Unexpected Windfall

How could he get the class score deducted as much as possible?

Hoshino racked his brains but couldn't think of any particularly effective strategies.

He'd already done everything he reasonably could, but he still had no idea whether he could use up all the class points. Somewhat troubled, Hoshino wandered near the dormitory buildings. It had long since grown dark. In the distance, rows of bright streetlights lined the grounds, and every now and then, he could hear crickets chirping.

"Ah..." Hoshino sighed in frustration.

He'd been walking for a long time and was feeling a little thirsty, so he headed to a nearby vending machine. After paying with his phone, a can of coffee dropped down.

With a clunk, Hoshino picked up the coffee and took a long, satisfying drink before sitting on a nearby bench.

"Uh... hey, Ryuen, aren't you afraid I'll report you and get you expelled?..." Suddenly, an unfamiliar voice rang out, accompanied by the sounds of punches and kicks.

Something serious seemed to be happening. Hoshino's mind raced, and in an instant, he figured out what was going on in the corner of the building behind him. But Ryuen? Now this was interesting!

Hoshino rose to his feet on tiptoe and quietly approached the corner. He cautiously peeked around it and saw several familiar figures surrounding a boy with bruises on his face. The boy's glasses lay beside him, and there were other signs of damage. Hoshino silently took out his phone...

"Kaneda, will you submit to me?" Ryuen grabbed the collar of the boy sitting slumped on the ground and glared viciously into his eyes.

The chuunibyou line nearly made Hoshino laugh out loud. Ryuen was ridiculous!

Hoshino had expected Ryuen to use his "tyrant" tactics, but he hadn't expected to actually stumble upon them. After seeing Ryuen's attitude a few days ago, Hoshino had thought he'd already taken complete control of the class!

There was no way Hoshino could stay out of this. He felt a little helpless.

It might have been different if this hadn't happened right in front of him. But since it had, he had to step in, both morally and practically.

"Tap, tap." Hoshino deliberately made his footsteps louder as he slowly walked out.

Ryuen and the others all turned to look at him. Ishizaki, standing to one side, looked a little flustered.

"Yo, Ryuen, long time no see! What are you guys..." Hoshino pretended he'd just stumbled upon something outrageous and took half a step back in surprise.

"Damn, it's you..." Ishizaki looked shaken, then clenched his fists.

"Kid, cut the act! Looks like I'll have to shut you up!" Ryuen stood up and discreetly signaled to the big, dark-skinned guy beside him with his eyes.

"I wouldn't do anything rash if I were you!" As the big guy approached, Hoshino waved the phone in his hand and cautiously edged back.

"Heh, you think you can fool me?..."

"...Kaneda, will you submit to me..." The voice coming from the phone interrupted Ryuen.

Ryuen had been taking a gamble, and he knew the guy in front of him wouldn't have shown up without preparing for something. But now, he'd lost that gamble.

"...Name your price!"

"Huh? What?"

"Stop pretending and name your price!" Ryuen spat impatiently.

So you could use it like that? Hoshino was a little surprised. "Seriously?"

"..."

"Big Brother Ryuen, this..."

From the moment he'd first met Hoshino, Ryuen had thought the guy would be difficult to deal with. He hadn't expected to be given such a headache this early on.

As for Hoshino, he was still lost in the delight of realizing he could trade this for points. But then he remembered that Ryuen hadn't completely taken control of the class yet...

"How about a flat rate of 500,000 private points?" After hesitating for a while, Hoshino asked tentatively.

"...You really know how to make an outrageous demand!... Fine, but you have to delete that video..."

The price was within Ryuen's expectations. Five hundred thousand was a lot, but not an unacceptable amount. He was a little annoyed.

Hoshino had asked for 500,000 because of his bet with Sakayanagi. He'd decided to test his luck, and hadn't expected it to work. Maybe 500,000 really wasn't that much?

It's kind of scary how these leaders can casually come up with 500,000... Hoshino grumbled to himself.

"Sure, but you're done for today, right? Transfer the points to me, and I'll delete it!"

"...Hmph. I'll need some time. If you don't delete it then, or leak it beforehand, don't blame me for what happens!"

"Please hurry!"

Ryuen glared at Hoshino, then strolled past him at a leisurely pace. Ishizaki and the big, dark-skinned guy exchanged a glance before hurrying after Ryuen and out of the corner.

"Are... are you okay?"

"I'm fine, thanks!" Kaneda, who had been leaning against the wall, slowly pushed himself upright. He bent down to pick up his glasses and put them on. Fortunately, the lenses were only scratched a little and hadn't broken.

"No... I didn't really do anything..." Hoshino hadn't gone over to help Kaneda. He just stood where he was, feeling somewhat guilty.

Hoshino hadn't stepped in for purely selfless reasons; he'd had his own motives. So he couldn't accept Kaneda's gratitude.

They weren't in the same class, but Hoshino still disliked this kind of violence. Fortunately, this was just a way of controlling the class. If it had been nothing more than bullying, Hoshino would have had no choice but to "go down fighting"!

"Get back and take care of yourself! There should still be someone in the infirmary, right?..."

"Okay!" Supporting himself against the wall, Kaneda walked unsteadily out of the corner...

Hoshino turned and watched Kaneda disappear from sight. Then he slowly returned to the bench, sat down, and picked up the coffee he'd left there.

After what had happened, Ryuen would probably be even more cautious. He wouldn't give Hoshino an easy chance to catch him again.

That meant his plan to provoke a serious incident, like a conflict with Class C, had fallen through.

As for his bet with Sakayanagi, he really would have to leave it to fate. At least he'd gotten 500,000 in compensation from Ryuen, so it wasn't a total loss.

Hoshino slumped back on the bench, rhythmically tapping the coffee can with his fingers as his gaze drifted into the distance.

"The night sky is beautiful!" Looking up at the stars that complemented the school's lovely surroundings, Hoshino felt his body and mind relax.