COTE : There is Something Wrong With Hikigaya-Chapter 280: Class D’s Exam Strategy

After the quiz, Hirata, Kushida, and the others immediately gathered around Horikita’s seat to discuss their strategy.

"This is bad. I didn’t expect our opponent to be Class B this time."

Hirata frowned slightly.

They had hoped to face Class C, with Class A as a second choice, but instead, they ended up with Class B—the one opponent Horikita and the others least wanted to go against.

Class B, led by Sakayanagi and Katsuragi, was originally Class A when the school year started. Their academic abilities were, without a doubt, the strongest among all the classes. For Class D, which had the weakest academics, this was nothing short of a complete mismatch.

"Logically, shouldn’t Class B have chosen to target Class A? That way, they could have closed the gap in class points. Attacking us, Class D, only helps them earn some points, but it doesn’t seem like the best choice."

After analyzing the situation, Kushida also found the result strange. Since the beginning, Class D had always been seen as a "free point bank" for the other classes. That meant they had a high chance of being able to attack Class C, which no one else would likely pick. Unfortunately, things didn’t go as expected.

"So that means another class also chose Class C, overlapping with us, which resulted in this randomized matchup?"

Hirata quickly realized the issue. It was clear that their bad luck had played a role in the grouping.

"For now, let’s not dwell too much on Class B. We should focus on the group results after the quiz. Our class points haven’t even reached triple digits yet, so rather than worrying about points, our top priority should be avoiding expulsions."

Horikita shared her thoughts, but just as she finished speaking, she noticed Hikigaya getting up to leave. On a whim, she suddenly asked, "Hikigaya, what do you think about this matchup?"

Hikigaya had no intention of responding, but when Hirata also turned to him expectantly, he paused for a moment before saying, "Going against Class B—Sakayanagi and Katsuragi’s class—is obviously not ideal. But like Horikita just said, Class D’s points are so low that we barely compare to the others. So what are you even worried about losing?"

"More importantly, the maximum difference in scores for this exam is only about 100 points. Are you really not considering any other possibilities?"

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Hirata and the others were momentarily stumped by Hikigaya’s words. But Horikita quickly caught on.

"Looking at the special exams we’ve had so far, each one has resulted in a swing of hundreds of class points. If we really want to catch up to the other classes, then special exams should be our real focus."

"But we can’t ignore the regular exams either. Small gains add up over time. If we follow your thinking, isn’t that putting the cart before the horse?"

Kushida disagreed, her gaze flickering toward Hikigaya.

"No, what Hikigaya means is that we should treat special exams as the real final exams. The regular tests aren’t something to completely give up on, but rather a way to assess our weaknesses and improve the class’s abilities, building up strength for when the special exams come. Just like how Ichinose’s class managed to overtake Katsuragi’s class during the uninhabited island exam."

As Horikita spoke, her eyes grew brighter. Hirata also suddenly understood.

"So in a way, facing Class B this time is actually a good thing?"

"Exactly. It’s a whetstone—we need to be sharpened through hardship before we can become truly strong."

Just as Horikita was about to continue the discussion with Hikigaya, she suddenly realized that he was already gone.

"Hikigaya is as indifferent as ever," Hirata said with a wry smile. "His insight and thinking are incredible, but he doesn’t seem to care much about class matters."

Horikita and Kushida both agreed.

In fact, Hirata also knew that Hikigaya was just using the student council as an excuse to avoid getting involved. But there was nothing he could do to force him. Compared to Koenji, who refused to cooperate outright, Hikigaya’s attitude was even more frustrating.

The next morning, the results of the quiz and the partner list for the final exam were announced. Just as Horikita had predicted, the highest and lowest scorers in the quiz were paired together. Some of the expected pairs included Kushida and Sudou, Hirata and Yamauchi, and Horikita and Inogashira. There were no surprises, except for one missing name— Ike.

What worried Horikita the most was the one student left without a partner. Since Class D had only 39 students, one person had to take the exam alone. This rule clearly benefited students with strong academic ability, but for those with lower scores, it was a disaster.

At the moment, the biggest unknown was how the school would choose the unpaired student.

When Hikigaya saw the name of the student left out, his brows furrowed. It was... Sakura!

So, instead of picking an average student, was it chosen randomly?

One important thing to note was that the same failure criteria applied to the unpaired student. This meant Sakura had to score at least 60 points in each subject. The second passing standard was based on the class average, meaning she needed a total score of at least 400 across eight subjects to be safe.

But in reality, there was only one real passing standard— since every subject required a minimum of 60 points, that meant she needed at least 480 points in total!

So the second passing standard was practically meaningless.

It was obvious that this was a hidden rule designed to target classes at risk of expulsion. Anyone who ended up unpaired would face the same situation as Sakura— taking the exam alone and needing a high score to pass.

Sakura’s face turned pale when she saw her name.

Her grades weren’t terrible, but they were on the lower side of average. Since Hikigaya had helped tutor her before, he knew her situation well. If she worked hard, reaching 480 points was possible. But her biggest problem was that she struggled with certain subjects, making it hard to score at least 60 in each one.

That was the biggest challenge of the Paper Shuffle exam— it was extremely unfriendly to students with subject weaknesses. And yet, of all people, Sakura was the one who got unlucky.

Seeing Sakura lower her head so much that it almost touched the desk, Hikigaya took out his phone.

[Hikigaya: There’s still a month left. I’ll help tutor you like before.]

[Sakura: Really? But... I’m scared...]

[Hikigaya: Trust me!]

Sakura lifted her head slightly and stole a glance at Hikigaya.

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