Ryuen Kakeru / Actually, You Can Put It in Your Mouth

It was almost as if she were attacking the whole class. One by one, dissatisfied looks turned toward Horikita Suzune.

Facing their gazes, Horikita Suzune acted as if she hadn't noticed and continued, "I don't know what the exam will be, but I think we can start by changing our behavior and doing our best to act like proper students."

Well, it was her first time seeing students sleep, use their phones, and chat during class. They weren't treating this place like a school at all.

"Next, I'd like you to keep at least half of your Private Points and stop spending recklessly. Just make sure you have enough for your usual day-to-day expenses."

To Horikita Suzune, this seemed only natural, yet hardly anyone responded to her suggestion.

Hirata Yosuke gave a wry smile. "I think we should ask Chabashira-sensei to confirm these things first."

"Yeah, who knows if you're just lying?" a boy shouted.

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka happened to know him, too. His name was Kanji Ike.

"I have no reason to lie," Horikita Suzune said calmly. "But if you want to verify it, that's fine."

"Ahaha, you already asked Chabashira-sensei about it beforehand, didn't you, Horikita?" Kushida Kikyo said with a blink, as if hinting at something.

Horikita Suzune didn't respond. Instead, she said, "In any case, if you want to move up to Class A, you need to correct your bad habits starting tomorrow. Whether it's being late or getting distracted, you're already high school students. Don't you know how a normal student is supposed to behave?"

Creak—

"Yosuke, let's go. We still have karaoke."

A girl dressed like a party girl suddenly stood up and headed out of the classroom. The other girls exchanged glances, then followed her.

The atmosphere in the classroom was awful. Hirata Yosuke and Kushida Kikyo had both noticed, but the latter wore a bright smile.

"Sorry, Horikita. Let's talk later," Hirata Yosuke said. He could tell that his classmates weren't particularly eager to move up to Class A. Only a few students were truly unhappy about it.

Horikita Suzune watched them leave, perplexed. Was she really the only one in the class dissatisfied with their current situation?

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka had watched the whole exchange in silence. He let out a quiet sigh. Class D wouldn't cooperate with Horikita Suzune's efforts at this point.

Just as Horikita Suzune assumed they would still have some points left even after a disastrous month, Class D didn't think they would lose many points.

Maybe they'd even gain some.

Chapter 38: Ryuen Kakeru

Suzuki Toru had no idea what had happened in Class D. He hadn't written much about it in his file, only briefly mentioning how Miyabi Nagumo, a second-year student, had managed to make a comeback and reach Class A in just one term.

If nothing unexpected had happened, Horikita Suzune was probably very interested in him by now.

Still, it remained to be seen whether she had what it took to lead the class.

If she didn't, he might as well drain Horikita Suzune dry and get her expelled as soon as possible.

Expelling Horikita Manabu would be a little more difficult. After all, he was the Student Council president and a central figure in Class 3-A.

Unless Suzuki could buy off the school board and the chairman, then tweak the rules a little.

As Suzuki Toru thought this over, he finally reached the door to Class C. A red-haired boy had just stepped out, followed by several others.

In a flash, their eyes met.

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[Heh heh heh, you don't want your promotion plan to fail, do you, Dragon Boy?] [Rally Class C to overthrow Ryuen Kakeru's rule] [Have Ryuen Kakeru rule the first-years through violence] [I want to see Ryuen Kakeru beat Ayanokoji up] [Actually, Ryuen Kakeru could also put on a maid outfit and attract customers] [Crush Ryuen Kakeru's will]...

Just like a few days ago, several wishes kept appearing around him. Suzuki Toru was more or less used to it by now and didn't make a fuss.

Unlike last time, though, the big Black man stood silently behind him. He must have finished breaking him in.

"Are you Ryuen from Class C?" Suzuki Toru greeted him first.

Ryuen Kakeru furrowed his brow. He'd assumed this guy was just some passerby, but it turned out he'd come looking for him.

"Heh. Which class are you in?"

His sharp eyes fixed on Suzuki Toru like a snake's. Together with his delinquent appearance and the lackeys behind him, they gave him an intimidating air.

An ordinary student would probably have been scared out of their wits by now.

"Nice to meet you. I'm Suzuki from Class 1-A."

At the same time, Suzuki Toru noticed Class C students filing out of the classroom. That surprised him a little.

Judging by the situation, Ryuen Kakeru must have just announced something to the class. Otherwise, so many students wouldn't still be lingering outside.

"So you're from Class A. What do you want with me? Don't tell me you came to mock us." A smile surfaced on Ryuen Kakeru's face, but he remained wary.

He didn't know this guy, and it was suspicious as hell for him to show up at such a crucial moment!

After more than a week of clashes, Albert, the Black student, had finally had enough of Ryuen Kakeru. Today, he'd surrendered and accepted Ryuen Kakeru as his boss.

By then, Ryuen Kakeru had more or less brought the class to heel. He'd also just forced them to obey his orders.

Anyone paying attention would easily notice that the Class C students coming out of the classroom were all looking at Ryuen Kakeru with fear.

His methods were simple: a little violence.

In fact, the whole class had witnessed Ryuen Kakeru beat the other delinquents into submission. Albert had just been the last one.

With those guys dealt with, it was only natural that Class C would submit.

Just as Ryuen Kakeru was riding high, some guy from Class A suddenly showed up. His mood soured at once, and he even wondered if someone in his class had tipped Suzuki off.

Otherwise, why would Suzuki Toru come straight to him?

Ryuen Kakeru had no intention of hiding what he'd done, but ruling the class through violence was hardly something to be proud of. If Class A exploited it somehow, it could be extremely bad for him and Class C.

"I'd like to talk to you about something useful, but first I need to make sure of something." Suzuki Toru ignored his probing. "Are you the recognized leader of Class C now?"

Ryuen Kakeru's expression didn't change, but someone behind him couldn't hold back.

"Hey, what are you talking about?"

Perhaps he'd taken Suzuki's words as a provocation. A boy glared at him, his face hostile.

For delinquents, that did sound a bit like a provocation.

"Heh. Ishizaki, shut up. You don't get to butt in." Ryuen Kakeru sneered. "I don't know how you found me, but Class C is mine now. Get to the point."

At that, a short-haired girl behind him turned her head with a look of disdain.

The Class C students naturally noticed what was happening. Almost everyone heard those words. Some were resentful; others were afraid.

"How much do you know about the school's rules?" Suzuki Toru asked.

Ryuen Kakeru raised an eyebrow, a mocking smile on his face. "At the very least, I know you Class A people are our enemies—the so-called elite."

Suzuki Toru nodded. "More than I expected. So, want to work together?"

"Work together on what?" Ryuen Kakeru suddenly seemed interested.

"Class C wants to climb the ranks, and Class B is the first obstacle in your way. Class A wants to hold on to its position, and Class B is also the first target we need to eliminate."

"Interesting. Class A's already thinking about going after Class B at the start of the year. That's some nerve." Ryuen Kakeru sighed, then smiled even more broadly. "I have a question, though. Are you on Sakayanagi's side or Katsuragi's?"

Suzuki Toru wasn't surprised at all. The infighting in Class A was too obvious to escape anyone's notice.

Class C's violent behavior had also become a rumor among the first-years, especially the stories about Ryuen Kakeru. They just didn't know the details.

"For now, I'm on my own. So you don't have to worry about getting dragged into Class A's conflicts. It won't hurt Class C," Suzuki Toru answered patiently.

"..." Ryuen Kakeru nearly laughed out loud. He'd love to see the two tigers in Class A fight to the death. Better yet, he'd fan the flames from the sidelines.

And this guy was telling him not to worry about getting caught up in Class A's infighting? What kind of joke was that?

"Cut the crap, Suzuki. What are you trying to do?" Ryuen Kakeru asked bluntly.

"The school put you in Class C and gave you the same number of points as the other classes. That means this month is just an observation period," Suzuki Toru said. "As long as you perform well, you can turn your class's standing around in a month."

Ryuen Kakeru had also vaguely guessed something about the S System, though that was largely thanks to his homeroom teacher, who'd given him plenty of hints.

Before Ryuen Kakeru could speak, Suzuki Toru continued, "The school hasn't told us anything. The fact that there's no question is the question itself. How students behave when they don't know what's going on—that's what I think the school had in mind when it assigned us to our classes in the first place."

"Honestly, there's not much to say about Class A's performance. But what kind of impression will you and Class D leave on the school?"

Ryuen Kakeru's initial disdain slowly gave way to a grave expression. After hearing Suzuki Toru's explanation, he finally began to understand.

"Actually, the best way for Class C to surpass Class B this month is simple. If Class A is the school's standard for the best class, then we can imitate Class A while creating a negative impression of Class B. That should let us move up without a problem."

Suzuki Toru paused there, then calmly concluded, "To put it simply, just act like the kind of elite the school wants us to become."

Chapter 39: Actually, You Can Put It in Your Mouth

The crux of this was how Advanced Nurturing High School defined its so-called meritocracy.

Just look at the students placed in Class A and you'd basically know.

Their grades were generally excellent, their abilities outstanding, and they even had students like Katsuragi with top-notch records.

What would a group like that do first when gathered into one class?

The answer was to follow the rules.

If Suzuki Toru had to sum it up, he'd say they were orderly, with a touch of cutthroat competition.

The class was strong across the board, with no obvious weaknesses. Its leader was also impressive. Sakayanagi Arisu had plenty of ability, at least, even if her personality was a little nasty.

By comparison, what did the other classes have?

Setting Class B aside, Suzuki Toru had spent the last few days observing Classes C and D, especially Class D.

Even Class C knew some of the truth, while Class D remained completely in the dark and spent its points recklessly. That alone said enough.

Every now and then, he'd see Class D students discussing karaoke and parties. They seemed completely unconcerned about anything unusual at this school.

The last time he'd talked with Horikita Suzune, even she didn't think she could lead the whole class to Class A—not unless he deliberately provoked her.

Even so, Horikita Suzune had planned to ruthlessly abandon some of her classmates.

As for Class C, this was the first time Suzuki Toru had seen someone rule an entire class through violence.

That sort of behavior wasn't anything special, but being good at fighting certainly wasn't the kind of talent the school valued. That was why Ryuen Kakeru had been placed in Class C, not Class A.

"I've heard from upperclassmen that it's rare for a lower-ranked class to make a comeback and reach Class A. Class A usually wins all the way to graduation." Suzuki Toru looked at Ryuen Kakeru. "This month is probably the school's observation period. If Class C leaves a better impression on the school than Class B, it'd make sense for your positions to change."

Ryuen Kakeru fell silent for a moment, then sneered. "If we surpass Class B in a month, the ones losing sleep will actually be you Class A people!"