"I already held back, Ryuen. You didn't pass out, did you? I don't want to have to carry you downstairs later."
The Special Classroom Building, third floor.
Tennoji Kaede looked calm as he flexed his joints a couple of times.
The Haigoku System's ultimate martial arts were incredible. A moment ago, he'd felt like he could take Ryuen down in a second, as if he were beating up a little kid. To Kaede, Ryuen's attacks had been far too slow.
Still, since this was the first time he'd fought someone like this, Tennoji Kaede's body was somewhat unaccustomed to it.
"Heh... Hahahaha..." Ryuen, who was sprawled on the floor, suddenly burst out laughing.
He struggled to prop up his upper body. "Interesting. This place is really interesting... Tennoji Kaede, who are you?"
Seeing that Ryuen had no intention of getting up, Tennoji Kaede suddenly sat down on the floor too.
Lowering himself to the other person's level and speaking as an equal was a gesture of courtesy. It could effectively reduce the other person's hostility.
"...What's that supposed to mean?" Ryuen Kakeru asked, puzzled.
Did this guy think sitting down like this would make him submit? Ridiculous!
"Don't think that just because you won today, you'll be able to live peacefully from now on. I..."
Kaede cut him off. "I'll keep attacking from any time, from any angle, until I win, right?"
Ryuen, can't you come up with anything new?
This time, Ryuen Kakeru was genuinely surprised. How could he even predict what he was going to say next?
Did he know him?
No. He was certain he'd never seen or even heard of anyone called Tennoji Kaede before.
Someone this young with this kind of ability couldn't possibly have no reputation at all if he'd been involved in the underworld.
Ryuen Kakeru knew perfectly well that he'd always managed to come out on top in the past because he relentlessly hounded his enemies until the very last moment, when they finally went down!
Eating, sleeping, drinking water, going to the bathroom, XXXX—no matter the time, place, or circumstances, he, Ryuen Kakeru, would always launch an attack!
But now, he felt as if the person in front of him had seen right through him...
At this moment, Ryuen Kakeru still didn't feel anything called "fear"... just a strange, uncanny feeling.
This person's strength, identity, and background all struck him as uncanny!
Tennoji Kaede couldn't help saying, "Stop overthinking it and get to the point. Otherwise, we'll be late for the Entrance Ceremony, and I'll probably get docked pay!"
Ryuen Kakeru snapped back to his senses and furrowed his brow. "What exactly do you mean...? Get to the point? Docked pay?"
"Don't you think this Advanced Nurturing High School is hiding something from us?" He couldn't be bothered to beat around the bush, so he continued laying it out. "Each person gets 100,000 points a month, and there are 160 students in each year. That makes about 480 students."
"Even with government support, handing out pocket money to the students for just one year would cost 576 million yen... Just looking at the amount, there's no way that's possible."
"So there must be a set of standards behind the S System that controls the balance of everyone's points—or, put another way, an additional system!"
As Tennoji Kaede spoke, he pointed at the building.
Ryuen caught on. "...Surveillance cameras!?"
Until now, he'd only been looking for cameras so he could find a secluded place to teach someone a lesson.
"Exactly. I've looked around the school. Apart from a handful of blind spots, nearly every place people can go has surveillance cameras installed."
"The most crucial evidence is in what Sakamoto-sensei said."
Ryuen said, "The points we're given each month might not reach 100,000. I'd already picked up on that obvious hint."
"That is one piece of evidence, but there's an even more crucial sentence. It concerns the authority that points give us."
Ryuen understood. "Authority... I see. So that's what gives you confidence."
"...Anything in the school can be purchased with points."
A fake welcome package, the school's deliberate hints scattered everywhere, some kind of notice about next month, and the all-purpose currency of points.
All four of these were hints. Anyone who noticed even two of them during their first month at Gao deserved to be called exceptional.
But the vast majority of people would get lost in the most obvious trap.
"Then what do you want to do? The School Administration hasn't announced the specific criteria for its evaluations. It's the same in society; you can't just ask and expect people to tell you." Ryuen fell into thought as well.
"You still haven't changed the way you think, Ryuen. Who told you there'd be no answer if you asked? This is a school, not society."
And the truth was, if the price was right, anything was possible.
Ryuen finally understood. "...Hmph. Tell me what you want."
"Study, date, make money." Tennoji Kaede counted off three things on his fingers.
Ryuen snapped, "What the hell are you talking about?"
Tennoji Kaede looked up in surprise. "Ryuen, are you human? If you are, what else are you going to do if not those things?"
"I..."
Ryuen had wanted to throw a punch as soon as he heard Kaede's first sentence, but after hearing the next one, he realized he might only know how to fight, fight, and fight.
And he often lost...
"Time's almost up. My goal is simple too: we work together and enjoy our time at school. The choice is yours."
"But..." Tennoji Kaede held up a hand to stop Ryuen, who was about to start cursing. "Let me finish. I don't mind if you're not interested, but it'd be best to wait a month before resuming your so-called attacks. After that, you can do whatever you want, and I'll play along..."
"As long as you're willing to give up the passionate clashes between classes!"
Ryuen:!
At last, Tennoji Kaede had dropped the final bombshell.
He had no intention of using Ryuen as a tool the way Ayanokōji had. He really had no interest in that.
Kaede just felt that since fate had brought him to Class C, he might as well do his best to give this hopeless case a hand. It was for the sake of his own school life, too.
Otherwise, he'd gone and been reincarnated, awakened a system, and for what—so he could stay miserable beneath everyone else? Or keep butting heads with Ryuen in Class C and exhausting himself with pointless infighting every day?
What a load of crap! It was exhausting, and Ryuen was the kind of bastard who'd really go for someone's asshole.
So the best thing to do was speak frankly with Ryuen while he was still clueless about the school rules—even if Kaede only had this morning, the first day of school, to do it:
You handle the work, and I can bring plenty to the table. We can all enjoy life at Shijiao together. What's not to like?
Seeing that Ryuen had fallen completely silent, Tennoji Kaede shook his head, dusted off his backside and hands, and stood up.
"I've said everything I needed to. You decide which path you want to take, Ryuen. I suggest you wait and see—maybe for a month."
"In the meantime, sort out the trash in your class so you won't mind getting your hands dirty when you need them later!"
"If there's nothing else, I'm going to the Entrance Ceremony. You'd better hurry up and follow."
Ryuen Kakeru remained silent. Just as Tennoji Kaede was about to turn and leave, he suddenly spoke.
"Heh. Then let's work together."
Tennoji Kaede could finally smile for real. He walked forward without hesitation and held out his hand to Ryuen.
Ryuen seized it without hesitation and gripped it tightly!
Before you continue