COTE: Hikigaya's Classroom of the Supreme Being

After Nagumo punched Kouenji and trampled over Ayanokoji, the groups were escorted to their shared dormitories.

"This place is even more rotten than your eyesight, dead eyes."

"…Yeah." Hikigaya rolled his eyes at Ryuuen. "You better not sleep too soundly tonight, or the ceiling might come crashing down on your head."

"Heh, now that would be terrifying."

Each room was furnished with wooden bunk beds—exactly seven in total, likely adjusted to match the number of group members.

Without a care for the others, Ryuuen picked the bed closest to the door, climbed the ladder, and effortlessly leaped onto the top bunk before lying down as if he owned the place.

"Hey, don't just do whatever you want! We should decide the bed arrangements together!"

Faced with the protest, Ryuuen simply scoffed in disdain.

"'We'? Who the hell is 'we'? I'll sleep wherever I want. What's it to you?"

"Tch, don't think this is your class. We're not Class C—we don't have to obey your orders!"

As soon as the words left his mouth, most of Class B's students stepped forward, surrounding Ryuuen.

It looked like they wanted to use this opportunity to teach him a lesson… Seriously, do young people have to be this hot-blooded?

Then again, it made sense. While Hikigaya had extorted a fair amount of points, his targets had been members of the former Katsuragi faction. Ryuuen, on the other hand, had demanded money from all of Class B. Of course, the resentment he attracted would be far greater.

Honestly, it was impressive he even dared to join this group alone.

As Hikigaya prepared to watch the drama unfold, Katsuragi suddenly spoke to him.

"Aren't you going to stop this?"

"No need," Hikigaya replied nonchalantly. "They're not going to fight. After all, dogs that bite don't bark."

"That's not the point."

Katsuragi shook his head seriously, just as earnest as ever.

"As the designated leader of this group, it's your responsibility to mediate and improve relations. A team without unity won't get far—you don't want to end up in last place, do you?"

"It's fine. Worst case, I just drop out."

Hikigaya knew Katsuragi was speaking logically and genuinely trying to consider the group's best interests. But theory alone wouldn't cut it.

Neither Ryuuen nor Naruki were the type to respond well to reasoning. Trying to talk things out with them was inefficient—it would be a miracle if it even worked.

A different approach was needed.

"I know this group is doomed." Hikigaya deliberately raised his voice. "But if I do get expelled, I won't care about the results anymore. I'll just drag down the most annoying guy from your class with me."

The previously chaotic dorm instantly fell silent.

After a few seconds of stunned silence, all of Class B's students simultaneously turned to look at Machida.

His expression immediately crumbled. "W-Wait a minute! Hikigaya, can you be reasonable? I haven't even provoked you!"

"Why are you panicking? I never said it would be you."

As Hikigaya spoke, he slowly swept his gaze across the room.

Wherever his eyes landed, people avoided his gaze—as if his stare alone could burn them.

It wasn't surprising. After all, Class B had a real shot at reclaiming Class A's position. If anyone got expelled now, they'd be throwing away a bright future.

Hikigaya himself had no interest in Class A, but he understood how these people felt.

Even if not all of Class A's students made it into Tokyo University, getting into places like Keio or Waseda would be no issue. Those were prestigious universities that students had to beat out countless competitors to enter.

For those not interested in higher education, there was also the option of a stable government job.

In India, 970,000 people compete for 712 civil service positions—among them, even PhD holders.

At first glance, the benefits that Advanced Nurturing High School's Class A offered didn't seem that special. But compared to reality, they were absurd.

And so, these people who still had high hopes for their future… were just waiting to be taken advantage of.

"Machida, or rather, everyone in Class B, let me be honest with you," Hikigaya spoke with a serious tone. "Whether you choose to cooperate or not, I don't care. No matter the outcome, the ones who'll suffer in the end will be you. After all, as someone from Class D, I couldn't care less about how many class points I earn."

Threatening almost the entire group—only someone like Hikigaya could pull off something like this.

"But speaking of class points, there's been something on my mind since we first formed the groups... Do you guys want to achieve a high score on this exam?"

"Tch, I thought you were going to say something serious." Machida scoffed impatiently. "Isn't that obvious?"

"If that's the case, then your attitude—especially yours—is quite strange."

Hikigaya narrowed his eyes slightly, closely observing Machida's reaction.

"If your class truly wants to catch up to Class A, you should be working on building good relations with Class C and Class D. Yet, from the start, you've been acting high and mighty. I don't think that's just simple arrogance."

"Wh-What exactly are you trying to say?"

"…This was Sakayanagi's instruction, wasn't it?"

Most of the students looked confused upon hearing Sakayanagi's name, but Machida's eyes darted around uneasily.

That reaction was all the confirmation Hikigaya needed.

"Sigh, that annoying woman is as petty as ever." Hikigaya sighed and shook his head. "Even if there's the slightest chance, she won't let Katsuragi take any credit."

"Wait a second, Hikigaya, what's going on here?" Kanzaki suddenly spoke up.

As someone from another class, he probably wasn't too familiar with these internal affairs, but it seemed like he didn't want to miss the opportunity to gather some information.

"It's quite simple. This exam separates the boys and girls, meaning no matter how well the boys from Class B perform, it has nothing to do with Sakayanagi's leadership. So, she sent her loyal subordinate, Matoba, to take full control of this group. Sacrificing a few points here and there wouldn't be a big deal."

"What nonsense are you spouting? That's not true at all!" Machida snapped, clearly agitated.

"Oh? Are you sure?" Hikigaya suddenly turned his gaze toward him. "Like I said earlier, your attitude from the start didn't seem like someone aiming for first place. On top of that, you even gave me the leader position without a second thought, despite the double reward."

"N-No! You're the one who said you wanted to be the leader!"

"I never said that. You asked me if I wanted the role, and I simply agreed."

Machida had initially hoped that Hikigaya would refuse out of reluctance, but technically, his statement wasn't a lie.

"Did it never cross your mind? If this group takes first place, your class effectively loses 143 class points. But then again… that would be in line with Sakayanagi's plan, wouldn't it?"

"I already told you—this has nothing to do with Sakayanagi!"

Machida stubbornly refused to admit it, but the way the surrounding students looked at him was beginning to change, doubt creeping into their expressions.

After a moment of silence, however, Machida suddenly smirked.

"You're overthinking things, Hikigaya-kun. Katsuragi caused a huge loss for our class. Why would Sakayanagi have any reason to target him?"

"Because Sakayanagi hasn't brought any victories to the class either," Hikigaya replied bluntly. "Let's not even talk about the uninhabited island exam, the VIP exam, or the sports festival. Not to bully the… disadvantaged, but even in the Paper Shuffle, she couldn't secure a win. Your class even lost to Class D."

"T-That… But Sakayanagi has great potential in the future!"

Hearing Machida's barely thought-out response, Hikigaya nearly laughed out loud.

"Hah, speaking of the future, that reminds me—did you hear Nagumo and Kouenji's conversation just now?"

"So what?" Matoba scoffed. "Don't tell me you think Sakayanagi is as reckless as Kouenji? Sorry to disappoint you, but no one in our class believes that."

"Yeah, on the surface, she doesn't seem that way. But at their core, those two are the same."

Hikigaya put on a look of exaggerated sympathy.

"You guys think that as long as you follow Sakayanagi, you'll eventually graduate from Class A, right? Too bad—that's fundamentally mistaken. That girl has no reason to see it through."

"And what makes you so sure?" Matoba frowned.

"Because she's the daughter of the school's chairman."

"…Huh?"

"Just like Kouenji, she's from a rich family. The benefits of Class A mean nothing to her. The only reason she took on the role of class leader is because she enjoys controlling others. You've all felt it too, haven't you?"

As the Class B students stared in shock, Hikigaya feigned confusion.

"What? You guys didn't know she was the chairman's daughter? This isn't even a secret—you can find it on the school's official website. Also, her dad's naturally got white hair, by the way."

Then again, it wasn't like ordinary students would go out of their way to look up the chairman's name.

"If you want to get into Class A, it's better to rely on your efforts. If you depend on others too much, you might get betrayed someday."

That much, at least, was Hikigaya's honest opinion.

Sakayanagi and Class B had no shared interests. Right now, she found it amusing to lead them, but if she ever got bored or found a different reason, nothing was stopping her from throwing the class away.

"…Anyway, let's just pick our beds first."

Thanks to Hikigaya, the atmosphere had grown awkward. In the end, it was Kanzaki who spoke up to break the silence.

At this point, no one cared about Ryuuen. Everyone quietly chose their beds, seemingly lost in thought, processing what they had just heard.

The dormitory fell into an eerie silence as if it were a funeral wake… Wait, this feels strangely familiar.

Either way, whether or not Sakayanagi thought that way, the damage was done.

Hikigaya had successfully planted a seed of doubt in the minds of the Class B boys.

This must be what it means to infiltrate the enemy camp.

Oh, and since no one wanted to sleep under Ryuuen—because he was an absolute menace—Hikigaya was left with no choice but to take that spot.

Well, that's just one of the costs of being the leader.

…

Time passed idly. Meanwhile, Ryuuen kept provoking Katsuragi and Kanzaki from the opposite bunk… Well, mostly Katsuragi.

But it was barely effective. Katsuragi had completely withdrawn into his shell like a turtle, refusing to respond no matter what Ryuuen said.

Hikigaya, on the other hand, left the dorm to take a stroll around the building and get a feel for the situation.

However, along the way, he ran into someone he didn't want to see.

Even after making eye contact, Hikigaya tried to ignore him, but unfortunately, the other person took the initiative to speak.

"Hey. Just taking a walk?"

"…Yeah."

Damn it… Can't you read the mood?

Hikigaya was convinced Ayanokoji did this on purpose. Was there anyone so dense that they couldn't pick up on his 'stay away from me' aura?

"You don't look like you're in a good mood. Did something happen in your group?"

For some reason, Ayanokoji casually started a conversation.

Looks like he wasn't even pretending to be a quiet, unassuming student anymore.

"Not really. Aside from Ryuuen being a bit noisy, everyone's been pretty quiet." Hikigaya shook his head slightly. "But what about you? You ended up with some real troublemakers."

"More or less. Mainly the two from Class C."

"But that's not an issue for you, right? If push comes to shove, you could just punch them."

"Like that's gonna happen…"

Ayanokoji might not have realized it yet, but the real traitor was Tokito, not Ishizaki or Albert.

Still, from a certain perspective, his caution wasn't wrong.

Hikigaya had at least given Ryuuen a heads-up about Tokito. But what Ryuuen would do with that information… was anybody's guess.

If this were the old Ryuuen, Hikigaya would've been 100% sure he wouldn't cooperate with Tokito's plan.

After all, he liked keeping his prey around.

After his fight with Ayanokoji on the rooftop—despite suffering a crushing defeat—Ryuuen seemed to have let go of some lingering concerns. He no longer appeared as obsessed as before.

And now, he was actively seeking out Hikigaya to discuss the 800 million plan... For the plan's success, he might very well see Ayanokoji as an obstacle.

Which, in reality, was true.

"Hikigaya, if it's convenient, could you tell me why you and Ryuuen joined Class B's group together?"

Caught off guard by Ayanokoji's question, Hikigaya tilted his head in confusion.

"And what makes you think it's convenient for me?"

"I see… Then just take it as me talking to myself. Are you planning to drag Class B down?"

"As if." Hikigaya scoffed. "Can you stop assuming people are that petty? Even if we wanted to drag them down, how many points could we even cost them in this exam?"

The last-place team in the large group would result in a five-point deduction per person. With eleven people in Class B, that would be a mere fifty-five points—barely significant.

"Besides, I'm still the representative… Why don't you just ask Ryuuen yourself? After all, you two are love rivals, not mortal enemies."

"Can I? Then I'll trouble you to introduce me."

Hikigaya had only meant to tease Ayanokoji, but the guy shamelessly went along with it.

Was his skin always this thick?

So, he really wanted to meet Ryuuen—had he noticed something?

"If you want to find Ryuuen, just go yourself. He's probably still in the dorms, right next door to yours."

"Barging in directly doesn't seem appropriate."

"What's inappropriate about it?" Hikigaya chuckled. "There's no rule against guys visiting each other's rooms, and no one's going to stop you. Just walk right in."

"But if I do that, I might end up saying things I shouldn't."

Ayanokoji stared at Hikigaya expressionlessly and spoke slowly.

"For example… your relationship with Student Council President Nagumo. In reality, you despise him. The only person you truly respect is Horikita's brother, isn't that right?"

"No, I do respect Horikita-senpai, but I don't dislike Nagumo."

"Is that really true?"

Ayanokoji then provided an unexpected reason for his claim.

"I've noticed that, in private, you call President Nagumo by his name directly. But when it comes to Horikita's brother, you don't. So, my conclusion shouldn't be wrong."

...Huh? Seriously?

Hikigaya had never paid attention to that detail before. Maybe it was just an unconscious habit?

Though inwardly surprised, he kept a neutral expression and replied calmly, "That's not the case. Or rather, you're making a big deal out of nothing. People who nitpick like that aren't very popular, you know."

"I'm not aiming to be popular. But if you can't take me to Ryuuen, can you at least answer a few questions?"

"Being too clingy isn't well received either."

"I already said I don't care about that... Then I'll get straight to the point."

It seemed that no matter how Hikigaya reacted, Ayanokoji was determined to proceed with his agenda.

"What I want to know is—does President Nagumo have some kind of connection with Class C's current leader?"