"Hahaha! Did you hear that? That scream just now was definitely Ryuen! That was hilarious!"
Haruno clung to Hikigaya's arm, laughing joyfully.
Feeling the softness pressing against his arm, Hikigaya subtly pulled away without making a fuss. Looking at Haruno's smug expression, he sighed and said, "You really know how to have fun, huh? You've completely messed with Ryuen. He's probably mentally broken by now."
Honestly, at this moment, Hikigaya couldn't help but feel a little sorry for Ryuen. His original plan was simple: put Ryuen in his place, make him submit, and have him apologize to Haruno. Then, everything would be settled.
But he didn't expect Haruno to be so ruthless—she actually made Ryuen do a dogeza. And what was even crazier? Ryuen actually went through with it, completely throwing away his pride!
That was next-level insanity.
"Hehe, I was just borrowing someone else's power to scare him."
Haruno puffed out her chest proudly and grinned. "If Ryuen was really that easy to break, he wouldn't have done the dogeza in the first place! Haha, every time he sees us from now on, he's going to remember this embarrassing moment!"
"..."
Embarrassing moment… For some reason, Hikigaya suddenly felt a chill down his spine.
"Wait, let me take this thing out first. It's so uncomfortable."
As he spoke, Hikigaya reached under his shirt and pulled out a book. Finally, he let out a relieved sigh.
Haruno stared, dumbfounded.
Feeling a bit awkward under her gaze, Hikigaya quickly explained, "This is just in case. If Ryuen and his guys had decided to ignore everything and just beat me up, at least this could have protected me a little."
And in fact, that was exactly why Albert's punch didn't knock him out cold.
Haruno paused for a moment, then burst into laughter.
"Hahaha! And here I thought you were so brave, taking on four guys at once. Turns out it was all an act!"
"It might be a little embarrassing, but this is a proper way to protect myself. Taking care of your body is important! You just don't get it!"
Hikigaya's face turned red, but he stood his ground.
Haruno put her hands on her hips and proudly said, "Yeah, I don't get it—because I can take on ten people at once!"
"Ten people? What do you think you are, Ip Man?"
"Okay, maybe ten was an exaggeration."
Haruno scratched her head, looking a little embarrassed. "But five Hikigayas? No problem."
"..."
That hurt.
What was even worse was that Hikigaya had no way to argue against it.
Frustrated, he decided to just shut up. If he didn't say anything, no one could hurt him!
"Fufufu~"
Seeing his reaction, Haruno flashed a victorious "V" sign with both hands. Another perfect win in her never-ending mission to tease Hikigaya.
After that, no matter how much Haruno tried to provoke him, Hikigaya completely ignored her, fully committing to his turtle-shell defense strategy.
"Hmph!"
Haruno stomped her foot in frustration. But then, her eyes sparkled with an idea. The next second, she moved in close again, wrapping her arms around Hikigaya's and gazing into his eyes with a soft, affectionate look.
"I had so much fun tonight. I thought you had forgotten about our promise, but you actually remembered. What kind of reward do you want?"
"..."
Feeling the soft pressure against his arm, mixed with a subtle unevenness, Hikigaya suddenly recalled what Haruno had said in the alley earlier.
A surge of heat rushed through his body, and he froze on the spot, completely unable to move. His face turned bright red.
This woman is just too much! Hikigaya screamed inside, completely overwhelmed. How could someone be this… "bewitching"?!
Haruno looked at him in confusion, but when she saw his flushed and embarrassed face, she couldn't help but burst into laughter.
"Hikigaya, your reaction is way too innocent!"
She poked his cheek while laughing uncontrollably. "You're acting like an elementary school boy shaking hands with a girl for the first time—awkward, embarrassed, and totally lost. Hahaha! This is way too pure and cute!"
"Wait, don't tell me Hikigaya has never been this close to a girl before?"
"Hey! The way you're saying that makes me sound like some creep! And keeping a proper distance between boys and girls is just common sense!"
The dead-fish-eyed boy protested with clear dissatisfaction.
"I knew it! You didn't even deny it!"
"...Of course I have! At least when I was a kid, I had similar interactions with Komachi."
His face turned even redder as he argued back.
"But she's your sister! That doesn't count! Yep, I think I should call the police."
"There's nothing wrong if it's with my sister!"
"???"
In the end, the brave hero was thoroughly teased and tormented by the demon queen, and he even unlocked the achievement: "Innocent Elementary School Boy."
— In front of the dormitory —
"Alright, alright, I was wrong, okay? I already apologized! What more do you want?"
Haruno pouted, looking at him with an expression that said, "Fine, fine, I admit I was wrong."
"If you could at least stop smirking while saying that, I might actually believe you."
Hikigaya completely ignored the fake innocent act Haruno had somehow mastered.
"Tch~ Innocent elementary schooler!"
Seeing that Hikigaya wasn't taking the bait, Haruno quickly changed her approach.
"I'm a high schooler now, not some elementary school kid!"
"See? You didn't deny that you're innocent."
"…"
Hikigaya was at a loss for words. No, wait! I'm just choosing not to argue with a woman! He kept telling himself that over and over.
"But tonight, I really had a great time."
Haruno's voice softened. "So this is what it feels like to have someone stand up for you… Hehe, it's my first time experiencing it."
"About the deal I made with Ryuen tonight…"
"That was all your own ability at work, so don't worry. I won't interfere or make things difficult for you."
Haruno smiled knowingly, as if she had seen right through everything. "But managing to get everything without paying a price… as expected of the man who threw Soubu High into chaos."
Now that she mentioned it, this time Hikigaya really did pull off a perfect win. He barely had to pay any cost and still managed to gain a ton of private points while humiliating Ryuen.
All it took was a little setup in advance—leaking that key piece of information about the "past exam questions"—and the rest naturally led to tonight's outcome.
Of course, a big part of this success was due to understanding Ryuen's personality and way of doing things. A clear example was how both Class C and Class D had access to the past exam questions, yet their final results turned out completely different.
If Ryuen's Class C had followed Ayanokouji, Kushida, and the others' approach, Hikigaya wouldn't have even been involved tonight. But if that were the case, Ryuen wouldn't be Ryuen.
Just like Hikigaya had said before—this was a trap laid out in plain sight.
"It looks like you've gotten the hang of how this school works, Hikigaya. You're starting to understand the rules of this 'game.'"
Haruno suddenly clapped her hands, genuinely impressed. "The way you made Ryuen back down this time was truly brilliant."
"I just used the student council as a shield, that's all."
Hikigaya waved his hand dismissively.
"Heh, that's not quite right."
Haruno looked deep into Hikigaya's eyes. "Your method may seem simple, like anyone could do it, but that's not necessarily true. Knowing something works is different from understanding why it works. If you think just using the student council's name is enough to make Ryuen submit, then you're making a huge mistake.
If you can't see through and fully grasp the 'social rules' of this school, then your perspective will always be limited to that of a mere student. No matter how much you look up, all you'll see is the inside of a well."
Hikigaya remained silent.
He understood exactly what Haruno meant. The key was a shift in mindset. Unlike the usual 'school rules,' this institution operated under social rules—forcing students to adopt the same complex, multifaceted rules and values that governed the real world.
What Haruno was saying was that students here needed to move beyond thinking in terms of right and wrong and start thinking in terms of interests. It was the same thing Horikita Manabu had told him before—self-interest was the best way to interact and negotiate in this school. That was the real reason he was able to make Ryuen give in.
Haruno traced a slender finger lightly across Hikigaya's chest. "Some say power is like poison, but if used correctly, even poison can be turned into medicine. There's no absolute right or wrong. Ryuen is smart, but his vision is too narrow—he only sees the pieces on the board. But you… you've already seen the one moving the pieces."
Haruno leaned in close to Hikigaya's ear. "I look forward to the day you become the one holding the pieces."
"The one holding the pieces?"
Hikigaya put on a confused face. "You mean like… a food delivery guy?"
"Hahaha!"
Haruno was stunned for a moment, then burst into laughter. "Forget it. Either way, I'm looking forward to that day. But seriously, Hikigaya, have you ever considered becoming a comedian? You're really talented at this~"
"..."
Hikigaya sighed and changed the subject.
"The deal I made with Ryuen guarantees at least 800,000 private points per month. You really don't want a cut?"
He didn't bother hiding anything and laid out the details of the contract.
"Tsk tsk, Hikigaya, you're surprisingly generous."
Haruno twirled a strand of her hair around her finger. "But like I said, I don't need it. Or do you think 800,000 a month is such a big deal?"
If you added it up, that was 9.6 million a year. That was far beyond what most office workers or white-collar employees could earn in many years, possibly even in their entire careers.
To reach an annual income of 10 million yen, you either had to be in a high-paying elite profession or have worked your way up in a company for years. In Japan, only about 5% of people earned a salary that high—making it a true high-income bracket. To the average person, 10 million yen a year was an enviable figure.
But that was only for regular wage earners.
For someone like Haruno, who was already at the top, it was nothing.
The gap between them was massive, almost impossible to cross.
"You're just worried that I'll mess with your plan, so you're trying to 'buy me off,' right? Don't worry, since you already helped me get my revenge, I won't be unreasonable and interfere."
Haruno seemed to see right through Hikigaya's thoughts. She playfully ran a finger across his chest again.
The reason Ryuen swallowed his pride and bowed to Haruno wasn't just because of Hikigaya. More importantly, Haruno was also a member of the student council.
If she copied Hikigaya's tactics, Ryuen—or rather, Class C—would be doomed. That was exactly what Hikigaya was worried about. But Haruno had already seen through everything.
"Thanks for understanding, Haruno."
Just as Hikigaya was about to let out a sigh of relief, his uniform tie was suddenly grabbed.
In an instant, the distance between them shrank to less than ten centimeters. He could clearly see her face, her eyes, even her eyelashes.
"But you know, Hikigaya,"
Haruno's expression turned cold. "Showing mercy to your enemies is just being cruel to yourself. If it were me, I wouldn't have given Ryuen any chance at all."
"I don't dislike kind people, but being kind comes at a cost."
"I was originally planning to wait until after the first exam tomorrow, then report to the school through the student council about 'C Class students cheating with the leaked exam questions.' By then, the evidence would be undeniable..."
Haruno paused and gave a meaningful smile. "I'm sure you can guess what happens next, right? Even if the school decides not to punish everyone involved, there will definitely be a few scapegoats. And once that happens, all it takes is a little push..."
Just as Haruno said, this plan left Ryuen with no way out. It was also far more ruthless and decisive than Hikigaya's current approach.
"Enough, Haruno! I already told you, leave this to me!"
Hikigaya stopped Haruno from saying more, grabbing her wrist with a rare look of seriousness.
"Heh..."
Suddenly, Haruno smiled, as beautiful as melting snow at the start of spring. "So, Hikigaya, the reason you took action yourself from the start... was just to stop me, wasn't it?"
Hikigaya looked into her eyes but stayed silent.
But Haruno seemed to have already read the answer in his dead-fish eyes. A sly smile appeared on her face.
"Hehe, so I'm really understand you, aren't I~?"
She spun around lightly, her mood unexpectedly good.
"Oh, and let me give you another piece of news. There's a rumor going around that students who perform well on this midterm exam will be rewarded with private points."
"Huh?"
Before Hikigaya could ask for details, Haruno was already humming a tune like a little girl, stepping to the rhythm as she disappeared from his sight.
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