After a whole lot of explaining, Hikigaya finally managed to convince Kushida that "Ryuen threw away Sakayanagi's cane, so I had no choice but to help her back to her room"—a story that sounded ridiculous no matter how you spun it. He also took the opportunity to ask her for help in suppressing the rumors in class.
After all, it was Kikyo, the ever-popular social butterfly. As long as she spoke up, people would believe her.
That said, even though she agreed readily enough, the look in her eyes still made it seem like she was staring at a cheating husband… no wait, what cheating?
And ever since then, Kushida had been hinting—sometimes subtly, sometimes not—that she was looking forward to the upcoming White Day...
No. What do you mean, "upcoming"?
There's still over a week to go, isn't there?
Even though he wanted to retort like that, Hikigaya had no choice but to go along with it since he was the one asking for a favor. Besides, he'd already planned to give her a return gift anyway.
But judging from how things were going… cookies probably weren't going to cut it.
He had the feeling that even if he went that route, Kikyo would just scold him later.
So, left with no other choice, Hikigaya headed alone to Keyaki Mall during the weekend to pick out a gift.
"Hmm, what on earth should I get..."
Staring at the shelves full of merchandise, he found himself at a complete loss.
To be honest, he didn't have much experience in this area. The few times he'd given gifts, he'd relied entirely on Komachi's advice and companionship.
The most important thing was having someone by your side.
Because every time Hikigaya came to the mall alone, the store clerks would immediately come up to him asking, "Is there something you're looking for?" and then stick to him like glue. Even the cashiers would eye him warily from behind the register.
He'd been through that enough times to know.
Thankfully, probably because Advanced Nurturing High School had cameras everywhere, no store clerk had ever gone as far as calling the cops on him or summoning security for a friendly little chat. So far, so good.
…No, wait. That's not "good" at all.
It's just that Hikigaya, as a teenage guy, really didn't go shopping alone very often, but he still hoped people wouldn't treat him like such a blatant threat.
Anyway, this time he was shopping for a White Day gift. Even if he wanted someone to tag along, he couldn't exactly ask.
There was no way he could invite the gift's intended recipient to come shopping with him, right?
Still, if it were just a matter of casually asking for some suggestions to use as reference, that should be fine.
With that naïve thought in mind, Hikigaya sought advice from Matsushita and Horikita.
Their responses were—
Matsushita: [Hachiman-kun, it makes me happy that you're thinking about a return gift, so... how about raising expectations a little more?]
Horikita: [A return gift for Valentine's Day? There's no need to go out of your way. I only gave you chocolate on a whim anyway. One time is enough. Rather than fussing over that sort of thing, I'd much prefer if you focused on doing well in the next exam. Speaking of which, regarding Class A's projects…]
Seriously, these two were useless.
Talking to them was just setting himself up for disappointment.
Not ready to give up, Hikigaya tried asking Shiina and Kamuro next. And the results—
Shiina: [As long as it's from you, Hikigaya-kun, I'll like it... Ah, um... sorry, that was kind of shameless, wasn't it? But it does make me look forward to it.]
Kamuro: [Huh? A gift? Whatever. I don't care.]
Okay, these two weren't much better.
Thinking about it more carefully, Hikigaya realized every girl he knew was pretty unreliable in this area.
The only one who might've been helpful was Ichinose... but he couldn't exactly ask her anymore.
Sigh.
What a pain.
Maybe he should just go with the cookie plan for everyone after all.
As long as he picked something fancy and expensive, no one would have much room to complain, right?
Most importantly, it would spare him from having to worry about it any further.
Just as Hikigaya was about to throw in the towel and go with the "whatever" route, someone suddenly called out to him from behind.
"What a coincidence. Mind if I bother you for a moment?"
"…Acting Chairman Tsukishiro?"
Not just Tsukishiro. Behind him stood two middle-aged men in suits.
After a few brief words, the two men turned and entered a nearby store that was currently under renovation, leaving Tsukishiro to walk toward him alone.
"They're involved with setting up a new shop here," Tsukishiro explained on his initiative. "As the acting chairman, I have to make time to entertain them too. That's the burden of being an adult—even if it's something I hate doing, I have no choice but to go along with it."
"…So, what do you want with me?"
"My, you're more polite than I expected."
Tsukishiro had been spouting nonsense since the moment he showed up.
Hikigaya was already starting to get annoyed, but just as he opened his mouth to speak—
"You seem like you're in a hurry to leave. Am I really that unwelcome?"
"Yeah, can I go now?"
"I'd advise against that. I have my responsibilities as acting chairman, too. If a student gives me the cold shoulder, I'm obligated to respond accordingly."
"'Respond accordingly'? You mean expel me?"
If it were an ordinary chairman, Hikigaya wouldn't provoke him so casually.
But this guy was also involved with the White Room—that revolting organization. Just knowing that such an inhuman system existed, and that it operated with the government's backing, made Hikigaya's skin crawl.
So he couldn't help but be snide.
Still… what pissed him off most was his powerlessness.
He knew full well what kind of organization the White Room was. He knew it operated right here, in this very country, run by the upper echelons of the government.
And yet, aside from tossing out a few sarcastic remarks, there was nothing he could do.
"Heh. As much as I'd like to teach an arrogant brat a lesson, this school is a hassle," Tsukishiro said mockingly. "According to the rules, I'd need to have you penalized for expulsion three separate times before I could kick you out. Maybe that's why you're feeling so bold?"
"No, I'm just too dumb to even bother pretending to go along with you."
"Dumb? That doesn't suit you. I've been keeping a close eye on everything you've done."
He must've meant those forged contracts.
That was a mistake on Hikigaya's part. But he never claimed to be a good person anyway, so he didn't care.
"If I weren't dumb, I'd probably be able to tolerate a piece of garbage like you—a chairman who lays hands on students—for a while longer."
With that, Hikigaya let out an exaggerated sigh.
"After all, at most, you've got another half a year before you're out of here. And yet, I can't even hold out for that long."
"Half a year? What makes you think that?" Tsukishiro asked, genuinely curious. "Did that little girl from the Sakayanagi family tell you something? If you think the former chairman can make a comeback that easily, you're being far too naive."
"No, it has nothing to do with her."
Just hearing Sakayanagi's name made Hikigaya feel suffocated.
Ever since he'd helped her back to her room, it had taken days for the rumors to die down, but the stares from classmates had never really gone away.
"I just had a thought—if you can get Ayanokōji expelled, you win. But if you can't manage it within the next half a year, then there's no point in you sticking around any longer."
It was a simple, logical conclusion.
Ayanokōji only had about two more years at this school. It wasn't like Tsukishiro was going to hang around until the very last minute.
And dragging him off to the White Room a month or two early wouldn't make any real difference either.
But Tsukishiro wasn't moved.
"That's nothing more than your baseless guess. You sure like playing the clever one, don't you?"
"Yeah, I think so too."
Hikigaya didn't argue. He even went along with the sarcasm.
"So don't worry about a nobody like me. Whatever's going on between you and Ayanokōji has nothing to do with me. Just make sure you get him expelled this time, alright?"
"Seems like you're still clinging to your little fantasy."
Tsukishiro sighed and shook his head with exaggerated exasperation. "Didn't I already tell you that day? I sincerely believe you're talented. That's why I suggested you become the commander and earn the right to study abroad. But you misunderstood, thinking I was going easy on Ayanokōji-kun. Do you think losing this opportunity matters that much to me? I just happen to enjoy being acting chairman here—I'd rather not leave so soon, that's all."
"...So after all that talking, we're still going in circles."
Though Hikigaya could understand why Tsukishiro, given his position, could never openly admit the truth, it didn't make him any less infuriating.
"Let me put it this way, Acting Chairman Tsukishiro: No matter what you say, it's not going to change my opinion of you. I've already decided you're the kind of smart man who doesn't want to defy his superiors or offend any politician's precious son, so there's no way you'd ever push things too far."
"Well. Let's just say your assumption is correct," Tsukishiro said with a wry smile, spreading his hands. "But here's the problem—if I were planning to go easy on Ayanokōji-kun, why would I have picked him to be the commander in the first place?"
"If you don't do anything, how do you explain that to your superiors?"
"..."
Faced with Hikigaya's retort, Tsukishiro fell silent for once—a rare occurrence.
To put it bluntly, this whole farce had been staged for a particular audience.
He had the opportunity to interfere, yet chose not to. The fact that he didn't select Ayanokouji as commander showed that Tsukishiro was purposefully keeping a passive stance. But if Ayanokouji had been made commander and still avoided expulsion, Tsukishiro could just use that as an excuse—It's not that I'm incompetent; it's just that the genius nurtured by our White Room is too damn powerful.
That's why Hikigaya thought this ridiculous performance was nothing more than playing house with the young master. It looked refined on the surface, but was in fact both laughable and disgusting—a display reeking of arrogant decay.
"Well then, since you've said your piece, I'll be taking my leave."
Seeing that Tsukishiro had nothing more to say, Hikigaya turned to walk away.
But unexpectedly, the other man spoke again, catching him off guard.
"Come to think of it, this is a great school—plenty of government funding, so even with only a hundred or so customers, the businesses can profit just from subsidies. Those two who just came to discuss cooperation? There's an endless stream of them. Billions of yen pass through this place like water every year. And as long as it's in the name of children's education, the majority of the public will thoughtlessly approve it. Honestly, they're a bunch of idiots."
"...What are you trying to say?"
"I just thought, with such generous conditions, no student would want to drop out, right?"
"That so... then by all means, go ahead and try it."
Hikigaya had assumed this guy was going off on some random tangent again, but Tsukishiro still didn't see him as posturing.
"If the Acting Chairman wants to abuse his authority to force my expulsion, be my guest."
"Unfortunately, even in this school, I have to play by the rules. Otherwise, I wouldn't be so troubled over Ayanokouji-kun's situation."
That was as good as a tacit admission from Tsukishiro.
If he could blatantly expel Ayanokouji without interference, things would be much simpler.
But the current situation had left him stuck between a rock and a hard place.
"Still, I must say, Hikigaya-kun, you're pretty carefree. Everyone else is busy preparing for the final special exam of the year, and here you are, leisurely browsing the shops."
Even though it was the weekend, the mall was still quite empty.
There were probably more employees than customers, so even after chatting with the Acting Chairman for so long, hardly anyone had noticed.
"Well, it's not like I'm the one getting expelled if I lose the exam."
"Is that so?"
Tsukishiro gave a faint, ambiguous smile and glanced around the area.
"This whole floor is filled with little trinkets for girls... Ah, I see. You're here picking out a White Day return gift. I hear you're quite popular, after all."
"Not at all. I'm just looking around."
Though that kind of answer could easily be misunderstood, Hikigaya didn't care anymore.
He was starting to get a sense of where Tsukishiro was going with this.
Sure enough, the sly fox smiled faintly."I believe you're genuinely uninterested in being expelled. But what if... a girl who has feelings for you gets expelled? How would that make you feel?"
"...And what of it?"
Even though Hikigaya tried to sound indifferent, there was a brief pause before he answered.
Still, it wouldn't make a difference.
Just as he didn't believe Tsukishiro truly wanted to expel Ayanokouji, Tsukishiro also didn't believe he could be indifferent about this.
"Acting Chairman, you've only got half a year left at this school. Are you going to waste your precious time on people other than Ayanokouji?"
"Unfortunately, your premise is flawed."
Tsukishiro didn't even bother denying the half-year estimate Hikigaya had inferred. He simply spoke with gentle cadence, while uttering venomous words.
"Not everyone is afraid of the Chairman, or rather, you are the outlier. As long as I leverage my authority properly, expelling a student is a simple matter. It won't take much of my time."
"...So now that bribery's failed, you're moving on to threats?"
"Heh heh, not at all. I'm merely discussing with you."
Perhaps for the first time, Tsukishiro truly smiled in front of Hikigaya.
After having suffered setback after setback, he could finally hold his head high.
"But among the girls you know, they're either rich young ladies or come from well-off families." Tsukishiro suddenly changed the subject. "So maybe even if they were expelled, you wouldn't feel too guilty."
"...Didn't expect you to know even that. Are you some kind of stalker?"
"Don't forget, I'm the Chairman. Knowing the students is part of my job. And it doesn't hurt to remember some details, does it?"
His tone was practically saying, See? Now that knowledge is finally coming in handy.
"Well, nothing I can do about that."
Hikigaya kept his voice as calm as possible. Getting angry or making threats here would only make him seem smaller.
"No matter what kind of tricks you pull, the only thing I can do is try to stop you. In return, you're free to waste the next half year however you like. Just make sure you have something decent to report to your superiors when the time comes."
"You're implying you can drag me down with you?"
"No, I'm just a nobody. I wouldn't presume to have that kind of power."
He let out a self-deprecating chuckle, then added: "If anything, I'd say it's more like a barefoot man not fearing one wearing shoes."
The power difference between them was stark, but so was the cost of failure.
Hikigaya was just a student—worst-case scenario, he'd be expelled. He could just go to another school and still get into college. But Tsukishiro had worked hard for years to climb the ranks.
He couldn't afford to risk his future.
And precisely because he understood that so well, Hikigaya could belittle himself without hesitation.
"Very good, very good. I like kids like you who know when to bend."
Tsukishiro clapped his hands, but it wasn't mere praise.
"Unlike that young lady from the Sakayanagi family—just because she's a queen bee, even her attitude's become overbearing... Hikigaya-kun, you might just grow up to be someone important. Honestly, you remind me of someone I used to know. You're different on the surface, yet quite similar in some ways."
Before Hikigaya could respond, Tsukishiro continued:
"Oh, right. If you want to become someone truly capable, how about taking this opportunity to improve yourself?"
"...Improve?"
"I mentioned it earlier, didn't I? The girls you know mostly come from good families. Even if they were expelled, it wouldn't impact them too severely. So why not pick someone with no safety net... say, Ichinose-san, the one who confessed to you?"
"Heh, I thought you were going to say something serious." Hikigaya snorted. "Since you know she confessed to me, you should also know I rejected her on the spot. I don't even like her. Trying to use her to threaten me is just laughable."
"Oh? Is that so?"
Tsukishiro didn't seem fazed at all. It was as if he could see right through Hikigaya's bluff.
"She's from a single-parent household, you know. Quite a poor one. If she gets expelled, she probably won't be able to continue her education. She'd have to start working right away." [T/N: ☠️]
"..."
"Also, she's in Class A. Even if you wanted to help her, there might be... various obstacles in your way."
"Urgh…"
This was the limit.
Faced with that move, Hikigaya had no counter.
Everyone else came from families with no financial worries. Even if they got expelled, it wouldn't change much.
But Ichinose was the one exception... He couldn't risk gambling on her future.
"Heh heh heh, don't make that face. I told you, this isn't a threat. Just a discussion."
Tsukishiro stepped forward, closing the distance between them. A kindly smile spread across his face.
"I genuinely enjoy building good relationships with talented kids like you. And I wouldn't make you work for nothing. Last time, didn't you say being the commander would cost ten million points? I believe your phone's on silent. Why don't you check it now?"
...When did it happen?
Hikigaya slowly pulled out his phone. Sure enough, a notification had arrived.
A personal deposit of ten million points, transferred directly from the school.
"...How generous."
"Well, it's taxpayers' money anyway. It's not like I'm spending my own."
Tsukishiro shrugged with exaggerated nonchalance, then narrowed his eyes as he stared at Hikigaya's unreadable expression.
"Well then, Hikigaya-kun... until the end of your second semester in your third year, I'll be counting on you."