Facing everyone's gazes.
Machida Koji's expression was somewhat complex, with a hint of embarrassment amidst his hesitation.
Should he continue to cause trouble.
And bear the responsibility of potentially losing the free activity tomorrow.
Or should he yield.
And enjoy the school trip peacefully.
Forget it.
It's not some major event anyway.
Originally, he wanted to observe Hikigaya. This might just be Hikigaya's way of handling problems, which indeed put Machida Koji in a bit of a difficult position now.
It's just that this way of handling problems.
A way of forcing someone into a corner and leaving them speechless.
Machida Koji didn't quite agree with it, and even felt some disgust towards such a handling method. He really didn't know how the people in Class B could stand it.
I imagine.
There are quite a few people in Class B who have criticisms of Hikigaya.
What's more.
He didn't want to become a guy as hated as Class D, and the feeling of being accommodated by everyone was also very uncomfortable.
Clearly, he was a member of Class A.
Yet it was as if he were a piece of trash being despised and beyond saving.
Thinking of this.
Machida Koji, having achieved his goal, immediately decided to give up on continuing to cause trouble.
"You're right. The risk of failure is too high if we try to gather 20 points now. Let's use the remaining time to enjoy the school trip properly."
Machida Koji said with a somewhat ashamed look.
He still swallowed back what he had said.
Obviously.
Machida Koji did not have a firm will like Ryuen, and he even wanted to redeem his evaluation within the group.
After all.
If any one person here spread the word about him, it would be a blow to Machida Koji's evaluation in school.
Although he didn't particularly care about this, who wouldn't want to be a good person if they could, rather than a street rat hated by everyone.
"Sorry."
Hikigaya nodded, giving the other party a way out.
"It's all because I failed to plan the route well and wasted some time in the middle, which resulted in the low success rate of prioritizing personal points now."
It was just an apology; it wouldn't cost anything.
In reality.
Hikigaya's way of handling it.
Was not necessarily to forcefully pin the blame on someone, but rather using such a sense of responsibility to make Machida Koji yield.
Treating people differently.
Machida Koji isn't a bad person.
Although he had been causing trouble for the group, that was just his job.
It's not clear yet how Katsuragi specifically arranged it; it's likely just that Machida Koji's way of gathering observations was problematic.
He naturally wouldn't treat people from Class B like this.
As for Sotomura Hideo.
Judging by the observation of the past two days, this guy brought his own manga and light novels to pass the time.
Using 2D culture as a breakthrough.
It should be very easy to get on good terms with Sotomura Hideo.
Just.
Based on the performance in the Unanimous Special Exam.
The people of Class D more or less have a self-centered personality; the probability of them doing something ungrateful is very high.
There was no need to force a good relationship with such a person.
Whether Sotomura Hideo was weak, or had reasons like being bad at social interaction, as long as he didn't cause trouble, it was fine.
Upon hearing this.
Machida Koji was stunned for a moment.
He didn't expect Hikigaya would actually take the initiative to apologize?
Could it be that Hikigaya really thought he wanted those 50,000 personal points?
In fact, he wasn't intentionally forcing him to compromise?
Otherwise.
In a situation where he had already determined to yield, he really couldn't think of the necessity for Hikigaya to apologize.
"It's not like that."
Tsube Hitomi shook her head: "Even for those 20 points, the route was decided by all of us together; it's not Hikki's problem alone."
"Yeah."
After hesitating for a moment.
Machida Koji nodded and echoed:
"Thinking carefully, getting 20 points is indeed too difficult. Sorry, it's all because I was obsessed with personal points and made everyone cooperate with me, which wasted the opportunity of the school trip."
"It's good that you know. It's not a big deal anyway."
Tokito Yuya said indifferently, and Machida Koji immediately breathed a sigh of relief.
Besides wanting to redeem his own evaluation.
More importantly.
If Hikigaya was truly considering for the group and didn't think too much.
Although this showed Hikigaya's ability had problems.
It made him look a bit like he was being awkward for no reason, and instead he was just causing trouble for Tokito Yuya and the others.
Machida Koji also felt a bit bad about it.
He was even a bit moved that Hikigaya could apologize at this time to give him a way out.
In fact.
Hikigaya giving him a way out was just thinking about doing a favor for Machida Koji.
Whether this favor would be useful was another matter.
At least it could make the group's atmosphere much better and make Machida Koji behave a bit; if he continued to cause trouble, he would feel like he wasn't a decent human being.
Anyway.
It was just a verbal apology and didn't require paying anything.
Hikigaya felt it was very worth it.
...
The third day of the school trip ended here.
On the way back.
According to Kushida Kikyo's wish, Hikigaya visited the Hokkaido Museum as he wanted.
The atmosphere of the group also improved a lot.
When Hikigaya was strolling with Sakura Airi and the others, Machida Koji also began to take the initiative to chat with Tokito Yuya, Ibuki Mio, and Kushida Kikyo.
Besides not intending to continue causing trouble for the group.
It was likely he also wanted to scout out.
The reason that led Ibuki and Kushida Kikyo to change their attitudes, it's just that the two girls didn't seem to want to pay much attention to him.
As for Sotomura Hideo.
Even though there was a classmate, Kushida Kikyo, in the group, as well as Machida Koji who had an objective.
Yet no one was willing to talk to him. Instead, it was Tsue Hitomi who seemed unable to stand it and occasionally chatted with him.
But Sotomura himself seemed not to be very good at communicating with girls.
This resulted in Sotomura seeming like an outsider in the group.
Forget it.
As long as he doesn't cause trouble.
Hikigaya was also too lazy to pay attention.
...
At eight o'clock in the evening.
Hikigaya finished bathing and called Nakanishi, Hamaguchi, Watanabe, Moriyama, and other boys to the lobby.
"...Nakanishi."
Hikigaya drank milk and said with concern: "I saw you guys seemed to be arguing with Class D people during the day. Did something happen?"
Although he didn't care at the time.
Hikigaya actually kept it in mind.
Although they were often scolded at school.
The situations where Class D encountered other classes were still considered rare.
But during the school trip.
Even if they were unwilling, they had to act in units of groups. Class D would tangibly experience the price brought by loss of virtue.
This price was far from what they could bear.
"Yeah."
Nakanishi said with a bitter face: "These past few days, Kondo has been arguing with Ike and the others. It's simply too painful."
"It's the same on my side. Hondou and the others haven't been talking; the atmosphere is simply terrible."
"You guys have it okay; on my side, Ryuen, Kitou, and Shinohara are arguing so much they almost started fighting."
Watanabe said with some pain, and others were roughly the same.
According to their words.
Due to Hikigaya hiring Class C to persistently grip onto the matter of the Unanimous Special Exam, it led some people in Class D to also feel a sense of loathing toward people in Class B.
It's considered guilt by association.
On the other hand.
Facing the parties from Class C who had been mocking them, the people of Class D similarly felt loathing. As for Class A, who stood by and watched, they still felt some loathing.
Facing the spit and indifference of everyone around them, as if they were abandoned by the world, they completely considered themselves the bottom layer of the school.
Class D's reaction was roughly toward an attitude of resistance: "You bunch of despicable people, stop right there."
As for reflecting on whether they themselves were wrong.
That did not exist.
I see...
After finishing gathering the information, Hikigaya nodded.
The time was almost up.
When the three-month period ends.
The environment Class D will have to face will be even more cruel, and any reasons to deceive themselves will no longer exist.