Manipulation

Seeing the two sides growing increasingly stubborn, neither willing to yield, the tension continued to mount.

To prevent the situation from escalating further, Horikita Suzune understood that regardless of the circumstances, since the fault lay with her, she had to resolve this matter personally.

Without any unnecessary chatter, Horikita Suzune wearily called for Sudo Ken to stop, took a deep breath, and bowed to Koenji with the utmost sincerity to apologize.

"Koenji-kun, there is no need to argue with him anymore. This is my fault. What kind of compensation do you require to forgive me? As long as it doesn't violate school rules and is within my power, I am willing to accept it."

"Horikita-san, you actually don't have to..." Sudo Ken wanted to say something more, but upon meeting Horikita Suzune's icy, irritated gaze, he could only swallow his words and fall silent with a bitter expression.

"Oh my, this beautiful lady, you really don't need to apologize to me."

"After all, I only wanted to know the reason. As for its value, I am not so bored that I would feel the need to haggle over it with the likes of you."

The voice remained clear and resonant, yet for some reason, by the end, it carried an inexplicable sense of condescension.

"Regarding the reason, I am afraid that I..."

"Snap!"

Before she could finish her sentence, Horikita Suzune's train of thought was interrupted by a crisp sound.

"Hey, what is that supposed to mean!" Hearing this, Sudo Ken, who had been holding back, could no longer contain himself.

He thought to himself: For the sake of a broken mirror, Suzune has already gone as far as bowing to apologize to him. To think that in the end, this guy would still dare to respond with such an insulting tone, dragging everyone else down with it.

The next second, the furious Sudo Ken, standing at one meter eighty-three, rose abruptly and grabbed a thick book, hurling it with all his might toward Koenji.

"Sudo-kun, stop! Calm down!" Seeing this, Hirata Yosuke, who had been trying to figure out how to handle the situation properly, hurriedly stepped in front of Sudo Ken.

Seeing the class representative take action, the other students who witnessed the scene also rushed to block the space between the two.

However, no one noticed that Rinya, who had been staring blankly out the window in the back row, had a small, crimson pen inexplicably appear in his hand.

At that moment, a faint phantom image appeared on the surface of the window over Koenji, and a gesture resembling a "take-down" had already been drawn upon him.

The meaning behind this remained known to no one...

"Damn it, wait for me after school, you ugly bastard!" Sudo Ken roared through gritted teeth.

Seeing that the book he had just thrown was easily dodged by the other party, who then struck a pose that was just begging to be punched, Sudo, already filled with pent-up rage from the incident with Ryuen Kakeru, could not tolerate him any longer.

However, even as he spoke, the moment he felt the look of disgust cast by Horikita Suzune, his heart sank abruptly. Only then did he realize with a jolt of sobriety that he seemed to have made another mistake...

He wanted to stand up and apologize, but the next sentence from Horikita Suzune left him completely frozen in place.

"Sudo-kun, that's enough!"

"This is my business, it doesn't require anyone else's interference. Please, stop meddling in my affairs from now on, okay? I'm begging you."

"Suzune-san, I..." Sudo Ken tried to explain, his voice weak and listless.

However, Horikita Suzune, who was already in a foul mood, seemed to have no desire to speak further with him, and her cold, detached voice made his heart feel as though it had turned to ash.

"First of all, I have no feelings for you whatsoever."

"So please, use the name Horikita. I am not that close to you."

"Also, from this moment on, could you please shut up? This is my business, thank you!"

Watching Horikita Suzune finish her words and turn to bow once more to Koenji to apologize for his actions, Sudo Ken slumped to the floor in a daze.

Panic-stricken sounds escaped his lips, fluctuating in volume as he lost control.

"How... how could it come to this~"

"The connection I had worked so hard to build, it's gone, all gone...!"

As his complexion turned deathly pale in an instant, he felt his blood surge, and his vision gradually faded into darkness.

"Ah, Sudo-kun, what's wrong with you~"

"His face is so pale, call the Emergency Department quickly!"

"What's happening? Boss, wake up, please..."

Amidst the various voices echoing in his ears, Sudo Ken's consciousness gradually slipped into a coma.

He did not know how much time had passed, but when he opened his eyes again, he was met with a stark white ceiling.

"A hospital, huh~" Sudo Ken muttered to himself.

The next moment, as if struck by a sudden thought, the big guy who rarely shed tears felt crystalline droplets begin to gather in his eyes, as if they might fall at any moment.

"Awake?" A calm voice sounded.

Sudo Ken, feeling utterly hollow, had no desire to pay attention to anyone, but upon hearing that it was him, he forced a stubborn smile and said, "Rinya, I never thought you would be the first one to visit me. You must be laughing at me, haha~"

"No, I am not the first. On the contrary, I just arrived. Don't mind it, hehe~"

Because it was the weekend, Sudo Ken, looking toward him, was slightly stunned by the fresh and handsome appearance the other boy presented in his white casual shirt.

If you can't find the book title, try searching for the author; perhaps the name has simply been changed!

Originally intending to tease the other boy for being too blunt, he found himself subconsciously adding a touch of self-deprecation to his words instead.

"Is that so? Your way of speaking is as simple and humorous as ever. It's no wonder so many girls have a crush on you, unlike me..." Sudo Ken gave a bitter smile.

"Aren't you going to ask who came to see you before me?" Rinya didn't pick up on his comment, instead looking at him with a meaningful expression.

"Sigh, what does it matter who it was? It's meaningless now anyway." A flash of sorrow crossed Sudo Ken's eyes.

Seeing this, Rinya revealed a faint, inscrutable smile. He continued, "That might not be true, but if you don't want to know, that's fine too. After all, your body hasn't recovered yet."

"Huh? What do you mean?" Sudo Ken was a bit confused.

Rinya feigned a gesture of concealment, waving his hand as if he didn't want to say anything more about it.

Seeing this, Sudo Ken, his curiosity piqued, naturally wouldn't let it go.

After being pressed repeatedly, Rinya finally agreed to tell him the truth, but told Sudo Ken to prepare himself mentally.

"Actually, the first person to come see you was Horikita Suzune."

Hearing this, Sudo Ken immediately widened his eyes, the excitement in them self-evident.

However, Rinya's next words were a 180-degree turn that completely shattered his defenses.

"Don't be happy just yet. While she did have her own reasons for coming to see you first, it was primarily at Koenji's request."

"What!"

"Cough, cough..." Hearing the name Koenji, Sudo Ken sat up halfway, his anger causing him to cough uncontrollably.

Rinya patted his back and feigned a look of annoyance. "Didn't I tell you to prepare yourself? If you're going to be like this, I'm not going to continue."

"Brother, don't do that~"

"I just couldn't control myself. Please, you have to keep going, otherwise I'll go crazy," Sudo Ken pleaded anxiously.

"I knew you'd be like this. Fine, fine, we're brothers after all, but you have to control your emotions."

"Yeah, I will."

Seeing the other nod firmly, Rinya didn't hesitate. "That day, Horikita Suzune agreed to the conditions Koenji proposed, which is why he didn't choose to report this incident to the teachers, you know."

"Otherwise, given your previous record, you would definitely have been expelled this time."

"Is it still because of that mirror?" Sudo Ken gritted his teeth.

"No, it's because of you."

"Me... is it because I threw a book at him?"

"No, that's not it."

"Koenji didn't actually care much about the mirror. Even if Horikita Suzune hadn't provided a reasonable explanation, he wouldn't have pressed the issue further."

"But!"

Rinya's tone shifted. "Do you remember what you called him?"

Sudo Ken searched his memory, but he didn't recall saying anything particularly nasty to him.

However, Rinya's next words left him completely speechless.

"Do you remember calling him an ugly guy? That one sentence touched his bottom line, as he has always been obsessed with his own beauty."

"Tch, isn't he, though?" Sudo Ken could still recall that punchable, ugly face of his.

"Whether he is or not is beside the point, but you probably didn't expect that this would lead him to make Horikita Suzune agree to a condition before he would choose to forgive her."

"The gist of this condition was that while she could be the first to visit you, she had to post a photo of you in the hospital on the School Forum at the same time, with the caption 'Ugly Person'."

"What? That bastard! Just you wait, just you wait!"

"Cough, cough, cough, cough~" Accompanied by a painful coughing fit, Sudo Ken clutched his chest and, without a second thought, hurriedly grabbed his phone to check.

However, when he opened it and saw not only himself but also the many people already discussing it in the comments, the usually prideful Sudo Ken was so angry that his hair stood on end and his face turned blood-red.

Seeing this, Rinya, as if he had expected it, comforted him, "Drink some water and calm down. That's all I can tell you. Fortunately, you weren't expelled in the end, but you'll have to be more careful in the future."

Looking at Sudo Ken, who was red-eyed and only able to nod dryly, Rinya didn't say anything more.

Just before leaving, he gave a special warning, "Don't try to settle the score with him privately. That guy spends every weekend at the gym; his strength is not to be trifled with."

"Yeah... thanks for telling me today, brother. Take care on your way."

Having indirectly learned the news, Sudo Ken saw Rinya off and then silently dialed numbers he hadn't called since entering the school.

The last time he had dialed these numbers, it seemed to have been before he was in the juvenile detention center...

After walking out of the school hospital, Ibuki Mio from Class C had been waiting at the entrance for a long time, her face full of worry.

"Master~ Is it really okay to lure Ryuen Kakeru and the others here? Won't there be a major problem?"

The Rinya who had just shown a hint of concern now wore a sinister smile.

"Heh, it's fine~ Everything is under control."

As he spoke, Rinya clenched his palm, his tone becoming increasingly playful.

"Koenji~ just how far does your strength really go? It's truly something to look forward to, heh..."