The cliff's edge.
Hikigaya carefully made his way back to the camp.
As expected, Class B was in the middle of lunch, and Ichinose was sitting with Himenoyuki, Huko, Menlai, and the others, chatting casually.
Good.
He let out a quiet sigh of relief, sneaking into the food line to grab his share from the girls before returning to the boiler to eat in solitude.
Perfect.
As expected, all he had to do was stall long enough. If he delayed things enough, Ichinose would forget about their previous conversation.
Hikigaya smirked to himself.
Afternoon.
Sitting by the boiler, Hikigaya continued boiling water while the rest of Class B worked on their respective tasks.
At that moment—
"Hikigaya~"
Ichinose's sweet voice called from behind him. A gentle tap on his shoulder made him freeze up instantly.
Ah.
Forcing a smile, Hikigaya turned around.
"Ichinose, what's up?"
"I came to see if you need any help!"
Ichinose crouched beside him, feeding more firewood into the flames.
After a short silence, she spoke again, her soft voice carrying a hint of curiosity.
"I heard from Horikita that Class D needs three people to keep the water boiling. Are you really okay doing this alone, Hikigaya?"
Hikigaya stiffened.
Although her voice was sweet and caring, the words themselves felt like a subtle interrogation.
She remembers.
It was as if she was saying: I haven't forgotten, so you better come clean.
Was this a simple question? Or was it a deliberate trap?
Was she genuinely concerned? Or was she testing him?
Scary.
Ichinose-san was really scary.
"It's fine," he replied, forcing a laugh.
She was the leader of Class B—there was no way she'd forget something so easily.
"Alright."
Ichinose tossed another piece of firewood into the fire before continuing, her tone casual.
"By the way, Hikigaya, can you tell me what deal you made with Horikita-san at the start of the school year?"
There it is.
He had been hoping she'd forgotten, but here it was.
Scratching his cheek awkwardly, Hikigaya answered, "I just told her the school rules I figured out early on. In return, she gave me 30,000 personal points."
He shrugged.
"But Class D still ended up with zero points in May, so it didn't really change anything. It shouldn't matter, right?"
Aside from earning 30,000 points, the deal hadn't made any real impact. Even after learning the rules, Class D had still failed spectacularly.
That being the case—
If Ichinose expected him to hand over his personal points now…
No.
He had already decided. If that happened, he would refuse.
It wasn't because he disliked Class B. In fact, he liked it a lot.
No one deliberately ignored him. No one forced themselves to care about him. No one pitied him.
Even the more talkative students, like Shibata, were careful to maintain a friendly atmosphere and avoid making anyone uncomfortable.
It was like a class out of a fairy tale.
If not for the odd existence of Himenoyuki, Hikigaya might have thought he had somehow entered a parallel world.
It was too perfect to be real.
Are these people all just kind-hearted replicants?
His past experiences made it hard to believe that a class like this could truly exist.
And yet—
Even if it did…
A lone wolf doesn't rely on others.
He wouldn't burden anyone. His personal points were safest in his own hands.
That said, if the class ever needed help, as long as there was a legitimate reason, he wouldn't be stingy.
But handing over his money just because?
Ridiculous.
Trusting someone else to hold onto his money was something he could never do.
"You're right… it didn't really affect anything," Ichinose eventually said, nodding.
Then, she turned to him, her expression serious yet kind.
"As long as it doesn't harm the class, you're free to do what you want, Hikigaya. We don't have the right to interfere. But…"
Her smile brightened.
"I still hope you'll learn to trust us more."
"...Eh?"
Caught off guard, Hikigaya blinked.
"Misunderstanding?" He scratched his cheek. "I do trust you guys. I completely believe in your ability to lead us to Class A, Ichinose."
And he meant it.
He had no doubts about Ichinose's leadership. She and Kanzaki were fully capable of leading Class B to the top.
Even though Hikigaya wanted to save up 20 million points as a personal safety net, that was just his own way of doing things.
If anything, his cautious approach should be the norm.
Rather, the fact that Class B was so willing to pool their money was what felt strange.
But different people had different values.
Not interfering with others was the best policy.
Ichinose, however, shook her head slightly and gave a helpless smile.
"It's not about reaching Class A," she said softly. "I meant as friends. I hope you can trust us more."
"...This."
Hikigaya chuckled dryly.
"I'm just used to being alone."
It wasn't that he disliked Ichinose or the others.
In fact, he admired her ability to face problems head-on, never shying away from doing the right thing.
But—
There was still something strange about her group. Something off.
And besides, how close do people need to be to qualify as 'friends'?
Even though he had Ichinose's contact information, they barely talked.
But if she wanted to call him a friend, he wouldn't object.
That said—
Was he supposed to pretend to be friendly, like Juke?
Sorry.
He couldn't do it.
And he didn't want to do it.
"That's fine," Ichinose said, smiling as if she'd made up her mind about something.
"By the way…"
After a brief hesitation, Hikigaya admitted, "I actually made another deal with Horikita-san."
"Oh?" Ichinose tilted her head. "What kind of deal?"
"Don't worry. It won't affect the class."
"...I see."
Ichinose fell silent for a moment, as if deep in thought.
She wasn't actually worried about the class. Even if something did affect them, they could handle it together.
But what really bothered her—
Why did Hikigaya think of himself as an outsider?
Why couldn't he talk things through with the class first?
It wasn't like she would have refused if it made sense.
"What's wrong?" Hikigaya asked, confused by her sudden silence.
"Nothing," she replied, shaking her head.
It's too soon to change him.
For now, she would take her time.
Then, smiling again, she said, "Alright. Let's hear it."
"Oh."
Hikigaya nodded and explained.
"Horikita-san has a cold. She's also Class D's leader."
"I see." Ichinose nodded.
"You noticed too?" Hikigaya asked, surprised.
"Yeah." Ichinose sighed. "I saw her rubbing her arms. She must be sick. But she still wants to finish the exam, so I didn't say anything."
"As expected of you," Hikigaya muttered.
"But how did you figure out she was Class D's leader?"
"Well…"
Hikigaya explained everything, including the deal where he would receive 50% of Horikita's personal points for the next six months.
After all, once Class D delivered his MAX Coffee that evening, the secret would be out.
And really—
It didn't affect Class B at all.
So there was no reason to hide it.
That said—
If Ichinose wanted his money, she wasn't getting it.
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