Ryuen Kakeru

"That was quite a show you put on for me."

Suddenly, the sound of clapping echoed through the air. A male student appeared behind Manabe.

"R-Ryuen..."

"Manabe, I may have underestimated you. You've got quite a lot of nerve, don't you?"

Manabe was the first to react to his arrival. The boy named Ryuen placed a hand on her shoulder, narrowing his eyes as he stared her down.

Manabe's expression was that of a small animal cornered by a snake. Her fear was palpable.

"I told you all to keep a low profile for now. Don't you think bad children who don't follow instructions deserve to be punished?"

"I-I'm sorry, Ryuen, but..."

"Zip it for now. I'm talking to our friends from Class D."

Ryuen released Manabe and walked toward the group from Class D with his hands in his pockets. He had slightly long black hair and stood a bit shorter than Hoshino. His eyes were cold and predatory, and a sneer played on his lips as he looked their way.

"You're Hoshino, right?"

"Hello there, Ryuen."

Hoshino greeted him with a calm expression.

"It seems the girls in my class have been under your care."

"Don't mention it. Chatting with girls is a hobby of mine."

"Hmph, barely started school and you've already hooked three girls? I have to say, you pretty boys are quite capable."

"You could try inviting Manabe and her friends yourself, Ryuen. I think they'd be quite happy to join you."

"Hmph, sharp-tongued, aren't you? That smiling face of yours really gets on my nerves."

"I suppose I'm still in the excitement phase of starting school. But you, Ryuen, you're much more talkative than you look. Are you planning on debuting as a stand-up comedian?"

Facing the aggressive Ryuen, Hoshino showed no sign of cowardice, meeting him head-on.

"Heh, it's been a long time since I've met someone as gutsy as you."

Ryuen sneered, stepped forward, and extended his left hand toward Hoshino.

A handshake to call a truce? No, Hoshino dismissed that notion in less than a second. That concept likely didn't exist in the dictionary of the man standing before him.

Hoshino remained composed and extended his own left hand to meet Ryuen's.

The moment their hands locked, Ryuen exerted force, yanking Hoshino's arm toward him with a violent jerk.

It was a move designed to break his opponent's balance; most people would struggle to react in time against such a sudden burst of aggression.

Almost simultaneously, Ryuen's right hand whipped out in a powerful hook aimed at Hoshino's cheek. Had it connected, it surely would have caused serious injury.

However, a force of equal measure, as if calculated with mathematical precision, emanated from Hoshino. As a result, Hoshino's body did not lose its balance. In the next instant, he leaned back slightly, and Ryuen's right fist whistled through the air, missing his face by a hair's breadth.

"That's quite a passionate way to greet someone, Ryuen."

Hoshino said, looking perfectly at ease. Seeing his composure, the girls, who had been on the verge of screaming, let out a sigh of relief.

Ryuen's face darkened, but after a moment, he grinned. "You're not bad. I was blind to call you just a pretty boy."

"It's nothing. Being a pretty boy and living off a wealthy woman was one of my childhood dreams, anyway."

"Hmph. To think a man like you exists in Class D... Heh, this school life is starting to get interesting."

Ryuen let go and swept his gaze over the group from Class D. Upon meeting those viper-like eyes, the three girls instinctively hid behind Hoshino.

Ryuen then turned his head toward the girls from his own class. Manabe and the others didn't dare meet his gaze, all bowing their heads in silence.

"We're heading to karaoke now. Are you and Manabe interested in joining us, Ryuen?"

"...Hmph. Boring."

Ryuen returned his hands to his pockets, ignored everyone else, and turned to walk away.

Manabe and the others cast a cautious glance at Hoshino before hurrying off after him.

"Ryuen from Class C... he's a dangerous one. He'll likely become a formidable rival for Class D."

Hoshino looked toward the direction Ryuen had left, lost in thought. Suddenly, he noticed Karuizawa looking as if she had something to say.

"Karuizawa? Is something wrong?"

"Um... eh? Uh, that... that... your hand..."

"Hm? What about my hand?"

"How, how long do you intend to keep holding it?"

Karuizawa's face was bright red. Before Ryuen had appeared, Hoshino had grabbed her hand to pull her past Manabe, and he hadn't let go since.

"Ah, my apologies. I hadn't noticed."

"Um... it's fine..."

Hoshino lied without batting an eye, gave her small hand one last lingering squeeze, and finally let go. Karuizawa stepped back, blushing, as Sato and Matsushita crowded around her. Judging by the giggles and Karuizawa's reaction, the two were clearly teasing her.

Hoshino gave a light cough to draw their attention.

"Um, I think it would be better to cancel today's activities."

"Eh? Why?"

"Because the conflict with those people from Class C just now attracted a fair amount of attention, from all sorts of angles."

Matsushita picked up where Hoshino left off quite naturally; her observational skills were far sharper than the other two, and her way of thinking was more rational.

"Yeah, I also think it's best to leave the center of this conflict as soon as possible."

Hoshino thought for a moment, deciding to give them one more reason that would be easy to accept.

He raised his hand and pointed in a certain direction. The girls followed his gesture, looking toward a dark, bulky device mounted on a nearby wall.

"Is that... a surveillance camera?"

"That's right." Hoshino nodded. "Didn't you notice? In this school, including the academic and recreational areas, these surveillance cameras are installed in many places."

"I did see them in the classroom..." Sato said hesitantly.

"There are actually four cameras installed in the classroom alone, though they are slightly smaller models."

Matsushita was the first to react: "In other words, most of the public areas in this school are under the surveillance of the school administration."

Once it was put that way, even if they were slow on the uptake, they understood.

Although the conflict with the Class C students hadn't escalated, there was no way to know how the school would judge the footage captured by the cameras. Since the Class C students had already left, it wouldn't be wise for them to linger here any longer.

"Besides, I'm starting to feel a bit tired," Hoshino added.

"Ah! That was really dangerous just now! Hoshino-kun, you aren't hurt, are you?"

"We really should get some rest. Honestly, after all that, the mood for hanging out is gone. What a bummer."

Sato and Karuizawa echoed Hoshino's sentiments. With that, the group disbanded.