Ryuuen’s Utter Foolishness

Class B dropping to fourth place was an unexpected delight. Hikigaya had thought they could at least secure third place, but to his surprise, Class D actually surpassed them.

Incidentally, Sudou won the award for the most outstanding first-year student.

From that perspective, Ryuuen's strategy wasn't entirely flawed. In this sports festival, Sudou was undeniably the backbone of Class D.

Unfortunately, that guy didn't know when to cooperate.

Hikigaya had no choice but to give him a little push from behind.

With the closing ceremony over, students were free to leave. Most changed back into their uniforms and headed straight for their dorms.

...

Hikigaya found Ayanokoji in the locker room and relayed Sakayanagi's message.

"Sakayanagi is looking for me?" Ayanokoji seemed genuinely surprised. "Why? I don't recall ever interacting with her."

"What do you mean why…? Didn't I already tell you? Sooner or later, she was bound to come looking for trouble with you."

"But I'm just an ordinary student. There's no reason for her to do that."

"Uh…"

If this were the past—especially right after Ayanokoji made such a spectacle of himself in the relay race—Hikigaya would have given him a harsh dose of sarcasm.

But now was different.

"Yeah, that's exactly what I told Sakayanagi."

No matter how much Ayanokoji pretended to be oblivious, Hikigaya had decided to just go along with it—perhaps with a few passive-aggressive remarks.

"But she didn't believe me. She insists on personally burying you, this 'fake genius.'"

"Bury…?"

"Don't mind that. Just some chuunibyou nonsense." Hikigaya waved his hand dismissively. "I even tried reasoning with her. I told her that even if you're fast, you're still nowhere near as fast as Horikita-senpai, which means you've technically already been 'buried' by him. But she just pretended not to hear me. So, I can't help you there."

Ayanokoji remained silent for a few seconds before asking, "What kind of person is Sakayanagi?"

Without hesitation, Hikigaya replied, "A childlike-looking girl with an overdeveloped intellect and a severe case of chuunibyou."

"That sounds oddly familiar."

"As long as it's accurate, who cares?"

Hikigaya considered adding descriptors like 'self-important,' 'agent of chaos,' and 'trouble-seeker,' but labeling people so blatantly wasn't a great habit, so he let it slide.

"…I don't want to go." Ayanokoji sighed.

"You don't have to."

Just as Ayanokoji looked relieved, Hikigaya continued, "As long as you're fine with her showing up in our classroom instead."

"…I suppose I should go after all."

Even the so-called "masterpiece" couldn't withstand this move. Hikigaya completely understood the feeling.

He had already lost count of how many times that manipulative white-haired girl had threatened him.

After delivering the message, Hikigaya left the locker room, intending to head back.

But before he could, he ran into yet another familiar face in the hallway.

"Dead-eyes."

Ryuuen smirked at him.

"You looked like you were having a blast in the spectator stands. Even after it was over, you just couldn't bring yourself to leave, huh?"

"I was just running an errand."

"Heh, you sure worked hard for someone with a broken arm." Ryuuen sneered. "But I guess that makes sense. It's just your arm, not your legs—doesn't stop you from scheming behind the scenes. Tell you what, why don't you run an errand for me too?"

"No thanks. I'm heading back." Hikigaya rejected him outright.

But Ryuuen ignored him completely and continued, "Bring Suzune to the rooftop. This matter involves you too, and it wouldn't be as fun without you."

"Haaah? I already told you, I have nothing to do with this."

Ryuuen, of course, didn't believe him. He didn't even acknowledge Hikigaya's words before walking away, leaving Hikigaya speechless.

Why wouldn't anyone believe him when he was telling the truth?

Also, stop ordering around injured people!

Don't pick up Sakayanagi's bad habits!

Hikigaya sighed. As much as he didn't want to get involved, this seemed important to Horikita.

…Fine.

Seeing how hard she had been working, he could make the effort. Besides, he did enjoy watching Ryuuen crash and burn.

After sending Horikita a message, it wasn't long before she arrived, limping slightly. Kushida followed behind her.

Weird…

Why did Kushida's expression feel oddly intimidating?

"Sorry for keeping you waiting, Hikigaya-kun," she said with a bright smile. Due to the number of students passing by, she kept up appearances, pressing her hands together in an apologetic gesture.

"…You're coming too?"

"Hmm? Is that a problem?" Kushida blinked innocently. "Since I was involved in this matter too, and Horikita-san invited me, I thought I should come along."

"No, I meant—if you're going, then I'd rather not get involved."

Since Horikita had invited Kushida, they likely had some kind of plan.

Hikigaya figured it was best not to interfere. He just had to pass on the message.

"But didn't Ryuuen-kun say he wanted you there?" Horikita interjected.

"I don't have to listen to him—"

"Oh, don't be shy. Just come with us," Kushida said sweetly.

She suddenly grabbed Hikigaya's arm and leaned in, her smile subtly fading.

"And besides, we have a lot to talk about after this."

"What?"

"Hmph, you know exactly what I mean."

Without explaining further, she dragged Hikigaya toward the elevator. Horikita sighed softly and followed along.

On the rooftop, Ryuuen was already waiting.

When he saw the three of them, he didn't seem particularly surprised. Instead, he smirked.

"Yo, Suzune. Didn't expect you to bring Kikyou along too."

"Kushida-san wanted to be here, so I allowed it," Horikita replied flatly.

"Heh, makes no difference to me."

Ryuuen's nonchalant attitude suggested that he was aware of Kushida's double-agent status.

And it seemed like Horikita intended to make use of that as well.

"Since you called me here, Ryuuen-kun, does that mean you've agreed to my terms?" Horikita asked.

"Oi, dead-eyes."

But Ryuuen didn't even look at her. Instead, he pulled out a piece of paper and waved it in Hikigaya's direction.

That was the contract Class D had signed.

"You went through all that trouble just for this?"

"Not a chance." Hikigaya scoffed. "Your paranoia hasn't changed one bit. I've already told you—I have no interest in class battles, so stop overthinking things. You should know why I went after you this time."

"Heh, who knows why?"

Once again, Ryuuen started acting like he was in his world.

"But whatever. The truth doesn't matter. I wasn't planning on agreeing anyway."

With that, he finally turned to Horikita, a fearless smirk on his face.

"Hey, Suzune. Didn't you say you weren't afraid to take this matter to student council? Fine, I'll play along."

"Ah, that works for me."

Faced with Ryuuen's arrogant attitude, Horikita refused to back down.

At that moment, Kushida spoke up at just the right time.

"Um, how about we take a step back first? There's no need to let this escalate, right? No matter what, taking this to the student council won't benefit anyone."

"Tch, like I care."

"I'm ready to see this through to the end."

Seeing the two still at odds, Kushida let out a helpless sigh.

"Jeez, this isn't getting us anywhere... Horikita-san, you did knock Kinoshita over, didn't you?"

"That was Ryuuen's doing. And now he's trying to blackmail me with it." Horikita refuted immediately.

"But aren't you also using this to blackmail him now? Isn't that the same thing?"

"That—"

Horikita hesitated. Though, it looked a bit like she was just pretending to.

"And Ryuuen-kun, your demands are too excessive. Making someone kneel? That's just outright humiliation."

"Oh? Then what do you suggest?"

"Why don't both sides take a step back?" Kushida proposed. "If Horikita-san pays one million points, we drop the lawsuit and nullify Class D's contract. How about that?"

…So that's what's happening.

Hikigaya finally understood why Kushida was here.

Both sides had asked her to create an exit strategy.

With Ryuuen's personality, there was no way he would, or even could, back down so easily. And Horikita wasn't naïve enough to think that threats alone would make Ryuuen submit.

But deep down, neither of them wanted this to escalate. So, they staged this entire performance.

To Ryuuen, the contract with Class D was already worthless. The only thing left was to squeeze whatever remaining value he could out of it.

To Horikita, retrieving that contract was worth making some sacrifices.

If this went to student council, neither side would get what they wanted—just a huge waste of time and energy, with the added risk of losing.

And now, it was time to negotiate.

"Impossible. I don't have that many personal points."

As expected, Horikita didn't say she wouldn't pay—just that she couldn't afford it.

Ryuuen sneered. "Suzune, one million isn't expensive. You should be grateful I'm letting you keep your dignity."

"Then how about you trade the one million for kneeling instead?"

"Hahaha! When did you become so shameless? I think I like you even more now!"

"Say whatever you want. I can't afford it. The most I can offer is five hundred thousand."

"Five hundred thousand? No way."

Just as the two were at an impasse, a phone suddenly rang.

Ryuuen frowned and pulled out his phone, about to silence it—until his eyes landed on the screen.

His expression froze.

Ignoring the negotiations, he tapped on his phone.

Then, an audio recording played. A chaotic mix of voices.

[Listen up. I'm going to tell you exactly how we're going to frame and crush Horikita Suzune from Class D. You're going to love this.]

It was Ryuuen's voice. He went on to explain the details—how they would stage the incident.

Wait… Did he seriously say all of this in front of his entire class?

What the hell was he thinking?

Hikigaya was stunned. He couldn't even begin to comprehend Ryuuen's thought process.

[I don't mind your plan, but I want a shot at fighting Horikita myself—]

Partway through, Ibuki's voice chimed in. Not that she mattered here.

[During the obstacle race, run alongside Suzune. Just make contact—doesn't matter how. Just make her fall. Then, I'll make sure you get "injured" and squeeze some points out of her.]

By now, the situation was crystal clear.

Ryuuen had explained his entire strategy during a class meeting about the sports festival—and someone in his class had recorded it.

"…Oh. Ohhh. Ohhhhhhh! Hah! This is hilarious!"

Ryuuen suddenly burst into uncontrollable laughter.

"Dead eyes! You know what this means, don't you? There's a traitor in my class! That X already knew what I was planning! Everything—all of it—was in their grasp! Ahahahaha! This is amazing! This is even better than you!"

He ruffled his hair wildly, pacing back and forth like a lunatic.

More than anything else, though, Ayanokoji was insufferable… That guy turned Manabe into his spy.

Watching Ryuuen lose his mind, Hikigaya couldn't help but comment and laugh.

"Hey, Ryuuen. Can you stop acting like you finally met a worthy opponent? Seriously, you don't deserve it."

"Heh. Fine. I lost this time. Laugh all you want." Ryuuen, at least, took it with a surprising amount of grace.

But that wasn't the point!

"I'm not laughing at your failure. I'm laughing at your stupidity." Hikigaya sighed. "Your plan to frame Horikita—putting aside whether it was even a good strategy, why the hell did you announce it to your entire class? At most, you should've discussed it privately with Kinoshita. Maybe share it with your core members. But in front of everyone?"

"Ugh…"

Ryuuen's smirk stiffened. His eyes slowly widened as the realization dawned on him.

"And even if you didn't have a spy in your class, there are always students who might dislike you or suddenly grow a conscience. If anyone recorded this and reported you, you'd be expelled on the spot."

This was even worse than loudly discussing a secret plan.

Horikita and Kushida, who had both been equally shocked by the situation, started looking at Ryuuen with something close to pity.

"…Tch. Dead eyes, I don't need your damn lectures."

Even Ryuuen was struggling to keep his cool under their judgmental stares.

"Don't think I got nothing out of this. Just you wait—I'll find out who did this."

Throwing out some tough words, he snatched the contract from the table and stormed off without looking back.

Well, "stormed off" wasn't quite right. "Fled in disgrace" might be more accurate.

…Wait, so was the contract free now?

Guess he still had some pride left—too embarrassed to keep negotiating.

Maybe I should go easy on him in the future. At the very least, today's incident should probably never be brought up again.

…Sigh.

Hikigaya let out a long breath.

Thinking back to when he had considered using Ryuuen to suppress Class D, he couldn't help but feel suffocated.

Seriously… Was I blind back then?

Good thing Haruno-san had canceled the plan. It would've been impossible anyway.

If I want to bury the "masterpiece" once and for all, I'll have to do it myself.