"Phew..."
Hikigaya took a deep breath, his palms couldn't help but sweat.
He felt a kind of pressure from Sakayanagi that only those in high positions possess. Is this girl really a high school student?
Isn't this too abnormal?
He felt that with just a slight lapse in caution, Sakayanagi would detect a weakness.
However.
He had rehearsed this matter countless times in his mind.
Even if Sakayanagi were truly a high-positioned person raised by an elite family, he had to pull her down today.
"I want to buy all of Class A's external praise votes!"
Hikigaya lowered his head and pressed his palms together in a plea. He felt that every word spoken to this girl required careful caution.
"Oh?"
Sakayanagi was inwardly surprised, but no change could be seen on her face.
"What do you want to buy Class A's praise votes for? As far as I know, Class B has been saving private points all along. With Ichinose's personality, she should be trying to find a way to gather twenty million private points to avoid any expulsions. Or is she actually not as naive as I imagined?"
As expected.
Although he didn't know what had happened before.
It seemed the whole school knew that Class B had been saving private points since the start of school.
In the eyes of a cold leader like her, Ichinose's kindness was just a form of naivety.
"No, she indeed wants to gather twenty million private points."
Hikigaya forced a smile and said apologetically: "But to be honest, the current situation isn't ideal."
"If it continues like this, the person most likely to be expelled from Class B is me."
"So, I wanted to buy some external praise votes from you."
These.
Were all truths.
In the eyes of other classes, if Class B absolutely had to choose one person to be expelled, it was undoubtedly Hikigaya Hachiman.
Using his identity to buy external praise votes was not inappropriate; the rest was just how to explain it.
However.
Belittling himself and making excuses for himself were things Hikigaya was most adept at.
"I see."
Sakayanagi Arisu laughed indifferently.
"Aren't you not afraid of being expelled? You caused Class A quite a bit of trouble during the forest camp."
"Hahaha... sorry..."
Hikigaya gave a dry laugh: "That was just a bluff to trick them. In such a good school with pocket money to receive, who would actually want to be expelled?"
"Is that so?"
Sakayanagi's smile became playful for a moment as she seriously studied Hikigaya for a while, seeing only a face full of embarrassment.
"From your performance, even though I am just a physically weak lady, you seem very afraid of me? If you want to buy external praise votes, shouldn't you be looking for Class C or Class D instead?"
"No..."
Because it was truly awkward, Hikigaya said somewhat helplessly:
"You should also know my reputation in school. And, you seem to... well, toward me..."
Have some interest.
Hikigaya felt it was a bit self-important and found it hard to say. Saying she was ill-intentioned also seemed somewhat wrong.
So, he simply omitted it:
"Besides, you are the leader of Class A. I feel like finding you would be easier to succeed and most efficient."
"I am indeed quite interested in you."
Sakayanagi easily spoke the lines that Hachiman couldn't say, the smile on her face becoming even more delighted.
Of course.
It was the interest of clashing with him and then making him drop out.
Regardless of the reason, coming to her to buy the Class A praise votes was indeed the most logical and effective choice.
"However."
Sakayanagi Arisu chuckled nonchalantly:
"Even if Class B can't raise twenty million, Hikigaya-kun shouldn't be the one expelled. If I were Ichinose, the one expelled from Class B should be Nakanishi-kun."
"Nakanishi?"
Hachiman was a bit dazed.
He should be a member of Class B, but Hachiman had never heard of him.
"Hmm?"
Sakayanagi couldn't help but knit her delicate brows, sounding somewhat suspicious:
"You... don't know Nakanishi-kun?"
"..."
Hachiman smiled awkwardly: "I don't know him. I might have seen him, though. What kind of person is he?"
"..."
Sakayanagi maintained her fake smile, feeling genuinely speechless.
To think that this guy—who had provoked her twice and even once perfectly interfered with her plans—actually didn't even know his own classmates.
And he didn't seem to be faking it.
"How many people do you know in Class B?"
"Uh..."
Hachiman started counting on his fingers.
Ichinose, Himeno Yuki, Kobashi Yume, Okakura Asako, Shiranami Chihiro, the heroic Kanzaki, the pure-hearted Shibata, the megaphone Hamaguchi... and was there a Watanabe?
"About ten people?"
Hachiman tried to be a bit clever; ten people was close enough.
That was already a quarter of Class B.
Quite impressive!
"Heh..."
Hearing this, Sakayanagi was truly at a loss for words.
"Forget it. But rest assured, as long as Ichinose isn't an idiot, she won't let you be expelled."
No matter how you looked at it, Hachiman was not the type of person who would be expelled at this stage.
Moreover, thinking back to the incident with the rumors, the corners of Sakayanagi's mouth curled up involuntarily.
Being saved by Hachiman in that manner, Ichinose's heart must have been moved; at the very least, she would treat Hachiman as a special existence.
She wondered if this point could be exploited.
"That's impossible."
Hachiman suddenly got a bit flustered: "I've always caused a lot of trouble for the class, they'll definitely expel me. Please, can you sell me Class A's praise votes? I can pay in private points."
"Hmm?"
Sakayanagi scrutinized the man in front of her seriously for a long time before confirming he was being sincere.
"You seem unable to correctly perceive your own evaluation, don't you?"
"How is that possible?"
Hachiman was a bit speechless: "I have a very clear self-perception of myself."
For a moment, he couldn't tell if Sakayanagi was truly smart or just pretending to be.
He was undoubtedly the most unnecessary member of Class B; it was just that the kind-hearted Ichinose, Kobashi Yume, and the others couldn't bear to abandon anyone.
"Forget it."
Sakayanagi Arisu didn't care.
No matter the personality, it was Hachiman's own weakness.
Only one thing was certain.
"Class A's praise votes will not be sold to you."
As long as Ichinose was still a normal person, the guy in front of her wouldn't be at risk of expulsion; this had nothing to do with Hachiman's personal will.
He would continue to stay at the school and provide Sakayanagi with entertainment.
"Why?"
Hachiman quickly stood up.
He was suddenly confused and his heart was in a panic.
He had already given his word to Ichinose and the others, yet he had hit such a massive hurdle at the very first step.
It was just buying praise votes.
It should have been a simple matter, so why wouldn't this person sell them? Was Sakayanagi really that terrifying?
"I really can pay."
Hachiman hurriedly reached out his hand: "How about twenty thousand private points per vote?"
"It's not a matter of money."
Sakayanagi enjoyed his panicked expression with delight: "Class A's praise votes have another destination. No matter how much money you offer, it's impossible for them to be sold to you."
"Huh?"
Hachiman was even more confused now.
Did someone beat him to it?
That wouldn't be a big deal as long as they weren't voting for Class B, but just how many Class A praise votes had been sold?
Depending on the situation, it could have a huge impact on Class B.
"Just a few votes will do," Hachiman tried desperately to salvage the situation. "Sell me as many as you can, okay?"
"Not a single one."
Sakayanagi looked at his panicked eyes; this guy truly had no correct perception of himself.
"If you are really that afraid of being expelled, you can go ask Katsuragi-kun."
Let him buy some temporary peace of mind.
After all, those private points would eventually flow into the hands of Class A anyway.
But the praise votes in her hands would absolutely not be sold.
Compared to Hachiman, Ayanokouji was more important.
Thinking of that boy she had occasionally encountered in the White Room, Sakayanagi Arisu couldn't help but show a delighted smile.
She would prove it.
True genius cannot be artificially cultivated, and the King of Advanced Nurturing High School only needs one!
Once Ayanokouji was defeated, she would deal with this "self-troubling genius" Hachiman.
"Is that so..."
Hachiman looked up, his expression grim as he glanced at Sakayanagi Arisu across from him.
He finally realized it.
This person had been testing him the whole time; she never intended to sell him the praise votes from the start.
Terrifying.
Hachiman left Class A with a scowl.
If you weren't going to sell the votes, why did you keep talking to me? What a waste of time. This left Sakayanagi a bit stunned; this guy was really easy to read.
In the hallway, Hachiman couldn't find Katsuragi.
He'd come back after school; time to eat first.
Still, Hachiman's mood was actually quite good.
He hadn't expected Class A's praise votes to already be spoken for.
Clearly, other classes were making moves.
"It couldn't really be for Yamauchi Haruki, could it?"
Thinking back to what he'd heard at the ramen shop the other day, Sakayanagi seemed to have some interest in Yamauchi Haruki. Hachiman thought that was simply impossible.
Well, whatever.
As long as it didn't interfere with his own plan.
Haha.
The corners of Hachiman's mouth curled up slightly.
Just you wait.
Little Sakayanagi actually thinks she can take me on? There will come a time when she regrets it.
Let her see what true strength looks like.