Crisis

After ending the topic of Kushida Kikyo, the time finally came for the Q&A session everyone had been waiting for. "You want to know why I ignore the wanton behavior of those people? Then first, tell me: what is the fundamental principle that governs all power in this school!"

"What... principle?" Everyone was completely bewildered.

Just as Chabashira was shaking her head in disappointment, Koenji, who lived in his own world, took the initiative to speak generously for the first time.

"Oh haha~ How could you not know such a beautiful phrase as meritocracy."

Although his gaze was still fixed on admiring himself in the mirror, his clear, bright voice was loud enough for everyone to suddenly realize the truth.

Seeing someone had spoken up, Chabashira didn't dawdle and continued coldly: "That's right, listen up, all of you. All the power and status you can obtain in this school are arranged based on the strength of your class; it even extends to your dignity!"

"Dignity~ How could it be like this~" A girl with curly hair whispered in disbelief, acting on instinct.

"Oh?"

"You don't believe it?"

Chabashira smiled contemptuously and immediately played a video on the projector behind her, showing various major incidents judged by the student council and the teachers of the four classes in previous years.

Although the videos only showed the general outcomes due to time constraints, even so, when everyone saw that the fault clearly lay with the other party, yet the final result was that they and their entire class were implicated, everyone fell silent and lowered their heads in an instant.

It wasn't just because the classes eliminated by the rulings were all at the bottom; it was more about the empathy they felt. Watching the men and women in the videos—who were just as unwilling and aggrieved as they were—being expelled for various trumped-up charges, one after another.

It could be said that this was the first time everyone truly felt the coldness of human nature and the reality of society.

Even Sudo Ken, who had always been reckless, couldn't help but break into a cold sweat after watching. Recalling the expulsion incidents that had happened to him a few times before, he realized that fortunately, the results had been mitigated in time. If they had really continued to pursue it, perhaps he would have already...

Seeing the oppressive atmosphere among the students, Chabashira left a final warning at the end.

"Finally, remember this: this school will never sacrifice students who can create value just for hopeless losers. So, think carefully about what you should do from now on."

That day, except for a few people who remained as calm as water, everyone else in the class felt as if a dark cloud had been cast over their heads. No one chatted, and no one discussed or communicated.

Watching this unprecedented silence, Chabashira nodded slightly before leaving after school, a rare trace of concern appearing in her eyes. "Is it really appropriate to tell them so early..."

At this moment, even she herself did not know.

However, despite that, the events of today could not be settled so simply.

Halfway home, Kushida Kikyo, who had been intercepted by people from various classes, finally couldn't help but stop in frustration and say, "Alright, alright, you want to know my training method, right? I'll tell you now."

As she spoke, Kushida's expression gradually shifted from gentle and sweet to sinister and vicious.

"Hmph, starting at 12 midnight!

Jog ten kilometers!

Five hundred push-ups!

Five hundred sit-ups!

Once your physical condition is decent, the final and most important step is to Gather Qi into Dantian."

"After finishing, immediately fill your mouth with chili water and watch a comedy show for an hour. During this time, you cannot swallow a single drop of water, nor can you let a single drop leak out; otherwise, you start all over again."

"If you can persist for a month, you can be just like me. That's it, bye-bye."

"Hey, wait, Kushida-kohai, isn't what you're saying a bit too ridiculous?" A senior boy obsessed with martial arts still wanted to ask from afar.

However, he was interrupted by a tall, thin man from the literature club standing beside him, who mocked: "What, you actually believe something a junior said casually? Come on, we're almost graduating; can you be a bit more clear-headed?"

But before his words had even landed, a sports student with an eight-pack of abs walked over, dissatisfied, and said: "You guy, go watch the school's surveillance footage carefully. Can that be faked? Even someone like Ryuen Kakeru could be easily pushed back several steps. Have you forgotten how he single-handedly crushed all the boys in your third-year Class C back then!"

"Bu... but, you saw it too, the training method that junior said is just absurd to the extreme." The tall, thin man tried to refute with a face full of embarrassment.

However, several boys from the second-year martial arts club behind him proved everything with their actions. One could hear the heroic declarations of "the warrior goes and never returns" ringing out from their phones.

"No way..."

The tall, thin man's jaw dropped. At this moment, he actually wondered if he had been wrong all along. "Perhaps absurd strength really does require absurd training to achieve?"

Thinking of the various unbearable memories of being bullied and oppressed in the past, the tall, thin man took a deep breath and silently extinguished the cigarette he had just lit against his palm. Shortly after, the phone he was holding rang with the anxious dissuasion of his family...

On the other side, Kushida Kikyo, who had no idea what kind of results her casual prank would cause, was currently blocked in a narrow alley by a man and a woman who had suddenly appeared.

"Ishizaki-kun, Ibuki Mio-san, what are you doing?"

"Heh, do you even need to ask? I just don't believe that you could beat our boss. My skin is itching for a fight, so Kushida-san, give me a lesson."

As he spoke, Ishizaki twisted his palms, his knuckles cracking, and the violent look in his eyes was self-evident.

"So Kushida Kikyo~ we're here to ask for some pointers. You won't refuse, will you?" Ibuki Mio followed up with a cold voice.

Seeing that they were staring at her intently after speaking, with no intention of attacking first, Kushida secretly took a deep breath. She instantly guessed that their intention must be to test her; otherwise, based on her understanding of Class C, these two typical militants would never have spoken so much if they really wanted to fight.

The only thing she could do now was to keep them steady as much as possible; she absolutely could not reveal any flaws.

Given Ryuen Kakeru's suspicious and vengeful nature, if he discovered she was a fake, he would never let her go easily, and might even use even more ruthless methods to find the mastermind behind Class D.

Looking at the two people eyeing her like tigers, Kushida felt the feeling of being weak and helpless for the first time. But the only thing she could do now was to pretend to be calm and stall for as long as possible, hoping only that the person she believed in would notice.

"Master... where are you~"