Chapter 35: Sakayanagi's Proposal
The sun was setting in the west, and the sky was a deep yellow. The sunset dyed half the sky red, and the afterglow, streaming through the heavy clouds onto the campus, cast a warm, yellow light through the glass windows, making the family restaurant appear cozier. A slight chill of the summer breeze passed through the bustling street, gently shaking the small bell hanging on the restaurant door, producing a crisp, pleasant sound.
Hikigaya watched Sakayanagi, Yukinoshita, and Kamuro all seriously contemplating how to maximize profits using the advanced exam questions. He glanced at the time, and a few ideas couldn't help but form in his mind.
Three uniquely characterized girls were deep in thought, looking as if they were troubled by something. At this moment, as the only man present, he should...
"Hey, Hikigaya! Why are you starting to pack up?" Kamuro glared fiercely at Hikigaya, noticing his movements.
'Tch, was I caught? My movements were very light, yet I still couldn't get away.'
"Hikigaya-kun, were you trying to escape just now? The meeting isn't over yet, you know?" Sakayanagi was still smiling, but there was no genuine amusement in her eyes.
"Just when I was starting to change my opinion of you, this man is truly hopeless..." Yukinoshita sighed helplessly.
"S-Sorry..." Hikigaya reached up to wipe the cold sweat that had broken out on his forehead and also sighed lightly.
'Sigh, it looks like I won't be able to get the delicious pudding from the cafeteria today either.'
Through his exchange with Sakayanagi, Yukinoshita, and Kamuro, Hikigaya had a rough understanding of the current situation.
Vice President Nagumo, though he had blocked the information, hadn't yet had the chance to contact the first-year students. Yukinoshita-san had already obtained the exam papers from the upperclassmen who joined the Service Club, and because they signed a non-disclosure agreement, Vice President Nagumo would not know about this. This meant that the initiative for this exam was currently in the hands of those present.
To achieve maximum profit, the most important thing was to understand the value of the bargaining chip they held.
"Sakayanagi-san, if the second-years hadn't blocked the information, how many points do you think one could buy these actual exam questions for?"
Hearing Hikigaya's question, Sakayanagi pondered for a few seconds and quickly provided an answer: "Hmm... these actual exam questions aren't very useful for the upperclassmen. I think it would only take about thirty thousand personal points at most. And since the papers
can be circulated and copied, one only needs to purchase it once, and the entire class can see it."
"Eh? Only thirty thousand points? Then, even selling it to the other three classes at double the price wouldn't generate much profit," Kamuro said with a bored expression, perhaps having raised her expectations due to the huge commission from the Service Club.
"You can't say that." Sakayanagi gently shook her head. "Getting these exam papers allows one to avoid expulsion; that is the true value. However, since Mashima-sensei has not explicitly stated the reward for passing the exam, it's hard for the buyer and seller to agree on the exam papers' value."
"Sakayanagi-san is right. The grades of Class B students aren't bad; they can easily pass the exam even without these papers. As for Class C and Class D, who need the papers, they lost a large amount of class evaluation points in the behavioral regulation exam last month, so they probably don't have many points left now. If we demand too high a price and fail to negotiate, Vice President Nagumo definitely won't miss the opportunity," Yukinoshita added.
"Then why don't we plant a secret pawn in advance?" Hikigaya suddenly interjected, having listened intently to their analysis.
"Eh?"
"Looking toward the future, perhaps? That certainly has some feasibility... Special exams occur every month. If we trade these exam papers for command over a certain class during one special exam, that increases our help and reduces our enemies."
Kamuro still didn't seem to fully grasp it, while Yukinoshita showed a thoughtful expression. Seeing Kamuro's bewildered look, Yukinoshita turned to her and quietly offered an explanation.
"But didn't you just say that the value and reward of the exam paper can't be determined? Why would anyone easily give up the chance to earn class points just for these papers?" Kamuro nodded, half understanding, and then raised a new question.
"Then we'll raise the stakes. For Class C and Class D, as long as the academic ability of their students hasn't improved, even if they pass this midterm exam, they won't be able to threaten Class A's position anytime soon. What they need most now are a plan to pass the midterm exam and living expenses, and we happen to have both. Command over one special exam could save their classmates from expulsion and secure them living expenses. I believe someone will be willing to accept this condition."
"No, forget Class C, but given Class D's dismal state of having all their class evaluation points deducted in the first month, I feel like even getting command over them wouldn't be very useful," Kamuro said, crossing her arms, sounding a bit disdainful of Class D students.
"That's hard to say. To be admitted to this school, everyone has some exploitable qualities," Sakayanagi gently shook her head.
"Exploitable, huh..." Hikigaya couldn't help but sigh softly.
'Sakayanagi-san completely regards the students in other classes as mere pawns. No, perhaps even the students in Class A are pawns in her eyes.'
"Let's not dwell on this. We'll split up. Tomorrow after school, Hikigaya-kun and I will be responsible for finding Ryuen Kakeru, the representative of Class C. As for Yukinoshita-san and Kamuro-san, I'll trouble you to negotiate with the people in Class D."
Saying this, Sakayanagi lightly tapped the table with her slender finger and began planning decisively. "Also, to prevent Vice President Nagumo from intervening through the Student Council by claiming someone leaked the questions, the exam papers we provide should have the order slightly mixed up. After all, we students in Class A are simply 'happy to help' by sharing practice exams with the students in other classes."
"You're clearly manipulating the exam... and you can make it sound so virtuous," Kamuro said with a look of distaste.
"Oh, is there a problem, Kamuro-san?" Kamuro scoffed when Sakayanagi smiled at her, but said nothing more.
"Um, I..." Hikigaya raised his hand, intending to say something to Sakayanagi.
Hikigaya had no objection to Sakayanagi's plan. There was only one problem: he didn't want to work.
What Hikigaya hates and can't stand the most is having his private time taken away. Even in elementary school, he didn't want to go to the celebratory party after the sports day.
It-It's not because no one invited me! It's just that time is limited, and it's simply too painful to share such precious freedom with others.
Sakayanagi merely glanced at the gloomy-eyed Hikigaya and turned to the diligently note-taking Yukinoshita.
"What about Class B?" Yukinoshita quickly wrote down Sakayanagi's plan in her notebook, then looked up and asked.
"Sakayanagi-san, um..."
"We'll ignore them. Ultimately, this midterm exam is just a formality for the students of Class A and Class B." Sakayanagi smiled slightly: "Furthermore, we can use the results obtained by Class B to infer whether Vice President Nagumo has interfered with the first-year exams, which also serves as a test of the Student Council Vice President."
"I understand. So, how many points should we offer them?"
"Let's see. We also need to notify Katsuragi-kun's side. We can discuss the specific details on our phones tonight."
"Don't ignore me!"
And just like that, the outcome of this midterm exam, which hadn't even started yet, seemed to have already been decided.
Read ahead (60 chapters) by supporting me on buymeacoffee.com/varietl