Classroom of the Elite, Oh No, I've Become a Stand-in

It was that Black student who had KO'd the red-haired, delinquent-looking guy with a single punch yesterday. I heard his name is Yamada Albert, and he's actually quite gentle; he only stood up to fight that little thug named Ryuen Kakeru to resist him.

The two, who didn't know each other to begin with, naturally didn't exchange any words, each finding a stall to settle into their own state of mind.

In the innermost stall of the restroom, Mikage Touji adjusted his body into the most comfortable position, unlocked his phone, put on his headphones, and tapped play on a video.

A melodious tune drifted out, as if transporting him to that ancient African continent, feeling the heavy-duty bicycle racing along muddy roads with the hot wind blowing against his face.

"This Black brother has it so hard; not only does he have to hustle for a living, but he also has to take care of his five wives..."

At the same time.

Ryuen Kakeru, his face covered in bruises, appeared silently at the restroom entrance. A cold sneer curled his lips as he looked toward Yamada Albert's stall.

This Albert was currently the biggest obstacle to his rule over Class C. His mixed heritage had granted him an incredibly strong physique; if they were to face off head-on, even he wouldn't be a match for him.

But Ryuen Kakeru believed in one principle: no matter how many times you lose beforehand, as long as you can get back up and win the final time, the ultimate victory is his!

No matter what method it takes!

When you're using the restroom, you can't possibly stay on guard, right?

Holding a wooden stick he had dismantled from a classroom broom, Ryuen Kakeru slowed his pace and crept toward the stall next to Yamada Albert's. He planned to launch a sneak attack from above on the man immersed in his own world, intending to beat him into submission in one go, thereby forcing him to become his lackey and using that momentum to rule all of Class C, then spreading his violence throughout Kouiku.

Silently stepping onto the edge of the toilet bowl, he exerted force through his thighs and leaped upward with a sudden burst of power. Ryuen Kakeru soared high into the air, the stick held high in his hand.

In that instant, he could almost see the panicked expression on Albert's dark face behind those sunglasses.

"Yamada Albert, die--"

Before the words could fully leave his mouth, an indescribable object flew at high speed, slamming directly into Ryuen Kakeru's face and shooting him down from the air on the spot!

Accompanied by a loud, booming crash, Yamada Albert, having witnessed this shocking scene, quickly wiped himself clean and pushed the door open to exit.

He turned his head to see Ryuen Kakeru, blinded and struggling on the floor, one hand clutching his waist while the other wiped his face.

"OH! SHIT!"

Albert let out a cry of surprise and clenched his thick, dark fist, intending to launch a counterattack, but he immediately stopped, because at this moment, Ryuen Kakeru was in an invincible state.

"Yamada Albert, I'm going to kill--"

Lifting his foot, Albert kicked the irrational Ryuen Kakeru back onto the toilet. Faced with an enemy he simply couldn't defeat, he turned and bolted out of the restroom for his life.

"Ahhh!"

Having lost his target, Ryuen Kakeru, his sanity completely drained, fell into a state of madness. He kicked the stall partition again and again with all his might, causing the entire restroom to tremble.

When the stall door was kicked askew, Ryuen Kakeru, his rage having subsided just a tiny bit, cleaned the sticky, foul-smelling, indescribable substance off his face at the sink with lightning speed.

He grabbed his dropped stick and charged off in the direction Yamada Albert had fled.

Forget about violence, ruling the class, or school rules—he didn't care about any of that anymore!

He, Ryuen Kakeru! Right now, he was going to kill Albert! Right now!

As the sound of Ryuen Kakeru's murderous footsteps gradually faded away, the restroom returned to its usual calm.

Years later, facing the final exam of Kouiku, Ryuen Kakeru would recall that distant afternoon when he carried a stick to ambush Albert...

At this moment, in the innermost stall.

Mikage Touji huddled in the corner, patting his chest with lingering fear. My god! Why are there such perverts in this school?!

Sneaking up on a student who is taking a dump—this is beyond a normal pervert; this requires a heavy-handed crackdown!

But before that...

He took out his phone and dialed a number.

"Hey, Katsuragi, are you free? I've run into a biiiig problem. I'm in the innermost stall of the restroom on the east side of the classroom building. Come save me, fast!"

The voice on the other end immediately turned serious. "What happened? How many people are there? I'll be there immediately!"

"My legs have gone numb from squatting. Bring two people to help me up."

"..."

After a long silence, Katsuragi Kōhei's slightly weary voice came through. "Wait a moment."

Hanging up the phone, Mikage Touji wiped the beads of sweat from his face, grabbed the water pipe beside the wall, and tremblingly struggled to stand up.

Activating two skills at once was still too much of a strain; when would he finally be able to use Tengai Shinsei?

This feeling was as if his body no longer belonged to him; even the simple act of lifting his foot was incredibly difficult.

Of course, Odubiao was still great to watch; he'd definitely come back next time.

After struggling for a while, Mikage Touji decisively gave up. He had no strength left now and could only wait for the Class A students to rescue him.

Before long, rhythmic footsteps approached; judging by the sound, there were two people.

"Whoa! What a miserable sight. Whichever class did this is going to have a rough time."

The newcomer let out a sharp whistle, speaking in a mocking tone.

The restroom door was knocked on with a "bang, bang," and a low voice came through. "Mikage, we're here."

The door creaked open, revealing the faces of the visitors: Kito Hayato and Hashimoto Masayoshi.

Seeing Mikage Touji's pale face, Hashimoto Masayoshi raised an eyebrow and stepped forward to support him. "Mikage-san, this doesn't look like your legs just fell asleep. Should I take you to the infirmary?"

"I'm just a bit drained, a rest will do. Why are you two here?"

Kito Hayato followed closely, also helping to steady Mikage Touji. "Katsuragi is over at the student cafeteria right now. Since we happened to be free, we decided to come over."

The two of them helped Mikage Touji out of the restroom. As they passed the first and second stalls, Hashimoto Masayoshi asked curiously, "Did something happen in here just now?"

"Hashimoto-san, didn't you mention before that someone named Ryuen Kakeru in Class C is trying to consolidate power?" Mikage Touji asked back, suppressing a laugh.

"Just call me Hashimoto. That's right, that guy seems to be someone who likes using violence. Some students in Class C are currently resisting him. Was this mess caused by that Ryuen Kakeru?" Hashimoto Masayoshi replied quite enthusiastically.

Mikage Touji wore a meaningful smile. "I got my hands on something good. It might just be enough to widen the gap between Class A and Class C in one fell swoop."

Pledge of Allegiance

The afternoon corridor was empty, with sunlight stretching long patches of light across the floor through the windows. The sound of the three people's footsteps echoed rhythmically within it.

"So, do you need my help? Or perhaps you can assign me a task." Hashimoto Masayoshi offered his services once again.

"I can do some things as well," Kito Hayato chimed in.

"Hashimoto-san, I've always found it strange," Mikage Touji voiced the question he'd had for the past few days. "Why are you leaning toward me instead of Katsuragi, even though I've repeatedly stated that I don't want to lead the class?"

"Well, that's obviously because I want to graduate from Class A."

"Couldn't you do that with Katsuragi?"

"But I feel like my chances are better if I choose you, Mikage-san."

"So you switched to me without hesitation just to increase your chances of graduating from Class A by a tiny margin?"

"Haha, after all, I truly feel that having you lead Class A would give us a better chance of graduating from it."

"Or is it just that your chances of graduating from Class A would be higher?"

"...Is there a difference?"

"Since you could abandon Katsuragi just to improve your odds by a fraction, it wouldn't be surprising if you betrayed us in the future, would it?"

Only the slightly heavy footsteps of the three echoed in the empty corridor.

Kito Hayato's expression shifted immediately, and when he looked at Hashimoto Masayoshi again, the friendliness was gone.

Hashimoto Masayoshi gave a bitter laugh.

"Hey, hey, Mikage-san, isn't that a bit too hurtful? I have, after all, worked hard for Class A."

"Is that so?" Mikage Touji remained unmoved.

"No matter what, I wouldn't betray the class, would I? What benefit would that bring me?"

"As for benefits, didn't I just mention them?"

The corridor fell into a long silence once more. Hashimoto Masayoshi let out a heavy sigh.

"As expected of you, Mikage-san. Nothing gets past you."

"...It's possible that such a scenario could happen. I might look for a way out for myself when the time comes. After all, graduating with the status of Class A is my ultimate goal for coming to this school."

Hashimoto Masayoshi's words about "looking for a way out" were like a pebble thrown into a calm lake, the ripples spreading silently through the empty corridor.

"You—"

Kito Hayato was about to speak to Hashimoto Masayoshi, but Mikage Touji pressed his hand down. "Kito-san, stay calm. This is normal, isn't it? People always have to find a way out for themselves. Although I don't like this approach, the worst he is is unscrupulous. Of course, he might end up pleasing neither side in the future; in war, you kill the fence-sitters first."

"Hey, hey, no need to be so harsh on me."

"However, Hashimoto-san, is it really okay to tell me your principles of conduct so easily? You don't strike me as the type to show your cards right away."

"I have no choice," Hashimoto Masayoshi said helplessly. "You're different from Katsuragi; your vigilance is too high. If I don't offer a Pledge of Allegiance, I can't get close to you at all."

"I've been investigating other capable students in the school these past few days. They all perform well, but I just feel like none of them can compare to you."

"Here it is, the exclusive skill of a fence-sitter: brown-nosing!" Mikage Touji said out of the blue.

"Tsk... I've discovered that your personality is a bit nasty." Hashimoto Masayoshi's voice even cracked.

Kito Hayato, who had been silent the whole time, also had the corners of his mouth lift slightly.

"What about you, Kito-san?" Mikage Touji turned to look at Kito Hayato.

"I just think... you are the best choice." Kito Hayato's voice was raspy, and his speech was a bit slow. "Compared to Katsuragi-kun, I prefer you."

"I see..."

Mikage Touji lowered his eyes, lost in thought for a moment.

"Alright then."

Mikage Touji stopped walking and leaned against the nearby corridor wall. Hashimoto Masayoshi and Kito Hayato stopped as well, watching him.

He took out his phone and swiped his fingers fluidly. A moment later, Hashimoto Masayoshi's phone vibrated.

Hashimoto Masayoshi opened his phone in confusion, tapped the play button, and his eyes widened. "This is... Pfft! Hahahaha!"

"Is this that... haha... Ryuen? Hahahaha!"

The muscles in his face were stiff with confusion at first, but then, like a bursting dam, wild laughter erupted. He bent over, clutching his stomach with one hand and slapping his knee with the other, gasping for air.

"Hehehe..." Kito Hayato, who had snatched the phone from Hashimoto Masayoshi's hand, couldn't help but laugh out loud. His low voice carried an oppressive atmosphere, and for some reason, the hallway at high noon felt a few degrees colder.

After the two of them calmed their laughter, Mikage Touji spoke up, "Hashimoto-san, your Pledge of Allegiance has arrived. Spread this around, the wider the better. Don't get caught doing it. In exchange, feel free to play both sides as you like; as long as your classmates don't find out, you can even betray me, but you only get one chance."

Once the video was sent out, Ryuen Kakeru would likely face social suicide. Entrusting this to Hashimoto Masayoshi meant he had to thoroughly offend Ryuen Kakeru with this video. If he refused or messed it up, it would be a problem of either attitude or ability. In either case, his value in Mikage Touji's eyes would drop significantly.

Hashimoto Masayoshi stopped laughing and tied up his ponytail, which had become messy from his wild laughter. "I understand."

"I'll help too, and," Kito Hayato stepped forward, his wolf-like eyes fixed on Hashimoto Masayoshi, "I'll be responsible for keeping an eye on you."

"Hai, hai!" Hashimoto Masayoshi raised his hands in a gesture of surrender. "I already said that's only in the most extreme of circumstances. At the very least, I can't think of any reason to betray you right now."

"Mikage-san really got his hands on a lethal weapon this time. With this, there's no way Ryuen Kakeru will be able to unify Class C anytime soon." Hashimoto Masayoshi looked at the video on the phone and couldn't help but laugh again.

"I'll leave it to you two."

Having said everything in one breath, Mikage Touji closed his eyes and leaned against the wall, not wanting to say another word.

Using both Detection and Psychokinesis at the same time was still too much of a stretch. In just over ten seconds, it had completely drained Mikage Touji's mental energy.

If it were just Detection, it would be fine; it was merely extending his consciousness, and he could keep it up for over ten minutes now as long as the range was small. But the consumption of Psychokinesis was truly immense, as it involved manifesting force out of nothingness.

However, this also served as proof that Mikage Touji's consistent training had been effective. At the beginning, he had barely been able to make a flower petal on the roadside move.

"Hey, hey, Mikage-san, are you really okay? I don't want to have just joined your faction only for my lord to drop dead immediately." Seeing Mikage Touji's face grow increasingly pale as his body weight began to slump toward the two of them, Hashimoto Masayoshi said in a panic.

"Let's take him to the infirmary first."

Kito Hayato made a prompt decision, hoisting Mikage Touji onto his shoulder and striding down the hallway at a run.

"There's no need to make such a big deal out of this. I'm just a bit exhausted."

Feeling himself lifted into the air and bouncing up and down, Mikage Touji opened his eyes helplessly.

Unfortunately, the two of them wouldn't listen to his excuses, and he didn't have the strength left to struggle free, so he could only watch helplessly as they carried him toward the infirmary.

In a few moments, the distance from the classroom to the infirmary had been covered by the two of them.

"Teacher! His complexion doesn't look right!" Before they even arrived, Kito Hayato's low voice rang out into the infirmary.