Chapter 068: "Someday, Come and Save Me!" / "If I Can, I Will Help You!"
Fifteen minutes later, in the café, Hikigaya and Horikita Suzune remained seated across from each other. Nagumo Miyabi's milk tea was ready, so he had already left, carrying the bags. Anyone could see his mood was foul.
The reason was simple.
"This..." Horikita Suzune stared blankly at an anonymous point card left on the table.
"Use your phone to scan it," Hikigaya suggested.
"..."
Horikita took out her phone, took a deep breath, and with slightly trembling hands, opened her scanner and tapped the code. A notification popped up on the screen:
[This point card has a balance of 3,000,000 points. Would you like to withdraw?]
"It's... it's really 3 million points," Horikita couldn't help but mutter.
"Just like that... 3 million points in hand."
Shock was written all over her face. From the moment they met until Nagumo's departure, less than thirty minutes had passed. Yet, Hikigaya from Class B had extracted a 3-million-point card from Senior Nagumo.
To her, 3 million was an astronomical sum. She had struggled immensely just to gather 200,000 points to pay for the information fee her brother had covered—collecting 50,000 from Class D and adding her own 80,000, and she was still far off. Now, Hikigaya had just demonstrated how quickly 3 million could be obtained.
But that wasn't all. The total deal with Nagumo was for 5 million points.
Nagumo had only paid 3 million upfront, stating the remaining 2 million would be given on the 1st of next month, after the exams.
"Totaling 5 million, but only 3 million is here," Horikita said quickly as she realized something. "Aren't you worried he'll change his mind and refuse to give the rest once he settles down?"
Nagumo had chosen to compromise, just as Horikita Manabu had, because a total war would hurt him the most.
He paid 5 million to ensure the first-years wouldn't sabotage the current special exam. However, he only had 3 million on hand.
The issue, as Horikita saw it, was that Nagumo mistook Hikigaya for a student of Sakayanagi's class and believed he was acting on her orders. Once he realized Hikigaya was actually from Class B, he might default on the debt.
"No need to worry. I did give him valid advice," Hikigaya said.
"Besides, Nagumo doesn't just 'not have' the points. He's delaying the payment because he's going to use his current points to buy up all the votes from the third-year Class C and D students immediately.
He needs to seize that initiative. Once he has the votes, nothing Sakayanagi does matters. To him, that's the most important part of this deal, because he wants to be the Student Council President."
He handed the card toward Horikita.
"Scan 300,000 points from it.
Since we've formed an alliance, I'll give you a 10% commission on the points we get together. If you do more of the heavy lifting or complex parts, I might bump that to 20% or even 30%."
Horikita didn't object to the 10%, but she felt she hadn't actually helped.
At most, she sat there and provided the dialogue that baited Nagumo.
She hadn't even corrected his misunderstanding about Hikigaya's class.
She felt she didn't deserve it.
But as Hikigaya said, accepting the points made the alliance official. Moreover, with 300,000 points, she could pay her brother back the 200,000 he advanced.
A "strong" Horikita Suzune might have refused, but the current "worthless" version—the sister chasing her brother's shadow only to find she didn't fit in this school—could not.
"Do you also need to gather that many points?" Horikita remembered Hikigaya already had over 2 million, and his Class B was likely to beat Class A anyway. If they became Class A, they'd all graduate with full rewards. There was no need to pay 20 million to transfer.
"20 million is still valuable. Besides transferring, it can cancel an expulsion," Hikigaya said. "I don't plan on being expelled anytime soon."
'Wait, why would you think you'd be expelled? Who in this school is strong enough to expel you?' Horikita was baffled. But since it was a topic she couldn't grasp, she focused on listening.
Then, his inner voice reached her.
'Horikita doesn't know. Sakayanagi Arisu has inexplicably marked me as an opponent. In the 'original story,' she would eventually self-expel for Ayanokouji's victory, but now her sights are on me.
I need 20 million as insurance. Even if I don't use it for that, I have other plans.
A big reason I'm staying in this world is to gain experience with the opposite sex. I want to 'clear' a girl, but I have zero social experience. Yukinoshita and Yuigahama were club mates, but I didn't gain 'dating' experience. Yukinoshita is the most likely to fulfill my wish for a stay-at-
home husband life, but I can't just go in without any skills. If I fail, there won't be a second chance.
Best to practice first. No girl will date me easily, but in this school where points are everything, someone will surely care about 20 million.
The best candidate is probably Kushida. She's friends with everyone and understands girls best. Dating her would give me the most experience in handling women.'
"..."
Horikita felt Hikigaya's inner thoughts were even more convoluted than Nagumo's.
First, Sakayanagi targeting him made sense—they were in rival classes.
Second, he had used Sakayanagi's name as a shield today; she'd likely hold a grudge once she found out.
Third, regarding the "original story"... Sakayanagi would expel herself for Ayanokouji? Was that the unassuming, somewhat talkative Ayanokouji Kiyotaka in her own class?
Fourth, the "original story." Was he implying they were all characters in a novel or anime? Was she, Horikita Suzune, just a "tool" created by an author? This thought made her feel strange.
Fifth... Hikigaya-kun, your goal for staying in this world is just to find a girlfriend? Talk about a lack of ambition! And paying 20 million for "practice"? 20 million was indeed a sum no one could refuse. And Kushida, with her maxed-out social skills, was indeed a perfect "tutorial" for him.
Though Horikita knew Kushida disliked her, after the last time she asked Kushida to set up a meeting with Hikigaya, Kushida's hostility seemed to have vanished.
She had even added Horikita to the class group chat.
She even informed her about the third-year leak this morning.
Horikita wondered if Kushida could also hear his inner voice. If she heard that everyone was just a character in a story, perhaps she realized there was no point in hating her anymore.
"Horikita?" Hikigaya noticed her dazed, frustrated, yet determined expression.
"I'm fine," she said. "But... about my brother. Do you think he can graduate from Class 3-A?"
She was worried her presence was a burden. If she had entered the school only to hold him back, she might choose to expel herself.
"Of course," Hikigaya said, looking at her strangely.
"I told you this morning, don't underestimate him. He is the strongest Student Council President for a reason."
'Horikita is asking this, but in the original story, Horikita Manabu did graduate from Class A. Though Nagumo screws him over during the training camp, costing him his lead and points, they hold on to the end.'
Horikita gripped her knees tightly. "Hikigaya, is it really okay for you to attack Nagumo like this?"
"Why do you ask?"
Horikita looked up with resolve.
"I want to fight Nagumo-senpai with you. I want to do everything I can."
'Oh? You're quite bold, Horikita. You were scared of him earlier, but now you want to attack?' Hikigaya thought.
But being in Class D actually gave her a unique angle of operation.
He decided to give her 500,000 points to "buy" Class D's votes. This would give her a voice in the class and start a trend of "shared prosperity." Before taking Class D's resources, he had to set the bait.
But why did she want to attack Nagumo? They had no personal grudge.
"I think... Nagumo-senpai will attack my brother," Horikita said.
Her intuition was sharp.
She had felt Kushida's hidden malice before, and now she felt Nagumo's danger.
Hikigaya knew the classic trope: how does someone get stronger? Usually by having someone to protect. Even as a "worthless sister," she wanted to protect her brother.
Her brother had compromised with Sakayanagi to protect the lower classes, but that desire to protect the weak was his only flaw—one Nagumo had likely noticed.
"Fine," Hikigaya said. "I will attack Nagumo with you."
Nagumo was a walking ATM. Taking some points now was just the start; as Nagumo grew, they could harvest even more from him. It was a guaranteed profit.
"I may be weak, and we are in different classes, but..." Horikita raised her fist. "If you ever face expulsion during your competition with Sakayanagi... I will do my best to help you."
Hikigaya looked at her in genuine shock. Those were almost the exact words Yukinoshita Yukino had once said to him: "Someday, you have to come and save me."
Now, Horikita—the girl everyone called a "downgraded Yukinoshita"—was saying the opposite. Hikigaya had always seen her as a shadow of Yukinoshita, someone who made him feel at home in this strange school. But now he realized they were entirely different people.
Horikita looked at him expectantly, a hint of nervousness in her eyes.
"I don't think it'll come to that, but if that day comes... I'll be counting on you," Hikigaya replied.
"Yes." Horikita nodded.
Watching her, Hikigaya had a change of heart. He had been treating everyone as characters in a story, but they were living people, not just text in a light novel.
He decided to look out for her a bit more.
"Class D is only useful as a collective," Hikigaya said.
"I'll give you 500,000 points. Go back and buy Class D's votes for this year. This gives the students some money and gives you authority. You need them to listen to you so you can sell resources and checkpoints during the island exam later.
Also, there's a student in your class named Karuizawa Kei.
She leads the girls, but she was severely bullied in middle school. She's acting like a 'gyaru' to protect herself. If Ayanokouji finds out and uses her, it'll be bad.
Tell her you know her past and will protect her.
In exchange, she and her clique must support you in Class D. It's a win-win.
And if she's considering dating Hirata for protection, tell her it's useless; Hirata cares about everyone and won't prioritize her."
"Okay," Horikita agreed. She realized that simply getting a recommendation from her middle school principal wasn't enough to catch up to her brother. She had to:
Avoid expulsion. Accumulate points (20 million to earn recognition or help her brother). Learn from Hikigaya to survive and thrive.
.
.
.
That evening, back at the dorms...
Kushida was startled when Horikita Suzune actually knocked on her door.
"Horikita-san? What brings you here?"
But then Horikita spoke, and Kushida's brain nearly short-circuited.
"What are your thoughts on dating Hikigaya?"
'What the hell?'
Kushida was here to make friends, not find a boyfriend.
And Hikigaya? He had those dead-fish eyes, but she had to admit, he was somewhat handsome. If he wore glasses, he'd probably look like a sharp, elite office worker.
Wait, why was she even thinking about that?
She knew Hikigaya knew her secret and could handle her normally, which gave her a strange feeling. But she had cut off any "romantic" possibilities in her mind. Why was Horikita bringing this up? To mock her?
"I have something to discuss with you," Horikita continued.
"Wait a moment. One more person hasn't arrived yet."
Soon, Sakura Airi arrived, panting slightly.
"I... I found her..."
Kushida knew Sakura; she and Horikita had eaten together in the cafeteria lately. But behind Sakura was a blonde girl with a ponytail.
Karuizawa Kei.
"I've been thinking. It's better to stick together in Class D. Let's talk, the four of us," Horikita said.
"They both know your secret."
'Huh?' Kushida froze.
But quickly, a realization hit her.
'Horikita Suzune! You really are my sworn enemy!'
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