Chapter 401 The Total Point Ranking and Tsubasa Nanase's Ambush
"That's enough, don't bully Masumi too much." Hikigaya interrupted the group's teasing.
"Ahem! Who exactly is bullying who here?" Hashimoto Masayoshi squatted on the ground, rubbing his sore calf; he had taken a solid kick from Kamuro Masumi just a moment ago.
"Hmph! Who told you to talk nonsense!" Kamuro Masumi glared at Hashimoto Masayoshi fiercely, but the moment her gaze shifted to Hikigaya, her sharp brows softened instantly, and there was a hint of tenderness in her expression.
Ryuen Kakeru teased them with an expression of disgust: "Good grief, after all that, we ended up becoming the side characters for your flirting?"
"Alright, alright~ If everyone is here, let's begin.
The G7 task is: Grip Strength Test."
Hoshinomiya Chie pointed to the test handle on the table: "There are no special rules; we test one by one and rank according to the values."
Soon the test results were out, with corresponding point rankings:
1st Place: Albert 2nd Place: Hikigaya Hachiman 3rd Place: Ryuen Kakeru 4th Place: Hashimoto Masayoshi 5th Place: Ishizaki Daichi
There was no question about first place; after all, Albert's 1.9-meter physique was right there.
"Tch! Simple muscle strength means nothing...
True strength is measured by willpower."
Although he said that, anyone with eyes could see the extreme annoyance on Ryuen Kakeru's face.
"Damn it! It's fine that I can't beat those guys in front, but why can't I even beat a mere Hashimoto?" Daichi Ishizaki seemed unable to accept this result.
"Hey, hey~ are you looking down on me?
I'm at least the second-in-command under Hime-sama."
Hashimoto Masayoshi looked like a slacker, but in reality, he was a key member of the tennis club, and his training heavily developed arm strength.
By the way, Kamuro Masumi took first place in the women's group test.
"Well done, Masumi." Hikigaya praised her.
"Hmph~ this level is easy." Kamuro Masumi lifted her chin proudly.
During a short break, Hikigaya asked as if making casual conversation: "By the way, with that girl, can she survive on this island alone without your care?"
"If you're worried about her, just say it; why pretend like you don't care?" Kamuro Masumi looked at him with a strange expression.
'This kid, why did he suddenly get smart?'
Hikigaya was just thinking about what excuse to use to deflect.
But Kamuro Masumi seemed to have predicted his sophistry, lifting a hand to interrupt him as she continued: "Don't worry, we cooperated with Ichinose to form a large group. Arisu is staying at a fixed base to participate in course exams, and she has Yamamura-san looking after her, so she will be fine."
"She has it pretty easy then." Hikigaya sighed, then added: "But given that bratty loli's personality, she definitely won't just sit still. Now Class A and Class B are all acting under her command, right!"
Hashimoto Masayoshi's forehead broke out in cold sweat: "Scary! How could you tell? Our cooperation with Class B should only be known by the core members of the class."
"You guys seem to be talking about something very interesting." Ryuen Kakeru was smiling, but his eyes had turned gloomy.
"Information leak... but this kind of thing couldn't be hidden for long anyway." Hashimoto Masayoshi shrugged, frankly admitting the fact that Class A and Class B had teamed up.
"What?" Daichi Ishizaki shouted in panic: "You Class A and Class B guys teaming up, isn't that too cunning?"
"What's the rush? It's only the third day." Ryuen Kakeru sneered: "Starting tomorrow, the real slaughter begins!"
According to the rules, starting from the fourth day, point rankings will be announced to everyone. The groups that break into the top ten will undoubtedly be targeted by others!
"You're right, this is just a warm-up." Hashimoto Masayoshi's expression became more serious: "This exam involves the entire grade."
"So what if the whole grade is participating? Our competitors were already locked as the second years." Daichi Ishizaki seemed confused.
"Stop talking, you idiot!" Ryuen Kakeru glared at him impatiently, then said in a calm voice: "Before that, I think we should reach a consensus on who our biggest enemy is!"
Hashimoto Masayoshi added: "The Student Council President, who is also the man ruling the entire third year.
Not long ago, a team from our class met President Nagumo in area A6 and was eliminated from the task exam by the third years working together.
He even publicly announced that he won't accept any team other than the third years into the top three of the point ranking!"
Eating alone—this really fit Nagumo Miyabi's consistent style.
"And then?" Ryuen Kakeru mocked: "Running all the way here to tell me this, is Sakayanagi begging me to team up?"
Hashimoto Masayoshi smiled and retorted: "Ryuen-kun is such a joker. Hime-sama just wanted to show you the right path." He then stopped paying attention to him and turned his gaze to Hikigaya: "Hikigaya-kun, what do you think?"
"Go tell Horikita or Hirata about class alliances." Hikigaya's tone was flat: "I have my own way of fighting."
"As expected, Hime-sama knew you would say that." Hashimoto Masayoshi spread his hands helplessly.
"Hey Hashimoto, can you not call her Hime-sama? Don't you feel embarrassed?" Hikigaya couldn't help but complain.
"Ara~ Is Hikigaya-kun jealous?
There is absolutely no need to worry about a lowly person like me; my capacity is at most to be a butler in a wealthy family." Hashimoto Masayoshi had a clear understanding of his own position. With his average background and merely decent abilities, the best way to live a life without worries in the future was to attach himself to the powerful!
"If you talk nonsense again, believe it or not, I will ensure you never step into the Sakayanagi household for the rest of your life!" Hikigaya threatened with cold eyes.
"I was wrong!" Hashimoto Masayoshi slid to his knees instantly: "Please, Hikigaya-sama, leave this humble servant a way to make a living!!"
"Dead-fish eyes, are you really planning to be a live-in son-in-law for the Sakayanagi family?" Ryuen Kakeru asked him seriously: "What about Shiina and Ibuki then?"
"Wasn't that a joke just now? Why are you being so serious?" Hikigaya couldn't help but roll his eyes.
During their chat, everyone received their movement instructions for the next stop. The three groups had different destinations.
"Hikigaya-kun, be careful.
There are people from the third year and first year eyeing you."
Before leaving, Kamuro Masumi held his hand and warned him earnestly: "If you encounter trouble you can't solve, you can use this to contact us..." She stuffed a walkie-talkie into his hand.
Hikigaya was stunned for a moment. This item could only be redeemed with points at the starting point of the uninhabited island, costing 50 points in total, requiring multiple people to pool their points to afford. The cost was high, but with this, Sakayanagi Arisu's remote command could exert its maximum value.
"Fine, tell Arisu 'thank you' for me." Hikigaya accepted the kindness without hesitation.
"Hmph~ tell her yourself." Kamuro Masumi shot him a playful look and turned to leave gracefully.
Hikigaya tucked the walkie-talkie into his backpack.
H6 - H4 - I3 - E6...
Hikigaya's movement rankings were 3rd, 2nd, 5th, and he abandoned the random location as it was too far.
Task exams: 3rd, 9th, 10th, absent.
Total points: 112.
Overall rank: 21st.
The ranking was in the middle-upper tier, and his performance wasn't too eye-catching. Hikigaya chose a secluded location to set up camp alone, where he enjoyed a peaceful sleep.
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Uninhabited Island Exam, Day 4.
The full point ranking was announced.
1st: Nagumo Miyabi, Kiriyama, etc. (Third Years) ... 8th: (Third Year)
The top eight in the point ranking were all third-year teams; they weren't even pretending anymore!
It wasn't until the 9th place that a different team appeared.
9th: Sakayanagi Arisu, Ichinose Honami, Kamuro Masumi, Hashimoto Masayoshi, Kito Hayato, Kobashi Yume. (With top-tier students and athletes, it was one of the best teams in the second year!)
10th: Koenji Rokusuke. (This guy also took the [Solo] card and killed his way into the top ten alone—truly impressive!)
Hikigaya continued to scroll down.
18th: Hosen Kazuomi, Amasawa Ichika, Nanase Tsubasa, Yagami Takuya, Utomiya Riku.
This team belonged to the ace squad of the first years. The ranking was lower than expected, but in Hikigaya's view, these people were nominally in the same group but seemed to be acting independently. For example, he encountered Hosen Kazuomi alone in D6, and Amasawa Ichika wandering around collecting information, while the others were nowhere to be seen.
23rd: Ayanokouji Kiyotaka. (This guy, needless to say, must be controlling his points.)
Hikigaya put away his tablet and prepared to head to the next base. On the way, he encountered a lone underclassman...
"Hikigaya-senpai! I didn't expect to meet you here, what a coincidence."
Nanase Tsubasa walked out of the woods and trotted toward him.
'This girl's acting is too bad...'
Hikigaya saw at a glance that she was clearly waiting for him on this route in advance. However, he didn't expose her.
"Yeah, what a coincidence." Hikigaya responded casually and continued moving forward.
"If Hikigaya-senpai doesn't mind, may I accompany you for a while?" Nanase Tsubasa probed.
"Suit yourself, I have no reason to stop you." Hikigaya's tone was flat.
"Um, Hikigaya-senpai, aren't you going to ask why I'm alone?" Nanase Tsubasa reached out to tuck her long hair back, as if looking for a topic.
"Nothing more than acting separately to strive for more points, I guess." Hikigaya responded perfunctorily. Actually, if she really wanted to compete for points, her ranking couldn't be only 18th. The others were probably busy with their own things. He just didn't know what the purpose of this Nanase Tsubasa finding him was.
"For others, that's indeed how it is.
But with Hikigaya-senpai's discernment, you must be able to see the differences." Nanase Tsubasa gazed at him calmly.
"Sorry, I'm not interested in the action strategies you are taking." Hikigaya maintained his distance.
"I can tell that Hikigaya-senpai doesn't trust me." Nanase Tsubasa said directly.
"If you trust someone unilaterally just because they look cute, that would be irrational, right?" Hikigaya was also speaking the truth.
"Eh?"
"..."
Nanase Tsubasa was taken aback, seemingly not expecting Hikigaya to suddenly praise her. However, Nanase Tsubasa seemed to be the type of girl who "has been cute since childhood," and having heard too many compliments, she didn't blush or feel shy.
"It is natural for Hikigaya-senpai to be vigilant against me given his current situation." Nanase Tsubasa placed her hand on her chest and vowed: "But I can guarantee! At least I, myself, have no malice toward you."
Hikigaya's gaze dropped a few centimeters.
'This is full of malice!'
"Nanase-kohai, what exactly do you want to say to me?" For the sake of the 'malice,' Hikigaya had some patience.
"You really are straightforward...
In that case, I will ask directly."
Nanase Tsubasa took a deep breath and stared at him sharply: "Hikigaya-senpai, can I invite you to help me get Ayanokouji-senpai expelled?"
"You really are direct."
"It seems Hikigaya-senpai already knew?"
"Why would you think I would agree to you?"
"According to the information gathered, Hikigaya-senpai seems to have a very bad relationship with Ayanokouji-senpai."
"That doesn't mean I would stand on your side."
"Hikigaya-senpai!" Nanase Tsubasa suddenly raised her voice: "That's because you don't know enough about Ayanokouji-senpai's affairs!"
"So, you know him very well?" Hikigaya's eyes moved. Sure enough, just as he guessed, Nanase Tsubasa had a deep grudge against Ayanokouji Kiyotaka.
"Can you listen to a story along the way?" Nanase Tsubasa took a deep breath and began to recount.
It was roughly that Nanase Tsubasa had a childhood friend named Matsuo Eiichiro, whose father was the butler of the Ayanokouji family. Because he assisted Ayanokouji Kiyotaka in escaping the White Room, he suffered cruel retaliation from Ayanokouji's father!
"..." Hikigaya frowned, vaguely remembering hearing the name somewhere: "Could it be the suicidal teenager from the news that day?" On Valentine's Day, he was eating chocolate and browsing the news on the sofa.
"Yes, on February 14th, Eiichiro-nii-san committed suicide..." Nanase Tsubasa's pale face revealed a look of pain.
"As the culprit, Ayanokouji Kiyotaka is actually enjoying a beautiful campus life here with peace of mind.
I can't accept this!!!"
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