"Heh..."
Kazehara Tetsu After hearing this inference, the smile on his lips became even deeper.
He didn't deny it, he just shook the coffee can in his hand gently, feeling the change of center of gravity of the liquid inside.
"Good analysis."
"It seems that besides your brute strength, you do have something else in mind."
"But..."
"Just because I destroyed my fingerprints, do you think I am in a dominant position?"
"Or have you discovered something more interesting?"
"Of course."
Ryuen Kakeru did not avoid his gaze.
He raised his hand and pointed at Kazehara Tetsu's chest.
There, the School Uniform Jacket worn by Kazehara Tetsu was not buttoned up, and there was a mobile phone in the left breast pocket of the shirt underneath.
"Did you find it?"
Kazehara Tetsu looked down at his chest.
"Of course. As long as you are not blind or stupid, it is not difficult to notice the violation here."
Ryuen Kakeru snorted coldly.
"Under normal circumstances, students like us will habitually put our mobile phones in the side pockets of our pants. There is a lot of space there, it is easy to access, and it is not easy to throw it out no matter how we run."
"But you... put it in your chest pocket."
"The bag is very shallow and not deep enough for a mobile phone. Putting aside the "difficult to hold" aspect, this way, the mobile phone will easily fall if there is even a little violent movement."
"Leaving valuables in such an unsafe place is an extremely abnormal behavior in itself."
Ryuen Kakeru's eyes were fixed on the top of the mobile phone with a small part exposed.
Especially the camera hole facing the outside.
"But... the main reason is that the exposed part allows the rear camera of the phone to face the outside without any obstruction."
"Combined with that height and angle..."
"Basically it's the First-Person Perspective recorder."
"Kazehara Tetsu."
"You guys... have already turned on Recording Function in advance, right?"
"From the moment I screamed outside, or from the moment I kicked in the door?"
This is a question that doesn't need an answer.
"With this video, the nature of the whole thing has completely changed."
Ryuen Kakeru's speaking speed has become a little faster, which is a manifestation of the brain running at high speed.
"It's not just that we made the first move... more importantly, this video is in your hands, which means 'Editing Rights' is in your hands."
"When the time comes..."
"You just need to move your fingers and delete the part at the beginning where you sprinkle water in the cubicle to provoke me and deliberately provoke me."
"Then we can slightly process the part where you hit us like sandbags, or just keep the scene where we rushed up to fight and the moment when you said 'Self-Defense'..."
"Then, the truth presented to the school is..."
"Ryuen Kakeru of Class C, with two thugs, attacked an innocent student for no reason. The student had no choice but to fight back when his life was threatened."
"This has completely become our first move. It is our unilateral bullying attempt."
"In the face of this video evidence, I can only be the 'violator', and you will always be the 'victim' standing on the moral high ground."
"When the time comes, all you have to do is injure your own body and create a lose-lose situation."
This is called a "dominant position".
In this Information Asymmetry competition, Ryuen Kakeru lost from the beginning.
"Pah, pah..."
Kazehara Tetsu loosened his hand holding the coffee can and clapped his hands lightly.
"Wonderful."
Kazehara Tetsu's eyes revealed a hint of unabashed admiration.
"As expected of a man who can reach the top in a place like Class C."
"Being in such severe pain and dizziness, you can still observe such tiny details and deduce logic in such a short period of time..."
"Ryuen Kakeru, you are really interesting."
He slowly pulled out the cell phone from his chest pocket.
The screen lights up.
As Ryuen Kakeru expected, Recording Function is in the "pause" state, and Recording Time shows the length of this video.
Kazehara Tetsu clicked on the screen a few times, and then turned the phone screen to Ryuen Kakeru.
In the picture, it started with Ryuen Kakeru shouting arrogantly at the toilet door, clearly recording his ferocious face, and the scene of Ishizaki Daichi and Albert blocking the door.
"Are you going to tell the school?"
Ryuen Kakeru's voice broke the uncomfortable silence.
"That's not necessary."
Kazehara Tetsu responded calmly, his eyes still focused on the crowd in front.
"As long as you don't come to trouble me anymore, I'm not interested in doing the kind of trouble that would involve the teacher and Student Council."
"Who knows. Humans are fickle creatures."
He leaned the back of his head on the back of his chair and stared at the dome of the mall.
"Maybe one day, when you are cornered by Class C... or me, this video will become a card in your hand, right?"
"Maybe..."
Kazehara Tetsu gave an ambiguous answer.
The air became stagnant again.
For a long time.
Ryuen Kakeru suddenly exhaled a long breath, as if to expel the last bit of temper in his chest.
"It's over."
He closed his eyes and his voice sounded extremely tired.
"The victory or defeat between us is completely over."
"I have nothing to worry about anymore."
"I plan to...Expulsion."
When I said this sentence, it was not as heavy as I first imagined, but with a lightness like relief.
"Are you sure?"
There was not much surprise in Kazehara Tetsu's tone.
"You did this all of a sudden? This is not like the choice that Ryuen Kakeru, who would do anything to win, would make. This behavior is more like 'escape' than 'retreat'."
"Whatever you say."
Ryuen Kakeru was not irritated, he just curled his lips in a self-deprecating way.
"I originally came to This School just to prove my strength. I wanted to see if my violent logic would work in this place."
"But now..."
He opened his eyes and looked at his palms with some confusion.
"There is a Monster that I cannot defeat no matter what means I use."
"Now that facts have proven my 'powerlessness', there is no point in continuing to be a clown here. I don't like playing games with no chance of winning."
For Ryuen Kakeru, violence is the cornerstone of his rule and the source of his confidence.
"Is it really to prove yourself?"
"Nothing... special?"
"For example...Eight Hundred Million Points or something like that?"
"..."