"Although some are quite capable, others are simply unimaginable as high school students."
Horikita Suzune's tone carried a hint of disgust.
She glanced at the labeled PET bottles scattered on the ground and asked, "Did you do all this work alone?"
"Eh?"
Hikigaya Hachiman, who had just returned, looked at her before shrugging. "I guess so."
"It's just boiling water," he added nonchalantly.
As if to prove her point, Horikita Suzune responded, "Class D only needs three people to handle it. But those people can't sit still at all. It's like they can't function without chatting."
Asshole.
Don't underestimate the work of boiling water!
Boiling water is hard work too!
But honestly…
Those people seemed to enjoy gathering together for some unknown reason, as if they would die if they didn't.
Hikigaya understood their type well. That's why he had no problem talking smack about them.
After chatting for a while longer, Horikita Suzune and the others turned to leave.
As Hikigaya watched Ichinose's ever-radiant smile, a strange sense of guilt washed over him.
"...Horikita-san?"
He hesitated before continuing, "Can I speak with you for a moment?"
"Huh? No problem."
Horikita Suzune turned to Ayanokouji and said, "You don't have to wait for me. You can go ahead."
"There's no point in leaving first," Ayanokouji replied expressionlessly. "I'll stay here and observe. Call me when you're done."
Hikigaya sighed and led the way, with Horikita Suzune following behind.
It would be best if he could just sneak away.
Not that escaping was likely—but what if Ichinose simply forgot about him?
Meanwhile, Ayanokouji surveyed the area. His eyes landed on a blond guy who seemed to be working tirelessly.
He looked like Kaneda from Class C.
Then again, Ayanokouji didn't know many people, so he couldn't be entirely sure.
"He seems tired."
Ayanokouji turned to Ichinose and asked, "Aren't you going to help lighten his burden?"
"Oh?"
Ichinose followed his gaze and sighed.
"Like Ibuki-san, Kaneda-san is from Class C. I told him he didn't need to do this, but he seemed embarrassed and insisted on helping."
"That said, thanks to Kaneda-san, Class B's workload is a lot lighter."
"I see."
Ayanokouji nodded slightly.
A battle with zero points?
In this scenario, Class B didn't even need to intervene.
Even if they did nothing, Class C would still fall because Ryuuen had likely already identified their leader.
After all, Ryuuen wouldn't pick someone incapable of carrying out his plan.
If Kaneda observed long enough, he was bound to figure something out.
And Ayanokouji didn't think Kaneda was an idiot.
Meanwhile, Hikigaya and Horikita Suzune walked into a small wooded area, gradually distancing themselves from the others.
"Alright, what is it?"
Horikita Suzune stopped, her expression unreadable. "Just so you know, I'm an eighth dan in Aikido."
Whoa.
Hikigaya's mouth twitched.
He'd read a lot of random trivia and was your typical keyboard warrior—knew a little about everything but nothing in depth.
From what he remembered, the 9th and 10th dan required major contributions to Aikido, so the 8th dan was basically the highest possible rank.
Seriously…
The students at this school were ridiculous. Even Class D had exceptional talents.
But still—
Horikita Suzune might be beautiful, possibly the most beautiful person he'd ever seen.
Yet, who in their right mind would be interested in such a self-important woman?
"Are you taking yourself too seriously?"
Hikigaya leaned against a tree, speaking casually.
"Really?"
Horikita Suzune raised an eyebrow, smirking slightly. "Are you saying you're not interested in me?"
"Ha?"
Hikigaya's face turned red as he quickly countered, "Don't assume that all high school guys think about perverted stuff every day."
There were other things in life.
Like world peace.
Or more realistically—survival.
Of course, there was a time when he dreamt of having a harem filled with beautiful girls.
But he had long since abandoned such delusions.
Girls only cared about good-looking guys, and even then, their relationships were often complicated.
To put it simply—
They were all enemies!
He had learned his lesson. No way was he going to fall for the same trick twice.
"Whatever."
Horikita Suzune didn't seem interested in pursuing the topic further. "So? Why did you want to talk to me?"
"Uh..."
Hikigaya faltered.
That was… a good question.
In truth, he had no reason at all. He just wanted to avoid Ichinose's questioning.
Being asked directly like this made him realize he had nothing to say.
After all—
He had only spoken to Horikita Suzune twice before.
And now that he thought about it, if he went back, Ichinose would definitely grill him.
"Um..."
Hikigaya racked his brain, searching for a topic.
The problem was—he wasn't exactly an interesting guy.
If he were, he would have been more popular in class.
Finding a topic was hard.
"Are you sick?"
Hikigaya finally blurted out, relieved to have something to talk about.
Regardless of the answer, he needed to kill at least half an hour before heading back. Otherwise, it would mess up his lunch schedule.
"What? Of course not."
Horikita Suzune's sharp eyes narrowed in suspicion.
Although she was cooperating with Class B, she didn't trust them completely—which was understandable.
Ichinose was simply too kind.
"Really?"
Hikigaya scratched his head. "You've been rubbing your arms the whole time. Are you feeling cold? That's usually a symptom of a fever."
"Mind your own business."
Horikita Suzune was momentarily stunned before quickly lowering her arms. She replied coldly, "It's just a mosquito bite."
She's totally lying.
But Hikigaya didn't blame her.
In her position, being wary was the natural response. He had just been trying to make conversation.
"There aren't many mosquitoes in Sakurajima, right?"
"This is an uninhabited island," Horikita Suzune retorted. "Try opening your eyes once in a while."
"It's got nothing to do with my eyes."
Hikigaya sighed. "I haven't seen any mosquitoes, and I'm wearing short sleeves too."
Maybe the school had exterminated them in advance.
"I guess your senses are just dull," Horikita Suzune said flatly. "You should withdraw from the exam and get yourself checked."
What nonsense.
Still, if she wanted to waste time arguing, he was all for it.
"I think you might be right."
Hikigaya smirked. "I envy you, though. Must be nice catching a cold in this situation."
"Ha?"
Horikita Suzune frowned. "What kind of nonsense is that? How is getting sick lucky? And I told you—I don't have a cold. If you're done wasting time, I'm heading back."
She's still denying it.
Fine.
If she wanted to keep pretending, he wasn't going to push the issue.
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