Class C's Defeat / The Second Lottery

After school.

Kushida, who had been notified by Aoyama in advance, casually lent her phone to Sudo, who approached her with sweat pouring down his face.

Things went smoothly, and Horikita Suzune and the others successfully got Ishizaki and his friends to agree to meet.

They had barely finished setting up the Special Building when, less than ten minutes later, Ishizaki and two others came striding toward the entrance.

Three people, each wearing a wide, unsuspecting smile.

No boy could resist being invited by a cute, popular girl.

Class C's Defeat

Unlike the main school building, where the air conditioning was always running, the Special Building had no air conditioning when students weren't in class.

In other words, the temperature in the third-floor corridor, where Sudo admitted the confrontation had taken place, was bound to be high.

The three of them had stayed put, waiting for Kushida. They were still wearing their suit jackets, and their faces were already slick with sweat. They couldn't even manage a smile.

The tightly shut windows, the blazing sun, and the stuffy heat gradually wore down their patience and composure.

"The Kushida you're waiting for isn't coming."

"Being so trusting just because she lent you her phone to make a call was pretty careless."

Just when the time seemed right, Horikita Suzune appeared at the corner of the fourth-floor stairs, looking down at Ishizaki and the others.

At the same time, footsteps sounded on the second-floor stairs.

A moment later, Ichinose Honami and Kanzaki Ryuji appeared, blocking Ishizaki and his friends' escape route.

The newly installed camera, realistic enough to pass for the real thing and seemingly recording; the heat, enough to make anyone stop thinking; and the panic that came with realizing they'd been tricked.

Fate, fortune, and people were all on Horikita and Ichinose's side.

"Ishizaki and the others are probably going to get beaten up by Ryuen."

In the Student Council room, Shiina Hiyori stopped writing. A troubled look appeared on her cute face.

Just moments earlier, Tachibana had gone out and returned quickly with news that Ishizaki and the others from Class C had withdrawn their accusation that Sudo had assaulted them.

"Looks like I won't have to deal with the fight between Kanzaki and Ryuen tomorrow, either." Aoyama turned to look at Shiina, whose frown was adorable.

Since Horikita Suzune and the others had succeeded, that meant Ishizaki and his friends had fallen for the trap and really believed there was footage of them throwing the first punch in the hallway.

Needless to say, Ichinose would have recorded her conversation with Ishizaki and the others as evidence of Class C's ill intentions.

Continuing to tangle with Class B would only lead to both sides losing, with the odds even. Ryuen was too shrewd to make a deal that cost him.

"Was this Aoyama's idea?"

"Just a guess. Suzune asked me for a small favor and let a little of the plan slip."

"Was it Suzune?"

Shiina glanced at Horikita President, who was diligently working through some documents, and felt a little regretful.

If Horikita Suzune weren't the leader of Class D, Shiina would have loved to be friends with her. She was cool and aloof, and shared Shiina's interests. She was practically the dream friend.

And she was beautiful, just like Aoyama.

"Why are you looking at me with that regretful expression, Shiina? Do I really look that awful?"

While Shiina had been staring at Aoyama and lost in thought, Aoyama had been looking at her too.

He'd clearly caught the regret on her cute face.

"No, that's not it. I think you look pretty good. You're quite handsome."

"Say that again, and I'll forgive you."

"I... I think you're quite handsome." Shiina lowered her head slightly. The flustered look disappeared from her face, replaced by a charming shyness.

"I take back what I just said. Say it two more times—no, three."

Aoyama was so pleased by Shiina's compliment that he immediately changed his mind.

Then...

A shy Shiina pinched the soft flesh at his waist with her cute little hand.

After that, Kamuro grabbed him by the scruff of the neck.

"Get back to work. Senior Tachibana is glaring at you."

"Yes, yes. I understand, I understand."

With both Tachibana Akane and Kamuro glaring at him, Aoyama straightened up and sat properly at his desk to work.

As he finished more and more documents, the end of the workday drew closer.

Meanwhile...

The empty third floor of the Special Building received six more visitors.

"How can it be gone? There was a camera here just a moment ago." Ishizaki pointed at the bare ceiling, flustered.

Looking to his two companions, he—

"Everything Ishizaki said is true. There really was a camera here just now."

"It was moving around, too!"

Komiya Yogo and Kondo Suzune, who had withdrawn their accusations along with Ishizaki, immediately started defending themselves.

By now, they understood that they'd really been tricked. The failure of Ryuen's plan was entirely their fault.

"Useless. Who gave you permission to act on your own?"

With a single step and a sharp front kick, Ryuen sent Ishizaki crashing to the floor without holding back.

He planted his right foot firmly on Ishizaki's chest, then ordered his follower Albert to punish Komiya and Kondo the same way.

Soon, the three of them were crying out in pain.

As for the only girl among the six, Ibuki Mio watched as if she'd seen it all before. She showed no excitement at the thought of going over and kicking them a few times, but she didn't turn away in discomfort, either.

Having trained in martial arts since childhood, she was used to both hitting people and getting hit.

"Now tell me how you got fooled, and who fooled you."

Once he had punished them enough to teach them a lesson, Ryuen began questioning them expressionlessly.

Of his attacks on Classes B and C, only the one against Class D had been an advantage. Class B didn't have a blunt fool like Sudo.

With a few pointed words to provoke and lead him on, Sudo had admitted in front of the Student Council that he'd hit Ishizaki and the others.

"It was Horikita Suzune, Ichinose, Kanzaki, and Ayanokoji."

"Ayanokoji?"

"A student in Class D. He looked pretty gloomy, but he seemed like he could handle himself." Ishizaki recalled the boy who had stood indifferently in front of him. He'd felt a faint pressure coming from him.

"Sounds like someone new." Ryuen gave a sinister smile. "Ibuki, if you run into him and have some free time, follow him. See if he's a hidden talent or just a nobody."

"Then I can go after him, too, right?"

Ibuki usually ignored Ryuen's tasks, but she was interested in this one.

If even Ishizaki thought Ayanokoji could fight, he might make a good opponent.

She'd learned from her own life that real combat was the best way to get stronger.

"Do whatever you want. But if you cost the class points, Albert will punish you."

"Hmph."

Ibuki glanced at Albert's sunglasses and his bodyguard-like face, then gave up on acting recklessly.

He was about 1.9 meters tall and well-built. Fighting him would be a complete mismatch, with no fun in it at all.

"Let's go. We need to head to the Student Council, Albert."

"Yes, boss."

After hearing Ishizaki and the others recount what had happened, Ryuen knew there was probably nothing he could do about Class B. The small advantage he'd gained by breaking his left arm was already gone.

If Class A hadn't been above them, he wouldn't have minded both sides losing.

But now it looked like he'd broken his left arm for nothing.

"Katsuragi, Classes B and D have joined forces. What do you think?"

On the way to the Student Council to withdraw the accusation, Ryuen called the leader of Class A.

After this incident, Classes B and D had come together, giving them an excuse to form an alliance with Class A.

The longer an alliance lasted, the easier it would be to stab the others in the back when the time came.

The Second Drawing

"Has Suzune ever mentioned me to you?"

On a quiet night, Aoyama met Horikita Manabu behind the third-year dormitory. The only sound around them came from the vending machine's motor.

Unlike Aoyama, who leaned back casually in his chair, Horikita Manabu sat perfectly upright.

"Exceptional, accomplished in both academics and athletics—that's probably the student council president Suzune sees in you." Aoyama pictured Horikita Suzune, her face filled with pride whenever she talked about her brother.

Horikita Suzune was deeply proud of Horikita Manabu. She seemed to respect him almost as if he were a god.

One word of praise from Horikita Manabu could make her happy for the whole day.

"Exceptional? She still doesn't understand the difference between being aloof and being arrogant." There was a hint of exasperation in Horikita Manabu's cold voice.

"If she doesn't understand, why not help her understand?"

Aoyama knew why Horikita Manabu had distanced himself from Horikita Suzune, but he couldn't understand why he'd chosen to push her away and leave her to her own devices.

The truth had shown that even after two years without seeing her brother, Horikita Suzune was still imitating him.

He had no idea whether she'd been even more extreme before.

"If explaining it were enough to make her understand, I wouldn't have had to run away to Kouiku."

"When I realized what was happening, it was already too late. Suzune had completely fixated on her own way of thinking. She only agreed with me on the surface."

Horikita Manabu turned to look at Aoyama. His eyes, visible behind his glasses, were as sharp as a blade.

"I've been keeping an eye on Suzune. It's no surprise that you encouraged her to become Class D's leader. At first, I thought you'd done it because you wanted her personal points."

"But after checking your account activity, I'm not so sure."

Because he was so close to his younger sister, Horikita Manabu had always paid close attention to Aoyama.

Aoyama gave a wry smile. "Are you going to report me for illegal fundraising?"

Without a legitimate reason, the Student Council had no right to request a student's account records from the school.

A student's account activity could reveal a great deal about them.

"What do you want from Suzune?" Horikita Manabu nodded to acknowledge the question, his eyes fixed on Aoyama.

If Aoyama only wanted personal points, he wouldn't care if his younger sister got swindled.

Whether it was a few hundred thousand or a few million, if she got cheated, then she got cheated.

What mattered most was whether Horikita Suzune could grow from the experience.

"One million personal points. I won't stand in the way of Suzune's growth."

Under Horikita Manabu's oppressive gaze, Aoyama's answer seemed completely unrelated to the question.

And no matter how you looked at it, it sounded like a threat.

If Horikita Manabu didn't give him that one million personal points, Aoyama would bring about the outcome he didn't want to see.

"I have to say, you're bold. You're the first student at this school to threaten me." Horikita Manabu pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose, his brows drawing together and his eyes narrowing.

A cool sea breeze blew past. For a moment, the only sound in the space between Horikita Manabu and Aoyama was the vending machine.