"What exactly are you after?"
Finally, Katsuragi stood up, his voice calm but firm.
"Being in last place does hurt Class A's reputation," he said, "but Class B still might not take advantage of it. We're still in our first year. Even if they make it to Class A temporarily, there's no telling what will happen by the time we graduate."
"Dragging us to last place won't guarantee anything."
He was right.
Even if someone manages to close the gap now, what really matters is who's in Class A at graduation. That's when the results will count. Sacrificing people now won't bring them back. Worse, Ichinose might spiral into depression. Hikigaya wasn't trying to pull Class A into chaos. That wouldn't help anyone.
"It's actually quite simple."
Hikigaya casually walked over and sat down, his expression cool and collected.
"No matter what place this group ends up in, I want Class A to transfer all the personal points they earn in this exam to me."
"If you don't deliberately sabotage me, I won't mess with you. I'll just sit around and do nothing."
"But if the group drops below fourth place? That's your problem. You handle the deductions yourselves."
It was a solid opportunity. Of course, he had no plans to actually participate seriously.
"...What did you just say?"
Juke looked stunned. The short-haired boy with glasses—Huko—actually burst out laughing in disbelief.
"You're not even planning to take the exam seriously, and you expect us to hand over all our personal points? Are you insane, or do you really think we're that stupid?"
"Why is that unreasonable?"
Hikigaya looked genuinely confused.
"I mean, even with bad math skills, I can tell it's not that complicated. Can't you guys count?"
"At most, the group can earn around 140,000 personal points. That's nothing to Class A. And realistically, with me not doing anything, we'll probably only get second place—so about 70,000 points."
"To Class A, that's pocket change. That's what a single Class A student makes in a month."
The group from Class A looked at each other.
After doing the math, they realized Hikigaya had a point. It wasn't that big a loss. Still, the arrogance of the request rubbed them the wrong way.
"Fine," said Juke after a deep breath. "As long as you don't cause any trouble, Katsuragi will transfer his personal points to you after the exam."
Clearly, he intended to let Katsuragi shoulder the entire burden.
"Okay," Katsuragi nodded with a sigh. A few points weren't worth getting worked up about. If it helped secure their class's higher score, then fine.
But Hikigaya raised his hand sharply. "No. That's not going to work."
Everyone froze.
"I don't care how you handle it among yourselves," he said flatly. "But each person in Class A will transfer their own points to me. One by one. Not through Katsuragi."
Huko clenched his teeth. "What does it matter? It's all the same, isn't it?"
"Nope," said Hikigaya, shaking his head. "What if you dump all the blame on Katsuragi later? Not my problem. You can get your points from him after. But you give them to me yourselves."
That was it. Everyone in Class A was fuming.
"Trying to drive a wedge between us, huh?" Huko snapped. "You want us to collapse from the inside? Dream on! Katsuragi, you're not going along with this, are you?"
"I am," said Katsuragi plainly.
Hikigaya handed out a contract, quickly written with no tricks or loopholes—just direct language: every member of Class A would give him all personal points from the exam, no matter the group's final standing.
After some hesitation and many glares, they signed it.
As Huko handed it back, he sneered: "Hikigaya Hachiman, right? I won't forget this. My name's Morishige Takuro. Next time, you won't get away with this kind of scheme."
Even he felt a sense of humiliation. They had walked right into it—giving away points for nothing while Hikigaya sat back doing absolutely zero.
But Hikigaya wasn't trying to destroy them. He was trying to demoralize them.
If Class A dropped to fourth or fifth place, they'd get fewer class points. If they worked hard and still earned nothing personally, that would suck the drive right out of them.
They weren't like Class B, where teamwork was sacred. Class A was about personal success. They had already shown it—trying to dump the loss on Katsuragi.
Without rewards, motivation would plummet.
Some might still study and perform, but mistakes would creep in. They wouldn't try as hard as usual.
That thought made Hikigaya smile faintly as he drifted off to sleep.
---
The next morning, background music played softly to wake everyone up. It was 6 AM.
Hikigaya rubbed his sore neck. "This school bed is garbage."
After getting ready, the students marched to the classroom. A middle-aged man stepped onto the podium.
"I'm Onodera, from Class B of Year 3," he announced. "After roll call, you'll clean the designated outdoor areas, then inside the school. Every day, you'll have one main course."
He added, "Not just teachers but professionals from outside will come in. Be respectful and courteous to everyone."
They filed outside, picking up tools. Hikigaya found some steps and sat down immediately.
He wasn't here to clean; he just wanted to observe.
Huko shot him a deadly glare but said nothing. The damage was already done.
Even among the elite of Class A, Hikigaya was now blacklisted.
Later, everyone went to the dojo for a meditation class—a mental discipline session. Hikigaya watched Kanzaki and others quietly sit in lotus position, eyes closed.
He tried.
Didn't like it.
Gave up and leaned back on the floor.
"Classmate, why aren't you meditating?"
A smiling bald monk, their instructor, walked over.
"No thanks," Hikigaya replied politely. "This is my way of fighting."
The monk raised a brow. "Fighting?"
"I'm in a different class than everyone else."
At this, Kanzaki and Shibata turned to look. Suspicion flashed in their eyes. Was he planning to sabotage their whole team?
But then they looked at Huko and his group—faces twisted in rage, but silent.
It hit them: Class A had already been taken care of by Hikigaya. How?
"I see," said the monk, eyes serious. "I don't know much about your school's politics. But if I was brought here to teach spiritual strength, then I'll do my part."
"If you want to join society, you must understand one another. Meditation helps you reflect on who you are and your goals."
"Even if you plan to drop out on the last day, you can still try today. Strengthen your spirit now—it may help you later."
Hikigaya pressed his palms together. "Master, my dream is to become a househusband. That job doesn't require joining society. Meditation won't help me reach that goal."
Katsuragi and Kanzaki stared.
Was this guy for real?
The monk, named Menlai, chuckled but kept a straight face.
"Even becoming a househusband isn't easy these days," he said. "Do you truly believe you can achieve that?"
That hit Hikigaya a little too hard.
In reality, he knew the odds.
He'd probably join a company someday, live a boring life, marry an ordinary (or not) person, and become another worn-out dad.
But still—
"Master," Hikigaya replied with a peaceful smile, "every company has people who do nothing and still get paid. I want to be one of them. A professional salary thief."
Menlai burst into soft laughter and walked away.
"A child cannot be taught."
That was it.
Even the monk gave up on him.
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