Sudo's Recruitment Plan / Submission

"No need. I believe you."

"Tch." Kikyo scoffed, picked up the phone on the ground, and left the rooftop.

Before long, Eito left as well.

Chapter 23: Sudo's Recruitment Plan

He set the matter with Kikyo aside for now.

When he arrived at school the next morning, he noticed the classroom was a little noisy.

His deskmate and resident gossip expert, Sato, saw him come in and asked excitedly:

"Takeda, I heard you beat up Sudo?"

"...Who told you that?" Of the people present, there were only the Idiot Trio and Suzune. Yamauchi had already promised to keep it a secret, and Suzune wouldn't go around spreading rumors. Unless Sudo had blabbed himself, that left only Ike.

Ike really was something. Having him as a friend was a pain.

"I don't know." Sato shook her head blankly, then continued, "Is it true? Did you really beat that guy up?"

"Uh, not really. I just tripped him by accident."

"Ehh~" Sato looked a little disappointed. "I was planning to ask you to be my bodyguard next time we went out."

"Aren't you afraid I'll attack you guys?"

"Ehh, you're going to attack us... Ehehe~" Sato made a face at him, then hugged herself, looking a little scared.

A sudden urge to pounce on her rose within him, but he quickly stamped it out.

Unless he wanted to be ostracized by the class.

Come to think of it, besides Ayanokoji, Sato was his best friend. He wouldn't even bring up Suzune—he was closer to Sato than he was to Wang Meiyu.

That might have had something to do with her personality. She dressed like a gyaru, spoke casually, and sat close to him, so they had plenty of chances to talk.

She often invited him to go out with her, along with her friends, of course, but he always turned her down.

Even after being rejected so many times, she never got angry.

That was different from Suzune. Things had improved a little over the past two days, but she used to mock him whenever he tried to talk to her.

And yet, he kept at it, which made him wonder if he had a masochistic streak.

Fortunately, his efforts had paid off. Suzune finally acknowledged that he was her friend.

Next, he began to wonder whether he should get closer to Suzune.

Obviously, Suzune was cute.

But what he valued more than her appearance was how different she was.

She had the completely independent way of thinking that only a few people possessed.

She could make the judgments that best fit her own values without being influenced by her surroundings.

She hadn't been tainted yet.

Someone like that was a perfect piece of jade, one that could be carved into any shape.

However, being too focused on herself also meant she could overlook the world around her.

Those who couldn't adapt to their environment by changing themselves were doomed to be eliminated.

Obviously, no one could change the world. The only thing people could change was themselves.

Before long, Sudo arrived.

He seemed to be in a foul mood. As soon as he reached his seat, he kicked the corner of his desk.

Hearing the other students whispering in the classroom, some of it even about him, he angrily slapped his desk.

"Hey, you're so noisy! Can't you shut up?"

At his out-of-nowhere outburst, Shinohara, the girl with the worst temper in class, immediately snapped:

"What does it matter to you if other people are talking? Can't you just mind your own business?"

"Bitch, what did you say?"

Sudo glared at her menacingly. As soon as he stood up, his muscular frame radiated an overwhelming presence.

"I said it. So what?" Shinohara met his gaze without backing down, though her body trembled a little.

A towering man like Sudo was obviously intimidating. Even if she dared to talk back, she was only putting on a brave front, betting that Sudo wouldn't hit anyone in the classroom.

At that point, Hirata, the peacemaker, stepped in again.

"Sudo, calm down. Shinohara didn't mean any harm. We're all classmates, so let's not get angry."

"Do you want to get hit too?"

Hirata opened his mouth, but said nothing.

Was he scared? Obviously not. He knew that if he kept talking, Sudo might really hit someone.

Koenji, sitting nearby with his legs crossed, wasn't afraid at all. He spoke in a teasing tone:

"Now, now, Sudo boy. Don't get so worked up. It's only because you lost to little Takeda. I acknowledge his ability, so it's perfectly normal that you couldn't beat him."

"You... Damn you!"

Sudo had once picked a fight with Koenji because he wasn't afraid of getting hurt, only to be taken down in a few moves. The memory still stung.

Getting beaten up again now would be too humiliating, so he reluctantly sat back down, but not before shooting Eito a fierce glare.

On the other side, Eito nearly burst out laughing at the words "little Takeda."

Fortunately, the matter ended without further incident.

After that, class began.

It was worth mentioning that the class had held a strategy meeting before, discussing what they should do from then on.

Should they ignore everything, or follow the rules and try to earn bonus points?

In the end, they naturally chose to follow the rules.

After all, no one could stand living without any points. They might as well die rather than endure that for three years.

The students of Class D had managed to behave in class over the past two days, with one exception: Sudo.

Today, he was fast asleep in class again.

His behavior had already upset many people, and the conflict just now had made even more of them resent him.

Meanwhile, he acted as if nothing had happened and kept sleeping, even snoring.

His grating snores echoed through the quiet classroom, making the teacher look awkward.

Was there any point in having someone like him around?

There was.

Sudo might have been a big, dumb lug, but he had outstanding basketball talent and physical ability.

His basketball skills were highly praised even by the school's Basketball Club, and the club president had singled him out as a promising newcomer.

Sudo himself had entered the school with the goal of becoming a professional basketball player.

If Sudo won any major awards in the future, the class would earn points too.

In the long run, he was worth ten times as much as Yamauchi.

However, he was like a double-edged sword—and the kind where even the handle was scalding hot. He could hurt others badly, but he hurt himself even worse.

Still, he had a weakness. Although he was reckless and rude to others, he would respect anyone who earned his recognition in some way.

Just like a child.

The easiest way to earn his recognition was to beat him at basketball, but Eito had ruled that out immediately.

He didn't like basketball. He preferred soccer. Making Sudo submit on the court would take more effort than simply beating him up.

He'd beaten him once already, but Sudo hadn't given in. This time, he'd take it slowly and keep beating him until he did.

With that in mind, Eito began arranging his plans.

Chapter 24: Submission

"Hey, Sudo. Be my dog."

Anyone would be angry to hear that, let alone Sudo, who had an oversized ego and a hair-trigger temper.

That was why Sudo kept trying to beat him up with reckless abandon, no matter how many times he got knocked down.

Just now, Eito had used Yamauchi to lure Sudo into an alley where no one ever went and there were no security cameras, then said those words to him.

And now...

Sitting in a chair and looking at Sudo, who was sprawled on the ground and could barely move, Eito sighed.

"That makes thirty-two times. You still won't give up?"

"...I'd rather die than be the dog of someone like you."

"Someone like me?" Eito looked at Yamauchi beside him. "Tell me, what's wrong with someone like me?"

"You're so handsome!" Yamauchi said excitedly. "I've never seen anyone so strong. You can take down a simple-minded guy like Sudo with just one move. You're the god in my heart, the one I'll worship for the rest of my life!"

"That's disgusting. Go away."

"Yes, my lord!"

Yamauchi actually lay down and rolled away.

Eito smiled.

Yamauchi might not be very useful, but there was no denying he was a naturally gifted talent. No one could match his talent for being a lackey.

Just now, when Eito had gotten tired from fighting, Yamauchi had even gone out of his way to bring over a chair.

And he was getting better and better at flattery.

Eito didn't particularly like people like that, but sometimes they were good for lifting his spirits.

"So, Sudo, how are you feeling now?"

"I should never have trusted that traitor Yamauchi. You two just wait."

"..."

Eito thought Sudo was genuinely stupid. He wasn't as awful as Yamauchi, but he really was stupid.

If it had been Yamauchi, he would've surrendered long ago. Even if he wanted revenge, why announce it to their faces? He could've admitted defeat first, then gotten back at them later.

Eito was still sitting right there. Did Sudo think he was invisible?

Maybe he'd gone too easy on him, making Sudo think he was a merciful person.

Eito stood and went over to Sudo, grabbed him by the collar, and made him face him.

"Sudo, are you really not afraid of dying?"

"Y-You... What are you going to do?" Sudo's voice trembled a little.

Even Sudo, after being disciplined so many times, clearly understood the gap in their strength.

He just couldn't swallow his pride.

Eito saw him backing down and said coldly:

"I let you make the first move so many times. This time, it's my turn, right? Any objections?"

Sudo clenched his teeth and said nothing.

He knew how strong Eito was, and his speed was too much for Sudo to react to. If Eito really hit him with everything he had, Sudo didn't know whether he could take it.