Chapter 162: He Invited Her; Naturally, She Wouldn't Refuse—She Had to Go
The clamor in the classroom gradually faded.
Nagumo Miyabi stood in the aisle, while Hachiman had already taken his seat, textbooks spread out on the desk, his gaze fixed motionlessly on the pages.
However, Nagumo did not leave.
He stared at Hachiman's profile for several seconds as the scattered fragments in his mind pieced together into a complete picture—he had become a mere cog in the extortion scheme orchestrated by Sakayanagi and Hikigaya Hachiman during the old exam questions incident.
"So," Nagumo's voice was pressed very low, audible only to the two of them, "Back during the old-questions exam... you and Sakayanagi—were you working together?"
Hachiman flipped a page, not looking up. "Is Senpai only just realizing this now?"
Nagumo's mouth twitched. The words were spoken lightly, but every syllable felt like a slap to his face. Two first-year freshmen had arrived not long ago with barely any points; what did they take him for, the Vice President of the second year? A freaking ATM?
The moment the thought surfaced, Nagumo himself found it absurd, yet it stuck there, impossible to push aside. Furthermore, his points truly had been drained dry back then.
"You're getting quite close to Sakayanagi," Nagumo said intentionally. "Is that really okay?"
These words were rather blunt. Hachiman was originally from Class B, while Sakayanagi was from Class A—two classes in direct competition. Yet, they had joined forces to launch an attack on him. What was that all about?
At this, Hachiman finally looked up, a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.
"Close? What's wrong with that? I don't see any problem at all with being on good terms with Sakayanagi-san."
Hachiman set down his pen and leaned back against his chair.
"After all, can't Nagumo-senpai also gather enough points to transfer classes, allowing students from other classes to graduate from Class A? For the sake of our class's stability, if we had the chance to 'buy' Sakayanagi Arisu over, it would be a good thing. Don't you think so, Nagumo-senpai?"
Nagumo froze.
It wasn't that he was shocked by the idea, but rather—he had never thought in that direction. To buy an opponent. Not to suppress them, not to limit them, but to directly turn them into one of your own. Even if you couldn't make them work for you, once bought, they could no longer cause trouble. And regarding "trouble," one could even use their control over the class to directly expel a dangerous competitor when an expulsion scenario arose.
So. This was a tactic!
Thinking of this, Nagumo couldn't help but stare at Hachiman for a few seconds.
"I don't deny your plan, but the risk is high. You're trying to incorporate a dangerous person into your own ranks," Nagumo's voice remained low. "And Sakayanagi-kouhai isn't someone who admits defeat easily."
Hachiman didn't deny it. Sakayanagi Arisu was indeed stubborn. Though she had lost once, she had accepted the outcome in less than two days. But that didn't mean she had surrendered completely; rather, she was simply gathering strength to fight again, and again!
Nagumo leaned against a nearby desk, hands in his pockets, and changed the subject.
"Speaking of which, back then you actually obtained the right to run for Student Council President, but you used the votes as a talking point. Since you weren't in Sakayanagi's class, you were intentionally digging a pit for her.
And once I obtained the votes from the third-year C and D classes, Sakayanagi's candidacy became useless, because no matter how many votes she pulled, she couldn't surpass me," Nagumo said, his eyes falling on Hachiman's face. "Did you ever think that you'd be shooting yourself in the foot? If you run, you won't be able to win either."
There were only two requirements for the Student Council President election:
The right to run. Votes.
Once you had the right to run, the only metric left was votes. As long as Nagumo could manipulate the entire second year and secure the third-year C and D class votes, he'd have half the school's votes. Victory was essentially in his grasp.
In Nagumo's view, this was also disadvantageous for Hikigaya Hachiman. So why did Hachiman do it back then?
"Did this guy give up on the election?" He didn't say the words out loud.
Because Hachiman had already answered. "I still trust Nagumo-senpai's character and ability. Even if Nagumo-senpai succeeds as the Student Council President—I don't think there's any problem. Besides, we are only first-years."
Is that so?
In a normal election, the third-year President resigns upon graduation, the second-year senior takes over for a year or so, and then they graduate. But there was no rule saying a first-year junior couldn't run.
Hachiman looked up, his gaze appearing quite clear. But Nagumo felt he couldn't believe a single word—this guy was rotten to the core. Last time, he had intentionally withheld his name, letting Nagumo misunderstand that it was Sakayanagi who was extorting him.
Dammit.
Nagumo instantly lost the desire to build a good relationship with his direct junior. He said stiffly, "The President will invite you to the Student Council after the homeroom period. You'll likely be given the position of Vice President, just like in my year."
'His year?'
Everyone finally remembered that Nagumo Miyabi was also originally from Class B and had led them to a higher rank. However, the students in the class didn't feel a strong sense of respect for their direct senpai; they likely felt he had been somewhat targeting Hikigaya-kun just now.
Nagumo soon left.
The classroom was quiet for a few seconds. Then, noise surged out like a faucet being turned on.
"Hikigaya-kun, the Vice President position Nagumo-senpai mentioned—" "Is he going to run for Student Council President?" "What happened during the old questions exam?"
Questions hit him one after another. Hachiman leaned back, waiting for the noise to subside slightly before speaking slowly.
"During the old questions exam, I did clash with Nagumo-senpai," Hachiman said briefly, offering no details.
After all, he had treated Nagumo Miyabi like an ATM back then. Having just entered the school and being short on funds, it was an unavoidable situation. Surely Nagumo-senpai would understand.
The others didn't suspect much else. Someone gave a soft "oh," but a girl sitting in the front row turned around, hands resting on the back of the chair, eyes bright.
"Then this time, is Hikigaya-kun really joining the Student Council?"
Hachiman nodded.
"Is it the Vice President position? Just like Nagumo-senpai?"
"Likely."
"Then doesn't that mean—" The girl's voice jumped a few octaves before dropping back down, as if afraid of being overheard. "Then Hikigaya-kun is going to run for the next Student Council President? But Vice President Nagumo just said he seems to have bought the votes of the third-year C and D classes... so..."
Hachiman glanced at her. "Take the position first. As for the election, there are still two semesters left."
The words were nonchalant, but the surrounding air felt as if it had been ignited. Some gasped softly, some slapped the desk, and others pulled out their phones to start messaging the class group. Hachiman listened to the sounds without responding. Two semesters—not long, yet not short—but since things had come this far...
"Congratulations, Hikigaya-kun!" "Student Council Vice President, that's amazing—"
The noise in the class rose again. Hachiman flipped to the next page of his textbook, his mouth moving slightly, neither confirming nor denying.
Suddenly, his phone vibrated in his pocket.
Hachiman pulled it out; it was a message from Ichinose. He didn't open it immediately, but first looked around—his classmates had dispersed, some returning to their seats, others huddling to discuss the recent news. No one was surrounding him anymore.
He looked down and opened the message.
[Hikigaya-kun, Nagumo-senpai's control over the second year is very comprehensive right now, and he even bought the third-year C and D votes. In that case, won't the election be very difficult for us?]
Hachiman stared at the text for a few seconds. Ichinose's phrasing was restrained, but he could read what was beneath the literal meaning—she was worried. Not for herself, but for him. He thought for a moment, his fingers tapping on the screen.
[What's the use of having many votes? If one is unqualified, what use are they?]
After sending the message, he didn't lock the screen immediately. He placed the phone on the desk, his gaze drifting out the window. After about ten seconds, the screen lit up with Ichinose's reply.
It was just one word.
[Oh.]
But that "oh" was followed by an ellipsis that flickered a few times in the input box before disappearing. She probably wanted to ask something but felt she shouldn't.
Hachiman didn't explain, nor did he specifically look at his seatmate, Ichinose. Some things didn't necessarily have to be conveyed via text.
And so.
He simply sat there quietly. A thought turned slowly in his mind, and he projected it outward via telepathy.
'Ichinose, there's actually no need to worry. Because even if Nagumo Miyabi takes office, he won't meet the school's requirements.
Once he rules the second year, he won't just collect points from all second-year students; he'll even demand that for the special exams carefully prepared by the school, the four class representatives sit down to negotiate. They'll aim to harvest the maximum rewards given by the school to maximize profit. Once this type of exam strategy becomes frequent, the students of all four classes will stagnate. they will stop thinking and stop striving in competition. Therefore, treating every special exam as a way to carve up the school's rewards is contrary to the school's educational philosophy.
So even if Nagumo wins the election, as long as someone reports it, he will be dismissed. And if someone reports it before the election, it's possible the school will intervene and forbid him from participating in the next Student Council administration.
So he can buy votes as he pleases, but if he cannot run, the votes he bought are useless.'
As Hachiman's inner voice was transmitted, Ichinose nearby seemed slightly stunned, but she quickly nodded.
'So, Nagumo-senpai carries such a massive risk.'
'But for Nagumo-senpai to achieve this much is an unprecedented performance in this school.'
Hachiman gave him some credit, at least. Of course, in Hachiman's eyes, this was also because the second year's competitiveness was weak. If he were in the first year, Nagumo might not even be able to defeat Ryuuen.
'As long as the current Chairman is still Chairman Sakayanagi, once this is discovered, he won't allow Nagumo to act recklessly.'
Hachiman continued to transmit his thoughts.
But then, he paused.
Because...
If one wanted to suppress Nagumo-senpai via a report, the current Chairman had to be Chairman Sakayanagi.
But now, because of his own interference, Ayanokouji had consistently failed to promote his class and hadn't created the brilliant record the White Room expected. Consequently, Ayanokouji's unscrupulous father would surely make a move.
The moment this thought appeared, Hachiman's fingers faltered.
He opened his contacts and found Sakayanagi Arisu's name. The cursor flickered on the screen. He typed a line, stopped, his finger hovering over the send button. After a few seconds, he deleted the line and retyped a sentence.
[Nagumo just came to my class.]
After the message was sent, he placed the phone on the desk and picked up his textbook.
In less than twenty seconds, the phone vibrated. He looked down. Sakayanagi's reply came quickly, her phrasing as clean and sharp as ever.
[And? Are you here to gloat? I imagine he went to inform you that President Horikita will invite you to join the Student Council and offer you the Vice President position.]
Hachiman looked at the text, the corner of his mouth curving slightly. He typed a few words, deleted them, and retyped.
[I'm not that boring. However, I truly do need the Vice President position now.]
This time, the reply was slower. Sakayanagi was likely judging what he meant as she read the sentence. Hachiman waited patiently.
Then, the screen lit up.
[?]
Just a single question mark. But contained within that question mark was more than a whole line of text. Hachiman didn't explain. He typed two more lines.
[If your father were to remain in the Chairman position indefinitely, I naturally wouldn't need to work. But, unfortunately.]
[Meet me at the third-floor cafeteria at noon. My treat.]
He sent those two messages and didn't wait for a reply, choosing instead to lock his phone. He knew Sakayanagi Arisu would almost certainly agree.
.
.
.
Meanwhile, in the classroom of the original Class A.
Because they had returned to school, the results of the cruise ship exam were being implemented. Based on the rankings, the class's drop to Class B status was unavoidable. Thus, although the classroom hadn't changed, the words "First Year, Class B" were quietly posted on the door frame.
Unlike Hachiman's class, no one here stopped at the door, and no one took photos to post in groups. The atmosphere in the classroom was suppressed by something indescribable.
Someone slumped on their desk, chin resting on their arm, gaze drifting out the window, lost in thought. Someone else lowered their head to flip through a book, turning several pages only
to turn back, seemingly unable to process anything. Someone leaned back, unconsciously twirling a pen; it spun a few times before dropping onto the desk with a light "clack."
After all, the atmosphere of a class demotion was far too somber.
Sakayanagi Arisu sat in the window seat, her cane leaning against the desk, her black beret perched neatly on her head. A book was spread before her, but she hadn't turned a page in a long while. Her phone sat at the corner of the desk, screen dark and quiet.
But she had already glanced at it several times.
Masumi Kamuro walked over from the side, holding a thermos. She unscrewed the lid and tilted the cup slightly; a thin wisp of steam rose from the rim, swirling in the morning light.
"Want some?" she asked, her voice low.
Sakayanagi shook her head. Kamuro's hand paused, and she screwed the lid back on. She didn't ask further, simply standing there, her gaze sweeping across Sakayanagi's face before landing on the phone.
"Are we going to the second-floor cafeteria at noon?" Kamuro asked casually as she tucked the thermos into her bag.
Sakayanagi's finger tapped lightly on the tabletop.
"No," Sakayanagi Arisu replied. "We're going to the third floor."
Kamuro's hands froze. "The third floor?" Her voice carried a hint of surprise. She didn't finish her sentence, but both of them knew—they couldn't afford the prices of the third-floor cafeteria right now.
"Yes, the third floor. Hikigaya-kun is treating at noon," Sakayanagi added.
However, her mind was deep in thought. She didn't quite understand Hikigaya's meaning.
First, it was clear that Hikigaya-kun was a "transmigrator," and that he disliked working. That was beyond doubt. But now he said he needed the Vice President position, and he said if her father remained Chairman, he wouldn't have to work—she hadn't yet fully grasped what was hidden in those words.
But because he was a transmigrator, he knew many things. If he said "unfortunately"—it certainly wasn't anything good. Thus, inviting her out at noon was perhaps to notify her in advance, and... it concerned information about her father.
Looking at it that way, she truly had to go.
Therefore, Sakayanagi Arisu didn't give Hachiman a reply, because he surely knew she couldn't refuse.
'Hmph!'
But for Sakayanagi, before the meeting with Hachiman at noon, Hachiman himself went to the Student Council first after homeroom ended. After all, he had to keep his appointment with President Horikita.
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