"Clap, clap—"
Toru Hasegawa started applauding. His action seemed to flip some kind of switch, and thunderous applause erupted.
There was no need for any further words. Sakayanagi Arisu didn't even glance at Katsuragi Kohei.
The outcome had already been decided. That was how leadership struggles always went.
Class A had now become Sakayanagi Arisu's one-woman show.
Before, she wouldn't have minded letting Katsuragi Kohei hold the class in a temporary stalemate with her. As long as he failed a few times afterward, she could reclaim the class without breaking a sweat.
But yesterday, she had met Ayanokoji Kiyotaka.
So, eager to face him head-on, Sakayanagi Arisu struck hard, launching an all-out assault during the morning study period before class even began on the first day.
Compared with his conclusion that "everyone should try to save points from now on," Sakayanagi Arisu's speech had peeled back layer after layer, going straight to the heart of the school.
The opening audio recording and display of points had nearly stunned everyone, and the class's unity reached its peak at that moment.
Although Sakayanagi Arisu had never once risen from her seat, everyone looked at her differently now.
Their eyes were filled with awe. By now, everyone in the class knew—
This girl, who appeared so fragile on the surface, was far from ordinary.
Then, naturally, many people turned their eyes toward Toru Hasegawa.
After all, that guy had just acted like one of her lackeys.
But nobody looked down on him for it.
They thought Toru Hasegawa had seen through Sakayanagi Arisu's true nature from the very first day, and they turned admiring looks his way.
Toru Hasegawa could only accept it.
Was he supposed to tell them that he'd simply let his personal preferences slip by accident, and that was why she had set her sights on him?
No way! Absolutely not!
Toru Hasegawa returned to his seat, and Teacher Mashima went back to the front of the classroom.
This time, however, everyone in Class A started reviewing their textbooks. Not a single person dared to doze off during morning study again.
High schoolers sleeping through morning study? Forget it. It wasn't like they absolutely had to sleep.
Class A was putting on the appearance of a class full of good students.
The second day of school was also the first day of classes. The teachers spent most of their lessons explaining the teaching plans for the semester, which came as a huge relief to the many students who had stayed up late the night before.
That meant they only had to pretend to listen. In reality, it was pretty easy.
Soon, the morning passed, and lunch break arrived.
Toru Hasegawa saw his seatmate, Kamuro Masumi, leave the classroom alone at once. At this stage, there were still students like her who weren't interested in the truth about this school.
Meanwhile, Sakayanagi Arisu was immediately surrounded by a group of students. It looked like she wouldn't be getting away anytime soon.
So Toru Hasegawa slipped out of the classroom too.
Sakayanagi Arisu noticed, but she really couldn't leave at the moment.
Learning about her classmates was an important part of the process, so she could only smile and chat with them, searching for useful pawns she might be able to put to work in the future.
She had never thought of these people as friends. They were all just tools to her.
Tools to defeat Ayanokoji Kiyotaka.
After leaving the classroom, Toru Hasegawa didn't go to the Student Cafeteria. That was a place for popular students and groups.
Just think about it. Sitting alone at a table meant for four people—wasn't that incredibly awkward?
So he went to the convenience store, planning to buy some ready-made lunch boxes and heat them up.
Then, the moment he stepped inside, he saw a very familiar face doing something he wasn't quite used to seeing—
Shoplifting.
On impulse, Toru Hasegawa took out his phone and recorded this decisive moment. Then he bought lunch as if nothing had happened, heated it up, and returned to the classroom.
There were plenty of people like him here, though some of them seemed to have made their own lunches. Toru Hasegawa was genuinely envious of their culinary skills, and couldn't help imagining—
It'd be great if someone made me a homemade lunch every day.
He shook his head, banishing the unrealistic fantasy from his mind.
His seatmate's place was empty because she needed to go to the dorm to deal with the beer she had just swiped. Sakayanagi Arisu was nowhere to be seen either. She was probably enjoying lunch with her classmates in the Student Cafeteria.
Toru Hasegawa ate his mass-produced lunch alone, then felt his stomach churn—
He seemed to have eaten something bad.
There was no time to think about what had caused it. He grabbed some tissues and dashed into the bathroom, where he emptied his bowels with a series of explosive splatters and immediately felt much better.
After cleaning up, Toru Hasegawa was about to press the flush button when the voice coming from outside the stall froze his finger in midair.
"Albert, you really shouldn't go to the bathroom without a bodyguard."
This bizarre remark immediately caught Toru Hasegawa's attention. Remembering what had happened that morning, he pulled out his phone and started recording.
Outside the bathroom stall, a tall, muscular Black man was urinating. Not far to his side stood a red-haired man with a smile on his face.
< src="https://e1.kuangxiangit./uplos/chaptersnew/964/264132/250326/1742987437-100434764-113156383.jpg" alt='Albert'>
< src="https://e1.kuangxiangit./uplos/chaptersnew/964/264132/250326/1742987449-100434764-113156383.jpg" alt='Ryuen Kakeru'>
Though his hair was red like Sudo's, his was a darker shade, and it was also rather long for a boy.
After saying that, he attacked the tall Black man who was urinating without the slightest hesitation. He had absolutely no qualms about taking advantage of someone in a vulnerable position.
Judging by their builds alone, the Black man named Albert would undoubtedly have won—if he hadn't been urinating.
Even so, despite facing such unreasonable, terrifying violence, Albert still won with ease.
"Don't think this is over. Tomorrow, the day after... I'll keep an eye on you again and again, no matter when."
"..."
Ryuen Kakeru, the red-haired man, left the bathroom after making his threat.
Albert washed his hands briefly and left as well.
Only after the footsteps outside had faded and finally disappeared did Toru Hasegawa stop recording.
He had to admit, Sakayanagi Arisu had a point.
Recording really was that useful!
"Holy crap, what kind of thug was that? That was terrifying."
Toru Hasegawa pressed the flush button, still shaken.
Sudo was quick to anger, but he had never actually resorted to violence. That guy had walked in and attacked another man after saying just one sentence, without even considering avoiding violence. Judging by his final words, he seemed to enjoy it.
It had been a huge shock to Toru Hasegawa, who had always been a law-abiding citizen.
He waited a little before leaving the bathroom and returning to the Class A classroom.
It was safer here.
Seeing the two cameras at the front and back of the classroom made Toru Hasegawa feel truly at ease.
That should have been the case—if the silver-haired girl sitting in his seat hadn't turned her gaze toward him...
< src="https://e1.kuangxiangit./uplos/chaptersnew/964/264132/250328/1743135098-100434764-113156383.jpg" alt='Albert and Ryuen'>
Before you continue