Chapter 041 Ayanokouji: So, the One Who Was Played Is Actually Me?
Karuizawa Kei quickly followed up. Her tone was even more direct than Kushida's.
"Can everyone stop being stupid for once? If Horikita-san really wanted to sell out the class, would she really need to let a situation like this backstabbing happen?
Wouldn't it be easier to just go and negotiate terms with Classes A and C directly? And if Class A or C received the list, why would they post it like this? Do they not want a next time to cooperate? Remember, we're going to be in this school for three years. If they give up their mole so easily now, do they really think they'll find another traitor for future exams?"
'Er.'
That reasoning... wasn't wrong.
Karuizawa paused, her gaze sweeping over everyone present, her tone tinged with a hint of mockery. "It could also be a deliberate attempt to divide Class D, but Class D's performance is already so poor—is there even a point in dividing us?"
She didn't finish the second half of the sentence, but everyone understood. Class D was already a pile of loose sand, with rock-bottom points and low morale. Other classes didn't need to waste effort dividing them because Class D was already chaotic enough on its own. Therefore—this current move wasn't made by an outsider.
It was someone from this class.
Hirata Yosuke stood there and closed his eyes for a moment. He had thought that stepping forward to take the blame would settle the matter, but the situation had now spiraled out of his control. "Confessing" hadn't quieted things; instead, it made more people start guessing who the true "traitor" inside the class was. He took a deep breath, opened his eyes, and looked at Ayanokouji.
Now, his only choice was to be honest.
With that thought in mind...
"Ayanokouji-kun." Hirata's voice was a bit dry, but steady.
Ayanokouji looked at him without saying a word.
"On the night I invited you to my room to talk," Hirata said, "I left the participation list on the table, weighed down by a book."
Ayanokouji's expression didn't change.
But Hirata continued.
"I was testing you. To see if you would betray the class." Hirata's voice grew lower and lower. "I didn't expect you to actually look at it. Even less did I expect you to leak the list."
The tent fell completely silent. But rather than silence, it was more like shock!
Yes, shock!
'No way?! Hirata!'
Hirata Yosuke, the gentlest, kindest, most trusting person in Class D, had actually set a trap. He intentionally left the list on the table, intentionally let Ayanokouji see it, and intentionally waited for him to take the bait.
So earlier, he wasn't taking the fall for Horikita. He was closing the net on himself.
"I didn't want to do this," Hirata's voice was very low. "But someone told me that if I didn't, more people would be hurt. I believed him. Now, it seems he was right."
He didn't say who "that person" was, but everyone could guess.
[I handed the participation list to Hikigaya Hachiman]
No.
It should be: [Hikigaya Hachiman told me I could test Ayanokouji, and whatever Ayanokouji chose would be his own business]
So the traitor wasn't Hirata; it was Ayanokouji.
"So," Yukimura's voice was dry, "the leaking of the list was a trap set by Hirata-kun. And the person who actually leaked the list was Ayanokouji-kun."
Hirata did not deny it.
Ayanokouji stood there, motionless. His expression didn't change, but his hand was pulled out of his pocket and then shoved back in.
"My thought was that the list would be leaked anyway," Ayanokouji finally spoke. "It was inevitable that Class D would be targeted. As long as we win in the end, the process doesn't matter."
But at this moment, Yukimura uncharacteristically blurted out a curse. "Doesn't matter? What the hell do you think we are?"
Ayanokouji looked at him and said nothing.
Karuizawa stepped out from the crowd and stood before Ayanokouji.
She wasn't tall—in fact, she seemed petite and cute—but as she stood before Ayanokouji, her chin tilted up slightly without a hint of retreat.
A girl like Karuizawa Kei would never have faced a boy head-on like this before. Especially someone as terrifying as Ayanokouji. But now, it was different. She had the courage given by that man. Since it was a trap set by him, she would see it through.
"Ayanokouji-kun, you're making everyone very afraid," Karuizawa continued her output. "In the rules of this school, there is a mechanism for the whole class to vote for expulsion. If the day ever comes where it reaches that point, I will vote for you."
Those words caused the surroundings to fall quiet again.
They seemed surprised by Karuizawa's statement, but it didn't feel too extreme. Because the Ayanokouji who had done such a thing was the truly terrifying one.
Clearly, he was the traitor, yet just moments ago he had tried to attack Horikita-san.
The way the others looked at Ayanokouji had changed. There was fear, rejection, and dread. What they feared wasn't what he might do, but what he was already doing, which they hadn't realized until now. Their own classmate could sacrifice the interests of the class and the interests of his fellows for his own goals.
Today it was Horikita being attacked; would it be them tomorrow? Would their secrets be exploited? Would they be pushed out as sacrifices at a critical moment?
The atmosphere in the area began to drop rapidly.
Hirata took a deep breath and stood in front of Ayanokouji. "I didn't want to make this public, but if I didn't, you would only do things more terrible in Class D."
He looked at Ayanokouji and spoke slowly. "I am very disappointed in you."
Ayanokouji's brow twitched slightly. There was a hint of surprise in his eyes. He hadn't expected Hirata to use the word "disappointed."
"The class is not a tool. Your classmates are not chess pieces." Hirata's voice was heavy, every word like a nail driven into the ground. "If you want to win, fine. But don't build that on the foundation of sacrificing others.
Although I wish to protect everyone, including you—if your performance is always built on attacking the students in this class, then Ayanokouji-kun, even if it means both of us going down, I will make sure you get expelled with me!"
Hirata's words were heavy, but no one could doubt his resolve. Hirata Yosuke was indeed willing to fight to protect any student in Class D.
Ayanokouji looked at him and remained silent for a long time.
In truth, he had already realized it. Hirata owed a favor to Hikigaya from Class A, so it was possible for Hirata to leak the list. However, he didn't expect that what Hirata promised Hikigaya Hachiman was to "leak" the list to him. This was a pit dug for him to jump into—or rather, Hikigaya had seen through his methods.
Hikigaya Hachiman.
This was the first time Ayanokouji formally acknowledged his opponent.
But for now...
"I can make Class D win," Ayanokouji's voice was unchanged. "The current situation is still within my predictions. For the upcoming recommended events, I will participate in all of them. I held back during the physical exams; my true strength is not inferior to Koenji and is far superior to Sudo. I can gain points here. Leaking the list wasn't to attack Horikita, nor was it to let Ryuen attack Sudo at will—it was for Class D's victory."
But Hasabe Haruka stood out from the crowd. "For Class D's victory? You call this 'for Class D's victory'? We girls were targeted by Class C all morning, and everyone's scores are pitifully low. You say 'preserving strength'—you mean sacrificing all of us just to preserve yourself? If we don't get any points, the girls will be at the bottom of the rankings!
What right do you have to sacrifice all of us just so you aren't attacked by Ryuen and the others!"
Several girls nodded in agreement. Ayanokouji's explanation was indeed unconvincing.
Hirata looked at Ayanokouji and was silent for a few seconds. He knew Ayanokouji was telling the truth—his actual strength far exceeded what he showed during the physical exams. But Hasebe was also right. Preserving one person by sacrificing everyone wasn't "preserving strength"; it was "sacrificing the majority to preserve one." That wasn't the path Class D should take. But now wasn't the time to argue about it. Class D's results were already at the bottom, and they were at a disadvantage in the Red vs. White confrontation. If Ayanokouji could really score points, maybe Class D still had hope. Not because he was trustworthy, but because there was no other choice.
"Let's put this matter aside for now," Hirata's voice was soft, as if he were convincing himself. "Ayanokouji-kun, you need to guarantee one thing—gain enough points for the class. We cannot let Class D finish in last place. Otherwise, you will have to accept punishment."
Ayanokouji nodded. "I will participate in all the recommended events. I'll be the last runner in the 1200-meter relay. I'll participate in all the Scavenger Hunts. Each class has four chances for the Mixed Three-Legged Race; I'll participate in all of those too. I will pay the fees for the substitutions myself."
Ike Kanji's voice came from the back of the crowd. "Wait, I signed up for the Scavenger Hunt too. If you take them all, what about me? Who's going to get my points?"
Yamauchi Haruki chimed in. "Yeah! I signed up too. If you take them all yourself, what are we supposed to do?"
Several boys began to speak up. Some complained, some were dissatisfied, and others calculated which events they could still join. Ayanokouji taking all the recommended events meant their chances to participate were gone. If they didn't get points, they might become one of the bottom ten in the grade, which meant a ten-point deduction on all subjects for the next written exam. This was a matter of survival, and no one was willing to compromise.
"You get to have all the fun, but what about us?"
"Yeah, you think you can just take them all? We need points too."
The voices grew louder and more chaotic. Hirata tried to soothe them, but his voice was drowned out. Yukimura pushed his glasses up, wanting to say something, but looking at the agitated faces around him, he swallowed his words. The tent was a mess; everyone cared only for their own interests, and no one cared anymore about who leaked the list or who betrayed the class.
Horikita stood in place, quietly watching it all. Her gaze swept across the faces of those arguing—there was no anger, no disappointment, only a calm indifference, as if looking at a pile of loose sand.
That was Class D.
No one could unite them; no one could make everyone walk in the same direction. As long as one didn't hold onto hope, there was no need for disappointment. The only chance they had to unite was when it was time to protect their own interests.
Kushida Kikyo walked to Horikita's side and lowered her voice. "It seems Ayanokouji-kun isn't having such a smooth time."
"Mhm," Horikita said.
Matsushita Chiaki leaned in as well. "Even if he participates in the Mixed Three-Legged Race, he needs a girl willing to team up with him. The only girl likely to cooperate with him—Onodera—is injured. The other girls all hate him; he won't find a partner."
Horikita glanced at her. Matsushita's performance just now had indeed been like a sharp blade.
So. This was the successor Hikigaya-kun had found for her.
Matsushita met Horikita's gaze without flinching. Horikita looked away, back toward Ayanokouji.
Ayanokouji, for his part, didn't join the argument. He was likely waiting for the quarrel to end, waiting for them to get tired of shouting, and waiting for Hirata to settle everything. Then he would make his move, score points in the recommended events, and prove his value with results. This was his last chance in Class D and his only way out.
Matsushita Chiaki looked at her and suddenly sighed in her heart. She thought of Hachiman, and the words he had said before—"Horikita will leave Class D, and then someone will need to replace her."
And that successor was her. He had chosen her.
At the time, she thought it was just a regular arrangement, but now she understood. Hikigaya-kun knew from the start what Class D would become. He didn't need to do anything; he just
had to watch and wait. Wait for Ayanokouji to act, for Horikita to be attacked, for Hirata to step up, and for Class D to descend into chaos on its own. Then everything would proceed in the direction he envisioned.
It wasn't control; it was prediction. It wasn't manipulation; it was letting everyone walk into the circle he had drawn long ago by themselves.
Hikigaya-kun was truly formidable. She could already imagine him entering society and the management layer, navigating it as smoothly as a fish in water. It could be said that he was an exceptionally outstanding "growth stock."
However.
Matsushita looked down at her sand-covered sneakers. Why was this man completely uninterested in her? Was his goal too clear? Did he like mature, intellectual women like Chabashira-sensei who could provide for him?
Matsushita gave a soft sigh.
.
.
.
On the other side, the news of the dispute in Class D reached Class B, where Sakayanagi Arisu was staying in her class's tent, looking quite bored.
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