After a loud crash, the metal locker door caved in.
There was no blood, but Kanji Ike's forehead was left with a red mark, and he seemed a little dazed.
"What are you doing? That was too much."
"Ike, are you okay?"
They had thought Kanji Ike would be an easy target, someone they could pick on.
But things had turned around much too quickly.
Some glared furiously at Kageya Shinjitsu, while others rushed to Ike's side to help him up.
"I didn't do anything. He just startled me, so I tried to catch him, but he came at me too fast."
"Sorry about that, Ike."
"But I think your head's probably a little clearer now. You won't be thinking about breasts and stuff like before."
"Not that there's any room left in there now. Your brain got shaken into mush."
Looking at Ike, who still hadn't come to his senses, Kageya Shinjitsu spoke as if to himself.
"Quit acting tough. You think we're scared of you?"
Yamauchi Haruki looked a little cowed, but Ken Sudō seemed ready to jump in and fight. Ayanokouji Kiyotaka stopped him.
"Ayanokouji, what are you doing? Get out of my way."
Sudō's booming voice rang through the changing room.
In the midst of a loud crash, the metal locker door caved in.
Though he wasn't bleeding, Kanji Ike had a red mark on his forehead, and he still seemed a little dazed.
"What are you doing? You went too far."
"Ike, are you okay?"
They'd thought Ike would be an easy target, someone they could pick on.
But things had turned around far too quickly.
Some glared at Kageya Shinjitsu, while others went to help Ike up.
"I didn't do anything. He just startled me, so I tried to catch him, but he was moving too fast."
"Sorry about that, Ike."
"But I think your head's a little clearer now. You probably won't be thinking about breasts and stuff like before."
"Not that there's room for anything else in there now. Your brain's been shaken into mush."
Kageya Shinjitsu spoke as if to himself, looking at Ike, who still hadn't come around.
"Quit acting tough. You think we're scared of you?"
Yamauchi Haruki already looked a little intimidated, but Ken Sudō seemed ready to jump in and fight. Ayanokouji Kiyotaka stopped him.
"Ayanokouji, what are you doing? Get out of my way."
Sudō's booming voice echoed through the changing room.
[New story, fourth update. This is an unusual genre, so the data will show whether everyone likes it. If the numbers are decent, I'll finish it. If you think it's good, please support it with comments. "Please subscribe," "please send flowers," "please tip," "please bookmark," and "please vote."]
Chapter 30: Kageya Shinjitsu's True Nature
A confrontation had broken out.
The boys' changing room was in chaos.
But they weren't exactly on friendly terms with one another.
They weren't close enough to jump in and fight on Ike's behalf, at least.
Getting into a group fight wasn't like slacking off or skipping class. If things got out of hand, they'd be in trouble—possibly even expelled. Every student knew that.
Besides, Kageya Shinjitsu had just made it clear he wasn't someone they could push around.
He was nothing like the gloomy figure who usually sat in the corner.
"Aw, looks like Ike's friends aren't much to speak of."
"I thought you'd all rush in shoulder to shoulder, all chummy. But it's just one person, and even he got stopped."
"You've got bad taste in friends, Ike."
Kageya Shinjitsu seemed oddly pleased to be surrounded, and spoke in a mocking tone.
No one had expected the gloomy loner from their class to talk to people like that.
"So this is your true nature, Kageya Shinjitsu."
Kageya Shinjitsu's blunt words soured many of their expressions, and Ike's face flushed red.
He'd come around a little by now, and the fog in his head had given way to his usual lustful thoughts.
"You've been keeping to yourself all this time just to get Kushida-chan to pity you, haven't you?"
His voice grew louder toward the end.
"Heh, if you say so." Kageya Shinjitsu smiled.
Whether it was true or not, if it was something that bothered someone you disliked—or someone who disliked you—
Then you might as well make it happen.
"You bastard!"
Ike shouted.
He tried to charge forward again, but the others held him back.
"Calm down, calm down."
"We still have class. We'll be in trouble if we start fighting here."
Besides, they weren't even sure they could win. The boys held Ike back.
They were worried things might get completely out of hand.
"Swimming class is about to start."
"Are you still not changed?"
With the atmosphere in the room hanging in the balance, Hirata, who had been surrounded by the girls earlier, finally got a chance to change.
He looked around at the people there, a little surprised.
They should've arrived early and gotten changed already.
"Nothing's going on. We were just talking."
"We're leaving now."
"What happened to Ike?"
At Hirata's arrival, some of them breathed a sigh of relief. Ike and the others didn't linger any longer.
"I won't let you get away with this."
Ignoring even Hirata's concern, Ike left after making his threat.
In his mind, he had probably already become a hero who would save Kushida Kikyo.
And then, as her hero, he would end up with her.
"I'll look forward to it, Ike."
Kageya Shinjitsu waved, as though they were classmates casually greeting each other. Anyone who didn't know what had happened might have thought the two were friends, about to exchange gifts.
But they both had their own thoughts. Ike was thinking about how he'd make Kageya Shinjitsu pay.
As for Kageya Shinjitsu—
Hmm... Should I give them more trouble?
Or maybe I should get them expelled and clear out all of Class D.
I wonder how the school would react. They already treat Class D like defective goods, so they probably wouldn't care.
"Hmph."
Ike gave a derisive snort and strode away.
The others who had already wanted to leave hurried after him.
Most of them hadn't wanted to get involved in this in the first place.
Only Sudō stayed behind for a moment, showing his "loyalty" to Kageya Shinjitsu, before leaving.
That left Ayanokouji Kiyotaka, who had been watching Sudō, worried he might do something reckless.
"Uh..."
"You'd better..."
Ayanokouji Kiyotaka brought up the rear, apparently about to say something.
"Ayanokouji, hurry up."
Ike's voice came from up ahead.
"I'll be going."
Ayanokouji Kiyotaka gave a helpless look and walked out.
Before leaving, he glanced at Hirata, who had been standing nearby without saying much.
It was as if he was trying to convey something.
Kageya Shinjitsu remained where he was, unconcerned about having angered his classmates.
A bunch of pigs—pigs raised for slaughter. It didn't matter if they gathered together. In the end, people would still decide when to sell them and eat them. Looking at them, Kageya Shinjitsu felt a mischievous delight rise inside him.
He really wanted to see how these guys would react when their personal points didn't arrive next month.
The more they acted like this, the more he looked forward to them finding out how this school worked next month.
What would they do if they learned he had betrayed the class and sold them all off for a good price, keeping the proceeds for himself?
Would they try to beat me up? Kageya Shinjitsu looked forward to the possibility of bullying at school.
A strange smile appeared on his face as he wondered if he could use the opportunity to make them pay.
Nearby, Hirata watched everything with a complicated expression.
He had heard Ike shout as he arrived, so he'd hurried over, but he still didn't know what had happened.
At first, he'd thought Ike and the others were picking on Kageya Shinjitsu.
Now it seemed it hadn't been one-sided.
"Kageya, are you okay?"
Hirata Yosuke looked at Kageya Shinjitsu and realized he was another problem student.
No wonder he'd always been so guarded around him.
[New story, fifth update. This is an unusual genre, so the data will show whether everyone likes it. If the numbers are decent, I'll finish it. If you think it's good, please support it with comments. "Please subscribe," "please send flowers," "please tip," "please bookmark," and "please vote."]
Chapter 31: Hirata Yosuke's Plans
Hearing Hirata Yosuke speak beside him, Kageya Shinjitsu finally turned his head.
"Nothing happened."
His smile had already faded as he replied.
He didn't care what Hirata had figured out. Even if the school's secrets were exposed early, he had other ways to handle it. There was no need to worry.
He said nothing more. He took off his clothes, revealing well-built muscles, the result of years of training. His uniform had concealed them every day.
He changed into swimming trunks and pulled a swimsuit on over them. He'd prepared it in advance.
Even so, the taut lines of his muscles showed through.
Then he left for the swimming pool.
"Kageya Shinjitsu."
"What exactly have you been through?"
Hirata Yosuke watched Kageya Shinjitsu's disappearing figure.
He felt a little troubled, too. He'd seen Kageya's physique earlier. It wasn't just the definition of his muscles; they had clearly been built up over years of training. Kageya even seemed to be in better shape than him.
There were also quite a few scars on his body, some of them looking like knife wounds. This wasn't the body of an ordinary high school student.
Though Kageya had quickly put on his swimsuit, Hirata Yosuke had seen enough.
Without what had happened earlier, he might have thought Kageya was a pitiful person, perhaps someone who had suffered bullying in the past.
But after what he'd just seen, he was more inclined to think it had something to do with Kageya's past.
Hirata hadn't gotten an answer, and Kageya was already out of sight.
Hirata Yosuke silently made up his mind.
"Whatever you went through before, I won't let you ruin the harmony of the class."
Kageya Shinjitsu's standing in Hirata Yosuke's eyes had risen several levels.
He'd once seemed like a weak classmate in need of care. Now he seemed like a beast that could turn on people at any moment.
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