With the first rays of winter sunlight, a new day arrived.
That night, Hikigaya slept soundly. The moment he closed his eyes, he drifted into deep sleep until morning.
"…Only 5:30?"
Outside, the sky was still dimly lit.
Checking the time, he realized he had slept for less than six hours. Yet, this time, it wasn't due to insomnia. On the contrary, he felt fully refreshed.
It had been a long time since he slept so well.
"How strange..."
Even though it was happening to him, the shift in his mental state felt quite surreal.
It was still early, and he could go back to sleep, but Hikigaya felt completely awake. So, he simply got up.
After washing up, he sat idly in his room for a while, before an inexplicable urge to go out for a walk hit him.
Well, it wasn't the first time he had felt like this.
Hikigaya never disliked the outdoors—just places with too many people.
If he hadn't come to this school, he might've even considered trying solo camping.
Of course, whether he'd actually go through with it was another matter.
Anyway, since everyone else was still asleep, this was the perfect time to get some fresh air. The morning air was particularly crisp.
…Though, now that he thought about it, he had read somewhere that was actually a misconception.
Mulling over such trivial things, Hikigaya put on his clothes and stepped out of his room, taking the elevator downstairs.
"Ahh—this is nice."
Walking along the empty paths, he couldn't help but immerse himself in the silence.
The best part was that he didn't have to worry about other people's gazes.
Hikigaya stretched lazily, his steps feeling unusually light.
Nothing particularly good had happened, yet his mood was inexplicably high, as if his entire body was filled with a refreshing energy.
This must be what it feels like to be in peak condition.
As he walked, he unknowingly ended up near the sports field.
Unlike the quiet roads, there were some sounds here.
Most of them came from students in sports clubs doing morning practice, including a few first-years.
"Training this early in the morning… must be tough."
Hikigaya idly observed the students sweating on the field, but he had no intention of joining them.
In this cold weather, waking up early was already a form of suffering.
There was no way he could keep up with such dedication.
It was much easier to just watch others work hard.
"Eh? Hachiman?"
Just then, a girl with a single ponytail jogged past and caught sight of him.
No need to guess—it was Kamuro.
Wait… she actually comes here to run every morning? He thought she was just saying that casually.
"…Hey."
"What do you mean 'hey'?"
Kamuro stopped, placed her hands on her hips, and gave him an annoyed look.
"Hachiman, how many times have I told you? Can't you greet me properly?"
"…Good morning, Kamuro."
"Ahh, morning."
Seeing Kamuro's satisfied expression, Hikigaya couldn't help but chuckle bitterly.
Why did it feel like… he was being trained?
…No, more like he was just getting used to it.
"Anyway, why are you up so early today?" Kamuro looked at him suspiciously. "I almost never see you on my way to school… Did something happen?"
"No, I just woke up earlier than usual and felt like going out for a walk."
"I see… Well, if anything's bothering you, you can talk to me."
"…Sure."
He appreciated the concern, but did she really have to treat him like a kid?
That would be embarrassing for Hachiman!
"Oh, one more thing."
For some reason, Kamuro's expression suddenly turned a little strange.
"I heard you've changed your look recently. Is that true?"
"…Who told you that?"
"The girls in my class. You've been quite the hot topic these days."
"You've got to be kidding…"
Just imagining people talking about him behind his back made Hikigaya feel uncomfortable.
These girls had too much free time… Shouldn't they be preparing for the special exam instead of gossiping?
"Well, I probably shouldn't be the one asking this…"
Kamuro scratched the back of her head awkwardly, avoiding his gaze.
"But… did you change your look because you rejected Ichinose's confession?"
After saying that, she quickly added, "Of course, I'm just asking casually. If you don't want to answer, that's fine."
"It's not a big deal." Hikigaya sighed. "I didn't change my look. I just had trouble sleeping a few days ago, so I wore glasses to hide my dark circles. That's all."
"Uh… And the reason for your insomnia… was it because of Ichinose?"
Kamuro's tone was noticeably cautious.
Normally, she wouldn't press like this, but the situation was a bit special this time.
"No, not at all."
Hikigaya shook his head firmly.
"Ichinose was just caught up in the holiday mood and acted on impulse. I don't believe it was real love… In any case, you guys are overthinking this. That's all there is to it."
"Is that so…? Sigh."
Strangely, Kamuro neither looked relieved nor doubtful after hearing that. Instead, she let out a deep sigh.
"I know it's weird for me, of all people, to say this as a 'rival'…"
She fixed her gaze on Hikigaya, speaking each word clearly.
"But, Hachiman, I don't want you to dismiss someone's feelings so easily. How can you be so sure that Ichinose doesn't truly like you? Do you have solid proof?"
"…Yeah, that was my bad."
Hearing that, Hikigaya realized his words had been careless.
No matter what, Ichinose mustered the courage to confess. Saying something like that about her is just too disrespectful.
But… if I don't completely deny it in this situation, wouldn't that just be torture for both of us?
"Ugh, don't get so serious about it."
Seeing Hikigaya's mood drop, Kamuro couldn't help but feel a little regretful—though also a bit awkward.
"As long as you're aware of it, that's enough. That's all I wanted to say… Ah, forget it, just pretend I never brought it up!"
"…Masumi?"
"Alright, alright, stop overthinking it. Just come jogging with me instead!"
With that, Kamuro moved behind Hikigaya, placed both hands on his shoulders, and started pushing him forward.
He immediately protested, unwillingly. "You should just run by yourself. I'm not interested in exhausting myself first thing in the morning."
"Idiot, it's because you don't exercise that you look so lifeless all the time."
"No, I was just born this way."
"Enough nonsense. Just start running already!"
"…Unreasonable."
With no other choice, Hikigaya reluctantly started jogging at a sluggish pace, all the while looking for an opportunity to escape.
He had come out early in the morning to clear his mind, not to suffer like this.
Unfortunately, Kamuro didn't seem to mind his slow pace and stuck by his side the whole time, making it impossible for him to slip away.
"Hey, Masumi, why are you so insistent on dragging me along?" Hikigaya finally complained. "Besides, it's the middle of a special exam right now. If someone sees us together, they might think I'm a spy."
"What nonsense. Our classes aren't even opponents this time."
"That's true, but someone might still suspect that I'm trying to gather intel from you and then sell it to Ryuuen."
If it were Ichinose, that line would probably be enough to make her hesitate.
Unfortunately, that trick didn't work on Masumi.
"Whatever. They can suspect me all they want."
"…Could you at least try to care about your class once in a while?"
"Heh." Kamuro let out a chuckle. "Hachiman, do you seriously have the nerve to say that? Of all people in this school, you're the least qualified to lecture anyone about this."
"W-Why am I not qualified!?"
Hikigaya's face turned slightly red, but he still tried to maintain his stance. "I contribute to the class, okay? I even voluntarily signed up for a competition event this time."
"But I heard from Yamamura that because you refused to take on the role of commander, your class had to randomly pick someone instead."
"That's just a matter of different roles. There's no rule saying that just because I got the protection points, I have to be the commander."
"Yeah, yeah, whatever you say." Kamuro waved him off, unwilling to argue further. "Either way, I'm the same as you. If they need me, I'll go up there. Whether I win or not, though, that's another story."
"You really have no motivation at all."
"Learned it from you."
"…I did not."
Though he refused to admit it, Hikigaya couldn't really refute her either.
After thinking for a moment, he asked, "By the way, who's in charge of strategy for your class this time?"
"Mostly Yamamura. She's gathering information on what everyone's good at," Kamuro answered straightforwardly, not bothering to hide anything.
"Sometimes Katsuragi helps out, but Yamamura is handling most of it."
"I see..."
"Hah, stop pretending," Kamuro suddenly sighed, then gave him an exasperated look. "You just want to ask about Sakayanagi, don't you? Why not just come out and say it?"
"…I wasn't going to ask about her."
"Yeah, yeah, fine, I'm the one who brought it up." Kamuro shook her head with a helpless smile. "That girl? Ever since the voting exam ended, she's completely distanced herself from class affairs. Every day after school, she either goes out to have fun or runs off to the chess club to bully the members there. She hasn't given a single piece of advice for this exam. The only thing she said was that if she's needed, she'll take part seriously—nothing more than that."
"Is that so..."
From the looks of it, Sakayanagi might have felt too ashamed to continue leading her class after almost being expelled. Maybe she was even shutting herself off.
…Wait, why did I say "too?"
Cough! Anyway, Hikigaya didn't think it was that simple.
At first glance, the explanation seemed reasonable, but the problem was that this was Sakayanagi they were talking about.
As if that scheming little gremlin would care about something like "shame."
She was definitely faking it!
Or rather, she was just lying low for now, waiting for the right moment to make a comeback.
"Masumi, if it's not too much trouble, I'd like to ask—Sakayanagi should know that Ayanokoji is our class's commander, right? How did she react?"
"Her reaction, huh..."
Kamuro looked up at the sky, thinking for a moment, then nodded. "Now that you mention it, she did say something a little weird."
"Weird?"
"Yeah, she said you..."
Kamuro suddenly turned to look at him, her expression becoming somewhat strange.
"She said you're a troublemaker who just wants to scare Ayanokoji for fun… What does that even mean?"
"…Ignore her. She's just talking nonsense, acting like she knows me."
What the hell does she mean by scaring Ayanokoji?
The more Hikigaya thought about it, the more annoyed he became. She was talking as if she understood him or something.
Anyone who knew about Tsukishiro's true motives wouldn't have a hard time guessing what tricks he'd pull during this exam.
And with Sakayanagi's intellect, there was no way she hadn't figured it out.
But that didn't mean Hikigaya had to be Ayanokoji's human shield. The world wasn't going to stop spinning just because something happened to that guy.
Besides, even if he owed him a favor—so what?
He simply didn't feel like returning it!
Hmph… scaring Ayanokoji, huh?
Maybe he should just scare him to death this time!
After jogging with Kamuro for over an hour and working up a sweat, Hikigaya had no choice but to take another shower back at the dorm.
By the time he changed into a clean uniform, it was about time to head to school.
Just as he opened his door to leave, the last person he wanted to see appeared right next to him.
"Good morning, Hikigaya."
"...Good morning, Ayanokoji."
No matter how much he disliked the guy, he still had to greet him properly—because that's just how the Kojiki recorded it!
But after that, anything goes.
"Tch. Bad luck."
"What are you even saying?" Ayanokoji tilted his head, confused. "Also, Hikigaya, I can accept you clicking your tongue at me, but calling me bad luck is a bit much, don't you think?"
"Bad luck. Tch."
"I didn't ask you to change the order!"
Ayanokoji sighed, but then he suddenly seemed relieved.
"Still, judging by how you're acting, it looks like you're back to normal. You're even not wearing your glasses anymore."
"I was always normal, okay?" Hikigaya rolled his eyes.
"Sure, let's go with that. So, I assume you're ready to take my place now?"
They walked toward the elevator as they talked.
As the doors slowly closed, Hikigaya spoke up. "Taking over as commander isn't a problem. After all, I do owe you a favor. Not that I'd be in trouble without your help, anyway."
Strictly speaking, Ayanokoji's presence wasn't necessary at that time.
If they had simply locked the broadcast room door from the inside, no one else could have interfered.
If Katsuragi had refused the invitation, they could've found someone else just as easily.
The real reason Hikigaya involved Ayanokoji was to observe Tsukishiro's reaction and test some theories.
In the end, though, it was a pointless move.
Because this exam had already exposed everything about Tsukishiro.
"Either way, as long as you agree, that's enough."
"Don't jump to conclusions just yet." Hikigaya gave Ayanokoji a smirk. "Before I agree, I have something I want to ask. My decision will depend on your answer."
"As long as it's something I can answer."
"Don't play dumb with me. You know exactly what I mean."
Ayanokoji must've perfected his wolf in sheep's clothing act in the White Room. Whether in speech or actions, he always played the weakling, lowering his opponent's guard in every way possible.
Unfortunately for him, Hikigaya was always on high alert against him.
No matter how much he pretended, Hikigaya treated it as manipulation.
"My question is—you're the one who drew the lot for this exam, right? Why did you choose Class A as your opponent?"
Before Ayanokoji could respond, Hikigaya held up a hand to stop him.
"Listen carefully. Think through your answer properly—because my decision to help you depends on it."
"It's fine. I wasn't planning on lying to you in the first place."
Ayanokoji's voice and expression were calm and sincere—almost enough to make someone believe him without question.
"On one hand, as I mentioned that day, if you can defeat Class A, it will ease a lot of concerns when dealing with Nagumo in the future."
"I see... And on the other hand?"
"On the other hand, it's because Class A is a rule-abiding opponent," Ayanokoji said indifferently. "Including Horikita, most people believe it's best to go up against Class C. But I can't agree with that view. Even if Class C's overall strength doesn't seem high, don't forget they have Ryuuen in their class. He's someone who can't be judged with common sense—you, of all people, should understand that best."
"...Hmph, go on."
"In my opinion, when the time comes, Ryuuen definitely won't engage in a straightforward competition. He'll use every possible means to secure victory—like harassing our classmates so that we can't practice properly."
"Heh, you sure know him well."
"Rather than forcing our classmates to waste energy dealing with harassment, it's better to face Class A. That way, even if we lose, there won't be any regrets."
"Maybe so."
Hikigaya smiled, but internally, he let out a small sigh.
"Besides these two reasons, is there really nothing else?"
"At least, I can't think of any. Or do you have another idea?"
Faced with Ayanokoji's puzzled response, Hikigaya simply gave him a cold stare.
As expected… a leopard never changes its spots.
"You know, do you want to hear what I appreciate most about you?"
"What?"
"It's that smug face of yours." Hikigaya sneered without hesitation. "Thinking your little schemes can fool everyone, acting like some enlightened hermit. Just looking at your ridiculous expression is enough to make someone eat three bowls of rice."
"Sorry, I have no idea what you're talking about."
"Sigh, do I really have to spell it out?"
Just then, the elevator chimed and came to a stop.
Hikigaya stepped out, not bothering to turn around as he spoke. "A guy like you, who will do whatever it takes to win, saying you chose Class A because you 'wouldn't regret it even if Class D lost'—don't make me laugh. By the time this is over, you'll probably be expelled. Why would you care what happens to anyone else? Or did you already assume before choosing Class A that I would step in for you?"
"...Can you just get to the point?"
Rather than sounding guilty, Ayanokoji seemed more like he was impatient—eager to confirm whether Hikigaya's thoughts aligned with his own.
"The point is, how do you plan to escape this crisis if I refuse to help you? The only way is to create a scenario where Class D is guaranteed to win—so certain that even if the school helps Class A cheat, they'll still lose... You're planning to take action against them on the day of the exam, aren't you?"