The next day.
The third day of the exam.
After school.
In the hallway outside the Class B classroom.
Hachiman leaned against the wall. Ichinose was once again like a little follower, nodding as she finished her phone call.
"He seems to be in the library. He just arrived. If you go now, you should still make it."
"Got it~"
Hachiman nodded and prepared to head out.
"Hikki, good luck~"
Hachiman waved casually.
Wait?
This scene felt like it had happened before.
Was he stuck in the same day?
It must be his imagination!
The library.
As soon as Hachiman walked in, he spotted a white figure. It was Shiina Hiyori, and she was gently waving her small hand for him to come over.
Unfortunately, he couldn't today.
Hachiman shook his head and scanned the library, finally spotting that conspicuous yellow hair among a group of people.
Kaneda was sitting with several boys, appearing to be tutoring them.
This was a headache.
Hachiman would have preferred a one-on-one conversation.
What should he do?
If there were too many people, it might alert the other classes. If Sakayanagi found out, there might be complications.
Just as Hachiman was feeling troubled.
"Hikigaya-kun."
Shiina Hiyori quietly approached him and looked at Kaneda and the others in the distance:
"Are you looking for Kaneda-kun?"
"Well, I guess so."
Startled, Hachiman saw it was Shiina Hiyori and nodded.
"I can help you~"
Shiina Hiyori showed a mischievous smile. Hachiman could now distinguish between her different smiles.
When she didn't care about anything, she was lazy. When she felt guilty, she would play dumb and smile. When she was plotting something, she would have this mischievous grin.
Actually, she was quite easy to understand.
"What's the catch?"
Hachiman was wary.
Even though he felt Shiina Hiyori wasn't a bad person, her level might be a step higher than Kushida Kikyou's.
"Let's talk to the side."
Shiina Hiyori glanced at Kaneda and the others and walked between two bookshelves first. Hachiman followed her helplessly.
"I feel..."
Looking at the narrow aisle and Hachiman standing in front of her, Shiina Hiyori said:
"...so excited."
"By what?"
Hachiman was a bit dazed as he watched Shiina Hiyori leaning against the bookshelf. What was there to be excited about just standing between two bookshelves?
"It's nothing."
"How about this? I'll help you get Kaneda for a private meeting, and in exchange, you and your friends help vote for Ryuen-kun with your praise votes?"
Shiina Hiyori waved her hand casually, her face turning slightly red for some reason.
She wasn't asking Hachiman to control all of Class B's votes, just to do what he could. Every extra vote counted.
"Hmm?"
Hachiman was slightly taken aback.
Clearly, Ibuki Mio hadn't told anyone about the deal with Class B, but had acted secretly—truly a lone wolf following the path of a solo player.
In that case, there was no harm in telling Shiina Hiyori, as she clearly wasn't the talkative type.
Hachiman beckoned her over, and Shiina Hiyori quickly stood on her tiptoes, bringing her delicate ear close to him.
Why did these girls always lean their ears in whenever he gestured?
It was so strange.
Are people from Kyoto all this open? Please be more reserved like those in Chiba.
"Actually..."
Hachiman's face was a bit red as he whispered:
"We've already reached an agreement with Ibuki. We'll be giving all of Class B's praise votes to Ryuen. However, it's best if Ryuen doesn't know about this, or he might cause some trouble."
"Oh?"
Shiina Hiyori was a bit surprised.
She hadn't expected the matter to have already been settled without her knowing. As for why Ryuen shouldn't know, she was naturally well aware of the reason.
"Also."
Hachiman whispered: "In that case, you guys still need to choose another person to be expelled. If you don't find it too troublesome, you can discuss it with Ibuki."
He felt that Ibuki, that dim-witted lone wolf, probably wouldn't be able to gather many votes, but that wasn't his concern.
Whether Shiina Hiyori was willing to help was up to her; Hachiman was just giving her a friendly reminder.
"Understood."
Shiina Hiyori nodded solemnly.
Even though she didn't compete in class and preferred to be alone, she was still very much trusted by the girls.
She also knew that Manabe Shiho had been unhappy with Ibuki for a long time and had been gathering allies behind the scenes to cast criticism votes against her.
Although the person destined for expulsion was already Ryuen, it could still be used to scare others.
However, both Ryuen and Ibuki Mio were indispensable members of Class C; it was just that not many people could see that.
Now that she was helping, she should be able to gather some votes.
She would try her best to prevent these capable people from being expelled in this special exam.
"I'll go find Kaneda-kun then."
Shiina Hiyori smiled with relief: "Hikigaya-kun, where do you think is a good place to meet?"
"The alley behind the library. There shouldn't be many people there."
"Okay, you go there first and wait a bit."
"Got it."
Hachiman nodded and turned to leave. Behind him, Shiina Hiyori couldn't help but pat her chest and finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Being cornered in there by Hachiman was indeed a bit nerve-wracking.
Even though she was the one who had guided him there.
But it was still a bit exciting.
Anyway, she would just do her best.
Behind the library.
After waiting for a while, Hachiman saw Kaneda and Shiina Hiyori walking toward him and frowned.
To be honest, he didn't dislike Kaneda; he just preferred to talk to him one-on-one.
After all, Kaneda was a bit smart yet very easy to read. Hachiman felt he could easily handle him.
But Shiina Hiyori had come along too.
Had he not made himself clear?
Or was it because Shiina Hiyori, being a member of Class C, was also a bit concerned about why he was looking for Kaneda?
If it was something disadvantageous to Class C, Shiina Hiyori might warn them.
Well, it didn't matter if Shiina Hiyori knew about this.
After all, Hachiman considered this a blatant "open scheme." The other party had no reason to refuse, and even if Ryuen were here, he would have to accept it!
Of course.
The prerequisite was still to guide the conversation well.
After all, regarding Ryuen's five million, all the remaining money would go into his own pocket. He had to save as much as possible.
However, looking at the two people approaching.
Hachiman suddenly had a flash of inspiration. He felt this was another opportunity to sow some discord within Class C.
He felt a bit sorry for Shiina Hiyori.
But business is business.
As soon as the thought occurred, Hachiman hurried toward them.
"Tsk."
As soon as they met, Kaneda pushed up his glasses and said mockingly:
"I didn't expect it to be you, Hikigaya-kun. What, are you afraid of being expelled and want to buy praise votes from me?"
Yes, yes, very smart.
No surprise there. Hachiman's reputation in Class C and Class D was truly abysmal.
Furthermore, he had tricked them during the uninhabited island exam, making Kaneda lose face in front of the whole class. Kaneda would naturally be extremely sarcastic.
Hachiman didn't think Kaneda had much magnanimity.
Truth be told, even so, Hachiman really didn't dislike the man.
Kaneda did have some ability; he might even be smarter than Ishizaki or Ibuki Mio.
But as long as one acted a bit humble and flattering, people like Kaneda would immediately get carried away. He was just too easy to read.
"Um..."
Hachiman looked at Shiina Hiyori with a troubled expression, then back at Kaneda, and forced a smile:
"I have something I want to discuss with Kaneda-kun privately. Could you give us a moment?"
The implication was clear: I don't want to make a fool of myself in front of a girl.
"Hmph..."
Kaneda gave a cold laugh and glanced at Shiina Hiyori beside him: "Shiina-san, you go back first. I'll talk to this guy alone."
"Al...right..."
Shiina Hiyori looked at the two of them helplessly. Since both of them wanted her to leave, it would be rude to stay.
After glancing at Kaneda, Shiina Hiyori turned and left. He truly didn't have the strength to be a leader.
"So, Hikigaya-kun, how do you want to talk to me?"
Kaneda pushed up his glasses, the corners of his mouth turning up slightly.
Haha. Finally, you've fallen into my hands. You dared to act so arrogant on the island, but finally, the tables have turned!
It's my showtime!