Chapter 093: The Mid-Term Exam Approaches, and the Whole School is in Agreement! Unique Actions of Ryuen's Class!
Ichinose Honami from Class B.
As the representative of Class A, Sakayanagi Arisu had also considered the school's unique characteristic: class rivalry and competition.
And as a student of Class A, the most important thing to focus on was the movements of Class B students.
Because it would soon become apparent that the overall capabilities of Class C or D could not compare to those of Class A.
So, as long as it's a formal exam, Class A will always have the advantage.
Therefore, Classes C and D are not significant.
This is why most of the students Sakayanagi encountered looked down on lower-tier classes.
Because the facts were right in front of them.
However, Class B was different. Many of the students in Class B were excellent in both academic ability and athletic talent.
At the same time...
Most of them were social butterflies with an "angel-like" personality, actively participating in various club activities, helping each other, uniting as a class, and creating a harmonious atmosphere.
This is also why people like Katsuragi were so cautious about them.
Then, Sakayanagi received information that Class B seemed to have formed an alliance with Class C.
In this exam, Class B students were often going to tutor the underperforming students in Class C.
These were all pieces of information that could be gathered.
However, Katsuragi didn't seem to mind it.
Even though Class B and Class C had teamed up, would Class A form an alliance with Ryuen's Class D?
No need.
Because Ryuen's class was too bad. Their class had zero points, a large number of underperforming students, and teaming up with them would only hurt Class A.
So Class A wouldn't do that.
And Sakayanagi Arisu wouldn't choose to ally with Ryuen's class either.
However, it wasn't that she saw Ryuen's class as a drag due to their poor setup.
What Sakayanagi saw was the risk in Ryuen's class. Whether it was their current zero-point actions or the fact that after obtaining the actual information about the school, their class had managed to avoid being penalized for days.
In other words, Ryuen's class might be the most unified class among the first-year students, with their class representatives making all the decisions.
And this kind of execution was a dangerous signal.
So when Ryuen refused Sakayanagi's terms, she had Komuro investigate the upcoming special exam.
But for now, all of that was irrelevant.
"Class C and Class B are allies." Sakayanagi Arisu said. "So it's natural for the representatives of the two classes to establish a relationship with each other."
"That's why you saw Hikigaya and Ichinose having lunch together."
She seemed to smile slightly while saying this.
However, the smile quickly faded.
Because she had already figured out that Hikigaya had most likely obtained the test papers from her and that his class was safe.
But now, the fact that he was eating with Ichinose... this meant something extra had happened.
And this "extra"...
It was likely that the test papers had been shared with Class B as well.
"Hikigaya wouldn't actively approach girls, so someone must have done something." Sakayanagi Arisu curled her lip. "It seems Vice-President Nagumo has intervened."
"Vice-President Nagumo?"
As a student from Class A and Sakayanagi's follower, although Kamuro was a small dog compared to her, people from Sakayanagi's group often treated her as an important figure by Sakayanagi's side.
So, she gathered the information and reported it to Sakayanagi, who then passed it on.
Among the information collected, details about Nagumo Miyabi had already been obtained.
The second-year representative.
Yes.
While others were only class representatives, Nagumo Miyabi was the representative of the entire second year.
But this was already known, and Sakayanagi had already fallen out with him when she went to the student council.
"It seems Vice-President Nagumo's mindset is as narrow as I thought." Sakayanagi Arisu said. "He probably wants to use Class B to gain the votes from Class B of the first year or use Class B as a pawn to attack me."
"What a narrow-minded guy."
"And Hikigaya might have seen through this. Then, it developed into the current situation." Sakayanagi continued. "Hikigaya may seem quiet, but his offensive capabilities are actually very strong. After forming an alliance with Class B, he would never want to see Class B be taken away by Nagumo."
"What do you mean?" Kamuro asked, looking over.
"Since Nagumo wants to make me uncomfortable, I'll remember this grudge for now."
"Then, when the time is right, I'll deliver a big gift to him." Sakayanagi Arisu said.
Is that so?
Then you're pretty scary.
Kamuro then began eating, as today's meal was hosted by Sakayanagi Arisu, and naturally, she had to eat well.
It's a bit like, that annoying Hikigaya, the guy who scammed her out of 100,000 points, which now meant she had to please Sakayanagi to make up for the lost points.
.
.
.
Outside the Private Room.
The cafeteria on the third floor is relatively expensive, and it's rare for students to come here. However, teachers and staff often frequent this place.
The teachers' salaries are higher, so it's not unusual for them to eat well.
But...
"Hikigaya-kun, the prices here are really high," Ichinose said, feeling a bit embarrassed.
Today, she had been invited by Hikigaya, and... well, she was here as a guest for a meal.
And Ichinose knew that, by accepting this, she was now indebted to Hikigaya.
She and Kanzaki had received a message from Vice President Nagumo.
The message stated that for this special exam, the person who leaked the old exam questions was a student from Class A. Furthermore, Class A had already prepared the exam questions in advance.
The school had accepted the exam questions provided by Class A students.
This move was utterly unfathomable.
But what could be confirmed was that Class A had indeed obtained the exam questions, which meant they would receive a full score of 100 points in class evaluation.
As for Class B, they would once again fall behind Class A.
However, if they could also obtain the exam questions, they could maintain the current gap.
Vice President Nagumo had offered to send them pictures of the exam papers for free.
But...
This was considered a violation.
Moreover...
Did they really need to obtain the exam papers?
The class had been studying hard this past month.
Perhaps they wouldn't be able to get the 100 points in class evaluation, but they could still earn 80 points.
So...
Their desire to get the exam papers from Vice President Nagumo wasn't very strong.
But, ever since enrolling in this school, both Ichinose and Kanzaki felt that they hadn't performed very well.
They hadn't contributed anything positive to the class.
So now, with an opportunity in front of them, the two were hesitant.
However, they also kept a watchful eye.
Earlier, Hikigaya had warned her that Vice President Nagumo was dangerous, the true power behind the second year.
Making a deal with him would carry high risks.
And while Vice President Nagumo claimed to offer the exam papers for free, free things... they weren't always safe to take.
So...
Ichinose hadn't made a decision yet.
But...
In the photos Hikigaya had sent last night, there were two pictures of the exam papers, taken by Vice President Nagumo and sent to her.
This meant that Hikigaya had directly leaked the exam paper information to her.
Thus...
She was spared the risk of making a deal with the highly dangerous Vice President Nagumo.
And she also brought the class a chance to earn the full 100-point class evaluation score.
So...
Wasn't it reasonable to treat Hikigaya to a meal?
However, she had ordered a tempura set worth 2200 private points for Hikigaya, while she herself only had a bowl of udon for 600 points.
She probably noticed Hikigaya's gaze on her plate.
"Actually, I'm not that picky." Ichinose said a bit shyly. "I think the 600-point udon is really good."
"Well, you're easy to please," Hikigaya remarked.
Then, Hachiman took a bite of his tempura.
"Since you've already treated me to this meal," Hikigaya said, "Then consider this the repayment for the favor of the exam papers."
"Eh..." Ichinose was surprised by this statement. "No, but this favor... actually..."
Ichinose felt that the way Hikigaya asked her to repay the favor was a bit too cheap.
After all, knowing the exam questions in advance was not just about the class evaluation score of +100 points.
It could also serve as a line of defense, ensuring that no student in the class would drop out.
Although most of the students were fairly competent, there were still a few who lacked confidence.
So if they knew the exam questions in advance, it would ensure everyone's success, which would be like adding icing on the cake.
And for Ichinose, she really liked her current class, so she didn't want to see any student drop out.
As a result, for Ichinose, Hikigaya's favor was quite a big deal.
But asking for just a 2200-point private meal in return was really too cheap.
"We're allies." Hikigaya said. "It's not good for us to keep tallying up every little thing."
"Also, your class's top student came to give our class extra lessons," Hachiman said.
"Uh..." This comment left Ichinose unable to argue.
"Then," Hikigaya said. "Can you tell me more about Vice President Nagumo?"
"Nagumo... the Vice President, huh..."
Ichinose might have felt a little guilty towards Hikigaya, so she decided to share the details about Nagumo.
Actually, it wasn't anything too important.
Nagumo was the upperclassman who had invited her to join the student council and help out with some tasks.
As a direct senior, Vice President Nagumo seemed to want to guide and assist them.
This time, he notified them that the exam papers were provided by Class A, and Class A already knew the exam questions in advance.
And if necessary, he mentioned that he could use his position as a student council member to perform some rule-breaking actions.
"I see," Hachiman nodded as he listened to Ichinose's explanation.
It seemed that Vice President Nagumo, a second-year student, was indeed making contact with Class B.
The reason he was engaging with Class B was simple.
Class A's student, Sakayanagi Arisu, had already gone to the student council, so it would be difficult for Nagumo to directly contact Class A. Moreover, contacting lower-tier classes like C or D wouldn't be meaningful.
But engaging with Class B was different.
Class B had the potential to challenge Class A, and Nagumo, having come from Class B, was like a direct senior to Class B students.
In this case, building connections was much easier. Once the relationships were established, controlling them wouldn't be far behind.
It wasn't about doubting Nagumo's abilities; it was about confirming that he had the power to do so.
Otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to become the representative of the second-year class.
But...
"I think it's best if the first-year special exam isn't interfered with by upperclassmen," Hachiman said. "Of course, if Vice President Nagumo wants to help, then even without our Class C, your Class B can probably rise quickly."
"Our Class B wouldn't do something like that," Ichinose quickly shook her head. "It wouldn't be fair to the others."
"Oh."
"I see."
"So you're really upright."
But...
Hachiman had already confirmed that if it came to a real class competition, Class B would likely end up failing.
Because...
In class competition, like how Hachiman had obtained the anonymous point cards, it was clear that the school wasn't simply looking for morally upright students.
So being too upright and idealistic wasn't really in line with the school's expectations.
Thus, if it came down to a competition, Ichinose and her class might end up at the bottom.
However, for now, a powerless Class B was good for Hachiman.
After all, his goal was to challenge Class A. If Class B got stronger, he would have to deal with them again, which would be quite troublesome.
So, for now, Class B without any offensive power fit his expectations.
"But," Hikigaya said. "Do you know that man?"
Hikigaya looked toward a table in the distance.
A middle-aged man with short silver hair and black-framed glasses finished his meal, wiped his hands with a napkin, and then left.
Although he was middle-aged, his movements were graceful, and he had good manners, resembling a gentleman.
"He kind of looks like someone I know," Hikigaya said. "But I can't quite place it."
"It seems that the teachers often come to eat here on the third floor, and that man..." Ichinose said. "I saw him once in the elevator. At that time, our class's homeroom teacher, Hoshinomiya Chie, greeted him."
"Oh." Hachiman nodded.
"It seems they called him... Sakayanagi, the Chairman." Ichinose said.
"Sakayanagi... the Chairman?"
"Sakayanagi...??"
"..." Hachiman.
Hachiman realized it.
That was why the man seemed somewhat familiar.
It was because of his silver short hair.
And among the people he knew with similar hair, there was one dangerous person who also had silver hair.
That person was... Sakayanagi Arisu, from Class A of the first year.
Wait, wait, wait, what's going on here?
Hikigaya suddenly realized that the class competition was now impossible to win.
Because...
The father of the opponent they wanted to defeat was actually a high-level figure at the school.
He was the one who made the exam questions.
And...
He had suspected before that Sakayanagi might be wealthy, but now, it turned out she really was the daughter of Sakayanagi.
It seemed the wealthy heiress was right next to him all along.