Crisis

After wrapping up the topic of Kushida Kikyo, they finally reached the moment everyone had been waiting for: answers. "You want to know why I let those people get away with whatever they wanted, right? Then first, tell me this: what is the fundamental principle governing all authority at this school?"

"W-what... principle?" Everyone looked bewildered.

Just as Chabashira shook her head in disappointment, Koenji, who usually lived in his own world, spoke up generously for the first time.

"Oh, ho ho~ How could you not know about the beautiful phrase 'ability above all'?"

Though his eyes remained fixed on admiring his reflection in the mirror, his clear voice was just loud enough to bring everyone to their senses.

Seeing that someone had answered, Chabashira continued without further ado, her tone cold. "That's right. Listen carefully. Every bit of authority and status you can gain at this school is determined by your class's strength. And if you look deeper, that even includes your dignity!"

"Dignity? How can it be like that?" A curly-haired girl blurted out in disbelief.

"Oh?"

"You don't believe it?"

Chabashira smiled contemptuously, then immediately played videos on the projection screen behind her, showing major cases from previous years that had been judged by the Student Council and teachers from all four classes.

Because of time constraints, each video showed only a rough outline of the outcome. Even so, when everyone saw case after case where the other side had clearly started the trouble, yet the final ruling ended up dragging them and their entire class down with them, they all fell silent and lowered their heads.

It wasn't just that every class punished with expulsion had been at the bottom. More than that, they empathized with what they saw: men and women just like them, visibly aggrieved and unwilling to accept their fate, only to be expelled in the end under all kinds of baseless accusations.

For the first time, everyone truly felt the coldness of human nature and the harsh realities of society.

Even Ken Sudō, who had always acted without a care, broke into a cold sweat as he watched. He remembered the previous times he'd faced expulsion. Fortunately, each incident had been stopped in time. Otherwise, if they'd kept pursuing the matter, maybe he would have already...

Seeing the class so subdued, Chabashira left them with one final warning before the end of the lesson.

"Remember this: this school will never sacrifice students who can create value for it to protect worthless dead weight with no future. So think carefully about what you should do from now on."

That day, apart from a few people who remained as calm as ever, everyone in the class seemed to have a dark cloud hanging over their heads. No one joked around, and no one discussed or chatted with anyone else.

Watching this unprecedented silence, Chabashira gave a slight nod before leaving after school. A rare trace of concern appeared in her eyes. "Was it really appropriate to tell them this so early...?"

At that moment, even she wasn't sure.

However, despite all that, the events of the day didn't end so easily.

On the way back, Kushida Kikyo was surrounded and blocked by people from the various classes. At last, she stopped in exasperation. "All right, all right. You want to know how I train, right? I'll tell you now."

As she spoke, the gentle sweetness in Kushida's expression gradually turned into something sinister and vicious.

"Hmph. Start at midnight!

Jog ten kilometers!

Do five hundred push-ups!

Do five hundred sit-ups!

Once you've trained your body enough, the last step—and the most important one—is to 'Gather Qi into Dantian.'

"After you're done, immediately fill your mouth with chili water and watch an hour of comedy shows. You can't swallow a drop or spill a drop. If you do, start over from the beginning.

"Stick with it for a month, and you can be just like me. That's it. Bye."

"Hey, wait, Junior Kushida! Isn't that a little too outrageous?" A martial-arts-obsessed senior tried to call after her from a distance.

But a tall, thin man from the literature club beside him cut him off, laughing. "What, you actually believe whatever some first-year girl says? Come on, we're about to graduate. Can you wake up?"

As soon as he finished speaking, a sports student with an eight-pack walked up behind them, looking displeased. "You! Go watch the school's security footage carefully. Do you think that can be faked? Even someone like Ryuen Kakeru was easily knocked back several steps. Have you forgotten how he beat up every boy in Class 3-C all by himself?"

"B-but you saw it too. That training routine the first-year girl described was completely ridiculous," the tall, thin man said awkwardly, still trying to argue.

But several second-year boys from the martial arts club behind them proved otherwise through their actions. The calls they made were full of bold vows, as if they were heading off on a one-way trip.

"No way..."

The tall man's jaw dropped. At that moment, he began to wonder whether he really had been wrong. Maybe it takes outrageous training to achieve outrageous strength?

Thinking of all the humiliating memories of being bullied and oppressed, the tall man took a deep breath. He silently put out the cigarette he'd just lit in his palm. Then he heard the person he'd called on the phone anxiously trying to talk him out of it...

Meanwhile, Kushida Kikyo had no idea what sort of consequences her offhand joke would bring. At that moment, a man and a woman who had suddenly appeared blocked her in a narrow alley.

"Classmate Ishizaki, Classmate Ibuki Mio, what are you doing?"

"Heh, do you even have to ask? You even beat our leader. I just can't believe it. You're asking for a beating, so why don't you let me teach you a lesson, Classmate Kushida?"

As he spoke, Ishizaki twisted his hands together. His knuckles cracked, and the violent look in his eyes said it all.

"So, Kushida Kikyo, we just came to test you out. You won't refuse, will you?" Ibuki Mio added coldly.

After they finished speaking, they stared intently at her, but made no move to attack first.

Kushida took a quiet, deep breath. She immediately guessed that they had come to test her. Otherwise, judging by what she knew of Class C, these two classic hotheads wouldn't waste words if they really wanted to fight.

The only thing she could do now was keep them calm as long as possible. She couldn't afford to let even the slightest weakness show.

With Ryuen Kakeru's suspicious and vindictive nature, if he discovered that she was a fraud, he would never let her off easily. He might even use a harsher approach to track down the mastermind behind Class D.

Looking at the two people glaring at her, Kushida felt helpless and vulnerable for the first time. But all she could do now was force herself to stay calm and stall for as long as possible, hoping that the person she believed in would notice.

"Master... where are you~"

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