"Really."
Hikigaya Hachiman stared at the girl in front of him, a faint smile playing on his lips.
"Horikita-san, you must be the leader of Class D."
For some reason, it was particularly amusing to suppress this self-righteous girl.
"So what?"
Horikita Suzune's sharp eyes met his, her tone unwavering. "You must know that Class B and Class D are in a cooperative relationship. If you backstab your partners, Ichinose will not forgive you."
"You really refuse to admit defeat."
Hikigaya shook his head helplessly.
Even after being cornered, she still tried to use Ichinose as leverage against him, unwilling to let go of any possible advantage. It was probably an essential quality of a leader.
But for him?
If something wasn't worth the trouble, he'd let it go. And if it was? He'd still consider letting it go.
"Don't worry."
He raised a hand, as if swearing an oath. "I don't intend to interfere with Ichinose's plan."
After all, in Class B, everyone had their own responsibilities.
Was this what they called the job responsibility system?
At the very least, he couldn't allow himself to affect Class B as a whole just because of his own interests.
Ichinose was the leader of the class.
Whatever she wanted to do, he would only act within the framework she established—at most, securing some personal benefits along the way.
"As long as you understand."
Horikita's tone remained calm, feeling that her warning had worked.
"Sure."
Hikigaya had no intention of arguing further and instead changed the subject.
"However, you need to agree to two conditions."
"I'm listening."
Horikita wasn't surprised at all. Instead, she added,
"But you should know that Class D doesn't necessarily need an absolutely safe method to pass. Even without such a method, we're confident in clearing this exam. Keep that in mind when naming your conditions."
She was really something.
Even now, she was trying to negotiate a better deal.
If Class D was confident enough, an extra strategy wouldn't be necessary.
But reality told a different story.
If they had enough confidence, they wouldn't be here.
Horikita herself clearly lacked full certainty—she just wanted an extra safety net.
Besides…
Hikigaya had a feeling that if he said something like, "You wouldn't want your incompetent side to be exposed to your brother, right?"
She would probably accept any condition.
Her obsession with her brother ran deep.
Though awkward, she didn't even try to hide it.
In other words, it was just a bluff.
If he truly wanted to, Hikigaya suspected he could even make a demand as absurd as Horikita giving him her body.
Of course, if he actually did, she'd likely come after him with a vengeance and make sure he got expelled.
Still, looking at the girl in front of him, he finally understood why someone as powerful as the Student Council President was so worried about his little sister.
Her so-called strength was nothing but a fragile illusion.
Having a sister like this must have been exhausting.
If Komachi ever turned out like this, she'd be at risk of being taken advantage of by shady men all the time.
As an older brother, he wouldn't be able to sleep at night.
In fact, if that happened, he'd probably work even harder, just so he could afford to keep Komachi locked up at home, away from trouble.
Huh?
Wait.
Wouldn't that actually be ideal?
Hikigaya quickly shook his head, pushing such dangerous thoughts away.
Sure, he was a bit despicable, but he wasn't so depraved that he'd exploit a girl using threats.
Still, Horikita's negotiation skills put him in an awkward spot.
She had a point.
Setting the right price was difficult.
If he asked for too much, she might refuse outright. But if he asked for too little, he'd feel like he was being taken advantage of.
Not to mention…
Did Horikita even have the means to meet a high price?
If she couldn't afford it, she'd probably just walk away.
After all, should he call it self-satisfaction or blind confidence?
Regardless, this special exam was just one of many.
Would future exams even allow them to earn personal points?
That was still uncertain.
"Let me ask you something first," Hikigaya said after some thought. "What's your status in Class D? Do you have any friends?"
"Don't make me laugh."
Horikita crossed her arms and scoffed.
"Do you think I'd associate with those incompetent fools? I don't need friends. I can handle everything alone."
"…Makes sense."
It really did.
For a moment, Hikigaya was at a loss for words.
If she held a high position in Class D, he could have asked for contributions from the entire class.
But that option was off the table.
If he demanded too much, she wouldn't be able to deliver, and she might just give up.
It was best to keep the price limited to something Horikita herself could pay.
"Alright then."
Hikigaya nodded.
"First condition: Buy me a MAX Coffee with Class D's points."
A moment of silence.
"…Huh?"
Horikita blinked.
She had waited this long for his demands.
And that was it?
"Wait."
She rubbed her temple. "Did you just say… MAX Coffee?"
"Yeah."
"Deal!"
Horikita immediately agreed, cutting off any chance for him to reconsider.
If she had been prepared to pay a hefty price, but all he wanted was a canned coffee, then she had absolutely no reason to refuse.
A rare opportunity to negotiate had been wasted on a trivial demand.
She wasn't going to let him change his mind.
"I'll bring it to you tonight. That's final," she declared.
"Fine."
Hikigaya had no intention of going back on his word.
Raising a single finger, he continued.
"The second condition is this: for the next six months, you must transfer 50% of the personal points you receive from the school to me every month."
Now, this was the real deal.
Horikita was academically excellent and physically capable.
If she continued to improve, her class points would rise, meaning her personal income would also increase.
Since it was unclear whether future exams would grant personal points, securing a percentage was the safest bet.
If Class D successfully cleared this exam, their class points would exceed 300, and their income would continue to grow.
Simply put, at the very least, this deal would guarantee him an additional 100,000 personal points.
At best?
He might just end up saving 20 million.
Hikigaya Hachiman had found himself another thigh to hold onto.
And he wasn't letting go.
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