The Gao gymnasium was packed with people.
The first-year students had gradually arrived and lined up by class, forming crooked, uneven blocks.
After teaching Ryuen a lesson at the Special Classroom Building, Tennoji Kaede had only just managed to avoid being late.
The Entrance Ceremony was less than five minutes away.
Incidentally, Ryuen Kakeru had still stubbornly refused to attend the ceremony.
His excuse was perfectly reasonable: his jaw was badly injured, so he needed to go to the infirmary...
Tennoji Kaede squeezed into the crowd of Class C students. His classmates looked him up and down, then stared in surprise, apparently amazed that he was completely unharmed.
There they were. As expected, the two had already wound up together. Even in the lineup, it was obvious that the boys and girls had split into their own little groups.
"Hiyori, Ibuki, mind if I join you?" he asked, already taking his place behind Hiyori.
Shiina Hiyori's silver hair swayed, carrying a faint fragrance. She turned her head slightly and asked with concern, "Kaede, did anything happen between you and Ryuen?"
Ibuki stood in front of Hiyori. At that, her ears twitched.
She was eavesdropping!
Unfortunately, Kaede's keen observation skills caught even that tiny physical reaction.
And because two more outstanding Class C students had shown him genuine concern, the Haiya System gave Kaede another small boost.
Anyone who dared to keep Tennoji Kaede on their mind, or even secretly scheme against him behind his back... where there was a cause, there would be an effect!
The mighty Lord Haiya would never let you fragrant little leeks get away with it~
"Ryuen was just curious why I'd chosen to support him. We had a pleasant chat, and now we're practically good friends, so there's no need to worry." Kaede made it up on the spot.
Ibuki Mio couldn't help snorting with laughter. She clearly didn't believe that the violent Ryuen could be so easygoing. Then she suddenly fell silent...
"Glad to see you're okay... But I'm afraid our First Year Class C is going to have some trouble from now on," Shiina Hiyori said quietly.
"We'll take things as they come. Ryuen and I get along great... Oh! The Student Council President's here."
Tennoji Kaede stood beneath the podium, watching the school's current ruler with interest.
With nothing more than an imposing presence, Horikita Manabu subdued the restless first-year students. Kaede noticed the president glance toward Class D, then begin his speech.
Kaede understood. Horikita Suzune of Class D was the Student Council President's younger sister.
Their relationship was a little strained, though. The older brother was genuinely aloof, while the younger sister was something of a "lone orphan"...
The Entrance Ceremony ended without a hitch. The students then had a free day, and classes would officially begin the next day.
After the students of Classes A, B, and D dispersed, they eagerly anticipated an afternoon of carefree school life.
It was their first time holding a huge amount of money, and only a rare few could resist spending some of it.
Class C, still cowed by Ryuen's presence that morning, was probably the most miserable class.
Nobody seemed interested in talking with the others. Instead, they split into little groups of three to five and huddled together in corners for comfort.
Except for Tennoji Kaede.
"Excuse me. I'm Kaneda Satoru, from your class. Tennoji, could I have a moment of your time?"
[Detected 'Kaneda Satoru,' a Black House student with a passing score of 60]
['Causal Mark' placed on 'Kaneda Satoru']
['Cause': Kaneda Satoru was impressed by your courage in standing up to the tyrant and hoped to offer you information and value in exchange for your goodwill]
['Effect': Charisma +5, Encyclopedia Knowledge +5, Cunning +5]
Tennoji Kaede agreed. After saying goodbye to Hiyori and Ibuki, he followed Kaneda to an empty corner on the outskirts of the sports field.
Tennoji Kaede spoke first. "If you don't mind, I'll call you Satoru. You can call me Kaede."
"Thanks. I'll take you up on that. Kaede, what do you think about Ryuen Kakeru's actions this morning? He's clearly trying to rule all of Class C by himself." Kaneda adjusted his glasses, looking sly and calculating.
Tennoji Kaede couldn't help feeling that the scene was a little strange.
It was like the lackeys of Yuan Shu, after Yuan Shao had taken control of the four provinces of Hebei, frantically sticking up for their master, and then...
I am Highwayman Yuan, and Class C is my empire? Ha.
Tennoji Kaede patted Sly Four-Eyes on the shoulder and smiled.
"Sa... Satoru, I'm already Ryuen's number one right-hand man. Let's not say anything that could cause division!"
Kaneda shuddered, staring at him in stunned silence.
"Uh..."
He'd thought that since Tennoji had shown up at the Entrance Ceremony without Ryuen, the latter had probably been beaten head-on by the former. At the very least, he'd assumed their negotiations had failed.
So he'd been overthinking it... Damn, he hadn't expected Tennoji Kaede to have been recruited so quickly!
After seeing how Tennoji had openly mocked Ryuen in front of the whole class that morning, Kaneda never imagined things would turn around so fast!
Kaneda suddenly changed his expression like an actor in a Beijing opera, then said in disbelief, "Kaede, what do you mean by that? You should know that when I applauded for Ryuen this morning... I was only a tiny bit slower than you!" He continued righteously, "The reason I came to speak with you was to help you and Ryuen bury the hatchet and work together for Class C's future at this school... How could you misunderstand me?"
Tennoji Kaede: ...?
"Since we're both working for Ryuen from now on, let's pretend this conversation never happened. I look forward to working with you... I still need to go shopping at the Convenience Store, so I'll take my leave!"
Watching Kaneda hurry off, looking a little flustered, Tennoji Kaede couldn't help laughing and shaking his head. There were some talented people in Class C, after all.
"Speaking of the Convenience Store, I might as well tag along. There are things I need to buy, too." Tennoji Kaede rubbed his chin.
If he remembered correctly, after the Entrance Ceremony, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka would figure out the Hidden Rules of this school through several incidents at the Convenience Store.
If he happened to run into him, Tennoji Kaede could harvest another batch of leeks from Ayanokoji.
Although his combat ability had barely reached the standard for this school, honestly, he wouldn't have had the confidence to become the mastermind of a class if he hadn't been familiar with the original story.
His Logical Thinking, academic knowledge, and tool storage were all still far behind the White Room's greatest creation.
Tennoji Kaede wasn't going to get ahead of himself. He just wanted to keep gaining points from the Haiya System!
Before you continue