Classroom of the Mediocre Supremacist

Karuizawa Kei gradually calmed down as well.

She turned around and lay on the bed, looking at Hoshino En.

"Hoshino-kun, I didn't mean any harm just now..."

"I don't believe you."

Since the facade had already been torn apart, Hoshino En no longer cared about saving face on the surface. He directly shoved his true thoughts in front of Karuizawa Kei.

"That's because you're thinking too badly of me."

"I've always seen people this way. One face in public, another behind their backs. Humans are such hypocritical creatures—what they say with their mouths and what they think in their hearts are completely different."

"Then is Hoshino-kun like that too?"

"Of course. I'm not thick-skinned enough to claim I'm a person of consistency inside and out."

He had always been someone loyal to his own desires. If he liked something, he'd lend a hand; if he hated it, he'd destroy it. Because he detested trouble, he maintained the bare minimum of social interaction, but that was all—he held a passive attitude toward everything around him.

"And aren't you the same? Because you don't believe others are as kind as they appear on the surface, you think to cling to the strong and become a parasite."

"I don't think that way at all."

First Semester of First Year:

Chapter 25: Sigma Men Never Fall into Women's Traps

"To me, Hoshino-kun, you're different."

With that, Karuizawa Kei sat up and placed her hands on her clothes.

Pop, pop... She unbuttoned her shirt, then took it off along with her already open jacket, revealing the innermost layer of her underwear.

"What are you doing?!"

This move immediately put Hoshino En on high alert. Having a deep understanding of women's power, he didn't see this as any kind of blessing.

He sprang up from the bed and kept his distance from Karuizawa Kei, who was following suit by slowly removing her skirt.

"Of course, I'm here to explain one thing to you: I like you, I love you—those words are not a lie."

Wearing only a set of underwear and thigh-high black stockings, Karuizawa Kei slowly walked toward Hoshino En.

"You might not know just how much of an impact that hand you casually extended to me back then had on me."

Step by step, she approached Hoshino En; step by step, he retreated until he reached the door of the room.

Hoshino En couldn't just open the door and flee. This was the girls' floor, and based on his understanding of the [Empress Clique], they were probably still eavesdropping and watching the fun outside. If he rushed out recklessly, he'd only end up at a disadvantage.

Now he had no way out.

"You..."

Before Hoshino En could say more, a soft touch had already pounced onto him.

The girl buried her head in his chest, breathing in his scent heavily. The sound was especially clear in the quiet room.

"Sniff... I know you won't believe my one-sided words... sniff... or rather, you probably don't believe anyone at all... sniff... so I'll give you [proof] that can make you trust me."

She took his phone from his pocket and opened the camera app—for convenience, most phones' camera apps can be used even without unlocking the screen, and the same went for the phones provided to students by Kodo Ikusei.

She switched the phone to video mode, then propped it up on the shoe rack at the entrance, the camera aimed at the door—where they were.

"Film my embarrassing side, use it to threaten me, and add in the secret past of mine that you already know—that should be enough to give you a [sense of security], right?"

"With my [dark history] in your hands, I'll never be able to escape your grasp, never be able to betray you... Use me as your most convenient tool!"

As she spoke, she began reaching out to unbutton Hoshino En's top.

Hoshino En: "..."

Though he had never been in love or had a first experience, he had studied male-female relationships.

As the saying goes: When someone who fits all your preferences and is full of love for you appears, do you believe it's true love, or that they have ulterior motives?

Hoshino En didn't know what others would think, but he firmly agreed with the latter view.

So... he had still misjudged her.

He looked at Karuizawa Kei, who was [offering herself] to him, his expression grave.

He had thought she was just a cowardly weakling, an unremarkable gyaru character, but he never expected she could use her own body as a [bargaining chip].

There were probably recording devices or video devices running in this room right now, weren't there?

Once he gave in and showed weakness according to her wishes, that would become the most powerful evidence for her to threaten him.

So, he had to take back the initiative.

Thinking this, he let his left hand, which had been stiff, droop as if in acceptance.

Seeing that he seemed to agree, a smile appeared on Karuizawa Kei's face. She reached out to take his hand.

Just as her attention was entirely focused on his left hand, Hoshino En swung his right fist heavily into her solar plexus.

Thud—

Excruciating pain wracked the girl's body, her limbs curling inward involuntarily.

She collapsed to the floor. Though she hadn't lost consciousness, she had temporarily lost the ability to move.

Lifting her head, she stared at Hoshino En with a gaze full of confusion and bewilderment.

"How much 'blackmail value' do you think a 'dark past' has when it comes straight from the mouth of the person involved?"

Hoshino En looked down at her, his eyes cold, his tone heavy.

With that, he took off his jacket, used it as a rope to bind her hands behind her back, pulled off her stockings, and stuffed them into her mouth.

After confirming that she couldn't move or call for help, Hoshino En searched her room, looking for anything that could be called a monitor or listening device.

However, after rummaging through boxes and cabinets for about thirty minutes, he found nothing of the sort. Karuizawa Kei didn't seem to have set such a trap for him.

Since it wasn't in the room, it might be on her person.

Hoshino En turned his gaze to the girl still lying in the corner, wearing only the bare essentials.

She was now leaning against the wall, her eyes fixed on him, her body showing no signs of struggle.

The rims of her eyes were slightly red, as if misted with tears.

But after stripping away all her armor, Hoshino En still found no relevant electronic devices.

That meant... Hoshino En's gaze drifted to her lower body.

Hidden inside her body?

Noticing his suspicious stare, Karuizawa Kei finally began to struggle.

Judging by her flushed face and the tears streaming from her eyes, she was truly resistant to this, but it didn't stop Hoshino En's inspection.

Yet, the girl's purity was intact, and there were no signs of any development on her body. Hoshino En found no possibility of a recording device being hidden on her.

Could it be... that she really did this out of emotion, just as she had literally said?

Hoshino En didn't believe it, but he couldn't explain the reality that had exceeded his expectations.

He picked Karuizawa Kei up, laid her on the bed, and removed the gag from her mouth.

"What's your real goal? Confess!"

"Do you believe me now?!"

Karuizawa Kei shot back, her flushed face still carrying an expression of abnormal excitement.

Hoshino En: "..."

"I'm not naive enough to trust you that easily."

"I see..."

The girl's expression turned a little desolate.

Even though she had anticipated this situation might occur when he confronted her earlier, it still hurt when it actually happened.

"I mean you no harm, Hoshino-kun."

"A year ago, you saved me. You gave me a new life. This life of mine now belongs to you."

"So, no matter what you do to me, I won't mind—even if you want to take my life, I'll accept it gladly."

"As long as I can help you, even if it brings you a moment of pleasure, I'll gladly offer you everything I have."

"But, only this..."

She blushed and lowered her head, revealing her purity.

"Only this, I hope you will take it yourself—aside from this, I have nothing left to repay you with."

"There are no devices recording video or audio in this room. You've already checked yourself, haven't you? Matsushita and the others already know we're alone. No one will disturb us."

"Now is the perfect time, Hoshino-kun. Accept my feelings."

Hoshino En: "..."

Even after being persuaded like this, Hoshino En ultimately did not take Karuizawa Kei as she had hoped—DNA testing of bodily fluids would be an even more damning piece of evidence than video or audio recordings, and he wouldn't act irrationally due to physiological urges.

But in the end, he did as Karuizawa Kei had initially wished and took videos and photos of her acting spoiled toward him.

Although his [deduction] about her had been flawed, from a practical standpoint, he found that she wasn't tough enough to remain indifferent to the spread of her compromising images.

Therefore, this thing still held [blackmail] value.

Covering her with the blanket, Hoshino En straightened his clothes, pushed open the door, and walked out.

Outside, just as he had thought, Karuizawa Kei's [Queen's Group] was hiding behind the door, eavesdropping.

If he had walked out carelessly earlier, he would have definitely been caught red-handed.

Good thing, good thing.

"Ah! Hoshino-kun... aren't you going to stay and play with Karuizawa-san a little longer?"

Matsushita Chiaki, standing at the front, asked him, her face full of excitement.

"Yeah, we won't disturb you."

Standing to her right, Sato Maya chimed in, her gossip-seeking intent practically shoved right in his face.

Behind the two of them, Mori Nene, for reasons unknown, was bright red, but her expression still carried that same look of someone eager for drama.

Hoshino En: "..."

Then don't eavesdrop in the first place!!

"There's nothing between me and Karuizawa. What just happened was an accident. Don't let your imaginations run wild."

"Besides, neither I nor Karuizawa are the type to recklessly do something so casual. Don't go whispering rumors behind our backs."

After brushing them off, Hoshino En took the elevator down a floor and returned to his own room.

He still had a meeting with Kushida Kikyo later.

After Hoshino En left, the [Queen Bee Group] flooded into Karuizawa Kei's room.

The moment they saw Karuizawa Kei wrapped in a blanket with her clothes folded by the bed, they immediately fired off curious questions.

"Karuizawa-san, how was he? Was he good?"

"Karuizawa-san, I heard a girl's first time hurts a lot. How do you feel now?"

"Karuizawa-san, do you need me to pour you some brown sugar water?"

Even though Hoshino-kun had said what he did, judging by Karuizawa-san's current state, his words clearly had some holes in them.

From the looks of it, hadn't they done everything?!!!

Karuizawa Kei: "..."

"Actually, we didn't do anything. We just talked about middle school stuff."

"Really?" ×3

They didn't believe it at all.

Did catching up really require taking off your clothes?