Twenty: Tactics

"Damn man, you only show up now? Hmph!"

Kushida Kikyo should have cried out excitedly the instant she saw the person she'd been longing for. Instead, she stamped her foot in anger.

Horikita Suzune was still wondering when the guy had shown up. But when she noticed the displeased expression Kushida Kikyo wore at the sight of him, she couldn't help looking puzzled.

She clearly remembered that the two of them had been getting along pretty well lately.

But just as she was about to ask, the curiosity on her face froze in the very next second.

The girl who'd looked displeased moments ago had, in the space of a single glance, suddenly lit up with incomparable excitement. Tears glistened in her eyes.

"...You two wait here for a moment. I'm going to call the school's Security Department and report what happened." Horikita Suzune left them with a flat, exasperated remark, then hurried away.

Kushida had already returned to her little-angel persona. No longer able to contain her joy, she let out a trembling, tearful cry.

"Mas... Rinya, I knew you'd find me. I knew it... Waaaah..."

The girl, her eyes red from crying, ran toward him as if she were seeing her lover. It seemed that only by his side could she feel truly safe.

As the girl approached, Rinya smiled and patted her hair. Then, in a secret language only the two of them could understand, he whispered, "Shh. I really did stumble across some fine prey this time. I'll reward you when we get back, good girl."

Looking at Ibuki Mio, whose physical and mental abilities both ranked among the best in Class C, Rinya nodded to himself in satisfaction.

He'd been planning to plant one of his own informants in one of the other three classes before the Uninhabited Island exam, so he could get the latest information at any time.

"Talk about perfect timing. It practically fell into my lap. Heh."

"Mm." Kushida nodded slightly. As someone who'd been through it herself, she naturally understood what her master meant.

After speaking, Kushida nodded and immediately obediently stood to one side like a docile kitten, watching quietly.

"...Are you human or a monster?" Ibuki Mio, who'd begun to recover, tremulously asked as she stared at the boy, still completely unharmed.

She'd never imagined that a boy from Class D, whom she'd dismissed as all looks and no substance, had been hiding such incredible strength.

Not only had he moved so quickly that she'd thought she was seeing things, but he'd also been able to withstand an electric shock... If she hadn't seen him knock Ishizaki out with a single strike from his electrified hand, she would never have believed a human could do something like that.

"Heh. Can't you tell?" Rinya replied with an amused smile.

"I... I don't know." Ibuki Mio held her head, her thoughts in disarray.

But remembering the horrifying scene from earlier, she couldn't help asking, "But how come that high-voltage shock didn't hurt you?"

"Oh, you mean this?" Rinya pointed at the stun baton lying on the ground and smiled faintly. "Heh, sure, maybe it's dangerous for you. But for me..."

He paused, and his expression suddenly turned wistful. "It's all stuff I got sick of a long time ago. Besides stun batons, there were electric whips, electric chairs, electric beds... and plenty more. I've nearly forgotten them all."

"Ha... Thinking about it now, those memories still piss me off."

"W-what?" Ibuki Mio's eyes widened in disbelief. She'd always been good at reading people, and she was certain he wasn't lying.

Just what kind of terrifying place had he lived in? Why did simply hearing him talk about it make her feel cold all over?

"Forget it. Let's drop the subject. The more I think about it, the worse I feel."

Rinya shook his head, then fixed Ibuki Mio with a cold stare from his dark-red eyes. "All right, your turn. You just saved them, but I think you only did it out of basic human instinct."

"So my punishment won't be light. Heh."

"You..." Ibuki Mio didn't even get a chance to respond before he cut her off.

Feeling the immense, oppressive aura radiating from the boy before her, the girl who'd thought she could get away unscathed felt a level of terror she'd never even felt in front of Ryuen.

The psychological shock of what she'd witnessed earlier was simply too great. Anyone who'd seen it would have struggled to stay calm.

"D-don't come any closer..." Ibuki Mio trembled as she tried to back away.

But her legs had already gone weak with fear. She couldn't move.

A moment later, Rinya approached and lifted her with one hand as if she weighed nothing. She couldn't resist at all.

"No... No... Waaaah..."

In the end, Ibuki Mio was just a girl. No matter how much she'd swaggered around in front of others, relying on her impressive martial arts skills, under such pressure she couldn't help bursting into tears.

"Wow, you're quick to cry. But don't worry."

As he spoke, Rinya suddenly leaned close to her ear. A chilling whisper drifted out, making her heart tremble.

"Relax, I'm not a demon. Since you at least saved my people, I'll give you two choices. But you only have ten seconds to decide. If time runs out, I'll assume you chose the first one. Listen carefully."

"One: I cripple you and end your school career."

"Two: You become my informant in Class C."

"Nine, eight..."

"Wait! Hold on!"

"W-what are you saying?"

"I... I can't..." Ibuki Mio hadn't expected him to give her such an absurd choice. She stammered, her mind in turmoil.

"Four, three, two..."

"I..." Seeing that he wasn't giving her any time to think, Ibuki Mio instinctively fought for her life. Her face went pale as she shouted, "Two! I choose two! I choose two!"

"Heh. I thought you were so loyal to your class. Looks like you still put yourself first." Rinya gave her an amused smile.

Once he set her down, Ibuki Mio finally had a chance to ease her taut nerves. Then, apparently no longer able to suppress the fear she'd been holding back, she crouched down, covered her head, and began sobbing quietly.

After all, she'd seen Ishizaki get taken down instantly by his outrageous methods. She didn't dare bet that he wouldn't really cripple her.

She was scared. For the first time in her life, she was so terrified of someone that her mind reeled and her whole face trembled.

Seeing this, Rinya, who knew human nature's weaknesses well, let his eyes flicker slightly before adding, "But you don't need to worry too much. Being my informant just means giving me regular updates about Class C."

"I'll keep you safe, and in return, I'll grant the wish you want most."

Seeing that she was still crying without responding, Rinya's lips curled. His amused whisper rang out softly. "I'm guessing... you want to crush Horikita Suzune completely, don't you?"

Ibuki Mio reacted at last. Her tear-reddened eyes slowly turned toward Rinya, disbelief in her gaze. Her pupils contracted in confusion, and her face filled with horror.

"You... You must be a mon—"

"Smack!"

Before she could finish, the crisp sound of a slap rang out.

"How dare you insult my master after all this!"

Without warning, Kushida struck her viciously across the face. Ibuki Mio stood frozen, eyes wide, one hand pressed to her swelling cheek, utterly disbelieving.

She'd just been slapped by some worthless woman?

And she'd called him her master?

Apparently understanding something, Ibuki Mio took a deep breath and didn't retaliate.

She knew she couldn't wash away this humiliation right now. Grinding her teeth, she stopped looking at Kushida Kikyo's smug face.

Instead, with no trace of tears left, she crawled over to Rinya and spoke with a firmness she'd never shown before, each word deliberate. "R-Rinya... M-Master, I can gather information on Class C for you with complete dedication, but you have to promise me that afterward, I can fight her one-on-one, with no one allowed to interfere, until one of us kneels and begs for mercy!"

"Heh. Interesting idea, but..." Rinya's expression abruptly twisted into a snarl as he looked at Ibuki Mio. "Were you just trying to bargain with me?"

Before the girl could react, he grabbed her face with one hand and lifted her entire body off the ground.

She struggled with all her might, but an imperious, icy voice seemed to pierce her very soul. "Remember, the moment you chose to become my tool, you lost all right to bargain with me."

"What I choose to give you and what you demand are completely different things. I hope you remember that!"

"Mm-mmph..." Ibuki Mio could barely breathe under his grip. She nodded repeatedly, as if begging for mercy.

Only then did Rinya set her down.

But he gave her no time to rest. His suffocatingly cold voice soon drifted over again.

"But I should warn you: if I ever discover that you've betrayed me, your punishment won't stop at expulsion. I'm sure I don't need to spell it out for you. Heh."

He was only a high school student, yet in his terrifying eyes, Ibuki Mio seemed to see a true demon from hell, one who'd killed countless people, staring straight at her.

"Y-yes. Ibuki understands..." After being crushed physically and mentally once more, Ibuki Mio was utterly defeated. Now, like a puppet, she had no expression at all.

"Rinya, what are you doing!"

Just then, Horikita Suzune returned from her call. Seeing Ibuki Mio being lifted from a distance, she shouted angrily.

After all, Ibuki Mio had saved them at the last moment. And if Rinya took matters into his own hands now, the security cameras might catch it. Then even they, the supposed victims, could end up being punished.

At her words, Rinya gave a slight start. He'd nearly forgotten about the person involved. If he didn't explain things to her, he'd be in the spotlight again once the Security Department arrived.

He waved a hand and started toward Horikita Suzune. But as he passed Ibuki Mio, he paused for the briefest moment—though an ordinary person wouldn't have noticed.

The girl's eyes were already vacant, but after Rinya passed her, her numb expression trembled. Then, one by one, clear tears began to well up in her eyes.

"I accept that interesting proposal, including your wish to crush Horikita Suzune."

"As the tool I've chosen, you've earned that privilege—and my approval. If you have another wish, remember to tell me in private. I've already exchanged contact information with you. But if you break the rules in public again, I won't go easy on you. Remember that. Heh."

"You... You're such a weirdo!"

"Waaaah..."

Ibuki sobbed silently to herself.

That quiet voice in her ear had made her numb soul burn once more. This time, her fire would have a new direction, a new goal...