Chapter 96: The Abandoned Kamuro
"Your own class is barely managing, and you're worrying about some idle guy? Has your brain been kicked by a donkey, Kamuro?!"
Hashimoto's words were harsh. It was hard to imagine someone so carefree acting like this.
Horikita and Hikigaya found a hidden spot to eavesdrop on their conversation.
Horikita's face showed some confusion. She turned to Hikigaya and whispered, "Looks like Class A isn't as strong as we thought. Seems like they're having some kind of conflict. Who's this 'idle guy'? Someone from another class?"
Hikigaya felt a bit embarrassed. He wasn't arrogant or overly self-conscious, but if this was about Kamuro, then the "idle guy" was probably him.
Given Class A's recent strange fixation on him, it was natural for Hashimoto to be upset with Kamuro for helping another class.
Still, he hadn't expected Kamuro to actually help him like this.
Hikigaya suddenly recalled Kamuro's usual expressions of dissatisfaction, annoyance, and disdain toward him. Now that he thought about it, she was a classic case of a sharp tongue but a soft heart.
He had indeed benefited from Kamuro's help multiple times. Without her, he might've taken a punch from Ishizaki Daichi back then.
Memories flooded Hikigaya's mind like a rushing stream, pulling him into a daze.
"Hey, what are you thinking about?"
Horikita kept shaking Hikigaya, clearly annoyed.
Hikigaya snapped out of it under her prodding.
"N-Nothing…"
"Why so secretive?"
"Just… remembering some things."
Horikita shot him a suspicious look but didn't have time to deal with him. She was more focused on gleaning information from Kamuro and Hashimoto's conversation, anything that could benefit their special exam.
Come to think of it, though Hikigaya always said he was just "wandering" or "exploring casually," he somehow managed to stumble upon crucial clues in the wild. Like on the first day, when he, Sakura Airi, and Horikita saw the green card in Katsuragi Kohei's hand.
Was that really just luck?
…
Kamuro, irritated by Hashimoto's words, retorted on the spot, "I'm loyal to the princess. I'd never betray her. What are you implying, Hashimoto? I dare say that, can you?"
Though they both belonged to Sakayanagi Arisu's faction, Kamuro knew Hashimoto's selfish motives for joining. He was a complete opportunist, siding with Sakayanagi only because she was the school's strongest figure.
But strength is fleeting. If Sakayanagi ever fell from her throne, Hashimoto would switch sides in an instant.
Sakayanagi likely knew this but still brought him into her faction. Their relationship was one of mutual exploitation.
Hashimoto's face grew colder, the last trace of his smile vanished, "What am I implying? You should explain what you're Implying! Not only are you deflecting onto me, but you're also sowing discord in the class. Are you saying helping him is the princess's will?"
Kamuro froze. Sakayanagi had indeed told her to protect him, no matter when or where, but the definition of "protection" was too vague.
If it was just a physical fight, she could probably step in for him. Or if he asked her to run errands or do small tasks, Kamuro wouldn't refuse now.
But all this was under the condition that it didn't conflict with Class A's interests. Before, Class D aimed for Class C, but now, Classes A and D were outright enemies, and Katsuragi was planning something against him.
In this situation, how far should this "protection" go?
Should she follow her heart or obey the class's orders?
Before setting out, Sakayanagi had told her to follow Katsuragi's orders. Did that mean she foresaw this dilemma?
As the one closest to Sakayanagi, Kamuro understood her better than anyone.
This exam was something Sakayanagi could easily abandon. With one word, Kamuro could defect to Class D, but Sakayanagi still told her to follow Katsuragi's plan.
Why?
Kamuro was conflicted now and would be even more so in the future.
Katsuragi led Class A now, but what about later, when Sakayanagi took over? What decisions would she have to make then?
Kamuro was on the verge of a mental breakdown. If she could, she'd ignore everything. But thinking of Hikigaya's face, she couldn't just stand by.
Finally, she managed to force out, "I have no connection with him in this exam. I swear."
"Your swear means nothing."
Kamuro was enraged by Hashimoto's words, her tone turning sharp. "Then what do you want?"
"From now on, you can withdraw from Class A's discussions and communications. That way, even if you stay in contact with him, you won't have any useful information."
After a brief pause, Kamuro nodded faintly. "Fine, that works."
She turned to leave, as if unwilling to exchange another word with the man before her.
At the last moment, she turned back, her tone calm. "Don't forget you're still serving Sakayanagi."
"Of course. My deal with Katsuragi is only about him. I'm just pissed off for the princess. Why does a weakling like him get her attention?"
"He'll beat you. I guarantee it."
Without lingering, Kamuro walked into the depths of the forest, disappearing from their sight.
Horikita looked at Hikigaya. "Looks like they've really fallen out…"
Hikigaya's brow furrowed slightly as he nodded.
He had hoped to get a breakthrough from Kamuro, but now he realized she'd fallen out with her class for helping him. Besides, she'd been sidelined by her class, so she likely didn't have any real intel.
As Horikita was about to speak from their hiding spot in the bushes, Hikigaya quickly covered her mouth with his hand.
"Mmph…"
Sounds were faint, but Horikita struggled despite Hikigaya's firm grip.
Horikita's eyes flared with anger, but Hikigaya's focus remained on Hashimoto, ignoring her.
Moments later, another figure emerged slowly from a nearby bush, Katsuragi Kohei, shirtless.
"Hashimoto, you did well. Though you're part of Sakayanagi's faction, I admire you. Only those willing to sacrifice for the class can truly rise."
Hashimoto's face darkened. He hadn't done this for Katsuragi. "I didn't do this for you… don't get the wrong idea."
Katsuragi glanced at Hashimoto without saying more. "How's the plan going?"
"With Kamuro gone, we can start implementing it."
"Start as soon as possible. We need to find out who holds Class D's green card, and I really want to see just how far that guy can go."
Horikita stopped struggling, as if she'd heard something shocking.
Class A was going to make a move on Class D!
And the "guy" Hashimoto mentioned seemed to be someone from Class D. Horikita couldn't guess who it was or why they had such a big conflict with Class A, but if they were after the green card holder, then the person covering her mouth might be in trouble.
As the two figures moved farther away, Hikigaya finally let out a soft sigh and released Horikita's mouth.
Horikita coughed a few times, glaring at Hikigaya resentfully. "Could you warn me next time?"
"I was afraid you'd get startled."
"I'm not a puppy. Who's getting startled is debatable."
Though Horikita said this, she knew she was in the wrong. If Hikigaya hadn't covered her mouth, her loud voice might've given them away.
Hikigaya nodded perfunctorily, saying, "I'll try to be more careful next time."
Horikita, seeing he wasn't taking it seriously, felt a surge of frustration. It wasn't that she hated being silenced like that, it just made her feel like a fool sometimes.
For someone as proud as Horikita, that feeling was infuriating.
She stood slowly, not intending to linger. "By the way, it seems their target is the green card holder which is you. What do we do?"
Hikigaya really wanted to roll his eyes at Horikita. Asking what to do now was a bit late. If she hadn't pushed the responsibility onto him, he wouldn't be the green card holder, and this wouldn't be his problem.
"What can we do? Take it one step at a time."
Hikigaya Hachiman stood up and left the area with Horikita Suzune.
Along the way, Hikigaya's mind was preoccupied with what Class A might do. In truth, finding a class's green card holder wasn't particularly difficult. Although the rules explicitly prohibited fighting, such overt rules always had loopholes to exploit. After the incident with Ishizaki and the others, Hikigaya had deeply understood this.
If they resorted to force, he really had no way to counter it.
Forget about Koenji Rokusuke, who wouldn't respond no matter how much you called for him. Even Kamuro Masumi couldn't always be by his side. And even if she were, she'd just be another person taking a beating.
If he could know what actions they'd take, he could devise a counterstrategy based on their plan. But right now, he was completely in the dark.
Whether their plan was to outsmart or overpower, Hikigaya had no clear answer.
Horikita Suzune spoke up, "What about that girl?"
Her words made Hikigaya pause briefly. Without thinking too much, he answered instinctively, "Find her and let her join our class for now. A girl surviving alone on this island isn't easy."
Horikita nodded, agreeing with the suggestion, but soon cast a skeptical glance at Hikigaya. "I have to say, you're awfully quick to let this girl into our class. Aren't you afraid they're pulling the same trick as Class C?"
Hikigaya was momentarily speechless, unsure how to respond. He couldn't exactly say, "She's my bodyguard," could he? If that got back to Kamuro Masumi, he'd be in for a rough time.
"Uh, you're right. I should think it through more carefully. But she's different from Ibuki Mio. She knows Sakura Airi."
"She's Sakura's friend?"
"Well… you could say that."
'After all, she did save Sakura once. "Savior" might be more accurate.'
Sakura Airi had always known Kamuro Masumi was tailing Hikigaya and had been indignant about it on his behalf several times.
Back then, Hikigaya had brushed it off with vague excuses like "we had some things to discuss."
After that, he avoided mentioning Kamuro Masumi in front of Sakura. Kamuro, for her part, was cooperative, whenever she saw Sakura with Hikigaya, she'd pretend to be a passerby, making faces at them.
'I just hope those two don't clash when they meet…'
Hearing Hikigaya's words, Horikita felt somewhat reassured.
Clearly, Hikigaya trusted Kamuro Masumi more than Ibuki Mio. That was Horikita's intuition, but why he did so, Horikita Suzune couldn't possibly know.
Hikigaya's thoughts were still on Katsuragi Kohei and Hashimoto Masayoshi's conversation. He suddenly said, "If Class A comes at us hard, I have an idea."
Horikita was taken aback, looking at him with confusion.
Hikigaya pulled out the green card from his pocket and slipped it into Horikita's with ease, causing her to blush slightly.
"Starting today, you'll hold onto this card."
"What? What about the stronghold?"
"Idiot, I'm not leaving the camp. I can't survive alone out here."
Horikita seemed to catch on, saying as if it dawned on her, "True, you'd probably die even faster alone on this island."
"So, what's the point of giving me the card? You're not just asking me to hold it, are you?"
Hikigaya thought back to the first day on the island when he saw Katsuragi Kohei and Yahiko Totsuka emerge from the cave. If Katsuragi had the same thought process as him, then Class A's leader might already be known.
Katsuragi was cautious, he wouldn't carelessly reveal his green card. Back then, it felt like he'd deliberately shown it.
Now, Hikigaya planned to follow Katsuragi's line of thinking and set a trap of his own.
"When the stronghold refreshes, you and I will go claim it together. The rest of the time, you keep the green card. If I'm right, Class A will probably scout our camp often in the coming days to gather intel for their plan. Your job is to 'accidentally' let it slip that you're the green card holder."
Horikita was a bit dazed by Hikigaya's plan. What did he mean by "accidentally" letting it slip that she was the green card holder?
"Aren't you afraid they'll see I have the card and try to take it by force?"
A trace of doubt flickered in Horikita's eyes. Hikigaya's plan was too risky. If it failed, they could fall even further behind Class A, something Horikita didn't want to see.
"If that happens, we give them the card. At the right moment, we can abandon it."
"What? Are you insane?!"
The green card had Hikigaya Hachiman's name on it. Handing it over would mean giving away their points, and their class would lose fifty class points. If Class B got involved, their gains from this exam would barely surpass Class C's.
"Trust me, I have a way."
Horikita fell silent, unable to comprehend why he was so confident in such a plan.
Exposing the green card was incredibly dangerous.
It was like handing your weakness to your enemy.
Horikita sighed helplessly and said softly, "If Class D crashes and burns this time… you'll put the class in a very passive position. Think it through."
"Don't worry, we're in this together, aren't we?"
Hikigaya's expression was calm, as if failure was no big deal.
Horikita shot him a look, crossing her arms and pouting. "You, the mastermind, dragged me onto this sinking ship. If we fail, I won't let you off."
It was unclear whether Horikita was speaking out of frustration or sincerity, but Hikigaya didn't dwell on it.
He was confident he could make someone as cautious as Katsuragi doubt himself.
But before that, he needed to make some preparations.
Before sunset, Hikigaya and Horikita finally gathered enough dry firewood, completing their task for the day. Back at camp, Horikita immediately set out to find Kamuro Masumi, who had left her class.
Before dinner began, the two returned from the depths of the forest.
Kamuro Masumi's face was smudged with dirt, looking a bit disheveled, but her haughty demeanor remained unchanged.
Hikigaya didn't greet her, and Kamuro, understanding his intent, simply found a place to sit.
Yamauchi Haruki said jokingly, "We sent Ibuki off this morning, and now we've got another Class A student tonight. Your Class A isn't going to fall apart and withdraw entirely tomorrow, is it?"
Kamuro didn't respond, just nodded faintly, lost in thought.
Seeing her ignore him, Yamauchi felt a twinge of irritation and muttered, "Just like Ibuki. Why are all these people kicked out of their camps so silent? Are they mute or something?"
The gossip about Kamuro never stopped, but she acted as if she didn't hear it.
She was indeed Class A's outcast now, but compared to most of Class D, Kamuro Masumi's pride remained unshaken.
Unless it was him.
The one Kamuro was tasked to protect wasn't Class D, just that person.
So, she had no fondness for Class D, let alone any attachment. She also knew that being invited to Class D so soon after being ousted from Class A could only be his doing.
Sakura Airi wasn't one for socializing, even with her classmates. Though she was less shy than before, she often couldn't connect with others.
Except for Hasebe Haruka and Hikigaya Hachiman.
Holding some fruit, she approached Kamuro. "W-Want some?"
Kamuro glanced at the nervous Sakura and nodded lightly. "Thanks."
"I know you and Hachiman are friends. I heard from him that you saved me, so I don't want things to be awkward between us. After all, Hachiman's friends are my friends."
Kamuro Masumi didn't take her words to heart, saying calmly, "I won't forget the death glare you gave me when I was alone with Hikigaya. You're kind-hearted, and wanting to be friends with me is genuine…"
Kamuro's expression turned serious, as if questioning Sakura. "But if one day I'm with Hikigaya, can you still treat me like a friend without batting an eye?"
When rivals meet, sparks fly.
Though it was just a hypothetical, Sakura froze at the words.
After a long pause, she steadied herself, as if mentally prepared, and said, "If it's Hachiman's choice, I'll respect it."
No longer afraid, the girl standing before Kamuro was now a brave one fighting for her love.
Hearing Sakura's response, Kamuro's stern expression softened, and she gave a faint smile. "I didn't want to save you. He asked me to, so I did. You don't need to feel burdened. Honestly, I don't hate you, but I definitely don't like you either."
"Same here."
Sakura sat beside Kamuro, and they ate dinner together.
If only time could freeze at this moment, eating hard-earned wild fruit, gazing at the starry sky. Though abandoned by Class A, her heart was calm.
Sometimes, Kamuro wondered what her fate would've been if she'd been placed in Class D instead of Class A.
She quickly dismissed the thought.
If she were in Class D, she might never have crossed paths with Hikigaya.
(End of this chapter)