Projection
[Kushida has a big problem.
This is a surprising conclusion.
But Chabashira is very clear on this.
What Hachiman said is correct.]
Commentary
Komachi: gasps "Ehh?! Kushida-san has… a big problem?!"
Yui: stammering "B-but she was so nice earlier!"
Hachiman: mutters "…And that's exactly why it was suspicious."
Yukino: calm "So his deduction is already being confirmed."
Ichika (COTE): arms crossed "…We never knew. Not at this stage."
Ichinose: frowning "…She always looked like the heart of the class."
Ryuen: smirks "Hah! Knew that smile was fake. Everyone's got dirt."
Sakayanagi: hides laughter with her fan "Ara~ the little angel is actually a ticking bomb? Delicious irony."
Hiratsuka: sighs "Should've known you'd sniff it out, Hachiman."
Projection
[She had reviewed the files of all the students in Class D, and as the class advisor, she also has the responsibility to periodically evaluate the students.
This means she can access the students' past records.
And guide them towards positive development.
However, the file for Kushida Kikyo was problematic.]
Commentary
Komachi: pouts "So Sensei already knew and didn't say anything?"
Yui: nervously "That's… kind of scary."
Yukino: stern "Teachers conceal what benefits the school, not the students."
Ichika: mutters "…Figures. We weren't told either."
Ichinose: softly "She was… hiding something this whole time?"
Ryuen: sneering "Heh. Knew it. Teachers hoard the truth."
Sakayanagi: fan tapping her lips "Ara~ it seems Sae had her reasons. Very pragmatic ones."
Hiratsuka: grimaces "…So they really shoved all the broken toys into D-Class."
Projection
[The interviewers' feedback was like this: her academic and athletic abilities both reached a B level.
Although her intellectual strategies were slightly lacking, she had an incredibly strong charisma, and her coordination and organizational abilities earned her an A rating.
People who excel at interpersonal communication are rare.
So initially, they had planned to place her in Class B.]
Commentary
Komachi: tilts head "So she's really smart with people stuff, huh?"
Yui: nodding quickly "That's exactly the vibe I got from her!"
Hachiman: mutters "…Charisma doesn't mean purity. It means manipulation."
Yukino: sharp "Yes. Interpersonal skill can be weaponized."
Ichika: scowling "…Class B material, huh? Figures."
Ichinose: hesitant "…She… really could've been in B. That makes sense."
Ryuen: laughs "Keh! And she ended up dumped with us trash? Beautiful."
Sakayanagi: amused "Ara~ a star demoted to the gutter. How tragic."
Hiratsuka: crosses arms "…That tracks. But she's still dangerous."
Projection
[However, due to her past experiences, they had to abandon that idea and place her in Class D instead.
The reason for this was the principal's report from her middle school, which stated that her class, from students to teachers, had experienced a complete breakdown due to a strike.
The cause of this disruption was Kushida Kikyo herself.]
Commentary
Komachi: eyes wide "She destroyed… an entire class?!"
Yui: horrified "A strike?! Because of her?!"
Hachiman: mutters "…That explains the desperation in her smile."
Yukino: nods gravely "It's a facade hiding instability."
Ichika: pale "…That's… catastrophic."
Ichinose: voice small "…She caused… that much damage?"
Ryuen: grins "Heh! A class-breaker. Now that's fun."
Sakayanagi: giggles behind her fan "Ara~ so much chaos from one pretty smile."
Hiratsuka: grim "…That's why they buried her in D. She's a time bomb."
Projection
[In other words, while Kushida Kikyo's foundational skills were on par with students in Class B, she was essentially a ticking time bomb.
So, such a bomb could not be placed in Class B.
Otherwise, one person could ruin the entire class, and all the interviewers would be held accountable.
Thus, Kushida was thrown into Class D.]
Commentary
Komachi: whispers "So… they dumped her there on purpose."
Yui: shivering "T-that's awful… and scary…"
Hachiman: mutters "…Garbage dump for ticking time bombs. How fitting."
Yukino: cold "Indeed. D is a containment zone."
Ichika: clenches fists "…And none of us knew why."
Ichinose: conflicted "…She acted like the glue, but…"
Ryuen: chuckles "Keh! Makes sense now. D's full of rejects."
Sakayanagi: sly smile "Ara~ Class D truly is a menagerie."
Hiratsuka: mutters "…And they threw you into that cage too, Hachiman."
Projection
[So, facing Hachiman's statements, although Chabashira maintained an adult posture, her mind had already spun several times.
She was also analyzing Hachiman's record.
The only advantage he had was his excellent performance in Japanese language.
He seemed to have great depth in writing.
This was the advantage noted by the interviewers.
But now it seemed that there was more to him than that.
His insight was also strong.]
Commentary
Komachi: beams "See?! Onii-chan's not just good at essays!"
Yui: blushing "He's… really smart, huh?"
Hachiman: grumbles "…Stop overselling me. I just noticed stuff."
Yukino: quietly "Noticing is often the first step others never take."
Ichika: mutters "…No records of it, but he's sharper than anyone."
Ichinose: soft smile "Yeah. He sees things people miss."
Ryuen: laughing "Heh! A writer and a shark. Cute combo."
Sakayanagi: delighted "Ara~ so much hidden depth in one boy."
Hiratsuka: grins proudly "Told you. He's wasted if you only look at his file."
Projection
["You certainly gave an amazing evaluation," Chabashira said. "You're right about Kushida."
"She is indeed a person with significant risks."
"Just, how did you come to this conclusion?" Chabashira asked.]
Commentary
Komachi: gasps "She's admitting it!"
Yui: whispers "So Hikki was right all along…"
Hachiman: mutters "…Doesn't feel good to be right about people breaking."
Yukino: firm "Truth rarely feels good. But it matters."
Ichika: stunned "…Sae-sensei actually confirmed it?!"
Ichinose: troubled "…So the smile really is hiding something darker."
Ryuen: grins "Heh! Bomb confirmed. Nice call, dead-eyes."
Sakayanagi: fan tapping her lips "Ara~ so very entertaining. He sniffed her out in a day."
Hiratsuka: nods "That's my idiot. Always spotting the cracks first."
Projection
["It's like reasoning," Hachiman said. "Because if my conclusion is correct, the school is using class competition to distribute resources."
"And Class D is the worst class." Hachiman said. "Because it's so bad, it always ends up at the bottom. So if an exceptionally good student ends up in Class D, isn't that a waste of resources? That's why I believe that the more excellent a student is in Class D, the bigger their problem must be."]
Commentary
Komachi: clapping "Onii-chan logic again!"
Yui: wide-eyed "That's… actually brilliant."
Hachiman: mutters "…Brilliant? No. Just depressing math."
Yukino: approving "An astute observation. Resources are never misplaced without reason."
Ichika: groans "…And he solved it before we even suspected."
Ichinose: softly "…That's… unsettlingly accurate."
Ryuen: chuckling "Heh! Trash Class with hidden landmines. Makes sense."
Sakayanagi: amused "Ara~ he peels the mask off reality so easily."
Hiratsuka: faint smile "See? He's meant for this game."
["Have you ever played any reasoning games before? Like often trying to reason with your friends?" Chabashira wanted to know how he became like this.
"No," Hachiman said. "I could never find anyone to play reasoning games with me, so I just played multiple roles by myself."
"…" Chabashira.
Alright.
Now, she somewhat understood how Hachiman became so strong.
Because he was alone.
Being alone can feel lonely, but sometimes, being alone can also make you stronger. ]
Commentary
Komachi: her smile softens "…That's so sad, Onii-chan."
Yui: eyes welling "…Hikki… you really did that all by yourself?"
Hachiman: mutters "…Yeah. Not like anyone else would've joined in."
Yukino: quiet "…It's familiar. When you're left alone, you create your own dialogue."
Haruno: smirking "Ufufu~ so that's why you talk like you're playing chess with yourself."
Ichika: whispers "…That's… actually kind of scary."
Ichinose: clasping hands "No, it's… strong. He endured by thinking."
Ryuen: grins "Heh! Playing with yourself, huh? Guess it paid off."
Sakayanagi: hiding a giggle behind her fan "Ara~ solitude as training. How poetic."
Hiratsuka: sighs, proud but sad "That's exactly why I pushed him forward. He'd never break out otherwise."
Projection
["Then, this is for you."
Chabashira placed her left hand into the pocket of her suit and took out a black card, about 10x5 cm in size.
At the center of the card were two QR codes.
One represented receiving payments, and the other represented making payments.
"This is a points card," Chabashira said. "This type of card is anonymous, allowing you to scan the points from your student ID onto the card, and you can also scan points from the card onto your student ID."
"The method to obtain it is simple; you can go to the electronics store in the shopping district, where they are sold. One card costs 100 points," Chabashira continued. "The points card allows you to hide your actual points. It's very convenient." ]
Commentary
Komachi: tilts head "Onii-chan got… a secret points card?"
Yui: worried "That sounds… shady."
Hachiman: flat "It's not shady. It's just how people cheat without getting caught."
Yukino: sighs "It's concealment, not survival."
Ichika: frowning "…We didn't get that explained so clearly."
Ichinose: nodding "…It really is an advantage. If you hide your balance, you won't be targeted."
Ryuen: smirking "Heh! Now that's useful. Hide your stash, backstab later."
Sakayanagi: amused "Ara~ Sae-sensei spoils him with the best toys."
Hiratsuka: mutters "…You're giving him ammunition already? Dangerous."
Projection
[ "So, the school encourages students to compete by class," Hachiman said, continuing. "But they allow students to hide their points, meaning they tacitly permit some students to be bribed? And use unspoken methods?"
"Heh..." Upon hearing Hachiman's question, Chabashira chuckled softly.
It was indeed a tricky situation.
Because this guy's brain was working so quickly, Chabashira almost had the illusion that he hadn't just started school but had already been here for three months. ]
Commentary
Komachi: proud "He caught it immediately!"
Yui: staring "Hikki… that's terrifyingly fast."
Hachiman: shrugs "…Obvious once you think about it."
Yukino: firm "He immediately saw the corruption underneath the surface."
Ichika: mutters "…We didn't. Not then."
Ichinose: sighs softly "…He's already ahead of where we were."
Ryuen: chuckling "Bribery, blackmail—yeah, that's my kind of game."
Sakayanagi: delighted "Ara~ he unwraps the school's darkness like a gift."
Hiratsuka: smirking "That's my problem child."
Projection
["Take a look at the points," Chabashira said. "I've scanned 200,000 points into the card."
"You can withdraw a bit at a time into your student ID, or you can save it and use it all at once later."
"Oh."
Hachiman nodded, but he didn't immediately scan the card.
To directly check would imply distrust towards Chabashira.
Since Chabashira had access to large sums of money, and Hachiman was looking to take on some money-making tasks to save up, there was no need to ruin the relationship with her right now.
Also, she had the authority to convert the points into cash from the school.
This meant she had already paid the price. Therefore, she wouldn't break the agreement easily.
Especially since... Chabashira was acting quite eager. ]
Commentary
Komachi: gasps "200,000 points?! That's double what you started with!"
Yui: stammers "S-she just gave it to him?!"
Hachiman: mutters "Payment for work, not charity."
Yukino: cool "And he already knows not to flaunt it. Sensible."
Ichika: annoyed "…We had to bleed for scraps, and he gets 200k."
Ichinose: thoughtful "…But he earned it. He saw what no one else did."
Ryuen: grins "Keh! Dead-eyes is already cashing out. Respect."
Sakayanagi: playful "Ara~ I do like boys who know how to extract value."
Hiratsuka: smirking "Told you—he never wastes a deal."
Projection
["By the way, do you have any future goals?"
As Hachiman put the points card away, Chabashira asked further.
She felt that just reviewing Hachiman's file wouldn't give her all the information about him.
"Me?"
When asked this question, Hachiman's mind suddenly flashed with the image of the silver-haired girl, supported by attendants, sitting on the sofa at the beech tree shopping mall, using a cane.
But that wasn't the kind of attention he wanted. If he had to express it in words...
He would probably say...
"I want to be a stay-at-home husband," Hachiman said. "I don't want to work hard every day and support a family. I'd rather stay at home and be a stay-at-home husband."
"In other words, I don't want to work. Why does the man always have to go out and support the family?"
"I want to be supported!" Hachiman said.]
Commentary
Komachi: bursts out laughing "Onii-chan!! A stay-at-home husband?!"
Yui: flustered "T-that's… so Hikki…"
Hachiman: deadpan "…Why work when I can freeload?"
Yukino: pinching her forehead "…Unbelievable. And yet somehow, expected."
Haruno: cackling "Ufufu~ Oh, I'd pay to keep you as a househusband."
Ichika: stunned "…Did he just… say that seriously?"
Ichinose: covering her mouth "That's… unexpectedly honest."
Ryuen: barking laughter "Keh! No ambition at all! Love it."
Sakayanagi: giggling "Ara~ how rare. A boy who dreams of domesticity."
Hiratsuka: palm to face "…I raised a lazy idiot."
Projection
["...?"
"Then, just work hard," Chabashira replied, though she thought this kid seemed to lack ambition. Still, she continued, "You will definitely gain something in this school."
"That is, I can't guarantee whether you'll meet a wealthy woman who'll support you."
"But you can use these three years at this school to make yourself wealthy first," Chabashira said.
"Oh?"
Hachiman was slightly taken aback.
Chabashira then added, "Go get close to Horikita Suzune. That girl is just like you."
"Investigate her records, same reward, 200,000 points." ]
Commentary
Komachi: gasps "Horikita-san? Onii-chan's first mission is her?"
Yui: worried "W-wait, isn't she the cold one in class?"
Hachiman: sighs "…So I'm a mercenary now. Great."
Yukino: narrowing eyes "She is similar to you. Reserved. Rational."
Haruno: sly grin "Oho~ match made in loner heaven."
Ichika: mutters "…So he's being aimed at her already."
Ichinose: nods softly "That pairing… makes sense."
Ryuen: grins "Heh! Dead-eyes digging dirt already. Now we're talking."
Sakayanagi: smirks behind her fan "Ara~ interesting. Two broken loners forced together."
Hiratsuka: sighs "Figures. Sae's already pushing him into the fire."
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