Rushing forward, Hikigaya saw Yahiko and other members of the Katsuragi faction surrounding Kamuro.
"Kamuro, it was you and Hashimoto who leaked the class's information!" someone accused.
"I don't know what you're talking about," Kamuro replied coldly. "Now move aside."
"You're not leaving until you explain yourself!" another student demanded.
Hikigaya sighed inwardly. Since he had witnessed the entire situation, he couldn't simply ignore it.
Kamuro's suspicion likely stemmed from his recent association with Hikigaya. The previous night's sight of the two of them together had clearly fueled the rumors.
"Hey, everyone in Class B," Hikigaya called out, "It's fine to block the corridor, but let's not harass our classmates in public."
"Hikigaya! How dare you show up!"
Yahiko's eyes blazed with anger as he saw Hikigaya appear. The other members of the Katsuragi faction glared at him with equal hostility. Kamuro, however, managed a fleeting smile before quickly suppressing it.
"Strange," Hikigaya said with a smirk, "Why shouldn't I be here?"
His words carried a sharp edge, reminiscent of their earlier encounters. The memory of Yahiko's bravado on the deck before the exam came to mind.
"Yahiko," Hikigaya continued, "You claimed that Class A was so elite that no other class had the right to approach you. But now that you've been demoted to Class B, according to your logic, you shouldn't have any authority over me anymore, right?"
Hikigaya's words struck a nerve, hitting closer to home than he intended. The humiliation on their faces was evident—they took their Class A status very seriously.
"It's amusing," Hikigaya said, barely concealing his amusement.
"Why are you so arrogant? Regardless of the situation, you're still from Class D!" Yahiko's face turned red with a mix of anger and frustration.
"Some people are so clueless they're beyond redemption," Hikigaya said, shaking his head with mock pity. "Totsuka Yahiko, your presence here perfectly illustrates how ridiculous this class division system is."
"Shut up, you bastard!" Yahiko shouted, his voice trembling.
Just then, a commanding voice interrupted them. "Yahiko, don't let him provoke you!"
Hikigaya turned with a smirk, his eyes landing on Katsuragi. "Ah, I see we have a new guest—the biggest loser of this exam, Katsuragi from Class B. Are you here to pass the buck too?"
"What did you just say?" Yahiko demanded, his eyes narrowing dangerously.
"Yahiko, be quiet!" Katsuragi ordered sharply, silencing his ally.
Yahiko shrank back, his defiance fading as he took a few steps back, clearly intimidated by Katsuragi's authority.
"Hikigaya, I admit defeat this time," Katsuragi said, his gaze shifting to Hikigaya. "But don't provoke my friends too much. This isn't the behavior expected from a student council member."
"Your understanding of the student council is flawed," Hikigaya replied coolly. "But I'm just here to remind your friends not to make baseless accusations."
"That's absurd! How could this be considered injustice?" Yahiko screamed, his frustration reaching its peak.
"Stop pretending!" Hikigaya retorted.
"It's clear that you, Kamuro, and Hashimoto colluded to frame Class A. Otherwise, how would the leader's location have been discovered?" Yahiko's stubbornness was evident; he had already convinced himself that there was a traitor among them. Even though Hashimoto had not been entirely innocent, Kamuro had been completely blameless—she hadn't given Hikigaya any information and had even caused problems for Class D.
Hikigaya had no intention of involving Kamuro in any trouble.
"Unfortunately, I had hoped to save you some face," Hikigaya said with a sigh. He cleared his throat and continued, "If I recall correctly, it started with… 'Katsuragi-san, please watch your step,' doesn't that ring a bell?"
The crowd fell silent, stunned. Katsuragi and Yahiko exchanged confused glances, recognition dawning slowly.
"The next part was 'I'm fine, go check around,' right, Katsuragi?"
A flicker of realization crossed Katsuragi's face, making his expression freeze.
"And then, 'The result of this exam will leave Sakayanagi speechless.'" Hikigaya continued, his tone growing more mocking. "And someone planned to find an opportunity to teach me a lesson… Yahiko Totsuka from Class B."
Yahiko's face paled as the pieces fell into place. "No way… how did you…?"
"It seems you've finally recalled," Hikigaya said with a slight smile, his gaze full of derision.
"Before even reaching the island, I discovered the small hut at the bottom of the cliff. Not only did I find it, but I saw that Katsuragi had noticed it as well, so I set up an ambush. I didn't expect you to come right to me."
Everyone was speechless. Hashimoto was the first to break the silence. "So, you saw through our captain's plan on the very first day?"
"Yes," Hikigaya replied, his gaze sweeping over Katsuragi's faction.
"From the moment you landed, you were already defeated. All your efforts over the past week, running around and occupying strongholds, were in vain."
"That can't be true…" Katsuragi murmured, disbelief evident in his voice.
Hikigaya pressed. "I even informed the other three classes about this. They're all laughing at you behind your backs."
Hikigaya let out a sigh, his expression turning almost pitying. "Now you see? It was these two idiots who cost you 150 class points. You should blame your own incompetence, the former elite of Class A."
As his words settled, the members of Katsuragi's faction turned on each other.
"Are you kidding me?" one of them yelled at Katsuragi and Yahiko.
"Why were we discovered?!"
"Katsuragi, you're useless! I thought you were a better leader than Sakayanagi!"
"And you, Totsuka! Your rule-breaking has led us into trouble! You're a curse to the class!"
Now, not only were there two factions within the former Class A, but even the Katsuragi faction was turning against itself.
Watching this unfold, Hikigaya couldn't help but shake his head in resignation. "Ah, humans are such ugly creatures."
"Stop right there," Hashimoto said, his tone withdrawing. "You're the last person who should be making judgments. You're terrifying… It's bad luck to be your enemy. I even start to feel sympathy for the Katsuragi faction."
"What are you talking about?" Hikigaya responded, his tone light. "I'm merely doing my part to unite your class."
Even if factions within a class were at odds, a common enemy could temporarily bring them together. Hikigaya had learned this lesson long ago.
Although this common enemy was a bit unconventional, achieving the goal was what mattered.
Perhaps Sakayanagi would even thank him for this.
As Hikigaya pondered this, he noticed Kamuro staring at him intently.
"Hey… why is she looking at me like that?"