Leaving Hasebe Haruka's dorm, Hikigaya rushed non-stop to Karuizawa's dorm.
"Hikki.. just as I was deciding whether to look for you."
As soon as the door opened.
Karuizawa dragged him into the room.
Full of panic.
"Hikki,listen to me... during this exam..."
"Calm down..."
The two came into the room.
Before Karuizawa could finish, Hikigaya interrupted:
"The situation of Class D, I already know everything."
"Eh? How did you know?"
"I used twenty million private points to transfer Sakura to Class B, and I learned everything from her."
"Eh?"
Karuizawa was slightly stunned.
But Sakura Airi's matter was irrelevant right now.
"Then what should I do?"
"Now everyone is ignoring me."
Karuizawa pulled on Hikigaya's arm, her pretty face full of anxiety.
She also knew very well.
This was an internal Class D matter, and Hikigaya likely didn't have any good solutions.
Therefore.
Karuizawa didn't contact Hikigaya directly, not wanting to cause him trouble, and also harboring a sliver of hope in her heart.
However.
When she contacted her friends this morning, not one person responded to her, and Karuizawa immediately began to panic.
Having experienced being bullied.
Karuizawa could easily imagine what would happen next.
"Calm down first."
"Show me your chat records."
Taking the phone.
Hikigaya sat on the edge of the bed and hurriedly opened the chat software, while Karuizawa sat pitifully beside him.
In the chat interface.
1, 2, 3, 4... N group chats appeared before him.
Hikigaya's mouth twitched.
He could roughly guess that the atmosphere in Class D would certainly not be as harmonious as Class B.
He had also seen the phones of Ichinose and Himeno Yuki; except for the class group and one small group, there were no extra groups.
However.
This was probably the chat software of an ordinary girl, Karuizawa.
Clicking on the top group chat.
Hikigaya frowned immediately.
[Karuizawa: It's almost winter, do you want to go shopping today?]
[Karuizawa: If no one is going, I'll go by myself.]
Although there was a lot of information above, today's chat record only had these two messages.
The problem was somewhat serious.
Hikigaya's brow was solemn.
Having experienced being bullied, Karuizawa understood the survival methods of the bottom layer better than he did.
For people who fall to the bottom, there are only two ways of communication.
One is to lick each other's wounds, and the other is to kick the other person down.
Although Sakura Airi had already been chosen as the expellee, Kushida Kikyo's exposure of several people's secrets would definitely throw Class D into chaos.
To avoid falling to the bottom oneself.
The best way was to be the first to kick someone else down.
After all.
The secrets of the others.
At most, it was just speaking ill behind people's backs, trivial matters like who they liked or hated.
But the fact that Karuizawa Kei liked him was even more scandalous.
Clearly.
Karuizawa was the best target for attack.
Of course.
It certainly wouldn't be so direct.
Just like Karuizawa's chat records, her friends probably didn't know how to respond to Karuizawa at this moment.
Once they talked to Karuizawa.
They would inevitably think about whether they would be implicated by Karuizawa.
The first step was naturally just alienation; once Karuizawa was left alone, it would slowly evolve into bullying.
After all.
Even Karuizawa knew very well that her usual style was somewhat domineering and might have inadvertently offended many people.
It was only natural that someone would want to take the opportunity to retaliate.
"What should I do now?"
Karuizawa pulled Hikigaya's arm and said somewhat fearfully.
As former residents of the bottom layer.
She believed Hikigaya could definitely understand her thoughts.
Karuizawa didn't know what to do either.
...reply.
Just like these two chat records, Karuizawa didn't dare to send more, otherwise, it would look like she was showing weakness.
It would only make things worse. However.
It was already nearing the afternoon.
The others had probably already seen the information she sent.
But not a single person replied; clearly, they all had concerns.
Even.
It was more likely that they were all secretly speaking ill of Karuizawa in other groups.
The best way to ease the atmosphere and shift the conflict was to have a common enemy.
Karuizawa knew this very well.
After all, she had so many group chats herself.
Hikigaya also knew the seriousness of the matter. Once an atmosphere of everyone isolating Karuizawa was formed, the situation would become irreversible.
What's more.
Karuizawa clearly couldn't accept becoming the bottom of the class again, continuing to be bullied.
"Who is your best friend in Class D?"
Hikigaya turned and asked.
After all.
Karuizawa wanted to desperately integrate into the group precisely to avoid being bullied; she was not strong enough to face the malice of the people around her alone.
"Um... Sato-san, I guess?"
Karuizawa wracked her brains to come up with a name, her tone still somewhat anxious.
"I helped Sato pursue Ayanokouji, so I should have helped her a lot. She should be the one I have the best relationship with..."
By the end.
Karuizawa's voice grew smaller and smaller, with less and less confidence.
However, even Sato did not respond; clearly, they were just superficial friends.
Compared to helping Karuizawa, their own safety was more important.
Being too close to Karuizawa now.
Was a bit dangerous.
It couldn't be helped that Sato and the others wanted to protect themselves.
"I see."
Hikigaya nodded, casually flipping through Karuizawa's past chat records.
It was nothing more than where to go for fun, whether that person was acting like a goody-goody, or who was cuter, and which boy was more popular.
Hikigaya clicked on other group chats again.
The person they were praising in the previous group was being despised in this group.
Truly... realistic.
It's a wonder Karuizawa could survive in such an environment...
"Who is this person?"
Hikigaya clicked on someone's avatar and asked.
The nickname was just written as "aki."
Only this person was special; every time the topic became tricky, they could skillfully shift the topic and get it back on track.
Hikigaya felt.
Although he wasn't familiar with this person, he felt that this person was the glue in Karuizawa's group.
Without this person.
Karuizawa probably wouldn't have been so relaxed.
"Matsushita Chiaki."
Karuizawa looked at the avatar and hurriedly explained: "She should also be considered a good friend who plays well with me. Anyway, she does whatever I say and rarely refuses."
Indeed, she didn't refuse.
In Hikigaya's eyes, Matsushita Chiaki seemed more like she was guiding.
"And then there's Hirata."
Hikigaya turned to look at Karuizawa and said: "Didn't you pretend to be a couple with him at the beginning of school? Will he help?"
"This... I'm not too sure."
Karuizawa thought for a moment and said somewhat uncertainly: "If someone bullies me, Hirata should help too."
Originally.
She was quite confident.
But after this exam.
Karuizawa didn't dare to guarantee it anymore.
Although she also voted in favor, she wasn't familiar with Sakura at all; they were basically strangers in the same class.
However.
As Sakura Airi's best friend, Ayanokouji let Sakura get expelled and get out without hesitation, and Hirata, who was originally a nice guy, actually voted in favor too.
To be honest.
From a bystander's perspective.
Karuizawa felt these two guys were a bit scary.
Bad people are not scary.
At worst, you just walk around them.
The most terrifying thing is this kind of person who is usually a good person or even an ordinary person, but becomes a bad person at a critical moment.
"I see..."
Hikigaya pinched the bridge of his nose and nodded.
Except for people like Ike Kanji and Sudo Ken, who are simple idiots you can see through at a glance, he knew nothing about the people in Class D.
He could only get a general idea from Karuizawa's words.
Now that this atmosphere of isolating Karuizawa had formed, and he wasn't from Class D, the means he could use were limited.
After all.
This was basically an internal problem of Class D.
It was all caused by those two idiots Horikita Suzune and Kushida Kikyo.
Beating up the people who bullied Karuizawa.
Wouldn't solve the problem either.
Things were a bit troublesome.