44 - Hikigaya's First Victory in Battle
"Wow~"
The dealer let out an exaggerated scream and then announced the seat number cards drawn by both participants:
"Hikigaya's drawn card is—Jabami Yumeko."
"And Shimotsukiuri's drawn card is—Shimotsukiuri Ouri, herself."
Upon hearing the result, Hikigaya Hachiman's eyes narrowed slightly.
'Is this... a coincidence?'
"Oh my, I really didn't expect this result~ Well, now it seems that Shimotsukiuri has quite a significant advantage! After all, if you know your own scores, you can choose the subject where you scored the highest to compete!"
There wasn't time to question the randomness of the draw. Hikigaya started to think of a strategy.
Hikigaya's scores in various subjects, aside from his impressive 99 points in Japanese, ranged from 90 to 95 in other subjects. If Shimotsukiuri's scores were above his...
Hikigaya lowered his gaze at the card in his hand representing Jabami Yumeko's seven subjects and fell into deep thought.
"Okay! Now, both of you, please choose a card, deciding which subject of your opponent you'll battle in!"
'Thinking about it now is too late; I'll just have to trust that Yumeko can surprise me.' Hikigaya Hachiman spread out the subject cards in his hand.
'If Yumeko had told me her scores earlier, the chances of winning would have been greater. The only information I have now is that she scored 59 in Japanese.'
'This is a tough situation...'
'During our study session at the library, Yumeko said that her best subject is...'
Hikigaya Hachiman's gaze shifted to the card labeled World History.
'I'll have to trust her.'
Hikigaya Hachiman ultimately decided to trust Jabami Yumeko. He glanced at Shimotsukiuri Ouri, observing her expression.
However, he found nothing. From her face, Hikigaya could only detect the unchanging coldness and hostility, without the slightest trace of victorious joy.
'This is too strange, this gambling match.'
'Aiura Kokoro's goal is to defeat me, to make me fall into the abyss. Her goal is not to end the game by making me lose 300,000 yen in the first round.'
'So, I can't lose this round.'
.
.
.
Jabami Yumeko's snake-like eyes scanned everyone in the first-year class.
'This gambling game is indeed strange. If it's just a recreational game, there's nothing particularly odd about everyone's reactions.'
'Everyone looks so calm and relaxed...'
'But...'
Jabami Yumeko glanced sideways at Saotome and Suzui Ryota. Among the 27 people present, only these two showed no hostility.
The collective malice has surrounded her and Hikigaya Hachiman.
"Jabami-san!"
"Huh, yes?" The dealer's voice interrupted Yumeko's thoughts. Her noble face, which had been deep in thought, now showed a slightly dazed and innocent expression.
The dealer's voice came through the screen: "Please get your answer sheets ready, you will need them for your exam scores soon."
Upon hearing this, Jabami Yumeko's face suddenly flushed. She instinctively raised the exam paper to cover the lower half of her face, trying to hide the slightly embarrassed expression.
'Hikigaya-kun is going to see my score...'
'How embarrassing...'
Jabami Yumeko couldn't maintain her composure anymore and fell into a dazed state.
Until the dealer's head poked out from behind the screen. "Jabami-san, could you please hand me your World History answer sheet?"
"Ah, yes." Jabami Yumeko, her hands trembling, pulled out the answer sheet from the exam paper she had been holding to her face and handed it to the dealer.
'This is so embarrassing...'
The dealer checked the paper and then looked around again, loudly announcing, "Now, where is Shimotsukiuri's seat?"
"Here, here!"
Aiura Kokoro clapped her hands, drawing the dealer's attention, and smiled as she patted the table.
"What subject?"
"Japanese."
"Her seat is here, come and get it." Aiura Kokoro shared a smile with those around her and stepped aside to clear the path.
'Japanese, huh...' Jabami Yumeko looked at the screen with confused eyes.
Based on what Shimotsukiuri showed at noon, it looks like her World History score might...
'Hikigaya-kun, I've dragged you down...'
The dealer quickly rummaged through Shimotsukiuri's drawer, retrieved the Japanese answer sheet, and returned to the screen. In front of both participants, the dealer slapped both answer sheets onto the table.
"Please confirm your scores, everyone. I'll count down from 3.2.1, and we'll announce together!"
"3..."
Hikigaya slowly opened Jabami Yumeko's answer sheet.
The first thing he saw was a beautifully written hand, worthy of the person it belonged to. His gaze moved upward...
Hikigaya sighed imperceptibly and closed his eyes. He really didn't think that the 77 points before him would be enough to beat Shimotsukiuri's Japanese score.
'This score... won't work.'
"1... Alright, the results of the first round of the exam game are about to be revealed! Who scored higher?"
"The answer will be announced now!"
"The result is—"
"77 points to 69 points, the winner is Hikigaya Hachiman!"
Hikigaya Hachiman's pupils contracted. He looked at the result, his face showing no joy at all.
After a long pause, he stood up, hands in his pockets, and left first, turning his back to Shimotsukiuri as he said, "Thank you for the match."
'Is it because I randomly drew the subject she did poorly in?'
'That's impossible. I saw her Physics score was 98 in the library, so the only possibility is that she intentionally lost this round of the game.'
'Now, the key question is whether she deliberately failed the exam, or if Aiura Kokoro and the others are manipulating the answer sheets behind the screen...'
Leaving the screen, he walked straight toward Jabami Yumeko.
"Congratulations, Hikigaya-kun." Jabami Yumeko extended her hand with a gentle greeting, but there was a slight sense of grievance in her voice. "My score is so low... You must have been under a lot of pressure, huh?"
"Well... It's fine."
Hikigaya shook his head. "But Yumeko, you really need to improve in studying... Your highest score in World History is only 77 points."
Upon hearing this, Jabami Yumeko covered her face with both hands, speechless. After taking a moment, she parted her red lips and said, "Hikigaya-kun, did you notice... this gambling game..."
"Yes, there's no way to explain it. Shimotsukiuri's Japanese score shouldn't only be 69."
"There are two possibilities. Either she made up her mind to sabotage me during the exam and intentionally failed, or Aiura Kokoro manipulated the score outside of the screen."
"And today at noon, Shimotsukiuri even tried to make peace with me."
"Well, the truth can only be one."
Around them, the discussions were quite lively. The privileged students of the first-year class formed small groups, either boasting or overly downplaying their scores. Hikigaya's victory didn't cause any ripples, as if everything had been planned.
Jabami Yumeko's snake-like eyes revealed a dangerous glint: "Hikigaya-kun, it seems they've all conspired together."
"It's such a simple trick that it's not interesting at all."