Even though Karuizawa was terrified, she had already prepared herself mentally. However, after waiting for a long time, Hikigaya still didn't move. He just stood there in silence.
Just as Karuizawa started to feel confused, Hikigaya suddenly spoke.
"Have you seen enough?"
"What?"
Karuizawa didn't understand what he meant, but Hikigaya wasn't talking to her. Instead, he shifted his gaze toward a corner not far away.
"You've been following us from the hall all the way here, and now you're still hiding?"
His voice was cold.
Only then did Karuizawa realize Hikigaya wasn't speaking to her. She followed his gaze, but she couldn't see anyone.
Hikigaya then pulled out his phone and waved it slightly. "I just asked Hirata to check who's missing from the rooms. He just sent me a name. So, how much longer are you planning to stay hidden?"
"Ayanokouji?"
Karuizawa looked in shock as Ayanokouji stepped out from the shadows. His face was completely blank.
Hikigaya remained indifferent. Back in the hall, he had already sensed someone watching from the dark, but he kept quiet to confirm it.
"I just couldn't sleep and decided to walk around the ship. I didn't expect to get lost and end up here by accident."
Ayanokouji explained without any expression.
"You really think I'd believe that?"
"But it's the truth."
Hikigaya could hear the underlying meaning in Ayanokouji's words and let out a cold laugh. "So your way of dealing with insomnia is stalking people? You were hiding behind that southeast pillar in the hall earlier, weren't you?"
Ayanokouji's pupils contracted slightly, but his face remained calm. "I don't know what you're talking about."
Hikigaya wasn't angry at his denial. Instead, he said, "You must be pretty disappointed right now, huh? Things didn't play out the way you expected. Maybe it's time to turn off the recording function on your phone."
Ayanokouji's face stayed unchanged, but beside him, Karuizawa had already turned pale with fear at Hikigaya's words.
"Did you bring me here on purpose just to lure out Ayanokouji?"
Even someone as slow as Karuizawa finally caught on. She felt a sense of relief, but at the same time, an inexplicable disappointment.
"You can leave now."
Hikigaya spoke directly to Karuizawa. Normally, she should have been happy to be let go, but…
"Ayanokouji, did you… did you hear our conversation in the hall just now?!"
Karuizawa's tone suddenly turned sharp, as if she had switched back to her usual tough gyaru persona.
"I overheard a little."
Ayanokouji finally spoke. "Just the part about you and Hirata pretending to be a couple."
"You bastard! Do you think I'm an idiot?!"
Karuizawa was furious.
She was about to explode. This was a secret she never wanted anyone to know, yet first, Hikigaya—the terrifying guy—found out, and now, Ayanokouji—the expressionless one—was in on it too. How could she not lose her mind over this?!
"Karuizawa, we'll talk about your issue tomorrow. Right now, I need to discuss something with Ayanokouji."
Hikigaya started pushing her out without any hesitation.
Karuizawa bit her lip. She wanted to argue, but when she saw Hikigaya's cold gaze, the words stuck in her throat. Frustrated, she shot one last glare at Ayanokouji before stomping off.
"Now it's just the two of us."
Hikigaya looked at Ayanokouji. This was probably the first time they had spoken one-on-one.
"I have no ill intentions toward you, Hikigaya."
Ayanokouji suddenly spoke.
"People with something to hide always claim to be 'good guys.' Are you one of them?"
"I'm a good guy."
Ayanokouji answered without hesitation.
Hikigaya was stunned for a moment before he couldn't help but laugh. "Are you playing dumb, or do you actually not get it? You share a room with Hirata, and you're in the same group as Karuizawa. So, is that why you targeted her?"
"I don't know what you're talking about."
"Do you really need to keep up the act?"
Hikigaya exposed him outright. "During the uninhabited island exam, on the second morning, you were looking through Ibuki's backpack."
"So… you really did see that."
Hikigaya carefully observed Ayanokouji's expression, but as expected, his face was as blank as ever, completely unfazed—almost as if he had anticipated this.
"I don't know why you were working in secret, but on the sixth day, Horikita's condition suddenly worsened. Do you know what happened?"
Hikigaya narrowed his eyes.
Ayanokouji met Hikigaya's gaze and, after a brief pause, said, "If you think I did something bad to Horikita, then I apologize."
Hikigaya was a little surprised that Ayanokouji actually "admitted" to it.
Given Ayanokouji's usual way of handling things, Hikigaya had expected him to just brush it off with an "I don't know."
"I have a question too. During the island exam, why did you choose to help Class D? Hirata and Ichinose's class figured out Katsuragi's class leader. That was your doing, wasn't it?"
Ayanokouji asked.
From the final scores, he had already analyzed what had happened, especially the disaster that left Katsuragi's class with zero points. He was sure Hikigaya had a hand in it, but he didn't know the exact details. Many pieces of information only became clear after the fact.
That's also a major problem Ayanokouji is facing now—his ability to gather information is too limited on his own.
Compared to Hikigaya, it's like heaven and earth. Whether it was the Sudou incident at the end of June or the deserted island exam, Ayanokouji had already realized the gap between them—specifically, the gap in intelligence gathering.
He desperately needed a "white glove."
If you take one step ahead, you'll stay ahead every step.
"That's right."
Hikigaya admitted it outright. "As for why I'm helping Class D, do you really think I'm doing it for their sake?"
Ayanokouji nodded, then shook his head. "I was just curious about your reasoning. My goal is the same as yours—to help my class. I promised Horikita that I would bring Class D to Class A. That's all."
Hikigaya let out a cold laugh. "Haven't you noticed something? Every time it comes to your own issues, you always use someone else as a shield. Last time was like this, and this time too."
"So, Ayanokouji, do you not have any thoughts of your own?"
"My own… thoughts?"
Ayanokouji murmured, "I guess I just want to get through these three years peacefully."
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