Farce

Who Was the Target?

Enough! Ishizaki.

A blow struck Ishizaki behind the knees, and his legs gave out as he collapsed to the floor. Ryuen's cold voice rang out beside his ear. Leaning against the window with his hands in his pockets, Ryuen swept his blade-like gaze over Tokito and Ishizaki.

"One punch is enough. In the end, we were the ones who let our guard down this time."

Ishizaki reluctantly released Tokito's collar and said indignantly, "Boss, a traitor like this deserves to—"

"Shut up." Ryuen cut him off, his tone carrying unquestionable authority.

"A traitor appearing in the class is my problem, and it's yours as well. As for him—" Ryuen walked up to Tokito and looked down at him.

"Since you chose to betray us, why did you say it out loud?"

Tokito raised his head, his eyes filled with conflicted emotions. "Ryuen, I... I just couldn't take it anymore."

Ryuen sneered. "Couldn't take it anymore? You think saying it will set you free? How naïve."

Tokito had no retort. Seeing that, Ryuen turned toward the classroom door and spoke without looking back.

"That guy's pretty ruthless. Still, your confession has made me even more interested in him. Ishizaki, bring the others. Let's go meet this 'protagonist.'"

Albert silently followed behind them, while Ibuki lost all interest and gave up on joining them. She watched as Ryuen led his men away with imposing force.

Only Kaneda Satoru's pockmarked face remained deep in thought. Suddenly, he slapped his forehead.

"Do you know who it is?"

Kaneda rushed out of the classroom, but all he could see were Ryuen and the others' backs as they headed toward the cafeteria.

At lunchtime, the cafeteria was bustling with noise. Ayanokoji Kiyotaka sat alone at a table in the corner, eating his lunch at an unhurried pace. His gaze was calm, as though everything around him had nothing to do with him.

Suddenly, the noise in the cafeteria gradually died down. Ryuen Kakeru entered with Ishizaki, Yamada, and the others, heading straight for Ayanokoji's table. Their arrival instantly made the atmosphere tense. Many students glanced over, but none dared stare for long.

"Well, if it isn't Class D's 'genius.'" Ryuen pulled out a chair and sat across from Ayanokoji, a teasing smile on his face. "Eating alone is boring, isn't it? Why don't we have a little chat?"

Ayanokoji looked up at Ryuen with an unruffled expression.

Ryuen folded his hands on the table and leaned forward slightly, his tone probing. "I heard Class D has been pretty active lately, and your recent quiz scores weren't bad either. I'm curious—how did you manage that?"

Ayanokoji set down his chopsticks and replied blandly, "We just got lucky."

"Lucky?" Ryuen scoffed. "I don't believe in luck. But you—" His gaze sharpened. "You don't look like an ordinary Class D student."

Standing behind Ryuen, Ishizaki Daichi impatiently cut in, "Boss, why waste words on him? Why not just ask him directly?"

Ryuen raised a hand to silence Ishizaki and continued staring at Ayanokoji. "Tokito's timid behavior has something to do with you, doesn't it, Ayanokoji?"

Ayanokoji remained expressionless. "I don't know what you're talking about."

Ryuen narrowed his eyes, then suddenly reached out and pressed his palm against Ayanokoji's body, casually patting him twice as his tone turned threatening.

"Don't know? Then let me tell you—Class D's recent performance is nothing like what a 'trash class' should be capable of. And you, Ayanokoji, don't look like ordinary 'trash' either. Tell me, shouldn't I investigate you properly?"

Ayanokoji fell silent for a moment before suddenly standing up with his tray. "If there's nothing else, I'll be leaving."

A flicker of surprise crossed Ryuen's eyes, but he did not stop him. He merely watched Ayanokoji's retreating back and quietly told Ishizaki, "Keep a close eye on him. That guy isn't simple."

Most students in Japan were terrified of situations that resembled bullying. They usually stammered when they spoke and looked nervous, but this guy's expression had not changed at all. He had completely ignored the force Ryuen had pressed against him.

After two rounds of testing, Ryuen had already come to see Ayanokoji as an interesting target. It seemed Tokito had acted under his orders.

Ishizaki could not help asking, "Boss, are we just letting him go?"

Ryuen sneered. "What's the rush? The game is only halfway through. Someone must be pulling the strings behind Class D, and that person—" He looked toward the cafeteria entrance. "—is very likely Ayanokoji."

Yamada, who had been standing behind them, suddenly thought of something.

"Boss, what exactly did Tokito do?"

The atmosphere suddenly became a little strange.

At that point, Ishizaki's attention also turned to Tokito's situation. But with his way of thinking, he could not figure out what had happened. Unable to hold back his curiosity any longer, he asked Ryuen.

"Boss, I want to know too. What did that little bastard Tokito do?"

Ryuen said nothing. He merely turned back and glanced at Ishizaki. That one look made Ishizaki shut his foolishly grinning mouth.

"Let's go back and interrogate Tokito properly."

Ryuen left first, leaving Ishizaki and Yamada behind to slowly meet each other's eyes. It seemed like even the boss did not know??

Seeing Ryuen walk away, the two dismissed that strange thought and hurried after him.

Outside the cafeteria, Ayanokoji watched Ryuen and the others leave. He took out his phone to check the time, then headed toward Class A's classroom.

When Ryuen pushed open the door to the Class C classroom, Tokito was pacing back and forth in front of his seat like an ant on a hot pan. He had wrinkled his uniform collar by clutching it himself. The instant he heard the door open, he nearly jumped. "Y-you... who did you go after?!"

"So nervous?" Ryuen stared at the twitching corner of Tokito's eye and deliberately drew out his words. "Of course, we went to teach Class D's Ayanokoji a lesson. He probably can't even walk straight right now."

"Ayanokoji?!" Tokito's voice suddenly rose, cracking as all color drained from his face. "Why Ayanokoji? Shouldn't it have been... should have been..." His fingers unconsciously dug into the edge of the desk, his nails sinking into the wood chips without him even noticing.

Ishizaki Daichi sneered and kicked a chair. "Coward. Afraid we sold you out? Relax, the boss knows what he's doing. That guy will never trace it back to you—"

"Shut up." Ryuen suddenly barked. He had noticed that when Tokito heard the words "why," his pupils had violently contracted for an instant. That was not the reaction a traitor should have had.

Some instinct crawled up his spine. He suddenly grabbed Tokito by the collar and slammed him against the blackboard, chalk dust fluttering down over both of their shoulders.

"What you're really afraid of isn't Class D retaliating..." Ryuen's voice was like a venomous snake hissing as he stared at Tokito like a predator watching its prey.

"You're afraid we found the wrong person, aren't you?"