Sakayanagi Arisu: His Decision Is My Decision. / Hashima Hikaru Wants to Increase His Influence.

"Uh-huh?"

"Then... don't you want me?"

Sakayanagi Arisu's smile was somewhat meaningful. She was very confident about this matter. If Hashiba Hikaru had no interest in her at all, she would never have played Truth or Dare with her.

"..."

Upon hearing this, Hashiba Hikaru's expression froze for a moment, then she gave a wry smile.

"... You win."

Seeing the boy's reaction, Sakayanagi Arisu became even more certain that her guess was correct; she would definitely be the final winner and then completely take over his life.

"I don't actually dislike greedy guys."

While waiting for the food to be served, Sakayanagi Arisu seemed to want to chat a little longer, after all, she couldn't waste such an opportunity to be alone with him.

"I already knew that, otherwise Classmate Sakayanagi wouldn't have come to help me, right?"

Hashiba Hikaru shrugged. He could roughly guess the reason; it was probably related to Sakayanagi Arisu.

"Yes, outstanding men will certainly attract a lot of women's attention. A man who is very popular is not necessarily very good, but a man who is not popular is definitely just average."

"It would be the same for girls, I'm a big supporter of gender equality."

Hashiba Hikaru smiled slightly and chatted with the girl casually.

"If I win, I won't object to Classmate Hashiba having multiple lovers, as long as they don't bring them home, I can accept it."

Sakayanagi Arisu once again quoted the famous line she had spoken during their last conversation.

"... That's quite an honor."

"Certainly."

After chatting for a while, the fragrant dishes were brought to the table by the staff, and the boy's attention immediately shifted to the food. As the saying goes, love and food should not be missed, and Hashiba Hikaru always puts this into practice.

Let's eat first.

"Um."

Just as the two were enjoying their meal, two unexpected guests suddenly walked up to their table, and one of them spoke up.

"What a coincidence, Sakayanagi, you're having dinner with the class's enemy."

This was a voice that sounded somewhat familiar to the boy.

Looking up, Hashiba Hikaru discovered that the people walking towards her were actually Katsuragi Kohei and his Totsuka Yahiko.

"So it's Katsuragi and Totsuka- san. Haven't you heard the saying, 'Don't disturb others while they're eating'?"

Sakayanagi Arisu raised her head, her calm gaze sweeping over the two of them, her tone indifferent.

"I apologize if I've disturbed you, but what I'm more concerned about is why it was Classmate Hashiba. Have you forgotten that the other person is an enemy? Eating with an enemy during such a sensitive time as the Additional Exam makes one suspicious of your relationship."

Katsuragi Kohei didn't actually care about gossip about men and women; he had his own purpose in taking the initiative to come to him.

Sakayanagi has already made it clear in Class B that everyone should cast their Criticism Vote for Totsuka Yahiko, and the bald boy has been trying to find a way to turn the situation around.

"Then let's have Classmate Hashiba answer that. What's our relationship?"

Sakayanagi Arisu ignored Katsuragi Kohei's statement and instead looked at Hashiba Hikaru's face with a smile.

"... Really."

Hashiba Hikaru Hashima waved his hand helplessly and said to the two boys standing next to him.

"Classmate Sakayanagi and I are very good friends, so it's perfectly normal for us to have a meal together."

Hashiba Hikaru glanced at Katsuragi's expressionless face. "Instead of beating around the bush, let's just say what you're thinking."

"..."

"I hope that Classmate Sakayanagi can change her decision and replace the candidate during the centralized Criticism Vote."

He stated his request directly.

Unfortunately, Sakayanagi Arisu is not one to listen to advice, a fact that Hashiba Hikaru is well aware of.

"I'm sorry, I refuse."

The silver-haired girl used a fork to twirl the spaghetti in front of her, her expression unwavering.

Chapter 600 Sakayanagi Arisu: His decision is my decision.

Inside the uniquely decorated restaurant, both the serious-looking Katsuragi Kohei and his follower Totsuka Yahiko heard Sakayanagi Arisu's reply. She elegantly put the spaghetti into her mouth, her voice ringing out without any hindrance.

"I'm sorry, I refuse."

"..."

Hashiba Hikaru, whose face showed anticipation, had initially thought she could just watch the show, but the silver-haired girl didn't say a single unnecessary word—a truly simple and direct choice.

"Classmate Sakayanagi, even if the school's goal in this Additional Exam is to force each class to send one student to drop out, I don't think Totsuka is the best candidate."

Although Katsuragi Kohei was rejected, he did not give up immediately; his square face still wore a serious expression.

"Why?"

Sakayanagi Arisu put down her fork, seemingly unable to understand what the other person was saying.

"If we really have to choose someone from the class to drop out, I think we can use a fairer method, such as drawing lots or a competition. Using a method that everyone can agree on is the safest way to select someone, and that's the only way to convince everyone."

Although Katsuragi Kohei was asking for a favor, his expression remained neither humble nor arrogant, as if he were stating something perfectly natural.

"But I'm the class representative, aren't I?"

A smile played on Sakayanagi Arisu's lips. "I will lead the students in the exam according to my own will. If Katsuragi disagrees, why not initiate an impeachment proceedings?"

"You..."

The henchmen standing behind Katsuragi Kohei were getting fed up with Sakayanagi's arrogant attitude. Even though Katsuragi Kohei had proposed a compromise, the other party was completely unwilling to accept it.

"Yahiko!"

Katsuragi Kohei coldly silenced the boy behind him who wanted to speak, and reorganized his words.

"Although I don't have that many students supporting me, I believe this exam must be fair and just. Does Classmate Sakayanagi really intend to choose who drops out based on her own will? Don't you think that's going too far?"

"Katsuragi, I think you've misunderstood something."

As she said this, Sakayanagi Arisu glanced at Hashiba Hikaru, who was sitting opposite her with a look of utter amusement. She waved to him helplessly, "Could you get me a tissue, Classmate Hashiba?"

"Uh... okay."

Hashiba Hikaru was watching the commotion, glanced at the table. The napkins provided by the restaurant were conveniently placed to his right, and it would indeed be a bit far for the girl opposite him to reach for them.

"Yes."

After handing the tissue to the girl, Hashiba Hikaru resumed his spectator mode, increasingly eager to see what Katsuragi Kohei would do if Sakayanagi Arisu continued to disagree.

Sakayanagi Arisu elegantly wiped her mouth with the tissue and resumed the previous topic, while Katsuragi Kohei remained indifferent, watching them with a cold expression.

"After the voting rules were announced, I did not interfere with everyone's choice. It was a consensus that they wanted to choose Totsuka, but this consensus was not imposed on them by me. Please note this point."

The silver-haired girl's explanation only fueled Totsuka Yahiko's anger. He simply couldn't believe it. If Sakayanagi hadn't given the order, why had more than twenty people explicitly stated they would Criticism Vote for him?

"If that's the case, since Classmate Sakayanagi didn't force everyone's will to change, could you consider my suggestion? Let everyone have a fair vote; that's the best outcome."

Katsuragi Kohei ignored Totsuka Yahiko's change in expression and continued to emphasize that his goal was to pursue "fairness".

"Seriously, wasn't my stance clear enough?"

Sakayanagi Arisu's tone remained calm. She glanced at Hashiba Hikaru sitting opposite her and said to him, "Classmate Hashiba, what do you think I should do?"

"This has nothing to do with me. I have no intention of interfering in the internal affairs of other classes."

"Haven't you interfered enough times already?"

Sakayanagi Arisu stared intently at Hashiba Hikaru's face with her beautiful eyes until the boy became somewhat intimidated.

"... What do you want me to do?"

After sighing, Hashiba Hikaru said with a hint of helplessness.

"Please help me resolve the immediate issue. I've already given my answer, and I don't want irrelevant people disturbing our date."

"Good."

Hashiba Hikaru casually pulled out two tissues to wipe her hands, then stood up and said to Katsuragi Kohei.

"Let's go outside and talk, Katsuragi."

"You...?"

Sakayanagi Arisu hadn't kept her voice down, and the word "date" was clearly heard by Katsuragi Kohei and Totsuka Yahiko, who were standing there. Both of them showed surprise at the same time.

"Ahem, Classmate Sakayanagi, I don't care what your relationship is with Classmate Hashiba, but why are you letting someone from another class interfere in our class's internal affairs?"

Katsuragi Kohei coughed twice, feigning a stern look in his eyes.

"Please don't worry, any decision that Classmate Hashiba makes is equivalent to my decision. If he agrees to your request, then I will agree as well."

Sakayanagi Arisu smiled slightly, clearly indicating her unconditional trust in Hashiba Hikaru.

"Honestly, I find it troublesome too."

Hashiba Hikaru didn't say much. After glancing at Sakayanagi Arisu, he stepped directly across the gap between Katsuragi Kohei and Totsuka Yahiko. As he passed them, he added a sentence.

"Let's come out and talk. If you don't want to, that's fine too. I'll only give you one chance."

"Good."

Upon hearing his voice, Katsuragi Kohei nodded earnestly, then led Totsuka Yahiko to follow Hashiba Hikaru's footsteps.

The silver-haired girl stared at Hashiba Hikaru figure, her eyes narrowing into crescent moons once more.

"Well, Katsuragi, just tell me your plans. Don't worry about my identity."

After stepping out, Hashiba Hikaru looked at Katsuragi Kohei and Totsuka Yahiko in front of her, both of whom had somewhat complicated expressions.

"What we want is a fair selection process for students to drop out, not for Classmate Sakayanagi to use her class representative privilege to directly nominate someone for expulsion."

Katsuragi Kohei's attitude remained unchanged, but his tone became more forceful.

"What if she doesn't agree? You can't force her to agree, can you?"

"..."

After a moment of silence, Katsuragi Kohei looked at Hashiba Hikaru's face and asked in a low voice, "I heard that the students in your class are planning to sell their extra Praise Vote?"

"Exactly."

"If we were to acquire it, what price would you offer, Classmate Hashiba?"

A strange light flashed in Katsuragi Kohei's eyes. As a member of Class B, he had quite a few Private Points at his disposal.

After all, after the Cruise Ship exam, he took it upon himself to distribute the six million he won equally among everyone. Currently, the members of the Katsuragi Faction still have some resources at their disposal, at least several million.

"Oh?"

Upon hearing his words, Hashiba Hikaru immediately became interested.

Chapter 601 Hashiba Hikaru Wants to Increase Her Influence

Katsuragi Kohei is an upright man, a fact that Hashiba Hikaru discovered early on. His uprightness represents a pursuit of stability, and he tends to make the fairest choices, which is also the reason why many students chose to follow him in the early days.

However, in this school, Addition fairness and integrity is not necessarily a good thing.

Because the school's Special Exam always leave extra room for manipulation, allowing everyone to find loopholes in the rules and come up with unexpected tricks, Katsuragi Kohei kept making mistakes and was constantly outmaneuvered by Hashiba Hikaru and Ryuen Kakeru, resulting in the current embarrassing situation.

But he was actually a pretty good person, and Hashiba Hikaru didn't dislike the bald man.

"Our class has forty Praise Vote to sell, but unfortunately, I've already chosen buyers."

Hashiba Hikaru told Katsuragi Kohei about her plans.

"Is it Ryuen Kakeru?"