Chapter 100: The Decisive Moment, Everything Within Hikigaya's Calculations
Hikigaya trudged forward step by step. Perhaps due to his poor health and dizziness, their pace was far from fast.
The island wasn't huge, but it wasn't small either. At this slow speed, Yahiko, surprisingly, showed no signs of impatience.
He followed silently behind Hikigaya, not saying a word.
After what felt like ages, a thunderclap roared. Both Hikigaya and Yahiko instinctively glanced at the sky, where a downpour was imminent, each harboring their own thoughts.
Yahiko: "We've been walking for almost two hours. This far out, it'd be a hassle for our class to move. Besides, the exam ends tomorrow."
His words were as if to say, Do you really think we'd relocate? If we were going to, we wouldn't have camped next to you in the first place.
Hikigaya didn't respond much, just nodded and kept walking.
Finally, a trace of irritation crossed Yahiko's face. He felt the boy before him was toying with him, treating him like a plaything.
Lightning flashed, thunder roared, and the rain poured down.
Amid their trek, the downpour began.
"Here we are," Hikigaya said.
"Here? Are you messing with me? There's not even a stronghold here. Or do you think we'd move just because you want us to?"
Yahiko and Hikigaya stood in the rain, letting it soak them. Their eyes locked, Yahiko's disdain fully evident.
Hikigaya turned, scanning the surroundings, no longer looking at Yahiko.
'Koenji, that guy's hiding too well.'
"Yes, I'm messing with you."
"What?!"
Yahiko struggled to control his emotions. He hadn't expected Hikigaya to say something like that.
Was this guy out of his mind?
…
Meanwhile, at Class A's camp, Katsuragi Kohei instinctively touched his pocket for the green card, only to find it gone.
His heart skipped a beat, but as Class A's leader, he quickly regained his composure.
He racked his memory, trying to recall the last time he'd felt the card.
If he wasn't mistaken, those two sly girls had played him.
Katsuragi's face grew cold. Recalling Kushida's deliberate stumble, he understood.
The green card was either with Kushida or Hikigaya.
He hoped it was with Hikigaya, who was now with Yahiko, far from camp. Even if he knew Class A's leader, he couldn't report it immediately.
But he suspected it was with Kushida. If so, they could still secure victory.
Growing increasingly anxious, Katsuragi rallied Class A and marched to Class D's camp.
"Hand over my green card."
Hirata Yosuke looked genuinely confused, he was in the dark.
"What green card? We haven't taken yours."
Class A students grew indignant.
"Still pretending? Our leader's card is missing. Who else but you would've taken it? A rat?"
Ike Kanji: "Hey, don't make baseless accusations! We didn't take your card. If you lost your own stuff, don't pin it on us."
Katsuragi looked at the two clueless students, feeling a bit relieved.
They didn't seem to know their own class's leader yet. That meant Kushida stole the card to strike a deal. If he could meet her demands, Class A hadn't lost yet.
Katsuragi spoke up: "Where's Kushida? I want to talk to her."
After word spread, Kushida stretched lazily in the tent and walked out.
Her face bore her usual sweet smile, which, to Ike, was her angelic self.
"Katsuragi, what's up? Isn't it nice to sleep in a tent during this rain?"
Katsuragi's expression remained icy. He couldn't tell if the girl was lying, her acting was too convincing, shaking his confidence.
"Did you take our green card?"
Kushida burst out laughing, waving her hand to cover her smile. "No way! If I had your card, we'd be long gone by now."
Katsuragi stared at her coldly, met only by her innocent smile.
"Search Class D's camp top to bottom."
Katsuragi was losing his usual calm. He knew if he didn't achieve results in this exam, his leadership in Class A would dwindle until he lost completely to Sakayanagi.
He was rushing. The usual him wouldn't act so impulsively.
Class A students glanced at Katsuragi, hesitant, but with no supervision on this island, they could act freely.
And they didn't want Class A to fall into this state.
As Class A prepared to move, Sudo Ken stepped forward. With his towering frame, taking on three people was no issue.
"Let's see who dares step into Class D's territory today."
Katsuragi frowned. He didn't want a fight, it would only harm Class A with no benefit.
"Hashimoto, Kitō, keep an eye on Sudo."
Hashimoto Masayoshi spread his hands, scoffing, "A leader who lost his card? I don't see the point in following you anymore."
Kitō Hayato's face darkened, nodding.
Class A students surrounded them, saying:
"Hashimoto, this is about the class's honor!"
"Kitō, are you betraying us at a time like this?"
"…"
Hashimoto continued casually, "Our leader is Sakayanagi. I worked with you because we had a common enemy. But now, I see no reason to continue."
Katsuragi's face grew darker. He hadn't expected betrayals at such a critical moment.
Yamauchi Haruki clutched his stomach, laughing. "Hahaha, looks like your class isn't so united. The great Class A, just a fractured mess."
Yamauchi's words embarrassed Class A. They'd never lost face like this before another class.
"I can't swallow this."
"Yeah, Hashimoto and Kitō, you're causing this shame at a time like this."
"But it's Katsuragi's fault too, losing the leader card."
"Now we're done for. Class A's finished. We don't even need to hide our leader anymore, the card says it all."
Class A's students buzzed with discussion. Katsuragi looked at Class D's camp and finally said, "We're doing this the hard way."
Sudo's face turned fierce. "You've got some guts…"
The tension between the classes peaked. Without intervention, a fight was inevitable.
The clouds above grew darker, rain imminent.
Katsuragi glanced at Class D's camp. If it rained, their students would rush back, and with more people, forcing their way would be harder.
It had to be now.
Kamuro Masumi watched from a distance, not wanting to get involved. Class D had treated her well, and she didn't want to be ungrateful.
Watching was enough.
But… she noticed Hikigaya wasn't there.
Where had he gone? With the class in this mess, he wasn't off playing hero, was he?
The thought quickly faded. Seeing the looming storm, she grew worried.
She turned away from the classes, intending to find Hikigaya and bring him back before the rain.
As the classes were about to clash, an unexpected figure emerged from the forest, arms crossed.
Chabashira Sae, Class D's homeroom sensei. Why was she here?
"Are you planning to ignore school rules?"
Both classes fell silent, staring at their sensei.
Katsuragi gritted his teeth. He could no longer break through Class D, his only lead was Hikigaya and Yahiko, far away.
After Chabashira appeared, Class A returned to their camp. Katsuragi issued a new order.
The entire class would search for Hikigaya.
It was their only chance for a breakthrough.
Chabashira watched Class A leave, said nothing to her students, and turned to go.
Looking at the drifting clouds, she sighed deeply. "Hikigaya, I've done what you asked. The rest is up to you."
…
On Hikigaya's side, rain soaked his clothes, weighing him down.
They stared at each other, neither yielding.
Hikigaya's head spun from his weak body and wet clothes, making him feel heavier.
But he couldn't collapse yet.
"Playing with our Class A, Hikigaya, I must say you've got some guts."
"Not really. I brought you out here for a reason, obviously."
"Oh? Coming to me alone? Don't tell me you're begging for mercy, hoping we'll spare your class. Hahaha, that's hilarious, absolutely hilarious."
Hikigaya Hachiman shook his head, unfazed by Yahiko Totsuka's words, responding calmly, "You're the leader, right?"
"?!"
Yahiko's body jolted, his pupils trembling uncontrollably. He looked at the boy before him with fear, momentarily considering withdrawing from the exam.
"Hahaha, with so many outstanding students in Class A, if I were the leader, I'd wake up laughing from my dreams."
Yahiko forced himself to stay composed. The more panicked he appeared, the more it would seem like he was confirming Hikigaya's guess. As a Class A student, he wouldn't make such a rookie mistake.
"If you think I'm the leader, go ahead and write my name down. The exam ends tomorrow anyway. I'd love to see Class D's miserable defeat."
Without solid proof, most people would hesitate to name a leader definitively.
And Yahiko trusted Katsuragi Kohei. He believed someone as cautious as Katsuragi would never let his leader's identity slip.
His provocative smirk grew, designed to throw Hikigaya off and get through this crisis.
But he underestimated Hikigaya. At this moment, Hikigaya's gaze was resolute, unshaken.
How could he be so sure Yahiko was the leader?
Seeing Hikigaya's expression, Yahiko's confidence took another hit.
Hikigaya slowly pulled the green card from his pocket. Though he hadn't looked at the name, he was certain the boy before him was Class A's leader.
Lies don't hurt; the truth is the sharpest blade.
Watching Hikigaya's move, Yahiko, still not fully processing it, continued taunting, "What, you're showing me your class's green card? Have you lost it?"
"Look closely. This is your class's green card."
"?!!"
Yahiko fell silent again.
When he focused, there was no mistake, Hikigaya held his green card, with Yahiko Totsuka's name clearly written on it.
How?! How could this happen?!
Katsuragi had been safeguarding the card. How did it end up in Hikigaya's hands?
It had to be fake. Yes, fake. He was trying to trick Yahiko into spilling something.
"I don't believe that card's real. I'm not the leader. That's just some counterfeit you picked up."
"Remember my chat with Katsuragi? I took it from his pocket then."
"…"
Fury surged within Yahiko, clouding his reason. He couldn't fathom why this boy had brought him here to reveal this cruel truth.
Was it to prove Class D had already won? Or something else?
Looking at Hikigaya, Yahiko's earlier bravado was gone. He knew the exam was over, they had lost, Class A had lost completely.
But a strange idea sprouted in his mind.
Hikigaya said he'd taken it from Katsuragi's pocket. He hadn't interacted with his classmates before bringing Yahiko here. Did that mean…
If he could force Hikigaya to withdraw from the exam now, Class A's leader's identity could remain hidden.
Even if they couldn't beat Class D, they wouldn't lose so badly.
He looked at Hikigaya, who stood weakly, looking like he'd collapse under the rain any moment.
Yahiko gave a meaningful smile, impressed with himself for thinking of this in such a desperate situation.
He couldn't be blamed. Hikigaya had brought himself here, hadn't he?
Though his consciousness was fading, Hikigaya caught Yahiko's sly grin.
He smiled faintly. After waiting so long, it was finally time.
The next moment, a blow to his stomach sent Hikigaya's vision black. Yahiko had acted, and Hikigaya had no intention of resisting.
In that moment, Yahiko felt victory was his.
Though school rules prohibited fighting, in this stormy weather, some sins stayed hidden from the school's eyes.
One punch, and Hikigaya lost all resistance. Yahiko hadn't expected the boy Sakayanagi obsessed over to be so defenseless against him.
But this was perfect.
After confirming Hikigaya was unconscious, Yahiko tossed him into the bushes. If he didn't return to camp by tomorrow noon, they'd win.
Given his state, he'd sleep through until tomorrow afternoon.
When Yahiko retrieved his green card from Hikigaya's pocket, he noticed Class D's green card as well.
"An unexpected bonus."
The card bore the name Hikigaya Hachiman.
"Now Class A's guaranteed to win."
After ensuring Hikigaya showed no signs of waking, Yahiko headed back to Class A's camp.
Watching Yahiko leave, Koenji Rokusuke, who'd been recording from the tree, jumped down.
"What a beautiful plan… everything within your calculations, Hikigaya-boy."
He approached the unconscious Hikigaya, frowning slightly. "But you don't look very beautiful like this."
He lifted Hikigaya. In this downpour, getting him to the school's infirmary would end it all.
Hikigaya would withdraw from the exam, Koenji would become the new leader, and Class A would not only guess Class D's leader wrong but have their own leader exposed.
Plus, the camera in his hand had recorded everything.
Class A had lost spectacularly.
All because of the boy in Koenji's arms.
Koenji continued, unbothered by carrying someone across the island.
But…
"Hikigaya!"
Koenji leapt onto a branch, spotting a girl with a side ponytail calling Hikigaya's name.
"Fine, I'll leave this mess to her."
Without hesitation, Koenji dropped the unconscious Hikigaya in the middle of the path.
Certain Kamuro Masumi would find him, he darted off through the trees without looking back.
Watching himself in the camera, Koenji waited until Hikigaya and Kamuro reached the infirmary. He felt utterly splendid.
…
Kamuro kept calling Hikigaya's name, but the forest gave no reply.
The torrential rain soaked her hair and clothes, the weight slowing her down.
No girl liked getting dirty, but finding Hikigaya safe was more important.
She also wanted to tell him about the conflict between Class D and Class A.
She couldn't help Class D, she was an outsider.
But Hikigaya was different. With him, Class D would be fine.
As she hurried along with these thoughts, she finally spotted a familiar figure lying in the path.
"What are you doing here? Class A and Class D are clashing, and you're not going back?"
Kamuro was angry. His class was in trouble, yet he was lying here doing who-knows-what.
And in such a filthy place. What an idiot.
Hikigaya didn't respond, fueling her anger. She stormed over, only to see his closed eyes.
Her breathing quickened. She didn't know who did this, but recalling Katsuragi's words, she realized something must've happened when Hikigaya was with Yahiko.
She touched his forehead, it was burning, so hot she couldn't keep her hand there.
"A fever? This idiot… how could he act like nothing's wrong?"
She recalled their recent interactions, but her mind couldn't linger on that.
She needed to get him to the infirmary, now.
She hoisted Hikigaya onto her back. For an unconscious person, his weight was immense.
As a girl, soaked by rain, carrying him was no easy task.
Kamuro stumbled countless times. By the time she reached the infirmary, her face was flushed, and she collapsed, gasping for breath.
(End of this chapter)