Chapter 134: Hirata, Are You a Traitor?
As if expecting Hirata's agreement, Yamauchi didn't hesitate, pulling out his prepared question sheet.
After a brief explanation, Yamauchi Haruki feigned understanding.
"By the way, Yosuke, we're facing Class A in two days. You know, I've always believed our class can beat them, so I'll keep working hard."
Hirata Yosuke nodded, pleased to see Yamauchi's recent efforts. He could clearly sense Yamauchi's change and the class's progress.
For Hirata, who always pursued collective advancement, this was the best news.
Yamauchi continued, "Yosuke, do you think people with bad grades can't do anything well?"
"Of course not. Everyone has their strengths. Don't underestimate yourself."
Yamauchi gave a self-deprecating laugh. "Then why do I feel like I'm useless to this class, always dragging it down?"
Feeling Yamauchi's emotions, Hirata's heart ached for his classmate. "You're not useless. You just haven't found your field yet. Keep working, and in these three years, you'll find it. Let's do this together, Yamauchi!"
Yamauchi seemed reinvigorated, gripping Hirata's hands tightly. "Yosuke, I know you've always believed in me. I really want to repay this class and you. So… let me contribute to the questions this time!"
"Uh…"
Hirata looked troubled, but Yamauchi quickly added, "What, you don't trust me either, Hirata?"
"Of course I do!"
"Hirata, think about it. If it's just you smart guys setting questions, the opponents are smart too. But if someone like me, with bad grades, gets involved, it might have a surprising effect!"
"Hm… true."
Yamauchi smirked triumphantly, watching Hirata.
After painful deliberation, Hirata decided to trust his classmate, pulling out the questions Horikita Suzune and Hikigaya Hachiman had meticulously prepared.
Yamauchi acted shocked, quickly taking the sheet. "This… this is the test for Class A."
"Right… it's the final draft Horikita refined."
"But… is it really perfect?"
"What do you mean, Yamauchi-kun?"
Yamauchi snapped two photos of the test with his phone. "There's still a day before submission. Give me one day to tweak it. Trust me, I'll make Class A suffer!"
"Alright… fine."
"Yosuke, one more request."
"Go ahead…"
"Don't tell anyone about today. I owe this class too much. I just want to contribute quietly."
"Okay, I promise."
With the exact questions in hand, Yamauchi saw no need to linger. The longer he stayed, the riskier exposure became.
After bidding Hirata farewell, he didn't immediately send the questions to Hashimoto Masayoshi. It wasn't the final draft yet.
"As long as I pass this exam, I'll be in Class A. Just thinking about it is thrilling, hahaha!"
With that mood, the day passed quickly.
Using some tricks, Yamauchi did make the questions harder, changes only Hirata knew about, and Hirata approved of his actions.
…
"The final draft's sent to you. Time to keep your promise."
Ding…
Yamauchi's phone received a set of answers, clearly from Hashimoto, the answers for Class A's test tomorrow.
These answers were Yamauchi's last hope. He'd memorize them and shine tomorrow.
He needed to control his own fate, not leave it to that Hikigaya.
The exam day arrived. Yamauchi, glancing at the paper, wrote confidently without reading the questions.
Hikigaya, seated behind, noticed.
Unlike the usual Yamauchi, he wrote with blind confidence, as if he knew the answers already, evident from his smirk.
But…
Hikigaya sighed. He'd have to take this exam seriously, or Yamauchi would drag him down to expulsion.
He didn't know what made Yamauchi so confident, but if a few days' effort did this, he wasn't a fool, he was insane. No normal person, aware of their level, could act like this.
From this simple observation, Hikigaya sensed something was off.
If any pair in the class had zero communication, it was him and Yamauchi. Other pairs complemented each other, one passing one subject, the other another, barely hitting 700 total.
Now, Hikigaya decided to put all his hopes on himself.
Relying on no one, expecting nothing from others, was a lesson he'd learned early. Counting on someone to save him here was a death wish.
In Class A, except for Sakayanagi Arisu and Kamuro Masumi, everyone seemed to have seen the questions already. But when they started writing, something felt wrong.
Who the hell made these garbage questions…
Is this person sick?!
Radicals vs. conservatives? This is mocking our class's factions…
Everyone was confused and furious. Class C's question-setter had targeted their sore spots. The questions weren't hard for high-achievers who'd seen the answers, but…
For some reason, writing the answers felt scalding.
Kamuro, looking at the test, was speechless. She didn't need to think to know who made it.
This guy's pulling such a dirty move. Isn't he afraid of our class's backlash?
Sakayanagi, seeing the questions, gave a rare gentle smile. This guy… really…
Meanwhile, the battle between Classes B and D began. In Class B, Ichinose Honami seemed off.
She was fine earlier, but upon seeing the final question, she froze at her desk.
Perhaps due to the exam, her classmates didn't notice her oddity.
Class D's final question…
What kind of fate awaits a thief?
Besides that, the other questions focused on unity, likely reworked by Shiina Hiyori after Hikigaya's advice.
In Class D, the questions were tough but not torturous, just slightly harder than usual.
The two exam days passed quickly, but Hikigaya's doubts lingered.
After the exam, Sakura Airi found him, her clumsy demeanor unchanged. "Hachiman, I have a bad feeling…"
"I didn't say earlier because I didn't want to disrupt the class's morale, but during the exam, I felt… this test isn't as simple as we thought."
Sakura's instincts were scarily accurate. Already suspicious, Hikigaya grew certain something bad was brewing in the class.
But for now… he couldn't confirm it.
Everything would become clear when the results came out.
[Chat Room…]
[Yukimura Teruhiko: "Yamauchi, you really betrayed the class!"]
[Sudo Ken: "I thought you wouldn't, but you did! You don't trust your classmates but believe some Class A guy?"]
[Yamauchi tried to deflect: "How was I supposed to know? I'm not as smart as you guys. Can't blame me for being tricked, and…"]
[Even now, Yamauchi believed he'd soon be in Class A.]
[Horikita: "Some people can't be taught or changed, no matter what."]
[Karuizawa Kei: "Looks like Sakura and Hikigaya in the video will soon figure it out, the class's traitor!"]
[Kushida Kikyo, cold-faced, stayed silent, recalling how she nearly took the same path.]
[Hirata, completely silent, was different. He couldn't accept this outcome.]
[Yamauchi… can't betray the class. Those words echoed in his mind.]
[But facts were facts. When the results came out, everything would be clear.]
Chabashira Sae handed out the score sheets. "No one's expelled this time."
Yamauchi jumped up. "Hell yeah!"
Chabashira: "But… Class A won. Per the rules, 50 of our class points go to them. Detailed scores are in the sheets you just received."
Hearing Class C lost, Yamauchi's guilt muted his excitement. But no one suspected him. Class C's academics were weaker than Class A's, so losing wasn't surprising. Still…
Horikita: "Yamauchi, what's going on? Why's your total only 20 points?!"
Yamauchi scoffed. "Huh? My total? No way!"
He grabbed his score sheet, which listed everyone's grades. Across eight subjects, Yamauchi scored just 20 points.
His usual grades were bad, but not this bad. He should've scored around 150 this time.
But… 20 points.
Worse, Hikigaya had dragged a 20-point partner through the exam.
Sudo: "Yamauchi, what the hell!"
Ike Kanji: "20 points? Did your brain get scooped out?"
Kushida: "I knew you were dumb, but this… If he gets expelled, you'll regret it."
Karuizawa: "20 points, hahaha! Eight subjects, 20 points? That's insane. I could guess better without thinking."
Yamauchi's mind went blank. He finally realized Hashimoto had tricked him. He wanted to confront him, punch him twice, and demand answers.
The 20 points came from what little he remembered after studying all night, plus blind guesses on multiple-choice.
Otherwise, he might've scored zero.
Hikigaya didn't condemn him. Seeing the class rankings, he felt defeated.
1st: Koenji Rokusuke, 800 points
2nd: Wang Mei-Yu, 741 points
3rd: Hikigaya Hachiman, 691 points
4th: Horikita Suzune, 680 points
5th: Yukimura Teruhiko, 671 points
…
Last: Yamauchi Haruki, 20 points
Hikigaya sighed helplessly. Passing this exam was pure luck. If Yamauchi had scored a complete zero, even he would've been expelled.
To others, it looked like he saved Yamauchi from expulsion, but…
Hikigaya Hachiman was deeply disappointed with this outcome, extremely disappointed.
He even considered this success a failure.
But even so, he didn't lose his ability to think.
Amid the class's mocking laughter, confusion, and questions, Yamauchi Haruki completely lost his composure, storming out and ignoring Chabashira Sae in the process.
Hirata Yosuke, as if realizing something, collapsed into his seat, drained of strength.
Hikigaya blamed himself for the failure but refused to let the class's anomaly slide.
He immediately took out his phone and sent a message to Kamuro Masumi.
Soon after, a notification prompted him to check Class A's scores.
As expected, Class A's grades were absurdly high. While their academic ability naturally surpassed Class C's, these scores were unbelievable.
Almost everyone scored above 650, with only a few below 600. Without cheating, such uniformity was impossible.
However…
Even so, Sakayanagi Arisu's name topped Class A.
"800 points…"
What a monster…
Hikigaya didn't linger on it. With this information, he could piece everything together. All he needed was confirmation from Hirata.
Perhaps because everyone was mentally prepared, losing wasn't too upsetting. Afterward, some classmates felt their earlier words were too harsh. Everyone has off days, and they owed Yamauchi an apology.
After all, they were still classmates.
Hirata, hearing this, remained unresponsive.
Meanwhile, the battle between Classes B and D concluded. It wasn't one-sided; Class D won by a slim margin.
But that was just the surface. Ichinose Honami couldn't shake Class D's final question.
The new class rankings soon reached everyone's phones.
Class A: 840cp → 890cp
Class B: 850cp → 800cp
Class C: 520cp → 470cp
Class D: 310cp → 360cp
No rank changes, but the lower classes were closing in. Once again, Class C felt the pressure from Ryuen Kakeru.
…
On Yamauchi's side, he frantically searched for Hashimoto Masayoshi, finally finding the ponytail guy on the track.
"Hashimoto!"
Hashimoto turned, grinning like he'd spotted his toy. "Yo, isn't this Class C's traitor?"
"What did you say?!"
"Am I wrong?"
Unable to hold back, Yamauchi swung a fist.
But Hashimoto merely raised a hand, neutralizing the attack effortlessly, unharmed.
"Yo, you've learned to throw punches? Too bad, you're weak."
"You used me!"
"No, I didn't. You sent me the info willingly from start to finish."
"Bullshit! I'm exposing you!"
As if hearing something shocking, Hashimoto feigned fear, then mocked, "Expose me? Got any proof?"
Yamauchi, thinking he'd join Class A, had deleted all their messages to avoid detection by Class C.
Hashimoto burst into triumphant laughter. "Idiot, what an idiot, hahaha! You, like this, thinking the Princess would ever notice you? Not even in your dreams."
His laughter pierced Yamauchi's pride like needles, leaving him powerless.
Be it academics or sports, he was useless.
But he didn't blame himself, he blamed the school's unfairness.
Why could other idiots survive while he couldn't? What did he lack?
With nowhere to go, he didn't even have the courage to stay in front of Hashimoto.
He left the track, mind blank, not knowing what to think.
If Hirata didn't snitch, he'd bury this secret forever. If Hirata did, he'd be cornered.
As he walked, head down, his classmates found him.
Sotomura and others approached, slinging arms around his shoulders.
"Let's go. We were wrong earlier."
"Yeah, we shouldn't have said that."
"You're our classmate. That won't change."
Yamauchi smirked triumphantly. If he begged Hirata to stay quiet, he'd have a place to hide.
Shaking his head, he spoke of making up for the class, and seeing his sincerity, they accepted his "atonement."
On Hikigaya's side, he and Sakura Airi found Hirata returning from the bathroom. His face was paler than usual. No one knew what happened there.
To Hikigaya, that sickly look suggested he'd either been beaten or vomited himself empty.
Of course, Sakura caught a sour stench, confirming Hirata's state was too bad to judge by sight alone.
Hikigaya: "I have some questions."
Hirata forced a weak smile. "Go ahead, Hikigaya-kun."
Hikigaya: "After we gave you the final draft, did anyone else see it? Anyone at all, tell me."
Hirata hesitated briefly, then smiled. "No, after you and Horikita-kun gave me the draft, I submitted it to the sensei."
Hikigaya's expression turned serious. "Hirata, you're lying."
Hirata kept smiling. "What are you talking about, Hikigaya-kun?"
Hikigaya sighed softly, shocked Hirata would protect someone to this extent.
He showed Hirata the test Kamuro sent him. "Our final draft was altered. Someone saw it. Who?"
"No one, really…"
"Why keep lying now?"
"Enough!"
Hirata's sudden shout startled Sakura nearby.
"I said no one. There's no traitor in our class."
With that, he moved to return to class. Hikigaya, frowning, didn't stop him, saying calmly, "If that's true, then I can only suspect you're the traitor, Hirata."
Hirata paused, then flashed his gentle smile again. "If even you think so, Hikigaya-kun, your judgment must be right."
Their brief talk ended, and Hirata didn't bring it up again.
(End of this chapter)