Monday
As usual, Hiyori, Sakayanagi, and I went to school together. Although I walked with Kamuro, Hashimoto, and Ichinose two or three days a week, Hiyori and Sakayanagi had been my companions almost every day since we first met on the first day of school.
"Speaking of which, the hearing's tomorrow. How's the atmosphere in your class?" Sakayanagi suddenly asked. By the hearing, she probably meant the investigation into the assault incident. I'd heard that Sudo would be facing off against the students from Class C tomorrow.
"Our class is full of confidence, so there's no pressure."
"It's all right. No matter how tense things get, it's nothing compared to the hell I went through in middle school."
"Please don't bring up such a dark past so casually... Still, it's interesting that Class B is siding with Class D this time." As Sakayanagi spoke, she turned her terminal screen toward us. It displayed a notice on the school forum seeking information related to the incident, with a promise of points for anyone who provided crucial information or eyewitness testimony. The reward would probably attract plenty of attention.
"True... But it's not just on the forum. There's a similar notice on the school bulletin board, too."
I glanced over and saw a group of students gathered in front of the bulletin board. The paper listed pretty much the same terms.
Just then, Ichinose, who was standing near the bulletin board, spotted us and waved.
"Good morning! You three are here early today!"
"Good morning. By the way, you're the one who posted the notice on the forum, aren't you, Classmate Ichinose? Any interesting information?" Sakayanagi asked curiously. Ichinose gave an awkward smile and shook her head. "Sorry, I can't say yet. If you learned what we know and took action, things might get more complicated."
A sensible decision. I wouldn't have revealed anything so easily either.
"I see. In that case, never mind. Let's go." Sakayanagi sighed and turned to walk away. Hiyori and I gave Ichinose a slight nod before following her.
"You got turned down, Sakayanagi. But considering your sadistic streak, I suppose it's only natural."
"How rude. Is that an appropriate thing to say to a frail girl?"
No, no... It was true that she was physically weak, but as far as mental toughness went, she was one of the best in the entire school, let alone our year.
"Hachiman is right. Sakayanagi is so delicate that she gets flustered and loses her composure just because someone blows in her ear."
"...Classmate Shiina, let's leave this topic here." Sakayanagi managed to maintain her strained smile, but her voice had noticeably weakened. Meanwhile, Hiyori still looked completely bewildered. As expected, even Sakayanagi couldn't withstand Hiyori's innocent remarks.
"? Why can't I say it?"
Faced with Hiyori's innocent question, Sakayanagi's mouth twitched slightly. It seemed Hiyori was the strongest girl in the first year, hands down.
I trembled inwardly at Hiyori's destructive power and quietly headed for my classroom.
After school
As usual, we had classes, ate lunch, and waited for Chabashira-sensei to finish homeroom. At last, school was over.
The discussion about the Sudo Incident had grown more heated in class, but the tension was mounting, too. After all, if tomorrow's hearing went badly, our Class Points could drop straight to zero. But none of that had anything to do with me. I didn't care what happened to Sudo, and losing all our Class Points wouldn't affect me much either. In fact, getting involved with that idiot never led to anything good—after he came to school last time, my desk got flipped over.
So I ignored the commotion in class and went straight to the Class C classroom where Hiyori was. Most students in Class D might consider it enemy territory, but I didn't see Class C as an enemy.
As I reached the back door, Hiyori popped her head out of the classroom. The moment she saw me, she smiled and hurried over. Ah... I feel healed...
"Thanks for your hard work, Hachiman."
"You too. Going to the library?"
"Yeah."
She nodded. I was about to turn around when the front door of Class C suddenly opened. Ryuen came out with a few of his lackeys. One of them had a bruise on his face—was he the one Sudo had beaten up?
Ryuen spotted me and grinned.
"Hey, Hikigaya. Class D might lose all its Class Points tomorrow, and you still have time to take Hiyori on a date?"
"Whether we have points or not has nothing to do with me." Everyone at school knew I'd earned personal points, and Ryuen had even gotten 500,000 points from me, so he should understand where I stood.
"True. You're the kind of guy who'd do that. So, who do you think will win tomorrow's hearing?"
"Who knows. If I had to say, I'd rather see Sudo suspended."
"...You're hoping your own class loses?" The girl behind Ryuen couldn't help but cut in.
"Yeah. I don't care what happens to Class D. And as for moving up to Class A—I'll do it on my own."
"I refuse. Unfortunately, the people who matter to me aren't in Class D, so there's no reason for me to get involved."
Ryuen seemed to understand that, too, and smiled with amusement.
"Don't bother, Ibuki. This guy's even more self-centered than I am."
"That's rude. I'm not like you; I don't regard everyone else as inferior. Hiyori and Sakayanagi matter more to me than I do to myself."
As for everyone else, I really was self-centered. I got along well with Ichinose, Kamuro, and Hashimoto, but I still placed myself above them.
At this point, the only people I ranked above myself were Hiyori and Sakayanagi.
"Hachiman, honestly... Heehee..."
Hiyori's face turned bright red, and she clung to my arm, cuddling up to me. This girl had a willful side of her own, too...
Ryuen's lackeys looked annoyed, but don't give me that look.
"Interesting. So when I make my move on Class A, we might end up facing each other."
"If it's just ordinary competition between classes, I won't get involved... But if you dare trample on Sakayanagi's dignity, I'll crush you completely."
I didn't think Sakayanagi would lose to him mentally, but physical violence was another matter. I wouldn't let that happen. If Ryuen dared to use violence against Sakayanagi, I'd use every means at my disposal to destroy him.
At my reply, Ryuen's lackeys immediately tensed up, but Ryuen himself showed his teeth in a grin and stopped them.
"Ha! Just like when you stood up for Hiyori, you sure have a big difference in enthusiasm depending on the situation. Looks like Sakayanagi matters a lot to you."
"That's right. I've only recently realized just how much Sakayanagi means to me."
Whenever Hiyori or Sakayanagi was involved, I became impulsive. Maybe it was because they knew about my past and accepted me without a second thought anyway.
"Interesting... I'll crush anyone who gets in my way. Sakayanagi's the grand finale, but when the time comes, I'll swallow you up, too."
If he was talking about swallowing me, then he'd probably trample on Sakayanagi's dignity, too.
"...I won't let you. I'll destroy you before that happens. Let's go, Hiyori."
As I led Hiyori away, I was certain that sooner or later, Ryuen and I would face each other head-on.
"Heh heh heh... That Hikigaya kid's got a nice murderous look in his eyes. The future's getting interesting."
After Hachiman left with Hiyori, Ryuen laughed from the bottom of his heart.
"Um, Ryuen... With those dead-fish eyes of his, he doesn't look threatening at all..."
Ishizaki muttered from behind him, and Ryuen scoffed.
"Idiot. Like Sakayanagi, that guy's strength isn't in his physical power. If all it took to rule was muscle and violence, I'd have stepped down a long time ago."
Ishizaki fell silent.
Ryuen was the emperor of Class C, but not everyone had obeyed him at first. Ishizaki, who now followed him, and Albert had both once resisted him.
But Ishizaki, a seasoned fighter, and the physically powerful Albert had both ultimately fallen to Ryuen and submitted.
"Then? You're saying Hikigaya's strong?"
Ibuki Mio's voice came from behind them.
"Of course. He's far stronger than the likes of Katsuragi, Ichinose, and Hirata."
Ryuen answered without hesitation. They'd only clashed a few times, but he was certain Hachiman was hiding his true abilities.
What made him most wary was Hachiman's absolute decisiveness whenever someone important to him was involved. Ryuen clearly remembered the moment Hachiman paid 500,000 points for him without batting an eye.
That decisiveness was precisely why Ryuen was certain that if he dared to lay a hand on Sakayanagi, Hachiman would come after him without hesitation.
However...
"Even so, I'll still be the one who wins."
As Ryuen and his lackeys laughed their way down the hall, Arisu Sakayanagi stood by the stairs, watching them leave with flushed cheeks. Only after they disappeared from sight did she finally let out a long breath and start walking.
Her steps toward the shoe lockers were slower than usual.
"...Even if Hikigaya-kun doesn't get involved, there's no way I'll lose to Ryuen-kun."
Arisu found herself muttering under her breath, her voice tinged with embarrassment and frustration.
The exchange between Hachiman and Ryuen kept replaying in her mind:
"I'm not like you; I don't regard everyone else as inferior. Hiyori and Sakayanagi matter more to me than I do to myself."
"If it's just ordinary competition between classes, I won't get involved... But if you dare trample on Sakayanagi's dignity, I'll crush you completely."
"That's right. I've only recently realized just how much Sakayanagi means to me."
The words echoed again and again in her mind, and Arisu's face grew hotter by the moment.
"...Hmph. He's got some nerve, saying such strange things to humiliate me."
After slowly changing her shoes, she headed for the school gate and happened to spot Hachiman and Hiyori walking side by side.
"I'll let you and Classmate Shiina enjoy some peace and quiet today... But starting tomorrow, I'll settle the score for that insult."
After saying that, she changed direction and headed for the gate. Just before leaving, she looked back toward the library and happened to see Hachiman about to step inside...
"See you tomorrow. You're important to me, too... Hachiman."
After softly offering her farewell, Arisu finally stepped out of the school gate.
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