Chapter 129: Controlling Manabe? Ayanokouji, You Must Be Questioning Ryuen's Control
Manabe Shiho walked back to her dorm, her steps so light she was practically skipping. Fifty thousand points.
Not only could she vent for Rika, but she could also earn fifty thousand points. This deal was simply too good. And that boy, Ayanokouji—he was actually quite handsome. Although he lacked expression, he spoke quite nicely.
"You're very cute."
Remembering that sentence, Manabe couldn't help but curl her lips upward again.
When she got back to the dorm, she definitely had to show off to the others. That girl Yamashita Saki spent all day talking about her own charm, but she hadn't even received a love letter yet. And Rika—this time she was getting revenge for her; wouldn't Rika have to thank her properly?
The more Manabe thought about it, the more beautiful it seemed, and her pace quickened.
It was only when she reached the dorm door that she remembered—she had forgotten her key card.
"Tch." She raised her hand and knocked. "Saki? Rika? Open up!"
No response.
She knocked a few more times, but still, there was no movement.
"What's going on?" Manabe frowned and pounded the door twice. "Open up! I'm back!"
Finally, the sound of footsteps came from inside.
The door opened.
Manabe was just about to complain, "What took you so long?" but the words got stuck in her throat.
Because standing inside the door at this moment was not Saki Yamashita, nor Rika. It was a tall boy with red hair parted down the middle.
It was Ryuen Kakeru.
"R-Ryuen—" Manabe's eyes widened instantly, her voice jumping an octave. "W-Why are you here?!"
But Ryuen didn't speak; he simply stepped aside to let her in.
Manabe froze on the spot, her mind going blank.
This was the girls' dormitory. Why was Ryuen appearing in the girls' dorm? How did he get in? What did he want to do?
Countless questions exploded in her mind, but she couldn't voice a single one.
"Get in," Ryuen said, his voice low and carrying an undeniable pressure.
Manabe could only mechanically step into the room. The door slammed shut behind her with a "thud."
Inside the room, Saki Yamashita was huddled in a chair in the corner, her face pale. Morofuji Rika sat on the edge of the bed, her collar already damp with tears. Seeing Manabe enter, she hurriedly stood up, her voice trembling with a sob.
"Ma-Manabe... Ryuen says you've betrayed Class C..."
"Betrayed?" Manabe was stunned. "How could I possibly betray Class C?"
Ryuen walked up to her, looking down at her from his height.
Then, he raised his hand.
Slap—
A solid slap landed squarely on Manabe's face.
Manabe staggered back, clutching her face, completely dazed.
"Idiot." Ryuen's voice was as cold as ice. "You almost brought huge trouble to Class C."
Manabe held her face, her eyes rimmed with red, but she didn't dare talk back. She had no idea what had happened, but with Ryuen looking like this, he definitely wasn't joking.
"R-Ryuen-kun..." her voice shook, "I-I really didn't know..."
Ryuen stared at her, his eyes full of mockery.
"Who did you just meet?"
Manabe froze.
Who did she meet?
Her mind raced, and she suddenly realized something.
"A-Ayanokouji...?" she ventured tentatively.
Ryuen sneered. "It seems you have at least a shred of a brain left."
Manabe quickly explained, "Ryuen-kun, it's not what you think! He just... he just had feelings for me and wanted to ask me out to chat! I didn't betray Class C, I really didn't!"
"Had feelings?" Ryuen repeated the phrase, the mockery in his tone deepening. "You think he actually took a liking to you?"
Manabe opened her mouth, not knowing what to say.
She truly had thought so.
Ayanokouji wrote a love letter, called her cute, and asked for her contact info—didn't that mean he liked her?
Ryuen looked at her expression and let out a harsh laugh.
"Do you even know who Ayanokouji is?"
Manabe shook her head, then nodded. "From Class D..."
"He's the core figure of Class D," Ryuen interrupted. "In the last uninhabited island exam, he was the one who guessed the identity of our Class C leader. Twelve spots, 216 ownership points, plus 50 bonus points for the hidden spot—all negated. Our base points were even docked by 50."
He paused, staring into Manabe's eyes.
"A total of 266 points, ruined by him alone. And you actually think a guy like that would fucking like you?" Ryuen said mockingly.
Manabe's face turned deathly pale instantly.
She didn't know any of that.
She only knew Ayanokouji was good-looking, spoke nicely, and called her cute. She didn't know that the harmless-looking boy had actually done something like that.
"But, but he said..." Manabe's voice was trembling, "He said that although Karuizawa in his class is cute, she's very fierce and not as good as me..."
"Not as good as you?" Ryuen sneered. "A mere honey trap was enough to deceive you this badly?"
Manabe was stunned.
A honey trap?
"He praises you a few times and you take it as truth?" Ryuen's tone was full of contempt. "He writes you a love letter and you think he likes you? Manabe, are you a three-year-old?"
Manabe's face turned bright red, but she couldn't utter a single word of rebuttal.
Ryuen continued, "You think he wants to pursue you? He's using you. Using you to target Karuizawa."
"Karuizawa?" Manabe frowned. "Isn't she just a gyaru from Class D?"
"Gyaru?" Ryuen scoffed. "Do you know whose person Karuizawa belongs to?"
Manabe shook her head.
"Hikigaya Hachiman." Ryuen said the name one syllable at a time. "The man who earned 99 million points in a single exam. Karuizawa is his person."
Manabe's expression changed completely.
Hikigaya Hachiman.
The person who had toyed with Class A and Class C during the island exam. The person they had tried to approach, only to be completely ignored. The man who possessed nearly 100 million points, feared by the entire grade, and likely the wealthiest student in the whole school.
"If I hadn't told you, what would you have done?" Ryuen stared at her. "You would have taken Rika to go cause trouble for Karuizawa, wouldn't you?"
Manabe remained silent.
That had indeed been her plan.
"And then?" Ryuen continued, "Ayanokouji would 'coincidentally' appear there and 'coincidentally' save Karuizawa. Karuizawa would thank him, trust him, and become his pawn."
He paused, his tone turning even colder. As a delinquent leader, Ryuen could guess what Manabe was thinking with a single glance. Manabe had been completely played.
"And you, Manabe Shiho, would become a pawn he'd toss away after use. The scene of you and Rika bullying Karuizawa would be recorded by him. When the time comes, you'd have no choice but to obey him."
Manabe's body began to shake.
She finally understood.
That guy Ayanokouji—from the love letter to the "cute" compliment, to mentioning Karuizawa, to the promise of help—every single step was calculated.
She thought she was the one being liked; in reality, she was just the one being used.
"I... I really didn't know..." her voice carried a sob.
Seeing her like this, the mockery on Ryuen's face faded, replaced by an impatient irritation.
"Fine, stop crying. Explain exactly what happened."
Manabe took a deep breath, forcing herself to calm down. She recounted the events of the evening from start to finish—how she received the letter, going to the top deck, what Ayanokouji said, and what she had agreed to.
"He said he would get Karuizawa alone," Manabe finished. "And he'd distract the other gyarus around her so we could find her."
After listening, Ryuen was silent for a few seconds.
"As I thought."
Just as he was about to say something, another knock came from the door.
"It's me," a gentle female voice said. Everyone present recognized the voice as Hiyori Shiina.
Saki Yamashita quickly got up to open the door. Sure enough, Hiyori walked in. Her gaze swept over the room—Ryuen, Manabe, a crying Rika, and a pale Saki—and she let out a soft sigh.
"I found it," she said.
Ryuen looked at her.
Hiyori took her phone from her pocket, pulled up a photo, and handed it to Ryuen.
"I just went to verify with the staff. This morning at around 10:15 AM, someone borrowed a camera. The person who borrowed it... was Yukimura Teruhiko."
Ryuen took the phone, glanced at it, and his brow furrowed slightly.
"Yukimura Teruhiko?" The name was unfamiliar to Ryuen.
"A student from Class D, currently sharing a dorm room with Ayanokouji," Hiyori added. "I learned from a friend in Class D that Ayanokouji's social life is terrible; only a few students interact with him. This afternoon while I was reading alone in the library, I overheard them talking. Both came to borrow books, but Yukimura told Ayanokouji he would assist him in doing his best for this exam and had many ideas for it. It seems this Yukimura is one of Ayanokouji's few collaborators in Class D."
Hearing this, Manabe's whole body jolted.
10:15 AM.
That was right after the first Dragon Group discussion ended. That was in the morning. Borrowing a camera could be for photos, of course, but it could also be used for other things. And what Yukimura borrowed could easily be used by Ayanokouji, or more likely, Ayanokouji arranged for Yukimura to borrow it.
In other words, Ayanokouji had already begun planning tonight's events back then?
"The camera..." her voice shook, "What did he want a camera for?"
Hiyori glanced at her, her tone carrying a hint of pity. "To record."
Manabe felt a chill run from the soles of her feet to the top of her head.
Recording.
If she had really taken Rika to bully Karuizawa, Ayanokouji would have used the camera to record the whole process. He would have had leverage over her. Then, he could make her do whatever he wanted.
After all, Class C already had a record of fighting. In the first month, they were reported for a fight and their class points dropped to zero. If this time the incident of her leading a gyaru team to bully a girl from Class D was recorded and reported to the school...
Manabe didn't dare think further.
"I..." she opened her mouth, her voice raspy, "I almost..."
Hiyori patted her shoulder gently but said nothing.
Ryuen put away the phone and looked at Manabe.
"Scared now?"
Manabe nodded frantically.
Ryuen sneered, but this time there was no mockery in the laugh, only irritation.
"Fine, the incident hasn't happened yet. It's not too late to fix it."
He paused and looked at Hiyori. "Any other moves from Ayanokouji's side?"
Hiyori shook her head. "That's all we know for now. However, since he already added Manabe as a friend, he will likely continue to contact her to set a time and place."
Ryuen was silent for a few seconds, then looked at Manabe.
"If he contacts you, agree to it. Once the time and place are confirmed, tell me immediately."
Manabe froze. "B-But..."
"But what?" Ryuen glared at her. "You think I'm letting you go to the meeting? I'm going to meet that guy myself. Of course, you can also just delete him; I'll personally go meet him tomorrow anyway! Dammit, trying to plant a spy among my people!"
Manabe didn't dare say anything else and just nodded frantically.
Ryuen turned toward the door. Halfway there, he suddenly stopped and spoke without turning back.
"Also, Manabe."
"Y-Yes!"
"Don't let me hear about you receiving love letters from boys of other classes ever again. It's embarrassing."
With that, he pushed the door open and walked out, leaving only his back visible.
Hiyori followed behind him. At the door, she looked back at Manabe and said softly.
"Don't worry too much. As long as it hasn't happened, there's still a way."
Then she left as well.
After the door closed, the room fell into a dead silence.
Manabe stood there, looking as if her strength had been drained. She slowly crouched down, burying her head in her knees.
Saki Yamashita walked over and gently patted her back.
Rika also stopped crying and whispered, "Manabe... I'm sorry... it's all because of me..."
Manabe shook her head and didn't speak.
She was just thinking about one thing.
If Ryuen hadn't come, if no one had told her the truth, what would she be like right now?
She'd probably still be immersed in the joy of "being liked by a handsome guy," fantasizing about how to teach Karuizawa a lesson tomorrow and how to brag in front of her friends.
And then?
Then she would become Ayanokouji's pawn, used and controlled by him. Class C would fall into trouble again because of her.
Manabe shuddered.
"Manabe?" Saki Yamashita looked at her worriedly.
Manabe looked up and took a deep breath.
"I'm fine." She stood up and sat on the edge of the bed. "Just... a bit shaken."
She took out her phone and opened her contacts.
Ayanokouji Kiyotaka's name was sitting there quietly.
Manabe stared at the name, silent for a few seconds. She remembered Ryuen's options: she could delete him or wait for him to message.
Then she opened his profile and pressed "Delete Friend."
[Confirm deletion of this friend?]
She pressed "Confirm" without hesitation.
A line of text popped up on the screen: [Friend deleted]
Staring at that line, Manabe suddenly felt an indescribable sense of satisfaction.
Want to use me?
In your dreams.
.
.
.
Meanwhile, in the Class D dormitory.
Ayanokouji Kiyotaka lay on his bed, hands behind his head, staring at the ceiling.
His phone was by his pillow, the screen lit up.
[Message sent, but rejected by the recipient.]
He stared at those words, silent for a few seconds.
Then he let out a soft sigh.
Deleted.
The investigative message he sent to Manabe had been rejected.
Ayanokouji closed his eyes, his mind working rapidly.
Why would Manabe delete him? Was it an accidental deletion? Or something else?
Naturally, thinking seriously, had she discovered something? Or had someone tipped her off? But based on her intelligence, it seemed unlikely she could figure it out herself.
Or could it be that Ryuen from Class C had such high hostility toward him this morning and had been arranging people to tail him for the last two days? Was the meeting with Manabe just now discovered? He thought he had shaken off the Class C tails, as the group discussions ended at 10:00 and he specifically chose 10:15 to meet her.
He opened his eyes, his gaze landing on the ceiling.
Whichever it was, it meant his plan had been exposed.
Ayanokouji let out a soft breath.
It didn't matter.
This was only the first attempt. If it failed, he would just try a different way.
He rolled over and closed his eyes.
There were still three days left in the exam.
There was enough time.
.
.
.
Time quickly reached the next day.
At 7:30 AM, in the second-floor restaurant of the ship, the air was filled with the scent of bread and butter. Sunlight streamed through the portholes, casting patches of light on the floor.
Hachiman stood in front of the food counter holding a tray. A glass of milk and a simple sandwich were already on his plate. His gaze landed on Ichinose not far away.
Ichinose Honami stood in front of the counter for fried noodles and bread, her expression looking conflicted. She held tongs in her left hand and a plate in her right, her eyes moving back and forth between the fried noodles and the pineapple buns, her brow slightly furrowed.
"Which one should I choose..." she muttered softly.
Hachiman walked over and glanced at the two options. He felt he could eat both.
So, Hachiman said, "Why not just get both?"
Ichinose froze and turned to look at him. "Eh? But I can't finish them both by myself..."
"Let's share," Hachiman said. "You eat half the noodles and bread, and I'll eat the other half. That way we can both taste both."
Ichinose blinked, her cheeks flushing slightly. "W-Won't that be too much trouble for you?"
Hachiman shook his head. "It's fine. My mom taught me from a young age not to be a picky eater."
Ichinose couldn't help but laugh. "That doesn't seem to have much to do with being picky, does it?"
"Close enough." Hachiman took the tongs from her hand, put a serving of fried noodles on her plate, and grabbed a pineapple bun for himself. "Let's go find a seat."
The two sat by the window. The sunlight hit the table perfectly, making the food on the tray glow enticingly.
They quickly split the food into two portions and added them to each other's plates before they started eating.
Ichinose picked up her chopsticks, took a bite of the noodles, and her eyes lit up slightly. "These fried noodles are actually pretty good."
Hachiman bit into the pineapple bun and nodded. "Mm."
Ichinose looked at him and suddenly remembered something. "Hikigaya-kun, yesterday morning too, and the night before... you're always helping me choose."
Hachiman's chewing paused. "Am I?"
"Yes," Ichinose nodded seriously. "And you always say 'let's share.' That way I can taste two flavors without wasting anything."
Hachiman was silent for two seconds, then continued eating his bread.
Hachiman wasn't such an enthusiastic or proactive person; strictly speaking, if she hadn't told him she wanted to do that, he wouldn't have done it.
It was just that he remembered how Yuigahama used to share bread with him. Although he had felt embarrassed at the time, they had shared the bread nonetheless.
But Ichinose looked at him with a hint of tenderness in her eyes.
"Hikigaya-kun, do you also have a bit of trouble making decisions?"
Hachiman's movement paused again.
He looked up and met her gaze.
Ichinose quickly waved her hands. "I didn't mean anything by it, I just thought... you seem to understand my indecision. Every time I hesitate, you give me a simple solution."
Hachiman was silent for a few seconds, then nodded slightly.
"Maybe," he said. "When I was young and ate with Komachi, we often had to share. I got used to it."
Ichinose's eyes lit up. "Komachi? Is that your sister?"
"Yeah."
"She must be a very cute girl."
Hachiman's mouth twitched slightly. "Although that girl is essentially an idiot, there's no denying she's quite cute and is indeed a good sister."
In his heart, Hachiman added: Cutest in the world.
"I see, my sister is also very cute."
Thus, the two "older siblings" continued their breakfast, the atmosphere quiet and harmonious.
Just then, a gentle voice came from beside them.
"Um, am I... disturbing you?" the person asked.
Hachiman and Ichinose both looked up.
They found Shiina Hiyori standing by the table holding a tray with a cup of black tea and a simple sandwich. Her long silver hair glowed softly in the sunlight. She wore a faint smile, but there was a hint of mischief hidden in it. Her gaze also fell on Ichinose.
Ichinose's face reddened instantly, and she waved her hands. "N-No! Hiyori-san, please sit!"
As she spoke, she moved over to make room for Hiyori.
Hiyori laughed softly and sat across from Hachiman.
"Sorry to disturb your breakfast," she put her tray on the table, her tone still gentle. "But Ryuen-kun asked me to come and give his thanks."
Hachiman looked at her and didn't speak.
He was actually a bit surprised because Ichinose called Hiyori by her first name. Previously, when he mentioned Hiyori's name in front of Ryuen, it had made Ryuen look surprised.
But between girls—clearly Ichinose and Hiyori had spent less time together than he had—yet they were already on a first-name basis.
Truly, the girl with maximum affinity, even surpassing Kushida as the most popular girl in the grade: Ichinose Honami.
Hiyori continued, "About last night, thank you for the warning. If not for you, Class C might have faced a significant risk."
Hearing this, Ichinose was slightly startled. She looked at Hachiman with a hint of confusion in her eyes.
'Last night's events?'
But Hachiman didn't look at her; he just nodded to Hiyori. "No need for thanks. It was just a win-win."
Hiyori sighed softly. "That may be so, but Ryuen-kun—you know what he's like. He couldn't possibly come to thank you himself, so I had to do it on his behalf."
Hachiman took a sip of milk and added, "Blocking it once doesn't mean it's blocked forever. If Ayanokouji can contact a Class C student once, he can contact them a second time."
Hiyori's brow furrowed slightly.
Hachiman continued, "His goal is Class A. But compared to Class B, if he wants to rise, he first needs to unite Class D. If that doesn't go well, he will prioritize attacking Class C."
Hiyori was silent for a few seconds, then nodded softly.
"I understand."
She paused and looked up at Hachiman with a serious look in her eyes. Clearly, she understood the subtext.
She came to thank him because Ayanokouji almost planted a spy in Class C. Having a spy would be disastrous for Class C because although Ryuen was a tyrant, he wasn't completely autocratic; he would inform the class of exam arrangements and strategies.
Thus, if a spy passed that information along, it would mean great risk for Class C's exam.
However, Hachiman was telling her that although Manabe had been blocked as soon as Ayanokouji made contact, someone else besides Manabe might be targeted by Ayanokouji. So Class C needed to take precautions.
Hachiman watched her.
"However, Hikigaya-kun, there's one thing I'd like to confirm," Hiyori continued.
"Karuizawa-san..." Hiyori weighed her words, "She's your informant in Class D, right?"
Hachiman didn't answer, but silence itself was the answer.
Hiyori sighed softly.
"As I thought."
She thought back to last night—Ayanokouji asking Manabe to meet, saying he'd help her teach Karuizawa a lesson. If Manabe had really gone and the scene of Karuizawa being bullied was recorded, Ayanokouji could have used that to control Manabe and plant a spy in Class C.
And Karuizawa was Hachiman's person.
So, Ayanokouji's true target wasn't Manabe or Karuizawa, but... the Hikigaya Hachiman behind Karuizawa. What he truly needed was to make Karuizawa betray Hachiman, thereby attacking Hachiman.
So, Hachiman's words just now meant that he hadn't simply obtained information to warn Class C, but it was a "double win" because the person Ayanokouji wanted to deal with was also him. Class C was just incidental, yet he had used Ryuen's hand to directly stop it.
From this perspective, Hikigaya-kun... was indeed as terrifying as ever.
"The person who set up Karuizawa to enter the Student Council was also you, wasn't it?" Hiyori said softly.
Hachiman still didn't speak.
But that reaction gave Hiyori the answer she wanted.
Ichinose sat to the side, listening to their conversation in total confusion. She had no idea what happened last night or why Hiyori suddenly mentioned Karuizawa.
Just then, a voice clearly entered her mind.
'Ichinose doesn't know, but last night Ayanokouji went to contact the girls of Class C, preparing to bully Class D's Karuizawa. Since Karuizawa is my assistant in Class D, I naturally couldn't let it go, so I contacted Ryuen. Because Ayanokouji's goal might have also included planting a spy in Class C. So Hiyori is here to thank me for stopping that.'
Ichinose's eyes widened slightly.
'So that's how it is.'
She looked at Hachiman with a hint of complexity in her eyes. This man was always making arrangements in places where others couldn't see.
On Hiyori's side, she was also waiting for Hachiman's inner thoughts. After all, while she was here to give thanks, she also had the goal of obtaining information.
Especially with Class B's operations in this exam being so absurd, she couldn't find a solution. Although she still had the theory that the selection of VIPs followed a pattern, she couldn't get Class D's VIP list, Ryuen hadn't borrowed money yet, and Class C only had two VIPs, so it was impossible to deduce a pattern.
So she wanted to try her luck and see if she could overhear some information.
And now.
Sure enough, before long, Hachiman's voice finally entered her mind.
'Hiyori might not know yet, but I know quite a lot about Ayanokouji. While he has the ambition to rise to Class A, he himself doesn't seem to be good at the arrangements of commanding a class.
Because he's the type for solo operations; his individual strength is absolute. At the same time, he's skilled at manipulating hearts.'
Hiyori's expression changed slightly.
'Solo operations... manipulating hearts...'
She suddenly remembered last night. Ayanokouji had only written a love letter and said "cute" a few times, and it almost made Manabe willing to do his bidding. If it hadn't been for Hachiman's warning, Manabe might already be Ayanokouji's pawn.
That kind of method...
Hiyori suddenly felt a chill down her back.
What if Ayanokouji's target hadn't been Manabe, but her? What if he used the same method to approach her?
For example, using the excuse of also loving books to get close to her, or asking her to recommend some books... would she really be able to see through it?
She wasn't sure. After all, she was still quite naive.
Wait.
She thought of another piece of information.
That was: Ayanokouji's individual strength was absolute. And absolute strength meant he might be very good at fighting.
She seemed to suddenly realize something, and her face turned slightly pale.
"Hiyori-san?"
At that moment, Ichinose's voice pulled her back to reality.
Hiyori looked up to see Ichinose looking at her worriedly.
"Are you okay? You've gone a bit pale..."
Hiyori shook her head and forced a smile. "I'm fine, just thought of something."
She picked up her tea and took a small sip, trying to calm herself down.
But just then, the sound of hurried footsteps came from the restaurant entrance.
"Hikigaya-kun! Ichinose-san!"
A Class B student ran over, out of breath.
Hachiman looked at him. "What's wrong?"
The student took a deep breath and said quickly, "Ryuen from Class C and Ayanokouji from Class D... they're fighting! And Ryuen was knocked down!"
"What?!"
Hiyori's hand shook slightly, and a few drops of tea splashed from her cup.
Hachiman glanced at her, then put down his milk and stood up, his gaze on the student.
"Where?"
"On the deck! A lot of people are watching right now!"
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