The sound of a cane came from outside the door; Sakayanagi Arisu should have arrived.
Sure enough.
When Hachiman looked over, he immediately saw a fair-skinned, cute girl with extremely textured silver hair. Unfortunately, she was physically weak, so she needed to walk with a cane.
However, this didn't make people feel bothered; instead, they felt she was delicate and needed care.
It must be said that even though he had seen her many times, Hachiman admitted that Sakayanagi Arisu was super cute.
And speaking of recent topics about confessions and relationships, he was slightly curious if anyone would confess to Sakayanagi.
However, there was probably no hope.
Because she was the leader of the Sakayanagi Faction in Class A, any tactless person who appeared would probably be dealt with by the Sakayanagi Faction.
After all.
What could be more important than maintaining Class A's status and Sakayanagi's advancement into the Student Council to become the Student Council President, bringing convenience to the Class?
"Isn't this Hikigaya?" Sakayanagi's voice was soft and very pleasant to listen to.
Although she was smiling.
Her words always felt as if they carried a hidden barb.
Because she said this:
"You refused several invitations before, but today you came just after a transfer of funds."
"This kind of behavior seems to be called being greedy for money," Sakayanagi Arisu said.
"I just want to be a frugal person," Hachiman said. "After all, my future is to become a house husband, which means I won't be the one earning money, so naturally, I have to plan and manage the household budget well, saving wherever possible."
"Is that so?" But Sakayanagi seemed uninterested in this topic. "I don't really like saving money. Compared to saving, I think it's better to earn more money. If you earn enough, then there's no need to save, right?"
I see.
So your attack power is really strong!
Hachiman felt that if he didn't trick Sakayanagi into the Student Council and make her focus on Class competition, then his Class C would be the first to be attacked.
"So," Hachiman came to the private room and sat down, then said frankly, "What's for lunch?"
"If there are no other requests, then you don't need to treat me to lunch today."
"Just a little soup at most."
As Hikigaya said this, he placed the bento box he had brought with him on the table.
"You certainly have good taste," Sakayanagi glanced at it.
The bento box Hachiman brought was wrapped in cloth, and its style suggested it might be chosen by a girl.
In other words, this was the truth.
Kamuro had gossiped that Hikigaya had accepted Horikita Suzune's confession from the same Class and had started dating her.
And during this time.
Sakayanagi had invited Hikigaya a total of four times, but Hikigaya had not come even once.
And the reason was probably this.
Eating with his girlfriend. To be precise, eating a bento lovingly made by his girlfriend.
"My impression of you has changed," Sakayanagi Arisu returned to her usual position. "You are a person who goes back on your word."
"Why do you say that?" Hachiman looked over.
"Didn't you say you don't believe in love and that youth is bittersweet?" Sakayanagi Arisu put her cane aside and then placed her small hand on her fleshy thigh.
"This..." Hachiman paused. "Horikita and I are not in a dating relationship."
"She and I share a common desire to advance our Class."
"So I'm probably in an assistant role."
"The Classmates misunderstood," Hachiman said.
"..."?
This made Kamuro, who had just been frowning, look over.
Because you eat together every day, and she even cooks for you and makes you bento, and yet you say this isn't dating.
Are you a block of wood? Or what level of scumbag are you?
Can you not experience a girl's feelings of love at all?
However, Hikigaya himself explained:
"Horikita's cooking skills are very good, and her family runs a restaurant. I also want to become a house husband, so I'm learning from her. At the same time, she makes bento every day, and if I add my portion, it only costs a little bit for ingredients."
In other words, it was simply sharing meals.
"It seems you are very dedicated to saving money," Sakayanagi said. "You try every possible way, and even now, you haven't changed your idea of becoming a house husband."
Because that explained it.
The reason Hikigaya didn't come was that Horikita Suzune's cooking from the same Class was cheaper.
This also aligned with his stated philosophy of wanting to save money.
But if he was being treated to a meal, wouldn't he not have to spend any money at all?
Sakayanagi thought.
And Hachiman felt that Sakayanagi's smile seemed to have brightened a little.
Would she be happy to know he wasn't dating a girl?
Or... did she think it was correct that he wasn't dating a beautiful girl?
Indeed.
Hachiman knew very well that the quality of the girls he met in this school was very high, and ordinary boys would generally not catch the eye of these super beautiful or super cute girls.
Hachiman considered himself very ordinary.
...
So, the generous Sakayanagi ordered a yam and pork rib soup for Hikigaya. The steaming hot soup, paired with Horikita's bento, made for a wonderful enjoyment.
However, when Hachiman took his first sip of soup.
"Then."
"Since you've had my soup," Sakayanagi Arisu said, "you can talk to me now, right?"
Uh.
Sure enough, this was very Sakayanagi Arisu.
It was a bit difficult to get something for free from her.
"What do you want to ask? Or rather..." Hachiman paused and said, "What do you want to complain about?"
"You're still so perceptive," Sakayanagi said. "Indeed, I can't hide it from you."
"Today is the 1st, and according to the school's rules, it's the day to announce special exams."
"But there wasn't one today. There's only one reason: this month's special exam has been changed."
"However, it's not a big problem, probably just due to the weather. The weather hasn't been good these past few days, so places like the sea are relatively dangerous."
"Then traveling by luxury cruise ship to the Uninhabited Island Exam would pose some risks."
"And you should already know this, right?"
Sakayanagi said, "My little dog saw Kushida from your Class contacting Third Year seniors these past few days."
Saying this, Sakayanagi gazed at Hikigaya with her clear pupils.
But Hikigaya did not reply.
Kushida's actions were not subtle; after all, it was very conspicuous for a junior, not even from the same club, to contact a senior.
So there was nothing to say about it being discovered.
Moreover, this also ensured that everyone was on the same footing, gathering information.
However.
There was something in Sakayanagi's recent words that needed attention.
That was, she called her own Classmate a little dog!
Hachiman slightly regretted introducing Sakayanagi to the Student Council, because if she really became the Student Council President, she might just open a pet shop within the Student Council.
Or rather.
She would definitely dismiss the other members of the Student Council according to her own preferences.
He was a little worried about what the next Student Council would become.
He just didn't know if Chairman Sakayanagi would be able to restrain his highly aggressive daughter then.
"So," Hachiman looked at Sakayanagi. "Are you trying to say that you can't go to the Uninhabited Island Exam?"
"..." Sakayanagi.
"That's right."
Sakayanagi Arisu said, "My health is not good. I have suffered from heart disease since childhood, so all strenuous exercise is forbidden."
"And for an exam like going to an Uninhabited Island for group living, or even potentially involving a lot of physical activity, I have no way of participating."
I see.
Hachiman understood why Sakayanagi Arisu would spend 100,000 to invite him over.
Because all the students in the entire grade went to the exam, and she was the only one left at school.
She became a lonely girl staying behind.
Due to her poor health, she couldn't go to school since childhood. Although her personality was open, experiencing this feeling of being different from others again was indeed very bad.
So Sakayanagi spent money to invite him over, probably to vent her frustrations.
Hikigaya accepted the money from the other party.
He passively received some information from Sakayanagi.
She was a premature baby, with a congenital heart problem. Although there was a possibility of surgery when she grew older, she had already accepted her condition.
Even if she couldn't do intense exercise, this kind of life was still good.
However, this also meant that she couldn't experience the life of a normal girl. It was a bit regrettable.
Ultimately,
Although he always found Sakayanagi terrifying and very aggressive, she was still just a girl.
Most of it was Sakayanagi complaining, and as someone hired for money, quietly listening was the best approach, right?
...
After Hikigaya returned to the classroom, Sakayanagi and Kamuro did not leave the private room.
Sakayanagi waited for Kamuro to return the tableware, then suddenly spoke.
"What do you think, Kamuro?"
"What do I think, Sakayanagi... Are you actually regretting that you can't be a normal girl?" Kamuro said.
"What foolishness are you speaking?" Sakayanagi Arisu said, "Do you think I was merely recounting my past? That would truly be disappointing. Without me, you're completely incapable of thinking for yourself."
Sakayanagi's tone hadn't changed, but her wording had.
Her address to Kamuro changed from 'you' (polite) to 'you' (informal).
Sakayanagi was a very strange person. 'You' (polite) was a respectful term, but she didn't genuinely respect you from her heart, so being outwardly respectful usually meant she looked down on you.
But now, suddenly using the informal 'you' meant she was very displeased with her, right?
As someone who had been by her side for two months, Kamuro Masumi immediately recognized this.
"Then if you weren't looking for Hikigaya to complain, what were you doing?" Kamuro said.
She didn't like being treated as stupid, although... she often felt her thoughts couldn't keep up with Sakayanagi's.
"It was a test, a test worth 100,000 point."
"And unfortunately, our Class will probably fail the Uninhabited Island Exam."
Sakayanagi gripped her cane, preparing to stand up, and said.
"I deliberately brought up the Uninhabited Island Exam, and he wasn't surprised. Then I mentioned Kushida, and he wasn't surprised either."
"This indicates that he is indeed arranging for Kushida to gather information."
"Then he will attack fiercely next."
Sakayanagi said, "Don't forget how Ryuen was brought down in the previous Sudo assault incident, and how Hikigaya's Class was promoted."
"If Hikigaya attacks proactively, the risk factor is very high," Sakayanagi assessed.
"So now he has specifically gathered information about the Uninhabited Island Exam, and I can't even participate in the exam."
"What do you think will happen to our Class?" Sakayanagi said.
"You mean...?" Kamuro finally reacted.
Could it be that Sakayanagi deliberately sought out Hikigaya just to confirm his offensive power?
Looking at it this way, those 100,000 point... were very valuable.
And Sakayanagi Arisu continued.
"Katsuragi cannot completely defend Class A."
"So cherish your current Class," she said, and began to walk forward, gripping her cane.
"But."
Kamuro was also a member of Class A. When she suddenly heard that the Class might drop, she initially found it absurd, but she had also witnessed Ryuen Class instantly becoming Class D.
Moreover, Sakayanagi had always held Hikigaya in high regard.
So if Sakayanagi didn't participate in this Uninhabited Island Exam... would it really be a major loss?
"Sakayanagi, then we should warn Katsuragi," Kamuro said. "Because if the Class drops because you didn't go..."
"Foolishness." But Sakayanagi said, "If the Class drops, and I possess the ticket to advance to the Student Council President, do you think I would still need to coax the entire Class to vote for me?"
Uh.
Indeed, she wouldn't need to.
Because if the Class dropped, everyone would want to rise.
So at that time, even students from the Katsuragi Faction would vote for Sakayanagi for free.
For no other reason than for the Class to return to Class A.
So having a Student Council President from their Class was a great advantage.
"And," Sakayanagi said, "if Katsuragi doesn't fall, then those students in his Faction won't defect to my side."
Katsuragi possessed charisma.
So he also had a few loyal followers, and at the same time, Class A currently had some advantages, so some fence-sitters also sided with Katsuragi.
Class A was still in a state of division.
Watching Katsuragi destroy himself and then taking over all his forces was also a good plan.
After all, it required no effort.
As long as Katsuragi failed, his supporters would come over on their own.
Moreover,
"As for Hikigaya's offensive power," Sakayanagi said, "I am very optimistic. If he can truly attack Class A successfully and climb to Class A, then there's no need to worry."
"Because his Class doesn't match him, and if he can truly lead his Class up, then it proves his strength."
"Then,"
"At that time, couldn't I just gather 20 million point and buy him over?"
"The enemy will become an ally," Sakayanagi said.
And these were all plans thought through.
So that's how it was.
Kamuro understood.
It turned out Sakayanagi had actually prepared a backup plan.
Spending 100,000 point today to invite Hikigaya wasn't because she was bored or wanted to complain; it was a well-thought-out strategy after all.
Sakayanagi was indeed terrifying.
But.
Kamuro thought.
Wouldn't spending 20 million to buy Hikigaya be too expensive?
------------------------------
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