Scheming in the real world? I can also do a little.

She couldn't see her wounds, and there wasn't a mirror around. So, she decided to let someone help her.

"Alright, please wait a moment."

Even though a beauty was right in front of him, her brutal display just moments ago made Hoya Chukai afraid to make any unnecessary moves. He knelt down earnestly and began applying ointment to Ryuen Shoko, covering not just her face, but her arms and thighs as well.

Once finished, he applied adhesive bandages before returning to his seat. However, he didn't put the medicine or the bandages away; instead, he left them on Ryuen Shoko's desk.

He knew Ryuen Shoko had other wounds hidden under her clothes, but it would be improper for him to apply the medicine there himself. That was why he left them behind, so she could apply them herself once she returned.

Or perhaps... find a girl to help her? That was none of Hoya Chukai's business.

Kings are proud; just like a wolf king who licks its own wounds in solitude, she might bite if someone else tried to curry favor. At the very least, Hoya Chukai didn't dare touch the wounds hidden beneath her clothes.

Back at his seat, he saw Ryuen Shoko spin her chair one hundred and eighty degrees to face him, even propping her legs up on his desk.

From Hoya Chukai's perspective, he could see Ryuen Shoko's fair legs. Even with the many scratches and bruises, he had to admit they were a fine pair of legs.

It was just a pity that she now knew to cover certain areas; the scenery beneath her skirt was no longer visible to him.

"Alright, continue. About this 'tyrant' or 'hegemon' thing."

With the immediate matters handled, Ryuen Shoko intended to keep listening to Hoya Chukai: "Being gentle with my own people isn't my style, I think you saw that, didn't you?"

"Yes, I saw it. But that doesn't change the fact that you are gentle with your own people."

Hoya Chukai leaned forward and tapped the desk near his classmate: "At least in this incident, I can see even more clearly that you are a hegemon, not a tyrant."

"Ha? I beat them up like this, and you still think I'm a hegemon?"

"Why wouldn't I?"

Hoya Chukai sat back up straight, his eyes fixed on Ryuen Shoko: "What do you think a tyrant is like? Is beating up classmates like this enough to qualify? This was merely a disciplinary measure for disobedient subjects. If you were a tyrant, I'm sorry, but I didn't see a river of blood, I didn't see severed limbs, and I didn't see anyone having their teeth knocked out. These are just flesh wounds; it doesn't count as ruthless."

He had experienced school brawls before, where people had teeth knocked out, spines fractured, arms broken, and others suffered severe hemorrhaging. That instance of school violence led to five or six students being expelled and a large group being placed on probation. Compared to that, Hoya Chukai truly felt this fight was child's play.

"And since there was no bullying after the victory, I feel even more strongly that you are a hegemon."

Regardless, Hoya Chukai was determined to flatter her as a hegemon. There were many in Chinese history called hegemons, whether it was Xiang Yu or the Little Hegemon Sun Ce, neither of whom Ryuen Shoko could compare to. But when in Rome, do as the Romans do; at this moment, if Hoya Chukai said she was a hegemon, then she was a hegemon. No one dislikes hearing praise; every monarch enjoys being called great.

If you dared to call her a tyrant now, you'd see if she wouldn't just beat you with her fists. After all, Hoya Chukai had just finished saying that a tyrant was a dog that barked wildly at outsiders.

Chapter 4: Let's Call It, Hiding Skill Within Clumsiness

"Fine, I'm a hegemon, then what? What else do you want to say?"

"What to say... actually, there's nothing left to say. Since we've already acknowledged you as our king, I don't think there's anything else to do today. After all, many things haven't been investigated yet, so there's nothing to discuss now. Besides, there are likely some classmates who haven't grasped the situation yet, and they need to go back and think it over carefully."

As Hoya Chukai spoke, he scanned the room, finally resting his gaze on Sakagami Numma, the teacher who had been watching the show as if he were about to devour popcorn or watermelon: "Teacher, do you have anything else to say?"

"Nothing, nothing at all."

"Then can we dismiss class now?"

"Yes, yes."

Sakagami Numma's "doting father" demeanor left Hoya Chukai feeling baffled. Is this really how you act as a homeroom teacher?

"Hey, tell me, am I the king or are you the king?"

While Hoya Chukai was talking to Sakagami Numma, Ryuen Shoko tapped her leg against Hoya Chukai's desk. It was clear that this king of Class C was a bit displeased.

Clearly, she felt Hoya Chukai had overstepped his bounds.

"Ahem, my king, a king doesn't need to do everything personally. At least in my view, such trivial matters can be left to me; you should be doing more important things."

As Hoya Chukai spoke, his gaze drifted toward the medicine behind Ryuen Shoko. Though he didn't say it, everything was implied.

"Then tell me, what is more important?"

"Naturally, facing tomorrow's challenges, my king. Many classmates are still unconvinced and only submitted due to the current situation. Therefore, I think if they go back and think it over, the more they dwell on it, the angrier they'll get, and they will surely challenge you again tomorrow. You might face even greater obstacles tomorrow, so I believe taking a moment to rest and recover is more important now."

"Heh, silver-tongued. Fine, since you said you'd handle the rest, do your best. Don't let me down."

Ryuen Shoko picked up her bag and strode out of the classroom.

Although she appeared indifferent, the way she took the medicine and her slightly off-kilter gait suggested she hadn't escaped this unscathed.

Forget it. If she can't even get past this little hardship, she shouldn't be the king of Class C anyway; she might as well just be a bad girl.

Watching Ryuen Shoko leave, Hoya Chukai clapped his hands: "Hey, everyone, school's out, go home. Why are you still hanging around? By the way, everyone go back and think carefully. If you don't want to submit to Ryuen Shoko, you'd better discuss how to defeat her tomorrow. If you're too scared, then just obediently listen to her. That's all I have to say. Class is dismissed, go home to your mothers. Oh, and is anyone willing to take these students to the infirmary? We're all in the same class from now on, so it's best to interact more. Especially those who can't stand Ryuen, hurry up and take them to the infirmary to discuss a strategy."

When the tiger is away, the monkey plays king. Because Hoya Chukai was the first to submit to Ryuen Shoko, everyone listened to him and left one by one.

As for the students lying on the floor, they were also taken away. They had only been stunned; their injuries weren't severe, and they could manage to walk to the infirmary with some help.

"Hey, Teacher Numma, please stay for a moment."

Seeing the homeroom teacher, who had finished watching the show, about to leave, Hoya Chukai quickly urged him to wait: "I assume you don't have anything urgent, Teacher? Shall we... have a chat?"

Sakagami Numma indeed had nothing urgent. This middle-aged man looked serious and cold, but once you actually interacted with him, you could tell he was just cold on the outside and warm on the inside.

After the students had all left, Sakagami Numma asked Hoya Chukai: "Student Hoya, is there something you need to ask?"

"Of course there is, and quite a lot, Teacher."

Hoya Chukai stood up and looked out the window at the scenery: "After all, such a farce just occurred in the classroom. You watched from the sidelines for a long time, so you must have your own thoughts, right?"

Yes, a farce. In Hoya Chukai's eyes, whether it was Ryuen Shoko, himself, or any classmate who had stood up just now, they were all clowns on a stage, all members of a farce.

It was a truly dull confrontation; it might even become a dark history they would look back on with embarrassment in the future.

Of course, only those without self-awareness would consider this a dark history, but Hoya Chukai was not one of them. He knew full well that this was a farce, yet he was willing to participate, even shamelessly uttering phrases like "my King" or "Oh, King" that would make anyone else cringe so hard their toes could curl into a three-bedroom apartment. Even if he looked back on it later, he would still think he did a damn good job.

Once one accepts the role of an actor and starts fooling around on stage, the entire situation shifts into something else entirely.

"Thoughts? It doesn't matter."

Sakagami Kazuma also stood by the window, watching the many students leaving the school. "In my opinion, it's already a good thing that a class leader has emerged."

"Then I would like to ask, Teacher, what are your intentions?"

"What do you mean by that?"

"The situation in the class. Are we just drifting along, or are we striving for progress?"

"Striving for progress is obviously the best path. I am very satisfied with Ryuen Shoko's performance right now. Since she dares to call herself the King of Class C, she will surely lead the class forward. That way, I won't have to worry about us falling to Class D."

"As I thought."

Although it seemed like a mere hint from Sakagami Kazuma, to Hoya Chukai, who had read the script, this hint was something he could use as capital to show off.

"Falling to Class D—does that mean you are hoping we can become Class A?"

"Become Class A? No, that's impossible. Since the establishment of this academy, there has never been a case where another class replaced the incumbent to graduate as Class A."

Sakagami Kazuma tilted his head to look at Hoya Chukai. "Your mind works fast; that was something I didn't anticipate. Is your intelligence really only a C?"

"Teacher, isn't hiding one's brilliance behind a facade of clumsiness the right thing to do? To be honest, I am not suited to be a leader, which is why I let Ryuen-san be this King. Truthfully, I don't care who is the class leader, as long as they can command the respect of the others."

"Command respect? Honestly, I'm starting to find you interesting. A moment ago, you looked like a loyal sycophant, yet after less than a day of contact, you could already tell who had the most capability in the class. Perhaps the school authorities have underestimated you."

Chapter 5: She is the Boss of Class C, and me? Just a fox behind the scenes.

If one were to set aside the god's-eye view, Sakagami Kazuma's words weren't wrong.

Ryuen Shoko, if not for the farce just now, would look like nothing more than a delinquent girl, perhaps even a vase with no combat power. With her thin arms and legs, she paled in comparison to Yamada Albert.

But Hoya Chukai had reacted immediately and begun to fawn over her. It looked like he was currying favor with his master, but without anyone noticing, he had gradually become the true king. He didn't look like Ryuen Shoko's dog; he looked more like a voodoo practitioner manipulating her.

It seemed immature, but they were all just teenagers. To be capable of this at such a young age—he was undoubtedly a talent with a bright future.

"Haha, did the school underestimate me? Perhaps not. Teacher, don't have too high expectations for me either; after all, the greater the expectation, the greater the disappointment. I'm just a spineless person; I can't be anyone impressive."

Hoya Chukai knew best what kind of person he was; his hallmark was to ride the wave when things were going well and throw the game when they weren't. Don't let his calm and breezy demeanor fool you—it was all built on his knowledge of the script. If you asked him what the future held, he wouldn't dare guarantee anything.

Indeed, ancient warfare relied on intelligence; the more information one had, the easier it was to act. The ancients did not deceive me.

"However, Teacher, that's not all I wanted to ask. Let me finish asking slowly."

"Very well, go ahead."

"I assume that for Class C to become Class A, or to fall to Class D, it can't just happen on a whim. It must be related to some kind of points, right?"

"Correct."

"Since it's related to points, that means... there must be a system we aren't aware of yet that is secretly calculating our scores. Is this a point-earning system or a point-deduction system? I suppose it's both. Small matters deduct points, major achievements add them. Whoever has the highest score in the end becomes Class A?"

"Indeed, your insight and associative ability are both very strong. What else can you see?"

He hadn't expected a student to detect the S-Points on the very first day. It would be impossible for Sakagami not to be surprised. Such talent should have appeared in Class A; how did it end up in Class C?

He found his class even more interesting now. At this rate, his bonus would certainly be substantial.

Sakagami Kazuma valued class honor. But his valuation wasn't for the sake of morality or anything of the sort; it was purely for his own bonus.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have let Ryuen Shoko run wild in the original story; he would only be disappointed when she could no longer control Class C.

This meant he wasn't the type of pedantic teacher who cared about the moral or physical development of his students; he only cared about the results.

This kind of superior was both easy and difficult to deal with. But at least, as long as he was willing to delegate power, things would be manageable.

Where there is a policy, there is a countermeasure. Hoya Chukai was chatting with Sakagami Kazuma now to better understand what kind of person his homeroom teacher really was.

If he was easy to talk to, he would be a great asset to his side. He needed to prove his strength to Sakagami Kazuma. Even though he kept saying he was no good at this or that, whether he was actually capable wasn't for him to say—he had to let Sakagami Kazuma figure it out for himself.

What's more... humble people are less likely to be dismissed. If he were to brag here, any minor mistake would cause his standing in Sakagami's eyes to plummet. But if he remained humble, as long as he didn't make any major blunders, Sakagami Kazuma wouldn't do anything to him.

"I also suspect... these points are related to the points we receive on the 1st of every month, right?"

Hoya Chukai tilted his head to look at Sakagami Kazuma. The two looked at each other, both wearing smiles.

"One hundred thousand per month sounds wonderful, but would the academy really give out that much every month? Let's say there are 40 people in a class; that's four million per class, and sixteen million for four classes. These points are equivalent to money. Spending sixteen million on students in a single month adds up to over a hundred million a year. And that's just for one class. I don't think any high school has the audacity to do that, right?"

Clap, clap.

Sakagami Kazuma applauded. He had to admit that Hoya Chukai had given him a huge surprise.

He had been at this school for a long time, and this was the first time he had seen a student with such excellent insight.

He didn't know about the script, so he could only conclude that Hoya Chukai had figured this out on his own. And his reasoning was flawless.

Sometimes, logic is hidden in plain sight. It looks normal, but if you think deeply, there are many problems.

Indeed, many smart people would eventually notice the issue, but to notice it on the first day, while everyone else was rejoicing over having one hundred thousand points to spend, was truly extraordinary.

"So, do you have any ideas?"

"Ideas... I have many, but there's no rush. Right now, I just want to know what you are thinking, Teacher."

The smile on Hoya Chukai's face gradually faded as he looked calmly at Sakagami Kazuma: "I want to know just how much of a concession you are willing to make, Teacher, in order to help Class C climb higher."

"If you can become Class A."

"Ah... I can't guarantee that. After all, I'm only at the level of Class C, so I wouldn't dare to guarantee what kind of people are in Class B and Class A, Teacher. I can only say that I will try my best not to let you down."

Hoya Chukai never made empty promises, and he never gave others false expectations. After all, when it comes to expectations, if you fail to deliver, the other party will only end up hating you more.

By not giving them expectations, you don't give them despair. Compared to making promises in advance, giving them a bigger surprise when the time comes is the most accurate approach.

Giving enough expectations in advance might indeed secure the greatest amount of resources, but if he were to fail, Hoya Chukai would be unable to bear the heavy cost, so he had to be conservative and play it safe.

"Then I can only say that I will support you as far as you are able to go."

"Then I would like... at least for now, for you to turn a blind eye to things, is that alright?"

"That is fine, of course that is fine. I can certainly manage that much."

Governing by doing nothing—such things were simple, and Sakagami Kazuma naturally agreed: "But I hope you can truly unite the entire class."

"It's not me, it's Ryuen Shoko, isn't it? She is the king of our class."

"So you intend to stay behind the scenes?"

"You're joking, Teacher. At most, I'm just a strategist."

Although Hoya Chukai boasted like this, in Sakagami Kazuma's eyes, it was as if nine white tails had sprouted from behind him.

This wasn't a strategist; this was a nine-tailed fox!

Chapter 6: Why Does Someone Always Get Attracted When I Eat a Wild Vegetable Set Meal?

"Phew, so tired. This one hour felt more exhausting than an entire day."

After finishing his conversation with Sakagami Kazuma, Hoya Chukai couldn't help but let out a breath.

He couldn't really say how much of that was acting and how much was genuine. But when Ryuen Shoko began to declare herself the king of Class C, he already knew that his life in Classroom of the Elite had officially begun from today.

"Ugh... I'll go grab some dinner first, then go back to the dorms to think properly about the future."