"Oh~ You ran into Sakayanagi~"
There was something indescribably suggestive in Ryuen Shoko's words. The hint of jealousy made Hoya pull a face like the "old man staring at his phone on the subway" meme.
What the hell?!
"I told you, I was gathering information."
"Oh? And what did you find out?"
"Class A is divided."
"Divided, huh? So what?"
"So we can't hit Class A too hard. We need to boil the frog slowly."
"Be more specific."
Ryuen Shoko shifted into a more comfortable position as she listened to Hoya's report. "Sakayanagi and Katsuragi are currently the two main leaders in Class A, and there are still plenty of neutral students. So Class A isn't united."
"Mm. And then?"
"But Katsuragi isn't as strong as Sakayanagi. Sooner or later, Sakayanagi will defeat him. That means we might need to support him in the future, so he can keep opposing Sakayanagi."
"We need to prop him up?"
"Mm. As long as their standoff continues, Class A won't unite unless they face some huge crisis. So we can't cut them down in one fell swoop. We need to simmer them slowly."
"Put a little more into it."
"Hm? Boss, I can't put more into this. We have to take it slow."
"I mean put a little more pressure into your hands."
"Oh, oh. Sure, sure."
Hoya was massaging Ryuen's legs, waiting on her.
After all, he'd left her behind and gone out to have fun~
It definitely wasn't because she'd regained a little strength and he was scared of her again.
"Okay, keep going. What else did you find out?"
"She won't react to what we're doing. She won't make a move until Katsuragi falls."
"Oh? She plans to sit back and watch?"
"Mm. After all, Katsuragi is officially in charge for now."
"Oh~"
Ryuen Shoko nodded, eyes half-closed as she continued enjoying Hoya's massage.
A little while later, she turned over. "Come on, massage my back."
"Coming right up, boss."
Mm. He'd just treat this as a perk. Might as well get on with it!
That was the only way he could fool himself.
The next morning, Hoya hadn't lost his virginity. Truly cause for celebration~
He hadn't noticed that Ryuen Shoko had stared at him for two hours the night before, nearly climbing on top of him.
Other girls might have been more reserved, but Ryuen Shoko had already gone down the delinquent path. There was no reason for her to feel shy about things like that.
As for why she hadn't just done it right then and there... She thought that would be letting him off too easily.
Either way, he'd have to accomplish something first before she considered giving him a reward. Maybe she'd let him touch her chest or something?
The perks or no perks, Hoya didn't know.
What he did know was that he was tired.
So what if he was doing it for a beautiful woman? It was still physical labor.
Only after he'd made sure she was comfortable did Hoya prepare to go rest in the living room.
Watching him leave, Ryuen Shoko asked casually, "Where are you going?"
"I'm going to sit in the living room."
"What, can't you stay in the bedroom?"
"I can, I can. I just didn't want to disturb you."
"I don't mind."
"Got it. I'll go grab my stuff."
With that, there was no way Hoya could go read in the living room. Resigned, he took his book and sat in a chair in the bedroom.
Ryuen Shoko played on her phone in bed. The two of them stayed there quietly for quite a while.
Well, Ryuen Shoko did get thirsty at one point and went to get some alcohol, but Hoya stopped her. He didn't give in to her this time. Instead, he firmly made her drink brown sugar water.
"I'm not that fragile."
"But you probably haven't recovered yet. You can't drink."
As if he'd let her bleed heavily again. The huge bloodstains on the sheets and bedding last time had been impossible to wash out. If it happened again, he'd be furious.
Money wasn't meant to be spent like that.
Hoya was rarely so firm. Ryuen Shoko stared him down for nearly three minutes, but in the end, she gave in and drank the brown sugar water.
As for the beer? Hoya put it back in the fridge.
Damn, she was drinking ice-cold beer? The moment her cold got better, she was going to go right back to abusing herself, huh?
It wasn't until after ten that night that Hoya finally took a shower and tossed his dirty clothes into the washing machine. He also took down Ryuen Shoko's clothes while he was at it.
He didn't dare hang her clothes out on the balcony. It'd be a problem if someone saw them.
The boys' and girls' dorms were on opposite ends. Why were girls' uniforms hanging over on the boys' side? What was he up to?
Trying to explain would only make things more confusing, so it was best not to let anyone find out.
"Hey, I washed your clothes. I left them here."
"Got it."
Ryuen Shoko was still leaning against the bed, playing on her phone. When Hoya walked to the door, she added, "Turn off the light when you go to sleep."
"What, where are you going to sleep?"
"The living room. Why?"
"Come here. Sleep here."
"?!"
If anyone else had said that, Hoya would have thought they were interested in him and hinting at something.
But with Ryuen Shoko... He didn't dare think that way. Even if she was hinting at something, he'd have to pretend she wasn't.
He was afraid she'd sit on him and crush him to death.
This crazy woman was undeniably beautiful, but her methods were brutal.
She was far more formidable than her original counterpart, and everything about her seemed dangerous. No, he couldn't get carried away.
"Um... Boss, isn't that inappropriate?"
"What, you've gotten bold? Think you can spread your wings now? You made me drink brown sugar water, and now you want to defy me?"
Wait, what the hell did that have to do with brown sugar water? He'd made her drink it for her own good, so she wouldn't run into all sorts of trouble later.
And sleeping together... That was too intense.
"Um... It goes against the student handbook."
"When have I ever followed the rules?"
"I'm a really restless sleeper."
"If those pig's trotters of yours reach over here, I'll break them."
So, he had no choice but to sleep there, and he wasn't allowed to touch her.
Seriously, what was the point?
The bed was a double, and the school had done a great job of making sure students could sleep comfortably. But the two of them would still be cramped together.
Hoya had been about to say something, but when he saw Ryuen Shoko's expression, he chickened out.
She was still a little weak right now, but that was only for the moment. Who knew how much strength she'd regain after a night's sleep? If she regained enough to crush a skull with her bare hands, he'd be at her mercy all over again.
Fine, fine. He'd just have to put up with it.
With a drooping face, Hoya turned off the light and curled up beside Ryuen Shoko.
He was sharing a bed with a beauty, yet he was terrified. Good grief, how was he supposed to live like this?
"Snore~ Snore~ Snore~ ZZZ~"
Hah. Men.
Hearing Hoya fall asleep within minutes of lying down, Ryuen Shoko gave a quiet scoff.
That was all the courage he had.
Lying in bed, Ryuen Shoko found herself unable to fall asleep.
She'd slept too long in the afternoon, so now she was wide awake.
She turned her head to look at Hoya, but she couldn't see him. It was too dark.
Hoya liked to keep the curtains drawn. He seemed very wary. Even during the day, he usually kept them closed, and the windows shut unless he was airing out the room.
Getting out of bed, Ryuen Shoko could feel that she'd regained some strength.
She opened the curtains a little, letting the moonlight spill into the room.
When she climbed back into bed, she could make out Hoya's face.
He wasn't handsome, just somewhat refined, but he had a face that grew on you.
Compared to his looks, his bearing was what made him more captivating.
His occasional gentleness added to his appeal.
He had principles, even if they were flexible. Still, he did have principles.
There were some things he wouldn't do, and others he dared to do.
On the first day at this school, Ryuen Shoko had already prepared herself to turn the whole class against her. But she hadn't expected anyone to support her.
She'd been surprised, but she hadn't shown it at the time. Hoya's support was what stopped the fence-sitters from continuing to watch from the sidelines and led them to join her instead. Their loyalty wasn't great, but at least they listened.
Her life in middle school had taught her that she needed to change. She had to become more overbearing, and she needed to be more ruthless, too.
She was beautiful, and she knew it. But she didn't want people to know only that she was pretty. She needed to make those guys see more than that.
Lying quietly in bed, she watched Hoya. She felt like she couldn't quite read him.
What was he really thinking?
He hadn't rejected her plan. He'd only modified it, making it Plan A, while he called his own plan Plan B.
He was more ruthless than she'd expected. Otherwise, he wouldn't have used someone else to do his dirty work.
He was also more patient than she'd imagined. She'd gone this far, yet he could still keep up appearances and maintain their relationship. Even when she was this weak, he was willing to look after her.
When she'd been feeling awful, seeing Hoya chatting and laughing with other girls had inexplicably annoyed her. He was her person. He should be listening to her.
She'd come to his room and picked up the alcohol, hoping to drown her sorrows. Only this school dared sell alcohol to students. At this school, as long as you had points, you could buy anything.
She suddenly got up and braced herself over Hoya, staring intently at him as if she wanted to etch this man into her mind.
She didn't want her person to become someone else's.
The next morning, Hoya still had his virginity. Truly cause for celebration~
He had no idea that Ryuen Shoko had stared at him for two hours the night before, and had nearly climbed on top of him.
Other girls might have been more reserved, but Ryuen Shoko had already gone down the delinquent path. There was no reason for her to feel shy about things like that.
As for why she hadn't just done it right then and there... She thought that would be letting him off too easily.
Either way, he'd have to accomplish something first before she considered giving him a reward. Maybe she'd let him touch her chest or something?
Before you continue