The two of them immediately locked into combat. Ibuki kept Hashiba Hikaru's instructions from the day before in mind, so she didn't meet Ryuen's attacks head-on. Instead, she relied on her reflexes to keep dodging, using her legs to counterattack subtly as she went.
Before they parted the previous evening, Hashiba Hikaru had added one final thing.
"Ibuki, even though we asked you to carry out this plan, remember that if Ryuen really tries to hurt you during the fight, you're allowed to fight back."
"We don't need you to get hurt for the plan to succeed. This is supposed to be a mutual favor, not an order."
After hearing that, Ibuki had immediately said that she was good with her legs and could use them to counterattack if it really came to that.
Who knew that would make Hashiba Hikaru's eyes light up? The boy promptly demonstrated with his phone camera that, if she used her legs, they could simply point the camera higher. Even if only her upper body appeared in the footage, they could still accuse Ryuen of violence.
The four students from Class B were gathered in the Science Classroom, anxiously watching the footage on their phones.
Ryuen's vicious fighting style made everyone look tense, but what surprised them most was Ibuki's reflexes. Nearly twenty seconds had passed since the fight began, yet the man in the footage hadn't landed a single blow on the girl.
"Weren't you the one who wanted to fight? Why do you keep dodging?"
Ryuen gasped as he scolded Ibuki from across the room.
From the moment she'd finished talking tough, the woman had shown no sign of actually wanting to fight. She just kept dodging and using her legs to disrupt his movements, making it impossible for him to get a hold of her.
"Don't you want to beat me? How are you going to win if you can't even touch me?"
Ibuki's face took on the complicated expression they'd planned: anger, along with a trace of fear in her eyes. Her acting was clumsy, but to an outsider, it looked as though she kept dodging his punches because she was scared.
"Tch. I knew you wouldn't fight me fair and square."
Just then, Ryuen, who had been looking so fierce, suddenly stopped throwing punches. A dangerous smile tugged at the corner of his mouth as he slowly said, "I knew something was off from the moment you asked me to meet you. If you really couldn't stand me, you would've made a move long ago. There'd be no need to actually ask me to come here."
"I don't know what you're trying to pull, but since I came all this way, I'm going to beat you into submission once and for all!!!"
"What do you mean by that?"
When Ryuen suddenly stopped, a foreboding feeling swept over Ibuki.
"Komiya, Ishizaki, you can come out now!"
A cruel smile appeared on Ryuen's face as he shouted ahead.
The next moment, two boys in school uniforms emerged from behind Ibuki. Each had a knowing, almost amused look on his face. It was obvious they'd been lying in wait.
"What?!"
Ibuki looked both shocked and furious. She hadn't expected Ryuen to bring other people with him. She wasn't afraid of him one-on-one, but against three boys, she wasn't sure she could handle them.
"What are you doing?!"
Just as the two boys started closing in on Ibuki, ready to attack, the door to the Science Classroom suddenly opened.
When the students from Class B heard Ryuen call out to the others, they were stunned by his cunning. But there was no time to waste. Without hesitation, Hashiba Hikaru handed his phone to Ichinose.
"Stay here, Ichinose. We'll be right back," he said gravely.
With that, the boy hurried out of the Science Classroom with Kanzaki Ryuji and Shibata Sou. He hadn't expected Ryuen to have another trick up his sleeve. The surprise had caught them all off guard.
"Who's there?"
Hearing an unfamiliar voice, Ryuen immediately looked in its direction and saw three boys coming out of the Science Classroom.
"Who are you?"
"I should be asking you that. The three of you are planning to gang up on one girl, aren't you? Aren't you ashamed of yourselves?" Shibata, brimming with a sense of justice, spoke up first, glaring angrily at Ryuen. "Believe me, I'll go get a teacher!"
"We're students from Class 1-B. A teacher asked us to come to the Science Classroom to get some equipment for tomorrow, and then we saw you," Kanzaki Ryuji said, equally angry. "What class are you in, and why are you picking on her?"
"This has nothing to do with you. Don't get in our way."
Ishizaki Daichi, already a follower Ryuen had brought to heel, spoke sharply. Even though three boys had just emerged from the classroom, he wasn't the least bit rattled.
As a delinquent, he'd been in plenty of group fights. He didn't care how many people he was up against.
"If we don't leave, are you going to beat us up too?"
A smile appeared on Hashiba Hikaru's face. As soon as he'd come out, he'd quietly exchanged a glance with Ibuki, who was standing nearby. A nod had let her know that they'd successfully captured the footage.
So the mission was already over.
"Bring it on! I'm not scared of you!"
Ishizaki's voice was still loud, but then Ibuki spoke from beside him.
"That's enough. Don't do anything pointless." Ibuki Mio's cold gaze swept over Ryuen. As if giving up resistance, she said, "Ryuen, you win. I won't oppose you anymore. If you want to be the class leader, then go ahead."
"Hmph. You should've said that sooner."
Ryuen Kakeru acted as though Hashiba and the others weren't even standing there. After hearing Ibuki's concession, he immediately turned around and strode off without a care.
His two followers, Ishizaki Daichi and Komiya Yogo, naturally followed close behind. The three of them soon went down the stairs together.
Once they were completely out of sight, Hashiba Hikaru looked at Ibuki and said softly, "Thank you, Ibuki."
"I'm glad it worked out. What happens now?"
"It's simple. You can take this video to the Student Council and file a complaint. The footage we got is great. There's no way Ryuen can avoid a suspension."
Hashiba Hikaru opened the clear footage on his phone, looking a little more relaxed.
Chapter 26: Ibuki Mio's Probe
The carefully planned recording had come to an end when Ryuen surprised them with his hidden backup. The students from Class B stood on the second floor of the Special Building, reviewing and discussing the plan.
Ichinose handed Ibuki the footage from Hashiba Hikaru's phone. Looking at herself on the screen, with anger on her face and occasional flashes of fear, Ibuki knew that even if it was all an act, it was good enough.
"I can't believe Ryuen had backup hidden away. What a snake."
Even after Ryuen and the others left, Shibata was still indignant. He hadn't expected a guy to bring backup to a fight with a girl. What a coward!
"He's always been the sort of person who'll do anything to achieve his goals," Ibuki said, returning the phone to Ichinose. Her face wore a look of disdain. "This is entirely in keeping with his usual behavior."
"Good thing we all came. Who knows what would've happened otherwise?"
Hashiba Hikaru smoothly picked up the conversation and looked at Ibuki Mio, who was standing nearby. "Ibuki, the video was filmed from a great angle. It doesn't matter that you fought back with your legs earlier. None of that was captured."
"We can go straight to the Student Council and submit your complaint. You know how to get there, right?"
"No. I've never been to the Student Council."
"That's fine. The school brochure has a detailed map. I'll go with you."
Hashiba Hikaru didn't think they needed everyone to go. Going with Ibuki was more than enough; a bigger group might make the Student Council suspicious.
"Can I come too?" Ichinose Honami raised a hand, her eyes sparkling with anticipation.
"No need. Just the two of us will go."
At that moment, the normally aloof Ibuki Mio unexpectedly spoke up, leaving Hashiba, who was watching from the side, baffled.
What was going on?
"Oh, okay." After Ibuki swiftly turned her down, Ichinose Honami's blue eyes visibly dimmed, but she forced a smile. "Then I'll wait for you to bring back good news."
"Don't worry. I'll bring back a result everyone can be happy with."
Hashiba Hikaru smiled and nodded to Ichinose and the two boys beside her before accompanying Ibuki down the stairs.
"Ichinose, why didn't Ibuki want you to go with her?"
Oblivious to the subtleties, Shibata couldn't make sense of the situation and asked outright.
But to his surprise, Ichinose, who was usually so gentle, looked deeply troubled. Gloom clouded her delicate brows, as though she hadn't heard him at all.
"What's there to ask? Let's just look forward to Hashiba's triumphant return."
Kanzaki Ryuji was clearly more perceptive than Shibata. He immediately took hold of the other boy's arm and smiled as he asked Ichinose, "Um, Ichinose, we're heading off now. Do you want to come with us?"
At that, the girl simply shook her head in silence. After Kanzaki and Shibata Sou had left, Ichinose stood there by herself, staring blankly into space, lost in thought.
"What's going on...? Is there something between them that I don't know about?"
"Wasn't I the one who met Ibuki first? Is Hashiba trying to...?"
Her thoughts raced until Ichinose Honami's mind was a complete mess. She hadn't expected things to turn out this way.
After a long while, the girl silently patted her lovely cheek, then started walking toward the exit.
Too much had happened today. She might need some time to process it all.
Meanwhile, Hashiba Hikaru walked with Ibuki toward the Student Council, still puzzled by what had just happened.
He couldn't understand it. Hadn't Ibuki met Ichinose first? And since they were both girls, wouldn't it make more sense to go with her?
Just then, the short-haired girl ahead of him stopped and turned to look at Hashiba Hikaru.
"Hashiba, you're the real class leader of Class B, aren't you?"
"No, our class leader is Ichinose."
Hashiba Hikaru smiled slightly. He had a pretty good idea why she hadn't wanted Ichinose Honami to come along. She must have wanted to ask him something.
"But from what I've seen, she clearly depends on you a lot. Why is that?"
Ibuki Mio wasn't lacking in observation or analytical skills, and she was even quite mature in her thinking. After their conversation the night before and the execution of today's recording plan, she could tell that the students from Class B followed the boy in front of her, Hashiba.
He was the one making the decisions. The others were just helping him carry them out.
"How should I put it? It's a little complicated to explain," Hashiba Hikaru said casually, his expression unchanged. "What I can tell you is that Ichinose is indeed our class leader. Everyone agrees on that."
"As for the rest of our class's situation, I can't answer you right now."
What he meant was that Ibuki should stop trying to pry. That would be better for everyone, especially since she and Hashiba Hikaru were still partners for now.
"Tch. Don't think I'll believe everything you say." Ibuki didn't seem to care about his hint. A mocking smile curled her lips as she challenged him. "You lied to me yesterday, didn't you?"
"What did I lie about?"
"About the class leader being able to use everyone's Private Points. I may be a new student, but that doesn't mean I'll foolishly believe everything people tell me."
Ibuki Mio stared directly into Hashiba Hikaru's eyes, her tone forceful. "But do you know why I still agreed to your plan last night, even after I realized you were lying?"
"Because you can't stand Ryuen."
Hashiba's eyes still held a smile, but inside, he saw the short-haired girl in a whole new light.
She was definitely no pushover.
Even though she'd been assigned to Class C, Ibuki Mio had shown herself to be a capable student. Her analysis and observation skills were both pretty good.
Was she just bad at studying?
"That's right. I knew you were lying, but I can't stand Ryuen, so I want to get him suspended."
Ibuki stared at the boy in front of her and asked, "Also, you didn't finish what you were saying yesterday. You said you wanted to discuss something with Class C after Ryuen was suspended."
"Is this some kind of scheme too? If you try that again, I won't play along!"
"Don't worry. It'll be something that benefits both our classes," Hashiba Hikaru said, shrugging. His expression turned serious. "I hope you won't get the wrong idea about me. I'm not someone who likes playing games with people."
"Sure, whatever you say."
Ibuki Mio didn't want to keep talking to him. She turned around and continued walking, but after a few steps she looked back and added, "Come on. Weren't we going to report Ryuen? What are you standing there for?"
"Right."
Hashiba Hikaru nodded and hurried to catch up with Ibuki.
"Remember, we need to get our stories straight before we go in. Don't let anything slip."
"Don't worry. I care about the outcome even more than you do."
Chapter 27: The Student Council's Dynamics
After walking for a while, Hashiba Hikaru and Ibuki finally reached the fourth floor of the school building where the Student Council was located.
From the outside, it looked no different from an ordinary classroom. A metal sign was mounted on the wall, bearing the words "Student Council Room." It looked as though it was cleaned often, its surface bright and gleaming.
"Knock, knock, knock!"
Hashiba Hikaru raised his hand and knocked.
"Come in."
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