"Maybe we shouldn't be talking about this kind of thing in class."
Yamauchi patted Kiyotaka Ayanokoji on the shoulder and laughed dismissively.
"What does it matter? We're just having fun. It's just a little boring because so few people are playing right now."
Ike, one of the trio of losers, squeezed his way over. "Just so we're clear, I'm in."
"Me too."
"I'm in too!"
"Don't underestimate my breast-size monitor. I'm not going to lose."
The boys in Class D kept egging one another on, completely oblivious to the girls around them gradually moving away.
The girls had been gathered in the corner, discussing explicit topics. Now they were looking at the boys with disdain, as if they were filth.
"By the way, I'm betting on Sakura."
"Sakura seems pretty ordinary. Why are you betting on her, Yamauchi?"
Sakura was an average girl in class. She dressed plainly and wore a pair of ordinary glasses.
She was often timid, hunched over at the back of the classroom, and seemed to have no presence at all.
"Actually, Sakura confessed to me." Looking at Yamauchi's confident expression, Ayanokoji almost believed him.
But considering Sakura, who was huddled up not far away, the odds of it being true were zero.
"Seriously?! Yamauchi, you're that popular?"
"It's true, but keep it a secret. Honestly, a girl as ordinary as her? I'd dump her right away.
"But I've seen her in casual clothes, and she's pretty stacked."
"That's rough. Even if she's plain, a huge figure is a pretty acceptable advantage."
Ike, who was determined to be the first to get a girlfriend, was now looking at Yamauchi with envy.
"Well, I'm not interested in plain-looking girls. If someone wants to date me, she'd have to be at least like Kikyou-chan or Hasebe."
While the boys in Class D were still chatting away, Hasebe entered through the back door with a dark expression.
Behind her came a group of stone-faced Class B students and... Class C students who seemed to be there for the show?
In fact, Yuki Gyakukai and the others had been standing at the back door for a while.
They'd originally wanted to see just how shameless the boys from Class D could be, but in no time at all, the conversation had sunk to a truly disgusting level.
Those brainless idiots were like humanoid goblins with their heads full of jizz.
Fortunately, the Class B students had taken out their phones ahead of time and recorded everything.
"Who are you? Why are you taking my computer?!"
Hideo Tonouchi, who had been happily discussing things with the others, flew into a rage when he saw a stranger take his computer.
"Hey, who are you?!" Ken Sudō reacted as well, glaring and reaching for Hideo Tonokura's computer.
Unfortunately, he was too slow.
Yusoku Gyakukai, his face expressionless, took a step to the side.
He spread his left hand and grabbed Ken Sudō by the throat, pinning him against the wall.
Sudō, caught off guard, felt his life was in danger.
Veins bulged in both his arms as he struggled to pry the hand away from his throat.
But no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't break free. The more he struggled, the tighter the hand around his neck seemed to squeeze.
A suffocating sensation pressed in on his nerves. His breathing grew more and more ragged, yet he was getting less and less oxygen.
To everyone else, it had all happened in the blink of an eye. But as they saw Sudō's face turn red,
his arms grow weaker, his eyes roll back, and the veins bulge on his forehead...
If they didn't stop this, someone was going to die!
"Gyakukai, let go!"
"Yuki, could you let go already? That red-haired gorilla looks like he's about to die."
If he died, it'd be a pain to deal with.
The first voice belonged to one of the Class B students who had come along. The second, with its overly familiar way of addressing him, could only belong to Miss Tomie.
But Miss Tomie sounded so nonchalant, as if she didn't care about a life that could vanish in an instant.
Bam!
It seemed someone had thrown a chair, but just before it could reach Yuki Gyakukai,
he took a small step back. His gaze remained as indifferent as ever as he snapped out a fierce kick, shattering the flying chair with ease.
The broken pieces scattered across the floor without hurting anyone.
Rokusuke Kouenji, seated by the window, had been unconcerned by the commotion around him. He'd been fixing his hair,
but the moment he lowered his mirror, he finally took an interest.
First, he glanced at Yousuke Hirata beside him. "How unbeautiful. Ambushing someone is a bad habit."
Then he slowly stood and turned his gaze toward the back row.
"It's been a long time, Yuki Gyakukai and Tomie Hanyu of the Hanyu Zaibatsu."
Although Kouenji was greeting them, he clearly wasn't the center of attention at the moment.
No one paid him any mind. Instead, Hirata, who had thrown the chair, stared darkly at Yuki Gyakukai, who had just released Sudō.
He hurried to the back of the classroom and helped Sudō up. Sudō's face was still red, and he was still dazed from his brush with death.
"Sudō, are you okay?"
Sudō didn't answer. His mind was still in a fog.
"Well, well, you Class D trash, ready to pay up?"
Yuki Gyakukai looked down at them, his gaze cold and detached, as if what had just happened were nothing more than a trivial matter.
"Yuki Gyakukai, right? Why did you do that?"
After taking Sudō to the side, Hirata, his expression icy, stepped back in front of Yuki Gyakukai to confront him.
"I didn't like the look of him. Do I need to explain it again?
"Most of the boys in Class D really are lacking in decency. When they were insulting the girls just now, why didn't you step in? You're useless."
Yamauchi and the others, who had been called out, avoided his gaze and didn't dare raise their heads. Hirata felt a little ashamed as well.
The Class D students, who hadn't understood the sudden conflict, finally realized what was going on.
The fear on their faces gave way to a different look.
Hirata felt ashamed, but his expression remained dark.
"Even so, this is an issue within our class. What does it have to do with someone from another class?
"There are plenty of cameras in the classroom. Aren't you worried they recorded what you just did?"
That was right. There were cameras.
At Hirata's reminder, everyone present came to their senses. Ichinose and the other Class B students anxiously looked toward the corners of the classroom.
"Black balloons?"
To everyone's surprise, the spots where cameras had originally been placed in the four corners of the classroom were now blocked by piles of black balloons.
Before you continue