Lunch break.
Hikigaya left the camp alone and found an empty staircase to eat his lunch.
After all, being assigned to the White Team with Class C was entirely the school's decision.
So Ichinose couldn't really be blamed for that.
It's just that trying to blackmail Class C would now inevitably affect Class B, which clearly wasn't possible anymore.
As for assisting Class D to make money...
Although the two classes were in a cooperative relationship, they were also opponents in this exam.
The relationship was truly ambiguous.
With no other choice, Hikigaya finished his lunch and went to the 3rd-year Class A camp.
"Why have you come to the 3rd-year area? Do you need something?"
Seeing Hikigaya approach, Tachibana Akane came forward and asked with confusion.
"Oh."
Hikigaya nodded and said: "Tachibana Akane-senpai, I'm looking for Horikita-senpai. Is he here?"
"What do you want with the President?"
Tachibana Akane's tone immediately became defensive, like a protective mother animal.
"Nothing much."
Hikigaya said with some difficulty: "I have some private matters I want to discuss with him. Could you help find Horikita-senpai?"
He wasn't even in the Student Council anymore, yet this person still addressed him as "President"; she clearly has immense respect for Commander Horikita Manabu.
"Private matters?"
Tachibana Akane frowned, looking somewhat displeased:
"What private matters? Just tell me whatever it is, and I'll relay it to President Horikita for you."
"..."
Hikigaya was momentarily stunned.
Why did it feel like this Tachibana Akane-senpai had a lot of hostility toward him?
Had he offended this person somewhere?
He had only acted a bit cute in front of her before.
Surely it wouldn't come to this?
By what right did she presume to make decisions for the Commander?
Her possessiveness was a bit too strong.
"Well..."
Hikigaya said with some difficulty: "Tachibana Akane-senpai, if you do this, you might be disliked by Horikita-senpai."
"That wouldn't happen."
Tachibana Akane puffed out her cheeks and glared at Hikigaya, becoming even angrier: "I'm the person President Horikita trusts the most; he won't be angry with me."
"Don't worry, tell me what it is, and I'll definitely relay it properly."
"..."
Hikigaya was truly getting a headache.
This senpai obviously liked Horikita Manabu, and this inexplicable possessiveness was giving him a hard time.
What does "I'm the person" even mean... Tachibana Akane must have some bizarre misunderstanding about him.
"Look, Senpai."
Hikigaya said troubledly: "I have no intention of competing with you for anything. This is Horikita-senpai's private business; it's better if he comes out."
"What do you mean 'competing'!"
Tachibana Akane grew even angrier, and her voice rose:
"Just because you proposed a few constructive suggestions, don't get too full of yourself."
"Fine then."
Hikigaya's mouth twitched.
He couldn't be bothered with this love-struck person.
She really treated herself like Horikita Manabu's housekeeper.
"Then I'll just go ask someone else."
"Wait, wait."
Tachibana Akane suddenly panicked and said reluctantly:
"I'll take you to see President Horikita then."
"Well, thank you very much."
Hikigaya gave a dry laugh; things could have been so much simpler if she'd just said that from the start.
The two left the field and soon arrived at a garden. Not far away, they could see Horikita Manabu eating with Senpai Fujimaki and a few other boys.
Hmm?
Connecting this to Tachibana Akane's inexplicable hostility just now, Hikigaya suddenly lost his confidence.
Could Horikita Manabu really have some special fetish?
Wait, impossible; eating with friends is normal.
Hikigaya quickly shook his head, almost getting led astray by Tachibana Akane.
"Wait here for a moment."
Leaving those words, Tachibana Akane walked over to Horikita Manabu's side and whispered a few words while pointing over here. Horikita Manabu then nodded and walked toward him.
"How rare."
Horikita Manabu's voice was flat:
"I thought I was one of the people you least wanted to approach. I didn't expect you to come looking for me at a time like this. Was I mistaken?"
"Heh heh."
Hikigaya was a bit embarrassed.
This person was too smart; he indeed didn't want to contact Horikita Manabu much.
This guy didn't seem like a student at all.
Meeting the Commander brought an inexplicable pressure.
However, to say he was the person he least wanted to contact wasn't quite right.
Whether it was Horikita Suzune, Ryuen, or the Horikita Manabu in front of him, they were all okay.
Currently, the one he least wanted to see was Sakayanagi Arisu, whom he hadn't even met yet.
A pleasure-seeker who didn't care about their class—it was definitely better to keep them at arm's length.
"So then."
Horikita Manabu also didn't mind: "What do you want with me?"
"Hmm."
Hikigaya looked around and lowered his voice:
"I have a piece of information here. One hundred thousand personal points. Do you want to buy it?"
Horikita Manabu scrutinized him seriously for a moment before saying:
"Since you dare to set such a price, it means this matter is related to me... or related to her?"
Mind reading.
This guy must be able to read minds.
"Yes."
Hikigaya didn't dare say too much.
He felt that if he said more, the other party might guess it directly; the Commander was far too terrifying.
"Hikigaya, it seems you saved up a lot of personal points during the first semester."
A faint smile appeared at the corner of Horikita Manabu's mouth, as if everything was within his grasp.
"What do you mean?"
Hikigaya was even more confused.
Could he please just speak directly? This was very creepy.
"Follow me."
The two arrived at a vending machine. Horikita Manabu bought two bottles of MAX Coffee and handed one to him.
"Uh..."
Hikigaya said with some difficulty: "Will this be deducted from the transaction fee later?"
"Hmm?"
Horikita Manabu was momentarily stunned, then smiled: "No need; consider it my treat."
"I haven't earned it, so I should probably transfer the money to you later."
Hikigaya shook his head and didn't accept it.
A free meal is indeed the best.
But thanks to a good upbringing, he generally only talked about it; being blinded by petty gains would lead to big losses sooner or later.
Moreover, they had only met a few times; why should Horikita Manabu treat him to a drink?
It's a conspiracy! Don't take it!
"Forget it then."
After they finished exchanging contact information, Horikita Manabu looked at the transfer on his phone and shook his head:
"I'll tell you straight: relying on personal strength to save up twenty million personal points in special exams is almost impossible."
"I see..."
Hikigaya nodded; he actually had thought that for a long time.
If an individual could save twenty million personal points in special exams, then the existence of a class would lose its meaning.
Exams as generous as the "VIP" one probably wouldn't happen often.
Saving twenty million personal points individually was nearly impossible.
But that only applied to special exams.
Unless other classes were fools and easily deceived, or if one betrayed their class, it might be possible to get enough personal points.
However, Hikigaya would just do his best.
Whether he could save up to twenty million didn't really matter.
It could eventually be exchanged for cash anyway.
"However."
Horikita Manabu opened the tab and took a sip of MAX Coffee, saying flatly:
"Nagumo wants the school to value individual ability more. In the future, it might actually be possible for an individual to save twenty million personal points. Do you think that would be better?"
"Who knows? I think either way is fine."
Hikigaya felt a bit helpless.
He clearly came to talk about a deal, so why was Horikita Manabu rambling about other things?
What noble ideals the school was founded upon, and what Horikita Manabu and Nagumo Miyabi were fighting over...
Hikigaya didn't know, didn't understand, and wasn't interested.
Whether Horikita Manabu focused on the collective or Nagumo Miyabi focused on the individual...
In the end, weren't they all going to enter society?
Could this trashy school possibly compare to the melting pot of society?
How could people be changed so easily?
People with weak principles will eventually become egoists, while it was hard to imagine someone like Ichinose doing anything bad.
Hikigaya just felt that both Horikita Manabu and Nagumo Miyabi were just bored out of their minds.
"I see..."
Horikita Manabu gave a faint sigh.
This guy clearly didn't care about what happened to this school; he would just help those in need to the best of his ability.
"Alright. I originally wanted to ask you to join the Student Council again, but now it seems that's still unlikely. I'll ask one more time: if you agree to enter the Student Council now, I still have a way to make you a Vice President directly. Interested?"
"Then don't ask."
Hikigaya was a bit speechless.
He wouldn't join the Student Council if it killed him; he felt like entering was just a life of being exploited. Having to work every day was truly terrifying.
"Fine then."
Horikita Manabu nodded, regaining his calm tone:
"Back to the previous topic. Hikigaya, it's possible that you obtained personal points too easily before, causing your understanding of the value of personal points to be skewed. One hundred thousand is not a small amount."
"Is that so..."
Hikigaya didn't care much and said: "Then how much do you think is appropriate?"
"Tell me what you know first, so I can judge the price."
Horikita Manabu's tone was flat, as if he didn't care much about his information.
This brother and sister really were cut from the same cloth; they always wanted to hold the initiative in their hands.
But Horikita Manabu, like Horikita Suzune, could be trusted to keep his word.
"It seems your sister is being targeted by Ryuen from Class C. You should be able to see that too, right?"
Hikigaya said, not being stingy with the information.
"Of course."
Horikita Manabu pushed up his glasses and said: "A traitor in Class D leaked the participation list. That's why my foolish sister has been targeted by Kinoshita and Yajima."
As expected of the commander.
Despite calling her a foolish sister, Horikita Manabu had likely been observing Horikita Suzune's situation from the shadows, mastering the details of even the surrounding participants.
What a twisted guy.
"So?"
Horikita Manabu's tone was flat: "This is all because my foolish sister lacks strength. If your information is only this much, it has no value."
Clearly caring for his sister, yet refusing to intervene.
He likely wants to see Horikita Suzune solve it independently so she can grow.
"Hmm..."
Hikigaya was a bit dissatisfied. This guy was hardly fit to be a brother, but after a moment of hesitation, he said:
"Although this is your family matter and none of my business—and I don't want to interfere—based on my understanding of Ryuen, that guy probably won't let things end so easily. You'd better keep a close eye on things."
"Are you saying that Ryuen will have further moves?"
"Probably..."
Hikigaya wasn't entirely certain: "I feel like your sister is just acting tough; she's actually very fragile. I get the feeling that with just a little threat, she could easily fall into a bad person's trap."
"Moreover, given her abnormal obsession with you, she likely won't call for help even if something happens; she'll only think about proving herself."
"If you don't keep a close watch, it'll be too late for regrets."
As a brother, one should naturally protect their sister.
Yet this guy only thought about distancing himself.
Though he didn't know what had happened between them, Horikita Manabu's attitude earned him a look of disdain from Hikigaya.
This guy is simply unfit to be a brother.
"So you noticed."
Hearing the slight hostility in Hikigaya's tone, Horikita Manabu felt a hint of bitterness.
After all, he knew Hikigaya was right.
"Actually, Suzune has been chasing after me since she was very small. At first, I just thought such a sister was cute."
"Later, I gradually realized the situation had developed to an irreparable degree. Whether it was clothing, hobbies, or even food preferences..."
"Suzune was imitating me. She gradually lost herself, lost that brilliance like a rough diamond, and gave up on her own potential."
"Once I realized this, I couldn't let it continue no matter what. That's why I took the initiative to distance myself and enter this school."
"Unfortunately, she still followed me."
Horikita Manabu looked up at the sky, his eyes filled with reminiscence, murmuring to himself:
"From the first moment I saw her here, I knew Suzune hadn't changed at all. She is still chasing my shadow."
"She even mistakenly believes that I am distancing myself because her own strength is insufficient."
Horikita Manabu felt powerless.
Being too close would make his sister lose herself, but distancing himself would put her in danger.
"Looking at your disdainful expression just now..."
"You must look down on an incompetent brother like me. I assume you must have a sister as well?"
Horikita Manabu looked sideways, slightly curious:
"Hikigaya, if you were in the same situation as me, what would you do?"