While the study session organized by Ando Sayo and Kanzaki was underway, Hikigaya and Ichinose headed to the Student Council room to take care of their duties.
"Hmph."
Horikita Suzune let out a cold snort.
With a frosty expression, she returned to her seat and continued working as if nothing had happened.
"Hikki," Ichinose asked in confusion, "did something happen between you and Horikita?"
"No… I don't think so."
Hikigaya looked just as puzzled.
It didn't make sense.
Had he offended her somewhere without realizing it?
Well, whatever.
His relationship with Horikita Suzune wasn't particularly close to begin with. As long as she worked properly, that was enough.
"Sorry, Tsubasa. You've worked hard these past few days."
Hikigaya took a souvenir out of his backpack and handed it to Nanase Tsubasa.
"Here—Meiji chocolate from Hokkaido. I tried it myself; it's pretty good."
"Ah, thank you very much, Hikigaya-senpai, Ichinose-senpai!"
Nanase Tsubasa's face lit up with joy.
As for Ichinose, she gave Nanase a bottle of lavender body wash.
"Ah… sorry about that."
Seeing this, Katsuragi and Horikita spoke apologetically from their seats.
"I forgot to prepare a gift."
"I'm sorry, Nanase-san."
"No, no!"
Nanase hurriedly shook her head.
"You senpais already teach me so many things. It would be embarrassing to ask for gifts on top of that."
Given the special nature of this school, simply working together in the Student Council with a normal relationship didn't really warrant gift-giving.
"By the way," Nanase said, curiosity shining in her eyes, "what did you senpais think of the school trip? Considering this school's style, it must've been pretty special, right?"
"I suppose so."
Seeing her excitement, Hikigaya smiled.
"Although there were a few small tests mixed in, it wasn't bad overall. Skiing was especially fun. You can look forward to next year's trip."
"A school trip, huh… Was it also your first time skiing, Hikigaya-senpai?"
"Yeah. I originally wanted to try horse riding too, but there wasn't enough time."
The group chatted casually as they prepared for the upcoming work.
Before long, several phone calls came in.
Ichinose, Nanase Tsubasa, Horikita Suzune, and the others left the Student Council room to handle various disputes.
There was no helping it.
When it came to resolving conflicts, girls had an advantage—many boys wanted to look generous and cool in front of them.
Conversely, when disputes involved girls, it was better for boys to step in.
Unfortunately, neither Katsuragi nor Hikigaya could be considered top-tier handsome guys.
After the others left—
"Sorry, Hikigaya."
Katsuragi spoke calmly.
"I asked Machida to keep an eye on you specifically. I didn't expect him to cause you so much trouble."
"No, it wasn't really trouble. If anything, thanks to Machida, things became more comfortable."
Hikigaya shook his head.
Miscommunication was normal.
And from another perspective, Machida Koji's approach wasn't entirely wrong.
If the other eight people in the group had stayed completely silent, Hikigaya felt like he would've gone insane.
"I see."
Katsuragi nodded, leaning back in his chair with a hint of emotion.
"I didn't think much of the system you proposed at first. But now, it seems even Class A can't afford to relax."
"I guess so."
"I originally thought you were the type who preferred to slack off. Looks like my judgment was off."
"If possible, I'd like to take it easy too."
"But even if you rise to Class A this way, you'll still have to keep working hard to avoid falling back down. Doesn't that contradict your usual style?"
"Hm?"
Hikigaya raised an eyebrow.
As expected, Katsuragi was testing the waters regarding this special exam.
After all, he knew just as well that the exam favored lower-ranked classes, and that winning through straightforward means wasn't very likely.
"Well, if it's for everyone to reach Class A, then there's no other choice."
"Is that so…"
Katsuragi let out a helpless sigh.
In a simple academic competition, there were methods like pressuring Class B, but he simply couldn't bring himself to use tactics like Ryuuen's.
"I really didn't expect a normal written exam to have a 200-point reward. If that's the case, the situation in other grades should be similar."
"Nagumo will probably start guarding against the possibility of falling out of Class A too. He won't have time to deal with you."
"Hikigaya… did you foresee this situation?"
"More or less."
A faint smile appeared at the corner of Hikigaya's mouth.
Nagumo Miyabi probably didn't even have time to deal with his own mess right now, let alone interfere with the second years.
And if he tried anything underhanded, there were surveillance cameras everywhere.
Let Nagumo go play around with the third years.
Seeing this, Katsuragi's expression grew even more serious.
What had once seemed like a plain new system now looked as if it had specific targets in mind.
The earlier dissolution of cooperation between classes might have already taken this kind of exam into account.
His wariness toward Hikigaya rose another level.
After school, while everyone was packing up, Katsuragi quickly sought out Horikita.
"Horikita-san, there's something I'd like to discuss with you. Would it be convenient to talk somewhere else?"
"Yes, that's fine."
Watching the two leave the Student Council room, Hikigaya frowned slightly.
Everything had two sides.
Ryuuen ruled Class C through violence, granting them an execution power other classes couldn't easily match.
But at the same time, Ryuuen bore everything on his own shoulders.
Whenever an exam came up, he was more inclined to sabotage other classes to secure victory.
As a result, over the past two years, Class C had seen almost no growth—academically or physically.
If there were no bizarre strategies involved, Class C had virtually no chance of winning this exam.
And even if they did come up with something—
Horikita Suzune wasn't like Ichinose, who would stay silent after being schemed against.
Was Katsuragi trying to establish cooperation with Class D?
On top of that, the relationship between Class B and Class D was extremely poor.
Helping Class D rise to Class C, only for the two classes to then sandwich Class B?
Honestly, that wasn't a good strategy.
The school trip only involved second years, but the overall situation at school was the same.
Standing with Class D was equivalent to standing against the entire school.
Maybe it had something to do with Katsuragi's ophidiophobia.
The road ahead was difficult.
Whatever.
It wasn't a big deal.
Hikigaya shook his head with a sigh, wondering why there was always someone trying to play caretaker for Class D at times like this.
That place was hell.
Back at the dormitory, Hikigaya sat at the low table studying. For this special exam, he could be considered one of the main forces.
Even with Student Council work, he couldn't afford to slack off.
At that moment, Sakayanagi Arisu was sitting on his lap, occasionally bringing small pieces of cake she had cut to his mouth.
If there was any change, it was that Sakayanagi Arisu seemed to have become noticeably clingier.
Her soft body felt like holding a doll.
Comfortable.
Hikigaya wrapped his arms around the petite Sakayanagi's slender waist.
The issue with Nagumo Miyabi was basically resolved; he no longer had the time or ability to cause trouble for the second years.
No matter whether Katsuragi, Ryuuen, or Horikita Suzune formed alliances—
Class A was definitely within reach.
It was just…
Ayanokouji still loomed overhead like a dark cloud that refused to dissipate.
To be honest, naive as he might be, that guy's true strength remained a mystery.
Hikigaya could only imagine him as being above even Koenji.
Should he think of a way to deal with that guy?
It had been a while.