Chapter 251 077 Sakayanagi: Hikigaya-kun, truly a "sly old fox"!

Even though the exam hadn't even begun, Katsuragi instantly felt immense pressure.

"Furthermore," Hachiman straightened up from the railing, "I think this is also how the school is testing us. If we can't even win a fair and square confrontation, then our position in Class A is not secure."

He looked at Katsuragi, his gaze calm.

But Katsuragi knew very well that what he said was the truth.

As a member of the Student Council, although his position was not as high as Hachiman's Vice President role, he had still observed the special exams for the second years. Nagumo-senpai had brought Class B up, and the school hadn't completely favored Nagumo-senpai either; instead, they had given the second years special exams to let them vie for position.

Therefore,

If Hikigaya could lead his class and keep them firmly in Class A during the school's evaluations, then perhaps the school would truly acknowledge them as Class A, and might even stop giving them opportunities to climb back to their original position from Class C in the future.

Looking at it this way,

Sakayanagi felt that this exam was a trial by the school, and Hikigaya had understood this point, gladly taking on the challenge.

Katsuragi: "..."

Viewed from this angle.

Katsuragi suddenly felt that this person, Hikigaya Hachiman, was far more terrifying than he had imagined.

The other party saw things too clearly. He knew what the school wanted, knew what the exam was testing, and knew what was the right course of action.

And he, Katsuragi, was still thinking about how to pull strings, how to bribe people, and how to exploit loopholes.

This was the gap.

So, this is why his class had fallen, then?

The difference in strength between class representatives and... the difference in their big-picture vision.

"Katsuragi," and at this moment, Hachiman's voice came from the side, "Your Class C is strong in academics. This is your advantage. There's no need to engage in all that messy stuff. If you take the test fair and square, you won't necessarily lose."

Katsuragi looked at him, silent for a few seconds. "You're right."

He turned around and walked toward the school building. After a few steps, he stopped without looking back.

"Hikigaya."

"Yeah."

"Thanks."

He continued walking forward, his footsteps gradually fading away on the path. Hachiman stood where he was, watching his back, and then, with his hands in his pockets, walked toward the school building as well.

When Katsuragi entered the Class C classroom, Sakayanagi Arisu was sitting in the seat by the window. Her cane was leaning against the chair, and her expression was calm; a faint smile even hung on the corners of her mouth.

"Katsuragi-kun," Sakayanagi suddenly spoke up, "Did you just talk to Hikigaya-kun?"

Katsuragi sat down in his seat and placed his school bag by the table. "Yeah."

"What did you say?"

Katsuragi was silent for a second. "He said that if we can't even win a fair and square confrontation, then our position in Class A is not secure."

Sakayanagi's eyebrows moved slightly.

"He also said that what the school wants to see isn't who is better at pulling strings, but who is academically stronger." Katsuragi's voice lowered. "He's right. Our Class C is strong in academics; that is our greatest advantage. But we've always been thinking about how to exploit loopholes, how to make deals, and how to bribe people. We forgot that if we test fair and square, we won't necessarily lose. So I'm wondering if I've put the cart before the horse."

Sakayanagi picked up her black tea, took a light sip, and put it down. "And so?"

"So this time, we will test fair and square." Katsuragi looked at her, his gaze now firm. "I accept the results of this exam. Regardless of winning or losing."

Sakayanagi's mouth curved slightly. "You've finally figured it out."

Katsuragi looked at her, always feeling that her tone today wasn't quite right.

"Sakayanagi," Katsuragi said, "Did you plan this all along?"

"Plan what?"

"How to deal with Hikigaya's class."

Sakayanagi looked at him, silent for a second.

"Katsuragi-kun, do you think Hikigaya-kun's class can stay firmly in Class A?"

"I hope they can't, but I think his big-picture vision is up to the task," Katsuragi said with some silence.

"Is that so." Sakayanagi nodded gently.

"That's correct." Sakayanagi picked up her black tea and took another sip. "Hikigaya-kun's class has the potential to become Class A, and they can also withstand the school's trials. He understands the school's intentions, so he doesn't pull strings. He only needs to lead his class and test fair and square to clear the stage."

Katsuragi tapped his fingers lightly on the edge of the table. "So, we are destined to lose?"

"That's not quite it." But Sakayanagi said quickly, "The overall academic ability of our class can still surpass theirs."

But if that's the case, there isn't a shred of a smile on your face, either.

And of course, Sakayanagi had no smile.

Because she already understood why Hikigaya-kun didn't make a move this time. It was very simple: because in this exam, he wasn't looking to win, but was allowing the possibility of losing. Winning would mean his class was already a qualified Class A, while losing was probably something he was considering from a different level of school policy.

Therefore, compared to Katsuragi's current heavy silence, she was already glad that she had made preparations to transfer classes long ago.

So, since Hikigaya-kun has secured the position of Class A and opened up such a huge distance, how is one to catch up?

For now, she has no solution.

Hikigaya Hachiman remains as terrifying as ever.

-

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The three-day team exam finally came to an end.

When the bell rang for the final subject, the entire school building seemed to heave a sigh of relief. The hallways were filled with successive discussions; some were debating whether the questions were difficult, others were comparing answers, and some were already planning where to have fun during the break.

And in the Class A classroom, the atmosphere was much more relaxed than usual. Some were lying on their desks catching up on sleep, some were gathered in groups of two or three chatting, and others were already scrolling through their phones. When Hachiman wanted to observe his classmates as a "human observer," he discovered Amikura Mako standing next to Ichinose, holding her phone, looking at something and laughing until she was doubled over.

"Hikigaya-kun!" Amikura Mako noticed him looking over and immediately asked, "How did you do?"

"Not bad." Hachiman gently raised his left hand to support his chin. "The Class C test papers are quite high-level, but not exactly difficult."

"This level isn't considered difficult?" Shibata's voice came from the front, carrying a trace of confusion. "I almost didn't finish."

"That's because you don't drill problems usually," Hachiman said.

Shibata scratched his head and didn't retort. His academic ability was only C, and since Class C was trying desperately to make difficult problems this time—although within the scope agreed upon by the school—it was stressful for him.

One could only say he should be thankful for the academic powerhouse Kanzaki-kun for helping him out this time.

Ichinose Honami was sitting in her seat, holding a pen, with a notebook spread out in front of her. She had already compared the answers to the exam questions and was estimating her score. Hearing Hachiman's words, she looked up, a faint smile on her lips, but her brow was slightly furrowed.

"Hikigaya-kun," Ichinose's voice lowered a bit, "I just checked the answers with other students, and it feels like... we might not win this time."

Hachiman leaned back in his chair and looked at her. "Did Class C do very well?"

"It's not just 'well'." Ichinose turned the notebook around and pointed to the rows of figures on it. "Their science papers are very solid; there are almost no 'giveaway' questions. Our class's average score in science is lower than theirs. Although we have the advantage in liberal arts, the gap is not big enough. Calculated overall, Class C's comprehensive score might be higher than ours."

Hachiman glanced at the rows of figures and nodded. "Then we won't win."

Ichinose looked at him, somewhat surprised. "You aren't worried?"

"It's okay to lose once or twice occasionally," Hachiman said, leaning back in his chair. "President Horikita also went through this."

Ichinose's pen tip stopped on the paper. "President Horikita?"

"Now that he's in his third year, in reality, he didn't win every single match either," Hachiman said. "If you lose, just win it back next time. As long as the general direction is correct, the position of Class A will not move."

Ichinose stared at him for two seconds, then chuckled softly.

She remembered when she first met Hachiman, his inner thoughts were still resisting becoming a "class representative like Horikita Manabu." At that time, she felt that Hikigaya-kun would probably never become that kind of person. But now, he was sitting there, saying "It's okay to lose once or twice occasionally" in a calm, emotionless tone—exactly the same tone as Horikita-senpai.

It wasn't deliberate imitation; it was naturally becoming like this.

"Hikigaya-kun," Ichinose's voice was very soft, "Thank you."

Hachiman looked at her. "For what?"

"For leading the class to where it is now," Ichinose said. "From Class B to Class A, from the uninhabited island exam to the sports festival, from calculating every match to being able to afford to lose once without worry. Thank you."

Hachiman was silent for a second. "Aren't you the one who's been doing it all along, too?"

Ichinose shook her head. "I couldn't do it. If there were no Hikigaya-kun, Class B might still be treading water. Maybe even treading water would be impossible, and we would have already fallen."

Hachiman looked at her without speaking. He wasn't very good at handling these kinds of scenes and didn't know how to respond. But he knew that what Ichinose said was heartfelt. Not polite words, not flattery, but the kind of words that had been thought about for a long time and didn't require a response.

"Then just keep the current state," Hachiman said.

Ichinose's mouth curved slightly. "Yeah."

Just then, Hachiman's phone vibrated.

Hachiman quickly took it out to look; it was a message from Karuizawa.

[Do you want to work overtime in the Student Council tomorrow? Some documents haven't been processed yet.]

Hachiman thought for a moment and tapped a few times on the screen. [No need, there's no work to be done today. I'll go by myself tomorrow.]

After the message was sent, he added another line.

[However, do you have time on Sunday?]

After sending it, he placed his phone on the desk. Ichinose, who was sitting next to him, happened to see the two messages—especially the last one. She retracted her gaze, lowered her head, and pretended to be looking at the numbers in her notebook, but her pen tip didn't move again.

Sunday. A date.

Hikigaya-kun is asking Karuizawa-san out on Sunday.

Even though Karuizawa-san was now only his nominal girlfriend, even though everyone knew this was just a trade to "learn experience." But a trade was also a relationship, and a relationship had a reason for dating. Ichinose could certainly understand it, but she still felt a bit subtle.

She already knew Hachiman's future. The future Mrs. is Shiina Hiyori, not Karuizawa, nor that girl named Yukinoshita.

But now he is still seeing Karuizawa-san and asking her out on Sunday.

And what does this count as? Learning experience? A backup option while not giving up on Yukinoshita-san?

Or... is he actually unable to accept the fact that Shiina-san will be his future wife?

Or perhaps, he wants to learn experience by seeing Karuizawa-san so that he can do better when facing Shiina-san in the future?

Ichinose's mind was in a mess.

She shook her head and cast these thoughts aside.

"Ichinose!"

Amikura Mako's voice came from beside her.

Yeah, Amikura Mako had just come over wanting to say something. She had just avoided it because she saw Hachiman talking to her.

"Going shopping? I recently discovered a new gym opened in the shopping street, right next to that bookstore! Let's go check it out together!" Amikura Mako said.

Ichinose glanced in Hachiman's direction. He had already put his phone away and was talking to Shibata about something, not noticing this side. She retracted her gaze and nodded at Amikura Mako. "Okay. Wait for me to pack up."

She quickly organized her school bag, stood up, and walked to the door. Amikura Mako took her arm, and the two walked out of the classroom together. The sun in the hallway was very good, and their footsteps echoed softly in the quiet path. Amikura Mako walked very briskly, still chirping about the gym—"I heard the equipment is very new, there is also a dedicated

yoga room, and the price is not expensive..." Ichinose listened and nodded occasionally, but she wasn't really listening. She was thinking about Hachiman's appearance just now.

"Ichinose?" Amikura Mako's voice came from the side, "Are you listening?"

"Hmm?" Ichinose came back to her senses, "Listening. You said that gym has a yoga room?"

"Yes, yes, yes! And it seems there are female coaches you can book!" Amikura Mako's eyes lit up. "Are you interested? I can go with you!"

"Okay." Ichinose nodded. "My physical fitness probably needs strengthening as well."

Amikura Mako smiled and continued walking forward. Ichinose followed beside her, her gaze falling ahead. She suddenly felt that there was nothing to regret about having walked this far with Hachiman. Who he asks out, who he dates, who he marries in the future—that's his business. She just needed to do her own job well, be a good Vice-Representative of Class A, and be a good assistant to Hikigaya-kun. As for the rest, time would give the answer.

"By the way," Amikura Mako's voice rang out again, "Was Hikigaya-kun sending a message just now? I saw him smiling."

Ichinose was stunned for a moment. "Really?"

"Yes, really!" Amikura Mako leaned in a little closer. "Tell me, was he messaging Karuizawa-san? Those two seem to have been getting very close lately."

Ichinose's mouth curved slightly. "Don't know. Maybe."

Amikura Mako glanced at her and held back, not pressing further.

After all, they hadn't reached the gym yet.

Thus, she took Ichinose's arm and continued to walk forward.

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