"Heh."
"Let's keep going."
"The result will only be that we both lose."
Ryuen gave a derisive laugh and spoke with a hint of mockery.
Even so,
he still had no intention of admitting defeat.
Instead, he wanted to use this as a way to convince Prince Ganlongdao to concede.
However,
all he got was Prince Ganlongdao's dazed expression and scrutinizing gaze. Ryuen frowned and asked,
"Why are you looking at me?"
"Ha... Hahaha..."
Prince Ganlongdao covered his forehead and let out a strange laugh.
It made Ryuen's skin crawl.
After a long pause,
Prince Ganlongdao stood and walked over to Ryuen. He brought his hands together and abruptly pressed them against Ryuen's temples.
His pupils were like an abyss.
He stared into Ryuen's eyes as if examining a work of art.
As though struggling to suppress the delight in his voice, he said,
"Ryuen, so... you're afraid of us both losing, too?"
"..."
At that,
Ryuen's snake-like pupils contracted sharply.
It was as if Prince Ganlongdao had hit a nerve.
However,
Ryuen shook his head violently, broke free of Prince Ganlongdao's hands, and said disdainfully,
"Don't get the wrong idea. I'm just explaining the situation to that stupid head of yours and laying out the pros and cons. I'll keep going for as long as you want."
"So what?"
Prince Ganlongdao didn't press the issue.
He braced his hands on his knees, leaned forward toward Ryuen, and smiled as if admiring him.
"Does laying out the pros and cons really matter?"
"..."
Ryuen's heart thudded.
It was as if the more he said, the more openings he gave away.
But he still replied coldly,
"You'd be giving the other classes months. You don't think you'd still have a chance of moving up to Class A, do you?"
"Then..."
Smack!
Prince Ganlongdao brought his hands together again and pressed them to Ryuen's temples. His abyss-like pupils stared into Ryuen's eyes as if trying to see through him.
Grinning, he said,
"Does moving up to Class A really matter?"
"..."
Ryuen's pupils contracted sharply.
Only now
did he realize the truth.
Prince Ganlongdao hadn't been competing with him at all.
He'd just been playing with him!
As if Ryuen were a toy, Prince Ganlongdao was enjoying the process of toying with him.
In Prince Ganlongdao's eyes,
classes, classmates, moving up to Class A—
none of it mattered to him.
He was simply enjoying the game.
And yet,
Ryuen asked himself honestly:
Did he care about moving up to Class A?
The answer was
that he didn't care, either!
Even if he couldn't graduate from Class A, even if he dropped out right now,
Ryuen was confident he'd make something of himself.
You could call him arrogant,
but that was what Ryuen truly thought.
And yet,
hearing Prince Ganlongdao's words,
what was this restless feeling inside him?
Ryuen didn't know.
But
he knew one thing now.
For some reason, looking at Prince Ganlongdao right now filled Ryuen with irritation. He just wanted the man in front of him to disappear as soon as possible.
"Get away from me."
Ryuen suddenly swung his arm and knocked Prince Ganlongdao's hands away.
He said coldly,
"You're insane!"
"Heh."
Prince Ganlongdao didn't seem to mind at all. Instead, he studied Ryuen, holding his chin.
Then he suddenly smiled strangely.
"Ryuen, you're afraid, aren't you?"
"What?"
Ryuen frowned, completely bewildered.
From childhood to now,
Ryuen had never experienced fear. That was why he could be fearless.
But that didn't mean Ryuen didn't understand the emotion.
He understood fear better than anyone: the expressions and emotions of its victims, and all the ways it made them feel afraid.
That was exactly why
Ryuen didn't think his feelings were fear, and he wasn't afraid of the two of them losing, either.
Yet
Prince Ganlongdao seemed to have read his thoughts. He smiled and said,
"Let me guess what you're really afraid of."
"..."
Ryuen's snake-like pupils met Prince Ganlongdao's gaze.
It was as if he were insisting that he feared nothing.
Then Prince Ganlongdao stepped in front of him again, his abyss-like pupils drawing near Ryuen's snake-like eyes.
"What you're afraid of... really isn't the possibility of us both losing."
"..."
Ryuen's gaze was cold.
He was absolutely certain of that.
Who would care about classmates they'd known for less than two days, or a class they'd been in for less than two days?
Afraid of both of them losing?
Don't make me laugh.
But
the next second,
Prince Ganlongdao sent a shock through him.
"You're afraid of a boring, meaningless life, aren't you?"
"..."
For an instant,
Ryuen's mind went blank.
Prince Ganlongdao stood up and looked down at Ryuen with a calm expression.
"Ryuen, the winner has been decided."
"What?"
"You're not the only one who can unilaterally declare the competition over."
Prince Ganlongdao grabbed Ryuen by the hair and lifted him straight up.
His expression was indifferent as he said,
"You're not essential to me or to the class. If I hadn't taken an interest in you before, I would've kicked you out long ago."
"You can keep stubbornly insisting otherwise and struggle on here, waiting until everyone in Class C gets you expelled and your meaningless school life comes to an end."
"Or you can follow me and experience a more interesting life."
"Choose for yourself."
"Whew."
Ryuen endured the pain of his scalp being pulled and stared coldly at the man in front of him.
But his breathing grew faster despite himself.
He didn't even know what he was thinking.
Maybe he was furious at Prince Ganlongdao's arrogant presumption. What made him think following him would be more interesting? Or maybe he was embarrassed and angry because his true feelings had been exposed.
Whatever it was,
even though nothing had happened yet,
Ryuen already felt exhausted.
This was a battle of wills!
He felt like a hard-boiled egg with its shell peeled off, being toyed with at Prince Ganlongdao's whim. The man in front of him had seen right through him.
"Get away from me."
Ryuen suddenly threw a side kick, trying to save face.
But Prince Ganlongdao had already let go. He stepped back and calmly watched what happened.
"I never agreed to end this."
Ryuen glared at Prince Ganlongdao, breathing hard as he said,
"No matter how long we compete, I'll be the one who wins in the end. Ganlongdao, you're the one who got scared and wants to run away like this, aren't you?"
"Whatever you say."
Prince Ganlongdao shrugged indifferently and turned to leave the room.
Only after the door closed
did Ryuen curse.
"Damn it."
Ryuen kicked over the bento box on the floor, then turned and went into the bathroom to turn on the tap.
He plunged his head into the sink,
forcing himself to calm down.
If Ryuen could unilaterally declare the winner of the competition, then Prince Ganlongdao could, too.
Ryuen Kakeru was indeed one of the few well-rounded talents in Class C, but the class could manage without him. Prince Ganlongdao had lost interest in him!
That wasn't important, though.
The key was—
"Whoosh..."
Ryuen lifted his head.
His wet hair draped over his shoulders, making him look especially frightening.
Ryuen covered his forehead with his right hand and pushed up his bangs, studying his sharp gaze in the mirror.
Was he really afraid...
Afraid of a boring and meaningless school life?
Ryuen didn't know.
But he knew Prince Ganlongdao wasn't going to play with him anymore.
All that remained was the deep resentment in his heart...
"Damn it."
Ryuen said coldly,
"Who said you could just run away... Ganlongdao!"
Before you continue