Chapter 157 Nagumo Miyabi's Provocation
"President Horikita!" Captain Muto and the others stepped forward to greet the newcomers.
"Yes. We're here today to check on the status of the Martial Arts Club."
Horikita Manabu reached up and adjusted his glasses, but his gaze remained fixed on the stage, where Hikigaya and Ibuki Mio were locked in an intense grappling match.
"First Year, Class D. Hikigaya Hachiman."
Nagumo Miyabi also had his eyes locked onto Hikigaya.
He hadn't forgotten that on the very first day of school, this guy had gone to the upperclassmen's building to scout things out.
More importantly, this fellow had actually been chatting and laughing with his childhood friend and even ended up exchanging contact information, which made Nagumo very displeased!
"Your opponent is such a cute kouhai; I'm surprised Hikigaya-kun has the heart to be so rough with her."
On the platform, Hikigaya and Ibuki were entangled. Using his physical advantage, Hikigaya had pinned Ibuki to the ground, while Ibuki had her legs raised high, trapping Hikigaya's head in a triangle choke (scissor legs). For a moment, they were at a stalemate.
"Vice President Nagumo, I must disagree," Captain Muto interjected.
"Since it is a match, one should go all out to uphold the spirit of martial arts!"
"It's just a student club; is there a need to be so serious?" Nagumo countered.
"If someone gets injured, it'll be hard to explain to the school."
Nagumo's argument was well-reasoned. He then gave Horikita Manabu a meaningful look: "President, am I right?"
"The academic culture of Advanced Nurturing High School emphasizes both the literary and military arts," Horikita Manabu stated.
"In martial arts training, daily bumps and bruises are inevitable. However, it must be controlled under the premise that it does not endanger one's physical health."
Horikita's words effectively granted the Martial Arts Club the right to make their own decisions.
"Yes, President Horikita!" Captain Muto looked delighted.
He had been worried about an outsider trying to dictate terms to experts and imposing a bunch of unreasonable rules.
Fortunately, the current Student Council President, Horikita Manabu himself, was a man proficient in martial arts.
An expert naturally knows the score.
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"Tch! I'll let you have this win..."
In the stalemate, Ibuki Mio gradually ran out of stamina and was forced to admit defeat.
"I only won by a hair in terms of endurance," Hikigaya said, knowing his own limits. In terms of experience and technique, he was inferior to Ibuki; he had won purely based on his physical stats.
Hikigaya stood up first and reached out to pull Ibuki Mio up. The two shared a look and a small smile.
"What a spirited kouhai girl," Nagumo Miyabi clapped, a trademark gentle smile appearing on his face. In the second year, he had successfully charmed several girls using this handsome face.
"Who are you?" Ibuki Mio, however, didn't buy it at all, giving him a cold glare.
"Haha... It seems my visibility in this school still needs some work," Nagumo's expression stiffened, and he gave a hollow smile.
"President Horikita, long time no see," Hikigaya proactively greeted the elder Horikita, completely ignoring the other blonde guy who looked like a narcissistic egomaniac.
'With people like that, the more you acknowledge them, the more energized they get!'
Nagumo: "..."
"Hikigaya, compared to the beginning of the school year, your martial arts have improved significantly," Horikita Manabu gave an affirming evaluation.
"If possible, I'd actually prefer it if the school banned the use of force entirely."
Hikigaya's interest in martial arts wasn't particularly high. The reason he practiced was, firstly, for physical fitness, and secondly, because this school often required fighting. Since Hikigaya didn't want to get beaten up, he had to improve himself.
"The school rules clearly state that fighting and brawling are prohibited," Horikita Manabu said seriously.
"Heh!" Hikigaya was too lazy to comment on that.
When Ryuen Kakeru was staging his "all-out war" in his class, he didn't believe for a second that the school was entirely unaware. It was even possible the homeroom teachers helped cover it up.
"This is reality; society is never lacking in people who exploit loopholes," Horikita Manabu said meaningfully.
"Learning to protect yourself is also an important life lesson."
"Oh, well, thanks for the guidance, President Horikita." Hikigaya spoke politely on the surface, but internally he was unimpressed.
'Who doesn't understand the big theories? I just simply loathe these unspoken rules!'
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On the other side, Nagumo Miyabi was somewhat surprised.
Previously, when President Horikita had stopped him from looking for trouble with Hikigaya, he had thought Hikigaya was one of the President's people. Now, it seemed the two didn't have that deep of a relationship.
"Hikigaya-kun, let's get to know each other. Today is our first meeting. I am Nagumo Miyabi from 2nd Year, Class A."
When mentioning Class A, Nagumo's face was full of confidence.
"Hello, Nagumo-senpai. First Year, Class D, Hikigaya Hachiman."
Hikigaya had heard quite a bit about the person in front of him. Supposedly, he was only in Class B when he entered, but after a semester of struggle, he successfully seized the Class A position.
Furthermore, judging by the uniform score gaps maintained between the various classes in the second year, Nagumo had already completed his reign over the entire second-year level! In this situation, as long as Nagumo Miyabi wanted to, he could expel disobedient people at will. It could be said he held the "power of life and death" over the second year.
Looking at it that way, Nagumo Miyabi was indeed quite impressive!
But Hikigaya only thought this man was a "Ultimate Chuunibyou"!
'No matter how impressive you are, Nagumo, it's only for these three years of high school. After graduation, what can you do? High school life is about building important networks for the future.'
Nagumo's style was overbearing; it was said he had already caused ten or twenty people to be expelled. Didn't he fear that after graduation, those people would be waiting for him at the school gates?
Hikigaya completely failed to understand the logic.
"Eh? You're actually in First Year, Class D..." Nagumo said as if he were sincere. "Sorry, I thought you were in Class A."
Hikigaya didn't believe for a second that the guy hadn't investigated his information. This was nothing more than sarcasm, mocking his status as a Class D student.
"Yeah, I'm not like the famous Nagumo-senpai. I'm just an obscure, ordinary student from Class D."
Hikigaya's bluntness actually left Nagumo at a loss for words for a moment.
'You mock him for being Class D, he admits it, so what?'
"Tch! You're one of those Student Council people, right?" Ibuki, standing aside, couldn't take it anymore, even though Hikigaya was ignoring the mockery. "I thought you'd be more insightful, but your vision is so narrow!
A class is a class; an individual is an individual. Even an elementary schooler understands that logic—you don't?" Ibuki snapped.
"Besides, according to the school's S-System, there's a rule that you can use points to transfer classes."
Nagumo Miyabi raised an eyebrow and said deeply, "There is indeed such a rule. However, the points required for an individual transfer are 20 million. Since the school was founded, no one has ever managed to collect that much."
'Huh? No one has?'
Hikigaya didn't think it was that difficult. In his current account, he already had over four million.
Add to that the contract he signed with Class C after the uninhabited island exam—the latter had to transfer 500,000 points to him every month.
Over three years, it would be enough to gather 20 million!
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