COTE : There is Something Wrong With Hikigaya-Chapter 182: What Are You Trying to Prove With Your Fists?

Ryuen had thought that by this stage, the special exam was pretty much settled.

But now, thanks to what Ibuki just told him, he realized he had overlooked something critical.

If only he had known sooner...

No, he quickly dismissed that thought.

Ibuki herself had only learned about this from Class D yesterday, meaning they had done an excellent job of keeping it a secret all along. And both Ibuki and Kaneda had already been struggling to conceal their true identities while trying to uncover the leaders of their respective classes. Some delays in getting information were unavoidable.

After all, Ryuen had been hiding out on the deserted island like a wild man for days. He avoided open areas and caves during the day, only moving under the cover of night. He didn't even dare to start a fire out in the wild.

To ensure absolute secrecy, he chose his movements at random each day, never repeating a route. The good part was that, aside from the school's tracking system, no one knew where he was. The downside was that it was extremely difficult for anyone to contact him.

The reason he had gone to such lengths to stay hidden was simple—he knew the biggest flaw in his "zero-point strategy."

He absolutely could not let any other class figure out who Class C's leader was!

Even if just one class managed to identify Class C's leader, his entire plan would take a massive hit!

"Who's there?"

Ryuen's gaze suddenly shot toward the trees in the distance. A shadowy figure slowly emerged through the rain.

Both Ryuen and Ibuki's faces changed the moment they saw those dead-fish eyes.

"Hope I'm not interrupting your sweet dreams, Ryuen."

Hikigaya strolled into the hideout as if he belonged there, casually taking off his jacket, which was already soaked through.

"This rain just keeps getting heavier."

Hikigaya muttered to himself.

But Ryuen stared at him, his eyes fixed on the soaked jacket he was wearing. His expression instantly darkened.

"You've been eavesdropping this whole time?!"

Ryuen gritted his teeth. Hikigaya's attitude just now had made it obvious—he had heard everything.

"Is eavesdropping illegal?"

Hikigaya shot back without hesitation, then turned his gaze toward Ibuki.

"But stealing is."

"I don't know what you're talking about."

Ibuki pretended to be clueless.

"Heh, I saw it all just now. Why would the leader's key card, which originally belonged to Horikita, be in your hands?"

"I..."

Just as Ibuki was about to speak, Ryuen cut in.

"We just happened to find it in the forest. Even if you report this to the school, you have no proof that we stole it."

"True, the school wouldn't punish anyone without solid evidence."

Hikigaya understood that perfectly well. With no surveillance and no concrete proof, even if he pushed the school to step in, the outcome wouldn't be satisfying. So that wasn't his focus at all.

"What really surprises me is that I thought Ryuen had already left the island, but here you are, looking like a wild man. I wonder why? It's pretty suspicious, don't you think?"

"Hikigaya, stop beating around the bush. Let's just get to the point."

Ryuen spat on the ground, his expression full of contempt.

"You have no evidence that Ibuki stole the key card. D-Class's leader has been completely exposed. So what can you even do? And even if you found out about the deal between C-Class and A-Class, so what? What are you going to do about it? Let me tell you something—you can't change a thing! This time, I win!"

From the moment Hikigaya appeared, Ryuen had been running through all the possibilities in his head. No matter how he analyzed it, the result was the same—he had won.

Hikigaya, with his dead-fish eyes, didn't have what it took to break the situation. The worst outcome would be his own exposure, but even that had a backup plan.

But instead of getting worked up over Ryuen's taunts, Hikigaya simply looked at him with an odd expression. After a long pause, he finally spoke.

"Ryuen, I think you've been mistaken from the very beginning. I never had any intention of ruining your plans."

"Tch, Hikigaya, you look really pathetic trying to act tough right now."

Ryuen sneered.

"You know, Ryuen, maybe you're overestimating yourself."

Hikigaya didn't hold back.

"I never cared about your C-Class in the first place. Get it?"

"You don't care about us?!"

Ryuen laughed out loud, as if he had just heard the biggest joke of his life. But then, as if something clicked, his laughter faded, his eyes widened, and he locked his gaze onto the boy in front of him.

"Your target... is A-Class?!"

Hikigaya glanced at him indifferently, as if the answer was obvious.

Veins popped on Ryuen's forehead as rage filled his face.

"You bastard... You really have the guts to say that right to my face?!"

He looked like he was about to lose it and attack Hikigaya at any moment.

"What's wrong? Feeling underestimated? Frustrated?"

Hikigaya saw right through him. His tone turned colder.

"If you always fail to recognize your own weaknesses, why would I even bother with you? What, you think your fists make you special? Don't make me laugh. If you have to rely on brute force to prove yourself, that just means you have nothing else left but your fists."

Step by step, Hikigaya walked closer to Ryuen, taking in his unkempt appearance.

"You keep saying you don't care, yet you've endured this wild-man lifestyle for days, all just to climb up the ranks. Taking down a dictator like you is way too easy."

"For climbing ranks?"

Ryuen let out a cold laugh.

"You're the one who doesn't get it. I don't care about that—I want to win. I want to crush all of you who think you're better than me!"

"Well, with your current abilities, that's going to be pretty tough. But I'll be looking forward to the day you manage it."

Hikigaya glanced outside and saw that the rain had stopped. He turned to leave but paused in front of Ibuki.

"A piece of advice—if you want to be a proper spy, the first thing you need to remember is not to let your emotions control you. And if you really want to win this exam, the best choice is to make no choice at all."

"Hey, what do you mean by that?"

"Nothing much. Just saying whatever comes to mind."

After saying that, Hikigaya disappeared into the forest.

"Hey, Ryuen, are you really just going to let him walk away? We should go after him now—"

Ibuki turned to Ryuen, looking anxious.

But Ryuen didn't react at all. Ibuki called out to him a few more times before he finally responded.

"Shut up."

Ryuen's expression was dark. "If we made a move, we'd be playing right into his hands."

"Then what do we do now? Hikigaya already knows who you are—"

"Hey, Ibuki!"

Ryuen cut her off and glared at her fiercely. "You've always hated me, right? Well then, here's your chance to get back at me."

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