46. Hikigaya Underestimated His Opponent
'Hyakkaou Academy is an aristocratic school. Children of influential figures in politics and business attend here.'
'In front of these people who are naturally born with high status, I choose to participate in a gambling game just for 300,000 yen, and even become the class president who everyone despises...'
'However, my goal in wanting to become class president is to manipulate the second-generation heirs to benefit me, Hikigaya Hachiman. It's not to serve you all...'
'However, if that's the case...'
'Becoming a behind-the-scenes class president doesn't seem like a bad idea.'
Hikigaya stared at Aiura Kokoro, making her feel uneasy.
She turned her back and, pretending to be kind, said to the crowd, "Everyone, please stop. After all, Hikigaya-san is poor, and if you say such things, you'll hurt his pride. That would be too pitiful."
"Well, what can you do, he's poor," Aiura Kokoro said nonchalantly, waving her hand and casually flicking her ponytail as she stepped into the screen.
The verbal abuse continued outside the screen, but these verbal attacks couldn't even break through Hikigaya Hachiman's defenses.
And the eyes... the eyes are one of the most vulnerable parts of a human being.
If it were six years ago, perhaps these words would have truly forced him to break down and give up. He might have even become a reclusive, useless person, spending his days only staring at light novel illustrations, unable to think clearly.
But now, Hikigaya Hachiman was invincible.
Bored, he let out a yawn and prepared to enter the screen to deal the final blow to Aiura Kokoro.
"Hachiman." Jabami Yumeko suddenly called out to him. Her snake-like eyes shimmered with a crazed scarlet hue that reflected in Hikigaya's gaze.
"Don't lose."
Hikigaya raised an eyebrow and replied firmly and strongly, "Mm."
Hikigaya casually pulled out a chair and sat down, unconsciously straightening his back as he sat across from Aiura Kokoro.
She was wearing high black stockings that almost reached the top of her thighs, and a super-short pleated skirt that, with a small lift, could reveal the ultimate pleasure of this world. Her brown leather boots swayed with every step, catching everyone's attention. Aiura Kokoro sat diagonally in her chair, which was just an ordinary classroom chair, yet she made it feel like a throne.
At that moment, she was the queen of Class 1-A.
Her gaze was flippant. To her, Hikigaya Hachiman was like fish on a chopping board, and she casually spread her hands and said, "If you win this game, you'll get 300,000 yen and become the class president of Class 1-A. Victory is right around the corner, so cheer up, Hikigaya-san."
"This is your best chance to climb the social ladder and become a rich man, to become the king of our class!"
"You've been cheating, haven't you?"
Hikigaya ignored her provocation and directly spoke out.
"Well, isn't that obvious?" Aiura Kokoro propped her chin with her hands, her elbows resting on the desk. She looked completely innocent, showing no intention of hiding her cheating actions.
At this moment, her face was full of innocence and cuteness, like an innocent girl reacting to an unfair accusation: "Just kidding, but even if I am cheating, so what?"
"I underestimated you," Hikigaya said, his dead-fish eyes still lazy, but his words of praise caught Aiura Kokoro by surprise.
Her eyes flickered, "No way, do you want to surrender now that you're in this situation? If you had just agreed to my terms earlier, you would have gotten five million yen. Everything you're going through now should have been what Saotome had to bear."
"But~ if you kneel and lick my feet now, maybe I'll spare you some face."
"Let me finish." Hikigaya swatted away her extended leg, his expression still blank, "Your cheating tricks are boring, but the purpose is indeed unexpected."
"You bribed everyone except me, Jabami, and Saotome, right? You made them willingly contribute their answer sheets, and when the dealer gave instructions, they'd temporarily write their names... Especially selecting the highest and lowest scores. This way, you gain the ability to decide the outcome."
"Who I get to draw an answer sheet from and whether I advance is all decided by you. This gamble has nothing to do with luck. As long as you want, you can push me into this position and then ruin me."
"Of course, it's not easy to achieve. Because such a cheating method couldn't have been done without nearly unanimous consent from the entire class."
"Whether through threats, inducements, or fueling animosity, for me, a special class student and transfer student who's not good at socializing, everyone would be more inclined to support you."
"People's prejudices don't change easily. You've created my identity card: the arrogant special class student isolated by the entire class. Once this image forms, the position of isolating Hikigaya won't change."
"So, your cheating surprised me."
Standing beside Hikigaya, the dealer, Mizuki, looked somewhat embarrassed. It was hard to face being exposed for assisting in cheating. She kept a composed face and didn't defend herself.
Seeing that Hikigaya Hachiman had seen through her entire plan, Aiura Kokoro wasn't angry. She licked her lips, revealing a look of innocence and malice, raised her hand, and pointed her finger at Hikigaya Hachiman.
"But, so what if I'm cheating? No matter what you choose, you'll get 300,000 yen in this gamble. No matter what, you're just a poor person desperately trying to win 300,000 yen~"
"How about I teach you a trick?" Aiura Kokoro flicked her nails and pointed to the screen outside, revealing her final blow:
"Why don't you go outside and flip through the answer sheets, find the evidence that the twenty-seven of us cheated together, then maybe this gamble will be voided under the student council's intervention~"
Suddenly, Aiura Kokoro raised her finger high, pointing at Hikigaya Hachiman and laughing recklessly, "But no matter what, you will be the biggest laughingstock of the entire class, or even the entire grade, getting ruthlessly mocked!"
"In the end, this is the original sin of you special students and poor people!"
"Hahaha!"
Aiura Kokoro laughed so hard her body shook, her mouth foaming, and her thick, fleshy legs quivering in Hikigaya's view, smooth and elastic.
"Sorry, sorry, I lost my composure," Aiura Kokoro wiped the tears from her eyes after her mocking laugh.
"Mizuki, let's start now."
Mizuki glanced at Hikigaya with a questioning look.
Hikigaya slowly nodded.
"Both sides are ready. Now, the final round of the Class 1-A exam competition gamble begins!" Mizuki announced loudly as she pulled the prepared ribbon symbolizing the class president position, "The winner will become the class president of Class 1-A, receive a 300,000 yen reward, and a 200,000 yen subsidy from the student council!"
"Please, both players, draw your seat number cards!"
Important Announcement
Hello everyone!
Thank you as always for supporting my works! I'm posting a new fanfiction Today!
It's a Multi-crossover this time between My Teen Romantic Comedy SNAFU and Campione!.
Hikigaya's God Slayer Story
This is the summary: Hikigaya Hachiman wakes up to find he's been transported into a different version of his world: he's now a first-year student again, in a timeline where past events diverged. Relationships have reset, media and historical events are different, and his body is inexplicably more athletic. Well at least it's a normal World...Right? Multi-Crossover world.
Hello everyone! I'm VarieTL.
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