Chapter 21

"and someone who is not inferior to Ichinose and Katsuragi to lead us." "Does our class really have such a person? If they did, they would have stepped up by now, right?" asked a girl with small twin tails named Yamashita, who was standing near Manabe. "Actually, there is someone. Let's just be patient and wait a little longer..." "Honestly... Kitazawa is so indecisive." "Sorry, I'm just thinking about everyone's best interests... To be honest, I am no match for the leader of Class A." "Class A? You mean Katsuragi? Is he really that formidable?" A stir went through the group of girls. "No, it's Sakayanagi. You all must have heard about the power struggle between the two factions in Class A, right? I happen to know Sakayanagi personally, so I'm telling you this for your own good." "That is true, I suppose... Even so, if we can't find anyone else, please, Kitazawa, take on this burden." Nishino said. "Fine, I agree. If no one else can take the lead before the midterm exams, I will do it." I pondered for a moment and set a deadline for Ryuen. If he couldn't pull it off, I would have no choice but to take the worst-case scenario and integrate Class C myself. If I fell into the quagmire of class infighting, I would lose control of my own fate. That is not how a smart person handles things! It would be easy to fall into a dilemma of either sacrificing myself for the class or betraying the class to help Koenji... I hope Ryuen doesn't go back on his word... Otherwise, I'll have no choice but to have Albert beat him up every day until he loses all hope in life. After all, I'm not some kind of devil. Author's note: Sneaking in a double update. Volume 1: First Glimpse of Talent : 11 The one who sits behind on horseback need not control the direction. The one who sits behind on horseback need not control the direction. -- Thomas Fuller. Sure enough, Ryuen returned after disappearing for three days, right after school. He entered the classroom and, without a word, slammed Yamada and his chair to the ground, though that was certainly his style. "Don't let them fight in the classroom!" I signaled Kaneda to go and calm down the guys from Class D next door who had heard the commotion. Amidst the girls' screams and Yamada's roars, I led the other boys in the class to use every ounce of our strength to pull the two of them apart. "I'll kill you! Crazy boy!" Yamada straightened his clothes and walked ahead without looking back; they were going to settle things in the usual spot. He knew Ryuen would definitely come. That's right, Ryuen followed him with long strides without saying a word. There was no need for a referee or a gong; the moment they arrived, they started brawling. Without Ishizaki there to wear him down, Ryuen was even more spirited today, and he was actually holding his own against Yamada. Or perhaps it was the repeated provocations that had sent Yamada into a blind, unthinking rage, allowing Ryuen to sneak in small advantages and land a few hits on him. Of course, this only infuriated Yamada further; he grabbed the hem of Ryuen's shirt, tearing the school-issued fabric with his strength. Ryuen took the opportunity to take off his shirt, throw it over Yamada's head, and then use his old "embrace" tactic. Yamada's body was like steel; when Ryuen slammed into him, it made a "thud" sound. Both of them fell, and both of them got back up—no, they started fighting again before they even stood up. It was quite an evenly matched and spectacular fight, even if it was completely devoid of technique or form. But as long as it was intense, even wild, unrefined punches landing on flesh were quite a sight. The person who interrupted me as I watched with rapt attention was Kaneda, who had finished handling the aftermath. "Thankfully, the guys from Class D ran off as soon as school ended... Only Kushida and a few girls heard, and I've already taken care of it," Kaneda said, panting. "You boys are truly disgusting. Don't you feel embarrassed doing such boring things over and over again?" Ibuki, who was observing from the side, commented on the two fighting on the grass. "Can Ryuen win?" After watching intently for a few rounds, Kaneda asked this. "What? You're hoping he wins!?" Ibuki thought she had misheard. "Isn't that right? What about you, Kitazawa?" Kaneda had an expression that suggested he saw through everything. It was true; at this point, I was still stalling and waiting, and my goal was quite obvious. I shook my head and didn't speak. Ryuen's rise to power wasn't really my fault, but if Ibuki hated me for it, I had nothing to say. After all, I did play a role in fueling the fire, accelerating the departure of Kaneda and Ishizaki. More importantly, Ryuen's rise was beneficial to me. The sensitive Ibuki naturally understood my bias toward Ryuen immediately and grabbed my collar: "Ryuen has something wrong with his brain, do you have something wrong with yours too?" "Haha, Ibuki. Haven't you always been against violence?" I pointed at Ibuki's hand and asked, downplaying the situation. "Shut up! I will never acknowledge that guy Ryuen as a leader!" "Then do you want to have a fight with him? I'll be heartbroken if you get hurt, you know!" "You... you jerk!" Ibuki couldn't take it anymore, gave me a crisp slap, and turned away in anger. I glared at Kaneda, who was watching the show, and he quickly turned his head, pretending to look at the scenery. I checked with my phone camera; it seemed Ibuki had held back, as she hadn't used much force... but a slight mark was still left behind. This time, Ryuen and Yamada tangled until the sun went down without a clear winner. But judging by the visible bruises on Yamada's large frame, Ryuen was one step closer to success. Ryuen, whose shirt was ruined, simply draped his jacket over his shoulders and made a pact with Yamada to fight again tomorrow. I, however, felt the outcome was already decided and didn't plan on coming back to watch them flatten the grass anymore. "From now on, I'll leave it to you to keep an eye on this, Kaneda. I'm going to go soothe the students in the class. Getting through the period where the leadership is vacant is our class's top priority. As soon as they decide a winner, notify me immediately." "Understood. What about the midterm exams? Everyone's study efficiency isn't very high right now, is it?" "It's fine. I've already obtained the test papers from the third-year seniors. No one will be expelled." Of course, if there are people who can't even pass after memorizing the answers, perhaps it's better not to waste the country's educational resources. "Ah!? This... there are test papers?" "They are past papers. The exams are the same every year, at least this midterm exam is. The strange little tests from before were hints; on one hand, they told us the passing standard, and on the other, they told us the method for solving the problems." "I see. No wonder Sakagami-sensei said that... We just need to explain the questions from the past papers at the study sessions, and it should be fine, right? We could even copy them for everyone to memorize the answers directly!" "I will, but don't be in a rush to copy them. First, I want everyone to actually improve their academic ability in the study sessions. Second, to avoid them leaking to other classes, especially Class D, which also has many struggling students. Third, just in case." "There's a 'just in case'?" "Yes, of course. Everything is a double-edged sword. Since we don't know the school's rules..."