Chapter 19

The guy who'd been sticking up for the girls' right to speak had ended up doing a favor for Ibuki, of all people—a girl who normally had no friends at all. I rubbed my chest and silently wrote down the grudge in my little notebook. Just you wait, Ibuki! A gentleman could wait ten years to get his revenge. Of course, for now, I had more important business to attend to. When I arrived at a secluded spot behind the gym, Ishizaki and the others had already lined up. A few scattered onlookers had gathered too, all of them boys from Class C. "Is Kitazawa here? That guy Kaneda still hasn't shown up? Did he piss his pants and run off?" Ishizaki looked like he had the match in the bag. "He wasn't in class when I left," I replied. "This is Ibuki. She's here on behalf of all the girls to witness what happens." "I see! Welcome, welcome! By the way, Kitazawa, would you be my strategist? You seem like a capable guy. With the top student in the class on my side, I can establish a study group and make it official." To my surprise, Ishizaki invited me. "I wouldn't be opposed if you win, but Ishizaki, you're not the class leader yet! You shouldn't declare victory this early." "Ha! There isn't a single guy in the class who can fight. Who else is going to challenge me?" "Hard to say... What about that guy over there... Ryuen?" I casually pointed at an inconspicuous guy who'd been watching the show. With his hands in his pockets, he wore a cold expression that suggested he didn't give a damn about anyone there. Heh. Let me stir things up first. As they say, confusion can throw the world into chaos, while force can turn the universe upside down. I couldn't let Ishizaki win too easily. His men would be less loyal if they started doubting him, and then he'd need me even more. "Ryuen?" "Yeah. You can tell at a glance that Ryuen's a delinquent too, right? And then there's Yamada, who's huge. He must be pretty good in a fight as well. I think it's still up in the air whether you're the strongest in the class, Ishizaki!" "True, I've heard Ryuen's name before. But so what? Now that I've seen him, it's clear he's all reputation. When he ran into me, he didn't even say a word..." Before he could finish, Ryuen kicked Ishizaki to the ground. It wasn't what I'd intended, but the result seemed pretty good. At least someone had dared to challenge Ishizaki's position, right? It would've been worse if everyone had just meekly submitted to him. Fight! Fight! I silently cheered them on. "Ha! So much for being all reputation, huh?" Ryuen laughed. "Damn, he blindsided me... Komiya, Kondo, beat the hell out of him!" Facing the two of them, Ryuen didn't even flinch. Instead, he lunged at Ishizaki, who was just trying to get up, and slammed his head into Ishizaki's with a brutal headbutt. The scene descended into chaos. Komiya and Kondo tried to pull Ryuen off Ishizaki as he straddled him and pounded him. That's right—grab one guy and beat him senseless in a group fight. Ryuen knew a thing or two! Ten out of ten! Ibuki, meanwhile, watched the boys rolling around in a heap with an expression of disgust. Ishizaki was soon sporting a bruised and swollen face, but Ryuen had taken plenty of hits from both sides too. Still, Ryuen kept beating Ishizaki like a pain-crazed lunatic, until even Komiya and Kondo backed off, and Ishizaki begged for mercy through swollen lips. "It's decided! I'm the king of Class C! You! You! And you! You'll all do what I say!" Ryuen declared with a laugh. "Don't joke around, crazy boy. I won't take orders from anyone." Yamada, the mixed-race boy Ryuen had pointed at, stepped forward in anger and kicked him away. Ryuen was out of strength, but through sheer force of will he got back to his feet and charged Yamada. Unsurprisingly, Yamada knocked him down with a straight punch. "It's enough." After making sure Ryuen had fallen, Yamada turned to leave. Ryuen, who couldn't even stand because of his injured leg, took off his shoe and hurled it at the back of Yamada's head. The shoe hit with a loud smack, and Yamada let out a pained yell. Needless to say, the two-meter-tall Black guy was furious now. He came back, crouched down, and punched Ryuen hard in the stomach. The scene descended into chaos once more. Even so, Ryuen still refused to give up. He struggled with his arms and legs while unleashing a stream of insults at Yamada. Fortunately, the "cowardly" Kaneda came through for us and arrived with Sakagami in time to stop Yamada from continuing to beat Ryuen senseless. "School violence is prohibited!" Sakagami shook his head helplessly at the troublesome students. "Teacher, as a bystander, I don't think they've violated any school rules." I hurried forward to defend them before things escalated. "They're bleeding, and you still think they haven't broken any rules?" Sakagami laughed. "There aren't any cameras, and no one's reported an incident to the school, have they? Everyone here is from Class C. Surely none of you would report something like this to the school and get our own Class Points deducted. Right?" My words had quite an effect. Everyone there had some manly pride—yes, Ibuki included, haha!—and clearly, no one wanted to be a traitor. "But these people are all covered in injuries..." "That makes it even easier. Oda, you guys should go buy plenty of bandages and ointment. Don't bother with the school clinic; just find a pharmacy on the shopping street. Give the clerk some points, make up some excuse, and I'm sure he'll be happy to sell them to us. As for you, Teacher Sakagami, as our homeroom teacher, you'll keep this quiet for us too, right? Don't worry, these are all minor issues. We won't cause any trouble for the class." "Fine. Since it's just a minor issue among classmates, I won't interfere." After saying that, Sakagami really did leave them to it, much to Kaneda's shock. "At least we didn't get into serious trouble..." Ibuki sighed. "All right, we'll deliver some free, thoughtful medicine to your dorm rooms... For Class C's sake, when you come in tomorrow, make sure you say you got hurt by accident!" I reminded the guys sprawled all over the ground. "Thanks, Kitazawa... I shouldn't have let myself get carried away and gotten involved in this stupid business..." Ishizaki seemed to have come to his senses after getting beaten up. With Komiya supporting him, he was the first to leave. "Me too. Sorry for causing you trouble, Kitazawa! I've thought it over carefully. I shouldn't have acted so impulsively. I'm really not qualified to be a leader yet." Kaneda left after saying that. Yamada, who'd gotten nothing out of the whole affair, nodded at me and started to leave. "Hey! I'm not dead yet, Yamada!" Ryuen called out weakly. Yamada hesitated, but in the end, he ignored him. "One day... One day, I'll beat you! Hahahaha!" Ryuen was at it again. He didn't seem to have given up; if anything, he looked like he was having fun. Ibuki and I exchanged helpless glances and carried the guy with the indomitable will back to the dorm. Volume One: Making a Name for Myself: 10 Of all the tricks in the world, flattery is the cleverest and most insidious. Of all the tricks in the world, flattery is the cleverest and most insidious. —Balzac, The Country Doctor "Apply the ointment. Tomorrow, you absolutely..."