Just Turn the Tables

If he performs well, he will have the opportunity to participate in this year's Summer Tournament as a regular player, which is also Ken Sudō's recent goal.

As for other matters, they are not currently within his consideration.

After his morning exercise, Ken Sudō went back to his dorm, took a shower, and bought some food at a convenience store. He munched on a rice ball as he walked back to his classroom.

Pushing open the classroom door, the first thing he saw was Ike and Yamauchi Haruki sitting at their desks, waving at him. Ken Sudō leaned over, and they began to have a lively discussion about the girls in the class, such as who was cute, who was dating whom, and how far their relationship had progressed.

"Hey, I've noticed that Matsushita is dating a boy from another class."

"Kanji Ike whispered mysteriously," Yamauchi Haruki and Ken Sudō followed his gaze. A girl named Matsushita Chiaki was looking down at a book. Because there were so many pretty girls in Class D, they hadn't noticed her much before. After a closer look, Yamauchi Haruki clutched his head and wailed:

"What? Isn't this incredibly cute?"

"Even if she doesn't date boys from other classes, it won't be your turn, right? Besides, weren't you guys discussing Class B's homeroom teacher this morning?"

Ken Sudō swallowed the rice ball in his mouth and mumbled something.

"It's different now."

Yamauchi Haruki shook Kanji Ike's arm and asked:

"Is the information accurate? Who is it?"

"It's that boy from Class B from the last mixer in Kushida, I think his name is Yagami. Those two have been getting really close since that mixer, so I'd venture to guess they might be dating."

"Tch, people actually like that kind of guy."

Yamauchi Haruki grumbled irritably. The two seemed to want to chat some more, but the class bell had already rung. Kanji Ike then indicated that they would continue chatting on their phones later, since the teacher wouldn't care anyway.

Tokito Yuya has been in a bad mood lately. He is a student in Class 1-C. On the first day of school, he witnessed Ryuen Kakeru unify the entire class in a violent and overwhelming manner. Despite his composure, he did not impulsively stand up and fight Ryuen Kakeru. In his opinion, violence is the most foolish way, which will only accumulate dissatisfaction. When the time comes, he can easily tear Ryuen Kakeru down with a single shout.

However, the development of events was beyond his expectations. The students of Class C actually accepted Ryuen Kakeru without any hesitation, Tokito Yuya feel sorry for them. Not only that, but the troublemakers who had resisted Ryuen Kakeru on the first day, such as Ishizaki Daichi and others, also became Ryuen Kakeru's followers.

It can be said that Ryuen Kakeru's control over Class C is gradually increasing.

I don't understand.

Tokito Yuya sat alone in a corner of the coffee shop, propping his head up and looking out the window at the crowds of people coming and going. He was essentially someone who liked to be praised and fawned over. He clearly saw Ryuen Kakeru's tricks as a clown pretending to be a monkey, but he couldn't seem to change that fact.

The frustration and dissatisfaction brought about by this contrast made Tokito Yuya constantly grumble in private, but whenever he encountered Ryuen Kakeru's venomous gaze in class during the day, he could only look away angrily.

Tokito Yuya did not consider himself a person with great ambitions but little talent; he comforted himself by saying that he was just lacking a good opportunity.

If given the opportunity, overthrowing Ryuen Kakeru's violent rule would be a piece of cake.

After trying to recall the situation at the time, Tokito Yuya felt that Shiina Hiyori, who dared to confront Ryuen Kakeru back then, might be an ally worth trying to win over. However, Shiina Hiyori had no interest in that at all and decisively rejected his idea.

Taking a deep breath, Tokito Yuya looked up and bumped into a burly man looking around.

It turned out that the coffee shop was doing too well today, and the seats in the hall were full of students. The burly man stood there looking a bit troubled, holding his drinks and snacks. Tokito Yuya he raised his hand and invited the other man to come and sit down and share a table.

"Thanks."

Contrary to his rugged appearance, the other person thanked him quite politely, though his pronunciation was slightly strange. Considering his skin color, Tokito Yuya asked with interest:

Are you an international student?

"Yes, I'm Yamada from Class 1-D, Grade 1. My Japanese isn't very... fluent yet, sorry."

The burly man, who identified himself as Yamada, answered while eating heartily.

"I'm Tokito Yuya Class 1-C. It's nice to meet you."

Tokito Yuya extended his hand with a broad smile, completely unconcerned about the oil stains on Yamada's large palm, and looking enviously at the other's thick arms and strong muscles.

It wasn't that Tokito Yuya had any strange hobbies or sexual orientation, but rather that he suddenly realized something.

Ryuen Kakeru established his violent rule in Class C because no one in Class C could beat him. Even Ishizaki Daichi, who came from a thug background, was easily defeated. The fear brought about by violence forced Class C to obey his orders. Since that was the case, why not just let an even more violent guy defeat him?

Once the opponent's [invincible] violent image can be broken, Ryuen Kakeru's dominance in Class C will naturally crumble on its own.

Tokito Yuya himself certainly didn't have that ability, but he saw that possibility in Yamada.

The opponent's nearly two-meter height was far more intimidating than Ryuen Kakeru's. Judging from appearance alone, one person could easily take on three Ryuen Kakeru.

What's even better is that Yamada is a student in Class 1-D, which completely avoids the possibility that he might defeat Ryuen Kakeru and then take over as the new Leader of Class C.

The more he thought about it, the more likely it seemed, and the more excited he became Tokito Yuya started chatting with Yamada quite enthusiastically, and when the other person seemed not to be full and was about to order again, he generously swiped his student ID:

"I just feel like Yamada is really to my liking, it's nothing!"

After leaving the coffee shop, having eaten and drunk his fill Tokito Yuya clung to him like a leech, his affection so intense that even Yamada's dark face flushed slightly with embarrassment.

In just one day, the two had become quite familiar with each other, walking arm in arm on the street, which attracted many students' shocked glances and made up a lot of tags in their minds.

"That's really generous. Looks like we'll be eating free mountain vegetable meals for the next two weeks."

Kitagawa Ryo, who was following leisurely behind the two, whistled.

"Wasn't that all Liang's doing?"

Walking side by side with Kitagawa Ryo Shiina Hiyori stuck out her tongue. She had only mentioned to Kitagawa Ryo a few days ago during a casual chat that Tokito Yuya had asked her to join him in rebelling against Ryuen. She hadn't expected that the other party would formulate a relevant plan so quickly.

In fact, Shiina Hiyori is also unclear about Kitagawa Ryo's intentions. Sending Yamada to make contact with Tokito Yuya is too ambiguous, and Shiina Hiyori cannot make a judgment for the time being.

"If I hadn't intervened, Yamada might not have been able to handle Ryuen."

A hint of nostalgia flashed in Kitagawa Ryo's eyes:

"Therefore Tokito Yuya's plan was destined to fail. He was far inferior to Ryuen, lacking even the most basic courage."

Unexpectedly, Kitagawa Ryo made such a comment about Ryuen Kakeru. Shiina Hiyori asked with some confusion:

Did Liang know Ryuen before?

"You could say that, or you could say that it isn't."

"It's probably a feeling of instant connection, like meeting a complete stranger."

Kitagawa Ryo smiled and began, looking earnestly into Shiina Hiyori's eyes as he spoke:

"Just like how I felt when I first met Hiyori."

"Back then I called you [Hamlet]."

Shiina Hiyori recalled their first meeting and chuckled.

"Um."

Kitagawa Ryo agreed while rubbing a ring in his pocket with his fingers.

He would often take this prop out of the warehouse and play with it in his palm for a long time.

[A ring: It should be a pair, but you don't know who has the other one right now.]

This was the Confessions gift he gave to Shiina Hiyori during Karuizawa Kei's second simulation.

But that's all in the past.

He and Shiina Hiyori will experience many more firsts in the future.

It is not in a fake simulation, but in real life.

Chapter 50: It's good to turn the tables.

After the morning classes ended, the students of Class 1-D dispersed. Half a month had passed since the start of the semester, and various cliques had formed in the class. In fact, the girls had been actively building cliques since the first day of school.

Compared to boys, girls seem to have a stronger sense of faction and territory. This is evident even in this small class of only about twenty girls.

Although they appear to get along harmoniously on the surface, Ichinose Honami often complains to Kitagawa Ryo about how so-and-so likes to talk badly about others behind their backs. She is probably the most popular girl in the entire Class D. If a class president were to be elected at this time, Ichinose Honami would probably be able to get about half of the votes in the class.

The reason why only half of them were there was because of Sakura Airi. Although Sakura herself did not make a big effort to socialize, the aura of a former popular idol gave her a group of fans from the beginning of the school year. Not only boys, but girls would also often come to ask her for advice on topics such as fashion and makeup.

Horikita Suzune doesn't think much of some of the girls in Class 1-D, and she only nods to her classmates. Her social network is mainly concentrated in the Student Council, and she uses Horikita Manabu as an anchor to expand to upperclassmen and representatives of other clubs. It seems that she intends to take over as Student Council president from Horikita Manabu.

As for Sakayanagi Arisu, she is one of the very few students in Class D who are still studying diligently on the surface. She appears quiet and unassuming, but Matsushita Chiaki's unusual behavior these past few days suggests that he is plotting something.

However, for the vast majority of students in Class D, life is like being soaked in a jar of honey, and then slowly sinking down.

"What I mean is, if I'm going to date a girl, I'd at least look for someone who's more outgoing and can have more natural conversations with her. Of course, she also has to be cute, and age isn't a problem."

As Ike, Yamauchi, and Sudo walked out of the classroom, they shouted loudly.

"Aren't you talking about Kushida?"

"Ah--I really want to date Kushida. No, I really want to sleep with her--"

Yamauchi, completely disregarding the students in the corridor, grinned and expressed his thoughts.

"Actually, I think the homeroom teacher of Class B is also to my liking. The snacks last night were really good."

Kanji Ike chuckled.

"You really think you can date her, Chi? After receiving your pastries this morning, I imagined her already sleeping next to me!"

"What did you say! Here, she was not only wearing a school nurse's uniform, but she also struck some rather inappropriate poses in the infirmary!"

Sudo was still thinking about what to eat for lunch when he heard Ike turn to him and ask:

"Sudo, who's your target? I heard there are cute girls in the basketball club!"

"Huh? I haven't found it yet. Or rather, I haven't even paid attention to it. After all, new members don't have the time to judge women."

Sudo snorted; women would only slow down his dunking.

"Really... Anyway, if you get a girlfriend, you can't hide it and you have to tell her the truth! Got it? You absolutely have to!"

"Oh, oh oh."

Ike kept giving instructions, which annoyed Sudo a bit, but out of politeness, he nodded in agreement.

When the topic of girlfriends came up, the two of them started talking about Matsushita again.

"Speaking of which, I heard that Matsushita and that sissy from Class B are dating?"

"Yes, I saw them walking together just a few days ago."

"Walking side by side, they must be together."

Ike nodded firmly, Yamauchi shouted in a panic:

"They must have already done it, right?"

"There must be one—I'm so envious, so incredibly envious!!"

"I really want to hear from people who have done it about their experiences... like how it felt there, whether it was their first time, and... is it possible, no, I should say, that it actually happened?"

Yamauchi the path leading to the cafeteria, seemingly lost in some kind of fantasy, his hands involuntarily slipping into his pockets.

"This is bad."

Ike, somewhat excited by Yamauchi's words, licked his lips in response.

"We're going to the cafeteria for lunch, aren't we?"

Sudo finally couldn't stand the two of them making lewd jokes all the way and spoke up somewhat irritably.

"Sudo, you can go ahead by yourself. I'm going to the infirmary; I'm not feeling well."

Kanji Ike waved his hand casually, then turned to Yamauchi Haruki and said:

"I've faked being sick before. I'd cover my forehead with a hot towel and pretend to have a low-grade fever to skip class quite a few times."

"You clearly just want to see the school nurse, you bastard!"

Yamauchi Haruki also retorted.

"Let's go together! If we can sneak a couple of photos, we'll have some new snacks tonight."

"Okay."

Before Sudo could even react, Ike and Yamauchi, as if they had planned it all along, waved goodbye to Sudo with smiles on their faces, and indeed, they were heading towards the infirmary.

Ken Sudō shook his head, somewhat puzzled, and then went to the cafeteria alone.

By the time lunch break ended and afternoon classes began, Ike and Yamauchi still hadn't returned, seemingly having skipped class again. The students in Class D, including Sudo, were used to it.

As the bell rang, Sudo, who had been listless during class, pulled a basketball out of his bag with renewed energy. He was ready to teach that Kito from Class 1-A First Year Basketball Club was.

Ken Sudō will definitely be a regular player in the Summer Tournament.

Ken Sudō stood up and ran quickly towards the Basketball Club.

The hem of her dress fluttered past the desks and chairs in the classroom.