Chapter 149: Opponent Confirmed, Let's Have a Decisive Duel
The discussion in the classroom over Hikigaya becoming the Commander candidate was still in full swing. Beyond the question of trust, many classmates didn't even know him well.
For example, Sato asked with some confusion: "If Hikigaya becomes the Commander, wouldn't that be like losing the exam directly?"
Of course, no one responded directly, as no one knew the outcome.
Ichinose adorably said: "If Hikigaya is the Commander candidate, I think there's absolutely no problem."
Ike: "Honami, you can't just say that because you like him. Hikigaya is nice and helped me during the deserted island exam, but he's facing people like Sakayanagi…"
Most people shared Ike's sentiment: they had no objection to Hikigaya personally, but they felt that facing Sakayanagi and Ryuen, Horikita or someone else had a higher chance of winning.
This was because, in their perception, Hikigaya had always been a minor character.
Ichinose shook her head slightly, denying Ike's reasoning: "I'm not saying this because of my feelings, but because of his ability. He's the most suitable among us, even more suitable than me."
After Ichinose's words, the class fell silent.
No one expected the leader of Class B, Ichinose, to say this.
He was supposedly just a peripheral figure in the class, who supposedly knew nothing…
Yet he earned such high praise from her. The meaning was clear: facing him might not guarantee victory.
Matsushita Chiaki: "I've thought for a long time that he's unusual. From the very start of the semester until now, someone has been silently helping us. If I'm not mistaken, it must have been you, Hikigaya Hachiman."
All eyes turned to Hikigaya.
Sotomura: "If… if you have this ability, why not use it? Then we could advance further."
Hikigaya shook his head, showing that he wasn't as capable as they imagined.
The class's opinions were polarized. Some thought he'd been hiding his ability and not helping the class; others believed he had always been helping silently.
Even so, Sakura Airi couldn't stay silent. She stood up, abandoning her usual shyness, placing her hands on her chest, and said with her head bowed:
"Hachiman… he has already done so much for our class, you just don't know it!"
Kushida immediately agreed: "I can confirm that."
Sudō: "You all should know, I owe my progress to Hikigaya. It was his encouragement that got me to where I am now."
He said this with some emotion.
Yukimura: "I can also confirm this. Without him, we would have already dropped to Class D during the privileged student exam."
Karuizawa said angrily: "Do you think he didn't help the class? He's always been helping us!"
Ike: "That's true. Hikigaya also helped me during the deserted island exam, I won't forget that."
Horikita: "And you haven't mentioned this: everything on the deserted island was controlled by Hikigaya. So when you think our victory was improbable, in reality, he was leading the class."
Listening to these words, the class fell silent again.
In fact, there were many more things not yet revealed, Ichinose's, Ryuen's, Kōenji's, Hirata's, but even so, it was enough.
Now, Hikigaya received the admiration of the entire class.
Ike sighed helplessly: "Yamauchi never imagined he'd mess with a guy like him."
Seeing the class side with Hikigaya, Sotomura still seemed unaware and continued to criticize:
"Then why… why didn't you stand up earlier? If you had…"
Kōenji, who had been sitting idly, finally spoke: "Sotomura boy, you might be mistaken. He indeed has talent, but whether that talent is worth using for you or for this class depends on him, not on your words…"
He smiled throughout, while Sotomura's face darkened. In his view, once someone entered this class, everyone worked equally hard for it. Hikigaya hadn't, so he was wrong.
Of course, this was just Sotomura's self-judgment. He had no right to compare himself with Hikigaya in terms of contribution.
Matsushita: "Then I have no objection. Making Hikigaya the Commander candidate allows him to demonstrate his true strength and clarify his relationship with other classes. I think it's a good opportunity."
Wang Mei-Yui: "I think so too…"
Sato: "If that's the case, I have no objection."
Miyake Akito: "I'm curious, Hikigaya, how far can you go?"
Hikigaya had never intended to hide anything. He just didn't speak up out of fear of trouble.
Hearing most of the class speak for him, his position as Commander was now almost unquestioned.
Of course, this exam was different from usual. As a Commander, one had to understand the strengths of classmates well. Hikigaya was weaker in this aspect than Hirata, since most classmates had not interacted with him even by the end of the second semester.
Normally, Hirata would have been the most suitable for the Commander role, as his abilities were obvious to everyone.
But now, he was unreliable.
To understand classmates' strengths, Hikigaya needed information from Kushida and Karuizawa. For the rest, he might still have to rely on Hirata.
In any case, Hirata was a crucial member of the class. Before the exam, his internal conflict needed resolution.
While Hikigaya thought this through, Ichinose in the front row said awkwardly, with a hint of guilt: "Classmates, I'm very sorry. Although I now belong to Class C, I don't want to face Class B students."
"I know this is selfish of me, but I also want to contribute to this class. If we face Class B, I might not be able to hold back, so…"
"If we draw lots to choose opponents, can we avoid choosing Class B?"
With that, Ichinose bowed once more.
Everyone knew Ichinose was kind-hearted. For her former class, no one wanted to see it decline, so this was understandable.
It wasn't seen as a major problem. After all, the rules allowed semi-free choice. If Class A chose Class D, the others would have no choice; if they had a choice, they would also choose Classes A and D.
For Class B and D, there would inevitably be a showdown with these two classes, since there was already friction between them, whereas if it were Class A versus Class C, the chances of winning were simply low.
So… if possible, Hikigaya still preferred facing Class D instead.
Everyone expressed understanding and agreed with Ichinose's proposal, and Ichinose was deeply moved, repeatedly thanking them. For her, this was one of the few things she could do for her former class since joining the new class.
[In the chatroom…]
[Ike: "Sotomura you idiot, how could you say something like that?"]
[Sotomura: "How would I know he's that strong? Besides, you didn't know either. If it weren't for us being able to see them in this video…"]
[Miyake: "Yeah, you can't blame him. The main thing is that none of us noticed anything he did, but thinking back, every victory was somewhat unbelievable."]
[Shinohara: "If we in the video had known how strong he was from the start, nobody would have objected."]
Everyone nodded in agreement with tacit understanding.
[Sakura: "But this exam… can we really win that easily?"]
[Kushida: "Don't worry too much about that. After all, worrying doesn't help; we're just bystanders."]
[Ichinose: "I don't know why, but I feel like he will never lose."]
[Hikigaya: "That's a bit exaggerated…"]
[Karuizawa: "Honestly, I think so too."]
[Hikigaya: "I really am not as strong as you all think…"]
[Yukinoshita: "They are saying that, Hikigaya-kun."]
[Isshiki: "Senpai, you're not going to let others' expectations get to you, right?"]
[Hikigaya: "Wait, my stomach… I think it hurts a bit…"]
[Sakayanagi: "What a pity. If possible, I would've liked to be your opponent."]
[Ryuen: "Doesn't matter to me. I don't want to face this guy again. But with a three-quarters chance, as long as we don't let him get the red lot, we won't be opponents, right?"]
[Shiina Hiyori: "Ryuen, are you setting a flag?"]
[Ryuen: "...."]
[Hikigaya: "I just hope we can all draw the opponents we want in the end."]
[Ryuen: "You know, this 'desired opponent' of yours seems a bit targeted."]
After settling on candidates for the Commander, everyone spent the next few days preparing for the exam. Hikigaya wasn't idle either; he kept using Kushida and Karuizawa to understand the strengths of their classmates. Of course, Ichinose also helped, though she hadn't been there long, her leadership presence allowed her to quickly blend with everyone.
Clearly, her status in the class was rising, and she often used various excuses to be by Hikigaya's side, thinking about exam strategies together.
Hirata, on the other hand, was like a walking corpse. No matter the class meeting, the moment it ended, he went straight to his room. And every time he attended class, he always arrived just on time.
At first, many classmates greeted him, hoping he would return to his normal state, but he never responded. Sometimes, he even gave harsh replies, completely different from before, anyone with eyes could tell he had given up.
Hikigaya lacked the ability to be a leader. If not for Ichinose, the approaching exams would have likely thrown the class into panic.
However, there was one girl who persisted, following Hirata relentlessly, during breaks, meals, or after school, sharing class matters with him. She was Wang Mei-Yu, the girl who had long harbored feelings for Hirata.
Despite this, she never received a single reply from him. Sometimes, she only met his harsh expressions; Hirata was probably annoyed by her by now.
Hikigaya didn't know how long this situation would continue, but sometimes, if he didn't intervene, Hirata might remain in this state indefinitely.
Someone had to awaken him from this.
Another day, Class C gathered in their classroom during lunch to hold a preliminary discussion. As usual, two boys were absent: Kōenji, which everyone had gotten used to, and the formerly gentle and elegant Hirata, who completely ignored class affairs now.
After school, the members decided to continue discussing exam strategies during lunch. Hirata, however, acted like a robot, standing up and leaving the classroom as if ignoring everyone.
Wang Mei-Yu tried to stop him but received no response. She didn't give up; instead, she said she needed to use the restroom, then dashed out, clearly chasing after Hirata, as usual.
Outside, Chabashira waited for the Commander of Class C. Today, the candidate had to be decided before going to the multimedia room to draw lots for opponents, while also announcing the special rules for the Commander.
The first person to leave the classroom was the lifeless Hirata. Chabashira didn't comment, clearly knowing he wasn't the target, and let him leave. The second person was a flustered but worried Wang Mei-Yu. Of course, her grades were excellent, but she wasn't the one to take on this heavy responsibility.
Chabashira seemed slightly tired, resting one hand on her arm and leaning against the wall. Her tall figure and striking appearance, even from afar, looked like a mechanical wall painting, impossible to look away from.
Up close, however, one could see she was a mature single woman, yet she still had a youthful air, truly remarkable.
The third person finally appeared. Chabashira smiled knowingly.
"I knew it."
"Next, we'll go to the special building to decide the opposing classes. Even though you guessed correctly, not stopping the two who just left… that's a sensei's oversight."
Hikigaya, questioning, received a calm reply from Chabashira: "I am just a sensei. I have no obligation or authority to fully manage your matters. I'm also not a counselor; dealing with emotional wounds isn't my strength."
"Even so, it's still your oversight, Chabashira-sensei."
Hearing this, Chabashira's smile faded, replaced with seriousness: "What do you mean?"
"You know what I mean. Maybe in retrospect, you'll regret not stopping him. What just happened in front of you might be one of those future regrets."
"I have too many regrets to count."
"As expected, being from the original Class D, you're a 'problem girl,' Chabashira-sensei."
Chabashira trembled slightly, then sneered: "You really are a monster."
"But it's your turn this time. Not to mention why you were praised by the whole year last time, if you just observe again, it won't do you any favors in the future."
Chabashira spoke with interest, straightening up and looking at Hikigaya expectantly: "Anyway, I want to see your true strength. I hope this Commander works as I wish."
Hikigaya smiled faintly: "I have no confidence in winning."
Chabashira smiled slightly: "That's uncertain. Everyone knows you're weak; losing happens, but total defeat, impossible to imagine."
The two followed each other to the multimedia room, where the other Commander had already arrived: Sakayanagi from Class A, Kanzaki from Class B, and Shiina Hiyori from Class D.
After Hikigaya entered, Chabashira smiled softly: "I'll consider your suggestion."
Hikigaya didn't press further. sensei matters weren't a priority; familiar faces were watching him. (Commanders are usually those who got first place in their class last time.)
Kanzaki: "Long time no see, Hikigaya-san."
Shiina Hiyori: "Yes, it's been a while since we saw you at the library."
Sakayanagi nodded slightly, politely waiting with her cane. She already assumed Class C's Commander would be him.
She gracefully let the other classes draw lots first, quietly waiting for the result.
Finally, there were no objections.
Class B would face Class D, and Class A would face Class C.
'An unavoidable showdown…'
Sakayanagi: "Glad to face you, Little Hiki. Let's have a good match this time."
Hikigaya: "I doubt I can beat you, and against Class A, our chances are even lower."
Sakayanagi smiled behind her hand: "Still humble, though our class didn't benefit much from the last exam."
Hikigaya felt speechless; "not benefiting" really meant "didn't win enough…"
Without further exchange, Mashima, who would announce special rules, began:
1. After the match starts, the Commander sits at a multimedia room computer, dragging student icons into boxes to decide participants.
2. Each student selection per event is limited to 30 seconds. If no choice is made, the system randomly selects. Excess selections will be randomly removed.
3. Match status is displayed in real-time; buttons allow "intervention." Instructions are input as text, then converted to audio for participants.
4. If the Commander breaks the rules, defeat may be immediate; within rules, they can intervene anytime.
5. Only one student wears a headset per event, even in team battles; the Commander chooses who receives instructions.
As expected, clever information use would determine victory.
A commander lacking knowledge of classmates would be at a disadvantage. Hikigaya realized this, using Karuizawa and Kushida to gather intel. For the general commander, the intelligence war was crucial.
If Hirata could be brought on board, things would go much smoother. But now…
Thinking this, Hikigaya started forming a plan. Before everything, he had to resolve Hirata's issues.
After confirming opponents, there was little friction in the multimedia room. D-Class's Commander was Shiina Hiyori; predictable Kanzaki had no intention toward her.
(End of this chapter)