Chapter 055 Hachiman: Why Am I More of a Normie Than Hayama Now!
In the evening after the Sports Festival ended, the people on the sports field gradually dispersed.
Sakayanagi Arisu leaned on her cane, walking on the road leading toward the shopping district.
Walking beside her was Kamuro Masumi, whose purple hair, which had been tied into a ponytail for running, was now let down again. In Kamuro's hand was a small bag. The two walked at a moderate pace, their footsteps softly echoing on the quiet walkway.
"Where are we eating?" Kamuro asked.
"Wherever," Sakayanagi said.
"What kind of place is 'wherever'?"
Sakayanagi glanced at her. "You choose."
Kamuro went silent for a second. "Then that Western restaurant in the shopping district. The one where Hikigaya and Karuizawa ate together last time."
"..." Sakayanagi.
Sakayanagi stared at Kamuro for a couple of seconds. Then she nodded speechlessly, "Fine."
And so.
The two continued walking forward.
The lamps in the shopping district lit up one by one, illuminating the entire street brightly. Several shops were already packed with customers, and figures could be seen moving inside through the glass windows. Sakayanagi and Kamuro walked into that Western restaurant and sat down at a seat by the window.
A waiter walked over. Sakayanagi ordered a set meal, and Kamuro ordered one as well. After the waiter left, the two sat facing each other, neither speaking first.
Outside the window, the sky gradually darkened. The lights of the shopping district cast patches of brightness onto the glass, and pedestrians on the street walked in groups of twos and threes—some looking down at their phones, some carrying shopping bags, and some walking side by side, speaking in low voices.
Kamuro picked up her water glass, took a sip, put it down, and then spoke.
"You know Class A's score, right?"
Sakayanagi looked at her. "After all, Katsuragi-kun has already announced it to the class."
However, Sakayanagi knew that Kamuro asking this meant she had something she wanted to say.
Sure enough.
"Class A has 1666 points." Kamuro's voice carried an indescribable complexity, "Class C has 650 points, and our class has 625 points. Let alone Class A, even Class C has surpassed us."
And this was also a known fact.
Sakayanagi did not speak. She picked up her water glass and took a gentle sip.
Kamuro leaned back against her chair, her gaze falling outside the window.
"Before the Sports Festival started, I still felt we had a chance. We trained for a month during the holidays, running every day, training our strength, training our endurance. I thought we could at least hold onto the second-place position. And the result? We did indeed hold onto second place in terms of performance, but as far as the outcome goes, I really don't want to accept it."
After all.
Class A had 1666 points, while Class B only had 625 points, and they even dropped in class rank.
Is this even humanly possible!?
So it was only normal that Kamuro-san could not accept it.
However.
Sakayanagi put down her water glass. "How you are feeling right now is exactly how I felt after the VIP exam ended last semester."
Kamuro looked at her.
"At that time, I also felt despair." Sakayanagi's voice was very calm, "Dropping from Class A to Class B, carrying a debt of over fifty million, and being played like a fool by Hikigaya-kun using his inner thoughts. I felt that I had lost completely, with nothing left."
Kamuro was silent for a second. "What happened after that?"
"Afterward, I discovered that losing is not the most terrifying thing." Sakayanagi's finger tapped lightly on the edge of the table, "The most terrifying thing is not knowing what to do after you lose."
Kamuro didn't speak. She looked at Sakayanagi, waiting for her to continue.
"So it's still that previous plan." Sakayanagi looked at her, "Pool points, transfer classes."
Kamuro's fingers squeezed her glass slightly. Transfer classes. 20 million points. Sakayanagi had told her about this plan before the Sports Festival started, and at that time, she thought Sakayanagi was joking. Now she didn't think so anymore.
"You think we can pool enough?" Kamuro's voice was somewhat dry.
Sakayanagi did not answer immediately. She picked up her water glass to take another sip and put it down. "Relying on the living expenses distributed by the school, of course we can't pool enough. And I have also stepped away from the position of class leader. For the time being, I have no desire to continue serving. But if Ayanokouji's father takes action, it will be different."
Kamuro's brow furrowed. "You said before that he would arrange for people to come in and then change the exam rules to favor Ayanokouji?"
"Yes." Sakayanagi nodded, "The points for special exams will increase significantly, and private point rewards will also become greater. For Ayanokouji, this is an opportunity for him to quickly raise his class rank and obtain points to transfer classes. For us, this is also an opportunity."
Kamuro stared at her for two seconds. "So it's just like what you said before—we are going to intercept the rewards from those exams arranged by Ayanokouji's father?"
The corner of Sakayanagi's mouth curved slightly. "You can understand it that way."
Originally, Sakayanagi's evaluation of Ayanokouji was quite high, but after Ayanokouji's performance in this Sports Festival, she felt that it was really worth a try.
"Then what if your father is taken away?" Kamuro lowered her voice, "According to Hikigaya's wording, if people from Ayanokouji's father's side come in, then your father will be an obstacle and will be dealt with."
Sakayanagi's finger tapped lightly on the handle of her cane.
"During the holidays, I already informed my father. He knows what might happen and has made preparations," Sakayanagi said.
Kamuro fell silent for a few seconds. "Then the message you sent just now was..."
"Yes," Sakayanagi interrupted her, "to have him prepare himself mentally."
Kamuro looked at her, not knowing what to say. This person, knowing full well that her own father might be taken away for investigation, could still sit here and say "I have already notified him" in such a calm tone.
It wasn't that she didn't care; it was that she suppressed all her emotions beneath that calm face.
"Furthermore, only if he is reassigned will the school see exams with such large amounts of points appearing," Sakayanagi added.
"..." Kamuro.
"You really are a dutiful daughter," Kamuro said.
Sakayanagi glanced at her and did not speak.
Kamuro leaned against the back of her chair, her gaze fixed on the ceiling. The lights were a bit blindingly white, but she did not look away. She was thinking—if Sakayanagi's father really was taken away, if the school really was taken over by people from Ayanokouji's father's side, and if the special exam scores and points really became higher—then all they could do was seize those opportunities, pool enough points, and transfer classes.
Although it was something she had thought of long ago.
However.
"A game played by adults," Kamuro's voice was very low, "we kids can't interfere at all."
"Yes," Sakayanagi said.
"We can only exploit it to the maximum extent when it cannot be changed," Kamuro added.
Sakayanagi looked at her, the corner of her mouth curving slightly. "You certainly see things clearly."
Kamuro turned her face away. "I just don't want to die without knowing why."
A moment of silence fell between the two of them. The waiter brought over the set meals and placed them on the table. Sakayanagi picked up her chopsticks, picked up a piece of grilled fish and put it in her mouth, her chewing motion very slow. Kamuro also picked up her chopsticks and began to eat her own portion.
"Sakayanagi," Kamuro suddenly spoke.
"Hmm?"
"If we really pool enough points and transfer to Class A, will Hikigaya accept us?"
Sakayanagi's chopsticks paused for a moment. She was silent for a second, then continued eating. "He will accept us."
"How do you know?"
"Because he is Hikigaya-kun." Sakayanagi's voice was very calm, "A person like him will not pass up any opportunity that can strengthen his class's power. We have strength and we have points; he can't think of a reason to refuse."
"Especially since it can eliminate a major threat like me, he has no reason to refuse," Sakayanagi said. "Because doing so means Class B will never be able to rise again."
Kamuro looked at her, falling into somewhat of a silence.
She suddenly understood why Katsuragi suffered a setback today, yet Sakayanagi did not seize the opportunity to become the leader again.
Most likely.
It was precisely because she had decided to leave Class B that she no longer continued to serve as the leader.
Sakayanagi Arisu had already made her preparations.
However.
If Sakayanagi transferring classes required 20 million, and Kamuro transferring classes also required 20 million, could Sakayanagi really pool a full 40 million?
Or rather, if she only pooled 20 million, then Sakayanagi would transfer by herself. After all, she was still just her little dog right now.
She wasn't some kind of indispensable existence to Sakayanagi.
Sigh.
Thinking up to this point, Kamuro instantly felt that the food had lost its flavor.
Furthermore, she had also gathered some intelligence. Although Hikigaya and Karuizawa were dating secretly, there had been a piece of news in the Class D girls' group chat.
Namely, that Hikigaya seemed to have been looking for a girl to date him last semester, and he was willing to pay points, possibly 20 million.
Therefore.
Perhaps, she should have been more proactive at that time.
Then, she might have been able to secure 20 million for herself as well.
"..." Kamuro.
Wait, no, what was she thinking? She wasn't the kind of person who would do anything for money, especially selling her emotions.
.
.
.
Meanwhile, on the other side, with Hikigaya.
Hachiman was considering where to go for dinner later, but he held his phone in his hand. On the screen were several unread messages popping up one after another, completely packing the notification bar.
He stared at the number for two seconds, then clicked into them.
The first message was sent by Sakayanagi.
[Congratulations on your victory. Class B probably doesn't have much hope left. If the time comes and I head over to your class, will I be welcomed?]
Hachiman stared at this line of text for quite a few seconds. "Head over to your class"—not "transfer to," but "head over to." She used a very light word, making a very big matter sound like dropping by a neighbor's house for a visit.
And if Sakayanagi transferred over, it would indeed be a good thing.
It would be equivalent to directly eliminating Class B's vital forces.
As long as she didn't lose her mind to romance, Sakayanagi's operation was perfectly fine.
It was just that Hachiman did not reply immediately. After all, at a time like this, replying instantly wouldn't hold much value.
The second message was sent by Karuizawa.
[Can't have dinner together tonight, I have to go with Matsushita, Sato, and the others. Sorry!]
Hachiman looked at that exclamation mark and felt that she probably really felt sorry. Or perhaps she just didn't want him to feel left out. He typed out the two words "It's fine," thought about it, and deleted them. He retyped "Go ahead," thought about it, and deleted them again. In the end, he only replied with a single "Mm" and sent it out. Then he scrolled to the next one.
The third message was sent by Horikita Suzune.
[I... forget it, never mind. Congratulations, your class has stabilized its position in Class A.]
Hachiman stared at that ellipsis for two seconds. "I... forget it, never mind"—what did she originally want to say? She probably felt she shouldn't say it at this time, or felt that saying it would be meaningless, so she swallowed it back down. Hachiman typed a line of text—"Thanks."—and sent it out.
The fourth message was sent by Sakura Airi.
[Th-That, Hikigaya-kun. Did you see my 100-meter run today? I-I ran in fourth place.]
He could completely imagine what she looked like when she typed this line of text—head lowered, fingers poking around at the screen, finishing the text but not daring to send it,
hesitating for a long time before finally hitting the send button. Hachiman typed a line of text—"I saw it."—and sent it out.
The fifth message was sent by Matsushita Chiaki.
[Ayanokouji is so miserable, now he doesn't even have his bystander popularity left.]
Hachiman looked at this line of text, the corner of his mouth twitching slightly. Hachiman replied with an "Mm" and then scrolled to the next one.
The sixth message was sent by Ichinose Honami.
[Everyone contacted me, saying how about we hold a victory party tomorrow night?]
Hachiman thought about it, typed a line of text—"Sure."—and sent it out.
He read through these messages from beginning to end once more. Then he felt a bit of a sudden realization.
Because.
At this moment, he suddenly thought of a person.
Hayama Hayato.
The person in Sobu High who was forever surrounded by everyone, the person who was completely at ease among both guys and girls, the person whom he once felt lived in an entirely different world from himself.
But now, his phone was piled high with messages requiring his response—from Sakayanagi to Karuizawa, from Horikita to Sakura, from Matsushita to Ichinose. Every single person was waiting for him to speak, and every single person felt that he would provide an answer.
Originally, he could only observe Hayama's normie life, but now, right here, it felt like he had become Hayama himself.
This discovery left Hachiman with mixed feelings.
Because it gave him a sensation that he had suddenly turned into the type of person he used to hate.
However, being looked after did indeed feel a bit better than being completely alone.
Just as Hachiman was preparing to put his phone away, the screen lit up again. A new message popped up.
[Come to the bathhouse tonight.]
Sender: Horikita Manabu.
Hachiman stared at that line of text for two seconds. No pleasantries, no build-up, no "congratulations" or "good work." Just this single sentence, short enough that it sounded like an order. But Hachiman knew that Manabu Horikita was not the type of person to casually call someone to the bathhouse. He definitely had something to say, and it had to be said face-to-face.
Hachiman put his phone into his pocket.
He looked at those messages on the screen—Sakayanagi's, Karuizawa's, Horikita Suzune's, Sakura's, Matsushita's, Ichinose's.
Aside from Karuizawa who already had plans, he should be able to ask any of the others out, or even go eat together.
However.
He stood up and walked outside the tent.
He chose to go see Horikita Manabu.
After all, Elder Brother Horikita's state was probably not very good; he had already seen the third-years' results.
In the Red and White face-off, the Red Team won. And the third-year Class A also took first place for their grade.
However.
In the final 1200-meter relay, Horikita Manabu, who was in the second leg, had to chase forward from a lower ranking.
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