Hachiman looked at the clever, silver-haired, cute girl.
"That's it," Hachiman said. "I've thought of a solution."
"Classmate Sakayanagi, you really are quite clever," Hachiman said gratefully. "If we eat together next time, I'll treat you."
With that, Hachiman Hikigaya stood up and walked out of the cafeteria.
Leaving Sakayanagi Arisu sitting quietly and obediently in her original seat.
"Hmm?"
Sakayanagi Arisu blinked lightly.
Clever as she was, she quickly understood.
For a man who had been raised as a target to voluntarily offer to pay for her, it was obviously... because something good had happened to him.
In other words.
Hachiman had probably gained inspiration from his conversation with her.
And Hachiman had just declared war on behalf of Class D.
So, as one of Class A's representatives, had she just colluded with the enemy?
"Kamuro."
Sakayanagi Arisu turned around.
"?"
"We didn't just speak with Hachiman, did we?" Sakayanagi Arisu said.
"Eh?"
"Because it seems we may have accidentally created a major enemy for Class A," Sakayanagi Arisu said. "And I don't want to take the blame for that."
???
Kamuro froze.
Eh?
In other words, Sakayanagi Arisu, did you really think Class D could rise up and challenge Class A?
Granted.
Hachiman Hikigaya had already given her a slight sense of danger.
But could they really do it?
Because.
Class D had lost five hundred points in just five days.
Unless the school took pity on them, deducted their thousand points down to zero, and refused to let them go negative, even five thousand points would not be enough to lose.
So how was Class D supposed to protect its remaining five hundred points over the next twenty-six days?
Kushida, After Two Hundred Thousand, You're Useful Again
After leaving the cafeteria, Hachiman found Horikita.
Horikita was in the classroom.
It was already the fifth day since enrollment, and the students had stopped putting on airs. They simply chose whatever lifestyle felt most comfortable to them.
So during lunch break, in the mornings, and in the evenings, they went to the cafeteria or Shopping Street to feast.
There were very few people in the class who could cook, and even fewer who brought their own boxed lunches.
Yet First-year Class D still had one such girl, a future homemaker.
That was Suzune Horikita.
As a young man aspiring to become a househusband, Hachiman naturally knew how to cook.
If he was making a lunchbox for his little sister Komachi, he could get up early.
But for himself, bread was enough.
When Hachiman reached the classroom, he found Horikita sitting at her desk. Her books had all been moved aside and put away.
But a pink lunchbox had been set out.
There was also a small placemat and tea.
The opened lunchbox contained rice, tempura, croquettes, cauliflower, carrots, and steamed egg.
Both its appearance and aroma were quite good.
Though he wanted a bite, Hachiman was not thick-skinned enough for that.
So he simply sat down at his seat and took out a textbook to read.
About ten minutes later, after Horikita had finished eating and washed her lunchbox, he sent her a message.
Then the two of them headed to the stairwell where he had previously met with Kushida.
"I thought of a plan while I was in the cafeteria," Hachiman took the initiative to say.
"I said before that our class is weak. If too many points are deducted from our base score at the start, we'll fall behind by the end of the first month."
"It'll be difficult to close the gap with the classes ahead of us," Hachiman said. "So we need to seize some points while we still can this month."
Suzune Horikita nodded.
He spoke, and she listened.
After all, her brother considered her useless.
Although Hachiman had encouraged her to show what she could do, during their analysis last night, they had discovered that Class D was even worse than they had imagined.
In a few more days, the class evaluation points the school had initially given them would probably be completely deducted.
Because of that, she had even had a nightmare last night.
It was utterly hopeless.
So could Hachiman really offer a suggestion that would turn the situation around?
Of course he could.
Because this was a solution he had gotten for free from Classmate Sakayanagi.
"The students in Class A, First Year perform exceptionally well. Every one of them spent points to buy information, so they are taking this exam very seriously."
"They hardly need to be restrained. They'll set an example on their own," Hachiman said.
"So I want to imitate that in our class."
"If everyone has to participate—or rather, has no choice but to participate—then we can protect our points."
Hachiman briefly explained his plan.
However, Horikita did not immediately make a decision.
Because Hachiman's plan was simply... rather astonishing.
"And in order for my plan to be carried out, I considered that point," Hachiman added. "I chose someone reliable."
"And Horikita, you'll need to keep that person under control," Hachiman said.
"Me?" Suzune Horikita frowned slightly.
But she nodded.
"I'll be useful," she said.
Then afternoon arrived.
After classes ended that afternoon, most of the students had left the classroom, but Suzune Horikita remained.
Or rather, someone was pestering her now.
"Horikita, I didn't expect you to contact me on your own."
It was Kushida, with her tousled golden hair, looking extremely cute and... enthusiastic.
She was as warm as fire.
While Horikita was as cold as ice.
"You don't need to act so enthusiastic," Suzune Horikita said. "I don't like it."
Excellent.
Suzune Horikita still had no friends today.
Kushida had received the note Suzune Horikita placed in her desk drawer.
It told her to stay behind after school.
What kind of outdated way of asking someone to stay was this?
It was especially old-fashioned.
But that was also because Horikita did not have her contact information.
And Kushida's choice was straightforward.
She had clearly arranged that morning to go to Zelkova Shopping Center on Shopping Street with Karuizawa and the others to look at perfume.
Yet Kushida chose to stay and wait for Horikita.
However.
"Cough, cough."
Hachiman pretended to cough twice.
Because Horikita, were you really going to ruin the friendship before it even began? Was this what it meant to leave her to you so she could be useful?
"What is it, Hachiman?"
Kushida seemed to have only just noticed that he was still in the classroom. "Are you feeling unwell?"
Actually, no. The person who truly wanted to ask Kushida out was not Suzune Horikita, but him.
So he looked toward Suzune Horikita.
"..." Suzune Horikita.
Suzune Horikita seemed to be making an effort. Then she touched the straight black hair on the left side of her head with her left hand and looked at Kikyo Kushida.
"Kushida, can I join that class group chat you mentioned?"
"..." Kushida.
Kushida seemed stunned for a moment.
But she immediately revealed a relieved smile. "Of course. Actually, I've always worried that Horikita might feel lonely because you hadn't joined."
Kushida was like an angel.
But.
"It seems you're very fixated on me." Suzune Horikita remained calm.
"Oh, come on. I just want to be friends with Horikita."
"Then we can be friends," Suzune Horikita said. "Can you do me a favor?"
"Hmm?"
Kikyo Kushida's long eyelashes fluttered lightly.
"Has Horikita run into some kind of trouble?" Kushida seemed to become even cuter.
The reason she had chosen to cling to Suzune Horikita was not because she was a sycophant. It was because she had learned that Suzune Horikita came from the same middle school as her.
So she was worried that Horikita knew about her dark past.
That was something that could not be exposed. She regarded this school as a fresh start and did not want it to end like this.
Before you continue