As the end of the second semester drew near, Chabashira-sensei went over a few things to keep in mind. Winter break would officially begin on January 1, the New Year.
Before the break, there would also be a Special Exam.
The class erupted in complaints, voicing their dissatisfaction with the school.
"Again? Haven't we had an unusually high number of Special Exams this semester?"
"Give me a break. Every Special Exam leaves me feeling like my body's about to fall apart."
"Are we going to have three Special Exams every semester from now on? I'd rather die."
The Three Idiots complained in unison. They were usually the ones holding everyone back during the Special Exams, too.
"Hey, Kiyotaka, are you sure this plan will work? Is it safe for me to go alone? Everyone says Class C is full of delinquents. I can't say I'm not worried."
"I'll protect you. I promise."
After saying that, Ayanokoji hung up.
Karuizawa steeled herself and slowly made her way toward the rooftop. She'd never even been this nervous during her high school entrance exams. She had no idea where Ayanokoji was hiding, and if he only showed up after everything was over, she'd be done for.
Thud, thud, thud. Her steps felt as heavy as lead as she climbed the stairs to the rooftop.
"Hey! Hey, Karuizawa, you finally made it. I've been waiting here for ages."
Ryuen spoke with the expression and tone of a textbook delinquent.
"Hey, I came alone like I said I would. Don't do anything stupid."
Karuizawa's petite frame trembled slightly.
As soon as she stepped onto the rooftop, Ibuki closed the door and stood behind her.
"So Manabe and the others were telling the truth. You really were bullied? If you hadn't been in the Rabbit Group during the VIP Exam, I'd still have doubted whether it was true."
"Boss, this plan is unbeatable. We use Karuizawa as another mole, then spring the trap laid by the other traitor at just the right time. With two girls' cliques wiped out, Class D will be completely paralyzed."
Ishizaki and Ryuen laughed, as if they could already see Class D's miserable future.
As for Nagami, Ryuen had another devious plan in mind.
"Just give in. We're only taking a picture of your scars. We won't do anything else."
With Karuizawa's dark past as evidence, he would have the girls of Class D completely under his control.
Ibuki pinned Karuizawa's arms and helped lift the fabric covering her lower back, exposing the evidence of the bullying she had suffered.
"Hey, I'm warning you—don't do anything reckless. Using violence can get you expelled."
Karuizawa's mental defenses were on the verge of collapsing. She thought that if Ayanokoji stood her up, she'd hate him for the rest of her life.
"Click, click."
To Karuizawa, time seemed to crawl like a snail. Every second felt unbearably long.
"So this is Ryuen's plan?"
"Pretty ordinary, actually."
Karuizawa looked toward the voice. Her eyes lit up. Her dependable Ayanokoji had finally arrived.
"What are you doing here?"
Ibuki looked incredulous. As far as she knew, Ayanokoji was just an ordinary person. Now he'd suddenly come to the rooftop alone to face several Class C students. As one of the few people she considered a friend, she couldn't help worrying about his safety.
"Go! This isn't the place for you to play the hero. This has nothing to do with you."
Ayanokoji didn't budge. He looked at everyone on the rooftop without changing his expression.
"These people aren't enough to threaten my safety."
"Big talk! Save the hero act."
At first, Ryuen had suspected that Nagami was setting a trap, but now that Ayanokoji was the one playing the hero and saving the girl, he couldn't make sense of the situation.
He couldn't be bothered to figure out what was going on. He just wanted to let his fists do the talking.
"Ishizaki, take him out."
"Don't blame me if I hit you too hard, Ayanokoji."
Ishizaki suddenly charged forward, but the scene he expected never came. Ayanokoji caught his fist, pulled his right arm along with its momentum, then locked it with both hands and forced his arm up behind his back.
Ishizaki couldn't put any strength into his right arm. It was trapped like a pair of iron pincers. He struggled desperately but couldn't break free, his face forced toward the ground.
"Damn it!"
Ishizaki struggled but couldn't break free. Ryuen's eyes narrowed, and Albert charged.
Ayanokoji calmly sidestepped the attack and kicked Albert in the shin. Albert stumbled. Before he could regain his balance, Ayanokoji spun around and kicked him in the face like a soccer ball. One down.
Seizing the opportunity, Ishizaki launched a surprise attack. Ayanokoji bent backward to dodge, then followed up with a fluid series of moves: an elbow to the face and a lightning-fast three-strike palm combo that knocked Ishizaki out like a sudden storm. He pushed off the ground and launched a flying kick into Ishizaki's stomach. Ishizaki staggered backward several steps, too badly injured to get back up.
Ibuki released Karuizawa and joined the fight, lunging at Ayanokoji.
"I won't go easy on you!"
She opened with Brazilian capoeira, making big movements but failing to land a single effective blow. She wasn't even as good as Ishizaki.
Frustrated and impatient, Ibuki tried a reckless kick with a long recovery. It missed. Ayanokoji seized the opening and struck her with a chop. Ibuki promptly fell into a baby-like sleep. The quickest defeat of all!
While Ibuki was attacking, Ryuen found a handy weapon and tried to ambush Ayanokoji from the side. Ayanokoji seemed to have eyes in the back of his head, nimbly dodging every attack and deftly deflecting each one.
A precise front kick struck Ryuen's wrist. The sudden pain made him drop his weapon.
Ayanokoji didn't let the chance slip by. He threw several lightning-fast punches. One struck Ryuen's chin, leaving him momentarily dazed. In that instant, Ayanokoji swiftly moved behind him and wrapped an arm around his neck.
The rear naked choke was locked in. The fight was over.
Ryuen's face flushed red, and he couldn't speak. He knew he had been utterly defeated by Ayanokoji this time.
Before long, he passed out from lack of oxygen.
All four Class C students were down!
Karuizawa let out a sigh of relief, her eyes full of admiration for Ayanokoji. So he wasn't just smart—his fighting skills were top-notch, too.
She threw herself into Kiyotaka's arms and softly called his name. "Kiyotaka."
Tears streamed down her face as she clung to the hero who had come to her rescue.
"Couldn't you have come a little sooner? I was so scared."
"Wah! Wah! Wah!"
Karuizawa's dependence on Ayanokoji had reached its peak. She would never betray him lightly now.
"Now all that's left is to clean up."
Ayanokoji thought.
"Over already? I thought you'd put up more of a fight."
"Class C is so pathetic. I can't tell whether Ayanokoji's just that strong or they're just that weak."
A gurgling sound came from nearby, accompanied by the noise of someone sipping a drink through a straw.
The two of them looked toward the sound. A familiar yet unfamiliar person stood there: Nagami from Class D.
Nagami slowly walked over from the stairwell, like some final boss lurking behind the scenes.
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