The next day.
Class 1-C.
Shiho Manabe sat on Prince Ganlongdao's lap, feeding him breakfast.
The two of them looked just like the silly couple everyone imagined them to be.
Just then,
the entire classroom suddenly fell silent.
The students who noticed all turned to look at the classroom's front door.
A cold-looking, long-haired man walked into the classroom with his hands in his pockets.
They'd only ever seen him once, after all.
A month had passed,
and many of them had nearly forgotten what Dragon Garden looked like.
But some still remembered.
"Dragon Garden, you bastard! You actually dare come back to class?"
Kaneda had just stepped forward when Dragon Garden shoved him aside. Kaneda stumbled back two steps, then flew into a rage and pointed at Dragon Garden, berating him.
"Dragon Garden, you bastard! You got our Class Points reduced to zero, and you still have the nerve to show your face? If you know what's good for you, drop out on your own. Otherwise, I'll report you to the teacher."
At those words,
the people around them also looked at Dragon Garden with hostility.
But they were wary of his former reputation,
and of Prince Ganlongdao.
For a moment,
aside from Kaneda,
no one else dared say much.
That was what made Kaneda so formidable.
No matter how many times he was beaten or how badly, he'd keep coming back like a rabid dog, again and again, for the sake of his own future. He really was the ungrateful type.
But as a rabid dog, Kaneda was exceptionally good at what he did!
Ignoring Kaneda's barking, Dragon Garden walked straight to Prince Ganlongdao, glancing at Shiho Manabe on his lap.
"What do you want?"
Shiho Manabe frowned in displeasure. "You skipped class for a whole month. What an idiot. If it weren't for Prince Brother, you would've gotten us all into serious trouble."
Seeing this,
Prince Ganlongdao patted her back. Shiho Manabe obediently hopped down and stood behind him.
Dragon Garden looked away without responding, fixing Prince Ganlongdao with a cold stare.
"Looks like you've done a good job whipping them into shape."
"You're exaggerating."
Prince Ganlongdao raised his right hand nonchalantly, a hint of amusement in his voice.
"It's just what everyone wanted. Anyway, Dragon Garden, what made you decide to come back to class?"
"Hmph."
Dragon Garden snorted.
"This whole thing made me realize you're a completely shameless lunatic. You may have won this time, so I suppose I can let you be the leader for now."
As he spoke,
his snake-like eyes flashed coldly.
"But remember this, Ganlongdao: I'll be watching you from behind. If you don't have what it takes to be a leader, I'll bite your neck clean through whenever I please. Next time, it won't be this easy."
At those words,
Ishizaki and the others in the class
looked back and forth between the two of them.
They didn't know what had happened, but it looked like Dragon Garden had lost in the end. That meant they could get involved without any trouble.
Still,
out of a lackey's sense of duty,
Ishizaki and Albert silently took their places behind Prince Ganlongdao.
It wasn't as if Prince Ganlongdao needed them to protect him or anything, but at times like this, appearances mattered.
The whole class is on my side. How can you possibly fight me now, Dragon Garden?
If you get it,
you'd better hurry up and admit defeat!
"Sure, sure."
Prince Ganlongdao sat in his chair and dug his little finger into his ear, looking exasperated.
"Dragon Garden, I've only just realized this, but why are you acting like a girl? Getting all tsundere, too."
"..."
A murderous glint flashed in Dragon Garden's eyes.
He'd been insulted plenty of times before, but for some reason, none of it had infuriated him as much as Prince Ganlongdao did.
But when he thought about what had happened over the past month,
he hesitated for a moment.
In the end, Dragon Garden chose to let it go.
There was nothing to gain from fighting each other any further.
It would be pointless if the other classes pulled too far ahead.
But
he'd keep watching Prince Ganlongdao from behind.
If Prince Ganlongdao was all show and lacked the ability to lead the class to victory,
then
Dragon Garden had no intention of backing down again. He'd take the position for himself.
Next time, he wouldn't get off so easily.
For now,
he'd gather information first.
Shiho Manabe looked on disdainfully.
She'd thought Dragon Garden, who had once ruled a whole neighborhood, would be impressive.
But this was all he could do?
What a nobody.
Hadn't Prince Brother dealt with him easily?
Under everyone's gaze, Dragon Garden walked to his seat, his face cold.
However,
Kaneda put a hand on Dragon Garden's shoulder, clearly displeased.
"Dragon Garden, I don't care what happened between you and Prince Brother. You got our Class Points reduced to zero. How are you going to make it up to us?"
"..."
Thinking, What an idiot, Dragon Garden threw a punch with his other hand, but Prince Ganlongdao caught his wrist and said with a smile,
"Don't get mad. Kaneda's done a lot for the class lately, so don't take it out on him."
"Let go."
Dragon Garden gave him a cold look, then glanced at Kaneda.
He wrenched his hand free and returned to his seat.
Whatever relationship Kaneda had with Prince Ganlongdao, it wouldn't change Dragon Garden's resolve.
Meanwhile,
Kaneda straightened his collar and lifted his chin, looking strangely pleased with himself.
"Kaneda,"
Prince Ganlongdao said with a smile, "same goes for you. What's done is done, so stop holding it against him."
"But..."
"Hmm?"
Feeling Prince Ganlongdao's sharp gaze,
Kaneda reluctantly lowered his head, glaring at the two of them with resentment.
One was Prince Ganlongdao, a scumbag who abused his power.
The other was Dragon Garden, who had skipped class for a month and gotten their Class Points reduced to zero.
Neither of them was any good.
"Alright."
"Since Dragon Garden's back,"
"I may as well take this opportunity to say a few things."
As he spoke,
Prince Ganlongdao walked up to the lectern.
Now that Dragon Garden had returned, he could get started.
Just then,
the bell rang,
and footsteps sounded in the corridor outside. Kazuma Sakagami walked into the classroom and looked coldly at Prince Ganlongdao on the lectern.
"The bell's rung."
Actually,
since late April,
Kazuma Sakagami had reminded them about classroom discipline several times.
Even with the university's rules,
there were plenty of ways to do it.
For example, he could ask someone what they were doing or call on them to answer a question.
Either would help maintain order in class.
However,
the school rules did impose some restrictions, and Kazuma Sakagami wasn't the only teacher at the university. The results were naturally less than ideal.
That was enough to show
how much Kazuma Sakagami cared about Class A.
Naturally, he wasn't going to treat Prince Ganlongdao any better now.
"Class started already?"
Prince Ganlongdao sat on the lectern, sounding a little displeased.
"Then, Sakagami, stand over there for a bit. I have something to say."
"You..."
Kazuma Sakagami's face flushed with anger.
In all his years of teaching,
this was the first time a student had ever spoken to him like that!
If Prince Ganlongdao could lead the class into Class A, he could grit his teeth and put up with it.
However,
given the situation,
if the school rules didn't forbid teachers from interfering with students' decisions, Kazuma Sakagami would've been furious enough to hit someone.
At last,
Kazuma Sakagami could no longer hold back the anger in his heart.
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