"Wait a minute, wait a minute!"
Hikigaya Hachiman's voice carried a trace of urgency as he gestured at Horikita Suzune.
"Look, if you get sick, you'll have a legitimate excuse to withdraw from the exam and go back to the cruise ship to enjoy some well-deserved rest. Isn't that actually a stroke of good luck?"
"…Huh?"
Horikita Suzune turned back to look at him, scrutinizing him up and down with an expression of mild disbelief.
Her lips curled into a sneer. "I originally thought you were a serious student, but I didn't expect your thinking to be this pathetic. Just like those incompetent fools who give up at the first sign of difficulty."
"If you withdraw from the exam, you lose thirty points. That affects the entire class. You should be ashamed of your thought process."
Harsh.
Hikigaya's mouth twitched.
But something about this felt off.
The rules clearly stated that 'leaders may not be changed without unreasonable reasons.' A cold was clearly a legitimate reason. That was an advantage, not a disadvantage.
Sure, they'd lose thirty points initially, but if they changed the leader at the last minute, it would become nearly impossible for other classes to guess correctly. It was a perfect defensive strategy.
By utilizing this loophole, Class D could secure their position. If they assigned the leader role to Horikita Suzune and then switched at the last second, they could practically guarantee a safe pass.
Yet, here Horikita Suzune was, treating his idea like it was beneath her.
Did she not realize the tactical advantage this provided?
That couldn't be.
It was such an obvious move. There was no way they had all overlooked it, right?
Hikigaya frowned. Even though it seemed impossible, considering this was Class D… maybe it really was possible.
But he needed to be sure.
"You really didn't notice?" he asked, tilting his head.
Horikita Suzune narrowed her eyes. "Notice what?"
Yep. Definitely not an easy one to test.
The girl standing before him was an eighth-dan Aikido practitioner. That required skill, patience, and intelligence. But when it came to communication, she was as dense as a rock.
"Well…"
How was he supposed to phrase this without giving away the answer? If she truly hadn't realized it, the moment he explained, she'd catch on immediately.
Human observation and psychological speculation were his strengths.
But… social skills? Not so much.
He rarely interacted with people growing up, and he wasn't exactly well-versed in subtly guiding a conversation to get others to reveal the information he wanted.
"You haven't considered going back to the ship to rest?" he tried again.
"I don't have a cold," she shot back coldly. "Why should I go back to rest? Even though I despise the fact that I'm in Class D, I still take my responsibilities seriously. Don't compare me to you."
She sounded almost offended by the suggestion.
This girl was way too guarded.
But her reaction only confirmed it—Class D really had no idea about the strategic use of this rule. At least Horikita Suzune didn't, which meant the others likely didn't either.
That meant…
Class B and Class D were in a cooperative relationship, right?
He knew a little about Ichinose Honami. She was kind-hearted, trusting, and overly idealistic. He doubted she would anticipate Class D's leader betraying the agreement at the last second.
Could he turn this into a personal advantage?
"Horikita."
Hikigaya smirked slightly. "Want me to tell you a completely safe way to pass the exam?"
She blinked. "A completely safe way? That's highly doubtful. But more importantly—why would you tell me?"
"Just answer the question. Do you want to know or not?"
"You first," she countered.
Figures.
She wasn't going to give an inch.
Hikigaya sighed and got straight to the point.
"That depends on whether or not you're the leader of Class D."
If she wasn't, then none of this mattered.
If they substituted two people, sixty points would be deducted. That was too steep a price. Even if they passed the exam, they wouldn't gain much. In that case, it would be better to just take the exam the normal way.
Horikita Suzune's expression shifted slightly, but she quickly covered it up with her usual composed demeanor.
"Ridiculous."
She shook her head in disappointment. "You actually think I'd tell you that? I don't know whether there's something wrong with your brain or mine, but it would be completely idiotic to give away such important information. There must be something seriously broken in your head."
With that, she turned around and walked away.
Well, that was predictable.
From her perspective, revealing her role as the leader would be the equivalent of handing over a loaded gun.
But even if she didn't say it outright, her reaction gave away a lot.
Her hesitation, her defensiveness…
She was the leader.
She probably realized that failing this exam would doom Class D permanently. They were already at the bottom. Another failure would make it nearly impossible to ever reach Class A.
Horikita Suzune lightly bit her lower lip.
She wanted to win, but she also refused to expose herself.
Smart.
She was probably hoping Hikigaya would be the one to make a trade-off first—give her something valuable before she gave him anything in return.
But that was a dangerous gamble.
If she turned around now, it would confirm she was the leader. That could lead to Class D getting exploited by Class B, or worse, blackmailed.
Even though Ichinose was kind-hearted, Horikita Suzune didn't fully trust her. And rightfully so.
She had no choice but to hold her ground.
For now.
Meanwhile…
Hikigaya casually followed behind her.
Not because he cared. He really didn't.
He had already stalled for enough time. He just hoped Ichinose had forgotten about their earlier conversation by now.
Honestly, it was a shame.
If things had gone his way, he could have gained some major benefits.
But at the end of the day, he wasn't particularly obsessed with reaching Class A.
If he could profit along the way? Great.
If not? Oh well.
No big deal.
As they approached the Class B camp, neither of them spoke.
Horikita Suzune rubbed her arms absentmindedly.
She was obviously sick.
Still, she refused to admit it.
Even with a fever, she insisted on taking the exam.
Unexpectedly… she was stronger than he gave her credit for.
If it were him, he would've taken full advantage of the excuse and slipped back onto the ship a long time ago.
Why suffer through an exam when you didn't have to?
Back in middle school, he had faked being sick just to get out of class. Now that he actually had a legitimate reason, it seemed ridiculous not to use it.
Finally, Horikita Suzune stopped walking.
She clenched her fists and exhaled sharply.
"Fine."
She turned to him, her expression laced with frustration.
"You win."
Then, as if humiliated by the very words she had spoken, she stared at Hikigaya with cold defiance.
She never imagined she'd end up surrendering—especially not to him.
But what Horikita Suzune didn't realize…
Hikigaya never actually intended to compete in the first place.
"Well," he muttered, raising his hands lazily.
"I wasn't really trying to win anything, you know."
Still, this might turn out to be useful.
Maybe saving up twenty million personal points in three years wasn't so impossible after all.
If he played his cards right, he could even cash out his personal points after graduation.
Then maybe… just maybe…
He could treat Komachi to a big meal.