Ishizaki Makes His Move

He saw clearly that the person standing in the middle, with his back turned in his direction and speaking in a low voice, was Ishizaki!

Two Class C lackeys stood beside him, both the sort who usually obeyed his every command.

Standing opposite Ishizaki, facing Yuefeng, were three boys wearing uniforms from other classes.

Yuefeng quickly scanned their faces—he did not recognize them.

They were neither from Class C nor familiar faces from Class D or Class B.

Judging from the subtle differences in their uniforms, they were most likely from Class A, or another class he was unfamiliar with.

All three wore anxious, uneasy expressions. One of them tightly clutched something resembling a point card.

"...Did you bring it?" Ishizaki's voice was very low, but in the stillness of the night, it drifted faintly through the damaged vent to Yuefeng's ears, carrying its usual rough impatience.

"Y-Yes, we brought it..." A tall boy across from him spoke with a tremble in his voice as he handed over the point card. "This is the amount we agreed on... Ishizaki, can you really help us deal with it? If that guy... finds out..."

"Of course!" Ishizaki snatched the point card away and examined it in the glow of his phone screen, then snorted. "When have I ever gone back on my word?

"Isn't he just some idiot throwing his weight around in class because his family has a little influence?

"I've got a hundred ways to make him 'behave' and make sure he never bothers you again. As long as you keep your mouths shut and pay your respects every month, I'll make sure you live nice and peacefully in class."

The tall boy and his two companions nodded repeatedly, looking both relieved and pained at the loss.

"But... what if the teachers find out..." Another, short and chubby boy still sounded worried.

"Find out?" Ishizaki sneered, slipping the point card into his pocket. "Find out what? You voluntarily 'loaned' me points because I needed to tide myself over, and I 'kindly' helped settle your conflict to promote class harmony.

"If the teachers investigate, at most they'll say our way of settling disputes privately was inappropriate. So what? Don't forget, as long as nothing big happens here, the teachers can't be bothered with 'small matters.'"

He paused, his tone turning threatening. "Or would you rather keep getting bullied by that guy? Can't even bear to part with this little 'protection fee'?"

"No, no, no! We'll pay! We'll pay!" The three boys hurriedly waved their hands in fright.

"Fine, get lost." Ishizaki impatiently waved them away. "Remember, keep your mouths shut.

"If you come to me with 'trouble' again next time, the price won't be this low."

The three boys looked as though they had been granted a pardon. They nodded and bowed repeatedly before hurriedly slipping out through the side door, soon vanishing into the night.

Only Ishizaki and his two lackeys remained in the warehouse. The flashlight beam swept through the dust.

"Boss, those Class A wimps are such cowards. We took care of them that easily," one lackey said fawningly.

"Hmph, so what if they're from Class A? There are plenty of useless idiots who are all bark and no bite." Ishizaki weighed the point card he had just acquired, a smug, vicious grin appearing on his face. "They lord it over everyone in class with their family backgrounds, but the moment they run into someone tough, they fold. Money like this would be stupid not to take."

"Exactly, Boss! You're amazing!" the other lackey chimed in. "Once our 'business' expands, maybe we can pull in people from Class B and Class D too..."

"What's the rush?" Ishizaki cut him off, greed gleaming in his eyes. "One step at a time. First, we keep these Class A guys under control. Then we find an opportunity to 'teach' those thorns in Class D a lesson, so they know who they should listen to.

"Then won't all the 'business' in this school be ours to call the shots on?"

"Boss, you're brilliant!"

"Oh, right." Ishizaki suddenly seemed to remember something, and his tone darkened. "That transfer student... Ayanokoji Yuefeng. He's been pretty well-behaved lately, hasn't he?"

"Yeah, he has. Every day, he's either in the library or the dorm. Sometimes he's with that girl Shiina," the lackey replied.

"Hmph, at least he knows what's good for him." Ishizaki spat. "Still, that kid always leaves me feeling uneasy.

"What happened at the Garden last time... Ibuki, that crazy woman, suddenly showed up... And Boss Ryuen seems to be paying more and more attention to him too.

"We need to find an opportunity to properly 'deal with' him once and for all, before things drag on too long."

"What should we do, Boss? We'll follow your lead!"

Ishizaki stroked his chin, malice flashing in his eyes. "Isn't he involved with that Class D girl, Airi Sakura?

"And Hiyori Shiina too... We'll find a chance to create a little 'accident,' make them suffer a bit, then pin the blame on that kid.

"Boss Ryuen hates it when his underlings cause trouble, especially when it involves other classes. Let's see if he can still keep jumping around then!"

"Brilliant! Absolutely brilliant!" The two lackeys praised him repeatedly.

Above them on the wooden crate, Yuefeng felt a chill run through his entire body, his fists clenching in the darkness with a crackling sound.

Ishizaki was not only carrying out illegal point extortion—he had also set his sights on Airi Sakura and Hiyori Shiina!

He planned to use such methods to frame him!

Anger burned through his chest like flames, but he forced himself to calm down.

Now was not the time to act rashly. He quietly pressed the stop-recording button on the phone in his pocket.

Ishizaki's conversation about extortion, as well as his plan to frame Yuefeng and the two girls, should have all been recorded clearly.

This was evidence! Evidence enough to doom Ishizaki beyond redemption!

However, just as he prepared to leave silently and return to carefully consider how to use the recording—

One of Ishizaki's lackeys in the warehouse below, perhaps bored out of his mind, actually picked up the flashlight and aimlessly shone it toward the back of the warehouse, in Yuefeng's direction!

The beam swept across the dust-covered windows and the piled-up clutter, and was about to reach the wooden crate where Yuefeng was hiding and the damaged vent!

Yuefeng's heart nearly stopped! He immediately held his breath, pressing his body tightly against the cold surface of the crate without moving, praying that the darkness and shadows would conceal him.

The beam lingered for an instant at the edge of the crate. Yuefeng could even hear the sound of blood rushing against his eardrums.

Fortunately, the crate was tall, and the flashlight's angle was limited. It failed to illuminate Yuefeng on top of it.

The lackey apparently found nothing unusual either. He muttered, "There's nothing here," and moved the beam away.

Just as Yuefeng was about to breathe a sigh of relief, the other lackey suddenly said, "Boss, isn't there a vent at the back of this warehouse?

"I think we saw it when we moved stuff last time. Could rats or something have crawled in?"

Ishizaki's impatient voice rang out. "Who cares about rats? In this dump, who the hell would come here besides us?

"Enough. We've got the points, so let's get out of here. This place reeks of mold."

Footsteps sounded, and the flashlight beams swayed toward the side door. Ishizaki and the other two were leaving!