The early spring sun was warm and gentle.
On the school’s spacious sports field, numerous sports clubs were conducting their training.
It was a Saturday, yet the atmosphere was buzzing with activity.
“This is truly youth,” Hikigaya mused.
“What’s with that old-man-like comment?” Tachibana Akane replied.
Hikigaya, holding a starting pistol borrowed from the track and field club, walked towards the starting line of the 200-meter track.
Beside him was Tachibana Akane, the student council secretary and a loyal follower of Horikita Manabu.
“If you had borrowed one more gun, you could have shot Nagumo in the middle of the track.
He would have lost for sure then.” “If the starting pistol shot bullets, I’d shoot you first,” Hikigaya retorted.
“I’m on your side, Secretary.
Why make things difficult for your fellow secretary?” Tachibana Akane said.
Since Horikita Manabu didn’t object, the race agreed upon in the bet was organized by Hikigaya.
The top contenders from both sides stood at the starting line.
Both wore sprint tracksuits, and their robust physiques made them appear evenly matched.
More students had gathered by the trackside than when Hikigaya had left.
Horikita Manabu and Nagumo Miyabi were incredibly popular.
Most girls cheered for Nagumo, while the boys favored Horikita Manabu.
“The starting pistol is here.” Entering the infield at the starting point, Hikigaya raised his hand holding the starting pistol high.
As the two contenders positioned themselves before the starting blocks, the noisy crowd by the trackside fell silent.
“Three.” “Two.” “One.” “Bang!” Like pressing the play button on a movie, the clamor erupted like a tidal wave.
As the two runners neared the finish line, their voices grew louder, and then the sound exploded like fireworks, filling the sky.
Nagumo and Horikita Manabu were neck and neck for the first 150 meters.
It wasn’t until the final 50 meters that Horikita Manabu pulled ahead by a few lengths and maintained his lead to the finish.
“How many seconds?” “Twenty-five seconds,” Tachibana Akane showed him the timer on her phone.
“He’s so fast, he could be an athlete.” Even though Hikigaya remembered seeing Horikita Manabu’s lightning-fast speed during the sports festival, he was still impressed by his strength.
Nagumo was strong, but Horikita Manabu, unimpeded by a girlfriend, was even stronger.
After returning the starting pistol to the track and field club members and waiting for the crowd around Horikita and Nagumo to disperse, Hikigaya made a phone call to a student in their class.
He put the phone back in his pocket and walked over to the two men, keeping the call on.
The second condition of the bet was met; now for the unfinished first condition.
“You won.
Six million private points have been transferred to your account.” Even in defeat, Nagumo Miyabi remained nonchalant.
“That’s decisive.
You’re worthy of being the vice president.” Hikigaya quickly assessed him as a rich person.
“For the first question, who is the person Horikita Manabu cares about most in this school?” “Don’t underestimate me, Hikigaya.
The answer is Horikita Suzune, his sister, right?” Nagumo Miyabi broke into a relieved smile.
He figured Hikigaya’s answer wouldn’t be something obvious like Tachibana Akane.
He had meticulously researched the names of all the first-year students and, upon discovering the name Horikita Suzune, easily obtained her photograph.
“Right, Mr.
Horikita Manabu?” “Mm.” Horikita Manabu maintained a serious expression, as if he had just been asked if he had eaten.
This simple sound delivered a huge emotional blow to the girl on the other end of the phone.
“But I didn’t expect your sister to be in Class D, especially with her top-notch grades.
Out of curiosity, I spent quite a few points to buy her interviewer’s evaluations from the school.
I found out she only looks like you.” “It’s better that she’s not like me.
Although she hasn’t reached her full potential yet, she possesses potential even greater than mine.” Horikita Manabu suddenly placed his hand on Hikigaya’s shoulder, startling him, as Hikigaya had been quietly acting as an outsider.
“What’s wrong, President?” “I’m entrusting you with the task of protecting Suzune’s growth.
You were the one who dragged Suzune into this, weren’t you?
This is the only compensation that will satisfy me.” Hikigaya could only respond with a bewildered expression.
His plan was to give the six million private points he won directly to Horikita Manabu as compensation.
Now, Horikita Manabu was acting like he was entrusting his child to him, what was going on?
“President, that’s your sister.
As a brother, shouldn’t you be protecting her yourself?” “Just tell me, do you accept the responsibility or not?” For the first time, Hikigaya saw a hint of a smile on Horikita Manabu’s face.
He knew he wouldn’t be able to sleep that night.
His stomach felt terrible.
———————— I’m going to die, I’m so tired.
Just like on Friday morning, Hikigaya walked into the classroom with dark circles under his eyes and sat down.
After returning from the sports field on Saturday, he had slept until noon.
Having had enough sleep the previous night, he predictably suffered from insomnia again.
With a few minutes left before morning class, as Hikigaya was about to close his eyes and rest, a classmate approached his desk and showed him a phone.
“Is this you on the forum?
I heard you won several million private points from the student council vice president.” The student was Ike Kanji, who, along with Yamauchi Haruki, was known by other students as one of Class D’s three fools.
Ike Kanji’s phone displayed a post on the school forum.
It stated that Nagumo Miyabi admitted that he lost six million private points to the first-year student council secretary, Hikigaya, in a race with the president.
A photo of him holding the starting pistol, looking like a half-baked handsome guy, was also included.
“Hikigaya, we’re friends, right?
I’m almost out of points, lend me tens of thousands first.” Yamauchi Haruki leaned over from his seat, looking at Hikigaya with a fawning expression.
“The other day, I even stood up for you, and Horikita pushed me over.” Hikigaya was speechless.
He wondered how Yamauchi, with whom he had only exchanged a couple of words, had the audacity to say such things.
However, due to his lack of sleep, he just wanted to brush them off and send them away quickly.
“The photo is photoshopped.
This is just a rumor.” “I don’t believe it, unless you show us your phone and how many private points you have,” Yamauchi countered.
“You don’t believe me, and you call yourself my friend?
Don’t bother me.” Pushing Ike Kanji’s phone aside, Hikigaya crossed his arms, closed his eyes, and rested his head on the desk.
Nagumo Miyabi’s counterattack was faster than he expected, and the fools of Class D were easier to incite than he had estimated.
Just as Nagumo had become a rich target in his eyes, he had now become a rich target in the eyes of the Class D students.
The only stroke of good fortune was that his collection of two million private points for Class D’s intelligence had not yet been exposed.
Hirata had made arrangements for it to be collected as if it were purchased from the school.
He did not know whether Nagumo knew about this matter.
To be prepared for any eventuality, his plan to transfer to another class needed to be accelerated.
The students of Class D were a mixed bag, making them difficult to unite.
In his confrontation with Nagumo, they would only drag him down.
Currently, Horikita Manabu was drawing Nagumo’s fire.
After Horikita graduated, Nagumo’s attention would likely shift to him, as Horikita Manabu’s designated successor.
Old man Horikita was truly ruthless.
He had only wanted to help reconcile the siblings, but how did he end up in such a predicament?