Hachiman Hikigaya, who returned from his studies after completing his training.

Page 8

The two men's stance quickly attracted the attention of the girls. Ichinose and Asako Amakura came over and even pinched their bulging muscles. Chihiro Shiranami and Yume Kohashi also turned their attention to this side.

Amidst Asako's exclamation, "This is what a guy is like!", Hikigaya and Shibata slowly began to exert their strength, testing each other first, both knowing that using too much force at once might cause injury.

His hands were clenched tightly, and the veins on the back of his hands became more and more prominent as he exerted more force. Even as Hikigaya could increase his strength, he could no longer feel Shibata adding any more power.

Seeing Shibata's tense and flushed face, Hachiman could only silently apologize before slowly increasing the pressure and pressing Shibata's hand onto the table. He didn't feel any joy at being able to surpass Shibata in strength after only a month of training; it felt like cheating, and he always felt a little guilty towards the others.

"I lost." Shibata leaned back on the sofa with a sigh of relief, then added, "I'm sorry."

Not knowing what to say, Hikigaya looked at Kanzaki and said, "Why don't you give it a try too?"

"I've already compared myself to Shibata." The implication was that he didn't want to make a fool of himself.

Kanzaki was taciturn, the cheerful Shibata was now in a semi-dead state, Watanabe was not familiar with him, and Hachiman silently picked up his phone and went invisible until the girls got tired of singing.

After asking everyone and no one wanted to continue singing, Ichinose turned off the music and sat down next to Hachiman. This gathering was not only a chance for Hachiman to make an appearance in front of her classmates, but also an opportunity for Hachiman to showcase his abilities.

"If Class B continues like this, they'll never make it to Class A."

After putting down his phone and speaking, Hachiman looked at the expressions on everyone's faces. None of them seemed angry and ready to hit him. If it were a student from Class D, they would have started yelling at him immediately instead of waiting for him to continue.

"The school will rate students' abilities from A to E based on the interview, which are academic ability, physical ability, flexible thinking ability and social contribution respectively. I saw the evaluation of students in each class through the back door of the student council. Class B was the worst, with only Ichinose achieving an A in two of the categories. Other classes had more than three students with A ratings."

Kanzaki found it hard to accept. "This is impossible. Since Hoshinomiya-sensei said that the class division rules are based on student evaluations, then our Class B is definitely better than Classes C and D."

“Even excluding Class D, I have five students who are rated higher than you, two of whom are stronger than Ichinose. It’s just that there are many bad students in Class D, so it looks bad.”

"I feel a little unhappy, especially after Hachiman-kun said that I'm not as good as others." Ichinose moved closer to Hachiman. "So, what advice can Hachiman-kun give us?"

"There are two strategies: one is to strengthen ourselves, and the other is to weaken others. The most effective approach is to raise funds to buy outstanding students from other classes into our own. Kushida from Class D can be your target; she is considering transferring to another class."

Class D is too strong, so they can't compete without them. In addition, Hachiman thinks Class B is more suitable for Kushida than Class D. The students in Class B are all little angels and speak nicely. He hopes that he can reduce the number of times he helps Kushida keep watch.

"Sports festivals are unavoidable when it comes to large-scale school events. If you want to get good grades and earn class points, you might as well start training now. Study sessions shouldn't just be held before exams."

"In terms of intelligence, we should also be careful to conceal our own information and record information about students in other classes, as it may come in handy in future special exams."

The school's exams are all comprehensive ability tests. Even in the sports festival, it's not just about the class with the best athletic ability that wins. By obtaining information about other classes and using a strategy similar to the story of Tian Ji's horse racing, it's possible to win against stronger opponents.

"I always feel that Hikiya... how should I put it, he seems very mature. After hearing what you said, I also have a real sense that the four classes are now in competition."

The one who said this was Asako Amakura. Her hairstyle was the same as Kei Karuizawa's single ponytail, only a little longer than Kei Karuizawa's, reaching just over her shoulders. She had a beautiful face and a tall but somewhat thin figure.

Hikigaya could understand what she was saying. The special exams for dropouts hadn't started yet since the semester had just begun, and most students didn't feel the pressure of competition.

"Now I'm a little curious, Hachiman, aren't you in Class D? Won't Honami-chan be disliked by the other students if she helps us like this? And don't you want to graduate from Class A?"

"I don't care if my classmates hate me, and it doesn't matter which class I graduate from, because I'm capable enough to get into any university I want."

Hachiman, now with his cheat code, is just that confident. Originally, his academic ability would have only allowed him to get into some ordinary public universities, but now, with his enhanced memory, he can even get into the University of Tokyo.

His biggest goal at this school was to become a leader in Class B and try to get Kiyotaka Ayanokouji to drop out through a special exam. If Class B didn't work, he'd go for Class A. But Ichinose did something unexpected, and now he can roughly control Class B without becoming the class leader.

Since he is not a class leader, he will not face resistance from other classes in the first year if he runs for student council president. He may well be able to replace Nan Yunya as the next student council president.

He holds grudges very much, especially against the blond guy.

Chapter Eighteen: Shocking! The Smartest Person in Class D is Actually...

"The exam is tomorrow, how's your review going?"

"This is bad, this is bad!"

"I've decided to study all night tonight."

Class D was as noisy as ever in the morning, because the midterm exams were tomorrow and that was the topic of conversation. Although some people said that things were not good, they still looked relaxed, except for the three silly guys from Class D who did not attend the study session held by Hirata.

Haruki Yamauchi, Kanji Ike, and Ken Sudo were all engrossed in their books with grim faces. They had skipped the study session organized by Hirata, and later, Horikita and Kushida had a falling out because Horikita's words were too blunt. Now, none of the three had any confidence in passing the test.

"Horikita, have you seen Kushida?" Ayanokoji Kiyotaka stared blankly at the empty seat next to Kikyo Kushida, feeling that things had changed. Even Sakura, who always arrived about a minute before the bell rang, was here. Kushida shouldn't be missing.

"No." Horikita, engrossed in her studies, didn't even glance at Ayanokouji.

"I think Yamauchi and the others are in a tough spot. How can you still study quietly?" Ayanokouji continued to press. "Didn't you say you wanted to lead the class to A-class? I don't know if dropping out will deduct class points."

"I've checked, it's not possible."

"That guy Sudo was really useful at the sports festival, wasn't he?"

"Ring, ring, ring - ring, ring -"

The bell rang for class, and Ayanokouji couldn't continue asking questions. She just glanced at Kushida's seat again, which was still empty.

at the same time,

Kushida Masami lay on his bed in the dormitory, playing on his phone. On his desk were more than a dozen test papers from different subjects that he had already taken. These were the quizzes and midterms that the second-year students had taken when they were first-year students. Some of the quizzes were exactly the same as the ones that the current first-year students had taken last time.

This was given to me by Kiyotaka Ayanokoji.

"Serves you right for using me! Serves you right for using me!"

"I'll screw you over."

As she spoke, Kushida's two shapely, snow-white legs bounced up and down happily. Although she was tempted to show off her archaeological papers in front of the class, it was also nice to trick that gloomy boy, Ayanokouji, since it was Hikigaya's request.

Taking a day off to rest from illness and not having to attend classes makes me feel much happier.

.....

"Hachiman, you seem really happy." As soon as get out of class ended, Sakura Airi struck up a conversation with Hikigaya. She could sense that Hikigaya was quite excited today.

"Because I set a trap for someone I hate." Hikigaya looked towards Ayanokouji's location, and Ayanokouji's gaze as he looked at his phone became even more profound, as if hiding unfathomable darkness.

Last night, upon learning that Ayanokouji had guided Kushida to buy the second-year archaeology exam papers and intended for Kushida to publicly appear in her name to save the three idiots from expulsion, he knew his chance had arrived. Because Ayanokouji was a cunning old fox who liked to stay behind the scenes, he had always wanted to trick him, and now he'd finally shown his true colors.

By this time, Ayanokouji should have already received the text message he asked Kushida to send, which said that she had a fever and couldn't get out of bed, so she could only stay in bed. The task of showing the archaeological scroll to everyone, which Ayanokouji had asked him to do, could only be done by himself.

He doesn't have many choices now. His only friends are Kushida, who wants to be friends with everyone, and Sansa. He has to tell everyone about the archaeological exam. If Sansa drops out of school, his situation will be dangerous. The four of them are at the bottom of the class. If Sansa drops out and there is a special exam where people vote to drop out, he will be in danger.

Moreover, if he doesn't reveal the existence of the archaeological scroll, Kushida might turn around and accuse him. Knowing about the archaeological scroll but not telling his friend would definitely make him disliked by the whole class.

"Ah...I see." Sakura slumped onto the table, unsure how to respond. However, she still believed that Hikigaya was a kind person, and that setting a trap for someone must be because that person was a bad person.

When Ayanokouji stood up from his seat, Hikigaya also stood up and approached Hirata to chat before Ayanokouji could, then kept him chatting until class started.

After these two exchanges, Ayanokoji also discovered that Hikigaya was targeting him.

During the break before the last class, Ayanokouji couldn't help but turn his attention to Horikita Suzune, but Horikita remained unmoved, just like before class in the morning, ignoring even his mention of the archaeological scroll.

Horikita Suzune was also bribed. Ayanokouji made a judgment: the mastermind was, without a doubt, the dead-eyed guy who was chatting with Hirata. Kushida and Horikita were at odds, so the mastermind who could reconcile the two of them to frame him must be a third party.

Hachiman Hikigaya, what exactly are you trying to do?

With this question in mind, after the fourth class ended, he had to hurry to the podium and say, "Everyone, don't go yet, listen to me. I accidentally found a way for everyone to pass the midterm exam."

Before Ayanokouji could continue, Hikigaya slammed his hand on the table and stood up, “I, the student council secretary, Hikigaya Hachiman, would say that your IQ is the highest in the class.”

"I just happened to be lucky enough to discover it..."

“My judgment of people is never wrong. You were definitely not discovered by chance; you are a genius,” Hachiman interrupted again.

"I'm sure Ayanokouji is a very capable guy; he's just hiding his strength." Horikita stood up and added insult to injury. She hated people who had the ability but didn't use it. As soon as Hachiman asked her, she immediately agreed to help.

“…” Ayanokouji almost lost his composure. When did he offend Hachiman and make such a big grudge? He just wanted to be an ordinary student, so why did they have to throw him into the spotlight?

"Let's not discuss this issue for now. Ayanokouji-san, why don't you tell us how everyone can pass the midterm exam?" Seeing this situation, Hirata quickly stepped in to smooth things over.

Of the four regulars at Hachiman's dormitory, only Hirata was not informed of the plan by Hachiman, because he wouldn't wait for Ayanokouji to step forward before giving the archery questions to the underachievers in Class D, or he would simply comply with Ayanokouji's wishes and let him hide behind the scenes.

Although this time the hostility was exposed to Ayanokouji, Ayanokouji was forced to step into the limelight and attract the attention of many classmates. They were also a little wary of Ayanokouji, who was hiding his strength.

Ayanokouji used numerous words of accident and luck to reveal the existence of the archaeological questions to everyone. The fact that the last three questions on the quiz before the midterm exam were clearly beyond the syllabus was a hint that the archaeological questions existed.

After all, seven students in Class D failed the quiz on average. The school didn't want to drop out of nearly a quarter of the class so soon after the start of the semester. This was the only act of mercy the school showed, so there wouldn't be any unanswered questions on the final exam.

Hikigaya took out his phone, suppressing a laugh, and snapped a photo of Ayanokouji on stage. He then sent it to the leaders of other classes with the caption, "Shocking! Class D's top IQ student has discovered a way for everyone to pass the midterm exam."

Chapter 19 Sakayanagi Arisu and Kamuro Masumi

Hachiman received a reply shortly after the message was sent to all class leaders.

Ichinose: I think he's even better than Hikiya-kun. Let's have lunch together [smiley face].

Long Yuanxiang: Interesting.

Katsuragi: I'll be careful.

Sakayanagi: Hikigaya-kun is a pleasant surprise. It's been a long time since we last met. I'll be waiting for you in Parette at 7 p.m.

Parette is a popular cafe on campus, and most of its customers are girls. Boys wouldn't want to go in without a female friend.

[Sorry, I already have plans with a friend tonight.] Hikigaya felt a sense of unease upon hearing Sakayanagi's invitation to meet. He immediately declined and decided not to open Sakayanagi's chat window again. As long as there was no problem with the message not being read and replied, he could use the excuse of not seeing it.

Hikigaya wanted to refuse Ichinose's invitation, but he had to eat at the cafeteria eventually, and it would be more troublesome to run into him alone, so he decided to agree.

After replying "OK" to Ichinose, Hikigaya also left Ayanokouji, who was surrounded and questioned by the three idiots, to pick up his nominal girlfriend from Class B and take her to the cafeteria. Then, they ate together under the piercing gazes of many students.

After finishing their meal and returning to the classroom, Sudo and the others were already munching on bread and memorizing the archaeology exam papers they had just photocopied. There were five subjects in total, and the exams were tomorrow, so time was very tight.

"I'll circle the easy, high-scoring questions for you to memorize first." Hikigaya took a few archaeology papers from Sudo's desk and circled the easy, high-scoring ones for him.

Sudo looked touched. "You've been a huge help, Hachiman. You're such a good person."

Although he has a fiery temper, Sudo is not a bad person. He will stand up for his classmates when they are bullied, and he will never bully others just because he is tall.

"Please ask for leave from the club activities this afternoon. Tomorrow, go to the classroom two hours early to do a quick review of the subjects you need to take in the morning before the exam. I will also come early to help you fill in any gaps in your knowledge."

"Okay." Sudo shyly scratched the back of his head, feeling a little flustered by the sudden concern. "You really don't want me to drop out, Hachiman?"

"Go memorize your questions."

While answering the questions, Hikigaya kept circling the high-scoring and easy-to-memorize questions with his hand. He knew that it was his actions that had tricked Ayanokouji that reduced Sudo's time to memorize the questions, and he had an obligation to make amends.

.............

Students' rooms usually have their own favorite decorations or wall paintings, but Hachiman's room hasn't changed much since the beginning of the semester, except for the addition of three soft beanbag chairs filled with foam.

When not in use, they can be stacked up and placed in a corner without taking up much space. Hachiman is quite satisfied with them, as it's not good to always have visitors sitting on the bed or the floor.

Are there any students in Class D who enjoy reading as much as Hachiman?

Shiina Hiyori, exuding a gentle aura, leaned lazily against a beanbag chair like a resting cat. Her soft, long silver hair was swept in front of her, tied up with a beige headscarf, and her slender legs, encased in silver-gray pantyhose, stretched out on the floor.

Since the day he traded information with Ryuen, Shiina and Hikigaya have become book lovers. Sometimes they read together at the library, and sometimes Shiina would bring books to his door to share her reading experiences.

Do you like reading? The image of Horikita Suzune, who was always reading, immediately came to mind. It seemed reasonable to imagine Horikita and Shiina reading together.

“There’s a classmate named Horikita Suzune, but she’s a bit withdrawn and not easy to get along with.” Hachiman stretched. “I’ll invite her to the dorm tomorrow after the exam and introduce her to you.”

"This isn't a good idea. I've met Horikita-san before, and she doesn't seem to want to make friends at all." Horikita Suzune is too aloof for Shiina to win over, and Shiina herself isn't confident in her communication skills.

In Shiina's eyes, Horikita Suzune was like a thorny highland flower, beautiful but unapproachable.

"I'll have to be understanding of her, Shiina-kun. I hope you can become her first friend."

"The first one?!"

“That’s right, according to her, that girl has never had any friends since elementary school.”

"Elementary school!? I don't think I can do it, Hachiman-kun."

"I have complete faith in Shiina-kun, and I'll help you too." Hachiman turned his head and looked seriously at Shiina's slightly surprised and cute face. Faced with Hachiman's deadpan expression, Shiina immediately gave in and agreed to his suggestion.

This was the first time Hachiman had asked her for a favor, and although she was scared, she was also a little happy.

"Dong dong dong."

Just as Hikigaya was happy that the president's precious little sister was about to grow up, there was a knock on his door. Kushida had a room key, and Hirata and Ichinose had all contacted him in advance and obtained his permission before coming, so the people outside couldn't be them.

"Interesting Hachiman, could you please open the door? I've come to visit you as arranged."

The female voice was elegant yet slightly aloof. In this school, Hachiman knew only one silver-haired kid with such a voice—Sakayanagi Arisu.

He took out his phone and opened his chat with Sakayanagi. He saw her saying she would come to his dorm to visit, which was unreasonable. He thought she was acting like a spoiled princess. He decided to pretend he wasn't there.

"If you don't open the door soon, I'm going to kick it down. If someone sees us, there's nothing I can do."

"Coming, coming!" Hachiman responded immediately.

What a joke! If people saw a famous beauty like Sakayanagi visiting him, would they even be allowed to live? Those bastards from Class D would definitely pester him with all sorts of questions.

In two quick steps, Hikigaya swiftly opened the door, revealing not only the wretched brat Sakayanagi, but also a beautiful, tall girl with cute hair clips in her bangs.

"Hehe, I thought Hikigaya-kun would struggle a little longer." Sakayanagi smiled slightly, his eyes narrowed, and walked into Hikigaya's room like a hostess, with the tall and beautiful girl following closely behind like a bodyguard.