Inside the conference room.
After Kobayashi and the other two were taken away by school personnel.
Hikigaya turned to look at the people present.
"I hope you all can relay today's events to your respective classes. Please try to avoid using violence in the future."
"Let us build this school together and make Advanced Nurturing High School the best school it can be."
Words against his heart.
Hikigaya could already say them very fluently.
Anyway, nice words—anyone can say them.
As for how to actually do it.
Although it was using public office for private gain.
Hikigaya would make it so they had no way to talk back.
Upon hearing this.
Horikita Suzune, on the other hand, didn't have much of a thought.
Strengthening the severity of punishments.
Could indeed effectively prevent campus violence from happening.
Except for Ryuen and Housen Kazuomi, this was beneficial to all classes.
"Then what if someone deliberately provokes us?"
Ryuen narrowed his eyes and said: "What should be done then?"
"Take it on a case-by-case basis."
Glancing at Ryuen and Housen Kazuomi, Hikigaya casually explained:
"For malicious injuries like Kobayashi's, you've seen the punishment. If it's legitimate self-defense, it naturally won't be that severe."
"Don't think that fighting and brawling now will be the same as before."
The punishment is very heavy.
Anyway, there are hidden cameras everywhere in the school now.
What you do is up to you.
If you can manage not to be discovered, or make the victim shut up, or other unimaginable operations, then that counts as Ryuen and the others being capable.
But if discovered.
What awaits will be an unbearable weight.
Fining them several millions—fining them a few times until it really hurts—Hikigaya didn't believe they would still dare to use violence as a weapon.
Once this was said.
Ryuen and Housen Kazuomi had cold expressions; this was clearly targeting them.
But Hikigaya still underestimated them.
Personalities are different, experiences are different.
Naturally, ways of thinking are also different.
Ryuen and Housen immediately thought of several crooked ideas; this was Hikigaya's blind spot in thinking.
After all.
Hikigaya being able to think of these methods was entirely based on his past experiences.
It was all just being isolated and ridiculed—he knew what kind of things would make himself unpopular and just applied those to others.
The few times he was about to be bullied.
Hikigaya used various methods to make the problem vanish into thin air.
But he had never been in a fight, nor had he been hit by anyone.
Violence cannot be completely eradicated.
But it is also a fact that their living space can be greatly compressed.
"Then how is the investigation into Komiya's matter going?"
"It is currently under investigation. Rest assured, the Student Council will give Komiya a satisfactory explanation."
"I hope so."
With that.
Ryuen put his hands in his pockets, turned, and left the conference room.
In this position, there are countless eyes watching; as long as an unfair judgment is made, reports will surely follow.
Afterward.
Others exchanged a few pleasantries and left the conference room, leaving only the Student Council members.
"Did you intentionally call the leaders of each class here to show off your authority?"
Horikita Suzune sat in her seat and glanced at Hikigaya.
"Isn't that obvious?"
Hikigaya glanced at her.
There was no helping it.
Working under the same roof, he had to see her whether he wanted to or not. Horikita Suzune hadn't committed any fault, so it was truly difficult to fire her.
"I have to say..."
"Increasing punishments can indeed prevent campus violence and limit the methods of people like Ryuen and Housen."
Horikita Suzune tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and said in a flat voice:
"However, if I were you, I would only have called Ishigami, Nanase Tsubasa, and the others, letting the news naturally reach the ears of Ryuen and his group."
"The way you're doing it is as if you're intentionally provoking Ryuen and Housen, and now you've offended them to death."
Honestly.
Targeting Class D, offending Nagumo Miyabi to death, and now offending Ryuen and Housen Kazuomi to death.
Clearly, there were better ways to do things, yet he made enemies on all sides like this.
Horikita Suzune felt somewhat contemptuous.
Utterly stupid.
He didn't know why.
Lately, Horikita Suzune seemed to enjoy going against Hikigaya, as if she always wanted to prove that Hikigaya's methods were wrong.
Perhaps she wanted to show off her presence.
Or perhaps she instinctively sensed something irreversible and wanted to prove Hikigaya was wrong to increase her own confidence.
"Pardon me."
Hikigaya didn't even look at her as he organized the meeting records:
"I don't like cooperating with people like Ryuen. If I've offended them to death, then I've offended them to death."
"Acting according to your own preferences again. As a leader, it's best to learn to hide your own emotions."
"Is that so."
Hikigaya didn't want to communicate with her.
Seeing this.
Horikita Suzune didn't say much more, and everyone dispersed.
Besides the Student Council, everyone still needed to consider the cultural festival.
Watching Katsuragi's back.
Hesitating for a moment.
Horikita Suzune still chased after him.
"Katsuragi-kun, excuse me, could I trouble you for a moment?"
"Horikita-san? Is something the matter?"
Katsuragi turned back with a steady expression.
"You should also know about the Unanimous Vote Special Exam. What is your opinion of Class D?"
Horikita Suzune spoke with a sharp gaze, though her will was slightly less firm than before.
After all, Hikigaya clearly disliked her, and he seemed full of confidence, being very sure of himself.
Instead, it made Horikita Suzune a little unsure of herself.
Did she really do something wrong?
Horikita Suzune naturally wouldn't admit defeat easily; she just wanted to find a third party to verify things.
Fortunately.
Katsuragi was still kind-hearted.
Looking at Horikita Suzune's firm gaze before him, Katsuragi pondered for a moment before saying:
"I can understand the choice you made in the Unanimous Vote Exam, but I don't like your methods."
"But this kind of answer probably isn't what you want, right?"
"..."
Horikita Suzune did not respond, letting her eyes represent her meaning.
It must be said.
Horikita Suzune chose her target well.
Except for the honest Katsuragi.
Probably no one in the whole school would say anything objective to her.
Ryuen would think Horikita Suzune is powerful and growing quickly; Ichinose would say something nice just to comfort Horikita Suzune.
Only Katsuragi's evaluation.
Was the most objective and fair.
"To be honest."
Katsuragi crossed his arms and said in a deep voice:
"I can only say I don't like Class D's methods, but I'm not sure if they were correct. It's just that Hikigaya's methods are also somewhat inexplicable, and I don't like them either."
"Did something happen between the two of you?"
Becoming the leader of Class A.
Katsuragi naturally hadn't done nothing; on the contrary, he had done a lot.
He had also investigated.
Why were people from Class C staring at Class D and cursing them like this?
Does a despicable guy like Ryuen even deserve to?
Only afterward did he discover the mastermind was actually Hikigaya.
Katsuragi was momentarily a bit dazed.
After all, in the eyes of outsiders who didn't know about the agreement between Horikita Manabu and Hikigaya, Hikigaya doing this was simply inexplicable.
After all.
There was no right or wrong in this matter.
Thinking rationally.
Kushida Kikyou's value was indeed greater than Sakura Airi's; it was not surprising that someone would make such a choice.
The education received since childhood was always.
That you cannot do bad things, otherwise you will be caught by the police.
But as high school students.
They didn't yet know that there is a kind of punishment in the world called.
Having no place to belong!
"I see, thank you."
Horikita Suzune nodded with a sigh of relief.
Then she turned and left.
Even in the eyes of outsiders.
Hikigaya's methods were inexplicable and incomprehensible; even Ichinose couldn't understand.
The only one in the whole school who could understand.
Was Hikigaya himself.
Watching Horikita Suzune's receding back.
Katsuragi gazed for a moment; there was still one sentence he hadn't said.
Even Horikita Suzune herself was somewhat shaken, so one could only imagine the others.
Whether this problem could be overcome.
Katsuragi wasn't very sure either.
In any case, the fact that Hikigaya could limit Ryuen's methods like this did indeed make him breathe a sigh of relief.