"You seriously think Hikigaya is easy to push around?"
Ryuen was utterly frustrated with Ishizaki's way of thinking.
"Use your damn brain for once. This whole thing has nothing to do with him. Even if we went all out against Class D right now, what would we get out of it? We can't do anything to that dead-fish-eyed bastard anyway!"
"From the start, this was just a test—to see if Hikigaya would get involved. And, of course, to stir up so trouble for Class D."
The whole fight involving Sudou had just been a small probe, a way for Ryuen to test Hikigaya. And if it also made things harder for Class D, all the better.
Ideally, it would have caused problems for Hikigaya.
But looking at how things had played out, it seed like Hikigaya had deflected everything.
And right now, getting into an all-out battle with him wasn't in Ryuen's plans.
"This was just the appetizer. There will be plenty of chances to turn things around later."
Ryuen's face was dark, though it was hard to tell if he actually believed what he was saying.
There were things he couldn't say out loud. The reason Hikigaya didn't push to get Ishizaki expelled wasn't because he lacked confidence—it was because of those 300 class points.
That guy saw Class C as his personal cash machine. If Ishizaki, a useless fool, got expelled, Hikigaya would lose 600,000 private points per month. Even an idiot would know which choice to make.
"What about those traitors, Komiya and Kondo?! This all happened because they betrayed us. We can't let them off the hook! Albert, let's go teach them a lesson right now!"
Since Ryuen had already brought it up, Ishizaki had no choice but to drop the matter. But he hadn't forgotten about Komiya and Kondo. If those two hadn't switched sides at the last mont, things wouldn't have gone so badly. He himself had almost ended up expelled. Just thinking about it made his blood boil.
But Albert didn't move. "Boss said to let it go this ti."
"Huh?"
Ishizaki's eyes widened in disbelief. Since when did Ryuen ever "forgive" traitors?
Ryuen hadn't planned on explaining anything to this idiot, but seeing Ishizaki's dumbfounded face, he couldn't help but snap at him.
"They already told everything. Hikigaya is ruthless—he gave them an offer they couldn't refuse. Consider this their compensation for what happened."
After agreeing to Hikigaya's terms, Komiya and Kondo were smart enough not to hide anything from Ryuen. They revealed every detail of their eting and deal with Hikigaya. Of course, they knew there would be consequences, but they had already prepared themselves when they accepted the offer.
At worst, they'd get beaten up again. But this opportunity with the basketball club? If they missed it, it was gone for good.
What surprised them was that Ryuen didn't punish them at all. He didn't scold them or beat them—he simply forgave their "betrayal."
If Hikigaya were here, he'd see right through Ryuen's tactics. This was a power move.
Komiya and Kondo had already paid a steep price—they got beaten up and were even at risk of suspension. If Ryuen still punished them for the recording incident, it might intimidate people in the short term. But in the long run, it would only turn more students against him. It would be only a matter of ti before he lost their trust.
So, instead, he chose to take a step back. By "forgiving" them, he maintained his influence. It looked like he was losing face, but in reality, he gained their gratitude while also making them feel guilty. At the sa ti, he eased so of the resentnt in the class. After all, because of the midterm exams, Ryuen had already been receiving a lot of criticism.
Of course, if you asked Ryuen how he felt about forgiving traitors, he'd say he hated it. But logically, this was the best move.
"Huh? What about ?"
It was only then that Ishizaki realized—he was the only one who got beaten up for nothing. And... he didn't even get anything out of it.
---
Thirty minutes before the final review eting in the afternoon, inside the special teaching building.
"Hey, Ayanokouji, are you ready?"
"Yeah... I already prepared everything with the professor during lunch break."
Horikita and Ayanokouji were making their final preparations. Hearing Ayanokouji's answer, Horikita nodded and then looked toward a girl with long pink hair.
"Ichinose, Class B has already helped us a lot. You don't have to do anything more if you don't want to."
Ichinose wiped so sweat from her neck with a tissue. "Are you sure you two can handle this alone? The other side has three people. If Class C figures out what's happening, everything will fall apart."
Right now, only Horikita, Ayanokouji, and Ichinose were in the building. If it was just Horikita and Ayanokouji, they were clearly outnumbered. With Ichinose's help, things would go much more smoothly.
But Class B had already done so much for Class D. They had helped find witnesses and even lent private points to buy surveillance caras. Class D owed them too much already.
Just as Horikita was about to respond, Ayanokouji suddenly interrupted.
"Horikita, Ishizaki and the others are here."
In the distance, they could hear Ishizaki and Komiya complaining about the heat. But they quickly noticed Horikita and the others.
"Hey, what's going on?! Where's Kushida? And what are you guys doing here?"
Ishizaki shouted while looking around, realizing that Kushida was nowhere to be seen.
"Stop looking. I was the one who told Kushida to ssage you," Horikita said, stepping forward.
Ishizaki and Komiya froze for a mont, then, as if realizing sothing, turned to leave. But before they could, the pink-haired girl blocked their way.
A heated argunt broke out. But against Horikita and Ichinose, especially with Horikita's sharp words, Ishizaki and the others didn't stand a chance. When it ca to being ruthless with words, Horikita was the best in the room.
"Damn it, it's so hot! What a crappy place!"
It was obvious that Ishizaki and the others were already frustrated with Horikita. On top of that, the stuffy air in the special teaching building made things even worse. In just a short ti, Ishizaki was drenched in sweat. He was also still unsettled by what had happened earlier at noon. Was this another trap set by that guy, Hikigaya?
Thinking this, Ishizaki felt he couldn't stay any longer and turned to leave. But just then, Horikita seized the mont and sneered, "I suggest you confess everything to the school now. Otherwise, when the hearing starts, you might as well prepare for expulsion!"
"Huh? Are you kidding ? You don't even have proof of who started it..."
Ishizaki was visibly annoyed, but before he could finish, Horikita cut him off. "Oh? Then take a look over there."
Ishizaki and the others followed Horikita's gaze—and there it was—a surveillance cara!
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