Chapter 089: Kushida's Big Crisis – "So This Is the Kind of Person You Are!"
The students of Class C, after obtaining the test papers, quickly got to work. After school, most of them went straight back to their dorms.
The reason was simple: they had to start memorizing the test papers.
With only two and a half days left until the exam, memorizing everything was a tough task.
In response to this situation, Hikigaya had only one requirement:
Anyone who received a copy of the test paper had to score at least 80 points in each subject.
If one or two students failed to meet this requirement, but the majority managed to score above 80, then the failing threshold would be raised.
This meant that weaker students had to step up their game.
If anyone got their hands on the test paper but still scored below 80, their next month's living expenses would be confiscated.
This might seem harsh, even unfair.
Some even thought this success was thanks to Karuizawa rather than Hikigaya.
However—
Karuizawa, the very person who had "pulled off such a major feat," stated that if everyone scored well and the class received the full 100 class points as a reward, then it would be worth it.
In other words, now that they had the test papers, their only option was to aim for high scores.
After all, it was Karuizawa, the mastermind behind this "rule-breaking operation," who had spoken.
Moreover, this was a dramatic turn of events—
Initially, when they heard about the old test questions being used, everyone was relieved. Then, when they were suddenly told that the old questions would not appear on the exam, panic set in. But now, the test questions had reappeared.
Given this rollercoaster of emotions, even if they were now expected to score highly, they could accept it.
As a result, even the weaker students were highly motivated.
And since all the test questions were multiple-choice, going through them dozens of times would make scoring 80 points an easy task.
However, now that this was taken care of, Hikigaya and his group had a new mission.
During the previous study sessions, Hikigaya had exchanged phone numbers with Ichinose Honami.
But instead of contacting her himself, he left that task to Kushida.
Class C had obtained the test papers through Karuizawa's "rule-breaking actions."
But Hikigaya was certain that for this special first-year exam, Sakayanagi had already shared the test questions with her own class and would likely sell them to Ryuen as well.
That meant—
Only Class B remained without the test papers.
In other words, among all the first-year classes, only Class B was left behind.
However—
Now, Hikigaya, Horikita, and Kushida were planning to meet with Ichinose and her classmates.
Not to share the test papers, but rather—to deceive them.
The reason was simple.
The narrative was that Karuizawa had broken the rules, and all of Class C had accepted this as the truth.
So, could they afford to share these "illicitly obtained" test papers with Class B?
Absolutely not.
They had to "protect" Karuizawa's involvement in this "rule-breaking act."
Thus—
Kushida was tasked with contacting Ichinose.
Meanwhile, Hikigaya and Horikita had already arrived at a private booth in a café.
Perhaps in a good mood, Hikigaya even decided to cover the drink expenses for today's gathering.
However—
Despite the drinks already being served, Hikigaya noticed that Horikita seemed deep in thought.
At the same time—
He realized that Horikita, usually meticulous and sharp-eyed, had grown more composed. She no longer immediately jumped into conversations like she used to.
She might not have noticed it herself, but Horikita had indeed changed.
Otherwise, why would she have accepted the idea that cheating was necessary to meet the school's demands?
This was something she would have found completely unacceptable before. Yet now, she was even borrowing books to study previously unknown topics in pursuit of past test questions.
Unknowingly, Horikita had undergone a transformation.
"Are you feeling that deceiving Ichinose is unfair?" Hikigaya asked.
"For this written exam, our class borrowed ten top students from Class B to tutor our classmates," Horikita said.
"And I was involved in the tutoring myself, so I fully understand how difficult it is to teach weaker students."
In other words, she acknowledged that Class B had put in a lot of effort.
"So—"
Hikigaya turned to Kushida.
"Kushida, what do you think?"
"Eh? Me?"
Perhaps feeling relieved after resolving the class's big issue, Kushida seemed to be in a good mood today.
But now, Hikigaya had thrown a difficult question her way.
"Well… how should I put it—"
Kushida actually understood what was going on.
Hikigaya was trying to protect Karuizawa.
Could this mean something had happened between the two of them recently?
She had no idea.
Even as these thoughts ran through her mind, she responded, "Although I appreciate Class B's contributions, I don't think sharing the test papers with them would be appropriate."
Not appropriate to share.
"This is a way to protect Karuizawa," Hikigaya said. "To cover things up."
"—"
Horikita.
She had to admit, that made sense.
What Horikita didn't know was that Karuizawa's "rule-breaking act" was just a front. The truth was, the test papers had actually been obtained from Sakayanagi for free.
"However," Horikita said, "that's not what concerns me."
"Oh?"
"What I want to know is why Karuizawa did such a thing. If she did it to prevent classmates from being expelled, that seems unlikely."
Then—
"Could it be…"
Horikita's sharp gaze locked onto Hikigaya.
So that was what was on her mind.
She suspected Hikigaya had ordered Karuizawa to secretly obtain the test papers.
Whoa, whoa, whoa.
He would never do something like that.
He was just trying to help the class, yet somehow, this made him seem like the villain?
All he wanted was to occasionally teach Horikita something, but now, he found himself at a loss for words.
Just as he was thinking this—
Ding-dong—
The door to the private booth opened.
In walked two familiar faces—Kanzaki and Ichinose.
Despite trying to get used to it, Hikigaya still couldn't help but think—
He was constantly surrounded by cute girls.
Looking at the angelic-looking Kushida, then at the cold and sharp-eyed girl, and now at Ichinose as she walked in, the atmosphere suddenly seemed much brighter.
"So, as expected…" Ichinose said. "Because of Ryuen's actions, the exam papers had to be redone."
After Horikita and the others finished working on the exam papers, Hachiman shared the old test questions with Class B. This not only saved them the money they would have spent buying the papers but also served as a token of gratitude for lending their top students to help with tutoring.
However, the announcement from the previous day made it clear—the old test questions were now useless.
Hachiman and his group had come here to mislead Ichinose and her classmates. The plan was simply to borrow their textbooks and check the key points they had marked.
Since the exam was being rewritten, and the school wanted to prevent mass expulsions, the new test questions would likely be closely aligned with the regular lesson content.
That meant the content covered in each class would be the key to the exam.
Under normal circumstances, this logic made sense.
So, Hachiman's actions seemed reasonable.
Ichinose had specifically brought her books with her.
Hachiman wasn't sure if it was just his imagination, but as she placed the book in front of him, sitting rather close, he could faintly detect her scent lingering on the pages.
However…
When they parted ways, she said:
"I do have a way to help, but… I hope everyone in Class C does their best."
"But I do think reviewing different classes' key points is very effective."
Ichinose hesitated as she spoke, but then she flashed her usual bright smile.
Some people said that Ichinose was like an angel.
She was the kind of girl who always smiled and never received criticism. Her popularity was actually on par with Kushida's, but to Hachiman, she was simply a genuinely good person.
From the way this exam had been planned and executed, it was clear that her class had put in a lot of effort.
However…
Her words contained a problem.
They needed to be analyzed.
She said she had a way to help but couldn't, due to some kind of restriction.
She was a genuinely kind person.
She wanted to help but was being held back.
At the same time…
She knew that this test's questions were based on a combination of all four classes' lesson content.
In other words—
The information had been leaked.
Sakayanagi had no real interest in Class B, so out of the four first-year classes, Class B was the only one unaware of the exam questions.
So where did Ichinose get this information?
If it wasn't from Sakayanagi or Ryuen's class, then the person who knew the questions must have been…
"So, should we lend you our key points?" Hachiman asked, probing for information.
"Ah… Hmm… I suppose so." Before Ichinose could respond, Kanzaki answered first.
Girls were good at acting—like Karuizawa or Kushida—but boys weren't as skilled at deception.
As someone experienced in reading people, Hachiman instantly noticed that Kanzaki seemed to be trying to hide something.
Which meant—
Class B had already learned about the exam's content but wasn't allowed to disclose it.
Sakayanagi wouldn't have been careless, so the leak had to come from somewhere else.
The students in Hachiman's class weren't the most reliable, but with the emotional rollercoaster they had been through, they hadn't had the chance to spread the information to other classes.
Yet Ichinose already knew the test content.
That meant…
There was definitely a mole within the student council.
Someone had leaked this information.
And Class B had received their help.
That person was most likely—
Nagumo Miyabi, the vice president of the student council and Sakayanagi's rival.
Sakayanagi was aiming for the student council presidency, and a powerful rival like Nagumo wouldn't just sit back and do nothing.
In other words—
Nagumo had started interfering with the first-year Class B.
Either he wanted to secure their votes, or…
He wanted to use them as a tool to strike at Sakayanagi.
So in the end, this whole situation might actually be Sakayanagi's problem.
However…
Class B was essentially a tool—or rather, an allied class—for Hachiman's Class C.
They couldn't just be handed over to the bad senior.
But the exam paper was going to be exploited by that bad senior, and since it had already been reported once, reporting it again would be meaningless—even the student council wouldn't handle it.
Moreover, this was Sakayanagi's achievement. Hachiman didn't want to do something like that to someone who often treated him to meals.
At the same time, if he did, his own class would be doomed.
Still…
Was he really just going to stand by and watch Sakayanagi be deceived while the results of her efforts were exploited by that bad senior?
That thought left him feeling somewhat displeased.
"Well then, I'll be counting on you guys," said Hikigaya.
"But Ichinose, around 8 PM tonight, I'll send you an email. Please check it and deal with it quickly."
"Eh?" Ichinose looked at him curiously.
"It's a request," Hachiman explained.
So, he needed her help with something?
But knowing Ichinose, she just smiled gently and nodded. "Even though I can't help with this exam, I hope everyone does their best."
…
And so…
At 8 PM.
"???"
"Hikigaya-kun!"
Ichinose called Hachiman directly, her voice coming through the phone in a rush.
They had agreed earlier that Hachiman would ask her for help tonight.
But instead, Ichinose was the one who called him first.
Her voice was pleasant to listen to.
But right now, she was probably very shocked.
Because the email Hachiman had sent her wasn't a request at all.
It was… a photo of the exam paper that he had obtained from Sakayanagi for free.
"I got it straight from the source," Hachiman said. "After thinking it through, since we're allied classes, I decided to send it to you."
"I see—" Ichinose's voice stretched out, tinged with guilt. "Well… thank you."
That reaction proved what kind of person she was—an incredibly kind one.
It was likely that Vice President Nagumo had traded the exam paper with Class B, and while Ichinose's class had accepted it, they couldn't bring themselves to share it with Hachiman's class.
But in contrast, Hachiman was willing to share it with her.
That made Ichinose feel guilty.
And that kind of guilt was something only truly kind people would experience.
Did that mean Ichinose, like Kushida, was a ticking time bomb?
…Probably not.
Hachiman thought to himself.
Maybe it was just because a super beautiful girl had called him.
Feeling a little warm in the night air, he decided to go outside for some fresh air and grab a can of MAX Coffee.
And so…
He left the dormitory and headed toward Horikita's infamous "social death" spot.
However…
As he stood in front of the vending machine, just about to press the button for coffee, he noticed something on his phone screen.
The GPS friend list showed that Kushida was also nearby.
What was she doing outside so late at night?
And not just anywhere—she was at the railing by the lake, where barely anyone went.
Could it be that she was meeting someone for a confession?
She was popular, after all.
But that location at this hour wasn't exactly appropriate.
With that thought, Hachiman made his way to the lakeside railing.
And then…
He witnessed something that could only be described as the bomb known as Kushida.