It took a considerable amount of effort for Katsuragi to finally bring the Class A students to silence. For a moment, it seemed like an all-out argument might break out between the two sides.
"Hikigaya, don't you think this is going too far?" Katsuragi's gaze locked onto him, his voice steady but laced with tension. "Even if you submit this so-called evidence to the school, the signs point to this being a trap you've set up. The school might not side with you."
"Yeah, that's possible."
Hikigaya's tone was casual, but his confidence was unshaken. He knew this school's tendencies all too well. When the time came, it would be Class A that would face disqualification, not him.
Deep down, Katsuragi probably understood this too. But he couldn't let go of his last hope. He was trying to corner Hikigaya into making some sort of concession through this verbal confrontation.
Unfortunately for him, Hikigaya had no intention of following Katsuragi's script.
"I've already said it, haven't I? I'm going to report everything to Mashima-sensei and let the school decide. It was you who decided to stop me, wasn't it?" Hikigaya's voice was sincere, almost too sincere.
"Uh…"
Katsuragi fell silent, the words catching in his throat. He couldn't risk it. But still, he wasn't ready to give up.
"No matter what, 50,000 personal points per month is an unacceptable number."
Hikigaya almost laughed at the absurdity. How could these people be so alike? Each one trying to put up a front when their weaknesses had already been exposed.
"Is that so? Then let's do some math." Hikigaya's tone turned sharp. "First off, your deal with Ryūen saved your class all 270 of your initial points, right?"
"How do you know about that?!"
Katsuragi's eyes widened in shock. He had taken great care to keep this secret, choosing a well-hidden cave as his base and blocking the entrance to ensure no one would discover it.
At that moment, Yahiko, standing nearby, suddenly shouted, "Of course! Kamuro must have told him! These two are working together!"
Instantly, all eyes in Class A turned to Kamuro, who looked completely indifferent to the accusation.
"Ugh, this is why I can't stand idiots like you," Hikigaya sighed in exasperation. "I was trying to save some face for your leader… Forget it. Katsuragi, you found out about Class D's captain from Ryūen a few hours ago, and you saw the keycard with your own eyes, didn't you?"
"…Ah!"
A look of realization washed over Katsuragi's face, but it was too late.
"You were glancing around nervously the entire time. Did you think you could spot me? I've known all about your dirty little dealings with Ryūen since day one. You lost the student council election, so you had no choice but to strike a deal with someone like him… But, hey, you're not as uptight as you look."
Hikigaya's words left not only Katsuragi but the entire Class A speechless. How could this outsider know more about their affairs than they did?
"Now, let's continue with the math." Hikigaya's voice was cool as he resumed. "270 points plus 50, that makes 320 points. Then there's the bonus for securing the stronghold… I'll be generous and say 200 points. So in total, you have 550 points."
Katsuragi was at a loss for words. His calculations hadn't yielded a figure much different from this.
"In conclusion, 50,000 points is a fair price. If you withdraw now, you'll only lose more."
Hikigaya wasn't worried that Katsuragi would refuse the deal. Class A was already paying 800,000 points a month to that rascal Ryūen. No matter the outcome, they couldn't escape that debt. Katsuragi had no choice but to go all in. If he backed out now, not only would Class A gain nothing from the exam, they'd end up in the red.
Hikigaya knew Katsuragi couldn't accept such a result. But Katsuragi wasn't his real target.
"Wait, Hikigaya! The only one at fault here is Yahiko from Katsuragi's faction. It's only fair that they're the ones to be penalized, right?"
A student from Sakayanagi's faction stepped forward, sparking a wave of protests from his side.
"Yeah, this has nothing to do with us!"
"I won't accept this! Besides, aren't you friends with Sakayanagi?"
It was clear that most of Sakayanagi's faction would rather forfeit the exam than pay the points. After all, it was a good opportunity to bring Katsuragi down, so they wouldn't lose much.
"Don't be ridiculous! Haven't you heard of collective responsibility?"
"Exactly! This is the whole class's responsibility!"
In contrast, Katsuragi's faction seemed more willing to pay up. Even though it was a significant sum, if they could achieve enough in the exam, Katsuragi could maintain his position. Personal points and class points had different values, and if they could secure 500 class points, losing a few personal points was a small price to pay.
"Alright, enough! All this arguing is giving me a headache," Hikigaya waved his hand dismissively. "But now that you mention it, someone reminded me that I'm friends with Sakayanagi… So how about this, Sakayanagi's faction doesn't have to pay."
"What?!"
Katsuragi's faction erupted in anger, glaring at him with murderous intent.
"This is unfair!"
"Sakayanagi is in cahoots with you!"
"She doesn't deserve to lead Class A!"
While Katsuragi's faction seethed with rage, Sakayanagi's followers remained calm, their gazes toward Hikigaya growing friendlier. From their perspective, this arrangement punished Katsuragi's group while still allowing Class A to benefit greatly, so they had no reason to oppose it.
As for the neutral faction, their numbers were too small to have any real influence.
"Why are you all shouting? Blame him!" Hikigaya suddenly pointed at Yahiko, the fool who dared to desecrate the archangel's name.
"He thought he could act all high and mighty just because he's from Class A. He got what he deserved."
"You…!" Yahiko started to protest, but his words died in his throat. Whether they were from Sakayanagi's faction or Katsuragi's, the majority of students in the room glared at him with hostility. Even Katsuragi couldn't protect him anymore.
It was clear that Yahiko no longer had a place in his class.
In the end, all but 18 of Sakayanagi's followers signed the contract under Mashima's supervision, agreeing to pay Hikigaya 50,000 personal points each month. In return, Hikigaya deleted the photos on his camera.
The rewards from the sixth day on the deserted island, combined with what he got from Ryūen, totaled 1.4 million points per month. Not a bad haul for what seemed like busy work.
As Hikigaya watched the looks of humiliation on the faces of the Class A students, he couldn't help but smirk.
The real humiliation?
That would come tomorrow.