Early December arrived, and with it, the matching exam officially began.
Hikigaya had already submitted the Mandarin test questions designed for Class B. It was only natural for a subordinate to complain about their superior. No matter how powerful Ichinose was, he remained the leader of Class B, and the tasks he assigned had to be completed. That’s just how things were—unless you were willing to resign. The lack of power to resist authority is the tragic fate of all social animals.
"The final exam is up next," someone said as the students took their seats.
"The first session of the Chinese language test officially begins now," Hoshinomiya announced.
As the sound of her voice marked the beginning, Hikigaya turned over the test paper laid on the table in front of him. During the preparation period for these exams, their group had also been organizing study sessions.
Strictly speaking, even though Menlai and the others spent most of their time chatting rather than studying, having people around to answer questions was still better than pondering over problems alone. On top of that, Hikigaya remained available to help Asako Okakura and others with humanities subjects.
Whether that was a good thing or a bad thing, he wasn’t sure.
Still, there were free cookies to enjoy.
That had to count as a net positive, right?
Time flew by, and before they knew it, mid-December was here.
Strictly speaking, the study group had only been a temporary alliance formed to tackle the exams. Now that those exams were over, it was only natural for Menlai, Hiyori, and Komachi to return to Ichinose’s circle.
It made sense. That was normal.
Even so, Menlai and the others still occasionally dropped by the "Wool Department" with Juke to visit him—an empty nester.
Hikigaya had gotten used to it.
After school one day, he packed up his schoolbag and prepared to leave. Winter vacation was approaching fast, and the results of the final exams would probably be announced on the last day of the term.
"Hikigaya, are you heading back already?"
"Oh."
It would’ve been too rude to ignore it, so Hikigaya casually replied and left the classroom without hesitation.
Lately, he had begun to notice something.
He seemed to be turning into the same type of person as Kanzaki from Class B. Quiet, but reliable. More and more people had started greeting him these days. It was probably thanks to Menlai and the others—always speaking too positively and probably bragging to Ichinose about him.
Not that he minded.
Secretly, Hikigaya felt a bit proud. Even if his expression stayed stiff, inside he was pleased. After all, being complimented wasn’t a bad thing.
He had even started smiling to himself at the thought of being praised behind his back.
Still, it was also a bit troubling.
If things kept going this way, people might start turning to him for advice about exams. They might even ask him to help lead the class alongside Ichinose and Kanzaki.
Because that’s exactly how Ichinose had been pushed to the center stage by Class B.
It wasn’t like Hikigaya didn’t want to contribute to the class. Climbing up from Class B to Class A would benefit him, too. Even a few extra thousand yen in monthly allowance would be nice.
But...
That’s assuming he actually had the strength to make that happen.
Hikigaya knew himself well enough to understand that he didn’t have what it took to fight against people like Sakayanagi, Ryuuen, or Horikita Suzune.
If it came to that, he might as well surrender.
The higher you rise, the further you fall.
Promotions weren’t always a good thing.
Hikigaya had already learned that painful lesson. He no longer wanted to keep up with the expectations of Menlai and the others.
On his way home from school, a tall, broad-shouldered young man with shoulder-length yellow hair walked past him. He wore a calm, elegant smile and moved with a natural ease that seemed to defy the laws of physics. Even when walking normally, he moved as if he were on fast-forward.
Behind him followed Ryuuen, Ishizaki, and a few others.
Hikigaya watched the scene with mild confusion.
Wasn’t Ryuuen ousted from leadership in Class C? Why was he now following someone else? And who was that yellow-haired guy—Huko?
Anyway, he was blonde. That alone made him seem suspicious.
"I heard Ryuuen is trying to find the hidden suspect X in Class D," said Kanzaki, who had suddenly appeared behind Hikigaya.
"Whoa!" Hikigaya flinched.
Don’t sneak up on people like that. It’s scary!
Still, Kanzaki had always been close to Ichinose. He might be considered half a loner in Class B, but he wasn’t antisocial. In fact, Hikigaya felt that Kanzaki’s sociability wasn’t because he enjoyed it, but because it was a skill he deemed necessary at this school.
If Kanzaki had been enrolled in a normal high school, he probably would’ve been an unnoticed student, quietly doing his work without fuss.
An excellent social animal!
"Not going to the Wool Department today?"
"Nah, it’s too cold," Hikigaya replied nonchalantly. Communicating with a fellow social beast didn’t take much effort.
The Wool Department had been established back in April. At the time, they had requested a bunch of equipment—an elevator, treadmill, camera, etc. But it had been warm back then, so no one thought to ask for a heater.
Now that winter had come, Hikigaya had stopped going.
It was just a club for mooching off supplies, anyway. Skipping it now and then wouldn’t hurt.
Technically, he could still apply for more equipment. But Hikigaya had no desire to turn into someone like Huko.
The type of boss who smiled on the outside while quietly holding grudges, or who expected bribes and favors before doing their job properly.
"I see. Then I’ll head out. See you tomorrow."
"Yeah."
With that, Kanzaki left.
Honestly.
This was how things were at Advanced Nurturing High School.
Everything came down to strategy, reputation, and invisible pressures. And somehow, Hikigaya had found himself in the middle of it all.
Still...
He had cookies.
Not such a bad deal, right?
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