Hachiman’s Classroom of Strength’s Supremacy

Second Semester

Chapter 001: The Next Semester, the Forest Training Camp Exam Begins!

Apart from Class D, most first-year students had no shortage of points.

So, they enjoyed a good vacation with plenty of resources.

Time quickly flew by, and soon it was November 1st—the first day of the new semester.

At 7:00 AM, Hikigaya arrived in the classroom.

However—

Even though homeroom hadn’t started yet, the atmosphere was lively.

Since the month-long vacation had just ended, even though students couldn’t leave the school, it was still a long break. Some spent their time playing, while others stayed in their dorms, so there was a lot to talk about.

What was slightly disappointing was that, under the staff’s work, the class placard had been changed back to Class B.

Their most glorious achievement was Class A, setting a record in the school.

However, they only maintained that rank for less than a month, making some students who aspired to reach Class A feel disappointed.

That said—

Even though they had dropped to Class B, the score differences among Classes A, B, and C weren’t significant, so most students were still in high spirits.

Only those who had ambitions of leading everyone forward felt a sense of regret.

For example, Yukimura.

“For real? Heh—” Kushida, who had no interest in Class A, cheerfully chatted with her classmates.

For her, the most memorable thing about the vacation was that Hikigaya had somehow obtained a marriage registration form.

When she was cornered by Sakayanagi, she had sought Hikigaya’s help and signed a guarantee letter.

At the time, it was just a temporary measure.

She didn’t think much of it.

But when Hikigaya later asked her to fill out a marriage registration form again, she had the feeling that she had unknowingly traded away something very important.

However—

That was something far off in the future.

For now, Kushida continued enjoying what she considered a pleasant school life.

They had arrived early, and small groups had already formed, chatting among themselves.

It was no surprise that Kushida was the center of attention, but when Hikigaya entered the classroom, he noticed that the delinquent gyaru group around Karuizawa was also lively.

They were gathered together—

Talking about romantic gossip.

As expected, girls’ conversations always revolved around such topics. Hikigaya also noticed that Hasebe had joined in on the chatter.

Sitting at his desk, he rested his chin on his left hand and resumed his usual hobby—observing people.

Suddenly—

His gaze met the person he was observing.

The girl was Sakura Airi, who had large twin tails and a timid presence.

However, both Hikigaya and Horikita knew that Sakura was actually very beautiful.

At the same time—

She had a weak, small-animal-like demeanor that made people want to protect her, tease her, or playfully bully her.

But this time, unlike before, she didn’t hide behind a book and shyly avoid eye contact.

Instead—

“G-Good morning, Hikigaya-kun.” Sakura mustered the courage to greet him.

She even raised her left hand and waved.

Ah—

Sakura is really cute.

Hikigaya waved back at her.

“……” Kushida.

Just then, Kushida happened to pass by and witnessed everything.

She also noticed the interaction between Hikigaya and Sakura.

And that wasn’t all.

Hikigaya Hachiman, Sakura, and Horikita Suzune were all in the same row.

In the class, people still believed that Hikigaya and Horikita were dating, even though Hikigaya himself denied it and Kushida had confirmed that Horikita didn’t even understand what love was.

However, they had eaten lunch together and even had physical contact, like hand massages in the past.

Something about it felt off.

Suddenly, Kushida had the feeling that her choice might have been a huge mistake.

Because this guy… gave her the impression that he wouldn’t be faithful even after marriage.

Of course—

She believed that Hikigaya was responsible and the type who would take responsibility—otherwise, he wouldn’t constantly help her relieve stress or cover for her.

But still—

Her uneasiness was real.

Her emotions were complicated.

“Everyone, return to your seats!”

At that moment, the sound of high heels echoed from outside as Chabashira-sensei entered the classroom through the main door.

As the homeroom teacher of this class, she was, of course, going to give a speech on the first day of the new semester… and—

The entire class watched as she wrote on the blackboard:

[First Exam of the Second Semester.]

Yes, this was it.

On the 1st or 2nd of every month, the school would notify students about upcoming exams.

“First of all, congratulations on having a good vacation.”

“And now.”

“It’s unfortunate, but I have to follow the rules and inform you about this month’s special exam. So, I have no choice but to dampen your mood,” Chabashira said.

Although she claimed to be dampening their mood, many students noticed that Chabashira-sensei’s demeanor seemed noticeably brighter.

How should one put it?

She had always given off a cold and emotionless impression, but now, there was a hint of warmth.

It was as if—

She had come to life in some way.

Some students immediately suspected that she must have encountered something good during the vacation—maybe she even fell in love.

“The special exam for this month has been decided,” Chabashira continued in a businesslike manner.

“The exam will be a Forest Training Camp Exam, which all students of the school will participate in.”

“It will last eight days and seven nights.”

“The departure time is absolute—tomorrow at 8:00 AM sharp. You are to assemble at the school gate at 8:00 AM. Your destination is Forest School, which is located deep in the mountains, hence the name.”

“You will need to bring a change of sportswear and personal toiletries.”

“As for the specific exam rules, they will be explained tomorrow.”

“That’s all.” Chabashira casually tossed the chalk aside after finishing.

“……”

The students were stunned.

Because—

This was insane.

Could this school never give them a break?

“After a whole summer break, I hope to see some growth from you all,” Chabashira said as she wrapped up the announcement. After allowing students like Hirata to ask a few questions, she ended homeroom early, leaving most of the class period for them to process the information.

However, since the exam rules hadn’t been revealed, there weren’t many questions.

.

.

.

Hachiman was alone.

But not eating alone—he went to the third floor, had a boxed meal from Sakayanagi, and packed an ice cream before leaving.

He headed to the cafeteria on the first floor.

Today, Horikita hadn’t brought a lunchbox.

She was eating in the cafeteria.

“You haven’t finished eating yet? That’s great,” Hachiman said as he quickly spotted Horikita sitting alone in the student cafeteria.

She had ordered a basic shredded pork with garlic sauce set meal, with pigeon soup as a side dish.

Hachiman placed his tray next to her, prompting Horikita to glance at him.

“If you’re trying to curry favor with me, then I refuse,” she said.

Horikita, despite being very beautiful, still had a personality that was completely lacking in charm.

All he thought was that for someone who clearly had plenty of points, she still ate such simple meals.

Horikita had drawn her conclusion because Hachiman had pushed a boxed ice cream toward her.

Meaning—it was specifically bought for her.

This particular ice cream was expensive, costing 2,000 points.

Unlike most girls, she had resistance to sweets.

However—

She still accepted it.

“This exam… since they haven’t explained the rules yet, I have no clear direction,” Horikita said. “But since it’s a special exam for the entire school…”

“That means the score weight will likely be high.”

Since their class had once reached Class A but had dropped back down, and since two months had already passed, Horikita wasn’t as paranoid as before about Kushida sabotaging the class and ruining her image in front of her brother.

Instead, she was analyzing things rationally.

Through this analysis, she quickly realized the key issue:

The point value of this exam will be significant.

Since it involved the entire scool, was it possible that this would be a cross-grade exam? Unlike the previous sports festival, would they now be competing directly against students from other years?

But since there wasn’t enough information, she couldn’t make any definite conclusions.

“You’ve changed a little,” Hachiman remarked.

Horikita had definitely grown.

“…Even if I don’t want to admit it, if I can’t change the world, then I have to change myself. No matter how much I dislike it, I have to adapt,” Horikita said.

“That’s what I learned last semester.”

Huh.

Even Horikita, who was always so stubborn, had learned to bend.

But was there anyone who truly never changed?

Yes—there was.

Hachiman’s gaze shifted slightly.

At an angle, he noticed a familiar figure—

A classmate.

A girl from his class.

The golden little angel, Kushida Kikyo.

She had been watching him the entire time.

She seemed to be eating with her close friend, Wang Mei-yu.

Wang Mei-yu was small in stature, had twin tails, and looked quite cute.

But if cuteness was the standard, Hachiman still hadn’t found anyone at this school who was cuter than Sakayanagi Arisu.

Although Kushida was chatting with Wang Mei-yu—

No.

Something stood out.

She was holding her phone in her hand.

Hachiman had a bad feeling.

Because Kushida clearly looked like she had just taken a photo.

“……”

For some reason, Hachiman felt a bit uneasy.

Just as he was thinking that—

His phone vibrated.

Someone had sent him a message.

[Hikigaya-kun, using my money to “offer flowers to Buddha” and win over Horikita’s heart—you are truly a sinful man.]

[From now on, no more desserts with your lunch.]
— By Sakayanagi Arisu.

“……”

Damn.

Looking at Sakayanagi’s message, Hachiman immediately realized—Kushida had sent the photo to Sakayanagi.

But—

Kushida, weren’t you just betrayed by Sakayanagi?
Didn’t she almost get you expelled?

By all logic, they should be enemies.

And yet—you so easily became her lackey again?

What exactly did Sakayanagi offer to win Kushida over?

Did she bribe her? Give her points?

But Hachiman didn’t think Kushida was the type to be swayed by points so easily—she should already have two to three million points of her own.

So what could truly move Kushida…?

Did Sakayanagi trade someone’s secret with her?

As the former Class A leader, it would have been easy for Sakayanagi to collect secrets on her subordinates.

Hachiman figured—he should pay Kushida a visit tonight.

Because—he still owed Sakayanagi a duel.

And since Kamuro had already played her trump card in the last exam, it was unlikely she’d be willing to betray Sakayanagi again.

So gathering intel on the people around Sakayanagi would be a good way to increase his bargaining chips for the upcoming confrontation.

—

Time passed quickly.

It was now the 2nd.

At 8 AM, all students gathered at the school gate, where over a dozen buses were lined up.

Students were told to line up according to their class teams.

“Wow, never thought we’d get to go on a training camp at this school.”

“I wonder what it’ll be like? As long as it’s not one of those basketball club-style training camps with non-stop practice, it should be fine…”

Clearly, the students were excited.

Even though the teachers hadn’t given much detail, just the words “training camp” were enough to spark enthusiasm.

Most schools organized study trips starting in middle school, and some called them training camps—meaning they were basically vacations.

At least, that’s what normal people thought.

Yeah.

At least some students in this class were probably thinking the same way.

For example—Sotomura, the slightly chubby otaku who had been in Hachiman’s group during the VIP exam, looked particularly excited.

Even though he was a tech geek, he enjoyed participating in group activities with friends.

Yes—

Friends.

Thinking about it, it was almost ironic—Hikigaya Hachiman had originally come to this school to make friends.

But, unfortunately—

Right now, it seemed like aside from Hirata, he didn’t have any real friends.

However—there was still one thing to be happy about in this training camp.

Since his seat was near the front, Chabashira-sensei was standing right next to him—which meant he would soon hear the exam rules firsthand.

Hachiman sat quietly in his seat.

Each class had its own bus.

Seats were assigned according to student ID numbers, so Hachiman’s was near the front.

To his left sat Ike Kanji.

Hachiman neither liked nor disliked him—but right now, Ike was kneeling on his seat, chatting loudly with Sudo in the back.

As expected—birds of a feather flock together.

Meanwhile, Hirata and Yukimura, who might have wanted to talk to Hachiman, were trapped by their seat assignments and couldn’t stand up.

And Ike, who could have easily talked to him, had already immersed himself in another circle.

Hachiman didn’t really care.

But what actually made his seat uncomfortable was—

Chabashira-sensei was standing right beside him.

She seemed quite entertained, watching the students mess around freely.

To Chabashira, her stagnant time had started moving forward again.

She had regained her passion for life.

And now, she was playing the role of homeroom teacher once more.

But because Hachiman was sitting so close to her, he could catch a faint scent—

A soft rose fragrance.

The same perfume that Kushida used.

Chabashira-sensei had indeed changed.

She still didn’t wear makeup—but she had started using perfume.

Feeling that his reaction might be inappropriate, Hachiman turned his gaze toward the window.

This made him seem exceptionally well-behaved.

Outside, the scenery rushed past, gradually transforming into the roaring tunnels ahead.

The tunnel was long—the bus drove through it for about two to three minutes before light returned.

And just as the bus emerged from the tunnel, Chabashira-sensei seemed to have been waiting for this moment—she placed one hand on the armrest of Hachiman’s seat.

“Sorry to interrupt your excitement, but please quiet down. I think by now, you’re all curious about where this bus is heading and what you’ll be doing next.”

So, the teacher was finally going to explain this month’s special exam?

The entire class instantly fell silent, turning their attention to her.

“……”

However, for Hachiman, while Chabashira-sensei was probably about to seriously explain the rules, he couldn’t help but notice—

Her fingers were exceptionally long and slender.

And since no one else was paying attention to this armrest…

If he were to place his hand on top of hers and interlock their fingers—what would happen?

…Of course, Hikigaya Hachiman only thought about it.

In the end, he focused on listening.

Because—

[I’ll be participating in this exam too.]
— By Sakayanagi Arisu.

Sakayanagi was taking part in this exam.

That meant—this exam could very well be the battleground for their duel.

So, he had to pay close attention.

“Next, you’ll be taken to a forest school in the mountains. We should arrive in less than an hour. The shorter my explanation, the more buffer time you’ll have to prepare. So, can you all quiet down?”

At these words, most students quieted down.

But some still weren’t paying attention.

If she yelled at them or forced them to listen, it would just waste more time.

Yep—this was very typical of Class B.

Hachiman didn’t think returning to Class D was out of the question.

“A forest trip? Aren’t those usually held in the summer?”

At this moment, a student raised a question—

It was Yukimura Teruhiko, the class’s quiet academic elite.

His doubt was reasonable.

After all—it was already late autumn.

From the highway scenery, you could still see withered yellow leaves.

“Can’t you just listen first? I literally just mentioned buffer time.”
—Chabashira-sensei continued.

She had no idea that one of her students was thinking impure thoughts.

“During your usual school life, you have few opportunities to interact with upperclassmen—especially if you’re not in a club, right?”

“But this time, the forest school will involve an eight-day, seven-night cross-grade group activity—an event even more significant than the sports festival. The special exam the school will be holding is called—Mixed Training Camp.”

“Since a verbal explanation alone might not be reassuring, I’ll now distribute the materials.”

As she spoke, she began handing out the exam documents.

Hachiman took a copy.

________________________________________

Exam Details – Mixed Training Camp

This “Mixed Training Camp” meant students would be training alongside upperclassmen.

Upon arrival at the camp, students would be immediately separated by gender—forming six boys’ groups and six girls’ groups.

Each group would undergo moral training, mental discipline, and lessons on independence and teamwork.

The group formation had a unique rule:

• Each small group (10-15 students) must include students from at least two different first-year classes.
•
• Forming a team required unanimous agreement—if even one person refused, the team would be invalid.
•
• Once first-year groups were formed, they would merge with second and third-year groups to create larger teams.
•
This meant direct contact with upperclassmen—and the opportunity to become allies… or rivals.

Of course, most students wouldn’t think about competing against upperclassmen.

So—Hachiman immediately checked the rewards.

Rewards & Punishments

Yes.

This training camp included both rewards and penalties.

The entire school would be split into six large male groups and six large female groups.

Top Three Rewards:

• 1st Place Group:
•
o Each student in the group earns 10,000 private points.
o
o Class evaluation score +3.
o
• 2nd Place Group:
•
o Each student earns 5,000 private points.
o
o Class evaluation score +1.
o
• 3rd Place Group:
•
o Each student earns 3,000 private points.
o
Hmm…

“Lame.”—someone immediately complained.

Yes.

The rewards were too small.

For students already earning about 120,000 points per month, winning just 10,000 points for first place was hardly exciting.

And +3 class points wasn’t exactly a fortune either.

“Keep reading.”
—Chabashira-sensei’s expression remained unchanged.

Hachiman, however, had already spotted the real catch.

The rewards were stackable.

________________________________________

Stacking Mechanism

For example—

• If Class B students formed a team that placed 1st…
•
• And their team included 15 students from four different classes…
•
The total reward would be:

10,000 Private Points × 15 Students × 0.1 × 4 Classes

And for class evaluation points:

3 Class Points × 15 Students × 0.1 × 4 Classes

Not only that—

Each small group (10-15 students) had to elect a leader.

• If the leader was from a particular class, that class’s students would have their rewards doubled!
•
For example—

If a 12-person team was made up of:

• 12 from Hachiman’s class
•
• 1 from Sakayanagi’s class
•
• 1 from Ryuen’s class
•
• 1 from Ichinose’s class
•
And the leader was from Hachiman’s class…

The total reward would be:

10,000 × 15 × 0.1 × 4 × 2 × 12 = 1,440,000 private points

And for class evaluation points:

3 × 15 × 0.1 × 4 × 2 × 12 = 432 points!

Absolutely insane!

________________________________________

Punishments

Of course—such massive rewards came with terrifying penalties.

“Just like the rewards for the top three, the bottom three groups will also face penalties.”
—Chabashira-sensei explained.

• 3rd-to-last place:
•
o Each student loses 5,000 private points.
o
o No class point deduction.
o
• 2nd-to-last place:
•
o Each student loses 10,000 private points.
o
o Class points deducted: Number of students in the group × 3.
o
• Last place:
•
o Each student loses 20,000 private points.
o
o Class points deducted: Number of students in the group × 5.
o
o The leader of the last-place group will be expelled.
o
o Their class loses 300 class points.
o
Hiss…

The entire class inhaled sharply at the severity of the penalty.

Initially, everyone wanted to be a leader—since the rewards were doubled for leaders of winning teams.

But now—the realization hit hard.

If you placed last… you were finished.

Because expulsion was on the line, students immediately began seriously analyzing the exam rules.

—

Beep beep.

At that moment, Hachiman’s phone vibrated—a message from Sakayanagi.

[This exam—pass.]