Chapter 20

"You need to show up in class... Never mind, I'll help you." Maybe because I was the one who'd stirred up this mess, I felt a little guilty toward Ryuen. I took the ointment Suzuki handed me and started tending to Ryuen, who was sprawled on the bed like a beached fish. Then I waved for the others to head back first.

"You think I've lost? Kitazawa, this is only the beginning!" Ryuen shouted, apparently feeling the sting of his wounds.

"Why go to such lengths? Taking on Yamawaki head-on... Have you never heard of knowing when to quit?" I shook my head, at a loss.

"Quit? Not a chance before I'm dead! I fear nothing!"

"I give up. You're a real piece of work, too..."

"A piece of work? Hmph. Call me whatever you like."

"Are you really that desperate to prove yourself?"

"I know I'm different from everyone else."

"All right, you certainly are..." I gave a pained smile. "But violence can't solve every problem. Even if you really beat Yamawaki, you'd only be controlling the class through fear for the time being. That kind of rule is fragile and short-lived. Class C will never make it to the end."

"Who can say what the future holds? Even you gave in, didn't you?" Ryuen had his own unique values and worldview, and I hadn't managed to sway him.

"That's because I'm reasonable... Any other honor student would probably think it'd be better to just let the school expel you, right?" I immediately changed tactics and played along.

"Hahaha! So what if they expel me? I'm not afraid."

"But don't you think it'd be a shame to end things like this? How about we join forces? Like the United States—behind every powerful president, there are plenty of conglomerates supporting him."

"Join forces? You're quite the comedian for an honor student... Are you scared of me? Don't worry. If you beg, I won't beat you up."

All right! Even in this state, he was still spreading "fear"? Interesting.

"I just want to get into Class A. A class this chaotic needs a strong leader. I'm not up to the job, and neither is Shiina. Kaneda and Ishizaki are even less suited. But you seem different..."

"You have that much faith in me?" Ryuen looked puzzled.

"Yeah. You didn't even cry out in pain just now. I think you're talented. Yamawaki cried out when he got hit, at least."

"Heh. I thought you were going to say something important. You do have some insight, but it's not enough. I've shown you what I can do. What about you, honor student? If you don't have the strength to match mine, then get out of my way!"

"You... I told you, one person isn't enough, right? But strong people are always this confident. Here, let me show you my money power!"

You had to seize every chance to show off, especially in front of someone impressive. I immediately opened my phone and flashed the dazzling number of points in Ryuen's face.

"I see. I underestimated you... Fine, we'll work together. But there can only be one king, and it has to be me! Even you can't disobey my orders!"

Ryuen struggled to sit up and insisted on having the last word.

Sure! But when this king no longer had any use for me, I could take him out with a quick stab in the back. I was a villain, after all... Villains did whatever it took to look after themselves.

"I know. I don't need power or anything like that. I'm just a lecherous, cowardly nobody. All I want is to live comfortably as a noble under the king's protection."

Of course, I couldn't say that out loud. People like Ryuen and Koenji, who combined self-confidence with arrogance, were the easiest for a nobody like me to take advantage of. See? A few words of subtle flattery, and they'd willingly set off down the hardest, stupidest path. All I had to do was follow behind them and rake in a hefty profit. That was the life of a nobody: easy to sustain, and resilient enough to survive anything. If the Koenji Conglomerate ever collapsed, Koenji would be in serious trouble. But our family would be barely affected. That was the survival manual for nobodies, passed down through generations.

"Hahahaha! So being lecherous is the only thing we have in common? Then here's to a successful partnership!"

Though Ryuen said that, he didn't seem to take me particularly seriously. Maybe someone like me still wasn't worth much in his eyes. But that was just what I wanted. The king of hell was easy to meet; it was the little demons who were hard to deal with. I knew my place. I was never cut out to be the "king of hell." I was just a lowly companion student. Even if the sky fell, it wouldn't be my problem.

"Likewise! In my opinion, Kaneda and the others aren't worth worrying about, and Ibuki's easy enough to fool. You just need to beat all the troublemakers into submission, and I can help you keep the ordinary students in line. We can make good use of the midterms this time. As for what comes after, we can talk once you've really brought Class C together!"

I decided to egg Ryuen on a little more. I still didn't know if he was really as capable as I thought. If he was nothing but a clueless deadweight, then I hoped he'd manage to exceed expectations this time.

"Heh heh. Just sit back and watch."

But Ryuen was so confident, lying there on the bed, that I found myself inexplicably starting to believe he could beat Yamawaki. Sigh. Spending too much time with a madman really was contagious.

In the end, Ryuen still couldn't get out of bed the next day and skipped class. Even without him there, though, things in the class were unusually lively. First, Ishizaki and Kaneda's sudden withdrawal left the onlookers completely baffled. Ishizaki was covered in injuries, and he kept his mouth shut, looking a complete mess. That sent the classmates who hadn't dared to go watch running over to Ibuki and me to ask what had happened.

"Yesterday, no definitive leader was chosen. Everything remains as it was, so please don't worry."

"There's no result? What about the midterms, then? Are we supposed to study on our own without a leader to guide us?" Yamawaki, who was in the failing group, sounded worried.

"Of course we still need to prepare seriously for the midterms. Kaneda will continue organizing the study sessions, and anyone in class who wants to join can attend. Oda, Sonoda, Suzuki, and I will also be there to help Kaneda and bolster the teaching staff."

"What about the girls? Are the boys going to teach everyone?" Manabe asked on behalf of the girls in her group.

"That's true. Ibuki does need help on the girls' side. Shiina, could I ask you to help?"

"Sure!" Shiina nodded in reply.

"Then Ibuki and Shiina... Oh, Nishino's grades are pretty good too, aren't they? Since everyone's points are at stake, could I ask you to help the class?"

"I suppose I have no choice. But Kitazawa, you could totally be the leader! At least, I think you'd do a decent job..."

"That's right! Kitazawa would be fine."

The girls chimed in, one after another.

"No, no, no... I know my own abilities. I'm very indecisive, so I'm not really suited to taking on the role of class leader. We need someone who's at least clear-headed and decisive..."