Chapter 127: House Husband? How Can He Be So Ambitionless? Wait, No—This Is Perfect!
The evening hours slipped by in a flash.
After dinner, the atmosphere on the ship became noticeably subtle. Students gathered in small groups in the lounge areas; some stared down at their phones, others spoke in hushed tones, but the relaxed, leisurely vibe of the day had largely evaporated.
After all, there was another group discussion scheduled from 9:00 PM to 10:00 PM. They were officially back in "exam mode."
Twice a day—once in the morning and once at night—for four consecutive days. This frequency made it impossible to truly unwind. You knew that in just a few hours, you'd have to return to that room, face those people and their hidden agendas, and continue the war of nerves.
Hachiman leaned against a window in the corridor, his gaze fixed on the sea as it gradually darkened. He could feel that the overall mood on the ship was much heavier than it had been during the day.
While Class B's maneuvers had made things easier for their own members—who didn't have to worry about the VIP's identity or live in fear of making a slip-up—it was precisely this fact that caused the most anxiety for the other classes.
Class B had become a wall.
A wall that revealed nothing and allowed for no guesses.
Members of other classes could only stare blankly at the equally bewildered Class B students, unable to find a single opening for manipulation.
This sense of helplessness was more draining than direct confrontation.
Hachiman withdrew his gaze and turned toward the dorms. Two hours remained before the evening discussion began.
He wondered what tricks the Dragon Group had in store for tonight.
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In Class A's private lounge, the lights were soft and bright, but only two people were in the room.
Sakayanagi Arisu sat in a single armchair by the window, her omnipresent cane resting by her side. The black tea in front of her was still steaming. Her posture remained elegant, her expression composed.
Kamuro Masumi stood before her.
"So, did you gain anything from following Hikigaya-kun this afternoon?" Sakayanagi asked, taking a gentle sip of her tea.
Kamuro shook her head decisively. "Nothing."
She paused, then added, "He talked with Horikita Suzune from Class D on the deck for a long time, but I was too far away to hear anything. Later, Morishita showed up, and we observed them together for a bit, but still nothing."
Sakayanagi nodded slightly and set down her cup.
"It matters not," she said. "Our Dragon Group didn't produce any substantial content during the morning discussion either."
Kamuro was silent for a moment, then remembered something. "By the way, a piece of news just came out regarding Class D."
"Oh?" Sakayanagi looked up at her.
Kamuro continued, "Supposedly, a proposal was made: if a student is bribed by another class and deliberately guesses a VIP wrong, causing Class D to lose points, that student must bear the full loss themselves. This proposal was put to a vote in the Class D group chat, and the majority voted in favor."
Sakayanagi's eyebrows twitched.
"That proposal..." she said thoughtfully, "is quite interesting. Using bribery to induce a wrong guess and end the exam early is indeed a valid strategy, especially for classes with many VIPs."
Realizing Kamuro might not fully follow, she explained further: "For example, if we in Class A have four VIPs, and someone from another class tries to guess them, a single wrong guess nets our class 50 points. Four wrong guesses would mean 200 points. Sounds wonderful, doesn't it?"
Kamuro nodded, then asked the obvious question: "In that case, why didn't you do that from the start? Isn't playing it safe a good thing? You could have started this as soon as Class D implemented their policy. Wouldn't that be more convenient and safer than trying to buy their VIP info?"
But Sakayanagi shook her head.
"Firstly, the only class easily susceptible to bribery right now is Class D," she said. "Ryuen from Class C may be violent, but he controls his people. And you know his determination to climb to the top. A man willing to shoulder a debt of 46.2 million has no goal other than reaching Class A; he would never cooperate with us. Class B goes without saying. That leaves only Class D—disorganized and self-serving—as the easiest to infiltrate."
She paused and continued, "But look, Class D has now enacted this policy: whoever causes a point deduction bears the full loss. What does that mean?"
Kamuro frowned, thinking. "It means... no one dares to take the job?"
"Correct." Sakayanagi nodded. "Class D students are selfish, yes, but they are also smart. Once they become a public enemy of the class, their future life will be miserable. So, with this policy in place, bribing them won't be so easy."
Kamuro nodded in realization.
Sakayanagi continued, "Secondly, bribery requires points. And not a small amount."
She gently swirled her tea. "If Class D plays it straight and aims for Outcome 1, each group can get at least 1.5 to 2 million Private Points in rewards. For the whole class, that's a significant sum. To get them to give that up and help another class guess wrong, you'd have to offer an even higher price."
"Is it worth it?" she looked at Kamuro.
Kamuro thought about it and shook her head. "It doesn't seem very cost-effective. And... Class D's appetite might be huge. No one has even responded to your offer of 2 million points for VIP info yet. It's all Hikigaya's fault for feeding Class D's greed."
Kamuro seemed somewhat dissatisfied.
Sakayanagi Arisu merely smiled.
"It's more than just being not cost-effective," Sakayanagi added. "There's risk."
She explained, "If we use points to bribe Class D to guess wrong, we get 50 Class Points for free. But those 50 points are bought with Private Points—the monthly payments to Class D would become a fixed debt for our class."
"If Class A suffers a major deduction or failure in other exams later, this debt could be the final straw that breaks the camel's back. Morale would waver, debts would accumulate, and eventually, we might not even be able to pay it back.
So, we would be shouldering a massive risk for Class D's benefit." She looked at Kamuro, her gaze calm and steady.
"So, Outcome 4 looks good on paper, but in practice, there are too many restrictions, the risk is too high, and the returns are unstable. In comparison, protecting our own points is the more stable choice.
And as you said, Class D's appetite has grown, and costs would increase. To truly get a VIP's identity, it would probably cost at least 5 million or even 10 million. For us, it's just not worth it."
Kamuro was silent for a few seconds and let out a soft sigh.
"So, Class A can only defend passively?" Kamuro asked.
Sakayanagi smiled lightly, not answering directly.
"Masumi, have you considered one thing?" she asked.
Kamuro looked at her.
Sakayanagi's gaze rested on the sea outside the window, her voice sweet yet carrying a deep implication.
"The school crammed so many VIPs into Class A and Class B. If we forced Outcome 4, it would be like directly exchanging points for scores—the school basically handing us points. If we obtained points that way, the classes with fewer VIPs would surely report it as unfair."
Kamuro blinked, stunned.
Sakayanagi continued, "If the school simply wanted to give out 'welfare' points, they could have distributed the VIPs evenly—three per class. No one would complain. But the school didn't do that.
And the known condition is that both our class and Class B have a large number of VIPs."
She withdrew her gaze and looked at Kamuro.
"This shows that what the school wants isn't fairness, but 'competition.' They want Class A and Class B to be the defenders and Class C and Class D to be the attackers. The upper classes hold the fort; the lower classes storm the castle. That is the true design philosophy of this exam."
Kamuro blinked, only half-understanding.
But Sakayanagi laughed softly. "Forget it, let's not talk about that."
She paused, changing the subject. "You said you didn't gain anything this afternoon, but have you heard anything useful from Hikigaya's inner thoughts recently?"
Kamuro's expression turned serious.
"Yes," she said. "Regarding the uninhabited island exam."
Sakayanagi watched her without speaking.
Kamuro took a deep breath and lowered her voice.
"The traitor... was Hashimoto."
Sakayanagi's expression didn't change at all.
"I heard it from Hikigaya's heart," Kamuro continued. "He said Hashimoto sold out Class A's leader information and made a deal with Ryuen. But since it was raining those few days, I couldn't follow Hashimoto, so I couldn't catch any evidence."
Sakayanagi nodded slightly. "I know."
Kamuro was stunned. "You know?"
"I could tell from the morning discussion," Sakayanagi said. "Hashimoto's reaction was too obvious. When Ryuen mentioned a 'spy,' his expression stiffened for a split second. Though he recovered quickly, he couldn't hide it from me."
She paused, her tone playful.
"Furthermore, during the Dragon Group discussion, Hikigaya-kun's deliberate mention that the 2 million points Katsuragi traded to Class C hadn't been paid yet wasn't for no reason."
Kamuro frowned. "What do you mean?"
Sakayanagi looked at her with a hint of depth in her gaze.
"Hikigaya-kun must have evidence of Hashimoto's betrayal."
Kamuro was dazed.
Sakayanagi continued, "Hashimoto's betrayal was already part of our script, and as a 'traveler,' Hikigaya-kun certainly knows that too. The evidence you couldn't get, he has surely prepared.
In the morning, I thought he mentioned the 2-million-point IOU we owe Class C just to restrict our cash flow and stop us from buying Class D info. But now, combined with Class D's new 'pay for your own deductions' policy, I believe this is also his handiwork.
Merging the two, the message is clear. He's telling us—he wants to make a deal."
Kamuro's eyes widened.
"A deal?"
"Yes." Sakayanagi nodded. "Class D's current policy has basically ruined Class A's plan to buy VIP info. The points we saved can now be used to trade with him—trading for the evidence of Hashimoto's betrayal."
Kamuro was silent.
Then.
"That guy..." Kamuro couldn't help but say, "why does he want to sell everything?"
Sakayanagi laughed softly. "He loves points; he's quite honest about that."
Kamuro was silent for a few seconds, her mood suddenly becoming complicated.
She had thought of something else.
If Sakayanagi got the evidence of Hashimoto's betrayal, then if Class A ever needed a "sacrifice" to be expelled, Hashimoto would be the best choice. This meant she wouldn't have to worry about being expelled herself.
Thinking of this, Kamuro's mood inexplicably improved.
"Sakayanagi," she suddenly said.
Sakayanagi looked at her.
Kamuro hesitated, then said, "Actually, there's one more thing..."
"Mm?"
"Back during the island exam, I heard some... strange things from Hikigaya's heart."
Sakayanagi's eyebrows moved slightly. "Strange things?"
Kamuro nodded, a subtle expression on her face.
"That guy... seems to have a bit of a 'romance brain.'"
Sakayanagi was stunned. "Romance brain?"
Kamuro organized her words. "Well... it seems he wants to find a girl to date. No, to be precise, he wants to find a capable girl, and then..."
She paused, not knowing how to say it.
Sakayanagi watched her. "And then what?"
Kamuro took a deep breath and said it all in one go. "And then let her earn money to support him while he becomes a house husband. He even said he wants to find an excellent wife to work hard outside while he stays home to cook and raise the kids."
Sakayanagi: "..."
The room went quiet for a few seconds.
Sakayanagi's expression became quite subtle.
She had imagined many possibilities—Hikigaya Hachiman being deeply scheming, Hikigaya Hachiman being perfectly calculative, Hikigaya Hachiman being a master strategist.
He was a traveler, an "over-powered" individual... but she never imagined that deep in that man's heart, he hid such an... ambition?
"House husband?" Sakayanagi repeated the term, her tone carrying a hint of disbelief.
Kamuro nodded. "Yes, his exact words were 'find an excellent wife to work outside and earn money for the family while I cook, clean, and take care of everyone at home.' Also, someone witnessed Koenji inviting him to join his company in the future, but he rejected him. His wording was... he wants to be a house husband. Even Koenji was speechless."
Now even Sakayanagi was silent.
She suddenly felt a crack in her perception of that man.
He was so capable, so skilled at planning and strategizing, able to harvest tens of millions of points in a single exam—and yet his ultimate ideal was to be a kept man?
Thump, thump.
Sakayanagi picked up her tea and took a sip, trying to calm herself down.
"Is he... serious?" Sakayanagi still found it hard to believe.
Kamuro shrugged. "From his inner thoughts, he's very serious. And being able to reject an invitation from the future heir of the Koenji Conglomerate isn't something an ordinary person can do."
Sakayanagi set down her cup and let out a soft sigh.
She suddenly didn't know what to say.
'Hikigaya Hachiman, just what kind of person are you?'
But just then, a thought flashed through her mind.
Kiryuin-senpai from the second year.
Kiryuin Fuuka, the heir to the Kiryuuin family, who would need a husband to marry into the family and inherit the business in the future. She had been looking for a suitable partner—someone capable, smart, and helpful.
And Hikigaya Hachiman fit those conditions perfectly.
Sakayanagi had previously worried that if Kiryuin-senpai developed an interest in Hachiman, it would be a problem.
'However...'
She suddenly felt this might be an opportunity.
If she told Kiryuin-senpai about Hachiman's "ideal"—that the man had no desire to strive or work and only wanted to be kept—given Kiryuin-senpai's personality, she would likely lose interest in him immediately.
After all, the Kiryuin family needed a son-in-law who could handle business, not someone who wanted to be a house husband.
Thus, Hikigaya would completely fail to meet Kiryuin-senpai's criteria.
Thinking this way, it wasn't so bad. A slight curve involuntarily appeared on Sakayanagi's lips.
"Kamuro," Sakayanagi said.
Kamuro looked at her.
Sakayanagi took a sip of her tea, her tone carrying a hint of pleasure.
"The information you provided is very useful."
Kamuro was stunned, somewhat surprised. "Really? Even that 'romance brain' info is useful?"
Sakayanagi laughed softly, not answering directly.
"By the way, if you have time tomorrow, you can keep an eye on Hikigaya-kun. Don't be too obvious; just check in on what he's doing occasionally."
Kamuro nodded. "Understood."
Sakayanagi set down her cup and looked out at the sea.
Night had completely fallen. The distant sea was pitch black, with only the ship's lights bobbing slightly in the waves.
It is well known that humans feel very small in the ocean, even on a large ship. While the sea is beautiful by day, it is entirely different at night. Staring silently at the boundless ocean can involuntarily trigger a few "negative buffs" in one's heart.
At this moment, the atmosphere seemed somewhat heavy.
Surprisingly, though, Sakayanagi felt quite lighthearted.
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