After witnessing the commotion, Hashimoto quickly walked through the hallway to the cafeteria.
He made contact with a group of three people who were already seated and having lunch.
"Hey, Princess. Are you sure we don't have to do anything this time? I don't think it's a good idea to go head-to-head like this."
"You seem to be very concerned about Class B, Hashimoto-kun."
Putting down the chopsticks in her hand, Sakayanagi looked at Hashimoto.
"Even though they were formerly Class D, they're up to Class B now. And the gap between us isn't so big that we can laugh at it. If we lose this time, the gap will be less than 200 points. One big special exam could turn the whole thing around."
Sakayanagi didn't seem to be bothered at all, but Kamuro, sitting in front of her, was a little different.
If anything, Hashimoto's idea was easier to understand and agree with.
"Is there any connection between that story and what happened earlier when you left in a hurry?"
"I was following his example, Ryuuen is making new moves one after another to corner Ichinose's class."
"New moves? I don't think so. It's the same shape, just a different color."
"Even so. I'm a little envious, to be honest."
Hashimoto expressed his true feelings, including criticism of Sakayanagi.
However, Sakayanagi didn't seem to be bothered by Hashimoto's true thoughts and responded with a smile.
"In a special exam like this one, what we can do is extremely limited. There is not much you can do externally, all you can do is sit at your desk, stare at your textbook, and face yourself."
"I know that, but it doesn't mean that there aren't any other options available to you."
"Our classes are full of students who are not afraid of studying, who work on their own initiative and who work in teams. There is no need for me to tell them what to do, don't you think? Trying to cram more than you can handle is counterproductive."
Hashimoto bit his lip slightly and responded with an attitude that said otherwise.
"It seems that you're quite dissatisfied that we aren't doing anything. So, do you want to be like Ryuuen-kun, watching 24/7, putting pressure on your opponent, and sabotaging him? I don't think that's efficient."
Hashimoto let out an imperceptible sigh and replied to Sakayanagi.
"Indeed, it may not be efficient. And considering that it's a copy of Ryuuen's strategy, the probability of the princess adopting it is low... But isn't it many times better than doing nothing? It's a nuisance to be interrupted in our studying, which requires concentration."
Hashimoto affirmed the action as if it was one way to imitate Ryuuen's strategy.
"It may make sense on the surface, but in the end, if Ichinose and the others are bothered by interruptions, won't they stay in their dormitories? What's the point of changing the place to study?"
Kamuro asked curiously, tearing a piece of bread.
"You can see the root of the reason why we study and work outside.
Studying in front of the public makes it easier for me to concentrate because I can't skip class, and I can relax a little more. Isn't that right?"
"Certainly, studying is not always about confining yourself. Especially for those who are not used to studying regularly, studying in a place where people can help you can make it easier to learn."
"So Ichinose and others continue to study even though they know they're in a place where they'll be interfered with."
Kamuro nodded her head in agreement as she spread jam and put a piece of bread in her mouth.
"But you forgot the important thing, Hashimoto-kun."
"The important thing?"
"It takes a lot of manpower to sabotage. Besides, sabotaging in front of the public doesn't give a good impression."
"…That's…"
At the very least, it looked far from the behavior of Class A champions.
"Furthermore, you'll lose a lot of learning time if you use that strategy. You won't be able to reduce the opponent's score catastrophically, and you'll lose the opportunity to score as many points. The next idea that comes to mind is to hire first-year or third-year students and ask them to interfere, but there's no guarantee that they'll do a good job for the price, and you'll need more people to monitor their work. In this case, it's inefficient because there won't be a significant change in class points this time."
Hashimoto, who remained in denial, continued to think about what he could do, avoiding thoughts about giving up.
"Then there's no problem if I operate alone, is there?"
"I don't recommend it. His way of doing things is a strategy that fits the phrase, 'putting the cart before the horse' very well."
He continued to sabotage with unknown effectiveness by reducing the number of people and time to study.
"Moreover, it's the same for one person or ten people. If your harassment of the other class becomes known, it's not only your fault, but it degrades the dignity of Class A. Don't you think so?"
Even if Hashimoto claimed that he acted alone, how many people would believe him?
The more effective it was, the more likely it would be judged that Sakayanagi was giving orders behind the scenes.
"When you put it that way, it's like saying that Ryuuen's strategy is also unnecessary, right?"
"That's not exactly true. Even if it's a useless strategy for us, Ryuuen-kun's class adopts the strategy of obstruction, which is very significant, unlike ours. They are the least motivated and the least skilled students among the second year's four classes. Even if they start studying seriously at their desks now, they won't come close to the Ichinose-san's class's academic abilities. That's why they're betting on making their opponents fall instead of improving themselves."
While Hashimoto continued to insist that something should be done, Sakayanagi offered a solid theoretical explanation.
"So we can win as it is, right?"
"If all goes well, we'll win this special exam. However, according to the rules, our opponent has the upper hand in determining the outcome. It seems that the rule was set so that lower classes can also fight against higher classes, but unlike us, who are in the higher ranks, the lower classes have the right to the highest score. We cannot guarantee that we will be able to compete in this format."
Even if Sakayanagi's class achieved a perfect score, it couldn't match Horikita's class's perfect score due to the rules.
"Defeat is alright as well, though unlikely. If Horikita-san's class's score exceeds ours and wins, it would be an opportunity to collect information."
" …Information-gathering?"
"Among the low-level students, there may emerge students who have potential. If we can determine this, we can improve the accuracy of our priorities— who has to be eliminated. In this sense, Ryuuen-kun's strategy is still a foolish one since it blurs the picture."
The results of the special exam were to be announced to the opposing class in detail.
If there was a student who performed remarkably well, it was inevitable that they'd be noticed.
"You still don't seem happy about it."
Kitou, who had been silent so far, threw a firm remark against Hashimoto.
"No, I understand what you're saying, Princess. However… I'm wary of Class B. It's not a bad thing to think that they might catch up to us if we're not careful, is it?"
Hashimoto didn't say anything else, but the first candidate was undoubtedly Ayanokouji Kiyotaka.
And they couldn't ignore potential opponents such as Kouenji, whose potential was first-rate.
"It'd be fine if we just lose this special exam. But the end-of-year exam would be against Ryuuen. The fluctuation of class points would be bigger than ever before, so we can trust that we won't lose that one, right?"
"The end-of-year exam requires a certain amount of strategy. There's no way I can lose unless there's a special condition like this that gives the lead to a certain class. Of course, Ryuuen-kun would respond in the same way."
Neither of us had any doubt about our chances of defeat when it came to the real thing. But at the end of the school year, one of the leaders would surely be defeated, and that would have a great impact on the Class A competition.
"I'm sorry, I overstepped the mark a bit. I'll go cool off."
Hashimoto replied, apologized to Sakayanagi, and left.
He then took off his jacket, put on his shoes, and walked out the front door toward the dormitory.
A male student approached Hashimoto.
Neither of them called out to the other, and they began to walk side by side.
"It seems that you had been struggling a lot."
The man who answered in an amused tone understood the situation because he had been watching the cafeteria through the glass.
"I'm a realist, but I'm also a romantic."
"What do you mean by that?"
"I'm a realist and a romanticist, you see."
"Those have opposite meanings. What do you mean by that?"
"A realist is a pragmatist. If you think about it normally, you wouldn't think that Sakayanagi would fall behind Ryuuen. We'll win by getting rid of Ryuuen's tricks. Well, it's predictable that it will show off Class A's dignity in a straightforward way."
"Yes, that's probably what most people think."
"However, in the world of manga, novels, and dramas, it wouldn't happen that way, would it?"
"You mean Sakayanagi will lose?"
"It's not realistic for Class A, who's in the lead, to keep winning. It wouldn't make a good story. It'd be more exciting if they were brought down to the same level during the end-of-year exams. Then in the third year, it would be a three-way battle between Ryuuen's, Horikita's, and Sakayanagi's classes. And ultimately, one of the classes would lose and be dragged down from the top spot, leading to the ending..."
For the students in Class A, such a fantasy was extremely unacceptable.
"I see, you're indeed a romantic."
"We have to be ready for either Horikita or Ryuuen."
"That's a very Hashimoto-esque idea."
Fortunately, Hashimoto was in a position to have some information on Class A.
"However, I need to be careful not only behind but also in front and to the side. I can't trust you for free either, can I? Kaneda."
Kaneda smiled wryly and put his finger on the rim of his glasses when his name was called.
"It's perfectly natural to suspect you of being Ryuuen's puppet. You have been and will continue to be so. I'm not sure if I'm right or wrong in my calculations."
"I work for myself, and you work for yourself. That's the best relationship."
Kaneda showed Hashimoto the words he had typed on his cell phone, and when Hashimoto nodded his head, he erased all the words. Kaneda stopped moving forward and naturally moved away from Hashimoto.
"I wonder if I should follow Sakayanagi, Ryuuen, or Horikita's class? It's time to make a decision."
Looking ahead to the end of the school year and beyond that, to the third year.
Hashimoto continued to think about what he could do for himself.