The two-week "luxurious" cruise trip has come to an end.
Before the summer vacation began, most students thought these two weeks would be for fun and relaxation. However, two special exams were held, leaving many of them exhausted.
But at this moment, no one harbors any complaints anymore.
Or, more accurately, the results of these two special exams were so shocking that everyone's attention has been diverted.
In fact, not only the first-year students but also the senior students are inquiring about what happened.
After all, the original Class 1-A was hailed as the strongest A class in history, yet no one expected that before the second semester even began, they would drop down to Class C, shocking everyone.
Back at the dormitory, Hachiman was packing his luggage while pondering why Horikita Manabu had summoned him.
He didn't think it was merely for student council work; after all, it's the summer vacation, and there's no need to rush.
It's probably to inquire about the recent special exams and to discuss something about Nagumo Miyabi.
Before the trip, Hachiman had mentioned to Horikita that he had a brief encounter with Nagumo, though at that time, the student council president didn't show much reaction and only said that he would introduce someone to Hachiman during the summer vacation.
It seems that this meeting is meant for that.
"Ugh… I don't want to work."
Hachiman sighed as he collapsed onto his bed.
Honestly, even though Nagumo seemed somewhat annoying, what did it have to do with him?
As long as everyone minds their own business, Hachiman had no intention of provoking his senior. Even though he owed the president a favor, he'd rather be a babysitter for Horikita Suzune… no, maybe he should reconsider.
"Oh right, there's something I haven't done yet."
Hachiman suddenly remembered that he hadn't contacted Ibuki.
Initially, he just had some doubts about whether what Manabe and her group did had anything to do with the Rabbit Group, but now he wasn't so sure.
After all, from the results, it seemed that the members of Class C in the Rabbit Group were just playing around.
...Well, anyway, free labor is still labor, so it's best to use it.
With that thought in mind, Hachiman picked up his phone and sent a message to Ibuki.
Hachiman: [Are you satisfied with the results this time?]
Hachiman: [B-Class Ibuki]
Soon, a message came from the other side.
Ibuki: [I'll contact you later.]
It seems she doesn't intend to withdraw from their deal. That's no surprise; Ibuki is the type who has too much pride to tell a lie.
After resting in his room for a while and then having lunch outside, Hachiman changed into his school uniform and headed to the student council office. He knocked on the door.
"Excuse me."
After receiving permission, Hachiman pushed the door open and walked in. As always, Horikita Manabu was sitting at the central desk.
However, standing beside him was not Tachibana Akane, but another black-haired boy wearing glasses.
This was quite rare, especially during work hours, where Tachibana was almost always with Horikita Manabu wherever he went.
One could say that she was practically the president's shadow, to the point where even Hachiman had felt her jealousy at times.
...She'd probably get along well with Horikita Suzune.
"Hachiman, it's been a while."
Horikita Manabu nodded at him before glancing at the boy beside him.
"Let me introduce you. This is Kiriyama Ikuto from Class 2-B, currently serving as the student council's treasurer."
"Kiriyama-senpai, pleased to meet you."
Hachiman bowed his head in greeting. He had already seen this person in the student council files.
Originally, Kiriyama was assigned to Class 1-A, but within a year, they were defeated by Nagumo's Class 1-B.
Currently, the points gap between the two classes is quite large, making it hard to reverse the situation.
"I'm sure you can guess why I called you here."
Horikita Manabu wasn't one for small talk; he got straight to the point.
"You've already spoken with Nagumo once. I'd like to hear your impression of him."
"...He's a very capable senior."
After thinking for a moment, Hachiman decided to give a cautious answer.
"Indeed." Horikita Manabu nodded slightly. "But it's precisely because Nagumo is so powerful that the damage he could cause would be greater. He's trying to reform the school, to make it more focused on individual abilities, and he wants to abolish exams that assess class cohesion."
"...What?"
Hachiman was stunned for a moment.
Abolishing exams that assess cohesion?
That sounds… pretty good.
Horikita Manabu continued, "I can understand Nagumo's emphasis on individual ability, but he wants to create exams that would lead to more students dropping out. While there have already been students who couldn't keep up with the curriculum and were expelled, once Nagumo takes over, the number of dropouts next year might be unprecedented."
"I see…"
Now Hachiman understood why Horikita Manabu was so keen on stopping Nagumo.
If students were expelled because they couldn't keep up with their studies, that would be one thing. But Nagumo's proposed reforms seemed akin to a corporate-style last-place elimination system, which would be too harsh for high school students.
With Horikita Manabu's abilities, he naturally didn't have to worry about being eliminated.
But although he appeared cold on the surface, he was a kind person deep down, someone who hated unnecessary conflict.
It seemed Nagumo had repeatedly challenged Horikita Manabu, but each time, the president refused. The second-year students said it was because Horikita Manabu was afraid of Nagumo, but that wasn't the case.
He was just worried that their conflict would drag others into it, causing unnecessary casualties.
So, no matter how exaggerated the rumors became, Horikita Manabu wouldn't respond, letting others slander him all they wanted.
"Hachiman, do you remember the first time we met?"
Horikita Manabu suddenly brought up the past, even though it hadn't been that long. Yet, it felt like a long time had passed.
"Before you even enrolled, I had already inquired about the new students from the teachers. And since you immediately picked up on the hidden meaning in my words, I judged that you could stop Nagumo, which is why I invited you to join the student council."
Hachiman suddenly understood.
No wonder Horikita Manabu happened to be behind him when he was on the phone with Yukinoshita Haruno.
It wasn't just an unlucky coincidence; it was simply bad luck.
Unfortunately, if the president had learned about Hachiman's past from the teachers and thought he was the right person for the job… that would be a complete misjudgment.
He wasn't the type of person who would go out of his way to uphold justice.
"President, there's something I don't understand." Hachiman couldn't help but ask, "What makes you think I have this ability? After all, I'm from Class 1-D, and my grades are just average."
Horikita Manabu didn't refute him, only responding with a cryptic remark.
"Hachiman, regarding the two recent special exams for the first-year students, the student council has already received the results."
"Oh, you're well-informed."
That's more than well-informed—it had only been a morning since the exams.
Hachiman even suspected that the president had received the information last night.
"I'll ask you directly." Horikita Manabu stared at him intently. "How much of the outcome of these two exams was influenced by you?"
"Uh…" Hachiman couldn't help but sigh inwardly.
As expected of the president, he started spouting nonsense right away.
The original Class 1-B and Class 1-C had defeated the original Class 1-A and had both been promoted.
At first glance, what could this have to do with a mere Class 1-D student?
But from Horikita Manabu's attitude, it seemed he had already decided that Hachiman was somehow involved in all of this.
It was simply unreasonable!
"President, I only did some insignificant work, nothing much."
At least on the surface, it appeared that Hachiman had only found the leader of the original Class 1-A during the deserted island exam; nothing else was his doing.
In the end, people might just think that some students from Class 1-D got lucky.
It wouldn't be surprising!
After all, Hachiman didn't believe that the students from the original Class 1-A would voluntarily reveal the contract; that would only further tarnish their reputation for the entire year or even the school.
At least, it wasn't information that could be uncovered in a short time.
"And besides me, isn't there someone else in Class 1-D who's more worthy of your attention?"
"…Are you referring to Ayanokouji?"
"Yeah, the guy who nearly beat you up—Ayanokouji Kiyotaka."
Upon hearing this, Kiriyama, who had been silently listening, couldn't help but be moved, subconsciously glancing at Horikita Manabu.
However, Hachiman wasn't exaggerating.
If Ayanokouji had been serious that night, the president wouldn't have stood a chance.
It was a fact.
Horikita Manabu didn't pick up on that comment. Instead, he remained deep in thought, replying, "Ayanokouji did indeed deceive other classes on the deserted island. On the surface, it seemed like it was Suzune's doing, but in the end, the leader's name turned out to be Ayanokouji. Given Suzune's intellect, she wouldn't have come up with that idea… though the operation wasn't particularly successful."
"W-Well, that's all Horikita's fault! She didn't cooperate properly with Ayanokouji, which led to the ultimate failure."
"Oh… but what about the exam on the cruise? The Rabbit Group's special treatment, should have been uncovered by the current A-class leader, Ichinose, right?"
"No, that's not true!"
Hikigaya was taken aback by the extent of Horikita's knowledge. Just how much power did the student council president hold?
To prevent Horikita from losing faith in Ayanokouji, Hikigaya quickly intervened. "The Rabbit Group's operation was devised by your sister, Horikita, and she insisted on Ayanokouji's cooperation. Otherwise, it wouldn't have been exposed."
"I see… If it was Suzune, then it makes sense."
Horikita Manabu spoke without hesitation, disparaging his sister—an act that was nothing short of a disgrace for an older brother.
By the way… my apologies, Horikita Suzune!
In his mind, Hikigaya silently offered an apology to Horikita Suzune. There was no choice; for the sake of the masterpiece's reputation, a small sacrifice was necessary.
"Anyway, Ayanokouji's hidden abilities and physical prowess are top-notch. You're more than aware of this, right, senpai?" Hikigaya decided to speak fairly, "If you're looking to cultivate a force that can stand up to Nagumo-senpai, my first recommendation is still Ayanokouji—the strongest."
That was close. He almost let it slip.
"Yes."
On this point, Horikita Manabu finally conceded. He then looked thoughtfully at Hikigaya. "I assume you understand the difficulty involved."
"Of course. But as long as someone is willing to cooperate, that's what matters."
"…Understood."
Kiriyama glanced curiously at Hikigaya and Horikita, puzzled by their cryptic exchange.
"Well then, that's all for today."
"Really?!"
Just when Hikigaya thought he was off the hook, Horikita added, "In a couple of days, Kiriyama will be supervising the basketball team's outing. Tomorrow, we need to register the participating members. Hikigaya, you should come along and help with the recording."
"…Oh."
So, it turns out there's still work to be done. Well, that's fine.
At least senpai has agreed to help drag Ayanokouji into the mix, which eased Hikigaya's mind considerably.
To be fair, Nagumo's proposed reforms were quite appealing to some. This school had many capable students who were relegated to lower classes due to other shortcomings. For such students, having less competent classmates was merely a burden.
Once Nagumo became the student council president, he would likely gain considerable support among the first-years.
Hikigaya didn't believe he could easily oppose this on his own. More importantly, it was far too troublesome; hiding behind Ayanokouji was much easier.
As he left the student council office, barely taking a few steps outside, Kiriyama suddenly caught up with him from behind.
"Can we chat while we walk?"
"Of course."
Hikigaya nodded in agreement.
Senpai must have arranged for him to assist Kiriyama tomorrow to foster a better relationship between them. Given the day's events, Kiriyama seemed to be one of Horikita's designated aides. Moreover, he was a second-year from the former A class, likely harboring some resentment toward Nagumo, who had defeated him.
Although Hikigaya wasn't sure how useful Kiriyama would be, a conversation wouldn't hurt.
They walked side by side until Kiriyama spoke up.
"I never got along with Nagumo. I joined the student council because I admired Senior Horikita. As a former senior from A class… well, not that it matters now."
"…It's clear that you hold senpai in high regard, Kiriyama."
Hikigaya considered mentioning the brilliant white-haired first-year who had fallen to Class C but decided against it.
"By the way, since you were placed in A class when you enrolled, your overall abilities must be quite high, right?"
"No, in our class, there was only one person whose overall abilities could rival Nagumo's."
At this point, Kiriyama gave a dry chuckle.
"But the woman is a complete eccentric who refuses to support the class, which led to our constant losses. Now, almost everyone in the class has succumbed to Nagumo's control. It's quite pathetic, isn't it?"
…Indeed, it was pathetic.
But not because of the loss itself; rather, the fact that they attributed their failures to a single student's refusal to cooperate was laughable.
Given this person's way of thinking, Hikigaya suspected he wouldn't be much help.