Chapter 285 The Complex A→C→D→B→A Situation / Not a Good Bestie!
"Dammit!"
Ryuen Kakeru stared at the completely transformed, dilapidated classroom in front of him and couldn't help but curse.
He lashed out with a kick at the chair in front of him—the chair wasn't sturdy to begin with, and under his kick, it collapsed crookedly onto the floor with a piercing screech.
This wasn't a classroom; it was practically a scrap metal recycling center.
The room was filled with old desks and aging stools. Even the Year 1 Class D sign at the door had been replaced with an old relic from previous years; the handwriting was yellowed and blurred, exuding an indescribable sense of downfall.
He hadn't had time to check the dorms yet, but based on his underlings' descriptions, he knew it wouldn't be much better. As soon as the school's "renovations" were complete, Ryuen's expression turned so dark it was practically dripping.
He was the tyrant of Class D, regardless of rank. The classroom and dorms were places for daily study and rest; having them suddenly swapped for this junk would make anyone's blood boil. This was the directive finalized by the new Student Council President Nagumo Miyabi as soon as he took office, and the school had approved it immediately, leaving no room for rebuttal.
Thinking of Nagumo Miyabi made Ryuen's stomach churn with anger.
'Is he crazy?'
He still couldn't understand why the guy targeted Class D first. During the last meeting, Nagumo's words were dripping with hostility toward Shimizu Akira, so why, when it came time to act, did he pick on Ryuen instead of that guy?
'Does he think I'm a soft target?'
Could it be because he didn't cooperate with Nagumo's plan to target Shimizu during the sports festival? Ryuen thought it was likely, but then he sneered.
What could he have done then? Shimizu Akira's performance at the sports festival was superhuman. To try and crush that guy in physical sports was just asking for trouble. Ryuen Kakeru never did meaningless, stupid things.
"Hey, Ryuen! Stop it!"
Ibuki Mio rushed over to him, glaring with a deep frown. "If you smash the tables and chairs and they count it as a violation, what if the class loses points again?"
"Stupid, do you think I'm that brainless?" Ryuen replied irritably.
"The school notified us in advance. Class D is using old equipment now. Even if the furniture breaks, there's no personal compensation required and no class point deductions. You just go to the storage room and get a new one yourself. If we're going to fight, we can just throw the furniture at people now!"
He paused, glancing at the room full of broken desks.
"I guess it's a rare piece of humane treatment from the school. After all, this junk breaks if you just use it a little too hard."
"Nagumo Miyabi is a despicable bastard!" Ishizaki Daichi clenched his fists.
"Ryuen-aniki, let's start a riot! Just give the word, and all forty of us will follow your command!"
Ryuen sneered, slamming a stool onto the floor. "Riot? What's the use of rioting now? The school is clearly on his side. If we make a scene, it'll only get worse for us."
He scanned the few people in the room.
"Nagumo is an old fox. He's using Class D to establish dominance on his first day, and he's probably watching the reactions of the other classes. If we jump out first, he'll have an excuse to dock more class points and nail Class D to the bottom forever. Don't you understand the concept of 'killing the chicken to warn the monkey'? The second and third years haven't moved yet; why are you, a first-year, in such a rush to cause trouble?"
Ryuen's eyes grew colder.
"Besides, we started as Class C and fell here! You dare to protest now—do you honestly believe in your heart that you'll stay in Class D forever? This has just started, not even a day has passed, and you're already losing your cool?"
Ishizaki opened his mouth, but found himself completely speechless.
Ryuen's gaze shifted to the corner of the classroom, landing on Shiina Hiyori, who hadn't spoken. She was sitting in her worn-out seat quietly reading a book, appearing like a lotus flower untouched by the muddy surroundings.
"Shiina, you're thinking the same as me, right?" he asked.
Hiyori closed her book. After a moment of thought, she spoke: "Yes. One major premise must be clear: President Nagumo is targeting the level of Class D, not our specific class itself."
She thought for a bit and added, "Furthermore, I believe that as long as the faculty and teaching remain unaffected, our current situation is acceptable."
"If even Shiina-san says so, then we'll endure for now!"
"Right, don't panic. We'll find a chance to flip the script during the exams!"
Ibuki Mio, Kaneda, and the others nodded in agreement. Nowadays, Hiyori's status in Class D was becoming increasingly important, second only to Ryuen.
Since both of them agreed on patience, the others had no complaints.
Then, Ryuen raised his voice to the whole class: "Let's be clear! I won't be using any privileges, and I won't be spending 50,000 points to rent equipment! None of you should think about being special either! If I find out anyone has extra money to pull that off, you'll see how I handle you!"
"Aniki, you're not taking the privilege? I thought you'd be the first to enjoy it!"
"Yeah, Aniki! By the way, your birthday is this week on October 20th, right? The boys and I are already preparing; we guarantee a surprise!"
Ishizaki and his lackeys crowded around Ryuen.
"Idiots! A bunch of morons! So stupid!" Ryuen rolled his eyes. This was just basic optics.
Were these people suffering from Stockholm Syndrome? No wonder they were played like fiddles by Shimizu and Horikita before.
But... these idiots actually remembered his birthday. A flicker of emotion passed through Ryuen's heart, though his words remained harsh.
"Of course, if it gets so cold in winter that you can't stand it, I'll consider buying everyone a heater."
"Ryuen-aniki! You really do care about us!"
"I'm so moved!"
Seeing them try to crowd closer, Ryuen waved them off. "Hey! Get lost! I'm not interested in men! Damn, you guys are hopeless!"
Ryuen's tone turned serious again.
"The final special exam at the end of the month is the key. Shiina should have explained the rules to you, right? The top scorer is paired with the bottom scorer, and so on. This time, Class D will choose Class C as the target. I'm putting that out there now."
"Class C again?"
"Boss, how many times has it been..."
The lackeys started to complain. They had fought Class C several times without gaining an advantage. While not full-blown PTSD, the lack of confidence in their voices was obvious.
"It's a rational judgment, understand?" Ryuen kicked at Ishizaki. Several underlings immediately stood up to block the classroom security cameras—a coordination they had practiced many times so the boss could "act" without being seen.
Ishizaki rubbed his leg, not angry, and asked, "Is there a specific strategy? Or are we still using Yamauchi Haruki as the breakthrough point? Boss, if you hadn't stepped in, he would've been
expelled. How many points have you dumped into him? At least over a million, right? I feel like he's not worth the investment."
"Why does that sound so weird coming from you?" Ryuen kicked him again.
"He's already following my instructions to skip class and be late in Class C. Why do you think their class points dropped recently? Even if he does nothing else, he can probably screw them out of dozens of points by December. I'm asking you—is spending a million personal points to cost Class C that many class points not a profit?"
Ryuen grinned. "Besides, he'll be of great use in this special exam. Do you really think I picked Class C just because of a personal grudge?"
"Ryuen!" Ibuki Mio interrupted him bluntly.
"Yamauchi has already failed you twice. Every time you say you're sure, but what happens? You end up bruised and battered by Shimizu Akira! Since the deserted island, haven't you lost to him three times now? Do you really think Shimizu is an idiot? That he'll be unprepared and let you succeed a fourth time?"
"...Will you shut up!" Ryuen snapped back.
"There's no reason for me to fail a fourth time."
The saying goes "third time's the charm," but he was treating this as "fourth time's the charm"—his final round against Shimizu. In a Best-of-7, is it not reasonable for me to have four chances?
But thinking calmly, with Shimizu's personality, it was impossible for him to do nothing. His original plan of "altering the exam papers in advance" might have already been predicted by the other side.
Ibuki stopped arguing with Ryuen and turned to Hiyori. "Shiina, what do you think? Do you truly believe attacking Class C again is the rational decision?"
She trusted her friend's judgment more than Ryuen's impulses.
"...A minute ago, I did think Ryuen-kun was right," Hiyori confessed.
"Whether from the perspective of overall academic ability or the fact that we have a spy planted there, Class C is the optimal choice."
"A minute ago?" Ryuen raised an eyebrow. "Interesting. What did you suddenly think of? Don't tell me you think attacking Class A or B is better? That doesn't sound like your usual steady style."
"Because Class A seems to want to attack Class C as well," Hiyori said, showing her phone. "Sakayanagi-san sent me a message. She wants us to give up the right to attack Class C."
"That Little Princess?" Ryuen sneered.
"She doesn't want to leave it to a random draw to see who gets Class C, so she comes to you to plead? How arrogant. She's not targeting Class B this time, but going straight for Class C?"
"She offered very generous terms—500,000 personal points as compensation for us giving up the attack on Class C," Hiyori added.
"500,000? That's quite a bit!"
"Should we change opponents? Class B is tough, but with that many points as a baseline, it seems acceptable!"
"But Class B's academic level is much higher than ours; can we really win?"
The class erupted into debate; many were swayed by the points. Ryuen snorted.
"Who would step aside for that small amount? But... she must have other conditions, right?"
Just then, Hiyori's phone rang. She walked over to Ryuen and pressed the speakerphone. "It's Sakayanagi-san."
"To be accurate, Class C will likely choose you as their opponent as well," Sakayanagi Arisu's voice chuckled from the other end.
"Ryuen, why do you insist on fixating on Class C? If it's just a simple mutual selection where two classes fight in isolation, this special exam would be too boring, wouldn't it?"
"Not a mutual selection?" Ryuen was stunned, his gaze turning sharp.
"You've played Snake before, haven't you? You understand what I mean?" Sakayanagi's tone was playful.
"...Interesting." Ryuen suddenly laughed, realizing the plan.
"Sakayanagi, your ambition isn't small this time. You plan to deal with two classes at once?"
The "Snake" meant forming a chain of attacks. She likely wanted to facilitate an A→C→D→B→A situation. In this way, Class B would have to choose Class A as its opponent.
Every class would have a target to attack and a target to defend against. Theoretically, a class could gain 100 points, but they could also lose 100 in one go. Such a setup was hard to create, but for a Class D desperate for points, it was a rare opportunity.
"After all, there is someone in Class C I wish to challenge for the time being," Sakayanagi's voice trailed off with a touch of nonchalance.
"Consider it a little appetizer before I challenge Shimizu-kun properly."
She hung up. Ryuen frowned. Aside from Shimizu, only Horikita Suzune could be called an "opponent" in Class C. But when did that expressionless girl offend Sakayanagi? It was a mystery.
But those were irrelevant matters. Ryuen opened his phone and stopped on the recruitment notice for the Class 1-C boxing club. Karuizawa Kei's contact info was listed.
"Tsk, a pity," he mused. This month, he had planned to find a chance to teach that "fake gyaru" a lesson in humility after her arrogance during the sports festival. But now was clearly not the time.
Between the December exam and maneuvering between two classes, his plate was full.
"It seems for now, I'll have to let her be comfortable for a while."
.
.
.
Karuizawa Kei had been in a bad mood lately.
On one hand, it was because of the final exam. Kushida Kikyo had mentioned in the meeting that while the top and bottom students would be paired, those in the lower-middle range who were also specialized in only certain subjects were in the most danger.
Kei fell into both categories: her grades were lower-middle, and Math and Chemistry were her weak points.
This exam wouldn't be as easy as the mid-term; other classes would target them with difficult questions. The thought of being paired with someone equally average and specialized made her incredibly anxious.
On the other hand, there was Shimizu Akira. Since the sports festival, his popularity had skyrocketed.
Everywhere he went, girls were stealing glances at him. Kei was already insecure and couldn't help but worry he might be attracted to other girls and slowly grow distant from her.
This insecurity wasn't new. It happened during the boxing exhibition too. But that was fine; only about ten people from their class went.
This time was different.
The sports festival involved the whole grade. Everyone saw his performance. Even her best friend, Sato Maya, had eyes that sparkled as she cheered louder than anyone.
After the class meeting today, she saw Sato Maya pull Shimizu aside.
They talked for a while. Kei couldn't hear from a distance, but her heart was pounding. Was she asking if he had a girlfriend? Was she confessing? Even Matsushita Chiaki's gaze toward Shimizu seemed to hold some indescribable meaning.
Kei counted them in her head—Sato, Horikita, Kushida, even Hasabe Haruka and Sakura Airi... so many people seemed to have feelings for him. The thought felt like a lump in her chest, making her restless.
She couldn't hide her mood. During lunch, Chiaki and Sato noticed and asked if something was on her mind.
She could only fake a smile and claim she was "worried about exams."
Lying on her dorm bed, Kei pulled out her phone and opened a hidden photo album. It was filled with photos of Shimizu training that she had secretly taken as the boxing club manager—there were shots of his muscles tensing as he punched and side profiles of him wiping sweat. She scrolled through them one by one.
Whenever she felt lonely or insecure, these photos became her comfort; looking at him seemed to settle her racing thoughts.
She knew a phone call to Shimizu was the best way to ease her anxiety, but she gripped her phone, unable to press the call button.
In her hesitation, the phone vibrated. It was a message from the Boxing Club President, Sato-senpai.
"After the second semester ends, I've arranged for the first-years Shimizu Akira and Yamada Albert to accompany the senpais to a boxing tournament. Notify them both."
Kei replied almost instantly: "Got it."
Putting the phone down, she burst out laughing. "Now I finally have a valid reason!"
She hugged her pillow and rolled to the middle of the bed, her white feet kicking in the air. Just as her finger was about to touch the call button, the phone vibrated first. The name "Shimizu Akira" flashing on the screen made her freeze.
She answered quickly, but before she could speak, his steady voice came through: "Manager! It's late, hope I'm not bothering you?"
"Cough... N-No, not really!" Kei's heart skipped a beat; Shimizu rarely called her first.
But then she thought of something, and her tone dropped.
"Wait, you're not calling to give me bad news, are you? I've been going to the club every day, and I haven't done anything wrong in class..."
"What do you mean?" Shimizu was clearly stunned.
"Why are you suddenly reflecting on your behavior?"
"Because you've only ever called me twice!" Kei said with a muffled, pouting voice.
"The first time you called was to say my leave of absence was bad, and that month, I almost got kicked out by the president..."
"Uh... of course I'm not scolding you! You've been doing great lately!" Shimizu seemed to realize his track record.
"That was so long ago, why do you remember it so clearly?"
"Of course I remember!" Kei shot back. It was one of the few times he reached out; even if it was to lecture her, she had remembered it for a long time.
But since he denied it without hesitation and even praised her work, her mood shifted just as quickly.
"I'm not mad! I was wrong back then anyway. Oh, oh! Your call is actually perfect timing! The Boxing Club President told me to tell you that you'll be participating in a tournament after the second semester. You and Yamada will go with the senpais. And I'll be going as the manager too." She gripped the phone, her voice softer than she intended.
The other end was silent for two seconds. "A tournament? The national-level one?" He'd heard the president mention it but thought he wouldn't get a chance until next year.
"I think so. The president didn't go into detail, but he specifically told me to notify you two."
As she spoke, her eyes drifted to a notebook on her nightstand filled with sticky notes of Shimizu's training schedules.
"Is your body okay? If you need to adjust before the match, I can tell the president..."
She was interrupted by his gentle voice. "No, I'm fine. But what about you? Have you been in a bad mood lately? Why not tell me what's going on?"
Kei's heart leapt.
"What are you talking about! Wait... did you observe that yourself?"
"Not exactly," Shimizu's voice was honest. "Your friend Sato Maya came to me and mentioned it. By the way, weren't you stealing glances at me earlier? That's when she came over."
'This idiot, he's too honest!' Kei stomped her feet mentally. In times like this, he should say he observed it carefully himself!
But then she thought: 'Sato Maya told him I was in a bad mood... wait, even my 'stealing glances' was noticed?'
Was she that obvious?
"Eh?! I thought she was asking if you had a girlfriend!" The words slipped out.
"Why would you think that?" Shimizu sounded helpless.
"She wanted me to comfort you. Manager, are you a bit of a 'love-brain'?"
"Who are you calling a love-brain!" Kei retorted immediately, though her lips curled into a smile.
'At least she didn't.'
It was a false alarm. Sato Maya was her best friend; she obviously knew about her relationship with Shimizu, so she wouldn't interfere.
"By the way, are you worried about the final exam groupings?" Shimizu asked.
"A little," Kei's voice dropped. "I'm not like you. If I get paired with a poor student, I'm doomed."
"Then don't worry about it," Shimizu's voice was confident.
"I asked Matsushita-san. She planned to intentionally get paired with you. With her, you're guaranteed not to be expelled."
"Eh?! Chiaki's grades are only a bit better than mine! Why are you so confident in her!" Kei felt a little jealous. It felt like Shimizu had a higher opinion of Chiaki than her.
"I'd rather be with you," she blurted out. "I feel most at ease when I'm with you."
She immediately regretted it—was she being too pushy? But Shimizu didn't hesitate.
"Sure, you can pair with me."
"Eh?! Really?" Her voice brightened instantly.
"Yeah," he said seriously. "I'm worried about your grades too. I estimated that if I score at a 700-point level, I can guarantee a 60 in every subject. You'd be perfectly safe."
The words were like a sweet candy, making Kei freeze in place. Her swinging feet stopped. It took two seconds to find her voice. "R-Really? You're really willing to pair with me?"
"Yeah," Shimizu replied. "You are the manager, after all."
Kei buried her face in her pillow, unable to stop herself from giggling.
"Then... if there are questions I don't know, I'm asking you everything! You can't get annoyed with me!"
"I won't." Shimizu's voice seemed to have a hint of a smile.
"We can go to the library to study on weekends. I'll bring the formula notes I organized earlier so you can get familiar with them."
After hanging up, Kei rolled around on her bed, her cheeks burning. She pulled up the hidden album, tapped Shimizu's face on the screen, and whispered: "Dummy Shimizu, I shouldn't have worried for so long..."
The anxiety was gone. The grouping was settled, her friend wasn't stealing her man, and her insecurity was smoothed over by the call. She hugged her pillow and smiled at the ceiling.
But before the joy could settle, her phone vibrated. It was a message from Sato Maya.
Sato Maya: Kei! Did Shimizu talk to you?!
Sato Maya: Feeling better?
Sato Maya: So, I want to compete with you fairly for him!
"HUH?!"
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