Hikigaya leaned back, his expression thoughtful as he addressed Horikita. "Think about it carefully, Horikita. What do you think was Hirata's biggest mistake in this whole situation?"
Horikita didn't hesitate. "He wasn't fair to everyone."
Hikigaya nodded, then shook his head. "That might seem like the issue, but that's not the root cause."
"Why not?" Horikita's brow furrowed in confusion. "Wasn't it because the girls spent more points, and Hirata-kun favored them, which led to the boys' dissatisfaction?"
"The imbalance has existed for a while now," Hikigaya replied. "If the boys truly wanted to make a fuss about fairness, they would have done so much earlier."
He paused, recalling the events. Whether it was the temporary toilet or the shower room, these were things purchased specifically for the girls. The toilet was non-negotiable—Shinohara and the others had insisted on it from the start. As for the shower, while there was a river nearby that could be used for bathing, the girls had other concerns, so a shower room was bought. These two items alone had cost forty points, whereas the boys' requests—like the pillow and small electric fan—had only totaled ten points.
"If fairness had been their true concern, the boys wouldn't have agreed to this in the first place," Hikigaya continued.
"So, what should I do?" Horikita asked, her tone tinged with uncertainty.
"It's simple. Give them fairness," Hikigaya stated.
"Wait, what?" Horikita looked even more puzzled. "Didn't you just say fairness isn't the real issue?"
"It wasn't what they wanted initially," Hikigaya explained calmly. "But now it's what they're demanding."
The solution, as Hikigaya saw it, was straightforward: give the boys an outlet and some form of reasonable compensation. If Hirata had been bolder and taken full responsibility by saying that he alone agreed to the girls' purchases, the boys might have grumbled but would ultimately have had to accept it.
After all, most of them understood how much the class relied on Hirata. Without him, Class D would be leaderless.
"So you mean…" Horikita began, but Hikigaya cut her off with a wave of his hand.
"Enough. I've given you the key points; the rest is up to you. Since you're the student council president's sister, surely you can handle this much."
Horikita's eyes flashed with annoyance. "Who says I can't do it?"
Hikigaya smirked, knowing he had struck a nerve. Mentioning her brother always seemed to light a fire in her, pushing her to prove herself. Despite her sharp intellect, Horikita often struggled with interpersonal relationships, but this flaw could also be her strength. She wasn't afraid to confront others head-on.
"How long are you going to keep arguing?" Horikita's voice rang out as she stepped into the ongoing quarrel between the boys and girls, her gaze sweeping over them with disdain.
"This pointless bickering isn't going to solve anything," she added, her tone dripping with condescension. "It's just the sort of thing I'd expect from you all."
"…What did you say?!" One of the boys snapped, stunned by Horikita's bluntness. The others glared at her, surprised at her apparent lack of concern for meditating.
Ignoring the tense atmosphere, Horikita turned her attention to Yukimura, her voice as cold as ever.
"I understand that you're unhappy with Karuizawa and the others, but the points spent aren't coming back. Dwelling on it won't change anything."
She had chosen to address Yukimura, recognizing him as one of the more rational boys, especially when it came to points.
"Hey, Horikita-san, what do you mean by being unhappy with what I did?!" Karuizawa interjected sharply, clearly feeling threatened by Horikita's interference.
"And why are you the one speaking up? Why should we listen to you?!" Karuizawa continued, her tone defensive.
"Then who do you think should speak up?" Horikita countered coolly.
"Hirata-kun!" Karuizawa retorted with a smug expression. "From now on, Hirata-kun is in charge. The rest of the boys are useless, and since they're all suspects in the underwear theft, they don't have the right to criticize us!"
"What did you say!" one of the boys shouted, his anger rising, but Horikita spoke before things could escalate further.
"Karuizawa-san, you and Shinohara-san ordered those items without informing me, yet you told Hirata-kun afterward, didn't you?"
"Y-Yeah, so what? Hirata-kun agreed to it too!"
"And that's the biggest problem," Horikita replied icily. "Hirata-kun knew about this but chose to hide it. I don't think he's qualified to mediate this situation. He's part of the problem."
"Stop spouting nonsense!" Karuizawa snapped, stepping closer to Horikita, her anger palpable.
"Why are you blaming Hirata-kun? Besides, you didn't say anything yourself!"
"Because I had no reason to," Horikita answered without hesitation, her gaze steady as she faced Karuizawa.
Horikita stood her ground, her expression calm and unyielding as she faced Karuizawa's accusations. "Hirata-kun is the leader of the boys," she stated confidently. "He was aware of the situation and should have been the one to inform the boys and manage their emotions. Unfortunately, he made the worst possible choice."
Karuizawa's temper flared instantly. "You—!" she yelled, grabbing Horikita by the collar in a sudden outburst.
"Wait, Karuizawa-san?!" someone gasped, shocked by the physical aggression. The room, which had been filled with heated arguments, fell silent, the tension escalating.
"Hey, Hirata, do something!" someone called out, desperate for Hirata to intervene and calm his girlfriend down. But Hirata remained still, seemingly oblivious to the commotion, muttering something under his breath.
His distant demeanor was unsettling, adding to the unease in the room.
"Hirata, are Karuizawa and Horikita really about to fight?" Ayanokouji suddenly appeared beside Hirata, placing a hand on his shoulder. Hirata jolted, as if snapped out of a trance, and turned his head slowly.
"…Huh?" Hirata's face was unnaturally pale, his eyes unfocused.
"Horikita is saying this is all your fault, and Karuizawa isn't taking it well," Ayanokouji continued, his voice emotionless. "I don't think you've done much wrong, but the key is how you handle this."
Hirata seemed to regain his composure under Ayanokouji's steady gaze. "Yes… yes, it's all my responsibility," he murmured, his expression becoming clearer.
With newfound resolve, Hirata stepped forward. "Karuizawa-san, please let Horikita-san go," he urged gently.
Karuizawa, desperate to voice her grievances, began to complain. "Hirata-kun! You have to listen to me! Horikita—"
"Please, could you listen to me for a moment?" Hirata interrupted, his tone soft but firm, leaving no room for argument. Karuizawa hesitated, then reluctantly let go of Horikita's collar, retreating a step.
"This is all my fault," Hirata declared, bowing deeply in apology. "I didn't stop Karuizawa and the others in time. I take full responsibility and ask for your forgiveness."
"Hirata, come on, this isn't your fault," one of the boys who was close to him said, trying to comfort him. The others exchanged uneasy glances, unsure of how to react.
The initial anger directed at Hirata began to fade, replaced by sympathy. Everyone knew that Hirata had been tirelessly working for the class since the exams began, and despite his best efforts, he couldn't control everything. His hard work and contributions were undeniable, and the class would be worse off without him.
Seeing the room gradually calm down, Horikita straightened her collar, her voice steady as she addressed the group. "Karuizawa-san used ten points privately. As compensation to the boys, I propose two solutions."
She cast a glance toward Hikigaya, who was lounging nearby, yawning and seemingly uninterested in the proceedings. Horikita's irritation was evident, but she maintained her composure. "The first option is to let the boys spend ten points as well. You can decide what to buy."
The boys exchanged confused looks, caught off guard by the proposal. A few foolishly suggested snacks and drinks but were quickly shut down by the more frugal members, led by Yukimura, who were focused on earning more class points.
While some boys were more interested in an apology from the girls for their arrogance, Horikita knew this was unrealistic and didn't bother suggesting it.
"Since you can't seem to decide, let me present the second option," Horikita continued. She pointed to a small fan on the ground. "We bought four of these fans. How about letting the boys use two of them to ventilate their tent?"
The desktop fans weren't powerful, but they could at least make the tent a bit more comfortable. After all the arguing, neither side wanted to drag the conflict out any longer, and the boys quickly agreed to this plan.
"Hmph, don't think this is over. I'll deal with you after the exam," Yukimura muttered angrily, still not satisfied.
"Who's afraid of you?" Shinohara shot back, not backing down.
"By the way, we're living separately from now on, and you boys aren't allowed anywhere near us!"
"As if I'd want to get close to you, you ugly cow!" one of the boys retorted.
"Hmph! You're the ugly one!" Shinohara snapped.
"Don't expect us to help you anymore. You won't even be able to hammer in the tent pegs!" one of the boys warned.
Realizing the situation was escalating again, Shinohara turned to Hirata for help. "Hirata-kun, please help us with the tent. It's for Karuizawa-san's sake."
Hirata hesitated but eventually agreed. "I'll help, but if I'm the only one, it will take a lot of time. Is that okay?"
"Thank you, Hirata-kun. I knew we could rely on you," Shinohara said, casting a proud glance at Karuizawa, who blushed and nodded in agreement.
"Wait, you can't just make decisions like that," Horikita interjected, her tone cold.
"What's your problem, Horikita-san? Are you not satisfied with this?" Shinohara sneered, clearly annoyed that Horikita wasn't siding with the girls.
Horikita remained unfazed. "I agree that men and women should live separately, especially since the culprit hasn't been found. It's only right to keep our distance from the boys. But one person isn't enough for the task. We need another boy to help."
Karuizawa immediately protested. "Are you kidding? None of the boys except Hirata-kun can be trusted!"
Hirata tried to mediate. "It would be easier with one more person. Is that okay, Karuizawa-san?"
After a moment of reluctance, Karuizawa nodded. "Okay, fine."
"I'll do it!" Ike and Yamauchi shouted in unison, eager to volunteer. Even Hikigaya couldn't help but roll his eyes at their enthusiasm, realizing they were trying to use this as an opportunity to get closer to the girls.
Sudo raised his hand as well. "Leave the heavy lifting to me."
"No way!" Karuizawa exclaimed, horrified. "That's like inviting a wolf into the house! Any of you could be the culprit. I won't accept it!"
"Yeah, I agree," Horikita said, surprisingly siding with Karuizawa on this point. "Considering their past behavior, none of these three can be trusted."
She looked around the room thoughtfully before her gaze settled on someone. "Ayanokouji-kun, I'm talking about you."
Ayanokouji blinked in surprise. "...What?"
Karuizawa burst out laughing. "Are you serious? He's your only friend! Who would trust someone like him?"
The other girls chimed in, casting doubts on Ayanokouji's character. "Ayanokouji-kun is probably the culprit. He was acting suspiciously this morning."
"He stayed by the campfire really late last night…"
"Isn't he the one who's been eyeing Karuizawa-san creepily?"
The murmurs of suspicion grew, with even some boys starting to look at Ayanokouji oddly, recalling his strange behavior that morning.
From somewhere in the group, a voice grumbled, "Traitor, helping the girls like that…"
The boys quickly turned their attention to Ayanokouji, their expressions a mix of jealousy and anger, especially Ike and Yamauchi, who were the most vocal.
"Ayanokouji, whose side are you on?"
"Are you Horikita's lapdog? Would you jump off a cliff if she told you to?"
"Are you even a man? Let me take your place!"
Despite Hirata being the first to agree to help, all the pressure seemed to fall on Ayanokouji. It was clear he was being singled out as the scapegoat.
In the end, Hirata managed to calm everyone down, and Horikita succeeded in convincing Karuizawa that Ayanokouji was harmless and simply lacked a strong presence.
As Ayanokouji began his work, amidst the boys' boos and the girls' suspicious glances, Hikigaya couldn't help but feel a twinge of sympathy for him. The situation was so pathetic that even Hikigaya, usually detached, couldn't ignore it.
But despite everything, Ayanokouji's nail-driving technique was undeniably impressive. Even Hikigaya had to admit that the guy knew what he was doing.