Chapter 46

"It would be a pity to have such a magnificent drama without an audience!" I said, noncommittally. "Kitazawa-san, she said something about a security camera..." Komiya reminded me, unable to wait. "A security camera?" I smiled, glanced back at the camera, and took out the pen I carried with me. I walked over in two or three steps, jumped up slightly, and drove the pen hard into the camera's lens. Humans are amazing creatures; as long as you have confidence, even a small child can easily pierce an apple with a straw, let alone a pen that I could use as a weapon. The camera's outer glass shattered, and everyone stared at me, stunned. It was understandable, as this wasn't the usual Kitazawa Minya. I was overflowing with confidence, effortlessly performing an act most people wouldn't dare attempt. This was Kitazawa Minya, in total control after careful calculation.

"Kitazawa-kun!" Ichinose exclaimed. "It's fine, don't make a fuss." I put away the pen, which I assumed was ruined, and brushed off my clothes. "Let me tell you something interesting. Do you know why Class C lost so many class points last month?" Ichinose and Ayanokoji said nothing, still standing there, stunned, watching my performance. "It's because Ryuen-san smashed every security camera in the school. So, we in Class C know exactly which cameras are real, which are fake, and where they are located. That is the gap in intelligence for this battle." Ayanokoji's gaze turned serious, while Ichinose looked at me in disbelief.

"So, destroying a camera is no big deal, especially a fake one. Not to mention that the school's cameras aren't this brand, and even the science lab wouldn't have a surveillance camera installed. Because the chemicals in the school aren't worth stealing; that's common sense." I said, patting Komiya and Kondo on the shoulders. "But the chemicals..." Komiya asked. "What use is that junk in a middle school lab? There isn't even concentrated acid or pure alkali. Refining a poison like cyanide? You've watched too many elementary school detective shows. If you could actually refine that with such crude conditions, you'd win a Nobel Prize. The materials are incomplete anyway because the state has relevant regulations. So, there's nothing worth stealing among these school chemicals. If you want to do something bad, you'd be better off buying some pesticides."

"So that's how it is! I almost got tricked!" Kondo scratched his head. "Not only that, when you encounter a swindler like this, don't follow her rhythm; just ignore her. If you can't solve it, contact someone reliable. The reason I only stepped out now is so that you could learn from your mistakes and grow from this incident." Seizing the opportunity, I took the chance to educate the three of them. "I'm sorry, Kitazawa-san, for causing you trouble." "Let's go! To the student council, and give Sudo-kun a quick end..." "Kitazawa-san! Aren't you worried about getting points deducted too? Why do something so self-destructive and pointless!?" Ichinose grabbed my hand.

"Ichinose, I don't understand what you're talking about. It's Sudo who is facing expulsion. And you were the one who invited me to negotiate a solution; I still have the emails from you acting as the intermediary. Why have you been helping Class D all this time? If anything, it sounds like you are the ones conspiring to deceive us. Is this how a friend acts?" I said, shaking her off. "So, do we really have to suffer mutual destruction? We should be aiming for Class A together, right?" She said, eyes brimming with tears, looking as if she were caught in the middle and in a difficult position, looking like she might cry at any moment. That act doesn't work on me anymore! Because your tearful performance was entirely within my expectations!

"Mutual destruction? We aren't hurt at all... Ichinose, if you insist on meddling, be prepared to face the retaliation of Class C!" I warned her. Ichinose stood there, stunned, and began to cry softly. "Are you sure you won't withdraw?" Seeing this, Ayanokoji stepped in front of Ichinose and walked forward. "Are you still trying to play the hero at a time like this, Ayanokoji? It's laughable." I smiled as I watched him. "Is it not allowed? Horikita called me here just in case." Ayanokoji stared at me with intense eyes. "In case? In case we didn't fall for it, what was Horikita planning to do? Have you kneel and beg us? Why didn't she come herself?" I chuckled, continuing to mock Ayanokoji.

"No, she told me to do this!" For the first time, something went beyond my calculations. Ayanokoji suddenly grabbed my collar and pinned me against the nearby wall. "Ayanokoji-kun! Don't be impulsive!" Ichinose, clearly not expecting Ayanokoji's move, screamed. "You bastard! Let go of Kitazawa-san!" Ishizaki and the others rushed in, and for a moment, it was chaos. "Do you want to be expelled too, Ayanokoji-kun?" I grabbed his collar in return, and we became entangled. "Isn't this what you were doing? And think about it, from the school's perspective, this is just another fight today. Fights don't lead to verdicts favoring one side. If you don't believe me, we can fight right here. No cameras, no onlookers, you can even hit Ichinose, this girl. How about it? Do you want to start a war?"

Ayanokoji's roar echoed through the hallway, attempting to use his high volume to compensate for his massive disadvantage in numbers. Ishizaki and the others tried to pull him off me, but failed. Ayanokoji held onto me tightly; his strength was indeed not small. "There are four of you here. If you hit Ichinose, the impact will be even worse. If you don't hit her, Ichinose will stand on my side as a witness! And... and because this is a secondary conflict, even if we weren't sure about expulsion before, if we fight again today, we will definitely be expelled!" He put all his effort into forcing his voice into my brain. I froze for a moment because what he said was the truth. Whether we hit Ichinose or not, Ichinose, an outsider from another class, had become a factor that prevented us from acting rashly. Could we really let Ayanokoji just hit us? The school isn't stupid; what would it mean to repeat the same offense a second time with witnesses present?

"Want to try it? The probability is that I'll take all four of you down with me. Is Class C going to continue? Horikita didn't show up because she didn't want to use up this expulsion quota. Ichinose is from Class B, which is completely different. The so-called alliance is just verbal. If the five of us boys get into a brawl, she's just a witness!" Ayanokoji continued to shout like a madman, resisting the pulling of Ishizaki and the others. Even Ichinose stopped crying and stood there, stunned, watching him. Ayanokoji's decisiveness and courage shocked everyone. "How about it? Do you want to fight? Kitazawa Minya? I heard you're a rich kid who isn't good at fighting. Are you scared?... If we both get expelled, I'd actually be the one profiting! And it's only been two months since school started; what's the big deal about transferring schools!" Ayanokoji knew I had a reason why I couldn't be expelled. Thinking about it, choosing him to watch over Koenji was truly a failed decision. "Is it worth it, working so hard for Class D? You were used by Horikita's beauty trap..."