The first day's classes ended.
Matoba Shinji and the others dragged their tired bodies back to the dormitory, treating Hikigaya, who was on the bed, as if he were thin air.
Even if Hikigaya intended to drag the group down.
They just needed to give their all in the exam and try to raise the large group's average score as much as possible.
Just then.
A knock sounded at the door.
After receiving permission from Matoba and the others, the figure of Horikita Manabu appeared before everyone.
"Horikita-senpai, is something the matter?"
"It's nothing."
Horikita Manabu's cold gaze landed on Hikigaya.
"I have some things I want to talk to him about."
"Hikigaya?"
The people around them couldn't help but look over.
This was a first-year group, but it also affected the large group's average for the second and third-years.
Horikita Manabu might not say much outside.
But with such a deadweight presence in the large group, he couldn't possibly not care in his heart.
"Him."
Matoba Shinji sneered, feeling somewhat helpless.
"Horikita-senpai, we've talked to him many times already. This guy is simply unreasonable. He has no team spirit at all and hasn't considered the people around him in the slightest. It's better not to bother with him."
"It doesn't matter."
Horikita Manabu's tone was calm and indifferent: "Hikigaya, if it's convenient, come with me for a moment."
As soon as these words were spoken.
The people from Class A immediately looked on with schadenfreude.
Under the existence of the seniority system.
Juniors generally have a natural sense of awe toward their seniors. Those who are slightly older naturally hold the moral high ground.
He wouldn't listen to what they said, and now he had drawn the attention of Horikita Manabu.
He must be scared now, right?
"Oh."
Hikigaya responded indifferently, climbed down the bunk, and followed Horikita Manabu out of the classroom.
The battles of the first-years had nothing to do with the upperclassmen.
While he felt a bit sorry for the senior senpais, dragging down Class A was certainly the most effective method for him.
The two of them arrived at a deserted small grove behind the school building.
Hikigaya was already prepared to be lectured.
But he definitely wouldn't participate in the exam again.
After all, no matter what, the upperclassmen could only be considered outsiders and couldn't be held responsible for Class B's results.
"The main reason I looked for you this time."
Horikita looked back, his expression grave: "I mainly want to borrow your wisdom?"
"Huh?"
Hikigaya was immediately dumbfounded. Why wasn't he here to lecture him?
"What do you mean? My wisdom is about as useful as a cat's claws."
What did he mean by borrowing his wisdom?
Hikigaya wanted to borrow someone else's wisdom himself.
What's more.
Horikita Manabu was clearly much more outstanding than he was.
If there were things even Horikita Manabu couldn't figure out, he likely couldn't figure them out either.
"You should already know about the agreement for the duel between Nagumo and me, right?"
"I guess so..."
At the time, all the boys in the school were present. Hikigaya had overheard a bit of it.
Anyway.
It was just that Nagumo Miyabi, that guy who just wants to see the world burn, was bored and insisted on forcing Horikita Manabu into a duel.
"Then the explanation will be simple."
Horikita Manabu nodded, his expression slightly solemn:
"Everyone's personality is different, and their ways of thinking are also different. You and Nagumo Miyabi should be considered to have relatively similar ways of thinking. I want to know, if you were in Nagumo Miyabi's position, what would you do?"
Hearing this.
Hikigaya was somewhat speechless.
It wasn't impossible to understand. Compared to Horikita Manabu, Hikigaya also felt that his and Nagumo Miyabi's ways of thinking were quite similar.
They were both part of a group of relatively despicable people.
In terms of being despicable, Hikigaya was confident he wouldn't lose to anyone.
But.
Wasn't Horikita Manabu just insulting him?
"Uh..."
Hikigaya said somewhat helplessly: "Ho... Horikita-senpai, are you insulting me for being despicable in a roundabout way?"
No matter what.
It was hard to imagine a cool-headed person like Horikita Manabu ever hurling insults.
"Right?"
"I see."
"Is that the image Nagumo Miyabi has in your eyes?"
Horikita Manabu was slightly taken aback, then nodded: "Nagumo is very trusted among the upperclassmen."
"Even if I don't approve of his methods, I still feel that Nagumo is a trustworthy person. Of course, the same applies to you."
"Why do you think Nagumo is a despicable guy?"
As expected of Horikita Manabu-senpai.
He always only observes the good side.
As everyone's perspective differs, they naturally form different impressions of the same person.
The only person who might think Nagumo Miyabi is despicable is him.
"No particular reason."
Hikigaya pondered and explained: "Probably because when we first met, he belittled MAX Coffee in front of me."
"Just that?"
Horikita Manabu was somewhat astounded.
Nagumo Miyabi probably would never have guessed that he would be considered despicable by someone for such a reason.
"If I had to say more."
Hikigaya said indifferently: "It's the way he played Rock-Paper-Scissors when forming groups earlier. I don't know if he did it intentionally or not, but the large group that was ultimately chosen will certainly be significantly affected."
"Furthermore, he ignored the feelings of others and insisted on dueling you even if it meant expanding the chaos."
Looking at the details.
He doesn't look like a good person at all, does he?
Hikigaya also wanted to know.
Why these guys thought Nagumo Miyabi was trustworthy.
Though Horikita Manabu felt these things weren't a big deal, as an absolutely fair method doesn't exist in the world.
But at least it showed that Hikigaya wasn't making baseless assumptions.
If Horikita Manabu and Ichinose were participating in the exam fair and square.
A direct battle, so to speak.
Then Hikigaya and Nagumo Miyabi should be the types who use various means to fight in the shadows.
"That's fine."
"In your view, how will Nagumo Miyabi handle this duel?"
"If you can provide a valuable deduction, I can give you five hundred thousand personal points as a reward."
Although it was a duel forced by Nagumo Miyabi, Horikita Manabu would still treat the outcome of this victory or defeat seriously.
"Five hundred thousand!"
Hikigaya's heart skipped a beat, and a trace of hesitation and struggle flashed across his face. In the end, he gritted his teeth.
"No, forget it."
As he spoke.
Hikigaya's heart twitched.
Five hundred thousand—how long would he have to save for that?
And just like that, he let five hundred thousand slip through his fingers.
"Hmm?"
Horikita Manabu was also surprised, then frowned and said:
"As you should be well aware right now, five hundred thousand is not a small number."
"It's not a question of money."
Hikigaya said somewhat helplessly: "If I get targeted by Nagumo because of this bit of money, then forget it."
There was nothing strange about it.
Suppose that due to his contribution, Nagumo Miyabi lost in his duel with Horikita Manabu.
At this stage, Nagumo Miyabi might not do anything.
But once Horikita Manabu graduated.
With that "troublemaker" personality of Nagumo Miyabi, he would certainly shift his attention to him.
Hikigaya really didn't feel he had the capital to contend with Nagumo Miyabi.
For five hundred thousand, offending such a powerful enemy.
It really wasn't worth it.
"In other words."
Horikita Manabu was silent for a moment before saying: "You truly can guess Nagumo's methods."
"Well, if there's nothing else, I'll head back first."
Hikigaya raised his hand and turned to leave the grove.
His abilities were limited.
The first-year matters already required all his effort; getting involved in upperclassmen's affairs was practically suicide.
No matter what.
Hikigaya didn't want to get caught up in the business between Horikita Manabu and Nagumo Miyabi.
What's more.
There was simply no need to get involved.
"Wait."
Just then, Horikita Manabu, who had been silent for a moment, spoke again:
"How about this? If your deduction indeed plays a role, then when I graduate, all the personal points from the third-year Class A will be left to you."
"How's that?"
"No need, I don't want to have anything to do with Nagumo."
Hikigaya raised his arm indifferently.
It wasn't a matter of money.
No matter how much money it was, he didn't want to get involved in the third-year conflicts.
"Is it really okay to leave like this? Depending on the situation, the personal points left by the third-year Class A might be more than twenty million."
"T-t-t-twenty million?"
Hikigaya turned his head back stiffly and asked with a stutter.
"That's right."
A trace of a smile appeared at the corner of Horikita Manabu's mouth:
"It might even be a number exceeding twenty million."
"You can rest assured. Even if your deduction proves effective, the third-year Class A will not deliberately waste personal points on a large scale. Not a single point of what should be left will be missing."
"On this, I can guarantee with Horikita Manabu's reputation."
"There shouldn't be a problem, right?"
Indeed.
Even though they had only met a few times.
Whether it was Horikita Manabu's leniency toward the Wool Club, his thoughtfulness in pretending not to know about helping Sakura Airi, or his initiative in taking on the most burdensome breakfast task during the day.
Hikigaya believed.
Horikita Manabu's reputation was beyond doubt. Since he had agreed, he certainly wouldn't play any more tricks.
Twenty million.
Twenty million!
With this sum of money, he would only need to wait until graduation to transfer to Class A. Rising to Class A would be a sure thing!
There was absolutely no reason to disagree.
Who cares about Nagumo Miyabi!
"But."
Hikigaya was still somewhat puzzled: "Would the people in the third-year Class A agree to this? After all, I heard that personal points are converted to cash at a certain discount upon graduation, right?"
Cash.
Words.
After all, it concerned their own interests.
Even if there were surplus personal points, they could be fully converted into cash.
Whether it was to satisfy material needs, live a comfortable life for a while, or use it as seed money for a future startup.
Giving all the personal points to a junior.
Surely no one would agree to such an unreasonable request, right?
"It doesn't matter, I can guarantee this."
Horikita Manabu shook his head indifferently and said: "I believe in the trust that has been built up over these three years. If you're really concerned..."
"I can have the entire third-year Class A sign a contract with you—on the premise that your deduction is actually effective, of course."
"Sign it!"
Hikigaya wasn't going to play koi.
A small sum of tens of thousands of personal points would be one thing, but this concerned twenty million or even more.
Hikigaya naturally wouldn't be vague about it anymore.
Furthermore, even if Horikita Manabu was trustworthy and Fujimaki-senpai was trustworthy, he didn't know the other members of the third-year Class A.
This contract.
Must be signed!