Hound and Pet

One of the most inconspicuous girls in the class, Mori Nene, had been cornered by Ryuen Kakeru.

She had few friends, average grades, and mediocre athletic ability. Her presence was so faint she could almost be ignored.

At that moment, she became the center of attention.

All color instantly drained from Mori Nene's face, leaving her as pale as paper.

Her lips trembled and her teeth chattered, but she could not force out a single word.

Fear, like an icy hand, gripped her throat.

The surrounding Class D students, especially the boys, wore furious expressions.

But they did not dare move.

Their opponent was Ryuen Kakeru.

The tyrant who had ruled all of Class C through violence.

The atmosphere froze, with the air thick with the scent of gunpowder, ready to explode at any moment.

"What?"

Ryuen Kakeru's smile grew more cruel as he extended a finger and lightly poked Mori Nene's shoulder.

"Scared stiff?"

"I'm not a very patient person."

His voice was low, but it carried an unquestionable pressure.

"Tell me the commander's name."

"Otherwise, I'll have you expelled."

"In a way... you definitely won't want to experience."

Expulsion!

Those two words made Mori Nene's body shake violently.

She looked as though she might collapse at any moment.

"Ryuen! Don't you fucking take this too far!"

Sudo Ken could no longer hold back. Roaring furiously, he was about to charge forward.

Hirata Yosuke frowned deeply and stepped in front of Sudo, though he too stared at Ryuen with hostility in his eyes.

Horikita Suzune's expression turned icy. She was about to speak and warn him with the school rules.

Just then.

A hand gently rested on her shoulder.

Horikita turned around and met Ayanokoji Kiyotaka's placid, ancient-well-like eyes.

He merely gave a slight shake of his head.

What did that mean?

Were they supposed to watch their classmate get bullied?

Anger surged through Horikita, but when she saw Ayanokoji's terrifyingly calm gaze, she forcibly swallowed her words.

She knew it was Natsume Yu's order.

Hold position.

"Oh my, isn't this Ryuen?"

A sickeningly sweet voice, like a spring breeze, abruptly blew away the heavy air.

Kushida Kikyo approached with an angelic smile, her steps light and cheerful.

She naturally walked to Mori Nene's side, affectionately linked arms with the girl's cold arm, and shielded her behind herself.

"It's not very nice for so many people to surround one girl, you know."

Tilting her head, Kushida blinked her large, innocent eyes, her tone carrying a naive rebuke.

"Our Class D doesn't have any commander."

"Everyone's just working hard with a refusal to admit defeat."

"Look, you've scared Mori badly."

Her approach was practically perfect.

She soothed a classmate on the verge of collapse in the gentlest way possible while placing herself on the moral high ground.

No matter how domineering Ryuen Kakeru was, he could not attack a "cute and innocent" girl in front of so many people, could he?

This was practically emotional manipulation from the stratosphere.

Ryuen Kakeru narrowed his eyes and stared at Kushida's flawless smile.

Of course, he did not believe her.

He did not believe a single word.

But he had to admit that this woman was troublesome.

With everyone watching, he could find no excuse to keep pressing the matter.

"Hmph."

Ryuen Kakeru snorted coldly and cast one last sinister glance at Mori Nene, who was hiding behind Kushida.

That gaze was like the gaze he would give a dead person.

He withdrew his hand, slipped it into his pocket, then turned around and led Class C away.

A crisis had been resolved just like that.

The surrounding students all let out breaths of relief and looked at Kushida with gratitude and admiration.

"Kikyo-chan is amazing!"

"That was so cool!"

"She's practically our goddess!"

Standing outside the crowd, Horikita Suzune watched Kushida being surrounded by everyone, her feelings a tangled mess.

She had always looked down on Kushida's fake socializing.

She believed relationships built by pleasing everyone were fragile beyond belief.

But today, she had to admit it.

When it came to solving certain problems, Kushida Kikyo was far more useful than she, the so-called "leader," was.

And the man who could wield a "weapon" like Kushida so skillfully...

A chill ran up Horikita Suzune's spine.

Natsume Yu—just how thoroughly had he calculated the human heart?

Had he told Ayanokoji to stop her because he had anticipated that Kushida would intervene?

No, that was wrong.

Horikita abruptly came to her senses.

This was not something he had predicted.

This had been Natsume Yu's arrangement all along!

Afterward.

Inside an empty equipment storage room in the gymnasium.

Kushida Kikyo found Natsume Yu leaning alone against the wall.

The moment the door shut, the angelic smile on her face vanished without a trace.

It was replaced by an expression mixed with extreme terror and morbid excitement.

She walked up to Natsume Yu step by step, then slowly dropped to both knees.

She raised her head and looked up at the expressionless boy. Her voice trembled, yet carried a fawning hint of seeking praise.

"Master."

"Did your pet... perform well?"

Natsume Yu shifted his gaze from his phone screen and calmly let it fall on her face.

There was no emotion in his eyes.

Neither approval nor reproach.

It was as though he were looking at a lifeless tool.

"You did well."

He spoke in an even tone.

"Continue monitoring Ryuen."

"And Ichinose Honami."

At that name, Kushida's body gave an almost imperceptible shudder.

"Master wants to..."

"I want every detail of that 'mistake' she made in middle school."

Natsume Yu's tone allowed no refusal.

"Yes, my master."

Kushida lowered her head deeply, burying her face in shadow.

Through this incident, Natsume Yu had completely confirmed Kushida's absolute obedience.

This chess piece had been fully tamed.

At the same time, he was very satisfied with Ayanokoji Kiyotaka's performance.

Even in such a tense confrontation, he had perfectly carried out the order to hold position without revealing any unnecessary emotion.

That level of self-control was simply monstrous.

Passionate music and the announcer's voice rang out over the broadcast.

"Students! The thrilling moment has arrived! The final event of this Sports Festival—the Grade-wide Relay Race—will begin shortly!"

Ryuen Kakeru stood before Class C's team, his gaze like that of a venomous snake as it locked onto Class D's camp.

Schemes?

Plans?

He was tired of this guessing game.

Next, he would use the purest, most direct violence.

To completely crush Class D's final hope!

Elsewhere.

Natsume Yu straightened up and adjusted his collar.

He too looked toward Ryuen Kakeru, a teasing curve lifting at the corner of his mouth.

The final "gift" for Ryuen was already prepared.