Chapter 119: Hikigaya Hachiman is a Refreshing Handsome Man
Wanting to use points to exchange for supplies.
But this is an exam—why is everyone being so fussy?
Hachiman stroked his chin and asked Horikita, "So, what do you think? Are you also planning to buy toilets like the others?"
The school had issued a manual detailing what each class could exchange their initial points for.
Toilets were included.
And buying one toilet required 20 points.
It seemed expensive.
However, since this exam was going smoothly for their class, a significant number of students wanted to maximize their points.
After all, it was 300 points—if they saved them, they'd gain an extra 30,000 yen in living expenses next month!
Standing beside Horikita, Hachiman noted that while their wristbands didn't track health indicators, her cheeks looked flushed, and she seemed somewhat fatigued.
It looked like she had been on the beach for a while and was now in even worse condition.
And even if she was unwell, she wouldn't agree to withdraw. If she withdrew due to health reasons, the class would lose 30 points.
Judging by how the class was already arguing over spending 20 points on a toilet, her withdrawal might lead to further discussions or complaints.
After all, some of the students in this class were simply not right in the head.
Right now, the students were still bickering, and "Mama" Hirata was caught in the middle, unable to make a decision.
After a brief moment of thought—
"So, which side are you on?" Hachiman asked Horikita. "Are you with the ones who want to save points and endure hardships?"
"Hah?" Horikita didn't immediately grasp his question. "Hah? So you're saying you think it's okay to waste points?"
For her, who also aimed for Class A, saving points and securing as many as possible was crucial.
But Hachiman continued,
"Then, are you willing to use that temporary toilet? The kind that doesn't even flush, where you can see everything—"
"…Stop talking."
It was just too disgusting.
Horikita cut him off before he could continue.
However—
Her elegant eyebrows knitted together.
It seemed she was considering whether she could tolerate it or not.
"Horikita, you haven't realized your own identity yet," Hachiman decided to nudge her further.
"Identity?" She lifted her head at his words.
Hachiman pressed a hand to his chest. "We're students here to learn. Why should we mistreat ourselves? Do you really think suffering and saving points is the right choice?"
"But don't you want to score big in this uninhabited island exam? And haven't we been working hard for that?" Horikita argued.
In other words, she wanted to save points. And since the wristbands didn't track health, she'd likely tough it out rather than withdraw and cost the class points.
"Seizing opportunities is important."
"But," Hachiman said, "being rational is just as important."
"There are some points worth saving, but hoarding others is meaningless."
It was impossible to complete this exam without spending anything.
And even if they tried, it would come at a significant cost.
Besides—
Their class had one major weakness.
It was why Hachiman believed they only had one shot at reaching Class A.
They could rise, but they couldn't hold their position.
Even if they saved every possible point now, someone might secretly spend them later.
After all, this uninhabited island survival would last a whole week, not just one day.
"Our classmates won't just obediently follow the 'grand vision' you paint for them," Hachiman said. "They simply don't have that level of self-control."
"So what are you suggesting?" Horikita furrowed her brows.
She had also realized that "Mama" Hirata lacked decisiveness. If someone begged him in private, he'd likely cave in.
Moreover—
Spending the initial 300 points didn't require anyone's approval. Anyone could just go to Chabashira-sensei and exchange them.
There was no way to stop someone from doing so.
"While I want to earn as many points as possible in this uninhabited island exam, I never counted on keeping all 300 initial points," Hachiman said.
"I've never doubted our classmates' ability to self-sabotage."
The worst-case scenario would be suffering all week to save points, only to discover at the end that someone had already secretly spent them.
Then all that suffering would have been for nothing.
That would be pure fraud.
Having said this, Hachiman stepped into the center of the group.
"Everyone! Listen to me!"
He raised both hands as if leading a rebellion, rallying everyone's attention.
"As for whether we should buy a toilet or not—of course we should! And not just one—we need two!"
"Oi! Hikigaya, are you siding with the girls now…?" The point-saving faction immediately bristled.
Take Yukimura, for example. Normally, he wasn't very prominent in the class, but on this island, he had been especially aggressive.
Hmm.
He was an honor student, probably aiming for Class A too.
Hachiman respected classmates who took the initiative to work hard for the class.
However—
Yukimura, it's impossible to get through this exam without spending a single point.
Besides, Hachiman had his own reasoning.
After declaring they should buy not just one but two toilets, he noticed that the students he got along with seemed relieved.
For example, there's Sakura and there's Kushida.
Airi is quite neat and clean, that much is certain.
Though Kushida is especially pretentious, when it comes to fights that could make others resent her, she usually takes a neutral stance to avoid being hated. However, judging from the relaxed state she's in now, it seems like she wants to buy a toilet too.
After all, no one wants to be like Sudo.
Karuizawa also breathed a sigh of relief.
She was the one who argued on behalf of the girls that they should buy a toilet.
Aside from them, half the class seemed to have a relaxed expression, meaning most people didn't want to scrimp and save in this matter.
It's possible to endure for a day or two, but we're going to be on this island for an entire week.
So, if we don't consider how the others feel, things might go wrong in the end.
Now, let's take a look at those like Yukimura, who are trying to save points.
"I'm just interpreting the exam. And I think you've misunderstood something," Hachiman pressed his hands down. "Everyone, take a look at the equipment the school gave us. Forget the toilets for now—let's talk about the tents. Do you think these two tents, which can only accommodate about 16 people, will be enough for everyone? That's definitely not going to work."
"And there are 40 students in our class, so where are the remaining 24 going to sleep? Are you going to make them sleep in the trees or on the ground? Someone must have noticed this—this is an uninhabited island, which means there could be snakes."
He paused for a moment.
"Ahh—"
A cute girl voiced her fear in response, "If someone gets bitten by a snake, they'd be considered unwell and would have to withdraw, losing 30 points, right?"
The person speaking was Kushida Kikyo.
She really knows how to cooperate.
But—
I wouldn't trust you, Kushida Kikyo.
She's likely cooperating now because she's figured out that Hachiman might argue for using points. On the one hand, she doesn't want to suffer, and on the other hand, she's waiting for something to go wrong, like when the points run out and her classmates blame it on Hachiman, with no blame falling on her.
Hachiman had initially hoped he could use this island trip to help her vent some emotions and manage the emotional "time bomb," but now she just wants to take advantage without taking responsibility.
Yikes!
But Hachiman continued, "This exam isn't about saving points. It's about testing whether we can properly allocate resources."
"If all sorts of issues arise because of this, not only will we hurt our class bonds, but we could also lose points. Isn't that just counterproductive? Or do you, Yukimura, think that a simple toilet will be enough to meet the demand?"
Called out publicly, Yukimura pushed up his glasses. "If we just use simple toilets—"
"Then that's not going to work," Hachiman replied. "Let's not forget that the school only provided one temporary toilet. And if one person uses it for 5 minutes, with 40 students, that's 200 minutes. And once it's used, it has to air out. So, one full round will take nearly 5 hours. Are you going to hold it in for 5 hours? So, this is practically unusable."
"Hmm—" Yukimura hadn't considered this point. When Hachiman said it, a portion of the class, even some of the boys, started to feel like they couldn't bear it either.
In other words, they thought the girls' demands were too whiny.
But if they actually had to use the temporary toilets… it would indeed be stressful.
"And you guys want to save points so you can have a bit more living expenses next month. I've considered that too," Hachiman said. "I also want to get more living expenses. After all, everything in this school needs to be bought, and living expenses are really important."
No.
You're lying.
However, nearly the entire class looked down on him, because Hachiman had been eating Horikita's lunch for two weeks.
So you've got meals covered, huh?
And some girls had seen him being "taken care of" by students from other classes and going to the third floor for meals.
The third floor restaurant is generally for faculty and staff, and it's much more expensive. Regular students wouldn't go to such an extravagant place to eat.
But Hachiman didn't realize his reputation had just taken a huge hit. He continued speaking.
"Then, let's consider the exam scores that will be calculated on the morning of the 16th. The score for capturing the points, plus the 300 initial points minus the consumed points, plus extra points for guessing the right leader.
This is the best-case scenario, and Koenji has already captured 20 points, so this part will add up. After subtracting the 100 points given to Koenji as a reward, we can still get 200 points."
"In other words, we've got a safety net."
"This exam, no matter what, will ensure that each person gets an extra 20,000 yen for living expenses."
So there's still a safety net.
Then why work so hard?
Besides—
Most people don't want to suffer.
So as soon as Hachiman suggested it, someone immediately started taking notes.
Originally, there were only two tents, but with 24 people left without a place to sleep, a quick wave of the hand, and three more were added. As for the toilets—no one had objections—so two more were added. They even added showers, a shower heater, clothes hangers, bamboo poles, and other living supplies.
Some girls felt it would be too hot in the tents, so they requested small fans. The boys, not wanting to be left out in the heat, agreed to buy them as well. How could they let the girls stay cool while they suffered?
Then Hirata asked Koenji, who had already used her card, and confirmed that Koenjihad indeed captured 20 points. They also learned that some of the captured points had corn, so some students suggested purchasing barbecue sets. When they heard about vegetables, they wanted to stir-fry them, so they decided to buy frying pans, oil, and seasonings.
Some people were worried about going to the bathroom at night, so they requested flashlights.
And some wanted to go fishing.
Some students thought it would be boring, so they asked for game consoles and books.
Once they started, it was all unrestrained.
Even though Hirata said they should save some points, requests to use points kept pouring in.
There was absolutely no drive to work hard.
"This is really ridiculous," Horikita muttered as she pressed her left hand to her right elbow.
Because it was just Hachiman who started it, saying that everyone had a safety net, and as a result... things began to get wasteful.
However, Hachiman still stood at the front.
"Not only that, but I suggest that for future exams, one-third of the class rating points brought in by capable students should be theirs to keep, with two-thirds being confiscated. This way, students can benefit a little, and it can also motivate the excellent students to contribute more to the class's development." Hachiman added in the end.
"I have no objections."
"I don't have any objections either."
Because everyone felt they were benefiting, the whole class unanimously passed the proposal.
"It's just that our 300 points have already been spent, which is really—" Horikita said weakly.
In fact, she had said something similar before, but perhaps she wanted to be acknowledged, so she repeated it.
Hachiman then spoke to her.
"If something goes wrong, then we won't lose points."
"So, before any student in the class causes a problem and results in point deductions, let's just spend all the points."
"..."
Well, you're quite bold.
This reasoning made Horikita Suzune speechless for a moment.
"Actually, saving points is also an option," Hachiman said, "But that's something only Class A or Class B could do. Their students are very disciplined and can restrain themselves, but our class can't do that."
"But didn't everyone follow the behavioral guidelines exam before?" Horikita asked.
"That was because if everyone didn't save points, we wouldn't have money to spend, and then we'd have to eat the awful mountain vegetable meals. It was a do-or-die situation, we had no choice but to go all in. But now we already have a base amount of living expenses," Hachiman explained. "When we're not lacking money, can people really stay disciplined?"
"Most people don't have camping experience, and they haven't suffered much, so they'll probably start secretly spending points pretty quickly."
Ah.
So, he actually considered this?
The classmates in my class… are indeed difficult to manage.
Horikita Suzune felt enlightened.
But…
"This is interesting, Hachiman."
Koenji sat to the side, calmly observing everything. As a genius, his cognitive abilities were strong.
He had also completed his temporary task and captured 20 points.
Then he returned and took a break.
However, he was still somewhat puzzled about why Hachiman was encouraging his classmates to spend the original 300 points. Some facilities required spending, like toilets, showers, and tents—those were necessities.
But things like game consoles, fishing rods, fishing nets, and such weren't necessary.
So, this was about letting students spend those 300 points.
His gaze drifted downward, and he saw that as the students were in a heated discussion, Horikita Suzune, though speaking to Hachiman, kept her left hand pressed against her right elbow, and her cheek was faintly flushed.
But this flush wasn't from shyness.
It looked more like she was feeling unwell.
Oh.
I see now.
So this is him being protective, right?
Horikita Suzune wasn't feeling well, and if she withdrew due to physical discomfort, she'd lose 30 points. If she did that, some foolish students might even complain. So now that everyone had spent all their points, even if they lost points, they wouldn't go into the negatives. That way, if Horikita withdrew, no one would blame her, and she wouldn't feel mentally burdened.
So, it seems like Hachiman is quite the considerate handsome man.
...
Meanwhile, on the other side.
Ryuen's class was on the verge of becoming a group of rough men.
It turns out it wasn't just Class A.
The other two classes also didn't capture any points.
Class A, under Katsuragi's leadership, was doing okay. Though they were beaten to points several times, they eventually secured one.
Class B, however, had it much worse. Ichinose and the others, after carrying tents and supplies from the beach, began their journey.
The weight of the supplies was quite hefty.
They had to change shifts with classmates multiple times just to carry everything.
But after walking for nearly two hours, they hadn't found any unoccupied points.
Everything they saw had been taken by Class C.
Class B was more patient than the other classes, though, and remained calm.
After finding a few points already occupied by Class C, they stopped searching.
Instead, they chose a nearby point and, in order to avoid violating the rule about occupying other classes' points, they decided to just stay at the perimeter of the point.
Ichinose's suggestion was to wait until the eight-hour effective occupation time passed, and then occupy a nearby point.
Instead of aimlessly searching for points in the jungle, which were likely to be occupied by Class C...
Class B students cared for their teammates and didn't want everyone to continue such heated actions, especially when they discovered a snake by the roadside during their movement.
Therefore, for safety reasons, they preferred to take the "wait and see" approach.
After all, this time, the rabbit wasn't going to run away.
On the other hand, although Hachiman's estimate was that there were about 25 to 26 points on this small island, he had only captured 20, leaving some space for other classes.
However, the points he left were in the deeper parts of the island.
So, Ryuen's class proceeded along the beach and also found no useful stronghold.
He was facing the same situation as Katsuragi.
But he was different from Katsuragi.
Katsuragi had memorized the island's map while on the boat, so he was able to find several points consecutively.
Even though they were all taken by Koenj first, it still showed Katsuragi's strength.
But Ryuen didn't have this prior preparation.
Because this time, he wanted to play an off-field strategy.
After all…
According to the rules, no matter how many points you occupy, if the leader is guessed, the points will be set to zero, and an additional 50 points will be deducted.
So, Ryuen didn't care too much about the points.
At the same time, he didn't have the patience like Class B.
After walking for over an hour, he gave up. However, he made some arrangements.
Finally...
"Ryuen, we found it!"
Ishizaki Daichi hurriedly ran over, gasping for breath. "On the beach, over there, Katsuragi from Class A is leading people to exchange supplies. It looks like they found a stronghold."
"Really?"
Ryuen's eyes lit up, and he quickly ran towards the beach.
Not being able to capture a stronghold made Ryuen a little frustrated inside.
But it didn't make him lose confidence.
On the contrary, he had already seen the direction of victory—
Just as Katsuragi had thought.
Since points couldn't be scored by occupying strongholds, then forget about that reward point.
As long as they could guess the leaders of the other classes, preventing the opponents from gaining reward points, it would be a tie.
In fact, they might even gain something!
And the prerequisite for all of this was that he needed to cooperate with a class.
And this class... had to be reliable and keep their promises.
Katsuragi had a good reputation.
So, he was Ryuen's first choice.
...
"That's all for now."
Katsuragi was preparing to exchange a batch of food and water. After thinking for a moment, he spoke to the homeroom teacher, Majima Tomoya.
"Okay."
Mashima nodded lightly. "It will cost 10 points in total. Are you sure you want to exchange?"
"Sure."
Katsuragi nodded. All the points he could find around him had been occupied.
Even though he discovered who the leader of Class C was, he couldn't immediately expose the other side.
So, at this stage, food and water became the biggest issue.
In the morning, Yahiko got an apple at Class C's point and lost 50 points. Katsuragi really didn't want to be deducted points again.
So, he had no choice but to exchange points for them.
"Wait!"
Suddenly, a loud voice came from behind.
Katsuragi turned around, slightly frowning. "Ryuen, what are you doing here?"
"I'm here to cooperate with you."
Ryuen flashed a relaxed smile.
"Cooperate?"
Katsuragi looked at him deeply and calmly said, "How do you plan to cooperate?"
Although he didn't want to admit it, he did indeed need allies right now.
Otherwise, defeating the Sakanagi faction in this exam would be very difficult. And he had shown a disadvantage in this exam.
"It's simple."
Ryuen Kakeru chuckled lightly, as if he had already expected Katsuragi to agree. "In this exam, our Class D will provide 300 points worth of supplies to Class A. In other words, all the supplies you need, we can help you exchange them."
"You're really so kind!"
Yahiko blurted out without thinking, looking at Ryuen in disbelief.
"And the condition?" Katsuragi remained calm, asking quietly.
"Also simple."
Ryuen smiled, his mouth curling up. "Class D will provide 300 points worth of supplies to Class A in this exam, and in return, Class A will give me 30,000 points per person every month, until graduation."
"Give it to you?"
Katsuragi repeated, his expression becoming serious.
"Exactly, give it to me."
Ryuen Kakeru nodded, smiling.
Using Class D's points to secure personal benefits, a straightforward and legitimate form of using power for personal gain.
Ryuen Kakeru wasn't afraid at all that this matter would get out, nor was he worried that it would cause unrest within Class D.
He had ways to suppress those people.
Moreover, he hadn't said he would take everything for himself; he could give them half to keep them subdued.
"Are you kidding me!"
Yahiko immediately became furious. "How could we agree to something like this? Do you think we're fools?"
"Katsuragi, we absolutely cannot agree to him!"
Yahiko shouted, glaring at Ryuen like a vicious dog.
Ryuen, however, didn't even glance at him, while Katsuragi lowered his head, falling into deep thought.
He had to admit, Ryuen's proposal was very tempting.
On the surface, if they could save the 300 initial points in this exam and finally add them to the class score, it would mean that each person in Class A would get an additional 30,000 points every month.
However, for the students of Class A, living expenses were less important; what mattered was the class points.
This was the unknown standard that kept Class A going.
But...
Even Yahiko could tell something was wrong.
Because although it seemed like a good proposal, if they agreed to this deal, Ryuen would get 1.2 million points from Class A every month without fail.
But in this exam, Class A couldn't even guarantee that they could save those 300 points.
In fact...
Class A's initial score of 300 had already been reduced by 30 points because Sakayanagi hadn't come, and another 50 points were deducted because of Yahiko.
So, they were left with only 220 points.
There was no advantage now.
At the same time...
This was still the first day of the exam, and less than three hours had passed.
During the exam, there were risks, such as violations that might happen during the next seven days, someone needing to drop out due to illness, or the final guess-the-leader phase.
If they guessed the wrong leader of another class, or if another class guessed their own leader, points would be deducted!
In other words, even if they agreed to Ryuen's deal, the remaining 220 points from their class would very likely be reduced to zero by the end.
This was a gamble.
A huge gamble.
Ryuen could reap all the benefits, but Class A might end up losing everything.
And Katsuragi wasn't just careful, he wasn't stupid either.
It was as if Class A was bearing the risks that should have been Ryuen's, making it a double risk.
This condition was unfair to Class A.
And definitely not friendly.
But Katsuragi was still tempted.
Because Class A couldn't afford to lose this exam. His repeated failures made it easy for the students in his class to lose trust in him.
At the same time, Class C had occupied too many points. Although he had confirmed that Koenji was the leader of Class C, it was still unsettling that he couldn't be sure to reduce their points to zero.
Furthermore,
Katsuragi needed this stable method, because living on the small island would certainly lead to expenses. If the points were deducted, the remaining points by the end of the 7-day exam wouldn't be much. That's why he had to go and exchange supplies earlier.
So, whether he agreed to Ryuen or not, his class's initial points would keep getting consumed.
Should they pay Ryuen off-field or continue to deplete their points in this exam?
"How is it? Have you thought it over?"
Ryuen asked with a calm smile, exuding confidence.
He knew Katsuragi wouldn't refuse.
Because he was very clear about the current situation of Class A. The representative of the Sakayanagi faction, Sakayanagi Arisu, hadn't come, but Katsuragi's side hadn't gained any advantage.
Instead, it looked like they were at a disadvantage.
Katsuragi was under a lot of pressure.
"The deal is fine."
Katsuragi finally spoke slowly, his voice still steady. "But 300 points is too much. We won't use that much."
"And…"
Katsuragi continued, "The risks are all on our side, while you're taking no risk at all."
"So my condition is that you must find out the identities of the leaders of Classes B and C, and then tell me." Katsuragi said.
"Oh?" Ryuen smiled broadly.
It seemed Katsuragi had come to the same conclusion as him.
Yes.
This was Ryuen's solution to the exam.
1. First, ensure his own class gets a guarantee by trading the initial points with other classes and converting them into a fixed and stable living allowance every month.
2.
Since staying here would lead to consumption, it was generally impossible to save the initial points, so it would be better to directly exchange them for money.
2. Continue the exam, moving into the stages of occupying points and guessing the leaders. While occupying points might be difficult, guessing the leaders could continue.
3.
So...
"Fine." Ryuen said. "I'll arrange for my people to investigate the leaders of the other classes."
"Then, once we confirm the results, I'll let you know."