The Ayanokoji Judgment

Karuizawa's Tool Person

As for the classes, this school was nothing special. They were just like those at an ordinary high school.

The main subjects were Japanese, math, English, science, physical education, social studies, and civics, along with many other elective courses.

Since it was only the first day of classes,

the school had simply explained its plans for the curriculum going forward.

The teachers for each subject were all very friendly. They turned a blind eye to students' little classroom antics, and even Class Advisor Chabashira Sae had nothing to criticize.

As time went on,

the students in D Class grew increasingly brazen. A guy named Sudo had even fallen asleep in class in full view of everyone.

His rhythmic snores echoed through the somewhat noisy classroom, already disrupting the lesson, yet the teachers continued to ignore them.

Faced with this,

even the students who had been worried at first and tried to keep up appearances began sneaking around and doing all sorts of things.

They really are a bunch of defective products.

Listening to Chabashira-sensei's lesson at the front of the room, Tenyo Yuyuki thought to himself.

As for high school subjects,

thanks to the elite education of the Tenyo Family, Yeyue had already learned them all.

But he still put on the appearance of paying close attention.

The rest of D Class,

however, had already started slacking off in large numbers.

Compared to the other classes, D Class really did have a huge gap to overcome.

It wasn't just in academic ability. More importantly, they fell short in their character.

Getting this kind of group promoted to A Class was clearly impossible. They would have to undergo more trials and grow considerably before they could make it.

The morning passed in this carefree atmosphere, and soon it was lunchtime.

"Tenyo, want to eat at the Student Cafeteria together?"

Matsushita Chiaki turned around to invite him, then added with a half-joking smile, "You didn't join us yesterday, so you can't turn us down again today~"

"Of course."

Yeyue smiled in response, then turned to Horikita. "Suzune, want to come with us?"

"No, thanks."

Horikita Suzune stood up, her voice cool. "I prefer being alone."

Leaving them with a carefree stride, Horikita Suzune walked straight out of the classroom. Clearly, she didn't want to interact with any of her classmates.

That included Tenyo, even though they had made a deal. At most, she would nod to him when they met.

"Are you close with Horikita, Tenyo?"

"Why do you ask?"

The two walked side by side toward the Student Cafeteria. It wasn't strange that Matsushita was curious about their relationship, but Yeyue still let her steer the conversation.

Matsushita Chiaki looked puzzled. "Well, it's only the second day of school, and you're already calling Horikita by her first name. Or did the two of you know each other before this?"

"No. I only met Horikita yesterday."

Yeyue looked a little troubled. "How should I put it? Just looking at Horikita makes me want to tease her a little."

After a brief pause, Yeyue explained, "Not that kind of teasing. You know what I mean, right, Matsushita?"

"Yeah, I understand."

Matsushita Chiaki nodded in agreement.

Horikita Suzune did give off the impression that she thought too highly of herself, making it hard to like her. It wasn't surprising that someone might want to tease her a little, as long as they knew where to draw the line.

Tenyo Yuyuki hadn't gone too far, either.

Still,

Horikita didn't seem to mind Tenyo calling her by her first name. Could it be that she had some feelings for him, too?

Matsushita Chiaki cautiously asked, "Then can I call you by your first name, too? You can call me Chiaki."

"Of course!"

Yeyue smiled and nodded.

In Sakurajima, people usually called each other by their first names only after they had grown close enough to show affection or friendship.

It seemed

Matsushita Chiaki might be interested in him. It felt like she was trying to win him over.

With his handsome looks and the Tenmyouin Zaibatsu behind him, he was practically Matsushita's ideal choice.

Too bad.

Matsushita was very pretty, but she wasn't a genius with any special talent. She was merely a capable person who could be put to use.

They soon arrived at the Student Cafeteria.

Yeyue and Matsushita each bought the most expensive A set meal and sat down at a table in the corner.

The Student Cafeteria was naturally spacious, given that the school was supported by the government. Even if the number of students multiplied several times over, it would surely be able to accommodate them.

They had barely sat down

when Hirata arrived at the Student Cafeteria with a group of girls. He glanced around, spotted Yeyue and Matsushita, and walked over.

"Tenyo, Matsushita."

Hirata approached Yeyue with a modest-looking tray, wearing a bright smile.

"Sorry, we couldn't find anywhere else to sit. Would it be all right if we joined you?"

Before Yeyue and Matsushita could answer, a yellow-haired girl with a ponytail beside Hirata leaned toward Matsushita.

Her pale blue eyes gleamed like jewels. She had casually tied her school uniform jacket around her waist, and her skirt was just short enough to leave you wondering what might be visible if it were any shorter. Her skin was smooth as jade, and her features were very pretty.

But her flashy, gal-like style of acting left a somewhat unfavorable impression.

Karuizawa Kei.

Her gal style was just a way to shield her vulnerable heart. Back in middle school, the real Karuizawa Kei had suffered bullying beyond what ordinary people could imagine.

It had even left her with a life-threatening injury. Beneath that blue shirt, she should have a scar that could have killed her.

When she entered high school,

the girl had resolved to start over somewhere no one knew her.

Even if she had to give up everything and become a parasite living off the strong, she didn't want to return to the days when she was bullied, and she certainly didn't want anyone to expose her past.

When rumors about Kushida began circulating around the class,

Karuizawa Kei had been just as terrified. She hadn't used her position as the leader of the girls' group to reach out to Kushida, either.

She was afraid of being targeted by people she didn't know.

At that moment,

Karuizawa wrapped an arm around Matsushita without a care and complained, "Matsushita, you're so mean. You left without waiting for us."

As she spoke, Karuizawa glanced at Tenyo, looking a little smug. "Don't tell me... you were on a date with Tenyo? How romantic. Ugh, I'm so jealous!"

"Sorry~"

Matsushita replied without a trace of remorse. "I was just giving you and Hirata a chance, wasn't I?"

Hirata responded with a sunny smile, as if he didn't mind Matsushita's teasing at all.

"Don't joke around! It's only our second day together~"

Karuizawa ran a hand through her hair and gave a small, playful wave. Clearly, she didn't mind, either.

At the same time,

Tenyo Yuyuki keenly noticed

that as Karuizawa spoke, she kept sneaking glances at him, then looking at Hirata.

"Hirata, you don't have to be so formal."

Yeyue pulled his tray a little closer to make room. "We're all classmates. Go ahead and sit down."

"Thanks, Yeyuki. You've really helped us out."

Hirata seemed relieved. Then he looked at the classmates beside him and said cheerfully, "All right, everyone, grab a seat."

As if they understood what Hirata was like, the girls quickly sat down. Hirata was the last to take a seat.

For some reason,

the girls seemed to be in perfect agreement, leaving the spot across from Yeyue for Hirata.

The only two boys at the table made a sharp contrast.

Perhaps because of the get-together after school yesterday, the girls sitting there had gotten to know each other to some extent.

Yeyue was a step behind them in that regard.

Still,

he didn't mind and chatted casually with everyone.

This was certainly a chance to show off one's social skills, but Yeyue didn't make any special effort to impress them.

The scrutinizing look Karuizawa had given him earlier

was probably her way of judging whether he or Hirata would make the better person to rely on, and who could protect her.

There was no doubt about it.

It was Hirata.

It had nothing to do with class standing, personal ability, or charm.

Hirata was more neutral, and he would even sacrifice himself for the sake of keeping the class stable.

Karuizawa believed

that someone like Hirata would never use her past to threaten her. He would even do his best to protect her secret and keep it from being exposed.

Before considering their abilities and standing, what mattered more to Karuizawa was feeling safe.

No one was a fool.

Yeyue understood that perfectly well.

But

he wasn't very interested in Karuizawa right now.

Having just gone after Kushida, it wouldn't be a good idea to target Karuizawa, too.

Otherwise,

D Class might be plunged into all sorts of anxiety.

Karuizawa was pretty, but her heart was like a porcelain doll held together with tape. She was incredibly fragile!

The slightest hint of a threat

could make Karuizawa's tough gal persona crumble in an instant. In other words, everything about her was fake.

Karuizawa had no value at all before she went through a transformation.

Only after she suffered could she shine like a jewel.

What's more,

the gap between D Class and the other classes was an objective fact. Study sessions, the Sports Festival, and conflicts between classmates would all need to be handled by the class leader.

It was an enormous amount of work! It would greatly cut into the leader's personal time.

Yeyue had no interest in that whatsoever.

He only needed to enjoy the benefits. The work, of course, could be left to his subordinates.

The one who stayed hidden until the end would be the true winner.

Unlike Ayanokoji,

Yeyue would have influence second only to Hirata.

Each of their approaches had advantages and disadvantages.

Ayanokoji could stay better hidden, but whenever he needed to make his voice heard at a crucial moment or gather information, he had to rely on his pawns. It was somewhat inefficient.

Yeyue might be feared by the other classes, but he could speak for himself. In the specific environment of D Class, given Hirata's personality, Yeyue could become the leader at any time.

At the same time,

it would be easier for him to gather information.

"By the way, isn't Kushida with you?"

Yeyue asked casually.

Wang Meiyu, sitting beside Hirata, looked a little dejected. "She said she had something to do and went back to the dorm first. She's probably still feeling down."

"Kushida's so pitiful." Karuizawa made a timely suggestion. "Why don't we find the person spreading those rumors and get revenge for Kushida?"

The girls fell silent at once.

Yeyue knew

that Wang Meiyu, an international student from Dragon Country, held on to the kindness and gentleness of her homeland. She hadn't experienced much darkness in that great country, and she might already have built a good relationship with Kushida. She genuinely cared about her.

However,

Karuizawa was probably using this topic to gauge how he and Hirata would react and judge what kind of people they were.

Though Yeyue knew what answer Karuizawa wanted to hear, he still stayed silent.

"Maybe we shouldn't,"

Hirata said hesitantly. "It hasn't caused any serious problems yet, and the person might not keep spreading rumors about Kushida. We could wait and see for a few days. For now, I think we should focus on looking after Kushida."

At the end, Hirata asked everyone for their thoughts. "What do you think?"

"If that's what Hirata thinks, let's wait a few days and see."

"That makes sense. Kushida's more important right now."

Karuizawa clapped her hands and chimed in. The other girls agreed as well.

Karuizawa was very pleased with his response.

She could even predict

that if they eventually discovered the culprit was someone from D Class, Hirata would definitely protect them in order to keep the class stable!

Hirata was exactly the kind of tool person she wanted!

She might not know this, but Hirata was a public resource...