COTE: Hikigaya's Classroom of the Supreme Being

The saying "One who desires nothing stands firm" is held here. Machida had attempted to use the threat of "the leader might have to drop out" to intimidate Hikigaya into backing down, only to find that his opponent simply didn't care.

Of course, as long as he remained a student at ANHS, Hikigaya would do what was required of him.

But if he did get expelled? Well, in that case, he'd just go home and see his sister.

That's why he had always been indifferent to such threats—no one could use the fear of expulsion to control him.

Left with no choice, Machida and his group begrudgingly agreed.

Thus, the first group, led by Class B, was quickly formed and registered with Mashima-sensei.

During the process, Machida expressed his desire to reclaim the leadership position, but Hikigaya firmly rejected him.

What a joke—he was the one who pushed the role onto Hikigaya in the first place, and now he wanted to take it back?

Did he think he could double-dip on the rewards?

Not a chance!

This kind of bad habit must be nipped in the bud.

As a side note, the student from Class A who joined the group turned out to be Kanzaki. Was he here to gather intel?

After all, this group not only included key members from Class B but also had Ryuuen, a figure worth keeping an eye on. Using this opportunity to probe for weaknesses wasn't a bad idea.

Not that Hikigaya particularly cared about Kanzaki's intentions—he could do whatever he wanted.

With the most troublesome Class B settled, the grouping process proceeded smoothly, and soon, the other three classes had formed their teams as well.

Shibata from Class A, Kaneda from Class C, and Hirata from Class D each took charge of their respective 14-member groups.

…Seriously, why were there so many names ending in "da" and "ta" here?

"Hey, Kanzaki, are you sure about not going back to your class?" Ryuuen chuckled. "With your class babysitter Ichinose stuck over there if even you—her second-in-command—aren't around, your class might just fall apart."

"I don't think that will happen. Besides, Shibata is more suited for this role than I am."

Completely unfazed by Ryuuen's provocation, Kanzaki calmly refuted him.

And he wasn't wrong—Shibata was cheerful and outgoing, someone who could get along with just about anyone. You could even call him a male version of Ichinose.

Kanzaki, on the other hand, had a more reserved personality. Hikigaya felt that he was one of the few students whose temperament didn't quite match the usual atmosphere of Class A.

It's quite remarkable that he hasn't been assimilated by Ichinose's friends' way of thinking.

"Besides, isn't your situation even more serious? Aren't you worried about your subordinates rebelling?"

"Hehehe, if they were capable of that, I'd be relieved."

Without Ryuuen, Class C had almost no chance of advancing to Class A. Kaneda, Ishizaki, and the others understood this well, which was why they willingly followed him.

By comparison, that idiot Tokito… sigh.

With just a little provocation, he got carried away and dared to launch a suicidal charge at the so-called "masterpiece." He even believed the nonsense of a student council president he had just met.

Thinking of this, Hikigaya stopped eavesdropping on Ryuuen and Kanzaki's conversation and turned his attention to the remaining students.

At present, there are six students left from Classes A, B, and C, while Class D has five, making a total of twenty-three students yet to be grouped.

In Class D, the remaining students were Ayanokoji, Yamauchi, Yukimura, Miyake, and Kouenji.

Aside from Yamauchi, the other four being left out wasn't surprising at all—they were already on the fringes of the class.

But why was Yamauchi left out? It's not like he didn't have friends.

Hikigaya initially assumed that the remaining students would be divided into two groups by combining members from two classes. That way, his classmates could stick together as much as possible.

However, in the end, they were also placed into mixed groups consisting of students from all four classes.

It seemed that everyone was eager for points—no one wanted to miss out on the chance for triple rewards.

That said, Tokito's maneuvering also played a significant role. He successfully got himself grouped with Ayanokoji.

Now, let's see what moves that guy will make next.

Getting the cautious Ayanokoji to take on a leadership role wouldn't be an easy task.

By the way, the Class D students who ended up in Hikigaya's group weren't Miyake and Yukimura but Yamauchi and Kouenji… Were they abandoned?

At that moment, Nagumo suddenly walked over.

"I thought you guys would take a long time, but you finished surprisingly fast."

As he spoke, nearly all the male students turned their attention to him. It seemed that the second and third years had also completed their group assignments.

Then, Nagumo made an unexpected proposal.

"Since the entire grade has already been divided into small groups, why don't we go ahead and form the larger groups now? The school scheduled it for the evening, but that's only because they didn't expect us to be this efficient. There's no need to wait—we might as well get it done now."

The teachers seemed a bit flustered by this development and started discussing it amongst themselves.

However, since the school had previously stated they wouldn't interfere with student decisions, they would likely allow it.

Faced with the student council president's proposal, the first-years exchanged uncertain glances—none of them dared to refuse.

In reality, Nagumo wasn't asking for their opinion. After speaking, he immediately turned to Horikita Manabu.

"Horikita-senpai, what do you think?"

"Yes, this would be more convenient."

Having reached a consensus, the two began discussing the next steps on their own.

Probably to accommodate the first-years, who had little information to work with, Nagumo suggested that each of the six first-year groups select a representative for rock-paper-scissors. The winners would then take turns selecting second and third-year groups, and after two rounds, the six larger groups would be finalized.

Since the system was relatively fair, Horikita Manabu quickly agreed.

The first-years also had no objections—not that they had the right to voice any.

Machida automatically stepped up as a representative for rock-paper-scissors, winning first place, followed by Kaneda in second and Hirata in third.

Not bad.

"As for which group to pick, you may discuss it among yourselves."

Nagumo watched the first-year groups with a gentle expression—likely observing their behavior.

However, the first-years had little knowledge of the upperclassmen, so the only ones who visibly stood out were Horikita Manabu and Nagumo's groups.

"I think we should pick Horikita-senpai's group first."

Machida's suggestion was immediately met with unanimous approval from Class B.

Horikita Manabu's group consisted mostly of Class 3-A students, and with the former student council president leading them, they were undeniably the most reliable choice.

By contrast, Nagumo's group was more questionable—it contained many students from Classes 2-C and 2-D, with Class A members being the minority.

Still, not everyone in the group agreed with Machida.

"Hey, why should you guys get to decide?" Ryuuen smirked. "Just because you have more people? I won't accept that."

"Fine, then who do you suggest?" Mato snapped impatiently.

"I think any group is the same."

"You…"

Before Machida could explode in anger, Hikigaya interrupted.

"Ryuuen, enough already. The decision should be made by the leader. You guys just follow my lead."

"Sure, sure, you're the leader. We'll listen to you," Ryuuen backed off without hesitation.

However, Machida wasn't happy. "Wait a minute! I was the one who played rock-paper-scissors—why should we listen to you?"

"Because I'm the leader," Hikigaya said matter-of-factly. "Do you even understand what being a leader means? I just let you handle the rock-paper-scissors, but I never said I was giving up the right to choose. If the leader doesn't make the decisions, what's the point of this role? Just to take the blame for you guys?"

If the leader were Katsuragi, he might have listened to Machida.

Unfortunately, the leader was Hikigaya.

He was the king of this group. Hands on hips.

"Ugh! You…!"

"Speaking of which, I should thank you for picking me as leader. Now I get to order you elite students around as I please."

Hikigaya's sarcastic remark nearly sent Machida over the edge.

However, the disapproving looks from their peers were already making him feel humiliated.

"Well, first-years, have you decided yet?" Nagumo called out.

As the first to pick, Hikigaya immediately stepped forward.

"Huh? Hikigaya? Why you? I don't remember seeing you in the rock-paper-scissors match," Nagumo asked, puzzled.

"Because I'm the leader," Hikigaya replied curtly.

Hearing this, Nagumo looked at the group behind him, then smiled knowingly.

"I see. Then go ahead."

"Alright, I'll take third-year Ishikura-senpai's group."

Without hesitation, Hikigaya made his choice.

Machida and the others sighed lightly, likely thinking that he was intentionally messing around.

It was understandable—they had passed over the strongest group.

But he wasn't choosing randomly.

One reason for picking Ishikura's group was that Hikigaya had noticed Nagumo frequently mentioning Ishikura in his conversations with Igari. He wanted to find out why.

Additionally, Ishikura was the leader of Class 3-B and the captain of the basketball club.

Even though he had never managed to take Horikita Manabu's top spot in over two years, that didn't mean he lacked ability.

Hikigaya believed that in this exam, seniors from athletic clubs had a considerable advantage. Most of them had participated in similar training camps since middle school.

Moreover, due to their club activities, they were more accustomed to interacting with students from other grades.

All in all, this shouldn't be a bad pick.

Next, Kaneda selected Horikita Manabu's group, while Hirata, after careful observation, picked a seemingly unremarkable group.

If he was thinking along the same lines as Hikigaya, it wasn't surprising.

As a soccer club member, Hirata had many connections among the upperclassmen, so he probably chose people he was familiar with.

The fourth pick was Tokito, who—predictably—chose Nagumo.

Hope someone can handle him.

With the last two selections made, the six large groups were finalized.

However, Nagumo wasn't done stirring things up.

"Horikita-senpai, we ended up in separate groups. How about a little competition?"

"Uh..." Horikita Manabu didn't respond immediately, instead casting a sharp gaze.

From the third-year side, a sigh of exasperation could be heard. A student named Fujimaki stepped forward, standing in front of Nagumo.

He had presided over the previous sports festival and held a certain level of authority in Class A.

"Nagumo, how many times has it been already? Cut it out!"

"Is there a problem? At this school, there's no distinction between first-years and third-years, and the rules don't prohibit anyone from challenging someone else."

"I'm talking about basic ethics. I didn't say anything when you kept challenging Horikita, but this time, you're involving a large-scale special exam that includes first-years. Treating the exam like some kind of game—I won't approve of it!"

Fujimaki's argument was sound, leaving little room for rebuttal.

"Just because something isn't explicitly banned doesn't mean it should be done. Becoming student council president doesn't mean you can do whatever you want—you need to realize that."

"Heh, Fujimaki-senpai, just throwing around words like that will only make the juniors look down on you."

Saying that Nagumo suddenly turned his gaze toward Hikigaya for no apparent reason.

"Hey, Hikigaya, you used to be Horikita-senpai's right-hand man. I'd like to hear what you think—who do you think has a point?"

"…How should I put it?"

Feeling the situation was becoming a hassle, Hikigaya maintained a calm expression as he responded, "Fujimaki-senpai's argument is reasonable, but this school operates under meritocracy. If you want to shut up an arrogant junior, the only way is to defeat them with strength."

"Haha, not bad, not bad! Well said." Nagumo clapped his hands in amusement.

Then, he turned back to Fujimaki with an even more provocative tone. "Did you hear that, Fujimaki-senpai? Even a first-year understands better than you. If you keep clinging to those outdated ideals from the outside world, you'll be left behind one day."

Honestly, this guy had a death wish.

Even when facing the much taller and stronger Fujimaki, Nagumo showed no fear, casually keeping his hands in his pockets with an arrogant smirk.

Even Hikigaya wasn't this punchable.

It was a minor provocation, but for the third-years, it must have been infuriating.

At that moment, Horikita Manabu, who had been listening quietly, finally stepped forward.

"Nagumo, do you know why I've always refused your challenges?"

"Now that you mention it, my friends keep wondering if you're afraid of losing to me. But I know you're not that kind of person. You simply don't like pointless fights, right?"

"That's right." Horikita Manabu nodded slightly. "Since you already understand that, try to reflect on it. The battles you enjoy affect too many people. Many have suffered because of your meaningless actions."

Nagumo remained unfazed. "But isn't that exactly how this school works? The useful ones survive, and the useless ones are cast aside. That applies even to friends. In any case, my ambition knows no bounds. You're about to graduate, so I want to see if I can defeat you before you leave."

"…And what do you propose as the terms of victory?"

Unexpectedly, Horikita Manabu seemed ready to accept the challenge.

The third-years were visibly shocked, but Hikigaya immediately understood his reasoning.

He wanted to divert Nagumo's attention onto himself to protect others from being targeted… Too naive.

"Let's see who can get more students expelled—how about that?"

"Don't be ridiculous."

"I think it sounds interesting. But let's put that aside for now. If we're going to be serious, let's compete to see whose group gets the highest average score. How about that?"

"If that's the case, then I have no objections."

Horikita Manabu agreed without hesitation but immediately followed up with a warning.

"This is a personal battle between you and me. Don't drag anyone else into it. If I find out that you've taken actions to interfere with other groups, then no matter which group it is, this match will be considered null and void."

"Heh, as expected of Horikita-senpai—you really understand me. But I think holding other groups back is also a valid strategy."

"That kind of approach goes against the essence of this exam. This test is ultimately about evaluating a group's cohesion, not about exploiting weaknesses or disrupting other groups."

Horikita Manabu's words sounded noble, but in reality, they were completely meaningless.

The so-called essence of an exam is just one of those 'It's not about what you think, it's about what I think' kind of things.

To put it bluntly, even if Horikita Manabu doesn't approve of Nagumo's underhanded methods, the moment he suffers a setback in front of the entire school…

Then, even if he technically doesn't lose, it's still a loss.

Just like how, if Ayanokoji had beaten Ryuuen and his group on the rooftop without a scratch, so what if it was a complete victory?

In the end, he'd only face harsher punishment, get publicly ridiculed on the forums, and still be the only one forced to write a self-reflection essay.

Sigh, Horikita-senpai really is Horikita's brother… There's no doubt they're related by blood.

Hikigaya couldn't do much about it. He could only hope that after this reminder, Horikita Manabu was fully prepared.

"Well, since I'm the only one eager to settle this, I'll agree to certain conditions."

Nagumo accepted it without hesitation.

"A fair and honorable contest, where we determine victory through so-called group cohesion… But before that, how about we place a bet? Let's stake our pride and fight it out."

This guy spoke as if it were all just a joke.

Horikita Manabu neither affirmed nor denied it. Without a word, he simply turned and left.

Nagumo watched his back, his smile widening.

…This is going to be a headache.

Just as Hikigaya was considering his next move, for some reason, Nagumo suddenly walked up to him.

"Hikigaya, let's have a little chat."

"…Alright."

Ignoring the curious stares from those around them, Hikigaya followed Nagumo to the corner of the gymnasium.

Without any preamble, Nagumo got straight to the point.

"Between me and Horikita-senpai, who do you think will win?"

…Huh? Did he just hit me with a life-or-death question right off the bat?