Undercurrents

On Wednesday afternoon, Class D and Class C happened to have their physical education classes at the same time. While running, Fūki Ran noticed Ryuen Kakeru standing at the edge of the field, his sharp gaze sweeping over every student in Class D as if he were sizing them up.

"He's watching us." Horikita Suzune ran up beside Fūki and lowered her voice. Her breathing was slightly labored from running, but her eyes remained calm.

Fūki nodded discreetly. "Looks like he's searching for his next target."

After class, the students gradually returned to the Locker Room. Fūki deliberately slowed his pace and noticed one of Ryuen's lackeys talking to Ken Sudō. He couldn't make out what they were saying, but Sudō's expression was unmistakably displeased.

"What do they want with Sudō?" Kushida Kikyo appeared beside Fūki at some point, looking concerned.

"Sudō is the Basketball Club's star player," Fūki analyzed. "If Ryuen can control him, he'll be able to influence Class D's performance in future athletic competitions."

The atmosphere in the Locker Room was a little strange. Kanji Ike and Yamauchi Haruki were gathered around Sudō, apparently trying to persuade him of something. Sudō grew more and more irritated, then suddenly shoved them both away and left alone.

"This doesn't look good." Horikita came over to Fūki. "Sudō's temper makes him easy to manipulate."

That evening, while Fūki was organizing information in his dorm, he received an Email from Kushida: "I heard a few things. Ryuen seems to be planning to use Sudō's hot temper to cause trouble, but I don't know the details yet."

Fūki replied, "Keep an eye on things, but be careful."

The next morning, Fūki arrived in the classroom early on purpose and found Sudō already at his desk, his expression gloomy. More concerning still, there was a Band-Aid on a finger of his right hand, as if he'd been injured.

"What happened to your hand?" Fūki asked, casually taking the seat in front of him.

Sudō froze for a moment, then instinctively hid his right hand. "Nothing. I scraped it during training."

Just then, Horikita entered the classroom. She frowned slightly when she saw the injury, then went over to Sudō. Her voice was calm but concerned. "If it's a serious injury, you should get it checked in the infirmary. The Basketball Club is about to start another round of tryouts, isn't it?"

Sudō's expression wavered. "It's just a small injury..."

After the first class ended, Fūki and Horikita exchanged information in the hallway.

"His hand doesn't look like he injured it during training," Horikita said quietly. "My brother used to be an athlete. That kind of mark looks more like the result of a scuffle."

Fūki considered this. "Looks like Ryuen's people have already made their move."

During lunch, Kushida brought them more detailed information. "I heard that after school yesterday, Sudō got into a fight with some students from Class C in the gym. No one knows exactly what started it, but someone saw Ishizaki Daichi with Sudō."

"Ishizaki is one of Ryuen's closest followers." Fūki's gaze turned serious. "That can't be a coincidence."

Just then, they noticed Hirata Yousuke heading toward the teachers' office, his expression unusually grave.

"Looks like Hirata has noticed something too," Horikita said.

After classes ended that afternoon, Fūki noticed Sudō hurrying out of the classroom without even taking his bag. He gestured for Horikita and Kushida to follow. Keeping a safe distance, the three of them tailed Sudō to the Warehouse Area behind the gym.

Sure enough, Ishizaki and two other students from Class C were already waiting there. The moment the two sides met, a heated argument broke out.

"You think we can just forget about this?" Ishizaki shoved Sudō provocatively. "I'm telling you, it's not that simple!"

Sudō's fists clenched instantly. "What do you want?"

"It's simple." Ishizaki sneered. "Your Class D has to lose next week's Basketball Practice Match. Otherwise, I'll tell the teacher you started it."

Fūki immediately understood Ryuen's scheme: he was trying to control Class D's performance in athletic competitions by threatening Sudō.

"We have to stop them," Kushida said anxiously.

"Wait." Fūki stopped her. "If we go out there now, we'll only make things worse."

Just as tensions threatened to boil over, Hirata suddenly appeared. His expression was still gentle, but his eyes held an unmistakable resolve.

"Well, this is lively." Hirata smiled as he stepped between the two sides. "Is there anything I can help with?"

Ishizaki clearly hadn't expected Hirata to show up, and his expression immediately darkened. "This has nothing to do with you."

"As Class D's class representative, it's my business when one of my classmates is in trouble." Hirata remained polite, but there was an undeniable pressure in his voice. "Besides, I just happened to run into Teacher Chabashira. She said she was looking for you, Ishizaki."

The obvious lie gave Ishizaki pause. He shot Sudō a furious glare, then left with his lackeys, disgruntled.

Hirata turned to Sudō, his voice gentle. "Are you all right?"

Sudō lowered his head, his fists still clenched. "Thanks... but I can handle it."

"I believe you can." Hirata patted him on the shoulder. "But remember, you don't have to face this alone. Class D is a team."

Watching this unfold, Fūki thought even more highly of Hirata. The class representative, who was always so kind to others, had shown that he could be remarkably decisive when it mattered.

That night, Fūki analyzed the situation in his dorm. Ryuen's scheme had been stopped for now, but he certainly wouldn't give up. And Sudō's situation had revealed an even more serious problem: it was easy for Class D's students to be picked off one by one.

He opened his computer and began putting together a Class Defense Strategy. Just then, Kushida sent him a new Email:

"I heard Ryuen is looking for a new target. He seems to be asking about Sakura Eri. We need to do something."

Fūki replied, "Starting tomorrow, we'll take turns keeping an eye on Sakura. We can't give Ryuen any opening."

Putting his phone down, Fūki gazed out the window. The campus lay quiet and peaceful in the night, but he knew that beneath the calm surface, undercurrents were surging. Ryuen's threat was far from over, and Class D's real test was only just beginning.