Ryuuen Kakeru's Strange Journey

"Ryuuen, please hold on."

Tsukishima suddenly spoke, blocking Ryuuen Kakeru's path.

"We are currently at Sweet Talk Dessert Shop, and I am a staff member here. Because you disrupted normal business operations due to my other identity, this shop has the right to claim compensation from the disruptor, with the specific amount to be determined by the Student Council."

Ryuuen grinned fiercely, widening his eyes in an attempt to project a murderous glare.

But unfortunately, high school students who have killed people generally aren't admitted to schools, and this one was no exception.

Thus, Tsukishima could only see his eye boogers.

Like a creep, he licked his lips: "Is that all you've got? Kid's games?"

Tsukishima remained robotic: "Abiding by social rules and laws is the duty of every citizen."

"If you consider following rules to be kid's games, then you're welcome to try using force to coerce the Student Council President into stepping down, Ryuuen."

"Violence and schemes won't let you survive in society with dignity, Ryuuen."

Ryuuen squinted at Tsukishima: "Fine. Remember what you said today! See you in the special exams!"

With that, he left with his three underlings.

Nagumo Miyabi laughed, slinging an arm around Tsukishima's shoulder: "You called us here just to watch this show?"

Horikita Manabu also looked at him.

Tsukishima sighed, switching to human mode: "Actually, I wanted you to try the crepes I made myself, maintain our good relationship, boost sales a bit, and ask you a few things."

Nagumo rolled his eyes and sat down at an empty table: "Damn, you want us to taste your cooking and still charge us? Not only that, but you're fishing for info too? Have you no shame?"

Horikita sat across from Nagumo: "And provide you with backup?"

Tsukishima brought over the crepes and black tea he'd made, his tone slightly helpless: "I knew Ryuuen would come after me, but I didn't think it'd be this fast. What a coincidence, right?"

Horikita cut a piece of crepe with his knife and fork, then took a sip of tea: "The cream's a bit over-whipped. The tea's brewed well."

Tsukishima sucked in a sharp breath: "I didn't expect Horikita-senpai to know about whipping cream?"

Nagumo grabbed a crepe with his hands and took a bite: "I think it's fine. Don't mind Horikita, he's just showing off."

Tsukishima just smiled and didn't respond.

After they finished eating and drinking, Horikita spoke: "What do you want to ask?"

Tsukishima said: "It's like this—are there any restrictions on collaborations between clubs and on-campus shops?"

Nagumo laughed: "You're really interesting, trying to set up a collaboration outside of school festival time. What's your idea? Spill it."

Horikita rested his chin on his hands, waiting for his answer.

Tsukishima didn't hide it: "The Manga Club wants to promote their manga in the shop and collect feedback for improvement. Since I'm both in the Manga Club and a staff member, I wanted to check if it breaks any rules first."

Horikita nodded: "Club-shop collaborations are allowed. They're rare, but not unheard of. I'll send you the relevant documents later; you can pass them on to the Manga Club members and the shop owner."

"But remember, the collaboration must comply with regulations. If there are violations, the Student Council will intervene."

Tsukishima nodded: "Thank you very much, both presidents."

Hearing the title "both presidents," the two of them paused in unison.

Horikita adjusted his glasses, while Nagumo burst out laughing: "Kid, I like you. If that Ryuuen ever gives you trouble, come find me in the second year. I'll handle it! Hahaha!"

Tsukishima smiled: "Then thank you very much, Nagumo-senpai."

He took those words with a grain of salt. Anyone who believed them was an idiot.

Horikita sighed: "We still have things to do. We're leaving."

The two walked off side by side, Nagumo still laughing as he went.

Finally, they were gone. To be honest, both of them were incredibly annoying. One was the Student Council President, the other the head of the second year—neither was an easy mark.

But some things just couldn't be handled without dealing with them. Damn it!

The Boss Lady came out from the back kitchen, smiling: "Not bad, huh? I didn't know you were on good terms with the Student Council President and Vice President!"

Tsukishima sighed: "It's just so-so. Passable."

The number of customers dropped off after that, so Tsukishima ducked into the back kitchen to keep learning new dessert-making techniques from the Boss Lady.

Ryuuen returned to his dorm room, his three generals standing by his side.

"Boss, what do we do next? Should we handle it the same way as Class B?"

The speaker was Daichi Ishizaki.

Ryuuen snorted coldly: "Focus on Class D for now. As for that Tsukishima, this school has plenty of special exams!"

It wasn't that he didn't want to go after him, but Tsukishima had taken down Albert with one hand—though it was a surprise move, it showed his combat ability wasn't low.

Besides, Tsukishima usually went to the office after class, then holed up in the dessert shop after school. He often walked alone, but opportunities were still scarce.

This probe had at least confirmed one thing: this Yuto Tsukishima wasn't like Class B—someone who only defended without striking back. He might actually gather a group to corner someone in the bathroom for 72 hours!

They started planning how to deal with Class D, but over in Class D, Hirata Yosuke had already signed an alliance contract with Class B's Ichinose Honami, effective until Class D rose to Class C.

Back in his dorm, Tsukishima saw the contract's contents.

The gist was that Class B would pay Class D 1/3 of their class points multiplied by 100 in individual points each month, and Class D would use various means to attack Class C, with the option to seek help from Class B, and so on.

The content wasn't very rigorous. Tsukishima could spot several loopholes at a glance.

For example, regarding the clause about seeking help from Class B—what if Class B refused? What if the help Class D requested was too excessive?

These were all loopholes, but it didn't matter.

With Hirata Superman and Ichinose the Archangel keeping things in check, neither side would go too far.

[Hirata]: Currently, our cooperation involves Class B providing one-on-one tutoring to Class D students, aiming to surpass Class C in the midterm exams.

[Tsukishima]: Got it. Don't message me unless it's important. You guys handle it.

[Hirata]: Election group list: me, Karuizawa Kei, Sudo Ken, Yukimura Teruhiko, and Kushida Kikyo—five people total.

[Hirata]: I represent some of the boys, Karuizawa represents some of the girls, Sudo Ken represents the special talents in the class, Kushida Kikyo represents the remaining students, and Yukimura Teruhiko represents those who prefer quiet studying and have decent grades.

[Tsukishima]: Sudo Ken needs an assistant assigned to him. That gorilla brain of his isn't suited for such high-level work. Talk to him alone and explain your concerns.

[Tsukishima]: You can say something like this: "You're the most representative among the special talents, but you also know your temper is hot. When gathering everyone's opinions, people might be afraid to speak up. That's why I'm giving you an assistant—on one hand to support your work, and on the other, for you to learn from him/her how to stay calm and composed. I look forward to the day you truly become a qualified representative. I'm counting on you!" Then bow.

[Tsukishima]: You can tweak it, but that's the general idea. Flatter him, go along with him, first affirm his abilities, then point out his flaws, and finally express hope that he'll improve.

[Hirata]: ...Understood. What about the others? Are they all fine?

[Tsukishima]: Keep an eye on Karuizawa. She's the leader of the gyaru, but a normal gyaru leader would be assigned to Class C, not Class D. So she definitely has some hidden issues. Watch how she interacts with others. You can set up situations where she interacts with different personalities to test her.

[Tsukishima]: Yukimura also needs attention. He's good at studying but ended up in Class D—there has to be some reason, whether it's arrogance, inferiority, or a bad experience.

[Hirata]: Okay, I'll be careful.

[Tsukishima]: Then it's settled. When you decide to do something, you only need to convince Karuizawa and Kushida. At certain times, the class can be your one-man show. That's it.