41 - Hikigaya faces bullying
"Hmph, I'll let you be arrogant for a while longer."
The dispute finally dissipated when the inconspicuous female teacher of Hyakkaou Academy walked into the classroom holding a stack of thick test papers.
Aiura Kokoro made her threatening remark, then returned to her seat.
As she walked, many people cast questioning glances at Aiura Kokoro, but Aiura calmly nodded in acknowledgment.
With a subtle signal from her, an invisible communication spread throughout the class. Of course, Hikigaya Hachiman and Jabami Yumeko were not included in this information exchange.
Hikigaya Hachiman remained unfazed and pulled out his pen, not even showing interest in observing their signals. He was simply preparing his exam materials on his own.
"Yumeko, what's wrong?" Hikigaya asked.
Jabami Yumeko was tightly gripping her thighs, her face flushed, looking like she was struggling to contain her emotions.
"Hikigaya-kun, you called me Yumeko just now, right~? That's the first time you've called me that."
"Well... thank you for standing by my side earlier."
Hikigaya scratched his nose, feeling regretful about his earlier emotional outburst.
His self-control was still too weak. Just seeing an old enemy after such a long time had gotten him this worked up. He didn't even dare to imagine how he'd behave after sending Mibuomi Aoi to hell.
Still too inexperienced, he needed more practice.
"Don't say thanks." Yumeko turned her back to the class, slowly lowering her hand, gasping heavily and abruptly interrupting, "If possible, Hikigaya-kun, please call me Yumeko from now on!"
"..."
Hikigaya sighed deeply. It seemed that Jabami Yumeko wasn't just excessively addicted to gambling—she also had certain... urges. Did she really think of herself as not a female being?
'She really thinks lowly of me...'
'Over and over again, making these provocative gestures in front of me... In my life plan, pursuing attraction is an option too.'
Hikigaya secretly made up his mind—if Yumeko didn't stop this behavior, he would have to exercise his privileges as a male being and properly teach her what etiquette and propriety meant.
"Be quiet, the October exam is starting now!"
The female teacher wrote the title of the exam on the blackboard, her face serious as she began distributing the test papers.
This was one of the rare days where the teachers of Hyakkaou Academy could actually enforce their teaching authority. "Any cheating will be reported to the student council. No whispering or passing answers. Those who violate the rules will be severely punished!"
This major exam covered seven subjects and lasted for two days. It was one of the few non-gambling days at Hyakkaou Academy. During this period, all gambling activities were prohibited, and everyone was required to focus on their exams.
After the teacher announced the start of the exam, hurried footsteps could be heard from the hallway. When Hikigaya looked up again, he noticed that Saotome Mary was wearing a maid outfit she hadn't had time to change out of, standing out conspicuously.
Hikigaya no longer paid attention to the outside world and confidently opened his test paper.
The first subject was Japanese literature, which was his strongest subject. However, surprisingly, there was a question on Japanese phonetic spelling.
"Based on the previous and following sentences, deduce the sentence, and then, according to its meaning, figure out what should be filled in the blank. Finally, find the corresponding sentence with the same meaning written in pinyin."
Hikigaya's expression became serious. As expected of a school with the highest college admission rate, the difficulty was impressively high. Even he had to take it seriously, reading the complicated pinyin word by word.
Two days passed in the blink of an eye.
Hikigaya Hachiman had, for once, spent two peaceful days.
However, during the exam, there was one person who particularly caught his attention.
It was a girl with long bangs that nearly covered her face, making it hard to see her true features. She had a slouched posture and seemed to lack confidence, curling up as if trying to shrink away. Yet, she was the only girl who handed in her test paper at the same time as Hikigaya.
It should be noted that on exam days, only those who had filled out the entire test paper were eligible to submit it.
This meant that the girl, just like him, was a top student.
Hikigaya squinted, crossed his arms, and seemed to be calculating something.
Finally, when the teacher announced the end of the exam, the classroom erupted. The gambling desires that had been suppressed for two days suddenly burst out, and small groups began forming to settle bets and have friendly matches.
Hikigaya Hachiman, however, unusually approached Suzui Ryota: "Suzui, do you know that girl?"
Hikigaya pointed to the corner at the front of the classroom, where the girl who caught his attention was sitting.
Suzui Ryota was startled by the sudden question. Seeing it was Hikigaya, he hesitated, but quickly explained at a rapid pace: "That's Shimotsukiuri Ouri, a special admissions student like you, Hikigaya-san. She's very good at her studies. Last month, during the big exam, the teacher announced she was first in the class."
"But I don't know her exact score, since due to the exam-based gambling battles, such information isn't publicly disclosed."
"But, I heard..."
"Hey, hey, Suzui-kun~ It seems like you're quite close to Hikigaya-kun, huh~"
Aiura Kokoro's sinister voice rang out, startling Suzui Ryota into a cold sweat. He glanced apologetically at Hikigaya and then lowered his head, quickly walking away from him.
He had a decent reputation in the class, thanks to his previous bullying by Saotome. Now, he was reluctantly taken in by Aiura Kokoro's group.
He knew he had let Hikigaya and Yumeko down, but as an ordinary person, he didn't want to experience the feeling of being bullied again. Moreover, Aiura Kokoro seemed even more domineering than Saotome; she really might make him lick shoes in public...
Seeing Suzui Ryota choose to yield, Aiura Kokoro satisfiedly flicked her curly hair, glancing at Hikigaya with a smug expression. Her arrogant gaze seemed almost alive, as if saying:
"Trash like Hikigaya, look at you now—who would dare speak up for you?"
"Just wait, you and Yumeko will soon be isolated and bullied!"
Hikigaya's heart remained unchanged, and he even felt like laughing. Such childish tactics were ones he had already encountered back in elementary school.
He bore no grudge against Suzui Ryota, nor against the classmates who, like him six years ago, chose to remain silent. He understood that this was the survival rule of ordinary people—keeping their distance from matters that didn't concern them was the best outcome for the bullied.
As long as the root of the evil was eradicated, everything would return to normal.
At this moment, Hikigaya's focus was on the girl named Shimotsukiuri Ouri. It seemed that Aiura Kokoro was relying on her.
However, there was one thing Hikigaya still couldn't understand: even if Shimotsukiuri's results surpassed his, at most it would only result in him and Yumeko losing 600,000 yen.
'What exactly is Aiura Kokoro planning?'
Hikigaya fell into deep thought.