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

Kushida Kikyo looked at the message sent by Hoya Chukai and couldn't help but curl her lip. He really knew how to boss people around.

But Karuizawa-san, huh?

Kushida Kikyo looked at the gyaru chatting with other female students and couldn't help but pout.

Why choose her? Was it random? Or was he specifically targeting her?

Over the past few days, Kushida had basically gotten to know all the students in the class, and she had a rough understanding of Karuizawa-san's situation.

She was a pretty gyaru who held a certain amount of influence in some respects, but unfortunately, that influence wasn't significant enough; otherwise, she would have been viewed as a threat by Kushida.

"Kushida-san? I have something I'd like to ask..."

Just then, a classmate came to find Kushida, and she immediately responded with a gentle, harmonious smile: "Ah, what is your question..."

It seemed she was as busy as ever.

The break passed quickly, and before long, the second period began.

There wasn't much to the second period, and after it ended, there was a long break, allowing for a bit more rest.

"Karuizawa-san? Do you have a moment?"

"Hm? Kushida-san? Is something the matter?"

The gyaru Karuizawa hadn't expected Kushida to call out to her, so she looked toward her, and Kushida whispered, "It's nothing much, I was just wondering if you wanted to go to the restroom together."

Well, girls going to the restroom together was a common occurrence in high school; it wasn't just girls, boys did it too.

Going to the restroom wasn't actually the goal; the goal was to chat on the way there.

The school wasn't small, even if the student body was limited, so it did take a few minutes to get to the restroom. Especially seeing how crowded the first-year restrooms were, the two decided to head to the ones in the faculty area. It was accessible, but generally, people didn't go there because it was quite far.

Perhaps this was the reason Kushida wanted a companion; distance aside, it didn't feel like much if they could go and return together. The two girls chatted and laughed as they headed toward the restroom, but...

"Hey, are you two walking without eyes?"

Karuizawa collided with a girl. Because she had been chatting with Kushida, she truly hadn't been paying attention to what was in front of her.

As a result, she bumped into the girl's shoulder.

"Ah, I'm sorry."

"Do you think an apology is enough?"

To her surprise, the other party didn't let it go because of the apology; instead, they became increasingly aggressive.

Hearing that phrase, which was enough to trigger her PTSD, her pupils dilated, forcing her to recall the things she had experienced during her three years of middle school.

Bullying was an inescapable story surrounding her middle school life. She felt the wound on her abdomen throbbing faintly, and she couldn't help but take a step back, but it was precisely that shrinking gesture that made the other party's arrogant aura grow even stronger.

"Yeah, if an apology worked, what would we need the police for?"

"Is a single 'sorry' enough to make up for a mistake?"

"My, my, then if I say 'sorry,' would that be okay too?"

One sentence can have different impacts depending on where it is said. If one were to say "what would we need the police for if an apology worked" to someone who had committed a grave error but only intended to bow and apologize—like those dumping nuclear wastewater into the ocean—then there would naturally be no problem.

But saying it at this moment was just an unreasonable pretext to start school bullying.

Is there a reason for school bullying? There is no reason. Perhaps the stronger party just finds the weaker party unpleasant, and the bullying begins.

Life is like that; you never know when an incident of bullying might occur.

Karuizawa opened her mouth, but she couldn't say a single word. The aura of the three girls was too overwhelming; she couldn't even speak properly now.

"I... I..."

Uttering meaningless syllables and unable to form a coherent sentence, she could only watch helplessly as the three girls stepped closer and closer to her. She was drenched in sweat, but it was to no avail.

"What a nice little face you have."

Feeling one of the girls lightly scrape her face with a fingernail, Karuizawa began to tremble slightly. Bullying among girls was far more vicious than among boys; it could range from smashing someone with a water pipe to disfiguring their face.

Although it wasn't a case of sulfuric acid disfigurement, the possibility of having one's face scratched up by fingernails wasn't non-existent. For boys, the worst that happened was a brutal beating, but for girls, the more they valued their appearance, the more they would seek to destroy it.

"Hey, you three, what are you doing!"

Suddenly, someone stopped the scene.

Karuizawa couldn't help but look at the newcomer; it was a male who didn't look particularly strong.

Even if a male isn't strong, he is still more imposing than a female of the same build.

His voice was somewhat cold, and his eyes were slightly narrowed. He held a rolled-up book in his hand: "You three, I remember Ryuen said not to cause trouble."

He tapped his hand with the book, each strike carrying a sense of pressure. But his appearance was undoubtedly a source of hope for Karuizawa.

"Get lost. Remember what you should and shouldn't be doing."

"Yes."

With just a few words, he erased the act of school bullying. The three girls slunk away, and Hoya Chukai walked up to Kushida: "Ah, sorry about that, Kushida, and you as well."

As he spoke, he looked toward Karuizawa: "I am very sorry. I didn't expect anyone in my class to do something like this. Rest assured, I will definitely give you both an explanation."

Having spoken with ease, he greeted the two and left the spot. Looking at his direction, it seemed he was heading to find a teacher?

"Who is that student?"

Karuizawa couldn't help but ask Kushida, who was by her side. Kushida, while supporting Karuizawa, whose legs were still trembling from the shock, answered the question with a calm expression: "Hoya Chukai, the second-in-command of Class C."

Yes, calm. Ever since the situation began, she had been viewing the entire affair from the perspective of a bystander.

The three girls had clearly surrounded Karuizawa on their own, but as for her? Both Karuizawa and those three girls seemed to have forgotten she was even there.

It made sense; after all, this was a drama staged specifically for Karuizawa, and since she wasn't a target, she was just the classmate who had brought Karuizawa out.

In other words, it didn't matter who brought Karuizawa out, as long as it was successful. Then, he could simply perform a calm, heroic rescue.

This heroic rescue was incredibly crude, so crude that it looked perfectly natural, as if he had just happened to pass by, discovered the situation, and chased the three girls away.

But from the victim's perspective, his simple actions would undoubtedly be romanticized.

Chapter 40: A Chat with Hoshinomiya (Mid-Autumn Festival Bonus 2/8)

"Second-in-command? Then who is the leader?"

"Ryuen Shoko, a woman who can really fight. Rumor has it she conquered the entire class with her fists. The only person who can stand on equal footing with her is Hoya. He can't be bothered with managing things, so Ryuen Shoko usually rules the class through violence."

Kushida's words revealed a piece of information: Hoya Chukai being the second-in-command didn't mean he was inferior to the leader; he was just lazy, not lacking in strength.

Kushida couldn't understand why Hoya Chukai would choose Karuizawa as his target.

She was indeed a bit stronger than the other useless girls in the class, but in reality, her strength was limited. What did he want with Karuizawa?

Wasn't having me enough?

Of course, she was referring to being a pawn, not a girlfriend.

For some reason, Kushida actually seemed a little... jealous?

Perhaps the events of last night had left a massive impact on her. Like Stockholm syndrome, she seemed... somewhat obsessed with the feeling of yesterday.

Yesterday was full of fear, but back in her dorm, recalling that scene—the cold, wolf-like way he had pinned her to the ground before suddenly pulling back—made it impossible for her to tell which was the real Hoya Chukai.

The more she couldn't tell, the more curious she became, and the more curious she became... heh, the more she began to fall.

Perhaps, for a normal woman, such an incident would cause wariness, but in this school, how many people in Class D were actually normal?

To be popular, she disguised herself as a kind-hearted girl, and to keep people quiet, she chose to let them leave their fingerprints on her chest. Someone capable of such behavior subconsciously possessed a masochistic streak.

When she pressed Hoya Chukai's fingerprints onto herself, had she wondered what would happen if he had actually gone through with it? Had she hoped for it?

We cannot know. But we do know that Kushida is definitely not a normal girl; her past is just as interesting.

Stopping a case of school bullying didn't bring Hoya Chukai any sense of accomplishment; after all, the bullying was designed by him, and the three girls were arranged by him. The mission was simply to allow him to make his heroic entrance.

Holding his phone, he sent a message to the three girls to complete the final step, and transferred a reward of two thousand points to each of them. At that moment, he felt his heart bleeding.

I need to find a cash cow...

That said, it was only the first month; where would he find a cash cow? Which student would have that many points?

Therefore, his gaze wasn't on the students at all, but rather... on the teachers.

Sakagami Kazuma? Perhaps that was a good idea. In this school, teachers had the ability to grant students points. So, finding a reason for him to award some points was possible. But the person he was looking for this time wasn't Sakagami Kazuma.

Chabashira Sae would be taking action soon, and Hoya Chukai naturally had to come up with a countermeasure. So, the person he was looking for went without saying.

Hoshinomiya Chie, the homeroom teacher of Class B, a cheerful, lively, and popular female teacher.

If Chabashira Sae was a woman as cold as snow, then she was the woman who gently melted it. But she and Chabashira Sae were like older versions of Kushida and Horikita; beneath her gentle surface was not a considerate heart. On the contrary, her ability to hide her true self was even stronger than Kushida's.

She never cared whether Class B could become Class A. In her view, Class A would always be Class A, with no exceptions; a temporary victory could not be the final result. She and Chabashira Sae had been best friends, but ever since they fought over a man... they became superficial friends.

If Chabashira Sae's goal was to make Class D reach Class A to fulfill a dream she never achieved, then Hoshinomiya's goal was simple—to make her best friend truly understand herself: someone from Class D should just stay honestly in Class D.

So, seeking her cooperation was a viable option. Hoya Chukai had already cooperated with Ryuen Shoko, so why would he be afraid of her?

"Knock, knock, knock."

"Please come in... Eh? You seem to be Hoya from Class C, right?"

Seeing Hoya Chukai enter the office, it was impossible for Hoshinomiya not to be surprised.

She had looked into this student, Hoya Chukai, the second-in-command of Class C. If Ryuen Shoko had reorganized all of Class C, then he was the sidekick who always followed behind her.

After all, only three days had passed this semester, and it was hard to see through this boy's thoughts. So far, she had only taught Class C twice; she had an impression of him, but it wasn't a deep one.

"Yes, Teacher. I'd like to have a chat with you."

"A chat? Is something the matter? Is it really okay to come to me instead of talking to your own homeroom teacher?"

"Of course it is. I want to make a deal with you."

"Oh? A deal?"

Hearing this word, Hoshinomiya started to become a little curious: "What kind of deal do you want to make with a teacher?"

"Our Class C wants to cooperate with Class B, so I came here to discuss the specifics with you."

Hoya Chukai knew that Hoshinomiya and Chabashira didn't get along, but he couldn't say it out loud. Where did he get that information? Although acting cool was indeed satisfying, some things couldn't be flaunted. Otherwise, there would be too much trouble later.

So, his purpose in coming to Hoshinomiya was just cooperation, at least for now. Since Class D hadn't shown its claws yet, Hoshinomiya naturally didn't view Class D as a threat. His appearance before Hoshinomiya was just to get familiar; that way, when she felt a sense of crisis later, she would naturally think of the student named Hoya Chukai.

"You could just talk to the class representative of my class about this, why come to me?"

"No, no, no. I'm not talking about cooperation between the students of Class B and Class C, but rather between Class B and Class C, including the teachers."

Hoya Chukai said, observing his surroundings: "By the way, Teacher, is it safe here?"

"What are you worried about? How could there possibly be surveillance in the teachers' office?"

"That's true. In that case, I'd like to have a proper chat with you about the cooperation between Class B and Class C."

Pulling up a chair to sit down, Hoya Chukai began to briefly explain the specific details of the Class B and Class C cooperation to Hoshinomiya.

It wouldn't just involve the students; the teachers would have to join in as well. The two teachers wouldn't need to do anything under normal circumstances, but if a conflict were to arise between the BC alliance and the AD alliance, they would need to provide a certain degree of protection to Class B and Class C.

"Everything you've said sounds fine, but... what's in it for me?"

"How about dragging Class A down and stomping them into the mud alongside Class D so they can never recover?"

"I'll consider it for now."

Chapter 41: Let's See Yours! (Mid-Autumn Festival Bonus 3/8)

This pitch did not move Hoshinomiya. She had no particular thoughts on Class A; she only wanted to deal with Class D.

However, she did not reject Hoya Chukai, because there was one point in what he said that tempted her—stomping Class D into the mud.

She didn't just want Chabashira to remain in Class D forever; she wanted it to be a miserable Class D. Trash deserved the fate of trash, and it should be in the most wretched state possible.

It was attractive, but not enough to win her over.

Hoya Chukai also knew that he was mostly just showing his face this time. This cash cow would eventually remember today's conversation; the moment Class D showed any signs of improvement, she would definitely be more anxious than anyone else.

"Alright then, Teacher, let's meet again next time. I firmly believe that day won't be far off."

After bidding Hoshinomiya farewell with a smile, Hoya Chukai left the office.

"Hoya Chukai, is it? Heh, interesting."

The morning seemed to pass just like that, drifting along until it reached noon.

"Hm? What is this?"