On the other side, the Wool Club.
Ichinose and the others were preparing for the Cultural Festival, and he also took the opportunity to leave, wanting a convenient and quiet place to think.
As for Horikita Suzune's matter.
Although a deal was reached with Ryuuen and the others, Hikigaya clearly didn't take it to heart.
Words were meaningless, and he didn't want to engage in a battle of words with Horikita Suzune to argue who was right or wrong.
Just laying the naked reality in front of Horikita Suzune.
Was enough.
Therefore.
Hikigaya set a contract with Ryuuen for at least three months.
He didn't believe it.
Being mocked and looked down upon every day, could people like Ike Kanji remain as indifferent as Ayanokouji and the others?
This was clearly impossible.
It was only a matter of time before conflict was triggered.
By expelling Sakura Airi, Horikita Suzune might not be clear on what she had actually lost.
Just like him.
No matter what Horikita Suzune thought or how sincere her attitude was, in the eyes of others.
Horikita Suzune was a treacherous, cold-blooded, and profit-driven cold leader.
Even if the people around didn't say it.
Their view of Horikita Suzune would not change.
Hikigaya was merely presenting what Horikita Suzune had lost in front of her.
As for whether Horikita Suzune could bear it.
Hikigaya didn't care either.
He had indeed promised Horikita Manabu to give Horikita Suzune a pull when she went astray.
But if Horikita Suzune could still bear the consequences.
And felt it was fine.
It clearly showed that Horikita Suzune was beyond saving and couldn't be pulled back.
Hikigaya could only say he had done his best.
Looking at the classroom in front of him, Hikigaya felt a slight sense of nostalgia.
The desk in front of him was still tidy.
Although he rarely came here anymore, it was clear that Kobashi Yume, Himeno Yuki, and the others would occasionally use this place as a gathering spot.
He walked to the square table and sat down.
Hikigaya wrote down a list of names.
A-Class: Katsuragi Kouhei, Kitou Hayato, Kamuro Masumi, Sakayanagi Arisu (Academic), Hashimoto Masayoshi.
C-Class: Ryuuen Kakeru, Albert, Ibuki Mio, Kinoshita, Yajima Masazumi.
D-Class: Ayanokouji Kiyotaka, Koenji Rokusuke, Sudo Ken, Hirata Yousuke, Horikita Suzune, Kushida Kikyo, Matsushita Chiaki, Onodera Kayano, Yukimura Teruhiko, Wang Mei-Yu.
These.
Were the people each class needed to be especially wary of.
At least they were people whose academic or athletic abilities ranked at the top of the grade.
As for B-Class.
There were only Shibata Sou, Ichinose Honami, Kanzaki Ryuuji, and Ando Sayo.
Aside from Ichinose's academic ability.
They were still far from the top combat power of the others.
The matter of Horikita Suzune was just incidental; what was more important was how to rise to A-Class.
The top combat power was far inferior to others.
Taking exams one by one like this was far too dangerous.
Even if they could win, it wasn't a long-term solution.
At this moment.
The door to the club room was pushed open from the outside.
"Ah, as expected, he's here."
Kobashi Yume and Himeno Yuki appeared at the door, with Amikura Mako standing behind them carrying a bag.
"Really..."
Kobashi Yume feigned anger and said with some dissatisfaction: "Hikki, why did you leave first?"
"No... weren't you guys making sweets?"
Hikigaya was somewhat confused.
Precisely because everyone was busy preparing for the Cultural Festival, he had this bit of free time; how did they all find him at once.
"Yeah."
Amikura Mako took out a small box from her bag with some anticipation:
"We've already made them and are letting everyone have a taste. Hikki, you should hurry and try them too."
Saying so.
The three girls placed about ten cookies along with three macarons and red bean buns in order before Hikigaya.
"This..."
Looking at the sweets in front of him, Hikigaya was somewhat confused: "Do I have to eat all of them?"
"Yes, we are investigating the sweetness and flavor that best fits the public taste. The red bean buns are planned as take-out sweets so customers can bring them back to share with their families. Hikki, try them quickly."
"Oh."
Hearing this.
Hikigaya picked up a cookie and put it in his mouth; after all, their skills weren't bad, so there was nothing to worry about.
Everyone was focused on preparing for the Cultural Festival.
Since it was a sweets shop.
B-Class was clearly focusing more on the product side.
Using the best ingredients, wholeheartedly making the most delicious food to attract customers to consume; they might be lacking in terms of service.
As for the red bean buns, he remembered they were Ichinose's favorite food.
Maybe they all mixed in a bit of selfishness, wanting to enjoy the Cultural Festival and leave the most beautiful memories.
Although Hikigaya didn't care much about the Cultural Festival.
But regardless of whether they could achieve results, as long as they could happily enjoy the Cultural Festival, that was enough.
After finishing.
Hikigaya pointed at the last cookie and nodded, saying:
"For me, I probably like this last one the best."
"As expected, Hikmi has a bit of a sweet tooth."
Kobashi Yume nodded seriously, while Himeno Yuki on the side recorded it seriously.
They were conducting research.
Choosing the flavor that should be most popular with the public from the tastes of everyone in B-Class.
As for the cost of ingredients, it was temporarily paid for by B-Class themselves; the special funds for the Cultural Festival clearly didn't have enough money for them to consume like this.
"Hikki"
Amikura Mako and the others finally moved to Hikigaya's side and saw the notebook on the table along with those names.
"What are you doing here?"
"Nothing much, just wanted to find a quiet place to think about strategies for rising to A-Class."
"Hmm?"
Kobashi Yume and Amakura Mako were slightly stunned, even Himeno Yuki was a bit dazed.
They suddenly felt somewhat guilty.
They were all still wholeheartedly enjoying the Cultural Festival, while Hikigaya was still agonizing over how to lead the class to A-Class.
Clearly.
Hikigaya's sense of responsibility was even heavier than Ichinose's, it's just that Hikigaya wouldn't hide his weak side.
Thinking of this.
Kobashi Yume and Amakura Mako looked at each other; the two of them walked to Hikigaya's left and right sides and pressed his shoulders, saying somewhat helplessly:
"Really, Hikki, you don't need to make yourself so tired; just doing your best is enough."
"Yeah."
Himeno Yuki also sat opposite and nodded, saying softly:
"If there's anything, you can discuss it with all of us; don't keep it bottled up in your heart."
"This is the job of a leader, right?"
Hikigaya rolled his eyes and said somewhat speechlessly: "And, didn't I ask everyone for help before? Don't worry, I won't be polite when I need to."
Where was he keeping it in his heart?
Clearly, when he asked Nakanishi and Beppu for help last time, Hikigaya felt he hadn't been polite at all.
A leader needs to be responsible for everything.
Isn't this the job of a leader?
He carried the future of Ichinose, Kobashi Yume, and all of them on his shoulders; it wouldn't allow him to be lazy like before.
"Alright."
Feeling Hikigaya's somewhat stiff shoulders, Kobashi Yume and Amikura Mako applied more force to massage them.
No wonder Ichinose and the others liked Hikigaya so much.
With such a boyfriend.
One must be very happy and have a great sense of security.