Chapter 86: The Open Strategy

  "What's wrong? Are you surprised? Or do you think I’m cold-hearted? Selfish? Ruthless?"

  Hikigaya gnced around at Ishizaki, Ibuki, and the others, noticing their grim expressions. He chuckled, shaking his head. "How many students from Css D will be expelled after this midterm exam? So what? What does that have to do with me? If they knew their grades were bad and still didn’t put in the effort, relying on cheating to scrape by once—then what about the second time? The third time?

  Did they really think they were some kind of 'chosen one,' always escaping danger unscathed? Don’t be ridiculous. If someone cks even the most basic self-awareness, it’s better for them to fail now rather than out in society. This is already the greatest mercy they could ask for."

  That was Hikigaya’s true opinion—about both Css C and Css D.

  Even if he took a step back and considered the situation, Css D’s approach to acquiring the leaked test questions was entirely different from Css C’s. Or rather, Ayanokouji and Kushida’s strategy was far more forward-thinking than Ryuen’s.

  Even if the school changed the test questions in the end, the impact on Css D wouldn’t be as severe as it would be for Css C.

  "And do you know the biggest difference between me and you all?"

  Hikigaya suddenly asked.

  "W-What is it?"

  He had intended to answer his own question, but unexpectedly, Ishizaki pyed along. No wonder Ryuen took him in as a ckey—he really knew how to follow the flow.

  "It’s simple. I have no interest in Css A."

  Ishizaki and Ibuki froze, their faces showing clear disbelief.

  Hey! I’m telling the truth here!

  "So, no matter how many students from Css D get expelled, it doesn’t affect me. But your Css C is different. You've gone to all this trouble because you want to reach Css A, right?"

  As he spoke, Hikigaya stared directly at Ryuen.

  "Just say it! What do you want?"

  At this point, Ryuen could no longer hold his composure. The moment he spoke those words, it meant he had admitted defeat. As long as they wanted to climb to Css A, Css C’s fate would always be in Hikigaya’s hands.

  "I thought you’d struggle a little longer. Didn’t expect you to give up so soon."

  Hikigaya sounded a bit surprised.

  "Cut the crap! If you really wanted to destroy Css C, you wouldn’t have bothered calling us out like this. Just tell me what you, a guy who doesn’t even care about his own css, actually want!"

  Realizing there was no way to turn the situation around, Ryuen immediately adjusted his approach.

  Hikigaya had expected Ryuen to struggle a bit longer, but he had underestimated him. Still, Ryuen’s decisiveness was the only commendable thing about him—everything else was garbage.

  Ryuen had likely also figured out Hikigaya’s true intentions. If Hikigaya had genuinely wanted to ruin Css C, he could have done so from the shadows. By tomorrow, Css C would have colpsed on its own, possibly without even knowing who was behind it. There was no need for Hikigaya to go through all this trouble meeting them face-to-face.

  "Ryuen, is this all you’ve got? And is this really the attitude of someone asking for a favor? I still remember what happened at the café very clearly."

  Getting doused with coffee—that was something Hikigaya had never forgotten. Hmph, he held grudges for a long time!

  "My apologies. That was my mistake that day. Please… please forgive me. I will reflect on my actions."

  Without hesitation, Ryuen bowed at a perfect 90-degree angle.

  "Ryuen-san!"

  Ishizaki and the others gasped in shock. The person who ruled over Css C, the arrogant and untouchable tyrant, was actually bowing in apology? But when they saw Ryuen’s menacing gre, they immediately shut their mouths.

  Even Hikigaya looked a bit surprised. He had underestimated the resilience and decisiveness of this so-called “tyrant.” Most people would have lost their temper at this level of humiliation and charged at him in blind rage.

  But Ryuen not only kept his cool but was also willing to bow in front of his subordinates. Such incredible willpower was rare for someone his age. Until now, Hikigaya had assumed Ryuen had simply relied on brute force to rule over Css C, but it seemed he had underestimated him.

  This level of patience and endurance. A man willing to bear such disgrace to achieve his goals…

  "Eh? Ryuen-kun, what are you doing?"

  Hikigaya looked genuinely surprised. "I’ve never held a grudge against you. You must have misunderstood."

  Ryuen furrowed his brows, unable to figure out what Hikigaya was up to. But in the next second, Hikigaya smiled at him.

  "Besides… shouldn’t you be apologizing to someone else instead of me?"

  "……"

  There was no way Ryuen could misunderstand what that meant.

  And precisely because he understood it, his rage surged.

  "You actually want me to apologize to that woman…?"

  Ryuen’s bloodshot eyes locked onto Hikigaya, but under Hikigaya’s cold gaze, he ultimately lowered his head with great difficulty. Gritting his teeth in utter reluctance, he forced a single word from his mouth.

  "Fine!"

  "Since you’ve apologized so sincerely, I’ll be merciful and forgive you. Now, let’s talk about compensation."

  As Hikigaya spoke, he sent a text message to someone while simultaneously pulling out a contract that he had prepared in advance.

  Ryuen took the contract, which was densely packed with text. As he read through the cuses, his eyes widened more and more, and his blood pressure skyrocketed. It took him about two minutes to finish reading it all—after which he nearly coughed up a mouthful of blood.

  This wasn’t a contract—this was a damn sve agreement!

  To summarize:

  1. Css C must allocate 50% of the total personal points earned from css points every month to Hikigaya. Additionally, each student must contribute at least 20,000 personal points per month. If someone’s points are insufficient, the shortfall will be carried over to the next month, accruing a 3.5% monthly interest on overdue payments.2. 3. The contract remains valid regardless of whether Css C rises or falls in rank.4. 5. Css C students are strictly forbidden from revealing the contract’s contents to third parties or harassing Hikigaya in any way. Any viotions or failure to pay more than three times will result in voluntary expulsion.6. 7. If Hikigaya gets expelled, the contract remains in effect, and the payments will be automatically deducted.8. That was the gist of it.

  But to everyone present, this was nothing short of a complete ensvement contract.

  "No way in hell can we accept such an outrageous demand! This interest rate is worse than a credit card’s overdue penalty!"

  Ishizaki was the first to explode, pointing at Hikigaya in fury.

  "This is a completely unfair contract! You’re just a despicable schemer who only knows how to py dirty tricks!"

  "And that interest rate—it’s literal loan sharking!"

  Ibuki also shouted in anger.

  "Oh? You actually know about loan sharks?"

  Hikigaya looked at Ibuki with exaggerated surprise, as if he had discovered a whole new world. That instantly made Ibuki want to lunge at him and beat him senseless.

  "Dirty tricks?"

  Hikigaya chuckled. "You guys are misunderstanding something. This is not a trick. This is an open strategy. And breaking it is actually very simple, isn’t it… Ryuen?"

  In reality, the way to counter Hikigaya’s open strategy was quite straightforward.

  First, since each css’s failing threshold was determined separately, Css C could deliberately control their scores to lower the failing threshold to a level where everyone could pass.

  Second, they could simply study properly and pass the exams with their own ability. No matter how many test versions the school prepared, it wouldn’t matter—as long as Css C had actually put in the effort to study this month.

  "If you can manage to do either of those things, then this contract becomes meaningless. In fact, I would even appud you with the utmost sincerity."

  Hikigaya’s sharp gaze swept across everyone.

  "Too bad… you guys can’t do either!"

  Ishizaki was completely speechless, and Ibuki’s face turned ashen. Regret and frustration filled the air.

  Css C was now left with only two choices:

  1. Sign the contract and retain a slim chance of survival.2. 3. Refuse—and face total annihition.4. So… was this even a choice?!

  "…I understand."

  Ryuen took a deep breath, his eyes locked onto Hikigaya.

  "Ryuen-san!"

  "Hey! Ryuen!"

  Ishizaki and Ibuki both spoke up at the same time, trying to stop him.

  "Shut up! Do you idiots even understand who’s in charge here?! Just shut up and follow my orders!"

  Ryuen suddenly turned and punched both Ishizaki and Ibuki.

  Damn. Straight-up physical suppression, huh?

  After dealing with his subordinates, Ryuen turned back to Hikigaya and pointed at the first cuse in the contract.

  "I’ll sign it—but this cuse needs to be revised. That’s my final bottom line!"

  Hikigaya burst into ughter, as if he had just heard the funniest joke.

  "Bottom line? Hearing that from you is hirious! Were you about to say something like, ‘If I have to go down, I’ll take you with me’?"

  "Tsk tsk. If you really had that kind of guts, I’d actually respect you for it. But this is your choice—be a hero for a moment, or a coward for a lifetime?"

  "You bastard!"

  Before Ryuen could respond, Ishizaki had already lost it. He charged forward, grabbing Hikigaya by the colr—but the next second, Albert smmed him to the ground with a single hand.

  "Apologies, Ishizaki. This is the Boss’s order."

  Wait, wait, are these guys really just self-destructing now?

  "Fifty percent of personal points? The students who can actually pass the exams would rather let others drop out than agree to such a ridiculous demand. In the end, no matter what happens, you won’t be able to secure any real profit."

  Ryuen analyzed coldly.

  "So, if you actually want to gain substantial benefits, this condition must be modified."

  At this moment, Ryuen was unexpectedly calm.

  "As compensation, we’ll add an extra 3 million personal points as a one-time payment. Otherwise, this negotiation ends right here."

  Hikigaya couldn't help but narrow his eyes as he re-evaluated Ryuen before him. Both were red-haired delinquents, but compared to the explosive-tempered boy from his own D-Css, the difference was night and day.

  As the seconds ticked by, Ryuen’s face remained unreadable, as if he could accept any outcome.

  In contrast, Ishizaki and Ibuki grew increasingly anxious and uneasy. Their mental resilience was far inferior to Ryuen’s.

  Hikigaya suddenly chuckled and started cpping—partly mocking, partly admiring. Then, as if having anticipated this moment, he pulled out another contract.

  It wasn’t much different from the previous one. The 50% deduction of personal points remained unchanged. However, an additional cuse had been added—a time limit: 12 months.

  Originally, the contract had demanded a three-year commitment—36 months. But now, the duration was reduced to just one year.

  Ishizaki and Ibuki’s expressions brightened, but Ryuen’s face darkened instead. His fists clenched so tightly that his nails dug into his palms.

  “And as compensation,” Hikigaya continued, “the additional personal points we just discussed will be included as an attached cuse. However, instead of 3 million, the amount will be raised to 5 million, and the payment deadline cannot exceed six months. If overdue, the same 3.5% monthly interest will apply.”

  Hikigaya finalized the contract details.

  Facing his faintly amused expression, Ryuen took several deep breaths before speaking.

  “Deal.”

  “Ah, right. I almost forgot to mention something.”

  Hikigaya lightly spped his forehead in mock frustration.

  “This contract must be finalized by 8 AM tomorrow morning. If not signed by then, it will automatically become void. Oh, and it requires the signatures of all C-Css students. I assume I don’t need to expin what that means, do I?”

  “……”

  Ryuen’s face turned bck. Hikigaya had completely cornered him, leaving no room for excuses or tricks.

  “Oi, how the hell are we supposed to collect the entire css’s signatures in just one night?!” Ishizaki roared in frustration. This time, Ryuen didn’t stop him.

  “Tch, how is that my problem?”

  Hikigaya shrugged, looking utterly insufferable.

  “If you can’t do it, then I suggest you start praying to the gods that you can pass tomorrow’s test.”

  “You—!”

  “Oh? Praying to the gods? Did I miss something fun?”

  A pyful voice suddenly interrupted.

  A tall figure emerged from the dimly lit alleyway, sounding like she thrived on chaos.

  Unexpectedly, it was Haruno.

  With just a gnce at the tense expressions around her, she seemed to immediately grasp the situation.

  Then, like flipping a switch, she slipped into full drama queen mode, pouting and sighing.

  “Oh my, Hikigaya-kun, how selfish of you! Having such an entertaining situation without inviting me?”

  “In what world is this fun at this hour?”

  “Hmm?”

  Haruno leaned in close to Hikigaya, a teasing smile on her lips.

  “But you’re grinning so much—you’re enjoying this, aren’t you?”

  “I am not!”

  Hikigaya instinctively raised his hand to deny it, but quickly realized he was falling into her trap.

  “Wait… Haruno… you were already here, weren’t you?”

  “Nope~”

  Haruno pursed her lips in mock annoyance.

  “I just finished taking a bath when I got your text. I didn’t even have time to put on underwear before rushing over.”

  “…So…”

  She leaned into his ear, whispering seductively,

  “Do you wanna check if I’m lying~?”

  “Cough! Cough! Cough!!!”

  Hikigaya’s face turned red, and he immediately shut down the topic.

  Haruno, on the other hand, burst into ughter.

  Meanwhile, Ryuen and his group, having watched their btant flirting the entire time, wore dark expressions, cursing in their heads:

  ‘What a disgusting couple of shameless lovebirds.’

  But they didn’t dare say it out loud.

  “Alright, it’s te. Let’s wrap this up and go get some rest.”

  The moment Hikigaya spoke, Ryuen’s body stiffened.

  After several deep breaths, he stepped toward Haruno.

  “…Yukinoshita.”

  “That day at the café, I was in the wrong.”

  “For that, I sincerely apologize.”

  “I feel deep remorse for my actions, and I ask for your forgiveness.”

  Ryuen clenched his fists tightly, his body and head trembling as he bowed at a full 90 degrees in genuine apology.