Counterattack 1

Ichinose was just about to retort when she suddenly remembered tomorrow's plan. She swallowed her anger and sat back down.

"Oh? You don't even have the courage to talk back to me now?" Ryuen Kakeru looked down at Ichinose. "Class B students are nothing special after all, huh? Heh. Just a bunch of vermin. Ishizaki, let's go."

Ryuen Kakeru had just turned around, hands in his pockets, ready to leave, when Horikita Etsuka, who was still eating, spoke up.

"Ryuen, don't you think it's inappropriate to just leave like that?"

In an instant, everyone in Class B turned to look at Horikita Etsuka. They all held a glimmer of hope that she had a way to restore their pride.

Amikura Mako looked at Horikita Etsuka expectantly, her little hand clenching the stained corner of her skirt beneath the table.

"Oh?" Ryuen slowly turned around. He looked puzzledly at Horikita Etsuka, who sat in her chair sipping lemonade at her leisure, and asked in a low voice, "I remember your name is Nakanishi Jiro. What do you want?"

As soon as he finished speaking—

"Pfft—" Nakanishi Jiro immediately sprayed the drink he'd just taken into his mouth beneath the table. The liquid had gone down the wrong way, and he kept coughing.

"Cough, cough, cough!..."

Ichinose looked at Ryuen as if he were an idiot.

This guy... hasn't even got his information straight?

The others looked at Ryuen with equally strange expressions.

Seeing their faces, Ryuen seemed to realize something. He frowned, his gaze fixed firmly on Horikita Etsuka. "You... you lied to me earlier?"

Horikita Etsuka didn't answer his question. Instead, he said, "I'm sure you didn't do it on purpose, Ryuen. But can a light apology really resolve the problem?"

"Oh?" Ryuen stared at Horikita Etsuka, a hint of mockery in his expression. "So... what do you want to do? Report me, like Ichinose suggested?"

Ichinose frowned slightly. She had considered that approach, but as Ryuen had said, reporting him to the Student Council wouldn't help. All he'd have to do was offer a casual apology and claim it was an accident.

But doing nothing at all was frustrating, too.

Ichinose rubbed her fluffy hair and murmured helplessly, "This is such a headache."

Horikita Etsuka shook his head. "Why would we report you? You didn't do it on purpose, after all. But you did stain someone else's skirt, so you should compensate her. Otherwise, no matter how many times you apologize, it won't help."

"Compensation?" Ryuen froze. He hadn't expected Horikita Etsuka to steer the conversation back to the original issue.

Horikita Etsuka smiled. "Of course. I'm sure someone of your character wouldn't refuse to pay a small amount to cover the cost of the stained clothes, would you?"

As he spoke, his eyes shifted toward a security camera in the corner of the ceiling.

Ryuen had noticed it, too. He gave a cold laugh. "Of course. Since I stained it, I'll pay compensation."

Ryuen hadn't expected his opponent to approach the problem rationally and objectively instead of immediately seeking revenge.

And with everyone watching—and a security camera recording—he had no choice but to swallow his pride and accept the loss.

He'd meant to knock Class B down a peg, but instead, he'd come away with egg on his face.

For some reason, Ibuki Mio sighed behind Ryuen. "If that's the case, then just pay the original price."

She hoped this would be the end of it. It would be best if no conflict or trouble broke out.

Ryuen's face darkened. "So, how much?"

"Um... then..." Amikura Mako had just started to speak.

"100,000 points," Horikita Etsuka cut in immediately.

Everyone was stunned. Amikura Mako froze for a moment, then quickly covered her mouth with both hands. She wasn't stupid; she knew who was taking charge of the situation.

Nakanishi Jiro smirked as he drank his beverage. He was enjoying himself immensely. Seeing Ryuen take a hit was exactly what he wanted, especially since C Class students had been harassing him for the past few days.

"You bastard! What are you talking about?" Ishizaki clenched his fists and shouted at Horikita Etsuka. "It's just a piece of clothing! You should be happy we're willing to pay the original price. And now you're asking for 100,000?"

"100,000 points is definitely too much," Ibuki Mio said with a frown.

After all, 100,000 points was a student's monthly living allowance.

Horikita Etsuka didn't answer either of them. He kept smiling at Ryuen.

Ryuen's expression was dark as he held up a hand to stop Ishizaki from speaking again. Looking at Horikita Etsuka, he said in a low voice, "I'll pay the 100,000 points."

"Ryuen! How can you accept a demand like that?" Ibuki Mio exclaimed in disbelief.

"Pay him," Ryuen said, his tone leaving no room for argument.

"No." Horikita Etsuka pointed at Amikura Mako. "Pay our classmate Amikura."

Seeing that Ryuen wouldn't change his mind, Ibuki Mio snorted, took out her Student Terminal, and transferred the points to Amikura Mako on the spot.

Amikura Mako stared at the 100,000 points that had arrived on her Student Terminal, her mouth hanging open. She could hardly believe it was real.

Ryuen looked at Horikita Etsuka thoughtfully. "Satisfied now?"

Horikita Etsuka waved a hand. "Do as you like."

Ryuen turned and left. "Let's go."

Ishizaki clenched both fists and hurried after him.

Ibuki Mio glanced back at Horikita Etsuka before slowly leaving as well.

"Wow, I can't believe it. This is actually real!" Kobashi Yume leaned over to look at the Student Terminal in Amikura Mako's hands, her little face full of disbelief.

Amikura Mako cupped her cheeks. "Hehe, I can hardly believe it either. But I have Horikita to thank for it."

As she spoke, she instinctively looked toward Horikita Etsuka.

Horikita Etsuka happened to look over at her, too.

Their eyes met.

Amikura Mako quickly looked away.

The girl's cheeks suddenly flushed. She pretended to be calm as she picked up a piece of beef from the table and popped it into her mouth.

"Haha, this is really good, too. Try some, Komume."

"Mm, yeah! It really is delicious!"

Because Ryuen had interrupted their dinner, the gathering ended earlier than expected. When it came time to pay, Amikura Mako insisted on covering the bill. As she put it:

"Everyone's helped me so much. If you don't let me pay, I'll feel bad..."

After they paid, Nakanishi Jiro suggested going to a karaoke place.

But it was already getting late, so only a few people were willing to go. Horikita Etsuka, of course, said he could join them.

Nakanishi Jiro suddenly remembered that terrifying night and hurriedly made an excuse, saying he had something to do.

The group split up and went back to their dorms.

Not long afterward, Ichinose returned to the buffet restaurant.

She walked over to the sofa in the lobby. Someone wearing a wide denim hat that hid their face was sitting there.

When the person saw Ichinose arrive, they lifted their head.

Beneath the denim hat was a small, delicate, and lovely face. Their silvery-white hair accentuated their soft features.

Ichinose sat down slowly beside them.

"So, have you decided whether you'll work with me, Sakayanagi Arisu?"