Chapter 009: Sakayanagi, Are You Going to Betray Class B?
Sakayanagi said she wanted to "buy" Hikigaya.
It could be said that Kamuro felt Sakayanagi was acting like a genius for even coming up with such a proposal. Indeed, if you buy your opponent over, you truly don't need to worry about facing them in a confrontation anymore.
But!
"It's impossible."
However, Kamuro spoke in a very certain tone. "Hikigaya won't agree. He is currently the class representative of Class A and the Vice President of the Student Council. Just from the class points and leadership points alone, he pulls in millions every month. What do we have to buy him with? Twenty million? He wouldn't even look twice at it. Especially since buying him would cost us 20 million to begin with!"
Then Kamuro frowned slightly, seemingly deep in thought or recollection, carefully weighing her words.
"And a person like him—he's actually quite responsible. Having led Class B up to Class A, he wouldn't just abandon them like that," Kamuro added.
Sakayanagi listened quietly without interrupting. But once Kamuro finished, she let out a soft chuckle.
"You're right." Sakayanagi's voice was very light. "Hikigaya-kun won't agree. He is indeed a very responsible person. Once he takes charge of a class, he won't easily abandon it."
Kamuro watched her, waiting for her to continue.
Sakayanagi picked up the empty teacup in front of her and set it back down. The bottom of the cup made a crisp sound as it hit the table, echoing clearly in the quiet private room.
"But—" She lifted her eyes, and those purplish-blue orbs flashed with a light Kamuro was familiar with—the look Sakayanagi only had when she was plotting something. "Since we can't buy him over to us, we can go over to him."
Kamuro was stunned.
"Go over?"
"Yes." Sakayanagi nodded. "If he can't come to our class, then we will transfer to his. Doing this yields the same result—we are no longer enemies."
Kamuro opened her mouth, momentarily at a loss for words.
Because at this moment, it wasn't a question of whether Sakayanagi was a genius; it was a question of whether transferring to Hikigaya's class meant betraying their current class.
It's safe to say this was a scenario Kamuro had never even considered.
So, Kamuro stared at Sakayanagi to confirm she wasn't joking, then slowly leaned back against her chair. She realized her back was covered in a thin layer of sweat, likely from the sudden shock.
"Are you serious?" Kamuro asked.
"I am." Sakayanagi's tone was calm, as if she were discussing something she had pondered for a long time.
Kamuro fell silent for a few seconds. Her finger unconsciously traced circles on the tabletop, her gaze falling on her fingertip.
Betraying the class certainly didn't sound good.
However, this betrayal was... a class transfer.
People naturally gravitate toward higher ground; it wasn't entirely impossible. In fact, if such an option existed, almost any student in the class... even Katsuragi would find it impossible to refuse.
Therefore.
Kamuro had been shocked just a moment ago, but now, she didn't deny that this was a viable plan.
"But—how do we get over there? A class transfer requires 20 million points. Our class is currently carrying a debt of over 50 million, and you probably don't have much left in your personal account, right? How will we scrape together 20 million? Right now, we don't even have 2 million.
Or will you go to your father? You definitely won't do that. And even if we gather enough, would Hikigaya even accept us? He's in Class A now and isn't short on people. Why would he take us in?"
Kamuro's questions came one after another, all of them being practical matters that needed consideration.
Sakayanagi didn't answer immediately.
She lowered her head, looking at her hands on the table. Her fair fingers were slightly curled, and her nails were neatly trimmed without any polish.
"As for the points, we can find a way," Sakayanagi continued. "The Sports Festival, the next exam, the exam after that—there will always be opportunities. Moreover, if Ayanokouji's father's side really makes a move, the school will enter a period of chaos. In chaos, there are more opportunities.
As for whether he will accept me, that isn't something to worry about. Because, although I lost to him, he had to use his 'inner voice' to induce my defeat. Therefore, in his eyes, I am definitely a threat to his class. If he can turn a danger into a safety net, he naturally won't refuse.
As for you, Masumi-san... although your academic ability isn't competitive, your physical ability is among the top three of all girls in the grade. So the possibility of him accepting you is very high."
Although Sakayanagi was saying that her transfer would be welcomed by Hikigaya, Kamuro's frown deepened instead.
"Sakayanagi, what exactly are you thinking?
You said before that Hikigaya is a 'Transmigrator' who knows the plot, and that we might be playing with an open hand against him in this Sports Festival. You pulled yourself together and said you wanted to fight again. Now you say you want to transfer to his side—what exactly do you want?"
Clearly, Kamuro still couldn't quite grasp Sakayanagi's train of thought.
Sakayanagi looked up, meeting Kamuro's gaze.
There was no avoidance or hesitation in those purplish-blue eyes, only a calmness that Kamuro rarely saw on her face—the kind that comes after considering every single possibility.
"I've thought about it a lot," Sakayanagi said. "I've been thinking throughout this entire holiday."
She paused, her gaze dropping slightly.
"When the VIP Exam ended, I said this was my mistake and that I would take responsibility. I resigned as the class representative and handed the class over to Katsuragi-kun. But later I realized that some things can't be solved just by changing the person in charge.
Katsuragi-kun works very hard. This holiday, he led everyone in training, arriving at the field the earliest and leaving the latest. He is serious, responsible, and dependable. But—"
She stopped for a moment.
"But, he cannot beat Hikigaya-kun," Sakayanagi stated.
The sentence was spoken very softly, yet it felt as if something had shattered in the private room.
Kamuro knew Sakayanagi was telling the truth. Katsuragi Kohei was a good person, a responsible representative, and a trustworthy partner. But he truly could not beat Hikigaya Hachiman. He couldn't win the Deserted Island Exam, he couldn't win the VIP Exam, and the Sports Festival—he probably wouldn't win that either.
"So you want to transfer classes?" Kamuro's voice was a bit dry. "If you can't beat them, join them?"
Sakayanagi looked at her, the corners of her mouth curving slightly.
"You could put it that way." She paused, then added, "But that's not all."
Kamuro waited for her to continue.
"During the holiday, I warned my father," Sakayanagi went on. "I told him that Ayanokouji's father might make a move, perhaps trying to pull him down through a report, or arranging for people from the White Room to take over the school. My father said he understood and would be careful."
Kamuro listened quietly.
"But—" Sakayanagi paused, her tone turning slightly heavy. "But I thought about it for a long time and felt that Ayanokouji's father won't give up so easily. He spent over a decade nurturing Ayanokouji-kun and sent him to this school, not for some 'final trial.' He is here to break the system."
"Break the system?" Kamuro repeated the term.
"Yes." Sakayanagi nodded. "Class D is the lowest, and Class A is the highest. If Ayanokouji-kun can rise from Class D to Class A, it proves that the White Room's educational system is superior to the Advanced Nurturing High School. That is the result his father wants.
Hikigaya-kun has already mentioned this point.
But—Ayanokouji is still in Class D. He didn't produce any eye-catching results last semester.
Therefore, I believe it's precisely because of this that his father will be even more anxious. If Ayanokouji-kun climbs slowly step-by-step, it will take three years. His father can't wait that long. So he will definitely act early—pulling my father down, replacing him with his own people, and then adjusting the exam rules so that Ayanokouji-kun can obtain a massive amount of points in a short time to fast-track his promotion."
Kamuro was silent for a good while.
"So—your father will still be taken away?"
Sakayanagi didn't answer. But her silence was an answer in itself.
"Then what are we supposed to do?" Kamuro's voice was lower than before. "If White Room people take over the school and the exam rules become biased toward Ayanokouji, won't we be even more passive?"
Sakayanagi turned her head to look at her.
"Therefore, we need to pick a side in advance."
Kamuro was taken aback. "Pick a side?"
"Yes." Sakayanagi nodded. "If White Room people take over, the only ones who can oppose them is the Student Council. And in the Student Council, the only one who can contend with Ayanokouji's father—"
"Is Hikigaya," Kamuro finished for her.
Sakayanagi didn't deny it.
Although the current Student Council President was Horikita Manabu, and Nagumo Miyabi held the majority of the votes, and although Sakayanagi had the right to run, she couldn't get that many votes—she lacked both points and influence. However, both Sakayanagi and Kamuro defaulted to the belief that the next Student Council President would very likely be Hikigaya Hachiman.
"So, you're transferring to Hikigaya's side not because you can't win, but because... you think it's safer there?" Kamuro inquired.
However, Sakayanagi shook her head slightly.
"Not entirely. Safety is one aspect, but on the other hand—
That man, Hikigaya-kun, although he always says he wants to be a house husband and acts like he doesn't want to work, he is actually very reliable. He protects the people around him. This, I know very well."
Kamuro looked at her, suddenly not knowing what to say.
She remembered Sakayanagi's previous words—"I value him more than ever before."
At the time, she thought Sakayanagi was just brushing off Nagumo. Looking back now, perhaps those were her true feelings.
"Then what about Class B?" Kamuro asked. "What about Katsuragi-kun and the others?"
Sakayanagi was silent for a few seconds.
"If I truly transfer classes, the affairs of Class B will no longer be my concern." Her voice was very light. "But Katsuragi-kun will do what he needs to do. That much, I believe in him."
Kamuro didn't ask any further.
She leaned against the back of her chair, a complex emotion she couldn't describe suddenly surging in her heart.
Sakayanagi Arisu—this proud young lady who never easily admitted defeat—was actually considering a class transfer.
It wasn't out of spite, and it wasn't giving up. it was a choice made after deep reflection, one so calm it was almost cold-blooded.
"Well, what about the points?" Kamuro said. "Even if you say Hikigaya will accept us, we have to handle the transfer fees ourselves. Since it's a transfer, it's impossible to use Class B to acquire more points."
As she spoke, her expression was quite serious.
Sakayanagi knew this was essentially Kamuro's bottom line.
As the person most "loyal" to Class B, she naturally wouldn't want to betray the class, but her loyalty to Class B was also because her own grades were poor, so she wanted to use the class's "big ship" to take flight. If she could fly on her own, then not relying on the class didn't seem like an impossible choice.
However, since it was a transfer after all, she couldn't bring herself to use the class to get points and then run away.
Sakayanagi had already considered this.
Thus, Arisu Sakayanagi continued, "However, even if Ayanokouji succeeds in leading Class D to Class A, he will still have to transfer classes. Because Class D definitely won't be able to hold Class A securely. What he needs is to enter the school in the 'trashiest' class and graduate from the strongest class—only then can he be said to have 'broken' the system of this High School."
Kamuro's brow twitched slightly.
"And with Hikigaya Hachiman still in the school, very likely as the next Student Council President, Ayanokouji's chances of winning aren't actually high. So what Ayanokouji will do is—lead Class D to Class A, then let the class fall back down, and then choose to transfer.
Of course, he could also transfer first. The class he would transfer to would either be us, who would still be in the Class B position at that time, or Ryuen's class. As long as he leads another class to Class A, it counts."
Listening to this, Kamuro gradually began to understand something.
If Ayanokouji wanted to transfer, he would definitely have to collect 20 million points. So, if Sakayanagi's father was unfortunately taken away and the White Room person came in as the Acting Chairman, they would definitely provide special exams with more private points. The goal would be to give Ayanokouji the chance to acquire a massive amount of points for a transfer.
So what they needed to do was intercept the points the White Room Acting Chairman originally prepared for Ayanokouji—the points intended for Ayanokouji to obtain legitimately.
In other words, they would "cut off" the points Ayanokouji could get.
One could say Sakayanagi's idea was bold, but it also had a certain degree of feasibility.
"Sakayanagi, you're quite the cunning one," Kamuro said.
The corners of Sakayanagi's mouth curved slightly.
"It's just preparing a way out.
And there is another reason why I chose to avoid his edge: Hikigaya-kun has already acquired a massive amount of points in his hands," Arisu Sakayanagi added. "And 20 million points can facilitate a transfer. Guess what—if he took out 20 million points, would any student in the class... be able to choose not to betray?"
Kamuro was silent for a long time.
Because even she couldn't withstand the temptation of a class transfer. If someone directly handed you 20 million points, then likely... perhaps everyone except Katsuragi would betray.
Even if it meant ruining the entire class's hope of climbing back to Class A.
Therefore, having obtained a huge amount of points as early as the Deserted Island Exam meant that, to some extent, Hikigaya Hachiman already held the bargaining chips to make a certain student in any class betray during a critical exam.
"Hikigaya Hachiman." Kamuro whispered the name, her tone carrying an emotion she hadn't noticed herself. "What a terrifying man."
Sakayanagi looked at her, the corners of her mouth curving slightly.
"Yes," she said softly. "A truly terrifying man."
Sunlight poured in from the window, casting their shadows on the floor, lying quietly side by side.
No one spoke in the private room anymore.
But in that silence, there was more hidden than any words could convey.
Read ahead (60 chapters) by supporting me on buymeacoffee com/varietl or ko-fi edwriting