Chapter 262 088: Hachiman: Looks Like I Can Only Be a "Cheater"!

"You're collecting protection money," Katsuragi said. His voice was colder than before.

"Hmm?"

"You said it yourself: if the lowest-ranked person is bound to a nomination, you can nominate anyone in the same group—from Class C, other classes, or even your own Class B. If you choose not to nominate Class C, I pay you points. Isn't that just protection money?"

Ryuen tilted his head, seemingly savoring the word "protection money."

"…You could interpret it that way," he said. "However—you can also choose not to pay."

He bit down on the words "not to pay" very lightly, but there was a palpable weight in that lightness. Katsuragi, of course, knew what that meant—if he didn't pay, it meant Ryuen would show no mercy to Class C during the exam.

And this time, Ryuen was indeed capable of operating in such a way.

"How about it?" Ryuen asked. "This deal isn't a loss for you, right? After all—this directly involves expulsion. And even more, if you attack yourself or Sakayanagi and force one of you to be expelled, then your class will never have a chance to climb back up."

And saying it like that, it wasn't a deal anymore; it was cold, hard coercion!

Katsuragi gripped the sleeping bag packaging tucked under his arm.

The air was quiet for a few seconds. The streetlights buzzed above their heads; the clamor of the shopping district and the beeping of cash registers could be heard in the distance, but these sounds seemed to be blocked off by a transparent barrier.

Then, Katsuragi's gaze suddenly shifted past Ryuen's shoulder, looking in the direction behind him.

Ryuen noticed the change in his gaze and turned his head to look in that same direction.

Across the street, a figure with a dark shoulder bag was walking out of a daily necessities store. The person's pace was neither rushed nor slow, hands tucked into his jacket pockets, his eyes sweeping across the road ahead with a flat gaze. The streetlight fell on him, casting a long, slanted shadow at his feet.

Hikigaya Hachiman.

He didn't seem to notice the two people across the street. Or rather, he had noticed, but had no intention of stopping. He simply walked out of the store entrance, then turned and headed toward the dormitory, his pace not changing in the slightest.

Ryuen and Katsuragi watched that back gradually fade into the distance.

The two exchanged a look.

They didn't need to speak to know what the other was thinking.

If one were to talk about preventing oneself from being unfortunately expelled as a class representative, then the person who truly needed to be guarded against—the one who could actually pull off a "nominated expulsion" without hesitation and had the ability to plan until the target fell precisely into the trap—was Hikigaya Hachiman.

Not the two of them.

Ryuen withdrew his gaze, his easy-going smile becoming a little fainter.

"...Looks like you thought of it, too."

Katsuragi didn't speak, but instead picked up the sleeping bag packaging from his armpit, tucked it firmly into his arm, and glanced at Ryuen.

"I will consider your proposal."

"Suit yourself."

Ryuen shrugged, his emotions instantly vanishing, and turned to walk toward Ishizaki. He walked two steps, then stopped, tilted his head, and said in a voice that was neither loud nor soft, "Oh, by the way, if you plan to deal with him—I advise you to prepare more points. That guy isn't cheaper than me."

With that, he walked away. Ishizaki hurriedly followed.

Katsuragi stood where he was, watching Ryuen's back for a moment, then turned his head again to look in the direction where Hikigaya Hachiman had disappeared.

He was the only one left under the streetlamp.

He looked down at the sleeping bag packaging in his hand; the words on the label reflected the light. He rolled it up, put it into his shopping bag, zipped it up, and started walking in another direction.

The flow of people in the shopping district continued to shuttle back and forth, and the night breeze felt cooler than before.

When Hachiman returned to the dormitory, the hallway was already quiet. Most students were still in the shopping district or the cafeteria; only sporadic footsteps could be heard from the floors above.

He put his shoulder bag on the desk and took out what he had just bought—toothpaste, toothbrush heads, compressed towels, and a bag of instant coffee. After organizing everything, he sat in front of the chair. Before he could even take off his jacket, his phone vibrated in his pocket.

He took it out and glanced at it.

Karuizawa Kei.

[Hachiman. I saw you in the shopping district just now! Are you done shopping? Did you forget to buy anything? I'm still here in the shopping district, I can pick it up for you. (0-0)]

There was a little emoji at the end of the sentence. Hachiman stared at the message for two seconds, then typed a reply.

[No need. Since it's a school-mandated outing, students don't actually need to make much preparation.]

Sent.

After about ten seconds, a message popped back.

[Alright... But the people in the class are still so excited. Everyone keeps talking about the forest camp; they seem to be really looking forward to it.]

Hachiman leaned back against the chair, typing with one hand.

[As expected.]

[But when it comes to the expulsion matter, everyone is also a bit nervous. Also—] Karuizawa's input status showed for a while, then the content popped up, [The students in the class discussed it and said if someone has to be expelled, let Ayanokouji-kun be expelled.]

Hachiman's fingers paused on the screen.

[.........Why?]

[Eh? Because Ayanokouji-kun has the worst reputation in the class, and he didn't contribute anything in those previous exams and even persecuted everyone... Everyone thinks that since someone must be expelled this time, they should seize the opportunity to get him expelled.]

[And when it comes to getting Ayanokouji expelled, the students in the class are quite excited. Especially the girls.]

Especially the girls—indeed, during the previous VIP exam, it was exposed that Ayanokouji had tried to bribe girls from Ryuen's class to attack the girls of Class D.

Although Hachiman knew that the girl in question was Karuizawa.

The other girls in Class D didn't know, but they also harbored fear and repulsion toward Ayanokouji.

"..."

Looking at Karuizawa's message, Hachiman was silent for a moment. The dormitory light emitted a slight electrical hum overhead, and the night breeze outside the window blew the hem of the curtains. He looked at the line on the screen—"Let Ayanokouji be expelled"—and then slowly typed a line.

[But this is a group assessment. A group has 10 to 15 people, and a large group is formed by merging squads from three grade levels. One person cannot influence the entire battlefield.]

After sending it, he added another line.

[Do you think getting Ayanokouji expelled will keep you all safe? It doesn't make sense logically. And he would definitely make others in his group be expelled instead.]

Karuizawa paused for a long time on the other end, as if she were digesting the statement. Then she replied.

[.........Ah. It seems like.......... I really hadn't thought of that. Everyone just thought 'if someone has to be expelled, pick the one we hate the most'...]

Hachiman looked at the message and let out a slight breath.

[Yeah.]

He didn't say anything else.

Karuizawa sent another one, however.

[Then Hachiman, what do you think we should do? This exam, I just feel like it's weird.]

[I don't know the group assignments yet. Let's wait until we get to the forest school.]

[Okay... Then get some good rest! We're leaving tomorrow, so keep your energy up! Your girlfriend is waiting for you to save her, of course, if I can be of any help...]

Hachiman's face looked quite relaxed after reading Karuizawa's message.

Because seeing Class D targeting Ayanokouji, at the same time, he realized that in this exam, Ayanokouji might indeed be targeting important members on his side.

Therefore.

If Ayanokouji were to make a move, he would most likely attack Horikita, Karuizawa, or Kushida, but because the exam separates boys and girls, unless Ayanokouji found girls in Class D who were willing to follow his commands.

But due to his social standing, even though he was called a "succubus" in the original work, basically, there was no hope for that.

Thus, Hachiman placed his phone on the desk, and the screen went dark. He sat in the chair without moving, his gaze falling on the white wall opposite, and stayed quiet for a while.

Then he stood up, washed his face, changed into pajamas, and lay down on the bed.

The light went off. The room darkened; a thin line of light from the streetlamp outside leaked through a gap in the curtains, casting a blurry white strip on the ceiling.

Hachiman closed his eyes.

He thought he would think about many things—the departure tomorrow, the method of grouping, Tsukishiro's intentions—but fatigue came faster than he expected. His eyelids became heavy, his consciousness slowly sinking into the darkness, as if held up by some gentle force, taken deeper little by little.

Then he opened his eyes.

He was standing in a familiar place—that familiarity didn't come from a specific scene, but from an overall atmosphere. The light was as soft as if it were surging from all directions at once, with no clear source.

He looked down at himself. Wearing pajamas, no shoes. Same as last time.

Then he turned around.

He found the mature Shiina Hiyori standing there.

She was wearing a light-colored dress, her long hair draped smoothly over her shoulders. She looked more mature than the Hiyori in reality—still that face, still those calm eyes, but the entire temperament had an extra touch of indifference from having experienced many things.

She looked at him, a faint smile on her lips.

".........You came again," Hachiman said.

"Yeah." Big Hiyori nodded gently. "Came again."

Hachiman stood in place, neither moving forward nor retreating. He habitually put his hands into his pockets, realized he was wearing pajamas without pockets, and put his hands back down.

"That—I've already met the Hiyori in reality."

"I know." Hiyori's tone was flat. "I know you've already met."

"Then you—"

"I don't mind."

Hachiman didn't respond immediately. He looked at the "Big Hiyori" in front of him, wanting to read something from her expression—but there was only a gentle calm on that face, as if she had already accepted the occurrence of everything and had also accepted the result of everything.

".........Then why did you call me here this time?" Hachiman asked.

"I didn't 'call' you here." Hiyori tilted her head slightly. "You entered this dream yourself. I am here only because you dream of me."

"So—"

"So you can rest assured." Hiyori's tone became even softer. "I will not coerce you. Getting married for real... was also because of the helplessness at that time..."

She paused for a moment, her gaze landing on Hachiman's face.

"But that is indeed my fault. No matter which 'me'—it is my fault."

Hachiman was silent.

"Also," Hiyori raised her eyes, her voice lighter than before, "you must be careful of Sakayanagi."

"...?"

Hachiman frowned. This name coming from "Big Hiyori" had a strange sense of displacement.

Because the relationship between Sakayanagi and Hiyori during this period seemed to be pretty good.

Previously, they were fellow victims of his inner monologue's misdirection.

But occasionally, Hachiman could also see scenes where the two met and struck up a conversation.

"What does this have to do with her?" Hachiman asked. "Could it be that my... getting... married to you... was Sakayanagi's handiwork?"

The corners of Hiyori's mouth curled up slightly, neither confirming nor denying.

"I am just warning you," she said.

Hachiman looked at her, several thoughts spinning in his heart.

He had already received intelligence that in the future, the reason he could stay here was actually due to Sakayanagi funding the research, a fact he was truly grateful for. Without her financial support, he might not be in this world anymore. Komachi and the others wouldn't have come over either.

But gratitude is one thing—he certainly couldn't give Sakayanagi anything more.

He had a clear dividing line. Or rather, he had always tried to maintain that dividing line.

".........I understand," Hachiman said. "But I can only say that I am grateful for everything she has done. As for the rest—"

"You really do think that way. It's actually like that." Hiyori picked up his words, her tone devoid of any dissatisfaction. "You have always been such a person. Rational, clear-headed, and not easily swayed by emotions. That is very good."

Hachiman did not respond to this.

He was silent for a while, then asked: "Then I will ask a different question—in the forest camp during my first year, did the people I know... have any risks?"

Hiyori's eyebrows moved. She looked at Hachiman, then suddenly flashed a crafty smile—that smile made her face instantly become more vivid than before, and more like "Hiyori."

"You are cheating," Big Hiyori said.

"Mm."

".........Well." Hachiman looked away, his voice containing a bit of discomfort. "It's to protect people I know, after all. And—"

He paused, looking back at Hiyori.

"The forest camp is a means for that old man Tsukishiro to harvest the students' excess points and evaluation scores. I've already figured that out. I just want to know, when I deal with his exam, are there any loopholes?"

Hiyori tucked away that crafty smile, her expression becoming more serious.

"That forest camp... Hachiman performed very well. You—or rather, that 'you'—destroyed Tsukishiro's plan. He failed to achieve the expected harvest in that exam."

Hachiman listened quietly.

"However—" Hiyori's gaze dropped for a moment, then rose again, "The group 'I' was in was assigned to the very last position."

Hachiman's breath hitched.

"And faced the situation of expulsion," Hiyori continued, her tone calm. But she seemed to be nostalgic about the past.

".........But you weren't expelled," Hachiman said.

Hiyori glanced at him, not denying it.

"There is only one reason, right?" Hachiman's voice lowered. "Paying twenty million points to avoid the expulsion penalty. And you at the time naturally didn't have that amount of points, so..."

He didn't finish the second half of the sentence.

Hiyori smiled slightly, not answering.

That smile made Hachiman suddenly not know what to say. He looked at the Hiyori in front of him, at that quiet, gentle face bearing the marks of time, and suddenly felt something gently pressing on his chest.

"...I understand."

He only said these four words.

The wind blew from a distance, brushing Hiyori's hair and the hem of her skirt. Her figure appeared somewhat transparent in the soft air, like a fading painting.

"It's about time," she said.

"Hachiman."

"Hmm?"

"This forest camp—do your best."

Hachiman looked into her eyes.

".........I will."

He closed his eyes and felt the light around him gradually becoming blurry. That soft aura retreated like the tide from his feet, his consciousness beginning to float upward, as if slowly rising from deep water to the surface.

Then he opened his eyes.

The ceiling. The light leaking through the gap in the curtains. The familiar quiet and cool air in the dormitory.

Hachiman turned his head to look at the phone on the bedside table. The screen lit up; the time displayed was only an hour after he had gone to bed.

He stared at the numbers for a while, then lay flat again, hands behind his head.

In the darkness, he let out a soft laugh.

The laugh was very shallow, almost inaudible, but it still echoed slightly in the quiet room.

He closed his eyes, thinking in his heart—

Does this count as cheating?

As a transmigrator, he previously knew the rules of the exam. And now, although the exam arrangements had changed, he still knew a part of the "future."

—That future self of his had destroyed Tsukishiro's plan during the forest camp.

—That future Hiyori had been assigned to the last group, but saved herself using twenty million points.

—And, there seemed to be some connection hidden between Sakayanagi and the "marriage" matter that he hadn't seen yet.

Hachiman opened his eyes and looked at the ceiling again.

".........That's more information than I thought," he muttered, then rolled over and pulled the quilt up over his shoulders.

The sound of the night breeze came from outside the window. The shadows of the trees on the curtains swayed for a moment, then became quiet again.

Hachiman's breathing gradually became even.

This time, he didn't dream.

-

-

-

The next morning, before the sunlight had completely spread over the entire campus, footsteps and the sound of zippers zipping up could be heard throughout the dormitory building.

When Hachiman was woken up by the alarm clock, there was still a layer of light gray mist outside the window. He sat up, rubbed his eyes, looked at the light leaking through the gaps in the curtains, and then lifted the quilt to get up.

Washing up, changing clothes, and giving his backpack—which he had packed last night—one final check. Toothpaste, toothbrush heads, compressed towels, instant coffee, and a change of underwear and a thin jacket. He pulled the zipper shut, put it on his back to test the weight—not heavy.

When he walked out of the dormitory building, there were already many people in the hallway. Some were dragging suitcases, some were carrying hiking backpacks, and some were stuffing bread into their mouths while walking. Hachiman passed through the crowd, heading toward the gathering point at the school gate.

Several buses were parked in the open space next to the playground. The bus bodies were white, with the school's logo and the words "Forest Camp" on the sides. Students were already gathered in groups of twos and threes by the buses; everyone was either waiting or chatting, but nobody was looking at their phones.

Because.

"Now, since everyone has arrived, please hand over your mobile phones.

Once you arrive at the forest school, boys and girls will be separated, and the specific course content for the forest school will be distributed on the bus. But unfortunately, you won't be using your phones for the time being."

The homeroom teachers of each class were collecting the students' phones in front of the bus doors.

Clearly, during the time from riding the bus to the forest school, one would have been able to communicate via phone, and the exam rules had already been conveyed, but now with the phones being confiscated immediately, it showed that they were limiting the possibility of collusion between classes or even between grade levels.

In a word, Tsukishiro was very petty.

Hachiman glanced around and found the area for his class. Most of the Class A students had already arrived, several people gathered together talking. Seeing him walk over, some raised their hands to greet him.

"Hikigaya-kun, morning!"

"Morning." Hachiman nodded and walked to the side of the line, standing still.

He glanced around—Class B was gathered in front of another bus not far away. Ryuen hadn't arrived yet, but Ishizaki was standing there holding a large bag, looking around while turning his head. On the side of Class C, Katsuragi stood at the very front with a hiking backpack, his expression emotionless. He remained the representative of the class, so he stood at the forefront. And the people from Class D were standing the furthest away, scattered together. A few girls gathered in a group whispering, their voices carrying obvious nervousness.

Then he saw Ayanokouji Kiyotaka. That person was standing at the very back of the Class D line, carrying an ordinary sports bag, his face devoid of any expression, his gaze looking straight ahead at the empty ground, as if he didn't care about anything around him.

Hachiman withdrew his gaze.

After about ten minutes, the homeroom teachers of each class started taking roll call. Chabashira's voice came from the front of the Class A line, in her usual brisk tone, but Hachiman noticed that her speaking speed was a little faster than usual.

"Class A, all present—all here! Good, everyone, board the bus in order!"

The students began to queue to board the bus. Hachiman was in the middle-rear position, following the person in front step by step onto the bus. The seats in the carriage were paired side by side; he sat down in the window seat, placed his backpack on his knees, and turned his head to look out the window.

Ichinose walked up from behind and paused when passing him.

"Hikigaya-kun," she said softly.

Hachiman looked up.

"It's nothing." However, Ichinose smiled, then continued to walk back and sat in a seat two rows away, sitting next to another girl.

"......" Under normal circumstances, Ichinose might have sat next to him.

Hachiman watched her back, then turned his gaze back to look out the window.

But this time she didn't.

"Can I sit here?" Kanzaki Ryuji said to Hachiman.

"Sure." Hachiman had no objections.

Like that, the students in the class were all seated.

The bus started. The low roar of the engine came from under the floor, the bus body shook slightly, and then it began to move forward slowly.

Hachiman leaned against the back of the seat, his gaze falling on the scenery constantly receding outside the window. He didn't have anything to be busy with, nor did he talk to the person next to him. He just sat quietly, watching the sky change from light gray to light blue, the sunlight leaking through the gaps in the clouds in patches.

People on the bus were chatting, some eating snacks, some catching up on sleep. Various sounds mixed together, buzzing like a thin layer of background noise.

Hachiman closed his eyes.

He didn't fall asleep, just closed his eyes, silently organizing the information he had obtained last night in his heart.

Big Hiyori said—that "Hachiman" had performed very well in the forest camp, destroying Tsukishiro's plan. This meant that, at least in that "future," he had found a way to deal with this harvest by Tsukishiro.

But Hiyori herself had been assigned to the last group.

This posed a question for him—since "he" had already seen through Tsukishiro's layout, why didn't he protect Hiyori? Was it too late? Or was the group Hiyori was in already part of his plan?

He had no answer.

Moreover, Hiyori also mentioned Sakayanagi. She said "be careful of Sakayanagi." But that warning was too vague—careful of what about Sakayanagi? Would she do something in this exam? Or did it mean she would influence something in the further future?

Hachiman opened his eyes, looking at a piece of farmland flashing quickly outside the bus window. The sunlight fell on those green crops, shimmering with a fuzzy golden edge.

He thought of that "future"—he stayed in this world, and Komachi had come too. The research Sakayanagi funded had allowed him to continue to exist.

Gratitude is one thing.

But he was very clear that gratitude could not be traded for feelings. There had always been a clear boundary in his attitude toward Sakayanagi; that boundary would not be blurred by anyone's warning.

The bus drove over a bridge, the river under the bridge gleaming in the morning light.

Hachiman adjusted his sitting posture and withdrew his gaze into the carriage. Some people in the seats in front were playing cards, and people in the back rows were arguing about something, their voices going from high to low.

The bus continued to drive forward. The scenery outside the window changed from fields to mountains; the trees on both sides of the road became more numerous, and the color of the air was also quietly deepening. Someone whispered, "We're almost there, right?" and the person next to them responded, "Yeah, it seems we've entered the mountains."

Hachiman turned his head, watching the mountain shadows unfolding layer upon layer outside the window, the sunlight spilling through the gaps in the leaves, casting flowing light spots on the bus window.

He withdrew his gaze, put the backpack from his knees to the floor by his feet, and then leaned back against the seat.

Forest school—no, the exam site set up by Tsukishiro was almost here.

The wheels rolled over a stretch of gravel road, and the bus bumped slightly. Hachiman's gaze fell on the back of the seat in front, his eyes flat, his expression quiet.

But his hand reached out from his jacket pocket and placed it on his knees.

His five fingers tightened slightly.

And the homeroom teacher at this time was looking at her watch, and then began distributing a stack of materials.

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