There is something wrong with Hikigaya’s classroom of the Elite, as expected

Chapter 139: Winning People Over

“You really think that guy Hikigaya is some easy pushover?”

Ryuen was exasperated by Ishizaki’s thought process, feeling a deep sense of frustration at his lack of intelligence. He scolded, “Use your brain for once! This whole situation barely even involves him. Even if we go all out against Class D right now, what do we gain from it? We can’t do a damn thing to that dead fish-eyed bastard anyway!”

“This was just meant to be a test to see if Hikigaya would make a move—plus, causing a little trouble for Class D along the way was a bonus.”

The whole incident with Sudo’s fight had been nothing more than a small probe from Ryuen to gauge Hikigaya’s response. Of course, it was also a chance to mess with Class D. If he could create problems for Hikigaya in the process, even better. But judging from the outcome, it seemed like Hikigaya had managed to neutralize everything. And right now, going all out against him wasn’t part of Ryuen’s plan at all.

“This was just the appetizer. There will be plenty more chances to settle the score later.”

Ryuen’s expression was dark and brooding. Whether or not he actually believed his own words was another matter.

There was also something he couldn’t say out loud—Hikigaya didn’t spare Ishizaki because he lacked confidence in getting him expelled. That wasn’t the reason at all. The real reason was those 300 class points.

That guy Hikigaya clearly saw Class C as his personal ATM. Expelling an idiot like Ishizaki wouldn’t bring him any benefit—it would just mean losing 600,000 personal points per month. Even a fool knew how to weigh the pros and cons.

“Then what about Komiya and Kondo, those two traitors?! They betrayed us, and we can’t let them off! Albert, let’s go deal with them right now!”

Since his boss had already made his stance clear, Ishizaki had no choice but to back down. But he hadn’t forgotten about Komiya and Kondo. If those two hadn’t suddenly switched sides, none of this would have turned into such a mess. He had nearly ended up expelled because of them. The more he thought about it, the angrier he got!

But Albert remained motionless.

“Boss said to forgive them this time.”

“…What?”

Ishizaki’s eyes widened in disbelief. Since when did Ryuen start ‘forgiving’ traitors?!

Ryuen originally had no intention of explaining anything to this idiot, but seeing Ishizaki’s dumbfounded expression, he couldn’t help but sneer, “They already told me everything. Hikigaya played it ruthlessly—he offered them a deal they couldn’t refuse. This is just compensation for them getting caught up in this mess.”

After accepting Hikigaya’s terms, Komiya and Kondo wisely chose not to hide anything. They told Ryuen the full details of their meeting and deal with Hikigaya. Of course, they knew they might face consequences for it. But when they had agreed to Hikigaya’s offer, they had already steeled themselves for whatever was coming.

At worst, they’d just get beaten up again. But the basketball club opportunity Hikigaya gave them—once missed, was gone forever.

However, to their surprise, Ryuen didn’t punish them at all. In fact, he was unexpectedly generous, choosing to forgive their “betrayal.”

If Hikigaya had been here, he would’ve immediately recognized Ryuen’s strategy—he was winning people over.

Komiya and Kondo had already paid a hefty price for their actions. They had been beaten to a pulp for nothing, and they were still facing possible suspension. If Ryuen continued to punish them for the recording incident, it might instill fear in the short term, but it would also breed resentment. Eventually, people would start losing faith in him, and his control over the class would weaken.

So instead, Ryuen played a clever move—he forgave them.

On the surface, this might seem like a blow to his authority. But in reality, it earned him their gratitude while also making them suffer the moral weight of their betrayal. At the same time, it subtly eased some of the dissatisfaction within Class C—after all, many had been unhappy with Ryuen ever since the midterm exams.

Of course, if you asked Ryuen how he felt about “forgiving traitors,” he’d be absolutely pissed. But from a rational standpoint, this was the best move he could make right now.

“Wait… Then what about me?”

It was only then that Ishizaki realized—he was the only one who got beaten up for nothing… and gained absolutely nothing in return.

Thirty minutes before the final review meeting in the afternoon, inside the Special Education Building.

“Hey, Ayanokouji, are you ready?”

“Mm… I prepared with the professor and the others during lunch break.”

Horikita and Ayanokouji were getting ready for the upcoming plan. Horikita nodded in response and then turned her attention to the pink-haired girl standing on the other side.

“Ichinose, actually, Class B has already helped us a lot. We can handle the next part on our own.”

Ichinose wiped the sweat off her neck with a tissue. “Are you sure it’s okay with just you two? They have three people on their side, and if the students from Class C catch on, everything will fall apart.”

At the moment, only Horikita, Ayanokouji, and Ichinose were in the Special Education Building. It did indeed seem like the numbers were a bit thin with just Horikita and Ayanokouji. Having Ichinose’s help would definitely make things easier.

But in this situation, Class B had already helped Class D far too much—whether it was helping to find witnesses or lending personal points to buy surveillance cameras, Class D owed too many favors.

At this moment, Ayanokouji suddenly interrupted Horikita and Ichinose’s conversation. “Horikita, Ishizaki and the others are here.”

From a distance, they could hear Ishizaki, Komiya, and the others complaining, “So hot, we’re gonna die from the heat.” But soon, Ishizaki and the others noticed Horikita and the others’ presence.

“Hey, what’s going on here? Where’s Kushida? And how come you guys are here?”

Ishizaki yelled loudly while looking around, but he couldn’t find Kushida anywhere.

“Stop looking, I had Kushida send the message to bring you guys here.”

Horikita took a step forward.

Ishizaki, Komiya, and the others were visibly stunned, and as if they realized something, they tried to leave quickly. Unfortunately, a pink-haired girl blocked their way.

The two sides then got into an argument. However, facing off with Horikita and Ichinose, who were both sharp-tongued, Ishizaki and the others had no way to retort. When it came to being sharp with words, Horikita was by far the most formidable among everyone present!

“Dammit, it’s so hot! This damn place!”

It was clear that Ishizaki and the others were getting increasingly impatient with Horikita’s words. Combined with the stuffy environment inside the Special Education Building, within moments, Ishizaki was sweating profusely. Moreover, he was still thinking about what had happened earlier at noon, and he felt extremely uneasy, fearing that this might be another trap set by that Hikigaya guy.

With that thought, Ishizaki felt like he couldn’t stay here any longer. He turned around to leave, but at that moment, Horikita seized the opportunity and sneered, “I advise you to honestly confess your wrongdoings to the school. Otherwise, at the review meeting later, you’ll be waiting to be expelled!”

“Hah? Are you kidding me? You don’t have any evidence proving which side started the fight…”

Ishizaki was very impatient, but the next second, Horikita interrupted him, “Heh, what do you see over there?”

Ishizaki and the others followed Horikita’s finger and looked in the direction she pointed. To their surprise, there was a surveillance camera clearly visible!