Now he was in trouble. While he and Ryuen were out together, his phone had suddenly chimed with a notification. Even if he wanted to hide the email and think it over carefully later, he wouldn't get the chance.
For now, he had to find a way to prove his innocence. Otherwise, Ryuen would punish him as a traitor even though he hadn't done anything. That would be horribly unfair!
Seeing how nervous Ishizaki Daichi was, Ryuen Kakeru actually calmed down. He spat in annoyance and said, "What are you panicking for? This is obviously Aragaki Shun's attempt to drive a wedge between us. Get a grip. Do you really think you're worth Class A spending twenty million to help you transfer?"
Ishizaki hurriedly shook his head, doing his best to show his loyalty. "N-no!!! I know that a good-for-nothing like me can only be useful under Boss Ryuen. An environment like Class A wouldn't suit me at all."
"Hmph! At least you know your place."
Ryuen snorted. He handed the phone back to Ishizaki and said coldly, "Does that guy Aragaki Shun really think such a simple trick will work?"
Just then, Yamada Albert, standing on Ryuen's other side, held out his phone too. "Ryuen, I got one as well."
The Tyrant of Class C's face turned completely dark. Looking at the email on Albert's phone, which had only a few words changed, and the ten thousand Private Points that had been transferred to him as well, Ryuen felt a sense of foreboding rise in his chest.
That bastard couldn't have sent ten thousand Private Points to everyone in Class C, could he?
Just as he thought of that possibility, another email arrived on his phone. Ryuen looked at it, and sure enough, it was the same bastard.
[Aragaki Shun]: "I wonder if Ryuen is clearheaded now. If you are, sorry for the trouble, but please come to the Class A classroom. There's a deal I need you to sign. If you don't come, you'll bear the consequences."
Reading the high-handed threat in the email, Ryuen clenched his fists so tightly that Ishizaki Daichi and Yamada Albert beside him held their breath, afraid he would fly into a rage and take it out on them.
Several minutes passed. A cool breeze swept by, and at last Ryuen relaxed. Instead, he let out a wild laugh. "Good! Good! Good! This school really knows how to keep things interesting!"
"Ishizaki, Yamada, let's go! I want to see what he means by 'bear the consequences'!"
"Yes, Boss Ryuen!"
Ishizaki hurriedly answered, while Yamada Albert silently followed behind them.
Ryuen walked toward the school building with a sinister look in his eyes, pondering what he might have done wrong in his recent moves.
He did believe in using violence to control others, but whenever he did, he paid attention to his surroundings and never left anyone any evidence.
So he didn't think Aragaki Shun could have found anything to use against him.
But after their clashes over the past while, he knew Aragaki Shun wasn't the kind of person to make empty threats. If he'd said that, Ryuen had definitely overlooked something.
But what could it be...
Meanwhile, in the Class 1-A classroom, Ryuen and the others from Class C hadn't arrived yet, but Aragaki Shun was already receiving another group of guests.
"Yosuke Hirata, Kikyo Kushida, and Kei Karuizawa."
Aragaki Shun recited the names of the three central figures from Class D whom he'd specifically asked someone to bring over. "I did invite the three of you, but who's this extra person who has nothing to do with this?"
"I don't remember inviting you to this deal, Horikita Suzune."
Aragaki Shun looked at the long-haired girl in front of him, radiating a cold aura, utterly speechless. What was with her just showing up of her own accord?
The three whose names he'd called looked awkward too. Kikyo Kushida explained apologetically, "Sorry, Aragaki-kun. Horikita said she really wanted to come along, no matter what, so I was wondering if—"
But Horikita didn't seem to appreciate the girl's kindness. Before Kushida could finish, she spoke as if it were only natural:
"You specifically invited people with influence in Class D. You must want to discuss something in detail, right?"
"As a member of Class D, I have every right to sit here. If you're planning to use another unreasonable contract to extort Class D's Private Points, forget it. I won't be fooled again!"
Aragaki Shun: "..."
It wasn't just Aragaki Shun. Kanzaki Ryuji and Ichinose Honami beside him were both staring awkwardly at the self-important Horikita Suzune.
Wasn't she a loner in Class D?
Couldn't she figure out that Aragaki Shun hadn't invited her precisely because her opinion didn't matter?
"So you're Horikita Suzune?"
Aragaki Shun rested his elbows on the table and pressed his palms together, looking at Horikita with a peculiar expression.
"I haven't spoken much with Student Council President Manabu Horikita, but he's the leader of the Third Year and has kept Class A ahead of the other classes. I imagine he's quite capable."
"So, as Manabu Horikita's younger sister, could you stop making stupid remarks that lower my opinion of the Student Council President?"
"What did you say?!"
Horikita sprang to her feet as if she'd been provoked, her expression turning especially grim as she stared at Aragaki Shun.
The others were also startled by the sudden revelation from Aragaki Shun, and they all stared at the long-haired girl in disbelief.
"Horikita is the Student Council President's younger sister?"
Karuizawa Kei looked a little envious. "You're kidding, right? That Horikita who's always alone has an older brother who leads Class A of the Third Year and is even the Student Council President?"
"Ahaha... That really is surprising. I thought they just happened to have the same surname."
Kushida Kikyo's sweet, adorable smile was starting to falter.
Thanks to his talent, Aragaki Shun could also sense that Kushida had suddenly become far more dangerous.
Still, she was a girl who could use her public persona to make friends with students from every class at Kodo Ikusei Senior High School. Kushida's change lasted less than a second before she quickly returned to looking normally surprised.
Aragaki Shun couldn't help but marvel at her acting.
"I'm me, and the Student Council President is the Student Council President. Regardless of how you found out, everything I do is my own business and has nothing to do with him."
Horikita Suzune paid no attention to Kushida Kikyo and the others' reactions. She just glared at Aragaki Shun, gritting her teeth as she insisted, "If you're trying to judge the Student Council President by my actions, don't bother. His abilities far exceed your imagination, unlike his incompetent little sister."
The thought that she might lower her older brother's reputation was absolutely unacceptable to Horikita Suzune!
That was exactly why she'd been so furious when she learned how students were assigned to Classes A, B, C, and D.
The leader of Class A of the Third Year, the Student Council President at the very top of the student body at Kodo Ikusei Senior High School, had a younger sister whom the school had labeled defective and placed in Class D... If that became widely known, she'd be a stain on her older brother's reputation, and people might even use her as a way to attack him.
That, this sort of thing... She absolutely couldn't accept it!
But Aragaki Shun didn't think much of the girl's excessive reaction.
He simply replied offhandedly, "I don't know how capable Manabu Horikita is. All I know is that you're unnecessary here, Horikita."
"Is barging in uninvited like this the kind of manners the Student Council President taught you?"
At the club fair, Aragaki Shun had first taken notice of Horikita Suzune because of her inexplicable hostility toward him.
Later, when he discovered she was the Student Council President's younger sister, he'd wondered if she might have some ability herself.
But after observing her for a while, he immediately dismissed the idea. The school had assigned her to Class D for no other reason than that this was simply the extent of her abilities.
Judging only by her grades and athletic ability, Horikita Suzune was indeed quite capable in those basic areas.
But she lacked empathy and the ability to work with others. When dealing with people, she was always full of herself. As a result, even though over a month had passed since school began, she still hadn't become part of Class D—or rather, she'd never even tried to fit in.
But if she'd already decided to go her own way and be a loner who stuck to herself, why did she feel entitled to demand that other people obey her and interfere in the class's affairs?
Seeing that the long-haired girl still looked unconvinced, Aragaki Shun shook his head helplessly and bluntly said, "Knowing others is wisdom; knowing yourself is true understanding. Horikita, you've shown neither."
"If you think you have the right to take part in this deal between Class A and Class D, then tell me: who in Class D do you represent? How many people in Class D would follow a decision you made?"
Horikita Suzune, still angry over Aragaki Shun's assessment, froze.
No matter how self-important she was, the girl wasn't completely unaware of her situation in class.
After all, in Horikita Suzune's eyes, the students in Class D were a bunch of idiots who couldn't even do the obvious things they were supposed to do. They couldn't even pass open-book exams.
If they were willing to follow her instructions, they wouldn't have been docked down to just 310 points on the Behavioral Standards Exam.
If she had to name one student in Class D she was sure she could order around, did Ayanokoji Kiyotaka count?
If she used a compass as a weapon, he would still obediently follow her instructions.
"Nothing to say?" Aragaki Shun looked at the silent Horikita Suzune and impatiently waved his hand. "Then this irrelevant classmate can keep quiet during the conversation ahead. Don't waste my time again."
Everyone had the right to choose how they wanted to live, so there was nothing wrong with simply wanting to be alone.
The important thing was that if you chose to be a loner, then go entertain yourself on your own. Don't keep butting in and causing trouble for others.
You weren't strong enough to complete group tasks single-handedly, nor did you have enough personal influence to affect group decisions... You couldn't do any of that, yet you still tried to meddle in group affairs. That showed you didn't understand your own limitations.
After saying that, Aragaki Shun stopped paying attention to Horikita Suzune, who'd been provoked, and turned to speak plainly to Kushida Kikyo, Yosuke Hirata, and Kei Karuizawa. "What we're about to discuss will determine whether any Class D students get expelled during the Midterm Exam. Are you sure you want to keep testing my patience?"
Yosuke Hirata's expression suddenly turned solemn. To him, maintaining harmony in class mattered more than anything else. He absolutely couldn't let anyone from Class D be expelled because of the Midterm Exam.
"Um, Horikita, could you please sit down for now?"
Hirata took a deep breath and looked at Horikita Suzune. "A lot of people in class are close to failing, and the Midterm Exam is less than three weeks away. Even if we started a study group, it might not be enough time. We really do need help from Aragaki."
"Please, Horikita." Kikyo Kushida clasped her hands together in a cute, pleading gesture. "Calm down for now. We can talk about anything else back in the classroom. Let's take care of the important business first."
"You two are the only ones who can put up with her rotten attitude."
Karuizawa Kei shook her head and mocked her without holding back. "He didn't even invite her, but she still shamelessly followed us here. Now she's arguing with Aragaki. Horikita, did you come here just to cause trouble?"
"Don't mind her, Aragaki. Horikita was just like this back in Class D. She never read the room and always made faces on her own, putting everyone in an awkward position."
Ignoring Horikita Suzune's icy glare, Karuizawa Kei tossed her light-brown ponytail and gave Aragaki Shun a sweet smile, doing her best to show off her cute side.
Of the four people from Class D there, she was the weakest academically, and the only one who had to worry about being expelled for failing the Midterm Exam.
So she was the one who least wanted this conversation to end halfway through.
Besides, she'd been thinking for days about how to get close to Aragaki Shun and make him willing to be a host she could parasitize.
If putting Horikita Suzune down could earn her Aragaki Shun's favor, she didn't mind kicking her while she was down verbally. It was also part of maintaining her gyaru persona.
Clenching her fists tightly, Horikita Suzune sat down, forcing herself to swallow her anger despite how unwilling she was.
"Um, Aragaki Shun, could you explain in detail what you meant by a way to pass the Midterm Exam?"
Once Horikita Suzune had actually quieted down, Yosuke Hirata immediately turned to Aragaki Shun.
He hoped they could quickly come up with a solution that would put everyone in class at ease. Otherwise, it would be hard to calm the class down.
"So even after all this time, you haven't found a way for everyone to pass the Midterm Exam?"
Aragaki Shun was at a loss for words. Neither Yosuke Hirata nor Kikyo Kushida was much worse than Ichinose Honami at making friends. Hadn't they asked any upperclassmen about their experience?
"To be honest, we haven't," Hirata said with an embarrassed look. "We've started a study group in class, but it doesn't seem to be helping much. There really isn't enough time."
The main problem was the Class D students' own attitude.
When they heard that anyone who failed would be expelled, all of Class D had wailed in dismay. The students with especially poor grades had even complained nonstop that the school's system was unreasonable.
But even so, there were plenty of students in Class D who were hoping to get lucky.
They thought they could cram a few days before the exam and pass by chance, so they weren't taking the study group seriously.
Some Class D students even looked down on Hirata and the others for trying to help them, as if joining a study group run by those honor students was humiliating. They insisted that a pretty girl like Kikyo Kushida had to beg them before they'd deign to show up.
Class D really was a gathering place for defective students. It was full of all kinds of oddballs.
"I really don't know what to say..."
Aragaki Shun sighed. He finally understood what it meant for fools to outwit the clever.
He and Kanzaki Ryuji had previously guessed that Class D might get hold of an old exam paper, and that they could then force them to pay up by threatening to report them.
But who could have expected that, despite having so many students, Class D couldn't even get past the first step?
Thinking of this, Aragaki Shun subconsciously glanced at Kanzaki Ryuji beside him. To his surprise, Kanzaki looked back at him too, wearing a teasing expression that made Aragaki's mouth twitch.
They'd agreed that Kanzaki would negotiate this contract. But then Class C had unexpectedly started harassing them today, so Aragaki Shun had figured he might as well settle both matters at once.
"Forget it." Aragaki Shun pushed aside the jumble of thoughts in his head and decided to stop wondering how low Class D could sink. "Hirata, Kushida, and Karuizawa."
Looking at the three central figures from Class D in front of him, Aragaki Shun stated his purpose directly. "I want you to represent all the students in Class D and sign this contract."
"I'll give you the Midterm Exam questions and correct answers. In return, you'll persuade everyone in Class D to pay me two hundred thousand Private Points every month until graduation."
"So it really is another deal like this..."
Everyone from Class D felt conflicted.
Counting the first deal, involving information about the Behavioral Standards Exam, and the second, when they'd been forced into it using the Transfer Ticket, this was already the third contract Aragaki Shun had made Class D sign.
And every time, it was for two hundred thousand Private Points.
"Aragaki..." Kikyo Kushida looked at him with a tearful, pitiful expression. "Does Aragaki think Class D is a cash cow? Do you have to shear us for wool every so often?"
"What are you talking about!" Aragaki Shun replied sternly, wearing a serious expression. "Everyone in Class D is like family to me, my closest friends and loved ones. Why else would I think of you every time there's something good?"
"I'll offer a fair assessment." Kanzaki Ryuji coughed, backing Aragaki Shun up. "This Midterm Exam can earn up to 100 class evaluation points, and Aragaki is only taking 50 of them. For a competitor, that's already very generous. Remember, having someone expelled from your class will cost you points too."
"Actually, I think it would be better for Class A if we let students in Class D fail and your class evaluation score drop straight to zero. Unfortunately, Aragaki and Ichinose are kindhearted and wouldn't agree to my suggestion."
Before you continue