After most of the class had signed the agreement, Chabashira-sensei informed everyone that the individual points for July would be distributed the next morning. However, aside from Hikigaya, the rest of Class D was still penniless this month, as the 9,100 points would all go to Ryuen from Class C.
This revelation caused the class to direct glares at the three idiots responsible for their plight, a resentment that would likely last until graduation.
During lunch break, Hikigaya sat in the best spot, munching on some bread while reflecting on recent events.
This time, Ryuen hit the jackpot.
Not only did he manage to get 2 million points from Class B, but unless Class D completely bottomed out and its class points hit zero, he'd be able to squeeze a steady stream of points from them every month.
The compensation was supposedly for Ishizaki and the others, yet Ryuen took it all without hesitation...
It's tough luck being his underling.
By the way, the income from this contract had nothing to do with Hikigaya.
Class C currently had 502 class points, which meant each student received 50,200 personal points, of which 30,000 had to be submitted as part of the contract. For Hikigaya, this was a steady gain, totaling 1.2 million points, just like last month.
Any additional points that Class C students earned from club activities or individual rewards in exams were irrelevant to him. After all, Hikigaya's goal was to oversee Class C, not to treat them like ATMs. In future class confrontations, personal points would play a crucial role.
Class C already had a shaky foundation, and with at least half of their monthly points being siphoned off by Hikigaya, they were in a precarious position. However, Ryuuen had his ways to mitigate these losses, which wasn't necessarily a bad thing for Hikigaya.
Through this scheme, Class D's disadvantage had also deepened, which was satisfying in its own way.
Unfortunately, aside from this small victory, Hikigaya now faced two additional challenges.
First, the issue with the student council. Horikita Manabu had always kept Hikigaya from interacting with other members, but the unexpected encounter with Nagumo this morning had rendered that strategy ineffective.
Fortunately, Hikigaya had managed to deflect the situation, so he didn't have to worry about immediate trouble from Nagumo. However, this wasn't a long-term solution—he still needed to find a shield, or better yet, a helper.
"I'll find a chance to discuss this with the president in a few days."
"Discuss what?" a voice interrupted.
"Discuss... Hey, that's enough," Hikigaya snapped back, realizing someone had intruded on his thoughts. He turned to see the uninvited guest beside him.
"Ichinose, could you please not sneak up on me like that every time? You scared me last time too."
"Oops, sorry! I didn't mean to," Ichinose said with an apologetic smile.
"What do you mean you didn't mean to... Oh, forget it."
Looking at the strawberry blonde girl beaming at him, Hikigaya sighed in resignation.
This spot needs to change!
"So, why did you invade my sacred space?" he asked sarcastically.
"What sacred space?" Ichinose looked around in surprise.
"There's no sign with Hikigaya-kun's name on it, so anyone can come here... Wait, don't go! I have something to talk to you about!"
As Hikigaya started to walk away, Ichinose hurriedly blocked his path.
"I know what you want to talk about—it's just about what happened last time, right?"
"...Yes," Ichinose nodded slightly, her expression clouded with guilt, which gave Hikigaya a headache.
It seemed the incident had left a deeper scar on her than he'd thought.
"Ichinose, the two million points didn't belong to you alone, did they?"
Hikigaya decided to address the issue head-on.
"If I'm not mistaken, everyone in your class must have pooled their points together, and you were managing them as class funds, right?"
It was difficult for any individual to control a large sum of class points. Even Ryuuen would struggle to forcibly take points from his classmates without causing widespread resistance. But Class B was different—they truly trusted Ichinose. This was a strategy only Class B could employ.
As expected, Ichinose lowered her head and smiled bitterly.
"Hikigaya-kun is really amazing. You figured it out right away... Everyone trusts me so much, but I..."
"I told you before, don't dwell on a failure," Hikigaya interrupted.
"Although I may be meddling in your business, I still want to ask—have you told anyone in your class about what happened that day?"
"I... I only had time to contact a few of my classmates," Ichinose admitted, lowering her head even further. "I plan to confess everything at the class meeting this afternoon and ask for everyone's forgiveness."
"But is that the best course of action?" Hikigaya questioned.
"Yes," Ichinose nodded firmly.
"I don't care how they decide to punish me, even if it means stepping down as class leader. I'll accept it all."
"...Fool," Hikigaya muttered. Although he admired Ichinose's character, she was not a qualified leader. Unfortunately, there was no better candidate in Class B at the moment.
"Do you remember what I told you last time we were here?" Hikigaya asked.
"...How could I forget?" Ichinose's voice was tinged with bitterness.
"Even though Hikigaya-kun advised me not to get involved, I... it's too late to regret now. I can only accept this lesson."
In the end, she forced a smile, trying to hide her despair.
What an idiot... Hikigaya sighed.
"Let me ask you first, what are the attitudes of the other committee members in your class about this?"
"They... they asked me to keep it a secret from everyone," Ichinose finally admitted, though it was clear she didn't think it was the best idea.
"Have you ever wondered why they asked you to keep it secret?" Hikigaya pressed.
"Do you remember why I told you not to interfere? As the class leader, your actions should always prioritize the class's interests. But now, you're making the same mistake again."
In reality, Ichinose hadn't made a significant error this time—she had just overextended herself. If she had wanted to help Class D, she could have simply lent points to Horikita to buy surveillance cameras without getting personally involved. In that scenario, even if the plan failed, Ryuuen could only blackmail Class D, leaving Class B completely out of the situation.
They could have even used Class D's hostility towards Class C to strengthen their strategic position.
But Ichinose's involvement had ruined all of that.
"Will confessing your mistake to the entire class bring any benefits, other than making you feel better?" Hikigaya asked pointedly.
Ichinose opened her mouth but couldn't answer for a long time.
"But... but... I did something wrong... If I did something wrong, I should be punished," she hesitated.
"Maybe that's how the world works, but I don't think so—not when you were acting to help others."
With that, Hikigaya took out his phone and handed it to Ichinose.
"Come to think of it, we haven't exchanged numbers yet. Register yours. I'm not great at this."
"Huh? Ah... okay," Ichinose replied, slightly confused by his sudden change in tone, but she quickly registered her number.
"Here, it's done," she said, handing the phone back.
"Thanks."
Hikigaya took the phone and sent a message.
"Check if you received it."
"Huh? What did I receive... wait, what?!"
Ichinose's phone beeped, and she opened it to find a shocking message.
"Hikigaya-kun, what is this?!"
"That's a million points—compensation for you," Hikigaya said calmly.
"Even though I'm not interested in class struggles, you were helping our class, so it's only fair that you don't bear all the losses alone."
"No, I helped voluntarily!" Ichinose quickly shook her head in refusal.
"Then consider this my contribution."
"But... this isn't right!" Ichinose stammered, wanting to transfer the points back immediately, but Hikigaya grabbed her phone.
"Don't be hasty. Listen to me," Hikigaya said, looking her in the eyes.
"Even with this million, there's still another million left to cover. We need to figure out how to make it up."
"...Make it up?" Ichinose repeated blankly.
"Yes. I told you before, if you want to atone for your mistakes, continue contributing to the class. Everything else is secondary."
Seeing that Ichinose had lowered her head and wasn't arguing anymore, Hikigaya knew he was right. When it came to the class's interests, Ichinose was willing to sacrifice herself or even go against her principles.
This girl is too naive.
"The next special exam is on an uninhabited island."
"...Huh?"
Ignoring Ichinose's surprised expression, Hikigaya continued, "Just tell your class that you bought this information for one million points and also found a helper. That person will assist you in the exam."
"You mean... no way?" Ichinose looked at him in disbelief.
Hikigaya simply smiled.
"Yes, that person is me. I'll do my best to help Class B in the next special exam."
Hikigaya had already planned for this, especially after meeting Nagumo earlier that morning. To prevent Nagumo from interfering with the first years, preparations had to start immediately.
Among the four first-year classes, Class D was out of the question, Ryuuen from Class C would likely resist Nagumo, and Sakayanagi and Katsuragi from Class A had their issues.
The only potential target for Nagumo was Ichinose from Class B.
Hikigaya's task now was to ensure that Ichinose matured quickly and learned how to be a competent class leader.