Chapter 257 083: The Class That Can Be Sacrificed Could Be Year 2 Class A! Nagumo: ? Hater, say something!

After school, Hachiman did not return directly to the dormitory. He crossed the playground and walked toward the Student Council office. The setting sun stretched his shadow long, casting it onto the red track, swaying gently with his stride. The corridor was very quiet; at this hour, most students had already returned to their dorms or gone to the cafeteria, with only the occasional student from a club activity running past, their footsteps echoing in the empty hallway.

When he pushed the door open, there were already two people in the Student Council office. Horikita Manabu was sitting in the president's chair, with several documents spread out in front of him, holding a pen and writing something. He had changed out of his uniform into a white shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, revealing his well-defined forearms. He looked no different than usual—composed, calm, and expressionless.

However, Hachiman noticed that the pen in his hand paused longer than usual, as if he were pondering something.

Nagumo Miyabi leaned against the vice-president's chair, legs propped on the edge of the desk, twirling a pen. His expression looked more relaxed than usual. His gaze swept back and forth between Hachiman and Horikita Manabu, and then he said, "Hikigaya-kouhai, you're late today."

"I was delayed on the way." Hachiman walked to his seat and sat down, placing his book bag on the edge of the desk. "President, did you meet the new acting chairman today?"

Horikita Manabu put down his pen and leaned back in his chair. "I did."

"How was it?"

Horikita Manabu was silent for a second. He adjusted his glasses and then spoke in a calm voice. "He is a middle-aged man with squinting eyes. He was smiling the whole time, but he gave me the feeling that he isn't easy to get along with."

Nagumo made a soft "tsk" sound to the side. "Squinting eyes... I hate those the most. You never know what they're thinking." He took his legs off the desk and leaned forward. "What did he say?"

"Nothing special," Horikita Manabu said. "Just that he's newly appointed and needs to familiarize himself with the school's situation, and he hopes the Student Council will cooperate with his work. He was smiling the entire time." He paused. "But he asked about the grades of the first-year students."

Nagumo's eyebrows twitched. "The first-years?"

"Yes. He asked what the current class evaluation scores are for the four first-year classes, what the dropout rate is, and whether there have been any dropouts." Horikita Manabu's voice was calm. "I said no. He nodded and said, 'Is that so?'"

The office was quiet for a few seconds.

Hachiman did not speak. His mind was racing—Tsukishiro asked about the four classes, asked about the dropout rate, asked if there were any dropouts. He wasn't concerned about the first-year students; he was actually confirming information about Ayanokouji. He wanted to know if Ayanokouji had shown the strength of the White Room in this school and if he had attracted enough attention. If not, he would have to find a way to create an opportunity.

Or rather, this was perhaps an answer he already knew, because Tsukishiro had arrived at Advanced Nurturing High School two months earlier than in the original timeline. And it was because Ayanokouji hadn't shown his strength.

Hachiman's fingers tapped gently on the edge of the desk.

He recalled the description of Tsukishiro in the original work—at that time, both he and Ayanokouji's father were the right-hand men of Naoe. Naoe had once participated in the election for Prime Minister, only to give up after subsequent political struggles failed. After Naoe's downfall, Tsukishiro defected to Ayanokouji's father.

Such a person, capable of becoming a politician's right-hand man, naturally has sophisticated methods. Some readers even speculated that Tsukishiro had done some dirty work for Naoe, perhaps even assassinating political rivals. Therefore, he was entirely a full-fledged adult who would stop at nothing.

"And then?" Hachiman asked.

"Then he said that for this month's special exam, he would personally participate in the review." Horikita Manabu's gaze fell on Hachiman. "The teachers resisted for a day, but in the end, they compromised. Tsukishiro brought out a second version of the plan—two students from each grade would be expelled. A total of six people."

Nagumo's fingers stopped on the desk. "Six people? Two from each of the three grades?"

"Yes," Horikita Manabu said. "The plan has been set. It will be announced tomorrow."

The office went quiet again. Three grades, two dropouts per grade. This school has a total of twelve classes, each with about 30-40 students. According to this ratio, the dropout rate is not high, but it's not low either. What is truly concerning is—this is the first time an exam result has been directly interfered with by the Acting Chairman. Previous dropouts were because students didn't test well, or were the result of rules. But this time, someone is deliberately creating dropouts. It can almost be confirmed that Tsukishiro is declaring to everyone—I am the one in charge of this school now.

"Nagumo-senpai," Hachiman spoke up, "what are your thoughts on the dropout situation?"

Nagumo leaned back in his chair, hands behind his head, as if thinking about something irrelevant. "Accept the school's arrangement." His tone was very light. "Anyway, my homeroom teacher went to protest this morning and didn't succeed. Since we can't stop it, we can only cooperate."

Hachiman looked at him. "How many people are currently in Year 2 Class A?"

Nagumo's fingers paused. "Twenty-six."

"If two more drop out, there will only be twenty-four left."

Nagumo didn't speak. However, there was a problem with Nagumo's words. Because Year 2 Class A originally had forty students, and now only twenty-six remained. If two more dropped out, only twenty-four would be left. In a class of forty, a 40% dropout rate. So, this is no longer in the realm of "normal attrition." It is likely that some classmates who opposed Nagumo were also forced out by Nagumo. That's why such a sparse number remained.

In the corner, Kiriyama Ikuto sat at his desk, having said nothing. His expression was silent, like a statue. When he heard "two dropouts per grade," his brow twitched slightly, but he still didn't speak.

Hachiman's gaze fell on him.

Kiriyama Ikuto is the class representative of Year 2 Class B and one of the most silent vice-presidents in the Student Council. Since his class fell from Class A, he has been trying hard to climb back, but has yet to succeed.

However, Hachiman knew what he was thinking—he was likely thinking, "If someone must drop out, can we make that person drop out?"

And that "person" was Kiryuin Fuka from the original work. Kiryuin Fuka abstained during the Sports Festival and was completely uncooperative in ordinary class activities; Kiriyama, as class representative, had no way to deal with her.

She had the ability but was unwilling to contribute to the class. If someone had to be expelled, she was the best choice. Kiriyama was probably calculating whether he could push her out during this inter-grade exam. And Kiryuin-senpai was likely similar to a female version of Koenji. So, is it better for Koenji to drop out? Or not to drop out? The answer is obvious. Therefore, Kiriyama's perception and vision were insufficient, perhaps even inferior to Katsuragi's.

However. Since it was this inter-grade exam, having read the original, he speculated it was probably the inter-grade Forest Camping Exam from the original story, where Nagumo linked up with Year 3 Class B to attack Year 3 Class A, leading to Horikita Manabu's major defeat. But. Hachiman had also exchanged messages with Horikita Suzune this morning. As long as it was permissible, he was willing to help Horikita Manabu. So.

Hachiman straightened up from his chair and looked at Kiriyama. "Kiriyama-senpai, since it is an inter-grade exam and involves dropouts, if Nagumo-senpai drops out, wouldn't your Year 2 Class B have a chance?"

The office was quiet for a moment. Kiriyama raised his head and looked at him. His eyes were first filled with surprise, then contemplation, and finally a realization of "I have never thought in this direction."

So, he was silent for a few seconds, and then slowly spoke. "Indeed."

??? No! Ah?

Nagumo's expression stiffened. He put down his propped legs, sat up straight, and stared at Hachiman, his expression much more serious than before. "Hikigaya-kouhai, are you trying to sow discord?"

"Not sowing discord," Hachiman's voice was calm, "but stating a fact. In an inter-grade exam, dropout is the objective. Since someone must drop out, why wouldn't it be the person who poses the greatest threat to you, Kiriyama-senpai?"

Nagumo's brow furrowed. He certainly understood Hachiman's meaning. If Kiriyama really decided to target him in this exam, his layout for the second year would have problems. He had spent nearly a semester turning Year 2 Classes C and D into his own people, leaving Class B isolated and helpless. But if Kiriyama united with other grades to attack him during the inter-grade exam, he might lose. He didn't want to lose, and he didn't want to drop out. He wanted even less for Class B to have any chance of a comeback.

"Hikigaya-kouhai," Nagumo's voice slowed down, "do you know what you are doing?"

"I do," Hachiman said. "I am reminding you. This exam is not just your exam, it is everyone's exam. If you don't take it seriously, you will be swept into it."

Heh. Nagumo stared at him for a few seconds, then turned his head away without continuing the conversation. In reality, he was swearing inwardly.

Hachiman quickly calculated the current scores of the second year—Year 2 Class A 1655 points, Year 2 Class B 1011 points, Year 2 Class C 740 points, Year 2 Class D -290 points. The gap between Class A and B was over 600 points, and Nagumo's position seemed very stable.

But the inter-grade exam changed the rules; high grades could affect low grades, and low grades could affect high grades. In particular, since this is an exam dominated by Acting Chairman Tsukishiro, perhaps he wants Ayanokouji to stand out, so he might increase the rewards and punishments for evaluation scores.

Therefore If Kiriyama really did something in this exam, it was not impossible for Nagumo's Class A to be pulled down.

Horikita Manabu sat in the president's chair, never interrupting this dialogue from beginning to end. He just listened quietly, watching Hachiman and Nagumo clash, watching Kiriyama's

expression change from silence to contemplation, and Nagumo from indifferent to nervous. He waited for a while, then spoke.

"Hikigaya, you're right. The inter-grade exam changes the landscape. Previously, each grade fought on its own, but now different grades can influence each other." He paused. "But your statement isn't complete. This exam is not just a matter for the second year, nor just the first year. It is everyone's matter."

Hachiman looked at him, waiting for him to continue.

"Although the scores for the third year are also stable," Horikita Manabu's voice was calm, "if the scope of the exam is too large, then even my class is not absolutely safe."

One must know, he is Horikita Manabu, the powerhouse who led his class to remain Class A for three consecutive years. And now he actually feels it's not very stable? Or rather, he feels that Acting Chairman Tsukishiro is making people feel unstable.

He supports meritocracy, but not the kind where the school is treated as one's own property, preference, or manipulated object.

So he looked at Hachiman. "What are your thoughts?"

Hachiman was silent for a few seconds. "I need to see the specific rules of the exam first. Then, within the scope permitted by the rules, I will find the optimal solution."

Horikita Manabu nodded. He knew that by saying this, Hachiman was indicating that once the rules were out, even if there was a certain risk, Year 1 Class A would support them. So his Year 3 Class A would be fine. Of course, this is not to say he was timid; even if there were a temporary setback, he could lead the class to take it back. However, what he worried about was unfair, chaotic exams disrupting the existing system.

"It will be announced tomorrow. We will talk then," Horikita Manabu concluded.

Nagumo leaned back in his chair, arms crossed over his chest, saying nothing. His gaze fell on the sunset outside the window, his expression looking like he was thinking about something. Kiriyama also didn't speak; he sat in the corner, head bowed, like a statue. The office was quiet for a while, with only the occasional bird chirping from outside the window.

Hachiman stood up. "Then I'll head back first."

Horikita Manabu nodded. "Yeah."

Hachiman picked up his book bag and walked toward the door. When he reached the door, he stopped without looking back. "President, when Acting Chairman Tsukishiro told you to 'cooperate with his work,' what do you think he meant?"

Horikita Manabu was silent for a second. "I don't know. But whatever it is, it won't be anything good."

'Heh.'

Hachiman did not continue to ask. But he already understood.

Chairman Sakayanagi should be clear about what kind of person Tsukishiro is, so he sent a message to remind him to help protect his daughter.

However Hachiman felt that the person currently truly targeted by the Acting Chairman was not Sakayanagi Arisu, but Horikita Manabu. Sakayanagi has a weakness because of her father's affairs, but Horikita Manabu, as Student Council President, also has a weakness: Year 3 Class A.

So what he just mentioned in front of everyone about meeting the Acting Chairman should not have been the whole story. Tsukishiro must have told him something even more outrageous.

Is it just because of Tsukishiro's caprice that the stable Class A, cultivated through countless special exams over three years, has to be roasted on a spit of risk? Although, if one wants to force Tsukishiro to leave, one must find evidence of his misconduct. And the most important thing in this school is graduation as Class A, students of Class A who have been trained through countless special exams.

So, if these students are ruined, perhaps then Tsukishiro could be made to leave. But the class that is sacrificed should not be Year 3 Class A; it clearly could be only Year 2 Class A.

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