A Classroom Where Strength Reigns Supreme, Backed by Black Technology Chapter 10

Miyake was about to raise his hand to invite Hirata when a group of girls immediately swarmed around him.

"Me, me, me!"

"I want to go too!"

Watching the girls gather around, Hirata was a bit speechless—this wasn't what he wanted at all.

So he turned his gaze to Kanda and Miyake for help.

But those two completely ignored him, instead chatting among themselves.

No way! Who would want to offend that bunch of crazy girls? They'd get you killed with their stares!

Besides, Kanda wasn't very mobile, and tagging along with that group would definitely make him a nuisance—he might even get abandoned halfway.

Just as Hirata was stubbornly trying to invite other boys to join, a gal-style girl grabbed his arm and dragged him away.

"Let's go, Hirata-kun."

Watching Hirata being whisked away in a crowd, Shuichi Kanda shook his head and teased, "Being too popular is a kind of trouble too."

"Looks like busy Hirata-sama won't be able to have lunch with us."

Then the two of them exchanged knowing smiles.

After that, they stood up, ready to go eat too—lunch break was limited, and Shuichi Kanda still wanted to take a short nap.

"How pathetic."

As soon as he stood up, he heard Horikita Suzune's mocking voice from nearby.

Shuichi Kanda turned his head and saw Kiyotaka Ayanokoji left all alone—so Horikita Suzune was laughing at Ayanokoji.

Oh, maybe Hirata had been looking not just at him and Miyake, but also at Ayanokoji?

But clearly, Ayanokoji had been left out, and his deskmate was mocking him.

Perfect, the chance for payback had come so soon!

So Shuichi Kanda didn't hesitate to speak to Kiyotaka Ayanokoji: "Ayanokoji-kun, if you don't mind, want to have lunch together?"

"Of course!"

Kiyotaka Ayanokoji blurted out, then glanced at Horikita Suzune beside him.

Now the one caught off guard should be Horikita Suzune—that's what Shuichi Kanda predicted.

But Horikita Suzune just stood up, looked at Kiyotaka Ayanokoji, dropped a "How wonderful for you," and left the classroom.

And so, the three of them headed to the Student Cafeteria together.

When they arrived, there weren't many people left in line at the counter, because Shuichi Kanda was a bit slower than average, and the other two slowed their pace to match his.

"I want to try the Pan-fried Beef Set Meal. What about you two?"

After saying this, Kanda looked at Ayanokoji and Miyake.

"Huh? That thing's pretty expensive, isn't it?"

"But it's great for nutritional replenishment."

"True, but I bought Kyudo equipment yesterday, so I need to save some Points. I'll go to the next counter and get fish. What about you, Ayanokoji-kun?"

Watching Miyake turn his head, Ayanokoji hesitated for a moment: "Then I'll try the Pan-fried Beef too."

The food was made to order, so the two of them still had to wait a bit before getting their meals.

Watching Shuichi Kanda waiting in line ahead of him, Kiyotaka Ayanokoji thought that blending into school life like this wasn't so bad. But Kanda only had ten thousand Points left and was still eating such an expensive Pan-fried Beef Set Meal—was that really okay?

At that moment, Shuichi Kanda didn't realize that his balance had already been completely seen by Ayanokoji.

But he did notice that when paying, the Private Points on his phone automatically displayed. That wasn't a good thing—it was fine now with ten thousand Points, but by evening, his balance would become a shocking twenty million. If someone saw that, it wouldn't end well.

But earlier, when he watched the student in front pay, nothing had shown up. So it could be hidden, right? He just didn't know how to set it up. He'd figure it out later.

Chapter 18: Horikita Manabu's Art of Control

After finishing the clearly sizable Pan-fried Beef Set Meal, Shuichi Kanda felt a wave of satisfaction in his body.

"As expected of a set meal worth a thousand Points—not only nutritionally balanced, but really delicious too."

"But it's way too expensive. Even with a hundred thousand Private Points every month, you couldn't eat this many times, right?" Ayanokoji nodded in agreement beside him, also voicing his concern about Points.

"That's true. Even if you ate it twice a day, it'd cost sixty thousand Points a month." Then, as if something occurred to him, he looked at Shuichi Kanda. "Kanda, you're not planning to eat this every day, are you?"

"Yeah, at least this month, I'm having it once a day."

For himself, who was in a recovery period, these were necessities. Shuichi Kanda planned to come here every lunch.

As for dinner, he'd cook it himself, also focusing on nutritional balance—basically, eat more meat, get his body back to normal levels first. A month should be about enough.

After lunch, the three of them returned to the school building together, first going to the restroom, then to the classroom.

Just as Shuichi Kanda was about to take advantage of the last bit of lunch break to rest his head on the desk, the classroom speaker startled him.

[Starting at five o'clock this afternoon, a club information session will be held at Gymnasium 1. Students interested in clubs, please gather at Gymnasium 1. I repeat. Today...]

A cute female voice rang out three times in a row before the broadcast stopped.

"Clubs, huh? Miyake, you're going to the Archery Club, right?"

Shuichi Kanda said, lying on the desk.

"Of course. I already told Sato-senpai yesterday that I'd go to the club today." Akito Miyake turned his head, indicating he'd keep his promise.

"That's nice. Should I join the Archery Club too?"

"If you don't have any other plans, let's go together. Sato-senpai seems to welcome support staff who can maintain the bows."

As the two were talking, Horikita Suzune and Kiyotaka Ayanokoji behind them seemed to be speaking as well, but because he was lying down, Shuichi Kanda couldn't hear clearly. He only knew that while neither would join a club, they both seemed likely to attend this club orientation.

After school, following the GPS guidance, Shuichi Kanda and Akito Miyake arrived at Gymnasium 1, mentioned during the midday broadcast.

At Shuichi Kanda's pace, by the time he got there, they were basically among the last batch. A large number of first-year students had gathered, at least a hundred people.

It seemed that even some who didn't plan to join clubs had come.

Maybe they treated this as an extra social venue?

Even so, Shuichi Kanda thought the crowd was big enough, since the entire first-year class only had a hundred and sixty people.

"So many people want to join clubs? I wonder how many the Archery Club can take." Miyake, already worrying before even joining the Archery Club, really had the air of the next club president.

"Who knows? Maybe everyone's just here to watch the show."

"Don't say such discouraging things."

"But the clubs at this school all seem pretty strong." As he spoke, Kanda flipped through the club introduction pamphlet in his hand.

It was something placed at the entrance before entering the gym, apparently free to take, so Kanda grabbed one.

"Yeah? Let me see."

With that, Miyake's gaze shifted to Kanda's hands.

"Volleyball Club, Basketball Club—they're both regulars at the National Tournament. What's this? There's even a Golf Club? Isn't that a bit too extravagant?"

Watching Miyake make a big deal out of everything, Kanda was speechless. Shouldn't you be focusing on the Archery Club first? Honestly.

Flipping the page, the first club introduction was the Archery Club.

"Archery Club, regulars at the National Tournament, and they even won the championship two years ago. It's basically a national-level club."

"Huh? Really? Sato-senpai never mentioned that."

At the mention of the Archery Club, Miyake instantly forgot everything else he'd just seen.

This guy really loves archery.

"And besides the sports clubs, there are regular ones like Calligraphy, Tea Ceremony, and Cooking Club."

Seeing the name Cooking Club, Shuichi Kanda felt a stir. He wondered if joining would let him mooch some meals.

"It's starting."

As if echoing Kanda's words, a girl with striking purple hair tied into double buns stepped onto the gym stage, opened the microphone, and let her voice reach every corner of the gym.

"First-year students, thank you for waiting. Next, the club representatives will begin the recruitment orientation. I am Tachibana, the secretary of the Student Council, and I'll be hosting this orientation. Pleased to meet you."

After a brief self-introduction, this senior named Tachibana stepped back, and then the club representatives lined up on the gym stage.

The representatives were a mixed bunch—some seniors in judo gear looking tough, others in kimonos.

"My name is Hashigaki, and I'm the captain of the Archery Club. I think many students see archery as old-fashioned and plain. But it's very interesting and a sport worth doing. We welcome beginners, so please, by all means, join our club."

Senpai Hashigaki was a tall woman with a high ponytail. Though her looks couldn't quite match the kimono-wearing senior beside her, the large bow on her back added a heroic air, making her quite charming.

"So Sato-senpai isn't the one giving the speech."

"It looks like she's the next club president."

Compared to Shuichi Kanda, Miyake immediately saw the angle. He figured this Hashigaki-senpai was a second-year, and to smooth the transition of power in the Archery Club, they were letting her get some face time with the new students.

With the Archery Club's opening, the other clubs also gave flashy introductions of their own, until finally, a stern-looking man with glasses, sleek black hair, and a student uniform remained standing on stage.

By then, the crowd below was in chaos from the earlier club intros. They didn't seem to be there for club introductions but for a circus show, eagerly awaiting this final moment.

But the lone student on stage said nothing, just watching the students below with a composed demeanor.

"Hey, who's that guy?"

"Isn't he going to speak?"

"Did he freeze up and forget his lines?"

"Hahaha!"

"Go for it~~"

Voices of doubt, mockery, and encouragement came from the first-years below, but even so, the senior on stage remained unmoved.

Kanda noticed that the club representatives who'd introduced themselves earlier now wore stern expressions, not even daring to breathe loudly.

The laughter peaked with time, then suddenly fell silent.

After that, the students below looked at each other, unsure if it was a broadcast malfunction or something else.

Yet even then, the senior on stage stayed still. He just stood there, motionless.

Then, the relaxed atmosphere slowly shifted in an unexpected direction, like potassium permanganate that had just finished reacting under a catalyst, instantly going from boiling to stillness.

The entire gymnasium was filled with an unbelievable tension and silence.

This silence was so terrifying that even without anyone ordering it, people felt they couldn't speak.

Now, no one dared to open their mouths.

"Playing tricks."

Seeing this, Shuichi Kanda smirked and muttered under his breath.

But upon hearing this, Horikita Suzune, who had been standing in front of him all along, suddenly turned around and shot him a fierce glare, leaving him baffled.

Wait, Horikita Suzune was in front of me the whole time? I didn't notice at all.

Chapter 19: The Senior with Low Emotional Intelligence

Then, after this silence lasted about thirty seconds... the senior on stage finally slowly scanned the entire student body and began his speech.

"I am Horikita Manabu, the Student Council President."

Horikita Manabu? Horikita?

No wonder she glared at me just now. This guy is your relative or something, Horikita Suzune-san?

"This time, with the graduation of the upperclassmen, the Student Council will recruit outstanding individuals from the first-year students to take responsibility for the atmosphere and order of this school."

Taking responsibility for the atmosphere and order of the school—quite the bold claim.

No, perhaps that's exactly the authority and duty the Student Council holds in this school.

"In other words, this guy is the man currently standing at the top of this school?" From not far away, a cold-faced man with long red hair voiced his observation.