Steely Resolve

"But... this doesn't feel right."

Caught off guard by the sudden turn of events, Ichinose's thoughts were in disarray, but she knew she couldn't accept such a substantial favor without hesitation.

"Why does it feel wrong?" Hikigaya asked.

"When you helped Class D, was it because you expected something in return? Or was it because you couldn't just watch people struggle without doing anything?"

"…But I failed."

"Those are two separate issues."

Hikigaya dismissed Ichinose's self-criticism. In his eyes, she was completely blameless in this situation.

It wasn't even a case of good intentions leading to bad outcomes. After all, the plan wasn't her idea—she was just assisting in its execution.

This was one of the main reasons Hikigaya decided to lend a hand to Class B.

If possible, he didn't want to see kind people suffer unnecessarily. A lesson learned was fine, but not at too great a cost.

"Anyway, about the uninhabited island...what's wrong with you?"

Hikigaya noticed Ichinose had been silent for a while, taking it as agreement, but when he turned to discuss the matter at hand, he found her staring at him.

"…You're amazing, Hikigaya-kun."

"What are you talking about all of a sudden?"

"It's not sudden. I've been thinking about it since last time." Ichinose lowered her head, her voice barely above a whisper.

"When we were still investigating, you had already figured out the truth. On Saturday, you easily convinced Ryuen-kun to back down. And now… you already know so much before the exam has even started."

"You're giving me too much credit. I stumbled upon the uninhabited island thing by chance, and I'm not even 100% sure."

Despite his words, Hikigaya was confident he was right.

During the last midterm exam, Chabashira-sensei mentioned that during the summer vacation, the whole class would be "living a dream-like life on an island surrounded by the sea."

At the time, Hikigaya had wondered how something that good could be true, and with Nagumo's recent hint, everything fell into place.

An "island surrounded by the sea" clearly referred to an uninhabited island, and a "dream life" probably meant survival in the wild…

What kind of twisted school is this?

And the exam was scheduled during summer vacation!

The more Hikigaya thought about it, the more annoyed he became. Summer vacation was supposed to be a time for students to unwind and forget about school, not to struggle on some deserted island! He had been looking forward to spending a month in his air-conditioned dorm, not braving the elements on an uninhabited island!

"Oh, I really don't want to go," Hikigaya sighed before adding, "But even if it's an uninhabited island, the school wouldn't leave us completely without supplies. You should discuss this with your classmates."

Expecting a group of high school students to survive on a deserted island with nothing was unrealistic.

As long as the school had any common sense, it wouldn't set challenges that were too far beyond the curriculum, and the students' safety would surely be prioritized.

"Hmm... but doesn't that feel like cheating?" Ichinose rubbed the back of his head, looking embarrassed.

Ah, this girl's innocence is almost worrying.

"It's only cheating if you get caught," Hikigaya said, exasperated.

"Besides, gathering information is part of the class competition. Knowing the test questions in advance is just another skill."

"But I didn't do anything…"

"Didn't you help Class D? Consider this your reward."

"…Hmm."

Ichinose still looked troubled, but he eventually accepted Hikigaya's reasoning.

"No matter what, I'm not comfortable taking a million points without earning them," Ichinose said.

"Hikigaya-kun has helped me a lot; at least let me pay back the points slowly."

In truth, Hikigaya didn't care about the points. They were only useful within the school and would be reclaimed upon graduation. Keeping them wouldn't earn him any interest.

Besides, he'd originally obtained the points from Class C, so it was satisfying enough to help someone in need.

However, since Ichinose was insistent, there was no need to argue.

"Then let's consider it a two-million-point reward," Hikigaya suggested. "One million as a down payment, and the remaining million after the exam."

"Huh? But..."

Ichinose's expression was full of surprise as if he hadn't expected such an offer.

"Don't worry," Hikigaya reassured him. "I'll ensure the results will be enough for you to convince your classmates."

Although two million might seem like a lot, it was only fifty thousand points per person in the entire class—hardly a significant sum.

Even if Hikigaya only increased Class B's class points by fifty, the investment would be recovered within ten months, so there was no real risk.

"I see... All right."

For some reason, Ichinose looked a bit downcast.

He probably still felt guilty about troubling his class.

"But Hikigaya-kun, won't you get into trouble for this?" Ichinose suddenly asked, concerned.

"Even though Class B and Class D have temporarily allied, if you directly help other classes like this, Class D might not agree, right?"

"Why would I want them to... wait a minute."

Hikigaya realized he'd just heard something critical.

"You said that Class B and Class D allied?" Hikigaya asked, frowning.

"Yes." Ichinose nodded.

"Since our interests align, Class C is likely to conflict with Class B if they aim for promotion. But confrontation between Class B and Class D should be rare, right?"

What he said made sense. This was the classic strategy of making alliances with distant groups while dealing with closer threats.

Perhaps they would eventually become enemies, but not now.

However, there was a key issue here.

"Who did you propose the alliance to?" Hikigaya asked.

"To Horikita-san."

"…Ah, as I expected."

"Huh?"

Seeing Hikigaya sigh, Ichinose hesitated, then asked weakly, "Um, Hikigaya-kun, do you think it was a mistake to ally with our class?"

"That's not the issue," Hikigaya said, exasperated.

"What's the point of discussing an alliance with Horikita? Or with anyone in Class D, for that matter? Given the chance, those guys would turn on Class B."

Class D was chaotic and lacked a unified strategic goal.

If someone could gain points in an exam by betraying an ally, they wouldn't be blamed—they'd be praised by their peers.

"Anyway, don't be deceived."

"But... eh? What's happening?"

Just as Ichinose was about to say something, she noticed that Hikigaya seemed distracted.

Hikigaya pointed to the side. "Is that your friend?"

"Huh?"

Ichinose followed his gaze and saw a girl with short brown hair standing in the corner, watching them timidly.

"Ah... Chihiro-chan..."

"Seems like she knows you."

Hikigaya observed Ichinose's expression, noting his sudden unease.

What happened between these two?

However, it didn't concern him, so he decided not to meddle.

"Speaking of which, class is about to start. I should get going."

Although he had no concrete evidence, Hikigaya sensed this situation was likely to become troublesome, so he decided to retreat.

But before he could leave, the short-haired girl rushed over, her eyes brimming with tears.

—Wait, could it be?

"Why... why is Ichinose-san alone with a guy?!"

Yep, this is the worst-case scenario.

Hikigaya sighed inwardly, then reluctantly responded, "No, we weren't alone. We just ran into each other."

This girl must be from Class B, like Ichinose.

She didn't seem like someone significant enough to investigate, otherwise, he would've remembered her.

In any case, staying here was only going to cause more trouble. Hikigaya tried to slip away without saying anything, but the girl blocked his path, arms outstretched.

"Excuse me, what's this about?"

"…I still have questions."

If the person blocking him weren't a girl, Hikigaya would've just brushed past. Unfortunately, doing so could easily be misconstrued as harassment.

"Chihiro-chan, stop making trouble."

At times like this, Ichinose needed to step in. But for some reason, she seemed awkward around this girl, not as composed as usual.

"Hikigaya-kun, let me introduce you." Ichinose seemed eager to change the subject.

"This is my... good friend, Shiranami Chihiro, a student from Class B."

There was a strange pause before she said "Good friend," almost as if she hesitated.

"Which part of that is true, Ichinose-san?" Shiranami suddenly asked.

"Huh? What do you mean?"

Shiranami's words were so confusing that not only Hikigaya but even Ichinose didn't seem to understand.

"You told me before that you couldn't accept women romantically, but you still wanted to be friends with me. I was so happy to hear that... but..."

Shiranami's voice trembled as she pointed at Hikigaya.

"But what's going on?!" she shouted, her face twisted with grief and indignation.

"Ichinose-san, you have a boyfriend! I—I'm such an idiot!"

"No! Listen to me—"

"Please don't comfort me!"

Ichinose tried to explain, but Shiranami simply covered her ears and interrupted her loudly.

Is this girl... a hard-core lesbian?

Hikigaya was stunned. He'd often seen Yuigahama and Yukinoshita together back in the Service Club, but this was the first time he'd encountered a real Yuri situation.

What made it worse was that Ichinose didn't seem to have any romantic feelings for Shiranami, yet she also didn't want to completely distance herself from her.

...It's best to get out of here quickly.

Although it might seem like youthful drama, Hikigaya had no interest in getting involved in this twisted version of youth.

"Hikigaya-kun, don't leave me alone!"

But now it was Ichinose's turn to block his exit.

"You're so smart—think of a way to explain this to Chihiro-chan and me!"

"This isn't my problem."

Ichinose first pleaded with a sorrowful expression, but after Hikigaya's blunt refusal, she began to act desperate.

"Please don't leave. You're involved in this now."

"This is so unreasonable…"

When it came to matters of love, even Ichinose, who could unite an entire class, couldn't solve them—let alone Hikigaya, who had zero romantic experience. Seeing the scene unfold, Shiranami's face suddenly twisted in despair.

"How can this be... Ichinose-san is flirting with a man..."

"No, you're seriously misunderstanding."

Hikigaya couldn't help but retort. This girl had been jumping to conclusions from the start and wasn't even listening to what others were saying.

Besides, who would think he and Ichinose were a good match?

No normal person would believe that!

"Listen, we're not dating. Do you think Ichinose would pick a guy like me, with dead eyes, as her boyfriend?"

Hikigaya tried to reason, his voice as calm as possible.

"You're lying!" Shiranami glared at him.

"Don't think I don't know you—you're a two... No, three-timing scumbag!"

"What?!"

Being called dead fish eyes was one thing, but Hikigaya couldn't stand being labeled a scumbag.

Who on earth was ruining his reputation?!

And why did the number of supposed girlfriends seem to keep increasing?!

"Chihiro-chan, stop talking nonsense! It's so rude to Hikigaya-kun!" Ichinose scolded, unable to hold back.

"...You're still protecting him, Ichinose-san?"

"Huh?"

"I... I... I hate you, Ichinose-san!"

With that, Shiranami suddenly turned and ran away, tears streaming down her face.

Faced with this unexpected turn of events, the remaining two exchanged a look and sighed in unison.

Hikigaya would rather face Sakayanagi than get involved in this kind of lesbian drama again.