Mashima Tomonari, the homeroom teacher of Class A, was not only the same age as Chabashira Sae and Hoshinomiya Chie but had also been their classmate back in school.
Since he had become the teacher of Class A, it was clear his abilities were stronger than both Chabashira and Hoshinomiya.
"You mean the Class D student who was one of the only two first-years to join the student council?"
Mashima-sensei put down his glass, his tone carrying a trace of surprise.
"I was really caught off guard when I first heard about that. After all, even Katsuragi from my class and Ichinose from yours didn't make it, yet a student from Class D was chosen. But after the recent survival test on the deserted island, he proved that he does have what it takes to be in the student council."
"Deserted island test?"
Chabashira-sensei paused for a moment. She had already sensed that something happened during the test that she wasn't aware of.
"What exactly are you two keeping from me?"
She frowned, her tone sharp as she pressed for answers.
"Haha, Sae-chan sure knows how to act clueless! Not only do you have a special student like Ayanokouji, but there's also Hikigaya, who is incredibly capable. Students like them shouldn't have ended up in Class D in the first place."
Hoshinomiya-sensei seemed frustrated and wary about the fact that Class D, the lowest-ranked class, had such outstanding students.
Or maybe… was that jealousy Hikigaya sensed in her tone?
Mashima-sensei nodded in agreement, as if he shared her thoughts.
"Sae-chan, what are you really up to? You shouldn't be too greedy. Just do your job and don't reach for things that aren't yours—just like the old you."
Hoshinomiya laughed as if she was joking, but toward the end, there was an unmistakable warning in her voice.
Chabashira-sensei remained silent.
"Ugh, if only Hikigaya were in my Class B… Then he could work with Ichinose…"
Hoshinomiya-sensei, sounding tipsy, draped herself over Chabashira-sensei.
Hikigaya didn't bother listening any further. He had noticed that other teachers were getting up, and if he stayed near the vending machine any longer, he'd probably be spotted.
"So even the groupings have some kind of pattern… No wonder the Dragon Group had people like Katsuragi, Ryuen, and Hirata all together."
It was an interesting discovery, but not one that was particularly useful at the moment.
When Hikigaya returned to his room, Hirata was in the middle of explaining how the first-years had reached a collective agreement on [Outcome One].
Miyake Akito and Hondou Ryoutarou had no objections and quickly signed their names on the contract. Now, Hirata was trying to persuade Koenji.
Just as expected, Koenji wasn't paying any attention to Hirata. Even though Miyake and Hondou had already signed, Koenji remained as self-centered as ever.
"Hirata-boy, even without signing this contract, I'm confident I'll get my hands on 500,000 private points. So why should I follow anyone else's orders? That's just not my style!"
Koenji flicked his golden hair, looking as arrogant as ever.
"Koenji, if we do this, the rest of the class will have to give up some private points as compensation. I don't want you to be resented by others because of this, so please, Koenji, agree to my request!"
Hirata spoke sincerely, even bowing deeply.
Miyake Akito and Hondou Ryoutarou were both shocked by his action, but Koenji still didn't respond. Maybe, as someone from a wealthy family, he was already used to this kind of thing.
"Heh, I've never cared about what others think of me. In fact, being resented is the best proof of being strong."
Koenji was completely unfazed. Being hated? What a joke. He had never cared about that. Otherwise, he wouldn't have earned the nickname "the weirdo."
Just as Hondou and Miyake were about to snap at him in frustration, Hirata quickly stopped them.
Hikigaya stepped forward and patted Hirata on the shoulder, then whispered something in his ear. Hirata nodded slightly before turning to Koenji.
"How about this? Since you've already found the VIP, that means you'll get 500,000 private points and 50 class points. As compensation, we'll give you an extra 500,000 private points, making it a total of 1,000,000 private points. What do you think?"
"Oh?"
Koenji gave Hirata a surprised look, then shifted his gaze to Hikigaya standing behind him. A knowing smile appeared on his face.
"No problem!"
With Koenji's agreement, Hirata finally smiled, then turned to Hikigaya with a grateful expression.
Hikigaya ignored Koenji's gaze. Hirata's usual way of handling things worked fine with ordinary people, but with someone like Koenji, it was completely ineffective. If you wanted to make a deal with Koenji, you had to offer something that truly interested him.
Hirata had been using the wrong approach from the start. When dealing with Koenji, emotions were useless—only benefits mattered.
"By the way, Hikigaya, can we talk outside for a moment?"
Just as Hirata was about to leave the room, he turned back and asked.
Hikigaya nodded and followed him to the vending machines in the lobby. Since it was already around 11:30 p.m., the place was almost empty.
"Sorry for bothering you so late, Hikigaya."
Hirata started by apologizing. Hikigaya couldn't help but sigh. It was hard to be harsh with someone so polite. If it were Horikita, he would've snapped back already.
Then Hirata got to the point.
"It's about Karuizawa."
The moment Hikigaya heard that name, he knew this was going to be trouble.
"Actually, Karuizawa came to me just now..."
A while ago, after leaving the conference room, Hirata had been approached by Karuizawa, who immediately started complaining.
"So you're saying I bullied Karuizawa? And that she was bullied by Manabe and the others from Class C?"
Hirata smiled bitterly.
"Of course, I know you're not that kind of person, Hikigaya. I completely trust you, which is why I think this is just a misunderstanding."
"A misunderstanding? I wouldn't be so sure about that."
Hikigaya let out a cold laugh.
"...Sigh."
Hirata sighed when he saw Hikigaya's reaction.
"Hikigaya, please promise me that you won't tell anyone what I'm about to say. It's about Karuizawa's past..."
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