with just this information was nearly impossible.]
[But for now, they knew this exam was akin to a werewolf game. Finding the "wolf" wasn't easy, and even if you did, you couldn't be 100% sure with just words.]
[Kushida: "There has to be some pattern to this exam, right? Otherwise, what's the point of the groups?"]
[Hasebe Haruka: "That's true, but doesn't the school always do things that are hard to understand?"]
[Sakura Airi: "We'll probably only get answers after Hikigaya-kun participates in a few discussions."]
[Everyone nodded. From now on, their attention was noticeably sharper, and the reason was simple: the exam shown in the video was likely one they'd face in the future.]
[Meanwhile, in the teachers' office…]
[Mashima Tomonari: "What's the deal with this video? It's actually revealing our future exam topics."]
[Sakagami Kazuma: "This can't be explained with science anymore. It's practically supernatural. I've lived for over thirty years and never seen anything like this."]
[Hoshinomiya Chie: "Could it really be what the students are guessing, a parallel universe? That's the only explanation that makes sense right now."]
[Chabashira Sae, arms crossed, remained unfazed by the video, calmly saying, "Whatever its origin, we just need to watch as spectators and take note of what we see."]
[Ryuen's Class…]
[Ishizaki Daichi: "This kind of exam rule… Ryuen, do you think you can beat that guy Hikigaya?"]
[Perhaps due to repeated setbacks, even though it was just a video, Ishizaki's confidence had started to waver.]
[Instead of bursting into laughter as usual, Ryuen frowned, speaking gravely, "It depends on Hikigaya's attitude. If he's set on helping his entire class, I probably don't have a chance. But if he's only focused on handling his group's affairs, then it's not entirely hopeless."]
[At this point, that was all Ryuen could say.]
[Ryuen's classmates weren't clueless. They knew Hikigaya's terrifying observational skills made him almost freakishly unbeatable in an exam like this. If he seized even the slightest opportunity, Ryuen's class stood no chance.]
[Their only advantage was that their class was unified under Ryuen's rule. As a former tyrant, he could consolidate all information, but that was it.]
After hearing Mashima's explanation of the exam, Hikigaya Hachiman immediately sensed something off.
Once they left, he returned to his room. That evening, Sakura Airi and Kushida Kikyo each shared the members of their groups with him.
Sakura's group was similar to his, mostly composed of lower-tier students from their classes. But Kushida's was different, her group included heavyweights like Ryuen Kakeru and Katsuragi Kohei. Could the groups have been assigned based on a comprehensive ability ranking?
This question lingered in Hikigaya's mind.
Regardless, they'd only get more information once the VIP student notifications came out tomorrow. For now, the best move was to get a good night's sleep.
The next morning at 8:00, Hikigaya promptly checked his phone for the school's message.
"After careful selection, you have not been chosen as a VIP student. Please act with the awareness of a group member and tackle the exam."
"The exam begins at 1:00 PM today and will last three days. Rabbit Group members, please gather at the Rabbit Group room on the second floor."
As expected, Hikigaya wasn't chosen as a VIP student. He didn't feel disappointed, being a VIP student had its pros and cons, and one misstep could make you the class's eternal sinner.
If possible, he'd rather coast through these three days and have everyone collectively earn the 500,000 private points. That would be a decent outcome for him.
But just as he was thinking this, a message arrived on his phone.
Karuizawa Kei: "I've been chosen as a VIP student."
Hikigaya: "Let's talk in person. Delete your message. I'll wait in my room."
His perfect plan hadn't even started before it crumbled.
Normally, whether someone else was a VIP student was none of his business, and he didn't want to meddle. But Karuizawa was in his group and a VIP student. Ignoring it now that he knew would make him a heartless traitor to the class.
That said, he had no idea what to do. Plan A was completely scrapped. Since a classmate was the VIP student, exposing their identity to let everyone win together was nearly impossible, a sentiment shared by other classes.
Fundamentally, they couldn't trust each other.
Since all information was anonymous, even if someone leaked the answer early, no one would know who did it, making students more reckless.
As Hikigaya pondered, Karuizawa knocked on his door and walked in with familiarity, as if it were her own room.
She was her usual self, high and mighty, always putting on airs. No wonder her classmates had mixed opinions of her.
Honestly, Hikigaya didn't want to work with someone like her. If it was Miura Yumiko, it'd be fine, she was just a kind, posturing idiot. But Karuizawa was different. She clearly hid plenty of secrets.
Karuizawa didn't waste time, pulling out her phone to show him.
Since they were close together, it felt oddly intimate.
But with no one else around, Karuizawa didn't care. Hikigaya whoose face turned red forced himself to look.
"Dear student, you have been selected as a VIP student. Please participate in the exam as a group member alongside your peers."
The message was sent at 8:00 from the school's official address, confirming its authenticity. It clearly stated Karuizawa was a "VIP student."
Hikigaya glanced at it, then stepped back and asked, "Did you delete the message you sent me?"
Karuizawa: "Yes."
Hikigaya: "By the way, how'd you get my email? I don't remember exchanging it with you."
Karuizawa: "You were pretty noticeable at the start of the year, right? Most of the class swapped emails with you back then, including me. You forgot?"
Hikigaya hadn't thought about it until she mentioned it. It wasn't worth remembering, just a humiliating chapter of his past.
Karuizawa: "So, what now? If this gets found out, our newly promoted Class C will lose its footing immediately."
Hikigaya hadn't expected this haughty girl to care about the class. But even if she asked him now, he didn't know how to respond.
"I'm not a god. If I could solve everything for you, I'd be enshrined in Japan by now."
Karuizawa didn't press him further, just nodded. In this sense, she was surprisingly reasonable, not stubbornly difficult.
Hikigaya: "For now, don't tell anyone you're a VIP student. If anything disadvantageous comes up in the meetings, I'll step in first. You just need to pick a side when the time comes. You don't have to back me, sometimes acting defiant can have unexpected results."
Karuizawa: "I get it. I hope you figure something out soon. I only told you because I trust you."
Hikigaya: "Thanks for the trust, though I don't think I deserve it. But since we're classmates, I'll help you."
Honestly, Hikigaya still didn't understand why she trusted him so much. If she was just using him as a tool, she was paying too high price.
Before he could think further, the door opened again, and Kushida Kikyo walked in.
Her face was as cold as ever, growing even more emotionless when she saw Karuizawa.
Kushida shifted her gaze to Hikigaya. "I need to talk to you."
Her intent was clear: she wanted Karuizawa to leave. But whether Karuizawa didn't get it or pretended not to, she stood her ground, showing no intention of leaving.
Hikigaya couldn't tell if her defiance at a time like this was a good or bad thing.
He glanced at Karuizawa, then turned to Kushida. "You're a VIP student, right?"
Kushida froze for a second or two, then frowned at Karuizawa. "Correct. I am a VIP student. How did you know?"
"Just by the way you came to me with that look."
"What a monster."
"…"
He felt like he'd been insulted again.
Hikigaya held out a hand toward Karuizawa, calmly saying, "She's a VIP student too, and she's in my group."
"I see. I thought she was a vixen sneaking in for an affair."
Both had been central figures in the class, and even before, they'd rubbed each other the wrong way. After Kushida lost her status, Karuizawa had grown even bolder. Now, with her clearly targeting Hikigaya, Kushida's already sour mood worsened.
Karuizawa felt the same.
Her face paled at Kushida's words but quickly fired back, "In dramas, the one who walks in later is usually some clueless third wheel who doesn't know her place."
The tension between them thickened, sending Hikigaya's mind into a 180-degree spin.
What kind of topic could get these two to stop?
The exam. The exam is the most important topic right now, and they're both VIP students.
VIP students… Is there some trait to it? Or is it truly random? No way, the school wouldn't do something meaningless. There has to be a pattern.
"Kushida, who is in your group? I need you to list everyone."
Kushida stopped bickering with Karuizawa and started thinking. But without even a single discussion yet, even she couldn't remember the names of everyone from other classes.
Karuizawa began recalling too, but aside from the leader from Class A, Ichinose Honami from Class B, and Ibuki Mio from Class D, she didn't know the others.
They were too hasty.
Hikigaya sighed in relief, perhaps because the two had finally stopped arguing. He said calmly, "Kushida, try to memorize everyone's names in your group during the first discussion."
Kushida replied coldly, "I'll try."
Hikigaya glanced at Karuizawa, seeing her carefree attitude, and sighed again.
For his group, he'd handle it himself. Not only was he good at remembering names, but he didn't want Karuizawa drawing too much attention, or her identity as a VIP student would be exposed quickly.
If a VIP student's identity was discovered, the group would lose 50 class points, a terrifying amount that could instantly flip the class hierarchy.
[Service Club…]
[Hayama Hayato: "Did you figure anything out?"]
[Hayama's question was directed at Hikigaya, but he just shook his head. It was still too early to uncover anything, despite knowing two VIP students.]
[Hikigaya: "I haven't found anything, but this school wouldn't assign VIP students without a pattern. Otherwise, the exam would just be a guessing game with no clear winner, which would be meaningless for the school."]
[This school ranked everything by absolute ability, so every exam had to have a purpose.]
[Hayama: "I don't know if your bold thinking is right or wrong. You know if you mess up, the whole class could be flipped upside down."]
[Hikigaya paused for a second or two, clearly uncertain.]
[If it were just his group, it'd be manageable, but the exam's key challenge was the inability to control the broader situation. Class members were scattered across 12 zodiac groups, and Hikigaya couldn't possibly control all 12. That wasn't his strength.]
[Plus, he hadn't interacted much with most of his classmates. Relying solely on verbal persuasion to execute a plan would only work if they were thoughtless kindergartners. In the deserted island exam, he'd single-handedly shifted the tide, but that was only possible with Kamuro, Koenji, Horikita Suzune, Hirata, Sakura, and even Kushida's coordinated efforts. They were a cohesive unit, which made it work. But now things were different.]
[Everyone was split into 12 groups. Even if some trusted Hikigaya, most weren't VIP students and wouldn't know what to do.]
[This exam was the "opportunity" Ryuen had mentioned. In rule-based exams like this, Horikita's class, with its overall weaker strength, would be at an absolute disadvantage.]
[With 12 groups and 12 VIP students, in the extreme case, a class could gain 600 class points, while a losing class could lose 600, a massive gap that could instantly close the divide between Classes A and D.]
[Hikigaya: "If the school assigns VIP students fairly, each class might have three. If we can ensure Class D's three VIP students survive and achieve Outcome 4, that's ideal. But if impulsive students act out, it could instantly disrupt the class balance."]
[As he thought this, Koenji's image briefly flashed in his mind but quickly vanished.]
[He wasn't the one to worry about, someone else was.]
[Yuihama Yui: "If every class has three VIP students, then you already know two, Hikki. That's good news!"]
[Hikigaya nodded. "True, if it's a fair distribution, it's not bad. But this school wouldn't do that, at least, we have no proof."]
[Assuming the number of VIP students is X, each carries 50 points. A class's total points would be 50×X, representing potential gains or losses, a double-edged sword.]
[Yukinoshita Yukino: "In short, we can't act rashly in this exam. We need solid evidence before deciding."]
[Yukinoshita was racking her brain too, but when she put herself in the situation, she realized the pressure of this school's exams was far beyond anything she'd faced.]
[Compared to her past exams, this was exponentially harder.]
After finishing his talk with Kushida, Hikigaya and Karuizawa headed to the Rabbit Group's room.
According to the announcement, the first discussion was about to start, and as members of the Rabbit Group, they couldn't miss it.
They entered one after the other, and as Hikigaya expected, the scene inside was predictable. Ichinose Honami, charming, fair-skinned, academically excellent, and sharp, seemed to be volunteering to lead the discussion.
Hikigaya had no objections to her taking the leader role. Even if he did, he wouldn't speak up. He genuinely believed someone like Ichinose would make group communication much smoother.
He wasn't great at socializing, so this was a factor to consider.
With her status as Class B's leader and her unmatched reputation in the grade, Class A's members stayed silent. In Class D, aside from Ibuki Mio's indifference, Manabe Shiho and her group voiced their support. Karuizawa seemed to follow Hikigaya's lead, and he had no objections. Yukimura and Sotomura also agreed.
Thus, through overwhelming support, Ichinose became the Rabbit Group's leader in the first discussion, taking charge of the subsequent talks.
Ichinose smiled, glancing at Hikigaya unnoticed by others. "Let's start our first discussion. We may come from different classes and have had conflicts, big or small, but I hope we can put those aside. As the leader, I want us to aim for Outcome 1 and win together. Before that, I think introductions will help us get to know each other. So… I'll start."
Watching Ichinose's introduction, Hikigaya couldn't help but think, Having someone like Ichinose as the leader really makes things comfortable.
(End of this chapter)