MTLNOVEL Chapter 305: Self-Deception
With a relaxed mind, Hikigaya sent a message to Horikita-senpai, sharing his thoughts.
Horikita Manabu was a smart person—there was no need for him to believe it 100%. Just giving him a heads-up in advance should be enough.
Meanwhile, after giving the students sufficient warnings, Chabashira-sensei finally began to talk about the rewards for this exam.
"The top three groups with the highest average scores will receive both personal and class points, while the bottom three will face deductions. The details are all in the provided materials."
The first-place students would each receive 10,000 personal points and 3 class points, the second-place students 5,000 personal points and 1 class point, and the third-place students only 3,000 personal points.
Compared to these rewards, the penalties were much harsher.
The fourth-place group would lose 5,000 personal points, the fifth-place group would lose 10,000 personal points along with 3 class points, and the last-place group would be hit with a staggering loss of 20,000 personal points and 5 class points.
"By the way, it's not just class points—if you don't have enough personal points to cover the deductions, the deficit will accumulate as debt. So don't think you can get away just because you're broke."
A chorus of wails erupted inside the train car.
For the perpetually cash-strapped Class D, this was undoubtedly a crushing burden.
"Don't start whining just yet. Let me finish." Chabashira-sensei smirked, as if enjoying the students' reactions. "I mentioned earlier that having students from other classes in your group has its benefits. If a group consists of multiple class members, the rewards are multiplied accordingly. The total number of students in a group also affects the multiplier, but this only applies when earning points, not deductions."
According to the materials, if a group was formed from two different classes, the rewards remained the same. However, if it included three classes, both personal and class points would be doubled. With four classes, the rewards would be tripled. Additionally, the total group size altered the multiplier—nine members would receive 0.9x the rewards, while a full fifteen-member group would receive 1.5x the rewards.
For the first-year students, there were 79 boys and 80 girls.
Theoretically, the maximum reward for the boys' side would be achieved with a 14-member group from four different classes. That would amount to:
3×3×1.4 → Rounded, each student would receive 13 class points and 42,000 personal points.
As for the girls' side… well, Hikigaya couldn't be bothered to calculate. It wasn't like he was a girl, anyway.
"One last thing—students in the same class as the group leader will have their rewards doubled."
"...Did you say double?"
Horikita, who had been listening attentively, couldn't hide her surprise.
"That's right." Chabashira nodded. "To maximize rewards in this exam, the ideal setup would be a 14-member group with 11 students from Class D and one student from each of the other three classes. For the girls, it would be 12 plus three. And if both sides managed to secure first place..."
"W-What would happen?"
Yamauchi, whose brain cells were already overheating, panted excitedly.
"The personal points earned would be 924,000 for the boys and 1,080,000 for the girls. The class points would be 286 and 336, respectively—totaling 622 class points."
"Six hundred twenty-two?!"
An absurdly high number that sent a wave of shock through the students. If they managed to win, it would dramatically shake up the class rankings.
That being said, Hikigaya couldn't help but feel that the number wasn't all that impressive. Especially the personal points—No, no, he needed to stay humble.
But even though Chabashira-sensei made it sound tempting, this was practically impossible.
The main issue was that, regardless of gender, there just weren't enough reliable students in Class D. Finding a dozen competent members was a pipe dream.
And if they ended up in last place, the penalties would be devastating.
However, if they could find some higher-year students to carry them, the outcome might be different...
For now, aiming for a "nobody gets expelled" scenario seemed like the safest bet.
Considering the nature of his classmates, very few would be willing to take on the leadership role.
Even with the tempting rewards, the risk of expulsion was too high. They'd probably settle it with rock-paper-scissors or a lottery.
"This concludes the exam briefing. If you have any questions, feel free to ask."
But no one spoke up immediately—most of the details were already covered in the materials.
Seeing the silence, Hirata raised his hand.
"Sensei, since it seems like no one has any immediate questions, may I borrow the microphone for a moment?"
"Of course, go ahead."
Chabashira placed the microphone down and took a seat.
Hirata stepped forward, picked it up, and addressed the class.
"Before we begin this exam, there's something I'd like to discuss—how we should distribute the rewards. If everyone agrees, I'd like to suggest that we evenly split the personal points among all members. Since we don't know which groups will rank high or low, I believe this would help alleviate the burden for those who end up in the bottom three."
Sharing the risk as a class would reduce individual losses.
Logically, most people should agree with this.
However—
"Haha..."
A chuckle came from Chabashira-sensei.
"It seems you all still see personal points as simple pocket money… Very well, let me give you some advice."
"...Advice?" Hirata immediately grew wary. "Are you talking about saving up 20 million points to transfer classes? Or something about emergency relief?"
"Neither. What I mean is that personal points can be used in various ways. Even a single extra point can sometimes make the difference between survival and failure. So blindly sharing everything equally isn't necessarily the right approach."
While there was some truth to her words, it was obvious that Chabashira was intentionally sowing discord.
"Let me give you an example. Suppose Hikigaya commits a violation and must pay a 1,000,000-point fine, or else he'll be expelled. But at that moment, point transfers are not allowed—he must pay it immediately."
Hikigaya: ???
What the hell? Why did this corrupt teacher have to use him as an example?!
"So, if you had already distributed all your points, there would be no way to save him. And even if others wanted to help, they might hesitate, knowing they could be the next ones in danger. In the end, the only one who can protect you… is yourself."
Chabashira's speech painted sharing points as a bad idea.
For capable students, this might hold—but for Class D as a whole, it wasn't necessarily the case.
"People who put in effort should be rewarded. That's how society works. But in the real world, how many people split their salaries and bonuses equally with their colleagues?"
Her logic was sound, but not always applicable.
What Class D lacked the most right now was unity.
In an exam that required teamwork, pooling rewards and sharing risks was one of the best ways to foster a sense of camaraderie.
This teacher was trying to sabotage their class.
Of course, it was also possible that the school was deliberately testing their social skills.
Beyond just interacting with upperclassmen, the real challenge was how they treated their classmates.
Hopefully, Hirata wouldn't fall into this trap.
"Let's take a vote," he said. "This won't be a final decision—I just want to see where everyone stands. If you think sharing rewards in future special exams is a good idea, please raise your hand. You can always change your mind later."
Hirata raised his hand first.
Unfortunately, hesitation filled the air. In the end, only a handful of students raised their hands—mostly girls.
...If Hirata wasn't good-looking, he probably wouldn't even have this many supporters.
The results were clear: most of Class D didn't want to share.
Idiots.
Did they seriously think they had what it took to secure first place?
Luck wasn't a strategy.
Hikigaya sighed and muttered to a certain annoying little sister figure.
"Hey, Horikita… which option do you think is better for our class?"
"I think... sigh, no matter what I believe, there's no way to change everyone's mind now, right?" Horikita let out a soft sigh.
"Why not?" Hikigaya countered. "Just because Hirata couldn't do it doesn't mean you can't. Besides, aren't you supposed to be helping your brother? If you can't even handle your own class, how do you plan to meddle in other grades' affairs?"
"Jeez, can you stop using that provocation tactic all the time?"
Despite her complaint, Horikita did regain her focus and began seriously considering the issue.
"I don't think Hirata-kun's approach is wrong. Class unity and mutual support are important, but Chabashira-sensei also makes a valid point—no one would willingly share the rewards they've earned."
"Exactly, there's no need to split with those guys," Kushida chimed in.
"I actually think giving them some points wouldn't be a bad idea," Matsushita had a different opinion. "I mean, everyone around us is broke as hell. I'd feel guilty spending money… unless I were like Hachiman-kun and had no friends at all."
"Oi."
That last part was completely unnecessary!
"That's not the point right now… Horikita, think about it—'everyone' thinks Chabashira-sensei has a point. But do you really just want to be one of 'everyone'?"
In society, it's true that most people wouldn't share their salaries or bonuses.
But that mindset applies to regular employees. If you're a project leader or an entrepreneur, distributing rewards for the sake of greater future gains isn't uncommon.
Focusing only on immediate profit makes it hard to achieve real success.
Horikita wasn't stupid—just a little push was enough for her to understand. If she had decided to lead the class, she needed to think further ahead than everyone else.
However, one key issue still remained.
"Hikigaya-kun, I get what you're saying," Horikita hesitated. "But… I don't know how to execute it. I know I shouldn't be the one saying this, but I really don't think my personality is suited for convincing others."
Yeah, reasoning alone wouldn't be enough to make those guys agree.
Which meant… they needed to be humiliated by reality itself.
Then, four words slowly escaped Hikigaya's lips:
"The Preferred Student Exam."
"Eh… ah, I see now."
Horikita immediately understood.
Back during the Preferred Student Exam, their class had also discussed whether to split the rewards evenly. But in the face of the 500,000-point temptation, most people rejected the idea, thinking, Maybe I can keep everything for myself.
And of course, in the end, those idiots walked away with nothing.
"Hey, Horikita."
At that moment, Kushida took out her phone and called out to her.
"Don't have them raise their hands to vote—hold an anonymous vote in the class group chat instead."
"Why?" Horikita asked in confusion.
"Because they're both useless and prideful." Kushida bluntly stated the key point.
Wow, she sure doesn't hold back when talking about her classmates.
Horikita was briefly stunned before letting out a wry smile. "I can't even argue with that… Thanks, Kushida-san. This should convince them now."
"Hmph, who needs your compliments?"
Kushida huffed and turned away in a tsundere-like manner, before suddenly grabbing onto Hikigaya's arm with a smug grin. "So, Hachiman, I'm pretty smart, huh?"
"Yes, yes, very smart," Hikigaya replied with a resigned sigh.
But, all things considered, it was a solid plan.
"Sorry, Hirata-kun, may I say a few words as well?"
Without hesitation, Horikita stood up and requested to speak.
"Of course."
After receiving Hirata's approval, she quickly stepped to the front and picked up the microphone—time was running out.
"Everyone, I understand that we all want a chance to earn personal points, but this discussion about rewards reminds me of the Preferential Exam. In reality, only a small number of students in our class, including myself, received substantial rewards."
At these words, most of the students' faces darkened.
Fifty thousand points was no small sum, let alone those who had received a hundred thousand—it was enough to make anyone envious.
Watching others make money could feel worse than losing money yourself. Such was human nature.
"However, back then, we couldn't freely choose our teammates," Horikita continued. "This time, although we can pick our preferred teammates, if you think carefully, you'll realize that our final performance still largely depends on luck—specifically, on the abilities of the second- and third-year students in our larger groups. We saw this during the Sports Festival as well."
Class D's performance in the Sports Festival wasn't particularly outstanding, yet they had benefited from being on the Red Team.
In other words, the outcome this time would likely be the same.
Especially since the exam questions were the same for all grade levels, first-years would inevitably be at a disadvantage in terms of experience, making it difficult to take control of the exam.
"That's all I wanted to say. Splitting the rewards evenly is the fairest option for most people. Kushida-san has already set up a vote in our class group chat. If you agree with me, please vote."
"Huh? When did she do that?"
"One more thing," Horikita added. "If this exam results in a loss of points, I personally am willing to compensate any students who suffer losses."
That last sentence was like the final straw breaking the camel's back—many students immediately looked tempted.
At that moment, Chabashira-sensei reminded them, "Whatever you're doing, hurry up. We're about to reach our destination. Once we arrive, I'll be collecting your materials. Also, for the next week, mobile phone use is prohibited. You'll have to turn them in. However, personal items and toys you brought along are generally allowed, but food and drinks are not. Either throw them away when you get off the bus or finish them before we arrive."
Upon hearing that they wouldn't be allowed to keep their phones, the students collectively groaned in despair.
For Hikigaya, though, it didn't matter. He had brought manga, novels, and his Nintendo Switch.
After finishing her speech, Horikita returned to her seat and sincerely expressed her gratitude.
"Hikigaya-kun… thank you. You've helped me once again."
"It's nothing. I just don't like Chabashira-sensei."
Besides, it wouldn't hurt for Horikita to take control of the class faster.
If she held more influence, Hikigaya could use her to subtly shape the class's direction—laying the groundwork for dealing with Nagumo in the future.
Speaking of which, Kushida's method was quite impressive.
In just a few minutes, over thirty people had voted in favor—these guys were unbelievably pragmatic.
Hirata hadn't been able to pull this off, but Horikita had. Moreover, since boys and girls would be operating separately this time, the girls wouldn't be able to consult Hirata when they faced difficulties.
That left only Horikita and Kushida as potential leaders.
Reputation and influence were won step by step.
"By the way, we still have something important to discuss," Matsushita suddenly said.
"Weren't we going to help Horikita-senpai? Have you thought about it, Hachiman-kun?"
"Oh, don't worry too much about that."
With that, Hikigaya explained his thoughts.
After hearing his reasoning, all three of them looked shocked.
"You're saying that President Nagumo is willing to spend twenty million personal points just to deal with Horikita-senpai? That's… twenty million."
Matsushita couldn't accept it, and Horikita shook her head in disbelief.
Kushida, on the other hand, had a thoughtful expression.
If it had been her in the past, she might have been willing to pay any price to get rid of someone she hated.
Sometimes, emotions mattered more than logic.
"In any case, I've already warned Horikita-senpai about this. You guys don't need to worry too much—just focus on the exam."
Hikigaya had considered preparing a backup plan, but after a moment's thought, he dismissed the idea.
Helping his senior was his business, but Horikita and the others needed to focus on winning for the class. There was no reason to divert their attention.
Even Horikita, when it came down to it, would prioritize the class over personal matters—even over her brother.
Horikita Manabu had his battles to fight, and Horikita Suzune had hers.
If there was free time, helping family was fine, but it couldn't take precedence over more important things.
Maybe he was just making assumptions, but Hikigaya felt like he understood these siblings.
So, he would handle this problem on his own.
"Speaking of the exam… do you have any advice, Hachiman-kun?" Matsushita asked.
"Just one—try to team up with reasonable girls. Keep your group as small as possible. As for upperclassmen, I can't help with that."
Larger groups meant more management difficulties and greater risks.
And when it came to girls, things were at least a hundred times more complicated than with boys.
Matsushita had once said that four girls could create six different group chats—proof of the sheer complexity of their relationships.
Honestly, even if Hikigaya asked Horikita to form the strongest possible first-year girls' team, it probably wouldn't work. It might even be outright impossible.
So, better not to rely on them.
"Hachiman, let's set a meeting place." Kushida pointed at the instructions. "It says boys and girls will be living separately for the next week. Boys will use the main building, and girls will use another. The only time we can interact is during dinner in the cafeteria. So, find a table in the bottom right corner—I'll come find you."
"Uh… is that necessary?" Hikigaya wasn't too keen on the idea.
"Of course! Don't you want information from the girls' side?"
Kushida had hit his weak spot.
"Even if you warned Horikita's brother, unexpected things might still happen. Are you certain nothing will go wrong?"
"…No, I'm not."
Hikigaya immediately surrendered.
For some reason, Kushida's words had made him uneasy.
Hopefully, it was just his imagination.
"Hehe, then I'll be counting on you, Hachiman-kun. This exam is troublesome."
"Yeah, Hikigaya-kun's insights are valuable."
"Hey… don't push everything onto me."
Had they forgotten that he was the worst person to rely on for this kind of exam?
Still, since they had all volunteered to help earlier, refusing now felt inappropriate.
There was also the matter of the boys' side. Hikigaya had mentioned to Ryuuen before that they should try boosting Katsuragi during the exam. This might be a good opportunity—but how exactly to go about it…
Eh, whatever.
Overthinking was exhausting.
With too much going on around him, Hikigaya felt his brain on the verge of overloading and decided to enter standby mode.
A short while later, Horikita Manabu's response arrived: just two words—"Message received."
Good, good. Everything was going smoothly.
…And this wasn't escapism.
If he wanted to delude himself, now was the time.
As Hikigaya stared gloomily ahead, the bus exited the highway and slowly ascended a mountain road.
The forest training camp was now in sight.