The man at the head had long red hair and a tall, lean build. He was like a venomous snake poised to strike, baring sharp fangs.
Class C's Ryuen Kakeru.
And his two lackeys, Ishizaki Daichi and Yamada Albert.
Himeno Yuki had just put away her book when her gaze instinctively turned toward Kitagawa Kai.
The instant the door was kicked open, the laziness vanished from Kitagawa Kai's face, and he did his best to put on a serious expression.
The deathly silence in the library was broken by Ryuen Kakeru's scoff.
"Heh."
He tilted his head and swept his gaze around the library like a searchlight, finally fixing it on Kitagawa Kai, his eyes full of provocation.
"Well, if it isn't our famous 'Peak of Advanced Nurturing.' You're quite the big shot."
"Who would've thought you'd come to a place like the library?"
As he spoke, he and his two lackeys slowly edged toward Kitagawa Kai.
"Ryuen!"
A gentle yet remarkably clear and firm female voice cut through the steadily mounting pressure.
Ichinose Honami abruptly stood up from the seat beside them.
She spread her arms slightly, shielding Kitagawa Kai behind her.
"This is a library. Please keep your voices down and don't disturb the other students."
The afternoon sunlight filtered through her pink hair, tracing a faint halo around her straight back.
"Kitagawa Kai, do you have to hide behind a girl now?"
The provocation in his words couldn't have been clearer.
Ichinose Honami furrowed her brows even more and was about to retort, but Kitagawa Kai gently placed a hand on her shoulder.
The touch was light, and faintly warm.
Ichinose's body stiffened almost imperceptibly.
His hand touched her lightly, then withdrew at once.
Kitagawa Kai stepped out from behind her, moving half a step forward until he stood almost shoulder to shoulder with her.
"Thanks, Ichinose."
"Dragon Boy."
The name left everyone stunned.
Not Ryuen.
Not Ryuen-kun.
It was a plainly belittling, contemptuous name.
"Pfft-"
A wave of suppressed gasps swept through the library. Even Ichinose turned to Kitagawa Kai in surprise.
The provocation on Ryuen Kakeru's face froze, then twisted into an even more vicious expression.
His thickset lackey Ishizaki cursed and stepped forward, but Ryuen Kakeru raised a hand to stop him.
Ryuen Kakeru stared at Kitagawa Kai. The corner of his mouth twitched, and his eyes turned dangerous.
"Did you just finish eating shit? Why does your mouth stink so bad?"
Silence.
"Hahaha! Good, very good, very damn good, Kitagawa Kai. You've got guts."
Ryuen Kakeru suddenly took a large step forward, ready to throw down at any moment.
Just then-
"Clatter."
The faint scrape of a chair leg against the floor rang out especially clearly in the tense silence.
The sound came from the area where Class B had gathered.
Kanzaki Ryūji expressionlessly pushed aside the chair in front of him, stood up, and moved to Kitagawa Kai's rear flank.
It was a signal.
Then another figure stood up.
It was Shibata Sō. He followed close behind Kanzaki, striding over several chairs before taking up position on Kitagawa Kai's other side, ready to fight.
Then a third, a fourth...
The Class B boys gradually gathered around.
In just a few seconds, the situation in the library had subtly shifted.
"Calling for backup?"
Ryuen Kakeru scoffed. He still looked aggressive, but there was no warmth in his laughter. "Think I'm scared just because you've got more people?"
Ichinose Honami was closest to Kitagawa Kai and clearly saw Ryuen Kakeru's anger flare up in an instant.
Her heart sank. She knew the worst might happen.
"Kitagawa-kun, there's no need to stoop to his level. Stay calm."
Her voice was very low, but every word carried a heavy weight of concern.
"Don't worry, Ichinose," Kitagawa Kai said softly.
Everyone's eyes, whether open or hidden, were fixed on Kitagawa Kai.
He had been the original focus of the conflict, and now he was the one who would decide what happened next.
Ryuen Kakeru had clearly noticed them speaking in low voices. His vicious grin grew even more brazen.
"What's this? Kitagawa Kai, discussing your strategy with your little girlfriend?"
Ishizaki and Yamada joined in with grating laughter.
At the words "girlfriend," Ichinose Honami's face immediately flushed red, and a few wisps of embarrassed, angry heat seemed to rise above her head.
Just as Ichinose was overcome with embarrassment and the three from Class C were gloating-
"Heh. Dragon Boy, I'm glad you think Ichinose is my girlfriend."
"?!"
The words left everyone stunned.
Ichinose Honami looked up sharply, a hint of secret excitement flashing in her blue eyes.
Kitagawa Kai's voice sounded again. "But I really didn't like your tone just now."
"Didn't like it?" Ryuen Kakeru wore an even more twisted expression, dropping the talk about men and women.
"If all you can do is run your mouth, then Class B really is good at it! Last month, you took 500,000 points from our class with nothing but your words."
"What, you've earned enough points now, so you've got the nerve to talk tough?"
"Ryuen, I've always been a little curious," Kitagawa Kai said, his voice still steady, though his words began to stiffen the vicious grin on Ryuen Kakeru's face.
"Class C traded 500,000 points last month. This month, have you been squeezing your classmates even harder?"
The faces of all three from Class C turned extremely grim. This month, their classmates hadn't been very eager to hand over their points, and some had even begun openly opposing Ryuen Kakeru.
"What happens in Class C is none of a piece of trash from Class B's business!"
"True, it isn't." Kitagawa Kai readily nodded, but then shifted his tone. His gaze returned to Ryuen Kakeru, and his voice took on an almost pitying edge of mockery.
"I just feel a little sorry for Class C's students. Following a leader who rules through violence, a leader who makes his underlings fill the hole whenever he loses..."
He paused and shook his head lightly.
"Going to school must be exhausting."
"Fucking hell!!!"
Ryuen Kakeru finally exploded. He no longer cared about the consequences. With a furious roar, he sprang forward like a rabid beast breaking out of its cage and swung a fist straight at Kitagawa Kai's face!
"Kitagawa-kun!" Ichinose cried out.
"Ryuen!" Kanzaki, Shibata, and the others also turned pale and rushed to stop him, but it all happened too fast.
The students from Classes B and D widened their eyes.
Yet, in the face of the thunderous blow, Kitagawa Kai's gaze didn't waver in the slightest.
He didn't even step back. The instant the fist reached him, he merely swayed slightly, dodging the vicious strike.
Everyone could clearly see Ryuen Kakeru lose his balance when his full-force punch missed.
They could also see Kitagawa Kai's hands, as he dodged sideways, lock onto Ryuen Kakeru with the precision of snakes that had been coiled and waiting.
A simple, direct joint lock that controlled both the joint and the center of gravity, yet was cruelly precise!
Secret technique-Arm-Shoulder Joint Lock!!!