Chapter 295 Suppressing Ryuen and Koenji
"It seems I've been completely underestimated.
Horikita-senpai, do you think so too?"
Nagumo Miyabi suddenly turned his spear toward Horikita Manabu.
This was a tricky question. If he answered yes, it meant he looked down on Nagumo, providing an excuse for the latter to initiate a provocation. If he answered no, it would damage Manabu's prestige among the third-years and shake Class A's deterrent power.
"A meaningless comparison.
The S-System's class rivalries only exist within the same grade."
Horikita Manabu gave an ambiguous answer. In essence, he had already made a degree of concession to avoid a frontal conflict with Nagumo.
But some people are like that—the more you back down, the more they push their luck!
"However, the S-System also doesn't forbid cross-grade confrontations!"
"Some things, even if not forbidden, should not be done recklessly. As the Student Council President, you should exercise serious self-restraint."
"Horikita-senpai has a point, but you can only restrain yourself. And right now, I am the current Student Council President!"
Honestly, is being Student Council President such a big deal? Hikigaya truly couldn't understand Nagumo's self-inflation.
"Nagumo, I've always refused your challenges. Do you know why?" Horikita Manabu reached up and adjusted his glasses.
"Speaking of that, everyone is saying you're afraid of losing to me..." Nagumo observed Manabu's facial expression closely as he spoke. He found the man opposite him completely unmoved, without a single shred of wavering.
While inwardly impressed, his desire for victory soared even higher!
"I know that Horikita-senpai isn't the type of man to fear a strong enemy."
"I'm glad you can understand that."
Nagumo stated bluntly: "You simply don't want a pointless war, do you?"
Horikita Manabu nodded with a firm expression.
"The struggles you are so fond of affect too many people. Many students would suffer misfortune because of your meaningless actions."
"But isn't that the educational goal of the Advanced Nurturing High School?" Nagumo continued dismissively, "The capable stay, the incapable get out—even if it's your own friends. Regardless, my desires are insatiable right now. And Horikita-senpai will soon graduate and leave this school.
I want to try and see if I can defeat you before that happens!"
Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, Nagumo Miyabi issued a formal and official challenge to Horikita Manabu. There was no room left for maneuver between the two parties.
"How do you want to compete?"
Manabu finally recognized the reality. Since it was unavoidable, he would face the challenge head-on. He was fearless, after all.
The third-year students cheered one after another, clamoring to give the arrogant Nagumo a lesson!
Hikigaya frowned, already forming a guess in his mind. The reason Horikita Manabu accepted the challenge wasn't to defeat Nagumo, but rather to use himself as bait to draw all of Nagumo's fire, thereby protecting the other students from being poisoned by the latter...
'How foolish, Horikita-senpai! You're clearly exposing your weakness completely under your opponent's nose!'
"Then let's compete on who can get more students expelled, shall we?"
As soon as Nagumo said this, it caused an immediate uproar among the students. Fortunately, Manabu spoke up, slightly calming everyone's anxiety.
"Stop joking around." Horikita Manabu stared at him with sharp eyes.
"Fine. Although I think that method of dueling is quite interesting, since Horikita-senpai is unwilling, I'll have to change the plan." Nagumo played his mystifying games again. "Let's keep it normal then. We'll see whose large group gets a higher score, how about it?"
That sounded normal enough. But real danger is often hidden within the "normal." Hikigaya could see the trickery involved; it was impossible for Horikita Manabu not to think of it. It was just that, forced by the situation, he had to jump into the pit even though he knew it was there.
"If that's the case, then I accept your challenge." Horikita Manabu added a clarification: "Before that, let me reiterate: this is a duel between you and me. You are not allowed to involve anyone else!"
"Fine, I promise you." Nagumo agreed readily.
'That was a lie!'
Hikigaya was absolutely certain that Nagumo would 100% not honestly follow the agreement!
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The grouping ended there. Each small group returned to their dorms to complete the tasks of cleaning the rooms and laying out the bedding. The rooms were fairly spacious, enough to accommodate 16 people. The only thing worth complaining about was that there were no fixed beds, only tatami mats.
"Hmph! Is the school trying to make us 'increase our friendship'?" Ryuen Kakeru sneered. Then, ignoring everyone else's opinions, he claimed a spot near the door and lay down.
"Hey! Ryuen, don't act on your own. The distribution of sleeping spots should be discussed by everyone together!" Shibata Souta had always been annoyed by Ryuen.
"Who's 'everyone' with you? You think this is the Class B kindergarten?" Ryuen taunted.
"You!" Shibata Souta turned red on the spot, but his verbal attacking power was truly lacking.
"Ryuen, this isn't your Class C kingdom either. No one is going to follow your orders." Katsuragi Kohei's counterattack was very effective, successfully inciting hostility toward Ryuen from most of the people present.
However, Ryuen maintained his arrogant attitude. Albert and Ishizaki Daichi stood firmly by his side, confronting the others.
"Hikigaya-kun, as the person in charge, aren't you going to do something?" Hashimoto Masayoshi approached to strike up a conversation.
"There's no need for that yet." Hikigaya's calm gaze swept over the crowd. "Fortunately, the members of our group are elites from their respective classes. Anyone with a brain won't actually start a fight."
"Yo~ those dead-fish eyes of yours really have everyone figured out, don't they?" Ryuen had also calculated this point, which was why he dared to antagonize the other classes so directly.
"A fight won't break out, but doing some little tricks behind someone's back is still possible."
"For example, turning off the lights and splashing water while someone is in the toilet, stealing towels while they're showering, or a night raid while they're sleeping..." Hikigaya rattled off several underhanded tactics, stunning everyone present.
"You guy, you're really full of bad ideas!
You can even come up with something as disgusting as stealing towels!"
Ryuen didn't let up with his mouth, but his body honestly stood up from the bedding.
"The main point was the towels...
I feel like the night raid is scarier!" Hashimoto felt a shiver down his spine.
"Haha! Fish-eye boy's ideas are as interesting as ever."
"But I don't intend to follow along~" Koenji Rokusuke continued to go his own way, sitting down right on the middle bedding.
"Alright then. Everyone, adjust the positions of your bedding. All of us will point our feet toward Koenji." Hikigaya thought of another petty move.
The crowd's eyes lit up upon hearing this. They were already annoyed by Koenji and had no way to deal with him. They were naturally very willing to respond to Hikigaya's call.
"I'll go first. I have sweaty feet; they smell!" Kito Hayato, who had been silent, was actually the first to voice his support.
It was clear just how much of a nuisance Koenji was!
Koenji Rokusuke's brow twitched. "To think you'd try to soil the beautiful me..."
"Fish-eye boy really is spiteful!" Koenji stood up; he had become well-behaved.
Seeing that both Ryuen, the most troublesome in the group, and Koenji, the most unrestrained, had been handled by Hikigaya, the others didn't dare to raise any more objections.
"To be fair, let's draw cards."
"Whoever gets the highest card picks their spot first."
"No backing out!"
Poker cards and various board games were provided in the dorm, presumably for student entertainment. Now that everyone had no objections, they chose their preferred spots. Hikigaya specifically chose a corner spot against the wall, distancing himself from the others.
"What? After doing so many bad things, are you afraid of being beaten up at night?" Ryuen started his sarcasm again.
"If you actually dared to make a move, I'd actually think more highly of you," Hikigaya said coldly. "I'm just not used to people sleeping next to me."
"You're just not used to men lying next to you," Hashimoto joked. "If it were girls, you'd wish several of them would sleep with you, right?"
It was clearly a joke, but everyone's eyes simultaneously focused on Hikigaya.
"Damn it!
Is that your true thought?"
"What a filthy-minded guy!" Yahiko attacked with apparent righteousness, but his brow was filled with jealousy and envy.
"Hikigaya-kun, that won't do!
As a man, you should be single-minded!" Shibata Souta preached to him solemnly.
"Wait, bro?
What are you doing?"
Watching Shibata pick up his bedding and place it next to him, Hikigaya was bewildered.
"I'm doing this to supervise you!" Shibata Souta said emphatically.
"???" Hikigaya's head was full of question marks. The others also cast puzzled glances. The few from Class B seemed to know some inside information; their expressions were subtle, and they collectively kept their mouths shut.
'Damn it! Since when did the honest people of Class B all become riddlers?'
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After finishing the task of setting up the dorm, the rest of the time was free. Hikigaya ditched the group immediately, intending to wander around. It had to be said that the facilities of this forest dormitory were quite complete. There were hot springs, tea rooms, fish ponds, and even gym equipment for exercise...
Hikigaya came to a remote pavilion, enjoying the rare peace with a relaxed expression. However, that peace was soon broken.
"Horikita-kun, this is the list of the various class groupings."
"Yes, I see."
"Um, about Nagumo's challenge..."
"Don't worry. I will take responsibility for defeating him. You all just need to face the exam with a normal mindset."
"Yes!"
Horikita Manabu dismissed his classmates.
"Hikigaya, what are you doing hiding there?"
Hikigaya had no choice but to step out from behind the wooden pillar of the pavilion with a sheepish smile. "As expected of Horikita-senpai, you even managed to find me?"
"Just intuition. Then I tried to bluff, and you came out." Horikita Manabu turned around with a hint of a smile on his lips.
"Eh?!
Can the upright Horikita-senpai also use such deceptive tricks?" Hikigaya looked surprised.
"Why do you think I wouldn't lie?" Manabu asked back.
"Well~ I just feel like Horikita-senpai is very prone to trusting others," Hikigaya reminded him subtly.
Manabu's eyes flickered, immediately catching the hint.
"You mean that Nagumo won't keep his promise with me?"
"I didn't say that, but the fact that Horikita-senpai could think of this immediately..." Hikigaya explained with logical grounds, "...shows that you have also doubted President Nagumo, haven't you?"
"I indeed had such doubts, but until now, Nagumo and I have only had different philosophies.
I don't believe he would do something treacherous." After some thought, Horikita Manabu made his judgment.
"Keeping promises before doesn't mean he'll keep them now.
Has Horikita-senpai heard the allusion of the 'Oath of the Luo River'?" Hikigaya couldn't help but remind him again.
"Are you trying to say Nagumo is Sima Yi?" Manabu understood his metaphor.
"The ability might not be there, but the level of malice isn't necessarily lower." Hikigaya didn't believe that someone who could get over a dozen classmates expelled could be any kind of good person.
"Thank you for your reminder, I'll be careful.
However, I'm still not used to speculating about others with the greatest malice." Horikita Manabu stuck to his view. Perhaps it was out of appreciation for talent—after all, Nagumo Miyabi was someone he had personally promoted into the Student Council.
Since things had been said to this point and the other party was still stubborn, Hikigaya could only leave it at that.
Horikita Manabu changed the subject.
"Forget about my business. How is your exam going? I see your group members aren't exactly easy to handle."
"Sigh, don't mention it... they're all a bunch of nuisances," Hikigaya couldn't help but complain.
"But you seem to be handling it with ease." Manabu's eyes shifted as he turned the conversation.
"By the way, I heard Suzune has also become a person in charge."
"Senpai wants me to help her?" Hikigaya shook his head. "There's no need at all. Although she's still stubborn, she's grown somewhat. She should be able to manage the mixed-dorm situation. Probably..."
"I see. It seems I was worrying too much." Horikita Manabu let out a slow breath of relief.
"With you looking after Suzune, I can rest easy even after I leave this school."
"Wait, why can you say that so serenely?
Shouldn't a brother leaving his sister be grief-stricken and utterly reluctant to part?" Hikigaya looked at him with confusion.
"Although it is a bit reluctant, it shouldn't be that exaggerated, right?
A sister will grow up sooner or later and leave one day. Isn't that only natural?" Horikita Manabu was equally puzzled by his words.
"Aaargh! Don't just say such cruel things so casually!" Hikigaya suddenly shouted in frustration. "Horikita-senpai, I'm going to have a fight with you before graduation!!"
"?"
"Coincidentally, I had the same idea!" A sharp light burst from Horikita Manabu's eyes. "Staking my dignity as an older brother, I shall give you one final trial!"
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