From an objective standpoint, Ike and Yamauchi were just two useless guys. It was hard to imagine what qualities they had that could attract any girls, let alone someone from Class C.
The idea that they could be involved with a girl from that class seemed absurd.
And as for the possibility of compensated dating? That was even more unlikely—these two had no clue about such things.
So, was Kushida lying?
...That seemed even more unlikely.
After all, she was genuinely furious.
The most likely explanation was that this was all a misunderstanding. These two idiots probably got their hands on some random photo and decided to show off.
Seriously, what were Ike and Yamauchi thinking, showing a photo like that to Kushida?
They're not protagonists of some light novel.
Even if they pulled a stunt like this, there's no way a female character would deepen her relationship with them out of jealousy.
On the contrary, given Kushida's true nature, she resembled more a killer in a horror novel... or maybe a malicious supporting character.
"Hey, Hachiman, are you even listening?" Kushida snapped.
"Yeah, yeah, I'm listening," Hikigaya sighed, realizing his earlier wariness of Kushida might have been overblown.
She wasn't capable of causing much trouble.
Back when she had suggested using fingerprints to catch him out, he had already wondered what kind of twisted thinking led her to such an absurd idea.
"Oh, by the way, here," Hikigaya said, pulling out a thick stack of A4 papers from his bag and tossing them to Kushida without any ceremony.
"Is this all study material?"
Kushida looked surprised, weighing the stack in her hands.
"I thought it would take you until tomorrow to finish this. Did you do it all by yourself?"
"More or less. I'll update it every month from now on," Hikigaya replied, not bothering to mention Shiina's involvement. There was no need to create unnecessary complications, especially given Kushida's current animosity toward Class C.
She had even called them 'bitches'...
"Even with this, I doubt I can get everyone to join the study group, and some of them have really poor foundations," Kushida started to discuss the matter seriously, her earlier anger fading.
Hikigaya wasn't concerned.
"It doesn't matter if their grades are bad. Just focus on getting about a dozen who are willing to listen. We can expand from there."
Changing the class atmosphere wasn't something that could be done overnight, but with enough people leading the way, the rest of the fence-sitters would eventually follow out of fear of being left behind.
"But you need to ensure that Yukimura Teruhiko and Wang Mei-Yu are on board," Hikigaya added.
When it came to the top students in the class, Horikita and Kouenji were too unpredictable, and not worth the effort. Especially Horikita—Hikigaya knew that suggesting this to her would only lead to an outburst from Kushida.
While Hirata was the boys' leader and had many girls admiring him, involving him in the study group could backfire. If he stayed too long, he'd overshadow Kushida, and then she'd have another person to hate.
That left Yukimura Teruhiko and Wang Mei-Yu, both excellent choices. Not only were they top students, but they also had great personalities.
Yukimura was somewhat similar to Horikita. He despised people who didn't study or had poor grades. But unlike Horikita, as a guy, Yukimura couldn't easily turn down Kushida's requests. In the past, he had even dared to argue with Hirata, but the moment Kushida intervened, he immediately backed down.
As for Wang Mei-Yu, she was Kushida's close friend, a top student from China.
"Hmph, you don't need to remind me," Kushida said smugly.
"Those two are already on my side. I convinced them yesterday, but I can't guarantee how effective the study sessions will be."
"Well, let me give you some motivation," Hikigaya said nonchalantly while taking out his phone.
Kushida's phone suddenly beeped with a notification.
She opened it and her eyes widened in shock.
"Three... three hundred thousand points?! How did you get so many points?" she exclaimed.
Even for a student from Class A, it was nearly impossible to save up to three hundred thousand points under normal circumstances, let alone someone from another class.
Hikigaya didn't answer directly.
"This should motivate you and them."
Considering how he'd acquired these points through extortion, spending them was painless.
After all, everyone in Class D is broke.
Since April, most students had been trying to save, but after two months of zero income, their points had nearly run out, and they were stuck eating the cheapest meals every day.
Now, with just a little incentive, they could be lured in easily.
Buy some snacks and drinks for the study sessions, and maybe promise karaoke afterward—there's no way they wouldn't show up.
Of course, how to handle it depends on one's abilities, but if there's anything Kushida doesn't lack, it's skill in manipulation.
"...Hikigaya, who exactly are you?"
Kushida asked, her expression complicated as she stared at him, posing the question once again.
"Why do you keep asking that? I'm just an ordinary guy," Hikigaya replied, somewhat puzzled.
"An ordinary person wouldn't come up with such a meticulous plan for revenge,"
Kushida said, her tone hesitant.
"What exactly are you trying to achieve? With the capabilities you've shown, dealing with people like Yamauchi should be a piece of cake."
From her perspective, it seemed like Hikigaya could easily control the entire class if he wanted to. His substantial personal point balance alone was proof of his absolute strength.
"Yeah, but using straightforward methods for revenge is too boring... Anyway, just keep doing your best," Hikigaya deflected, not wanting to delve into the topic any further, lest she catch on to something.
As he was about to leave, Kushida blocked his path at the door.
"Is there something else?" he asked.
"Hikigaya," Kushida murmured, her head lowered, hiding her expression. Only her quiet, somber voice could be heard.
"You haven't forgotten our agreement, have you?"
"...Of course not," Hikigaya sighed, feeling drained as he leaned against the wall.
A string of curses erupted from Kushida, her frustration palpable in the enclosed space.
Even in this situation, she still clung to their agreement...
Not even that 300,000 points could soothe her?
"Hey, Hikigaya, tell me—how could anyone believe those two losers could attract a girl? They've got to be getting played, right?" She asked, her irritation obvious.
"You mean Ike and Yamauchi... Yeah, something does seem off," Hikigaya agreed, though he had no intention of digging any deeper.
There was no need for investigation. If someone was pulling the strings behind this, there was only one person it could be.
But that wasn't Hikigaya's concern.
Let them deal with it themselves.