Chapter 070: Yes Sakayanagi, but the Scapegoat is Sakayanagi!
After parting with Horikita Suzune, Hikigaya Hachiman stepped alone into the most sophisticated Japanese restaurant in Keyaki Mall.
When the waiter brought the menu, he fell silent for a moment at the sight of a Wagyu set priced at 20,000 points.
However, he thought that if he were to marry Yukinoshita in the future, given her family's background, his financial situation would improve significantly. Perhaps familiarizing himself with this level of consumption now was a form of "preparedness."
As the waiter bowed and presented the marbled steak, Hikigaya's phone screen lit up. It was a message from Horikita Suzune.
Now that they were allies, Hikigaya's contacts had expanded. From Hoshinomiya-sensei to Ichinose Honami, Kushida Kikyo, and now Horikita, he had four girls in his directory.
The content of Horikita's message was surprising:
[The Class D students have agreed to sell their votes to you. The 500,000 points have been paid out.]
She was fast. Less than two hours had passed since they split. But she clearly didn't do it alone.
[I have formed a temporary alliance with Kushida, Karuizawa, and Sakura. They will assist me.]
This explained the speed. Horikita, usually a loner, had not only accepted his recommendation of Karuizawa but had also intelligently dragged Kushida into the mix.
This was exactly what Hikigaya wanted.
He had given Kushida the "old exam questions" task and recommended she collaborate with Horikita for this very reason: to bind them together.
Horikita had likely realized that Kushida was useful. Logic alone didn't move people; popularity and charm did. Kushida provided the influence Horikita lacked.
"Understood," Hikigaya replied. "Regarding our cooperation, I will distribute profits based on your contribution. You can decide how to allocate the shares to them."
This effectively made Horikita a "squad leader."
Horikita didn't argue over the split. Instead, she sent another message:
[Karuizawa has told us about her past.]
Hikigaya stared at his phone in shock.
Karuizawa had revealed her bullying trauma to Horikita, Kushida, and Sakura—all of them.
In the original story, she told Hirata out of necessity and was later manipulated by Ayanokouji. To see her surrender her secrets so quickly to these three was unexpected.
[Because the four of us have shared all our secrets with each other.]
Hikigaya: "..."
It made sense. If they exchanged secrets, especially with Kushida's "nuclear" secret being the first to drop, Karuizawa's compromise was logical. But this alliance wasn't built on profit—it was a "Self-Destructive Secret Alliance."
Hikigaya was reminded of the Service Club from Sobu High, founded by Yukinoshita. The essence of that club was those with ability helping those in need. Horikita's group, comprised of Class D "defects" trying to start over, felt like a shadow of that club.
Even Hikigaya felt a stir in his heart.
The Classroom of the Elite series was strange; readers thought it was a battle of wits, then a physical brawl, and eventually a romance story. And in the romance department, the hardest fortress to conquer was Horikita Suzune.
She was the only one who could physically hurt the protagonist, Ayanokouji.
"Anything else you need to say?" Hikigaya sent, maintaining his composure. He felt he needed to gain dating experience with a girl quickly. If he delayed, he might get "cleared" by Horikita instead of "clearing" Yukinoshita.
His phone vibrated again.
[Yes. Karuizawa says she wants to meet you once. She knows you know about her past.]
"Fine," Hikigaya agreed. Karuizawa was high-maintenance, but like Kushida, she was extremely useful in the original story, possessing high utility in various fields. Having a spy in Class D was essential.
While Class C had been suppressed to zero points and Ryuen was forced to be cautious, and Class A remained dangerous due to Sakayanagi, Class D was the real powerhouse. It was teeming with talent that other classes couldn't match. If they cut the "dead weight," Class D under Ayanokouji would be a juggernaut.
Weakening Ayanokouji's pawns was a way to weaken Class D itself.
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On the other side, after receiving Hikigaya's reply, Horikita looked at Karuizawa. "It's settled. He agreed. You set the time. As for our class's vote sale, he needs a written contract with everyone's signature."
"So, a formal contract..." Sakura Airi added.
"Yes," Kushida chimed in. "I heard from senpais that special exams often involve trades. To ensure success, formal agreements are used. They are recognized by the school; if someone defaults, you can go to the Student Council for arbitration."
"Kushida-san knows so much," Karuizawa praised.
Kushida felt a bit of sunlight in her otherwise gloomy day.
"It's only because the first year's 'restrictions' were lifted. I also heard next month's special exam involves leaving the campus, though I don't know the details."
Kushida looked at Karuizawa's "gyaru" group.
"Actually, Karuizawa, I suspect someone else in your team isn't a real 'gyaru' either."
Knowing Karuizawa's traumatic past made Kushida feel that her own "dark side" wasn't as shocking. She realized her classmates were all quite unique.
"Oh?" Karuizawa blinked. "Someone else... is a fake?"
Kushida thought about Class C's delinquents—they were the real deal, ready to attack other classes. Karuizawa's group felt like "paper tigers" by comparison. If Karuizawa was a fake who became the leader, she was a master actress.
What about the others? Sato Maya? She didn't seem like a gyaru.
Shinohara Satsuki? She followed Karuizawa blindly.
Matsushita Chiaki? She felt like "old money"—always confident.
In fact, Matsushita's acting was the worst; she had almost protested when the "defect" label was first applied. She was likely a "big fish" hiding her true abilities by controlling her scores.
"It's just a hunch," Kushida said. "But the gyaru persona isn't a great image anyway."
"I see," Karuizawa said, not wanting to dig deeper. She had her reasons, and if others had theirs, she wouldn't expose them.
"Even if they are fakes," Karuizawa added, "my status will drop if I don't bring something to the table. I'm not great at studying or sports. To keep their support and help Horikita, I need something more. I thought about faking a relationship with Hirata, but..."
The other three understood immediately. She had chosen them—and the man behind them, Hikigaya—over Hirata.
"Could we... get a position of power to make ourselves stand out?" Sakura Airi suggested.
"I heard Hikigaya's class sold a position to Class A for 2 million points. If Karuizawa-san got a position in the Student Council, she'd have more authority in class."
Everyone looked at Horikita Suzune. The President was her brother.
"I will handle it," Horikita said after a deep breath. She had 300,000 points from Hikigaya and intended to pay her brother back the 200,000 he advanced.
She finally had to face him.
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The next morning, Hikigaya met Horikita at the elevator. She seemed different—more determined. When the doors opened, the elevator was crowded with about ten students. Horikita stood by the buttons.
"Coming up?" she asked.
"Sure," Hikigaya stepped in. She pressed the "close" button immediately to save time.
"Um..." Horikita looked at the floor. "Morning."
"Morning," Hikigaya replied.
"Heh," a voice laughed from the back. It was Ryuen Kakeru, the red-haired "tyrant" of Class C. "A class competition? Smells more like romance to me."
"Shut up," Hikigaya said, turning his back to Horikita.
Horikita pulled out a vocabulary book. The first word wasn't abandon; she was studying seriously.
When the doors opened, Hikigaya and Ryuen walked out together.
"I heard Sakayanagi is attacking the second and third years," Ryuen said, his eyes gleaming with ambition.
"She got candidacy from Horikita Manabu and is shaking down the second years for funds. They're a fat target."
Ryuen had paid Hikigaya 1 million points to secure 100 class points for this exam, but he wasn't sitting idle. He saw that Nagumo controlled the second year's wealth.
"You could do the same," Hikigaya suggested.
"Useless," Ryuen snapped. "If I attack them, they attack us. My class already paid for those 100 points; I'm not making mistakes by doing too much. Besides, I don't have enough data on the second years."
'Was he trying to warn me about Sakayanagi?' Hikigaya wondered.
'Or is he planning to sell Class C's votes for a high price?'
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At lunch, Nagumo Miyabi took Asahina Nazuna to a high-end restaurant on the third floor.
"Miyabi, isn't using the class savings like this a bit much?" Asahina asked.
Yesterday, Nagumo had paid Hikigaya 3 million points from Class 2-A's funds.
He also spent 2 million to buy out the votes of the third-year Class C and D. Furthermore, he still owed "Sakayanagi" another 2 million.
He had come back with a 7-million-point debt.
"It's an investment," Nagumo said.
"Once I'm President, I'll sell Vice-President and candidate slots for 5 million each. I'll make it back instantly."
He was using Class 2-A's funds for now to keep the other classes in line. Once he controlled the entire grade, the money would flow to him as he pleased.
"Sakayanagi-kouhai's offensive is quite fierce," Asahina worried.
"Don't worry. The first-years are only so-so," Nagumo said. The 5 million was also "hush money" to keep them from interfering in second-year exams. If his plan to unify the second year succeeded, he'd have nearly 100 million points by graduation.
"By the way, I heard Sakayanagi eats here often," Nagumo added.
He was here to intercept her. And indeed, Sakayanagi Arisu had arrived.
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