25

From there, I patiently explained everything. With a top student from another class practically volunteering to tutor her, it was only natural that Kobashi was thrilled to leave her studies to me instead of Ichinose. After all, she wasn't like Shiranami, who took every chance she got to cling to Ichinose and seemed eager to start a yuri relationship with her. Kobashi naturally left all of her revision work in my hands. I might not be handsome, but I was gentle... No, wait! I was talented! So, in just one evening, I'd made a very good impression on Kobashi. "I put together a workbook of practice problems myself. If you can master those, you should have no problem passing the exam. How about you give me your contact information? I'll bring it over another day... Oh! I almost forgot. Here's your pen." After evening study ended, I made sure to leave her with something, seeing the job through to the end. That would give us an excuse to stay in touch. Anyway, from what I'd seen of Class B's exam preparations, the workbook wouldn't be much use to me anymore. Getting her contact information in exchange was a good way to put it to use. "That's fine, Kitazawa. Actually... actually, why don't you keep the pen? Just think of it as a thank-you for helping me study tonight." Kobashi blushed and spoke bashfully. "Then I'll gladly accept it." After watching me leave, satisfied, Kobashi eagerly shared what had happened that evening with Shiranami and the others. She looked just like someone who'd fallen in love at first sight. Little did she know, she was nothing more than a small lever I could use to pry open Class B. Unless there was a special reason, I wouldn't date her. This vague fondness between us was actually for the best. I might be a lecher, but I still had principles. Getting into Class A was serious business. There was nothing wrong with dating a girl from another class, but it was easy to end up pleasing neither side, and that was something a cautious nobody like me wanted to avoid. This wasn't playing with someone's feelings. I was young and didn't understand love. First love was supposed to be hazy and dreamy for a young girl, right? The worst kind of man was the one who got what he wanted and then walked away. Definitely. Speaking of levers, I'd been so busy lately that I'd forgotten about my planned lever in Class D, Ayanokoji. Hopefully, he wouldn't get expelled outright in this exam... If he managed to get through it, maybe I'd try contacting him. As for Class A, I should get to know a few people there if I got the chance. In theory, people in Class A had no need to cooperate with students from other classes, but there were always exceptions. That was just how people were. After investigating Class B and setting up a reason to stay in touch, I found myself pondering the school's system. Granted, academic ability shouldn't be the only thing used to evaluate a student, but I couldn't understand why Ichinose, who'd ranked first on the entrance exam, hadn't been placed in Class A. From my brief interaction with her today, I hadn't noticed any serious flaws. In fact, she'd made an excellent first impression. Of course, that had nothing to do with her very sexy body. That good impression might have been an act, since I was an expert actor myself, but wasn't acting exactly what people needed to fit into society? What exactly did the school base its class assignments on? If the entrance exam was just a reference of questionable value, then they must have started evaluating students long ago. Were they looking at records from junior high, elementary school, or even kindergarten? That made it even stranger. Would troublemakers with reputations like Ishizaki and Ryuen have spotless records? No, they'd be a complete mess. Was the school so bored that it had decided to reform them for society? These unanswered questions gave me a headache. I really hadn't been at the school long enough. I couldn't uncover the truth about it just by seeing a small part of the whole picture.

Afterword: There'll be another update later.

Volume 1: First Steps into the Limelight (7)

"A sharp point of a bullet is better than a sharp point of a speech."

—Otto von Bismarck

A week had passed since Ryuen's second fight with Yamada. The class had gradually gotten used to—and forgotten about—the bandages and the conflict between them. Then, a turning point arrived. After class today, Ryuen didn't take Yamada to a bathroom to settle things in private. Instead, he shut the front door and brazenly sat on the teacher's desk. The students who were preparing to leave were baffled, but none of the onlookers, unsure what the terrifying guy was up to this time, dared to leave first. Of course, Ibuki wasn't having any of it. She ignored Ryuen and headed for the back door. A shadow flashed past, and Yamada suddenly appeared in her way. "What the hell? Move!" Ibuki reached out to shove Yamada, but he easily grabbed her wrist and flung her back. He didn't say a word the entire time. "Ah!" Only after Ibuki, a girl, went sprawling dramatically on the floor did the class finally react, staring at Ryuen in alarm. "I have something to announce. Listen up!" Ryuen didn't care if anyone would be late for their club activities or anything else. His approach was simple: even if you didn't want to stay, you were staying. The classroom fell silent. You could have heard a pin drop. After looking around, Ryuen smiled in satisfaction and spoke again. "Starting today, I'm the king of this class! Anyone who doesn't like it can challenge me right now! If you don't have the guts, then do as I say from now on. I'll lead you lot to Class A!" His words caused an uproar. It was true that Class C had been waiting for a leader, but no one had ever thought that the position would go to Ryuen, who spent all his time getting into fights. "Don't joke around! What right do you have to lead us?" A guy named Nomura immediately jumped up to object, but it seemed he hadn't yet grasped the situation. The first to stick his head out gets hit. With Ryuen's approval, Yamada walked over to Nomura and slapped him across the face. No one had expected Ryuen to use violence in class—wait, hadn't he done that before? Someone like him didn't care about cameras or anything else. As expected, the girls in the class started screaming, shoving, and cursing all over again. "Anyone else have a problem? Everyone's time is precious, so I suggest you all come forward at once!" Ryuen didn't even look at Nomura, sprawled on the floor after being struck in front of everyone. He simply continued asking his question. This time, no one spoke. That was right—even Yamada had been subdued. What was the point of stepping forward just to get beaten? And Ibuki's experience had shown them that Ryuen was the kind of ruthless bastard who'd hit a girl without hesitation. "Unanimous, then. Now, about our strategy for the coming weeks. I'm not good at exam prep, and I'm not interested in it. You'll be fine if you follow Kitazawa and Kaneda and attend their study sessions. If you still can't pass after that, then get out of this school!" What a crude strategy... But everyone swallowed their complaints. No one interrupted Ryuen. "As for the boys, I need a few people..." Ryuen said, looking around the room. "Ishizaki, you're up! Bring your guys here to meet me after club activities every day. Don't worry about the exams. Kitazawa and the others will figure out how to get you all to pass." It was yet another nonsensical order, but Ishizaki...