With Class D's abilities, they weren't completely without a chance against Class A in this exam.
In fact, from Hikigaya's perspective, their odds of winning were even higher.
But all of that was based on the assumption of a fair exam.
Ayanokoji likely noticed something unusual about Tsukishiro's actions. Perhaps the man didn't truly intend to expel him. However, the fundamental difference between Ayanokoji and Hikigaya was—
Ayanokoji couldn't afford to gamble.
Because if he bet wrong, the cost was expulsion. Game over.
That said, even knowing that the school would cheat, there were still ways to avoid being expelled.
The first method, of course, was to find someone else to take his place as the strategist.
The second, though more troublesome, was to create a scenario where if Class D lost, everyone would suspect foul play.
"I don't quite understand. What exactly do you mean by 'taking action'?"
Ayanokoji's tone was filled with confusion, his expression flawlessly composed.
Unfortunately for him, no matter how well he played the act, it was useless.
"You really want me to spell it out, huh?" Hikigaya said with irritation. "Class A has both strong and weak students. If, on the day of the exam, students like Shibata and Kanzaki somehow couldn't participate, then no matter what tricks Tsukishiro pulls behind the scenes, the other teachers would definitely start asking questions."
Tsukishiro might be the acting chairman, but at the end of the day, he was just a parachuted-in leader. His control over the school was still limited.
Even if he had a way to secretly manipulate the exam, he couldn't make it too obvious. Otherwise, if a teacher with a strong sense of justice exposed the matter, things would become difficult to handle.
After all, the internet is highly developed nowadays, and ANHS is a school under significant public scrutiny.
No matter how powerful Tsukishiro or Ayanokoji's father may be, could they really have the ability to shut down Twitter or Facebook?
If the government were to launch an investigation, it might actually help resolve Sakayanagi's predicament.
Because of this, even if Tsukishiro genuinely wanted Ayanokoji expelled, he had to be more subtle about it.
"Hikigaya, I think you're being a little naive."
Ayanokoji spread his hands, looking helpless. "Putting everything else aside, how exactly am I supposed to stop them from competing?"
"Slip them some laxatives or simply cause a minor accident, for example."
"As if. How would I even manage that? Or rather, what do you take me for?"
Of course, I take you as the ultimate masterpiece.
Hikigaya snarked internally. If it were any other student, he might not be able to say for certain whether they'd resort to such underhanded tactics.
But since it was Ayanokoji, there was no need to second-guess.
"Sigh, you're being way too humble." Hikigaya smirked. "I only gave two of the simplest examples, but your methods go far beyond that, don't they? Even the student council president suffered a major setback at your hands."
"You're hardly in a position to say that, are you?"
"No, at least I don't have the skills you do. Even a wild boar wouldn't outrun you."
"...Seems like no matter what I say, you're unwilling to let go of your bias against me."
Although Ayanokoji feigned a helpless expression, inwardly, he felt a sense of being evenly matched.
Should he say, as expected of Hikigaya?
As expected, he had seen through his intentions.
At this point, Ayanokoji wasn't particularly surprised anymore.
Nearly a year of observation had already proven just how abnormal of a student Hikigaya was.
It made him curious about what the future held.
With that thought, Ayanokoji felt even more determined not to drop out just yet—at least, not until he had witnessed the conclusion.
If possible, he wanted to have a proper match against Hikigaya.
Unfortunately, the conditions weren't in place for that right now.
For now, the priority was persuading him.
"Hikigaya, isn't it unreasonable to accuse me over something that hasn't even happened?"
Ayanokoji shook his head and said sincerely, "Besides, haven't you considered the possibility that you're falsely accusing me? I never even thought of doing such a thing—it's all just your imagination."
"So what?" Hikigaya replied matter-of-factly. "Even if I'm wrongfully accusing you, what's the problem?"
"Uh…" For once, Ayanokoji was at a loss for words in the face of such a brazen rebuttal.
How was he even supposed to respond to that?
In reality, this situation was no different from when Sakayanagi spread rumors about Ichinose.
Hikigaya had no solid proof that Sakayanagi was behind it, yet he still struck without hesitation.
To put it bluntly—why would I falsely accuse anyone else, but not you?
You've built up quite the record of misdeeds. If you're being falsely accused, well, that's just your own fault.
"But I fundamentally wouldn't be able to do something like that, would I?" Ayanokoji patiently argued. "Think about it carefully—now that you're back to normal, even if I really did something like slipping laxatives, you'd absolutely pursue the matter to the end, right?"
"So, if I weren't here, you'd actually go through with it?" Hikigaya asked, his expression turning odd.
Ayanokoji remained unfazed. "Nothing of the sort. I was merely speaking hypothetically. Besides, the real trouble would be Class A—they'd definitely file a complaint with the school."
"No, they wouldn't."
Hikigaya immediately refuted Ayanokoji's statement.
"Ichinose dislikes conflict. Even if she lost due to your tricks, without concrete evidence, she most likely wouldn't pursue the matter. Instead, she'd tell her class to take it as a lesson learned."
"You're making Ichinose sound too weak."
"It's not about weakness. That's just her personality."
Besides, if the complaint were successful, it would mean Ayanokoji, as the commander, would be expelled.
If they lost the exam fairly, Ichinose would accept it. But if it happened due to unnecessary interference on her part, she would definitely hesitate.
With that in mind, Hikigaya's gaze toward Ayanokoji became even more displeased.
"I've said this so many times already—can you stop pretending to be clueless?" he snapped. "You specifically chose Class A as your opponent because you knew Ichinose's personality, didn't you? Acting as if no one would see through your nasty little schemes."
If it had been Class B or C, things wouldn't have ended so easily.
But Ichinose's class was a special case within the school.
"Are you a parasite living inside my stomach?"
"Thank god I'm not. Otherwise, I'd be disgusted to death by now."
"...Fine, I suppose you won't be changing your opinion of me anytime soon."
Ayanokoji sighed as if giving up.
Hikigaya, however, seriously corrected him. "Not just for now—never."
People don't change so easily.
"So… you're refusing to help me?"
"No, I didn't say that."
Hikigaya rubbed his chin, looking somewhat frustrated. "Helping a bastard like you is annoying, but letting that scheming fox Tsukishiro get his way is even more infuriating… Why are you all so damn irritating?"
"So, you'll help me?"
Ayanokoji ignored all the unnecessary chatter and got straight to the point.
Still, he didn't receive a direct answer.
"What's the rush? There's still a long time before the exam… For now, just wait and see what my mood is like that day. And don't tell anyone else for now."
"…Got it."
Hearing that, Ayanokoji stopped pressing the matter. Any further questioning would only be a nuisance.
But at the very least, Hikigaya had his principles.
No matter how sharp his words were, if he owed someone a favor, he would repay it.
Helping Ayanokoji was just a side effect—the real reason was that he refused to go against his own beliefs.
Hachiman was someone who, like the Lannisters, always paid his debts.
Besides, he also wanted to see if Tsukishiro would make any other moves.
There was no need to rush, since the commander replacement would only be proposed on the day of the exam.
For now, focusing on preparing for the exam came first.
…
Although most people had no idea what had happened, it was obvious that Hikigaya was back to normal.
Anyone who saw him could tell.
As a result, the class atmosphere gradually relaxed, and the strategy meetings proceeded smoothly.
Hikigaya attended obediently, but Kouenji, as usual, did his own thing—leaving the classroom the moment the bell rang.
Fortunately, Horikita had already learned her lesson and simply ignored him, standing at the podium to begin the discussion.
"Well then, have you all considered which events you're best at?"
"Wait, before we discuss that, there's something we need to address."
The first to raise his hand was Yukimura.
"To be honest, I'm worried that someone might be eavesdropping on our discussions."
Even if they closed the classroom door, people in the hallway could still hear them.
Horikita glanced out the window, hesitated for a moment, then said, "Yukimura, I understand your concern, but I don't think Ichinose's class would do such a thing."
"You're too naive. Can you guarantee that?"
"…You're right."
Whenever there's a special exam, you can never expect the other side to go easy on you.
That was a lesson learned over the past year.
"On that note, may I make a suggestion?"
At that moment, Kushida suddenly stood up and took out her phone.
"How about we discuss this over a messaging app? That way, we won't have to worry about being overheard."
"Ah, that's a good idea," Horikita nodded in approval. "While we exchange opinions verbally, everyone should also record important points on their phones separately. That way, even if we're eavesdropped on, there won't be any issues… Kushida, could you create a group chat for the entire class?"
"Sure, leave it to me."
Kushida was probably the only one who had the contact information of every classmate, making her the perfect person for the task.
With that, under Horikita's lead, Class D officially began their discussion.
The scene, however, looked a bit strange.
Over thirty students sat in their seats, all focused on their phones. If someone who didn't know better walked in, they might have assumed everyone was teaming up in an online game.
Before long, Horikita gathered a rough idea of the class's situation.
Based on responses from more than half the students, they could confirm that Sudou excelled in basketball, Onodera was skilled at swimming, and Miyake was proficient in archery.
It seemed these three were the class's standout talents in sports.
Although Hirata was the ace of the soccer club, soccer required long-term team training. Expecting him to lead the class to victory in such a short time was unrealistic, so he was ruled out from the start.
"This is going to be tough…"
Horikita furrowed her brows, realizing that selecting ten events was far more difficult than expected.
Apart from the sports-related events, the remaining candidates were students like herself and Yukimura, who had confidence in their academic abilities and could score high in written exams.
The problem was that Class A's students weren't weak in academics either.
Even if they included subjects like English, Math, or Japanese in their selection, there was no guarantee of victory.
That meant they would have to find a way to take advantage of the rules.
As Horikita was deep in thought, Sudou suddenly approached her to negotiate.
"Suzune, you have to include basketball!"
"I don't doubt your abilities. No matter who you face, you won't lose, right?"
"Basketball has all sorts of ways to compete. If it's a one-on-one match, I can secure a win."
Although basketball was typically played five-on-five on a full court, there were variations like street basketball, where matches were held in a half-court format, either one-on-one or three-on-three. These formats would likely be accepted by the school.
Horikita acknowledged Sudou's basketball skills, but she wasn't ready to make a decision just yet.
"Yeah, I doubt there's anyone in our grade who can beat you in basketball. If it's a one-on-one match, you'll bring home a win."
"Absolutely!"
"But this special exam isn't that simple."
"Wh-what do you mean?"
"Because we can only select one one-on-one event."
There is a rule stating that "the number of participants in each event cannot be the same," and unless the entire class has already been sent out, students who have competed in an event cannot participate again.
"If multiple one-on-one events were allowed, we could simply choose the most skilled students. For example, Onodera, who excels at swimming, Wang, who is proficient in English, and Hikigaya, who is good at shogi—all of them can win in individual matches."
Without this rule, the competition would simply be a showdown between each class's elites.
However, Horikita was more focused on how to effectively utilize those... students without any particularly outstanding abilities.
"Sudo-kun, I'm not very familiar with basketball, so I'd like to ask you something. If it were an official five-on-five basketball match, and your team consisted of you plus four girls who aren't good at sports, would you still have the confidence to lead them to victory?"
"That's way too much to ask… At least give me four guys instead." Sudo scratched the back of his head and complained.
"What if it were four boys who aren't good at sports? Would you be confident in winning no matter who the opponent is?" Horikita asked again.
"Honestly, if we were up against a weak team, I wouldn't be too worried. But if the other team also has skilled players... then I can't say for sure."
"I see. I respect your honesty."
If this were the old Sudo, he probably would've boasted in front of Horikita to show off.
From this perspective, he had not only improved academically but also matured mentally in a way that couldn't be ignored.
"Then think about it carefully. The match is five-on-five, and you will be responsible for selecting the members with the lowest necessary strength to secure victory. If I find your selection acceptable, I'll agree to submit this event to the school."
"...Got it."
Sudo nodded, seriously considering the suggestion.
Using this as a starting point, Horikita began gathering individual opinions from each student.
At first glance, this seemed like a simple task, but in reality, it required careful consideration of various factors.
Take basketball, for example—Sudo seemed like a guaranteed win.
However, his athletic ability was excellent, meaning he could be useful in other events as well.
Even if they did submit basketball as an event, Ichinose and her class weren't fools. The moment they saw basketball listed, they would know Sudo was participating.
They might deliberately select five strong players just to shut him down completely.
If Sudo's teammates were too weak, they might end up handing victory to the opponent.
On the other hand, if his teammates were too strong, Class A might simply forfeit the event and make up for the loss in other sports, putting Class D at a complete disadvantage.
Horikita and the others repeated similar discussions.
After about an hour, they had gathered opinions from almost everyone—except for Hikigaya, who was slumped over the desk yawning.
Seeing this, Horikita sighed lightly.
"Hikigaya-kun, could you be a little more proactive?"
"...How am I not proactive?" Hikigaya stretched lazily, looking utterly bored. "I've been waiting here for you guys this whole time. By the way, when can we go home?"
"If you were proactive, you'd be contributing more to the discussion instead of staying silent in the group chat."
"But didn't I already say yesterday that I can participate in shogi and the Japanese language exam? Isn't that enough?"
"That's true."
Though she verbally acknowledged it, Horikita rubbed her temples as if dealing with a headache.
"But I was hoping that... you could contribute a little more beyond that."
"And by 'contribute,' what exactly do you mean?"
"I'm not trying to force you, but—huh?"
Horikita had already prepared herself for rejection, but Hikigaya's response was unexpected.
Had this guy suddenly changed his personality?
"Hikigaya-kun, are you... are you feeling okay?"
She even wondered if he still hadn't recovered from yesterday or if that weird chocolate he had eaten had upset his stomach.
Looking displeased, Hikigaya said, "What? Didn't you ask me a question? Just tell me what you want me to do."
To be honest, he hadn't wanted to participate.
But since he had already decided to take Ayanokoji's place as the strategist, he had no choice but to fulfill his responsibilities.
Besides... he had the feeling that Horikita hadn't grasped the real key to this exam.
Understanding the strengths of classmates was certainly important.
But that wasn't the most critical factor at all.
"Well, any information or suggestions that could help with the exam would be good."
"I see… Honestly, I don't know much more than you guys do."
After briefly recalling what he knew, Hikigaya casually listed off, "All I know is that Class A's Kanzaki has martial arts experience, Akimura is in the tennis club, and Shibata is in the soccer club—which I'm sure Hirata knows. Other than that, their class has three members in the Go club, three in the chess club, two in the girls' volleyball team, and four in the gaming club… That's about all I've got."
[T/N: "Go" is an abstract strategy board game for two players in which the aim is to fence off more territory than the opponent.]