"Wait a minute, Yamauchi-kun, you're out of line!"
Matsushita spoke up, unable to stay silent any longer.
Though she and Hikigaya had agreed to keep their distance in the classroom, she couldn't stand by and do nothing.
"W-what?" Yamauchi stammered, visibly shaken.
"I'm not wrong. Why are you defending him?"
As a member of the class's elite social circle, Matsushita wasn't someone Yamauchi could easily challenge, but his stubbornness drove him to hold his ground.
"Why do you always protect him, Matsushita?" Shinohara Satsuki chimed in, joining Yamauchi.
"You don't like him, do you? That's a terrible choice."
"Shinohara-san, what are you talking about? This has nothing to do with that!"
Matsushita protested, but her voice faltered as Shinohara's teasing grew more pointed.
These people are revolting, Hikigaya thought, not particularly angry, just disgusted. The so-called caste system in the class was a nuisance.
Yamauchi, usually one to shout from the sidelines, had dared to step forward this time, likely driven by pent-up jealousy.
Shinohara, on the other hand, wasn't truly helping Yamauchi; she was backing up Karuizawa.
They still remember that time, Hikigaya realized.
Karuizawa had been trying to move past the incident, as bullies like her only picked on those weaker than them. She wouldn't dare provoke Hikigaya again unless she had the upper hand.
But Shinohara was different. She saw herself as defending a friend's honor, especially against someone as insignificant in the class as Hikigaya.
Matsushita had told him that whenever Shinohara badmouthed him in their group chat, most of the others joined in—especially Karuizawa. Despite being the leader of the girls, Karuizawa lacked exceptional qualities. If she wasn't careful, Shinohara could surpass her one day.
Karuizawa had to be harsher than Shinohara to maintain her position, much like the way political parties outdo each other to appear tougher.
The constant online bickering and group dynamics were exhausting.
Hikigaya had dealt with plenty of conflicts in junior high, but these classmates were more troublesome than Hayama's clique. To them, social standing was measured by the number of friends, with justice defined by the majority.
Hikigaya didn't care about others ignoring or disliking him, but he despised being the center of attention. And now, aside from a few like Hirata, who was still focused on Sudou's plight, everyone was staring at him, enjoying the spectacle.
Many in the class probably wouldn't mind if Sudou, with his bad temper and previous points deduction, were expelled. To them, he was more of a liability.
Hikigaya had hoped to remain invisible in the class, but it seemed he needed to take action to avoid becoming the target of their frustrations.
"This is truly pathetic," Kouenji suddenly remarked, his voice cutting through the tension.
With his feet propped up on the desk, he combed his hair back, glaring at Yamauchi with disdain.
"What? This has nothing to do with you, Kouenji!"
"I just can't stand your ugliness," Kouenji replied coldly.
"Perhaps Hikigaya's actions raised the average score, but if Sudou is at risk of expulsion, it's because he didn't study hard enough. Shifting the blame to Hikigaya is far from beautiful."
Kouenji's words left Yamauchi speechless.
"And besides, jealousy is an ugly trait," Kouenji added.
"Who—who's jealous?! Tch! It's his fault anyway!"
Yamauchi muttered before storming off.
Hikigaya watched him leave, then turned to Kouenji.
"I didn't expect you to speak up for me."
He had always seen Kouenji as self-centered, only helping others if there was something in it for him.
"I just detest ugliness," Kouenji said calmly.
"Compared to them, you're at least somewhat beautiful. Keep it that way."
"Maybe you need to get your eyes checked," Hikigaya suggested dryly.
"Haha, don't worry. My beautiful eyes are the most perfect in the world."
"Right," Hikigaya replied, though he found Kouenji's personality difficult to handle.
But… beautiful?
No one had ever called him that before. Instead of feeling flattered, it made him uncomfortable.
He knew better than anyone that the word didn't suit him.
"Excuse me, Hikigaya-kun," Horikita's voice interrupted his thoughts. She was standing at the back door of the classroom.
"Could you come with me for a moment?"
Hikigaya hesitated but followed her without asking questions. They ascended the stairs slowly, eventually arriving at the rooftop, where Ayanokouji and Chabashira-sensei stood in a tense standoff. The atmosphere was so charged it felt like a scene from a movie.
"Horikita, you managed to bring Hikigaya here," Chabashira observed, her tone suggesting she had anticipated this.
"I judged his strength was necessary," Horikita responded, glancing over at Hikigaya.
"Hikigaya-kun, how many points do you have right now?" Horikita asked, her expression serious.
Hikigaya didn't answer immediately. Instead, he posed a question of his own.
"Are you planning to use points to save Sudou?"
"...Yes," Horikita admitted after a brief pause, nodding.
"One point requires 100,000 points. Ayanokouji-kun and I don't have enough, so we need your help."
"So? You think it's my responsibility to save Sudou too?"
Hikigaya asked, his tone neutral.
If Horikita said yes, he would probably pay without further protest. After all, she was the Student Council President's sister, and he respected that connection. It would also mean that he had done his part for the president, allowing him to relax a bit in the future.
But Horikita's response was different.
"No, it's not about responsibility. It's just that you currently have the most points in the class, so you're the only one I can borrow from."
Her eyes narrowed slightly, her expression turning colder as she continued.
"And I hope you won't confuse me with Yamauchi-kun. That's truly unpleasant."
"…Sorry."
Hikigaya muttered, realizing he might have crossed a line. Her demeanor was intimidating, and it was clear that much like her brother, Horikita had a sharp edge when provoked.
It became evident to Hikigaya that the resemblance between Horikita and the president extended beyond just their relationship as siblings. Their expressions, especially when angry, were uncannily similar.
"Ayanokouji-kun and I can pool together 100,000 points, but we'll need to borrow 200,000 more from you. I can earn 90,000 points as a reward for this exam, but that won't be paid out until next month. I promise to repay the remaining 110,000 points with rewards from future exams."
Horikita's unexpected plan to repay the money took me by surprise.
In this exam, she scored full marks in every subject except English. Even without last year's exam papers, it wouldn't be difficult for her to secure that reward.
Hikigaya didn't immediately agree. Instead, he turned to Chabashira-sensei.
"Teacher, you mentioned at the start of the school year that you can buy anything with points at this school. Besides points, is there anything else that can be sold?"
"Oh? What do you mean by that?"
"An opportunity to take up for the exam again."
"Uh..."
Not only was Chabashira-sensei taken aback, but Horikita and Ayanokouji also looked at him in surprise.
"Hikigaya, your idea is interesting," Chabashira-sensei admitted, shaking her head.
"But unfortunately, a retake for even one subject costs 500,000 points, which is more expensive than buying a score."
"Oh, that's fine. I'll cover it myself," Hikigaya responded, pulling out his phone without hesitation.
Chabashira-sensei quickly stopped him. "Wait, you don't understand. The make-up exam is conducted with a separate test paper, and you'll only have a week to prepare. Sudo might not be able to pass it."
"Teacher, you're the one who doesn't understand."
Hikigaya's expression remained cold.
"Whether Sudo drops out or not doesn't concern me, but improving the class average does. I've decided to help him get another chance."
"Are you sure you want to do this?"
Chabashira asked, her voice tinged with concern.
"Of course. If he still can't pass, perhaps he should drop out early."
Without another word, Hikigaya transferred the 500,000 yen to Chabashira's account and walked away.
The three of us stood in silence for a while until Ayanokouji finally spoke.
"This isn't so bad. At least we're saving some money. You know, I'm just a poor student."
Horikita glared at him.
"Since you didn't contribute anything, Ayanokouji-kun, you'll go to Sudo-kun's room every night for a week to supervise his studies."
"Why me? I don't want to go!"
Ayanokouji protested.
"Because you don't have any friends, right? You're free at night, aren't you? Or would you prefer to tutor Sudo-kun during the day as well?"
Horikita's rapid-fire questions left Ayanokouji no room to argue, though he tried to resist.
"But—"
"No buts!"
"Wha?!"
Before Ayanokouji could protest further, Horikita delivered a metaphorical blow to his gut with her sharp words, leaving him in a state of resignation as she walked away.
Yet, even as she left, one question lingered in her mind:
——Hikigaya-kun...what kind of person is he