The Rules Leading to Victory

Hikigaya sighed, feeling a sense of unease settle over him as the day began. He hadn't anticipated such a turn of events, and had hoped this exam would offer a rare moment of reprieve.

But any hope for a quiet day was dashed when he received a message from Matsushita. She invited him to discuss the exam over breakfast at the café. Hikigaya considered declining—he wasn't in the mood for company—but Matsushita had been a reliable ally. He couldn't simply brush her off.

The thought crossed his mind that this discussion would likely revolve around the identity of the "preferred" student. Should he tell her the truth?

As he pondered this dilemma, he dressed and headed toward the ship's deck. Logically, considering their current alliance, it made sense to inform Matsushita that he had been chosen as the "preferred" student.

Yet, from a strategic standpoint, there was no need to disclose this.

Keeping his identity hidden was crucial to avoid penalties for the class. Revealing it, even to a teammate, could backfire and increase the risk of exposure.

He decided to let it go for now.

When Hikigaya arrived at the deck, Matsushita was already there, leaning against the railing. Upon seeing him, she smiled and approached him warmly.

"Good morning, Hikigaya-kun."

"Morning... Have you been waiting long?"

"Not at all. I just got here myself."

Most students gravitated toward the buffet in the morning, and it seemed Matsushita had chosen the café to avoid the crowds. Hikigaya appreciated her thoughtfulness, but he couldn't help feeling awkward—especially since it was just the two of them.

"Where are Sudou and Sakura?" Hikigaya asked, glancing around. "Aren't they coming?"

"Eh?"

"What do you mean, 'eh'?"

If they were going to discuss the exam, it made sense to have the whole group present to exchange information. Otherwise, the discussion would be pointless.

"I only invited you this time, Hikigaya-kun..." Matsushita said, suddenly stepping in front of him, leaning slightly forward as she looked up into his eyes. "Is it a problem if it's just the two of us?"

Wait, was this the legendary puppy eyes?

Hikigaya was taken aback. He hadn't expected Matsushita to use this technique—a tactic often employed by girls to disarm boys. When had she learned this? Or was she just naturally good at it?

He found himself internally debating these questions as a way to distract himself. There was no helping it—the move was too powerful for a healthy high school boy to resist. The fact that he wasn't completely flustered on the spot was a testament to his effort.

"...Alright, let's go."

"Mm!"

With no other choice, Hikigaya resigned himself to following Matsushita into the café. But the moment he stepped inside, regret washed over him.

"Matsushita... Let's go to the buffet instead."

"Hm? Why the sudden change?"

Matsushita looked puzzled. She knew Hikigaya wasn't fond of crowded places, so his suggestion seemed out of character. However, she soon noticed the issue.

"Hikigaya-kun, look over there," she whispered, pointing discreetly. "Isn't that Horikita and Ayanokoji? Do you think they're dating? People in the class have been gossiping about it."

Girls often enjoyed talking about romance—Ichinose did, and so did Matsushita.

Unfortunately, the two people she was discussing were probably just as disconnected from romance as Hikigaya himself. Still, as he listened to her, he couldn't shake a peculiar feeling of emptiness.

"Let's not disturb them. We should go," Hikigaya said, brushing off the strange emotion.

His reasoning didn't hold much water—after all, the café was spacious, and the chances of bothering anyone were slim. But Hikigaya wasn't interested in facing those two, so logic took a back seat.

However—

"Hikigaya-kun, good morning. You and Matsushita-san are here for breakfast too?"

To his surprise, Horikita greeted them first. Was something wrong with her?

"What's with that look? You're being annoying," she snapped.

Okay, maybe she was fine after all.

Hikigaya felt a sense of relief. Horikita was still her usual self, and there was no need to explain anything to her brother, the student council president. Ayanokoji, too, acknowledged them with a nod.

Still, it was remarkable that these two could continue to cooperate.

Hikigaya suspected that Horikita had figured out the truth—that it was Ayanokoji who had knocked her out. But it seemed she didn't mind too much. From a purely results-oriented perspective, Ayanokoji's actions saved Class D from losing a significant number of points while also dealing a heavy blow to Ryuuen and Katsuragi.

For Horikita, as long as she could climb to Class A and catch up to her brother, she was willing to accept any cost. And Ayanokoji had agreed to help her, which explained why they were strategizing together so early in the morning.

Well, whatever.

Hikigaya had no intention of meddling in other people's decisions, even if one of them was the student council president's sister. He could only hope she knew what she was doing.

"By the way, is there anything concerning in your group?" Horikita asked, cutting to the chase. It was clear she hadn't approached them for idle chat; she wanted to know about the exam.

As she spoke, she handed Hikigaya a piece of paper.

"This is the list of students in my Dragon group and Ayanokoji-kun's Rabbit group. I get the feeling something's off with the Dragon group."

Hikigaya had expected as much but still glanced at the list. The Dragon group, as it turned out, was stacked. Class D had a strong representation, and Class A and B had sent not only Katsuragi and Kanzaki but also other key players. They were all competent enough to serve as strategists.

The only exception was Class C, where Ryuuen was the sole representative. Otherwise, they would have included Shiina or Kondo. It seemed like Ryuuen's homeroom teacher had a lot of confidence in him.

This further confirmed that the group assignments had likely been coordinated among the four homeroom teachers, and even if the groups were shuffled, the exam structure wouldn't be compromised. In other words, it was likely that the twelve groups had been formed first, and then the "preferred" students were selected.

Wait... If that's the case...

A thought struck Hikigaya. Although it might sound a bit self-centered, if the homeroom teachers had intentionally targeted him by making him the "preferred" student, it would mean his group's situation didn't align with the previous assumptions.

Could it be that the Rooster group was decided after they chose him as the "preferred" student and then assigned the other members?

No... Wait.

Perhaps the "preferred" students were chosen first, and then they were placed into the groups?

This exam used the twelve zodiac signs to name the groups, so there might be a deeper significance to it.

The school decided to replace the original twelve group names with zodiac signs, perhaps to help students remember them more easily. But upon closer inspection, this gesture seemed unnecessary. If the concern was that students might forget the group names, why not simply label them as Group 1, Group 2, and so on?

Leaving aside the possibilities of the school trying to appear more sophisticated or just indulging in trivial matters, there was only one logical explanation: the school wanted to prevent students from associating the groups with numbers.

Just like yesterday, the school had gone to great lengths, dividing the explanations into numerous sessions and even having teachers specifically mention the Werewolf game—all to mislead the students' thought processes.

Hikigaya felt that he might have stumbled upon a crucial rule leading to victory. However, this theory required further validation.

With this in mind, he asked, "Horikita, which teacher explained the rules to you yesterday?"

"It was Chabashira-sensei," Horikita replied with a frown. "But what does that matter? I've already confirmed with Ayanokoji-kun that even if different teachers were in charge, the explanations were identical."

"...Did she use the Werewolf game as an example when explaining Result Three and Result Four?"

"Yes, she did. So, what's your point?"

Horikita seemed completely unaware of Hikigaya's line of questioning, probably because she hadn't considered this angle at all.

Students like Horikita and Katsuragi, despite being top performers, had a thought process that might not be well-suited for this particular exam. They were likely to follow the rules strictly, probing each other within their groups to find weaknesses, ultimately turning the exam into a tedious contest of who had the sharper mind.

In contrast, Ryuuen's mind might not be as sharp as theirs, but his greatest advantage was treating the teachers' words as nonsense.

In that sense, he and Hikigaya were… No, they weren't similar at all!

"It's nothing," Hikigaya sighed lightly. "I was just thinking how inconsiderate the teachers are, using the Werewolf game as an example. Didn't they consider that students like you and Ayanokoji, who probably didn't have friends growing up, wouldn't be familiar with such social games?"

"Hmph, I'll return that comment right back at you."

Horikita shot back immediately, while Ayanokoji looked exasperated but couldn't argue. As for Matsushita...

Wait, why was she giving him that strange look again?

Hikigaya couldn't hold back anymore. "Matsushita, I wanted to say this yesterday. Stop looking at me like that. I played the Werewolf game in elementary school, okay?"

"Eh? No way!"

Seeing Matsushita's surprised expression, Hikigaya almost lost his temper. Was she pitying him? How rude!

"So, you haven't had anyone to play with since middle school?" Horikita smirked.

"Uh..." Alright, she was even ruder. Matsushita was cuter by comparison.

At that moment, the rudest person of all made his entrance.

"Lovely weather, Dead-Eyes. I didn't expect you to be hanging out with Suzune. Did you ditch Kikyo or something?"

Ryuuen entered with Ibuki, sporting his usual irritating grin, while Ibuki glared sharply in their direction.

What was he even talking about?