Classroom of the Elite, It's Not About Meritocracy, It's About Me Ruling the World! 32

This is absolutely ridiculous!

"Don't listen to this guy, he's nothing but a damn scoundrel."

Kaneda forced himself to stand up through the pain, his face turning beet red with pure, unadulterated rage.

Everything had been going so well.

He had finally managed to leave a 'good' impression on the others.

By showing such a strong front, no one would dare look down on Class C anymore; at least, that's what he thought.

Ryuen's kick, however, had completely humiliated him in front of everyone.

Right now, Kaneda wanted nothing more than to crawl into a hole and hide.

From the very first day of school, Ryuen had been clamoring to be the boss of the class, demanding that everyone obey him and act as his lackeys.

What a joke.

Kaneda and the others naturally refused, and with the help of Albert and the others, they easily subdued Ryuen.

Yet, this Ryuen was like a stray dog with no shame; even after losing, he would constantly resort to sneak attacks.

Today was no different.

Kaneda and his group hadn't intended to bring Ryuen along, knowing full well he wouldn't behave, but Ryuen kept making a scene.

Feeling that being late would also cause them to lose face, Kaneda had reluctantly agreed to let Ryuen come, provided he just followed along quietly.

But he hadn't expected this.

That bastard Ryuen had gone back on his word again.

His promises were worth nothing; he had absolutely no integrity!

Regardless of how things were inside the class, they should at least present a united front to the outside world—didn't this guy even understand that?

To think he would actually make him look like a fool!

That was why you couldn't trust a low-life like him at all!

With bloodshot eyes, Kaneda glared at Ryuen, ready to throw hands.

Chapter 29: Taking Action, The Tyrant's Provocation

"Albert, take him out!"

Kaneda barked the order.

Having lost face in front of so many people, he was clearly blinded by rage, but just as he tried to charge at Ryuen, he was firmly held back by Hirata.

"Kaneda-kun, Kaneda-kun, calm down. I don't know what happened between you two, but aren't you classmates?"

He shouldn't have said that.

It only made Kaneda angrier, and he struggled even harder.

Was there any such thing as a companion who would sneak-attack their own class leader in public?

"Kaneda-kun."

Ichinose also tried to soothe him: "You are the representative of Class C, aren't you? You should prioritize the big picture."

These words

seemed to make Kaneda calm down, and he took a few heavy breaths, regaining some composure.

That's right, he was the representative of Class C. He wouldn't stoop to the level of a petty person, and with so many outsiders present, he wouldn't lower himself to Ryuen's level.

He would just beat Ryuen up once they got back to class.

On the other side, Albert from Class C still hadn't moved, appearing somewhat at a loss; it was clear he wasn't entirely on Kaneda's side.

"Idiots."

Ryuen glanced at them, then looked at Kijima Tsukur and pointed at the ground with a sneer:

"Kaneda, you guys really are a bunch of idiots. Do you think you can be looked up to just by gaining a verbal advantage? You morons, that sense of distance is just that guy's test of your obedience."

"Huh?"

Kaneda frowned immediately: "What did you say?"

"You probably felt that walking over would be impolite, but standing here felt uncomfortable, so you tried to act tough with your words, right? You're just like a monkey bluffing to look big—stop making people laugh."

"Ryuen..."

"..."

Before Kaneda and the others could speak, Ryuen, sporting a pair of bruised eyes, walked up to Kijima Tsukur. He looked down at him with his hands in his pockets and sneered:

"Your name is Kijima Tsukur, right? Nice setup you've got here. Does playing house surrounded by a bunch of people make you happy? Is it as satisfying as getting off?"

As these words were spoken.

Kamuro Masumi and the others behind him raised their eyebrows.

Ignoring all etiquette, rules, and the disparity in numbers, Ryuen walked straight up to Kijima Tsukur and mocked them for playing house.

This could no longer be ignored.

However, whether Kijima Tsukur stood up or retaliated, it would seem a bit beneath him.

Fortunately.

In front of outsiders, Class A would at least maintain a facade of unity.

Kito Hayato stepped forward, reaching out to block Ryuen, his gaze as fierce as a demon as he stared at the other, signaling him to back off.

Kamuro Masumi clicked her tongue in disgust, and she, along with Hashimoto Masayoshi, stood behind him, ready for action.

The situation was on the verge of exploding.

Yet, Ryuen did not retreat a single step; he merely glanced at Kito, then looked down at Kijima Tsukur to continue his mockery:

"What? Playing the godfather makes you think you're yakuza? Want me to teach you how the yakuza do things? Just kiss my toes, heh."

Clearly.

Ryuen continued to provoke them, showing no signs of fear or retreat.

Seeing that a fight was about to break out, Katsuragi, Ichinose, Hirata, Kaneda, and the others quickly walked over.

Kaneda's face flushed red with anger, and he quickly barked:

"Ryuen, stop causing trouble for Class C. If you keep acting like this, we won't help you."

"..."

Just then.

Kijima Tsukur raised his right hand and gestured backward.

Instantly, everyone stopped in their tracks. Ryuen frowned; this action was clearly beyond everyone's expectations.

What did this gesture mean... telling Kito and the others to move aside?

Was it a sign of weakness?

Actually.

Both Ryuen and Kito's group were under a misunderstanding.

They thought this display was just for show.

However, whether it was sitting down or the Rubik's cube, it was merely Kijima Tsukur's personal hobby, with no intention of drawing attention.

From beginning to end, Kijima Tsukur's only requirement was the limit of three people.

But seeing Kijima Tsukur's gesture, Kito retreated to the side of Hashimoto and the others; he was only there to provide a presence, so he obeyed.

"It seems Class C has guessed something as well."

Kijima Tsukur didn't even glance at Ryuen, continuing to stare ahead as if the person in front of him were nothing but air, his right hand fiddling with the Rubik's cube as he mused:

"Otherwise, with a personality like Kaneda's, he should have reported you long ago."

"..."

Ryuen narrowed his eyes; this deduction was logical.

As long as one was a normal person, They should be able to guess something, right?

It was precisely because he suspected that class violence might affect the next month's points.

That was why Kaneda and the others hadn't reported him to the school, choosing instead to counter with violence.

As long as violence was used, Ryuen didn't believe he would lose.

Even if he lost today, even if he lost countless times, as long as he didn't give up, the one who won in the end would definitely be him!

What he cared about more was, Kijima Tsukur's emotions were completely flat, and it didn't look like he was faking it; he truly didn't care.

"After you attacked Kaneda, you didn't speak immediately. You were observing the reactions of the people present, weren't you?"

Kijima Tsukur rubbed his chin, leaning back in his chair, and looked up at Ryuen, saying indifferently:

"With your performance, you should still be in the realm of speculation; otherwise, you wouldn't be acting like this. Is it a simple thug mentality trying to rule the school, or are you a sadist like Sakayanagi?"

"How about it? Are they qualified?"

"Heh..."

Ryuen narrowed his already slit-like eyes even further.

From the moment it was specified that only three people were invited to the rooftop, he had guessed that this setup was intended to observe their reactions.

If it were him, he would have definitely brought the entire class up, not giving a damn about the three-person limit, but unfortunately, Kaneda and the others had not yet surrendered.

It was truly difficult for Ryuen to maneuver.

There was more than just Kaneda in the class who didn't submit to him, and it had already taken quite a bit of effort just to get them to follow him up here.

The moment he stepped up, Ryuen had already decided to seize the initiative, using his attack on Kaneda as a pretext to observe everyone.

Katsuragi, Hirata, and Ichinose were the first to step up and intervene.

These types of self-righteous characters were nothing to fear.

Karuizawa Kei and Yamamura Miki were clearly frightened, which was quite normal for girls.

Kikyo Kushida, Kamuro Masumi, Shibata Sou, and Kanzaki Ryuji visibly frowned; they clearly weren't afraid of this level of violence, but they didn't like such behavior either.

The remaining three were quite interesting.

That guy named Hashimoto Masayoshi actually raised an eyebrow, giving off the impression that he appreciated such behavior.

Kito Hayato, on the other hand, glared in this direction, radiating a terrifying killing intent toward him.

Despite being so ugly, his sense of justice was perhaps even stronger than that of Ichinose and the others, which truly caught Ryuen by surprise.

Finally, there was Kijima Tsukur, who surprised Ryuen the most!

As the inviting party, the representative of Class A, and the only person sitting in a chair, Kijima Tsukur was naturally the primary target of Ryuen's observation.

However, this guy showed absolutely no change in his body or expression, and even the hand turning his Rubik's cube didn't pause in the slightest.