Chapter 106: Sakayanagi Arisu: What a hypocritical man, I clearly saw him smiling!
The sound of a cane tapping outside the door indicated that Sakayanagi Arisu had arrived.
Sure enough.
As Hachiman turned his gaze toward the door, he immediately saw a pale-skinned, cute girl with striking silver hair. Unfortunately, due to her weak constitution, she had to rely on a cane to move around.
However, this didn't seem troublesome; instead, it made her appear pitiable and in need of care.
Hachiman had to admit, even though he had seen her many times, Sakayanagi Arisu was incredibly cute.
As for the recent topics about confessions and relationships, he couldn't help but wonder if anyone would confess to Sakayanagi.
However, it was probably hopeless.
After all, she was the leader of the Sakayanagi faction in Class A, and when people like that appeared, they would most likely be dealt with by Sakayanagi's followers.
After all...
What could be more important than maintaining Class A's status and helping Sakayanagi become the student council president to benefit the class?
"Isn't this Hachiman-kun?" Sakayanagi's voice was soft and very pleasant to hear.
Although she was smiling, her words always carried a subtle sharpness.
Because she said this:
"Even though you were invited several times before and didn't come, you've come now just because of a transfer? Seems like you're someone who can't resist money," Sakayanagi Arisu said.
"I just want to be a frugal person," Hachiman said. "After all, my future goal is to become a househusband, which means I won't be the one earning money. Naturally, I need to think about budgeting for the household, and if I can save, I will."
"I see," Sakayanagi responded, seemingly uninterested in this topic. "I'm not fond of saving money. Rather than saving, I think it's better to earn more money. If you earn enough, then there's no need to save, right?"
I see.
So, your attack power is quite strong!
Hachiman thought that if he didn't get Sakayanagi involved in the student council and make her focus on class competition, then his Class C would probably be the first target of attack from her.
"Anyway," Hachiman sat down in the private room and candidly said, "What's for lunch?"
"If you have no other requests, then I won't make you pay for my share of lunch today," Sakayanagi Arisu replied. "Just a bit of soup, at most."
Hachiman then placed the lunchbox he brought from home on the table.
"You really are in high spirits," Sakayanagi glanced at it.
The lunchbox Hachiman brought was wrapped in cloth, and judging by its style, it looked like it could have been chosen by a girl.
That's probably the case.
According to Kamuro's report, Hachiman had accepted a confession from his classmate, Horikita Suzune, and they had started dating.
During this period, Sakayanagi had invited Hachiman to lunch four times, but Hachiman never showed up even once.
The reason for that was probably because...
Having lunch with his girlfriend, to be precise, eating a lunch that his girlfriend made with her own hands.
"I've changed my impression of you," Sakayanagi Arisu returned to her usual position. "You're quite a fickle person."
"Why do you say that?" Hachiman asked.
"Didn't you say you didn't believe in love, that youth is something naive?" Sakayanagi Arisu put her cane aside and rested her small hand on her plump thigh as she spoke.
"Well..." Hachiman hesitated. "I'm not in a relationship with Horikita."
"She and I have a mutual goal of advancing to the next grade."
"So I guess I'm just helping her."
"The others in the class misunderstood," Hachiman explained.
"...?"
This caused Kamuro, who had been staring at Hachiman with a serious expression, to look over.
They ate lunch together every day, and the other person even made lunch for him, yet he said they weren't dating.
Was he a blockhead? Or some kind of scumbag?
Could he not understand a girl's feelings at all?
But Hachiman went on to explain.
"Horikita's cooking skills are quite good, her family runs a restaurant. I want to be a househusband, so I'm learning from her. Plus, she makes a bento for herself every day, and if she add one more serving, I only need to contribute a little bit of ingredients."
In other words, it was just a simple meal-sharing arrangement.
"You really are focused on saving money," Sakayanagi said. "You try every possible way to save, and even now, you're not changing your idea of becoming a househusband."
Because it made sense now.
The reason Hachiman didn't show up was that Horikita's meals were cheaper.
This fit his concept of saving money.
But if he were invited to a meal, wouldn't he not have to spend a single penny?
Sakayanagi thought to herself.
And Hachiman felt that Sakayanagi's smile seemed to shine a little brighter.
Was she happy because he wasn't dating anyone?
Or did she think that it was better for him not to be dating a beautiful girl?
Indeed.
Hachiman was very clear that the girls in this school were of very high quality, and normal boys would rarely catch the attention of these exceptionally beautiful or cute girls.
Hachiman thought of himself as quite ordinary.
...
Thus, the generous Sakayanagi Arisu ordered yam and pork rib soup for Hachiman, and the steaming soup paired with Horikita's bento made for a delightful experience.
However, as Hachiman took the first sip of soup...
"Well then."
"Since you've had my soup," Sakayanagi Arisu said. "Now you can talk to me, right?"
Ah.
As expected, this was Sakayanagi Arisu.
Trying to freeload from her seemed a bit difficult.
"What do you want to ask? Or rather..." Hachiman paused. "Do you want to complain about something?"
"You're still so perceptive," Sakayanagi said. "I can't hide it from you."
"Today is the 1st, which, according to the school's rules, is the day when the special exam is announced."
"But there isn't one today. The only reason is that this month's special exam has been changed."
"But it's not a big deal. It's probably just because of the weather. The weather's been bad these days, so activities on the sea would be too dangerous."
"Therefore, the exam on the luxury cruise ship to the uninhabited island could pose some risks."
"You should know that already."
Sakayanagi said, her clear eyes locking onto Hachiman's.
But Hachiman didn't respond.
Kushida's actions weren't exactly hidden; after all, lower-grade students from other clubs interacting with higher-grade students would stand out.
So it wasn't surprising that someone noticed.
Also, this ensured that everyone was on the same page about gathering information.
However.
What Sakayanagi said just now was worth paying attention to.
She referred to her own classmates as "little dogs!"
Hachiman felt a bit regretful about introducing Sakayanagi to the student council because if she really became the president, she might open a pet store in the student council office.
Not to mention...
She would definitely fire the other members of the student council based on her preferences.
He was slightly worried about what the student council would be like in the next term.
He just didn't know if Chairman Sakayanagi would be able to suppress this very aggressive daughter.
"So." Hachiman looked at Sakayanagi. "What you're saying is that you can't go to the uninhabited island exam, right?"
"..." Sakayanagi.
"Indeed," Sakayanagi Arisu said. "My health is poor. I've had a heart condition since childhood, so all intense activities are forbidden."
"Going to the uninhabited island for group living, which could involve a lot of physical exertion, is something I can't participate in."
I see.
Hachiman now understood why Sakayanagi Arisu had spent 100,000 points to invite him here.
Because all the students in the grade were going for the exam, and she was the only one left at school.
She became the left-behind girl.
Because of her health problems, she couldn't attend school trips, and although her personality was open, it still felt terrible to experience that sense of being different from others once again.
So, Sakayanagi probably spent money to invite him over to vent.
The other party spent money, and Hachiman passively accepted it.
He passively accepted some of the information from Sakayanagi.
She was a premature baby, with a congenital heart issue. Although there was a possibility of surgery if she grew a bit older, she had already come to terms with it.
Even though she couldn't engage in intense physical activities, this kind of life was still good.
But it also meant that she couldn't experience the life of an ordinary girl. A slight regret.
After all.
Although he always thought Sakayanagi was scary and had strong offensive power, in the end, she was just a girl.
Most of the time, it was Sakayanagi who was complaining, and as the person hired with money, it was best to quietly listen.
...
After Hachiman returned to the classroom, Sakayanagi and Kamuro did not leave the private room.
Sakayanagi waited for Kamuro to return the dishes, then suddenly spoke.
"Kamuro, what do you think?"
"What do you mean, Sakayanagi... Are you really regretful that you can't live like an ordinary girl?" Kamuro asked.
"What stupid thing are you saying?" Sakayanagi replied. "Do you think I was just narrating my past? How disappointing. Without me, you wouldn't even think for yourself."
Sakayanagi's tone didn't change, but the way she referred to Kamuro had changed.
She had switched from addressing Kamuro with a formal "you" to a more casual "you."
Sakayanagi was a strange person. When she used formal "you," it didn't signify respect, but rather a condescending tone. So when she suddenly switched to "you," it meant she was displeased.
As someone who had been around her for two months, Kamuro Masami immediately recognized this shift.
"So, weren't you just complaining to Hachiman?" Kamuro asked.
She didn't like being made to feel like a fool, although... she often felt her thoughts couldn't keep up with Sakayanagi.
"It was a test. A test of worth 100,000 points."
"And unfortunately, our class is probably going to fail the uninhabited island exam."
Sakayanagi grabbed her cane, preparing to stand up.
"I purposely brought up the uninhabited island exam. He wasn't surprised, and then I pointed out Kushida, and he wasn't surprised either."
"This shows that he's been arranging for Kushida to gather information."
"So next, there will be a harsh attack."
Sakayanagi said, "Don't forget how Ryuen was dragged down during the last incident with Sudo, and how Hachiman's class moved up."
"As long as Hachiman attacks proactively, the risk is high," Sakayanagi commented.
"So now he's deliberately gathering information about the uninhabited island exam, and I can't even attend it."
"What do you think? What will happen to our class?" Sakayanagi asked.
"You mean..." Kamuro finally realized.
Could it be that Sakayanagi brought Hachiman here just to confirm his offensive capabilities?
Looking at it this way, that 100,000-point reward... was quite valuable.
Sakayanagi Arisu continued.
"Katsuragi can't hold onto A-class."
"So you'd better cherish the current class," she said, beginning to walk forward with her cane.
"But."
Kamuro, also a member of A-class, initially thought the idea of their class dropping was absurd. However, she had seen Ryuen's class being demoted to D-class.
And Sakayanagi had always spoken highly of Hachiman.
So, if Sakayanagi didn't participate in this uninhabited island exam... would there really be a major loss?
"Sakayanagi, shouldn't we have Katsuragi pay attention?" Kamuro asked. "Because if you don't go, and the class drops, then..."
"Foolish," Sakayanagi said. "If the class drops and I have a ticket to the student council presidency, do you think I still need to rally the whole class to vote for me?"
"Well."
Indeed, she didn't need to.
Because if the class dropped, everyone would want to rise up.
So even students from Katsuragi's faction would vote for Sakayanagi for free.
Not for anything else, but to get the class back into A-class.
Having a student council president from their class was a huge advantage.
"And also," Sakayanagi continued, "if Katsuragi's reputation doesn't drop, then those from his faction won't side with me."
Katsuragi had personal charisma.
He had a few die-hard followers. Moreover, A-class currently was secure in class points, so some fence-sitters had aligned themselves with Katsuragi.
A-class was still in a divided state.
So watching Katsuragi destroy himself and then absorbing all his supporters was also a good option.
After all, there was no need to exert any effort.
As long as Katsuragi failed, his supporters would come over on their own.
Moreover...
"As for Hachiman's offensive power," Sakayanagi said, "I have high expectations. If he can really attack A-class successfully and climb to A-class, then there's nothing to worry about."
"Because his class doesn't match him, and if he really can lead his class to rise, it would show his strength."
"Then..."
"At that time, it will just be a matter of gathering 20 million points to buy him over, right?"
"The enemy will become an ally," Sakayanagi said.
These were the plans she had thought through.
I see.
Kamuro understood.
It turned out that Sakayanagi had planned ahead.
Spending 100,000 points to invite Hachiman here today wasn't because she was bored or wanted to complain, but it was a well-thought-out decision.
Sakayanagi was indeed terrifying.
However...
Kamuro felt that spending 20 million to bring Hachiman over seemed a bit too expensive, wasn't it?