Chapter 87: Deal Struck, the Free Man Kōenji!
Horikita: "If you keep acting like this, Class D will have no place for you."
Kōenji's face showed no trace of fear. If he wasn't scared swinging through this dangerous jungle, how could Horikita's threat faze him?
Kōenji kept his carefree grin, as if her words meant nothing: "This school is built on absolute meritocracy. Do you think someone with ability would fear your threats or so-called expulsion exams?"
Kōenji was right. As long as someone didn't violate the school's core rules, there were plenty of loopholes to exploit, like with Sudō and Ishizaki's incident or the conflict between Hikigaya and Ishizaki's group.
Even if the class abandoned you, you could jump to another class with your ability. Hikigaya, who'd been offered spots by two classes at the start of the year, knew this well.
To be honest, if someone offered Kōenji a high enough price, he'd jump to another class without hesitation. He had no attachment to Class D, no ties to keep him here.
Kōenji was that kind of powerful, beautiful man—no one could control his departure.
But unfortunately, as first-years, they only had limited points. Even for upper classes like A or B, transferring a specific student would drain most of their points, dropping them to the bottom. Without immense resolve, it was impossible.
Spending all their points for one transfer? Unless that person could instantly elevate the entire class, no one would pay such a price.
And with Kōenji's unpredictability, who knew if he was a bomb or a boon?
So, negotiation wasn't entirely off the table.
Hikigaya knew Horikita Suzune's approach wouldn't work. That's why he stopped her from continuing. Controlling someone as free as Kōenji was impossible. After her failed attempt, Hikigaya learned from it. To keep him, there was only one way.
Equivalent exchange.
"Kōenji, I'll give you 10,000 points to take the exam seriously. How about it?"
Kōenji seemed to have been waiting for this, his expression approving.
But he said lightly: "Ten thousand? A bit low, don't you think?"
"I know you're strong, but until I see your full strength, I don't think you're worth more."
"Oh?"
Kōenji's smile grew more intrigued, clearly anticipating Hikigaya's next words.
"You know this school's system and exams are completely different from others. This exam is just the start. If you're willing, we could have countless collaborations."
"But as partners, not classmates. How's that?"
A partnership would free Kōenji from the constraints of being a classmate. It'd be a pure transaction. The school's rules couldn't bind a man as free as him, and the classmate bond would crumble under pressure.
But a transaction was different.
Pay, get results—two separate matters. Kōenji could stay free. If he wanted points, he could deal with Hikigaya. If he didn't want the job, nothing happened.
For Kōenji, unless the points didn't match his strength, this was a no-loss deal.
He let go of the branch, dropping straight from the air. During his fall, he let himself dangle freely, then used both hands to swing around a branch twice before landing smoothly in front of the three.
"I've said it before, Hikigaya-boy, you're a smart one. I like that."
"In this little jungle, no one's my match. If I want, I can reach any corner of this island in five minutes."
"So… no one's my opponent, not even you."
Seeing such a confident Pretty-Boy, Hikigaya gave a satisfied smile. If he didn't have that confidence, Hikigaya wouldn't have negotiated this way.
Hikigaya smiled faintly: "Making me your opponent—aren't you overestimating me?"
Kōenji shrugged, indifferent: "No, no, no, I'm not overestimating you. In my eyes, everyone is… not beautiful."
His words were as arrogant as calling everyone trash, but it didn't matter.
Academically, he was a freakish A. Physically, Hikigaya had just witnessed his prowess. Now was the time to put it into action.
Kōenji raised two fingers calmly: "Twenty thousand."
Hikigaya understood. If he recalled correctly, before boarding the island, he'd checked his phone and had 120,000 personal points. Twenty thousand wasn't much—just enough for Kōenji to splurge a few times—but it wasn't trivial either. He probably hadn't spent that much this semester.
Horikita, clearly unconvinced, said stubbornly: "Twenty thousand points? Aren't you overestimating yourself? Didn't we agree on ten thousand?!"
Despite her agitation, Kōenji wasn't angry. He wouldn't act roughly toward a girl, even if he wasn't a gentleman.
"Ten thousand was just Hikigaya-boy's starting offer. To hire me, it's twenty thousand. And… I won't do anything for you beyond what you pay me for."
If Kōenji fully participated in this exam, Class D would crush it with overwhelming force. But for now, Kōenji didn't want that. Spending seven days here needed some entertainment.
Sakura was clearly irritated by Kōenji's haggling and arrogance, but she calmly tugged at Hikigaya's sleeve, seemingly urging him not to agree to the Golden Lion King.
But Hikigaya seemed to have made up his mind, nodding calmly to seal the deal.
If Kōenji quit, they'd lose 30 SP—3,000 personal points per person. Multiplied by the class size, that was a massive loss.
Now, spending just 20,000 of his own points could secure a powerful ally. From both a long-term and exam perspective, it was a win.
Hikigaya: "So, can we consider ourselves partners now?"
Kōenji nodded, naturally.
If he had his phone, he'd probably demand to see the points transferred first. But without it, this would do.
Hikigaya: "Kōenji, your freakish speed can be maximized in this jungle exploration. For now, focus on tracking the other classes' locations."
Kōenji nodded, flashing his dazzling teeth: "In other words, tail them and find their strongholds, right?"
"Exactly."
Before Hikigaya could respond, Kōenji vanished at lightning speed, occasionally shouting "I'm so beautiful!" from the treetops.
Horikita clutched her head, exasperated: "Is it really okay to give him a stealth mission? Won't he just expose himself?"
Sakura, also worried: "And… isn't it dangerous for Kōenji to go alone? The school bans violence, but if he's with another class and there are no cameras… who knows what could happen?"
Hikigaya shook his head: "Don't worry about Kōenji. That guy's as agile as an ape. If he wants to escape, no one can catch him."
"Besides, even if he's exposed, it's not without strategic value. Ever heard of Red Alert? Dragging out their stronghold occupation time benefits us."
"And… there might be unexpected gains."
Hikigaya's words inexplicably calmed Sakura Airi, perhaps due to her unconditional trust. But Horikita grumbled helplessly: "Red Alert, Black Alert—what are you talking about? Spending 20,000 points on that guy? He's an idiot, and so are you…"
Looking at Horikita with her arms crossed, Hikigaya wasn't sure if she was worried about his points or him.
"Anyway, our mission isn't over."
At Hikigaya's reminder, the three resumed exploring, taking a different route from Kōenji, who didn't need paths since he was swinging through the air.
[Horikita: "How… how could this happen!"]
[Karuizawa: "Kōenji was the first to leave the exam last time, and now he's staying?!"]
[Besides them, others were equally shocked. The ever-free Kōenji had been persuaded by Hikigaya.]
[They'd all been through that exam and knew what happened. On the first night, Kōenji left, plunging their already low morale further.]
[But now, it was completely different.]
[Kōenji, still combing his hair and looking in a mirror, said casually: "I'm so beautiful."]
[He didn't seem surprised, nor did he find it odd that this guy named Hikigaya had figured out how to "use" him.]
[He wasn't a strong person—by human standards, maybe even weak, with emotions and pain. Yet this person was slowly changing Class D. What kind of magic was this?]
[In contrast, the Service Club, never having experienced a deserted island exam, wasn't as shocked by taming Kōenji, including Hikigaya himself.]
[They were more focused on discussing what they'd do if they ever faced an island survival exam. But Hikigaya brushed it off. Why speculate about "someday" when he could just watch what his video self did?]
[Besides… it's just an island survival exam, not a trip to another world. No need to make a big deal out of it.]
After Kōenji left, Hikigaya, Sakura, and Horikita followed a forest path until they reached a cave.
Sakura: "Wow, it's beautiful… Is this one of the legendary strongholds?"
Perhaps due to exhaustion, Sakura's voice was soft. Seeing this spectacle for the first time outside a phone screen, Hikigaya was also amazed.
If he could, he'd love to take out his phone and capture this moment, but sadly, he didn't have it.
"Probably…"
Their thoughts were pulled back to the conversation an hour before landing, when each class was assigned to different parts of the island, and Chabashira Sae sternly explained the exam's additional rules.
Beyond survival, there was competition between classes—otherwise, how could it be an exam?
"There are several strongholds on the island. Occupying one earns 1 bonus point, but these points can only be added to class points at the exam's end. Each stronghold can be occupied for eight hours, but only the class leader can claim it."
"The key card for occupying strongholds will be given to the leader. Switching leaders without reason is prohibited. If someone guesses another class's leader on the final day, the guessing class earns 50 class points. But if they guess wrong, they lose 50 class points. High risk, high reward—that's the two ways to earn points in this exam."
"You can find other classes' leaders through exploration or guessing, but you must also hide your own."
Those were Chabashira Sae's exact words. In this exam, consistently occupying strongholds, identifying other classes' leaders, and keeping the base 300 class points could drastically shift the class rankings.
That was the reality of the special exam and the brutal competition between the four classes.
Hikigaya: "Choosing a stronghold is crucial, but occupying recklessly could expose our leader, making it a losing move."
As Horikita and Sakura started to stand, Hikigaya suddenly sensed something off and yanked them behind a tree.
The sudden move, with him holding both girls, made Horikita's face turn bright red, a mix of embarrassment and anger. As she tried to pull away, two people emerged from the cave.
Sakura Airi was startled by Hikigaya's action, but perhaps because she'd been in a similar situation before, she just blushed, nestled against him, and stayed quiet.
Hikigaya hadn't meant for this to happen. He didn't know why he was hiding. He could've just stepped out—even if it was Ryūen, it wouldn't matter—but…
He did it anyway, ending up in this awkward embrace.
Seeing people emerge from the cave, the three instantly fell silent, their breathing steady.
They'd missed the best chance to step out. Doing so now would only make things worse.
In this situation, Horikita stopped struggling, letting the boy hold her.
Emerging from the cave was Class A's leader, Katsuragi, holding a green key card.
Hikigaya locked his gaze on him, unconsciously tightening his grip. The two girls were pressed closer to his neck, but he didn't notice.
Then, Yahiko, who'd provoked Hikigaya on the cruise, slowly walked out of the cave.
"We got lucky, Katsuragi. I didn't expect to secure a stronghold so quickly."
"Lucky? I found this place before we even landed. Finding it was only natural. And watch your words."
"Y-Yes…"
"You can't tell if someone's eavesdropping nearby. Don't make a single mistake."
Listening to Katsuragi, Hikigaya inexplicably recalled what Sakayanagi had once said about him.
Such a cautious guy.
[But for the audience, this was a huge shock. Whether from Classes A, B, C, D, or the Service Club, hearing Hikigaya's thoughts sparked inexplicable anger.]
[This guy, holding two beautiful girls, was thinking about another girl? Absolutely outrageous.]
Katsuragi continued lecturing Yahiko, deliberately waving the green key card.
"As the leader, I'm obligated to supervise you."
"Sorry…"
His actions were seamless, but to Hikigaya, they seemed slightly deliberate.
No one would casually show their key card, especially a leader.
For now, they could only wait for them to leave and check the cave to confirm if it was occupied.
If it wasn't, what they saw was meaningless—a clever distraction.
If it was occupied, they could gauge the timing to see if anyone had come or gone and verify Katsuragi's authenticity.
Since Hikigaya didn't know Katsuragi well, he couldn't jump to conclusions.
Katsuragi continued: "Before landing, the cruise deliberately circled the island. That was a hint."
"A hint?"
"I saw this forest path from the deck. Just follow it straight."
"The school's intentions were seen through by you. No wonder. Even Sakayanagi would respect you this time."
As expected of Katsuragi—cautious and composed… but compared to that fairy, he's still far off.
Hikigaya Hachiman let out a relaxed sigh, unintentionally causing small pebbles nearby to roll.
This action caught the attention of Katsuragi, who was farther away, and made the breathing of the two girls beside him become uneven, their breaths rapid against his neck.
This sudden change left Hikigaya Hachiman unsure of what to do. Their breathing was tickling him too much.
Hikigaya Hachiman felt as if ten thousand bugs were crawling over his neck.
"Quiet, Yahiko." Katsuragi said.
Katsuragi was approaching, making the two girls' hearts grow anxious.
The closer he got, the stronger the oppressive pressure felt, and naturally, their heartbeats quickened.
As Katsuragi neared the three, Hikigaya Hachiman pulled his head back and held the two girls tightly, causing their cheeks to flush even redder.
Katsuragi slowed his steps, as if intending to catch his prey.
At that moment, a shout came from the distance: "I'm so beautiful!"
An unidentified creature sped through, causing the trees in the forest to rustle with a "shasha" sound from the gust it created.
Yahiko grew anxious. If they didn't leave now and were discovered occupying this spot, others might figure it out.
"Katsuragi!" Yahiko shouted in urgency.
Sensing the unidentified creature still rapidly approaching, Katsuragi gave a sharp glance before dashing to Yahiko's side.
"Let's go. This place is not safe to stay in." Katsuragi said.
They quickened their pace, and just after the two left, Koenji, high above, passed through the forest, apparently not noticing the three.
Hikigaya Hachiman thought, 'That was a close call…'
His tense body finally relaxed, allowing the two girls to step out of his embrace.
Horikita wanted to say something but found herself speechless. She was standing frozen with a proud and flushed expression, her mind became blank.
In contrast, Sakura, perhaps because she had experienced something similar before, was not as stunned as Horikita, though her cheeks were still red.
Though Hikigaya Hachiman understood, he naturally would not say it aloud. He knew how bold his actions had been.
"For now, let's check the cave to see if what they said is true." he said.
Under Hikigaya Hachiman's direction, Horikita followed behind like a child just learning to walk, step by step, alongside Sakura.
(End of this chapter)