Ying: This Time, I Really Was Just Passing By

KTV, the Class 1-C gathering spot. Ryuen sat on the sofa, watching the four members of the Class B Boys Group perform in a video, and murmured,

"Kanzaki Ryuji, the lackey who follows Ichinose around? Heh, interesting."

"What do we do now, boss?" Ishizaki asked, kneeling in front of Ryuen's desk.

"Since Class B is a little stronger than I expected, let's start by defeating Class D." Ryuen finished speaking and gave a couple of sinister laughs.

"Still, you messed up, so you'll have to accept a little punishment." With that, Ryuen waved his hand.

At the door, Yamada Albert had been waiting on standby. Seeing Ryuen's signal, he walked over.

"Bad boy!"

Then Yamada hit Ishizaki and the others twice each.

Ever since Ryuen led the students of Class C away, they indeed stopped bothering the students of Class B.

"Everyone, let's thank Baiye Ying, Shibata, Hamaguchi, and Beppu for their outstanding contributions to Class B." Ichinose held a glass of juice as she addressed everyone in Class B.

To celebrate the perfect resolution of the dispute between Classes B and C, Class B held yet another victory party. This time, the four of them were the guests of honor.

"Ying, we're famous!" Hamaguchi said to Ying, holding up his Student Terminal.

Ying glanced at the terminal and saw that the Class B Boys Group had made the campus website's headlines.

'Class B's mysterious boy band has been scouted by the Light Music Club, Dance Club, Drama Club, and other clubs—then won the Koenji Group's approval!?'

"You really have become famous this time. Almost the entire first year is talking about it now." Amikura came over to chat with the four of them. After several days of group activities and the study session before that, Amikura and Kobashi had become close friends with Ying and the others.

"By the way, you four are the top four most talented boys on the girls' ranking~." Kobashi said, showing Ying and the others the list.

"Why is Ryota in first place? There's definitely something fishy going on!" Ying protested.

"You're one to talk! Ying, how are you at the top of the looks ranking!?" Beppu retorted.

"Really? As expected of me. Hahaha!"

"But Ying is also at the top of the Abstract Ranking," Hamaguchi said.

"What!? Why does this kind of ranking even exist? And why am I at the top!?"

Although Class C had stopped bothering Class B, maybe Ying's gloom had really made the students of Class C gloomy too. Ying noticed that whenever he wandered around school, there were always Class C students following him. Was he afraid? Of course not. But it was annoying. It was like having flies buzzing around you all day; anyone would find that irritating.

Over the past few days, Ying had found a perfect hiding spot. It was not only quiet, but, most importantly, there were no Class C students there. It was the Special Teaching Building.

That day, as usual, Ying went to the Special Teaching Building to hide from his pursuers from Class C. He planned to wait a while before heading out, so the annoying Class C students wouldn't be around anymore.

"Ah!"

While lost in thought, Ying ran straight into a girl who was running toward him. She seemed to be in a hurry and hadn't noticed him. She fell to the floor, and something in her hand hit the ground.

"Uh... I'm sorry. Are you hurt?" Ying hurriedly apologized and helped the girl up.

"Th-thank you... I'm the one who should apologize." Then, as if suddenly remembering something, the girl quickly crouched down and picked up the camera that had fallen to the ground. She anxiously pressed the power button several times, but the camera seemed to be broken.

Ying noticed all this and said awkwardly, "Uh... I'm sorry. I'm Baiye Ying from Class B. Let's exchange terminals, and I'll pay you back for the repair costs." As he spoke, Ying took out his terminal.

"I'm Sakura Airi from Class D. I was careless and ran into you, so I'll pay for the repairs myself."

After Ying used the ways of the people of the Dragon Kingdom to navigate the social niceties, they eventually exchanged contact information and agreed to split the repair costs over the weekend.

Afterward, Ying continued strolling through the Special Teaching Building and thought, Did I just happen to run into Sakura taking pictures here? Too bad I didn't catch the process.

"Ying? What are you doing here?" Sudo asked, looking surprised. "Wait, was that person just now you?"

"You're the one who should explain, Sudo. What are you doing here?" Ying wondered why Sudo was there, and felt a foreboding sense of dread.

"Never mind, it's nothing important. I'm in a bit of a bad mood, so I'm leaving." With that, Sudo walked straight out of the Special Teaching Building.

Still puzzled about why Sudo had been there, Ying continued walking. Then he spotted three students from Class C.

"Wc, you're following me even here?" Ying said in surprise.

The three turned around at the sound of his voice and replied even more incredulously, "Damn! Why did you have to be the one to see us? Hurry back and report to big brother Ryuen!"

Then the three quickly fled the scene.

Looking at the three of them, all bruised and battered, Ying suddenly remembered something.

Ying: No, seriously, I really was just passing by this time!

Ever since that incident, the students of Class C had behaved themselves a lot more. No more flies buzzed around Ying, but he found himself even more annoyed.

"Baiye, someone from Class D is looking for you," Kanzaki said, walking up to Ying's desk.

So it had finally come. Ying slumped over his desk, hunched his shoulders, and trudged lifelessly to the classroom door.

Standing outside the Class B classroom were Kushida, Ayanokoji, Sudo, and Ichinose.

"Baiye, I heard you witnessed the dispute between Sudo and those three students from Class C. Is that true?" As soon as Ichinose saw Ying come out, she asked him.

"Baiye, could you tell us honestly what you saw? It's especially important for Class D," Kushida said seriously. Sudo also looked at Ying expectantly.

"Sorry, you've got the wrong person this time. I really was just passing by. I really didn't see anything." Ying stated the facts lifelessly, but the four responded with doubtful looks.

"Baiye, you're not lying this time, are you?" Ichinose asked.

"I'm not."

"Impossible! I clearly felt someone watching us back then! It was you, wasn't it? Ying, we're good friends, right? You have to testify for me, or I might get suspended for a month," Sudo pleaded.

"Even if you put it that way, there's nothing I can do this time. I can't exactly give false testimony." Ying shook his head and spoke regretfully.

"How could this be... I clearly felt someone there," Sudo said, looking dejected.

"Well, someone may indeed have seen it, but that person wasn't me. You really have the wrong person this time." After saying that, Ying returned to the classroom to get ready for class.

After school, Kanzaki came to Ying's desk again.

"Baiye, someone from Class C is looking for you."

Ying walked out of the classroom and saw a blue-haired girl standing at the door. As soon as she saw Ying, she put her hands on her hips and asked, "Hey, I heard you witnessed the dispute between our class and Class D. Is that true?"

"No, that's false."

"You're a student from Class B. Could you please stay out of matters between Classes C and D?"

Ying: I really was just passing by this time! Why doesn't anyone believe me!?