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

The school library, which should have been quiet, was now quite lively, with students from all grades sitting at the long tables where readers could read.

That's the power of final exams approaching.

"I'm so tired—"

Karuizawa lay face down on the desk, drawing out his voice, his outstretched hands almost touching the exam paper of Hachiman sitting opposite him, and one cheek completely pressed against the desk.

Today, Karuizawa and her old friend Sakura Nagabeya relived the hellish experience of studying for the midterm exams.

Horikita Suzune and Wang Meiyu are the new victims.

"How do you solve this, Hachiman?"

Wang Meiyu, who has pigtails and looks somewhat like a middle school student, is now completely impressed by Hachiman's academic ability. Hachiman can answer all the questions she doesn't know.

"Here..."

Hikigaya took the test paper from Wang Meiyu, and after reading it, just as he was about to draw his conclusion, several uninvited guests stood behind him.

"Zayu, is this your harem? So many cute girls, I'm so envious."

When Hachiman turned around, he saw the petite silver-haired young lady and her three bodyguards.

Besides the veteran, long-legged beauty goddess, there's also a frivolous-looking blond-haired handsome guy and a strong, somewhat intimidating, long-haired, gloomy boy.

"Yo, Hikigaya, I'm Princess Hashimoto Masayoshi's new sidekick."

"Ghost-headed Falcon."

The frivolous blond guy's greeting was just as frivolous as Hachiman had expected, while the gloomy long-haired guy was much more composed in comparison.

"Hachiman Hikigaya, nice to meet you," Hikigaya nodded to the two of them and then looked at Sakayanagi, who was speaking to the little girl, "Want to join? I still have room on my lap."

Hachiman turned to the side and patted his thigh, then got a poke in the lower back from Sakayanagi's cane.

"Wow, he really has guts. No wonder he's known as the fierce-eyed tyrant on par with Ryu Yuanxiang."

Hashimoto, the blond-haired man, spoke in a flippant manner that Hachiman couldn't understand.

What the heck is "Fierce-Eyed Tyrant"? While it's true that both he and Ryuen rule their classes with fear, you can't just arbitrarily add a prefix to Ryuen's title of "tyrant."

"So, is there some kind of trouble, Princess Sakayanagi?"

Hachiman decided to ignore the blond guy.

Any blond guy is bound to be a bad person, and the fact that Sakayanagi could accept being called "princess" by a blond guy without any problem is truly amazing.

"It's very quiet in the library," Sakayanagi said with an elegant smile.

With so many people in the library now, it can hardly be called quiet; it's just not noisy. Hikigaya believes that Sakayanagi was probably referring to the peaceful coexistence between Class D and Class C.

Before the midterm exams, Class C would send students to harass students from Class D who were studying in the library, but now that they are in the same room, they can study in peace.

This can only mean that Class C and Class D cooperated, and the reason for the two classes joining forces is that the positions of the bottom five students at the end of the semester have already been arranged.

As for who can be assigned, it can only be the high-achieving students in Class B.

"Did you get the three classes to unite, you little rascal?"

As expected, Sakayanagi guessed the situation of the three classes joining forces, but Hachiman didn't intend to put on a show for her with Class C, since their partners had already been decided on the day the entrance exam ended.

"you guess?"

Besides ignoring the problem, another way to solve a problem is to create one.

"Hehe." Sakayanagi covered his mouth and chuckled. "No need to be so wary of me. I've handed over the leadership of the class to Katsuragi now. You can only stand in front of me after you defeat him."

Hikigaya wasn't angry that Sakayanagi hadn't treated him as an equal; in fact, he thought it was better that way, as it made it easier for him to set traps for her.

"Can you come up with a million personal points? Little princess, if your group's total score is higher than mine on the final exam, I'll lose two million to you. Otherwise, you just need to give me one million."

Soon after the start of the semester, Sakayanagi realized the importance of personal points and swept through various chess clubs, amassing a considerable amount of personal points. Her wallet was now bulging.

Knowing this, Hachiman set his sights on her little bit of money.

“Don’t gamble with him, Princess,” Hashimoto suddenly interjected. “His partner is Rokusuke Koenji, the top student in Class D.”

How come there's a traitor in Class D who sells information to other classes?

Hikigaya was speechless for a moment, but it was still worth it to get information that there was a traitor in Class D for one million. If he were Hashimoto, he would not have given away the fact that there was a traitor in Class D even if he watched Sakayanagi get scammed out of one million points.

In some special exams, the presence of a traitor in the class can be fatal.

Looking at the frivolous blond-haired handsome guy in front of him, Hachiman roughly confirmed the traitor's gender. There probably wouldn't be anyone with special hobbies in Class D, right?

"How about we bet on our total score, you little nobody?"

Although Sakayanagi is arrogant, she is not stupid. Her partner is Hashimoto, and Hashimoto's academic ability is only in the top five in the class. She would not be surprised if Hachiman's academic ability is higher than Hashimoto's.

After all, her father, Chairman Sakayanagi, was able to bring in Hachiman to participate in her competition with Ayanokouji, so Hachiman must have some exceptional qualities.

"Whose score is it if it's a draw?"

"That's definitely a draw."

"Where has your princess pride gone?"

Even though the chances were slim, Hikigaya still resorted to reverse psychology. It was just a matter of a few words, so why not use it?

"Hehe, so confident. Looks like that's enough for today. Goodbye, little fish."

After saying that, Sakayanagi turned and left, with her followers silently following behind.

"Xiao Ba is becoming more and more like an important person. Sakayanagi-san has such a strong aura. I didn't dare to say anything just now."

After Sakayanagi and the others left, Hasebe imitated Karuizawa's earlier posture, leaning over the desk and looking up at Hikigaya.

"What's there to be afraid of, Sakayanagi? If you slap her, she might start crying." Hachiman tapped Hasebe's head lightly with his finger. "Get up and do your test. You're the worst."

Hasebe had the worst score in this quiz, while Karuizawa, who was originally less academically gifted than her, had now surpassed her by several points.

"Hachi is so strict, Airi, you should talk to him too." Hasebe, clutching his head, bumped into Sakura's large chest and wrapped his arms around her waist. "Airi, you smell so good."

The exquisite beauty with a beauty mark under her eye revealed an expression of enjoyment, and for a moment Hikigaya also had the idea of ​​replacing her. Sakura's magnanimity can only be described as extraordinary.

"Kaka, don't do this!" Sakura frantically looked at Hikigaya with a pleading gaze. "Hachiman."

"Cough cough."

Hikigaya turned his head. He didn't know how to separate the two of them since they were stuck together, and he couldn't force Hasebe apart.

"Karuizawa, come out with me for a moment, I have something to tell you."

Hikigaya tapped the single-ponytail girl who was lazily lounging on the table with her pen.

Chapter Fifty That Damn Yellow Hair

Hikigaya led Karuizawa to a corner of the library against the wall, where there were no obstructions to the view, and he didn't have to worry about any students suddenly approaching and eavesdropping on their conversation.

What caused your conflict with the third-year student?

Looking at Karuizawa in front of him, purely from an appearance standpoint, she was also one of the top girls in the class, and her long ponytail that reached past her waist made one want to stroke it.

"Ah... you know." After hesitating for a moment, Karuizawa decided to tell Hikigaya what had happened.

That day, she and her group were having fun at the Beech Tree Activity Center. During dinner, Mori Nene brought up the topic of Nanami Masaru, the student council vice president who was extremely popular among girls, having a new girlfriend.

Because of rumors that Nagumo had dated multiple girlfriends, the girls gradually shifted their conversation to how long Nagumo's new girlfriends could last without being dumped, and which girlfriend Nagumo liked the most.

Then Karuizawa remembered that Hikigaya had mentioned during a break while teaching her that the person Nagumo cared about most at the school was the domineering student council president, Horikita Manabu.

After she boasted that Nagumo cared most about being the student council president, one of the upperclassmen at the next table stood up with a ferocious expression...

"...Read-yi Yi Ling Yi Qi Wu Jiu Ba...Qing Jingze, what do you want me to say to you?"

Hikigaya never expected that his gossip would backfire on him. Although it's true that Nagumo is very interested in Horikita, it's a bit inappropriate for Karuizawa to reveal it and for Nagumo's girlfriend to hear it.

Hikigaya can understand Nagumo's new girlfriend's feelings. The first-year junior shamelessly discusses that she can hold out for a few months without being dumped, and even says that her boyfriend cares most about a boy.

This happened in front of his own friends; who could resist that?

"Have you apologized?"

"This is in front of Mori Nene and Maya, and the other side started swearing right away, and they're dressed like a 'gyaru' (a type of sexy girl). If I apologize, Mori Nene and the others will look down on me."

Karuizawa turned her head away. How could a girl who played the role of a strong and authoritative "boss" apologize after being told off by an upperclassman?

"So how did it end?"

“She didn’t dare to lay a hand on me in public. She just had a big argument with us and then left after making some threats. And lately, since I haven’t been to the Beech Tree Activity Center, she hasn’t been able to find me to cause trouble.”

"This is difficult," Hikigaya thought with some frustration, glancing at Sakura Miu, who was quietly studying in the distance. "Couldn't Karuizawa learn a little more of their well-behaved personalities?"

Since the girl opposite her is dressed as a glamorous woman, she, like Karuizawa, has an absolutely unyielding stance.

The battle of the hottest girls is terrifying.

"We can't just keep hiding like this, and as long as we don't apologize in front of Mori Nene and Sato, it should be fine." Hachiman sighed.

"I'll make sure you have time tomorrow night so I can take you to a private room to apologize to your senior. If she continues to make a fuss, then I'll help you resolve this matter."

Now that things have come to this, Hikigaya can only play it by ear. If the conditions proposed by the other party are reasonable, he will meet them, after all, it was Karuizawa who brought this upon himself by gossiping.

"I understand," Karuizawa pouted.

She can't always refuse invitations from friends, otherwise she'll automatically lose her leadership position over time.

When Hikigaya thought about going back to his studies, he remembered Hashimoto's situation: "Are there any girls in my class dating boys from other classes, or has anyone become extravagant lately?"

Kushida will be sent to Class B sooner or later. Although Karuizawa is not as capable as Kushida, she is still quite useful among the girls.

So far, none of the boys in Class D have become a suitable center figure. Although Hirata is good in both personality and ability, he is often surrounded by girls, which often arouses the jealousy of the other boys.

Surprisingly, the most popular of all the boys was Yamauchi. Although he liked to brag, he was also very outgoing and could talk to anyone, even a boy who was not good at communicating and was withdrawn.

Unfortunately, his past betrayal had already landed him on Hachiman's expulsion list.

"I haven't heard of anyone dating someone from another class, and I don't know any who are extravagant either."

After careful consideration, Karuizawa gave his answer. Hikigaya didn't care that he didn't get the result he wanted; he could always ask his ace, Kushida.

"Then go back to your studies first, and try to get a high score on the final exam this time." Hachiman used his waist to push off the wall. "I'll prepare a small gift for the one of you three who gets first place."

Although they are all studying, Hasebe and the others have already fallen far beyond the failing grade and lost their sense of urgency. Hachiman hopes they can take it more seriously.

Leaving aside the fact that only those with a B grade or higher are considered combat-ready, as a friend, Hachiman also hopes that they can do better in their studies.

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

After instructing everyone on how to learn, Hikigaya was a bit tired. Back in the dormitory, he lay on the bed like a lazy husband, waiting for Shiina and Ichinose to prepare the meal before they ate.

Rice weevils, so satisfying!

"Are you tired, Hachiman?"

As Hachiman rolled over and lay face down on the bed, he felt two hands pressing on his shoulders.

"Some of them have been quite busy lately." Hachiman rested his head on his arm to elevate his shoulders. "The students in Class B don't seem to have any objections to your arrangements, right?"

"No, everyone is a good kid. Wei even took the initiative to suggest that if we get into the top five, we will use the points we get as class funds."

Ichinose's voice was somewhat proud. As long as Ninomiya Yui and Ichinose didn't underperform, the combination was guaranteed to get one million individual points. The fact that she took the initiative to bring it up showed that she valued Class B as a large group.

One million personal points is a huge amount, worth the equivalent of several months' salary for an average person.

"So how did you handle it?"

A balanced system of rewards and punishments is the right way for a group to grow. Class B will not go far if it only demands individual sacrifice.

If they accept Ninomiya Yui's points this time, the other students in Class B will also think about whether they will be selfish if they don't hand them over when they receive school awards based on their own merits.

Following Ninomiya Yui's example, submitting materials yields no results and reduces students' enthusiasm.

"Of course I disagree. I used to be the student council president, so don't underestimate me, Hachiman."

Ichinose increased the pressure of her massage on his shoulders. "I also collected one million from the rewards given by Class C and Class D as collective funds, and the remaining one million personal points were distributed to the participating students."

"Fonami is great," Hikigaya encouraged. "Do you know anything about Masayoshi Hashimoto from Class A?"

"Hashimoto-kun..."

Ichinose drew out her words, as if she was considering whether or not she should say what she was about to say.

"inconvenient?"

"It's not that it's inconvenient, it's just that there's a kid in the class who was supposedly dumped by him. I didn't even know they were dating before."