Hesitation Means Defeat; Searching Is a Kind of Wisdom / Dinner, Gaze, Public Outrage

"It wasn't just her, or rather, it wasn't just her, but also A-Sho... and probably A-Sho's friends. He's probably going to talk about the matters under review today."

"The Dragon Boy..."

Suddenly, there was silence on the other end of the receiver.

"Sakayanagi?"

"I'll go tonight too. Send me the address. What I need to tell you is really important."

"I'll also bring Kamuro. Have the Dragon Boy find a bigger place. We'll talk about the rest later."

After saying that, the phone was hung up.

Hoshino En: "..."

He looked at Shiina Hiyori, who was blinking at him, and waved his phone.

"Shiina, could you please tell A-Sho that I need to bring two more people?"

Bring two more people? Are they Classmate Sakayanagi and... Kamuro?

Should I take both of them to see Ryuen?

Thinking of this, Matoba suddenly appeared in Shiina Hiyori's mind: En-kun holding Classmate Sakayanagi's hand, Kamuro- kun following behind, and Ishizaki -kun standing face to face with Ishizaki-kun on one side and Yamada - Ryuen behind, their eyes meeting, as if sparks were flying in their eyes.

"Um... you guys aren't going to fight, are you?"

"How could that be! I'm not the kind of troublemaker who goes around causing trouble."

Hoshino En gave Shiina Hiyori's concern 6 downvotes. "Does he seem like the type to fight with his friends? You're kidding."

And it was the same last time. She's usually a beat slow to react, but she reacted immediately after Ichinose said something that could be misunderstood. Her mind worked faster than Sakayanagi and Ichinose.

Sometimes he really wanted to open the head of this well-read literary girl and see what was inside that allowed her thoughts to diverge so wildly.

They won't fight... that's good, that's good.

With Hoshino En's assurance, Shiina Hiyori breathed a sigh of relief, but new problems soon took over her muddled mind.

However, if Ryuen and En-kun were to confront each other, whose side should she take? If it were a competition between classes, she should stand behind Ryuen; but En-kun doesn't intend to get involved in the class competition, and it was indeed Tokito -kun who was in the wrong, so she should stand behind the [righteous] En-kun.

Hmm... Oh right, Ryuen will probably bring Ibuki along too. To balance the numbers, she needs to be on En-kun's side.

That's right, that's how it should be!!

First Semester of First Year:

Chapter 133, Chapter 125: Hesitation Leads to Defeat; Searching is a Kind of Wisdom

The rest of the time passed as usual, and Hoshino En enjoyed her long-awaited reading time with Shiina Hiyori.

However, in the quiet and peaceful atmosphere, Shiina Hiyori was not reading as attentively as usual. She frequently turned her head to look at Hoshino En, but said nothing. Then she turned back, shaking her head, with an undisguised bright smile on her face.

What's wrong with this child today? Why is he suddenly so happy? Did something good happen?

Although Hoshino En wondered if she was also bewitched like Karuizawa Kei when she suddenly changed her way of addressing him, he had no troubled past with Shiina and did not see the kind of obsession that Karuizawa Kei had in Shiina's eyes, so he immediately ruled out this possibility.

Or is maintaining a friendship something Shiina is really happy about? Her Class C just got a really bad beating!

Hmm... I don't understand, I can't figure it out, I can't make sense of it. Being naturally clueless is really troublesome.

Forget it, if I can't figure it out, I won't think about it anymore. As long as Shiina is happy, then there's no problem.

The afternoon passed quickly, and in the evening, Hoshino En took Shiina Hiyori to the Yakiniku Restaurant that Ryuen Kakeru had specified.

However, before he even saw Ryuen Kakeru at the store entrance, he first saw Princess A of Class A and her loyal dog.

"Greetings, Hoshino-kun, Shiina."

Sakayanagi Arisu leaned on her Cane, but instead of reaching out her hand as she had done before, she simply nodded slightly.

This caused Hoshino En's outstretched hand to freeze in mid-air.

Seeing his stunned expression, Sakayanagi Arisu chuckled mischievously, a smug look on her face.

"Oh my~ Hoshino-kun, are you trying to help me up? I'd like to too, but we're on opposing sides today, and I can't show weakness in front of [the enemy]."

But the next second, the smile on her face couldn't be held back—because Shiina Hiyori took Hoshino En Yukino's right hand.

"En-kun, since Sakayanagi Arisu's intentions are not good, you don't need to give her any special attention. Let's go inside."

Without even glancing at Sakayanagi Arisu, she pulled Hoshino En into the Yakiniku Restaurant, leaving Sakayanagi Arisu and Kamuro Masumi watching the spectacle.

"I told you long ago, Hoshino is a bit straightforward and slow-witted. When dealing with him, you have to be frank and not bring any unnecessary pretension."

Kamuro Masumi stood behind Sakayanagi Arisu, witnessing the entire interaction between the three, as well as Sakayanagi Arisu's defeat.

"Actually, you really want him to hold your hand, don't you?"

Sakayanagi Arisu: "..."

"The fact that he took the initiative to do 'that' with you that day shows that you're already much ahead of the others, but now you insist on being stubborn and caring about so-called 'class competition' at a time like this. Now look what you've done!"

Sakayanagi Arisu: "..."

"While from my perspective, it would be better for you to take the [class competition] seriously, if you consider your relationship with Hoshino, I suggest you win him over first, make it official, and then think about the [class competition]."

Sakayanagi Arisu: "..."

"However, he's very popular with women. Even if you two officially announce your relationship, I feel the chances of you having a runaway girlfriend are much higher. So you should forget about romance and focus on the [class competition]!"

"In Kodo Ikusei, it's not hard to find three-legged toads, but there are plenty of outstanding boys out there, right? There's Horikita Manabu in the third year, Miyabi Nagumo in the second year, and even Katsuragi, he'd be alright, wouldn't he? I think he's quite considerate to girls, and he hasn't gotten angry even though Totsuka has caused him so much trouble so many times. He's got a good character!"

"Kamuro, please stop showing off your meager knowledge."

Sakayanagi Arisu turned and glared at her follower, her face clouded with anger.

"I'm not so weak that I need you to worry about my love life. Besides—"

She turned back and looked down at her left hand, which should have been warmed by a loving hand but was now standing alone, exposed to the cold wind.

"Besides, he's different. He's the one who's most compatible with me... Only he can!!"

Looking at Sakayanagi Arisu, who looked dejected but still stubborn, Kamuro Masumi felt like a miserable mother watching her daughter fall in love with a blond-haired man, and how she tried to persuade her but was instead met with angry shouts from her, "[He's different from others]!" and "[He's my true love]!"

Did he cook you plain porridge? Or did he stand downstairs at your dorm in the middle of the night to pick you up and take you home?

Oh my god, I absolutely never want to have children again, and if I do, I absolutely never want a daughter like Sakayanagi who's so fragile and stubborn to the extreme!!

Following the directions to the private room sent by Ryuen Kakeru, Hoshino En quickly arrived at the location.

"Hey, Gloomy Starry Eyes, you're here so early!"

He ran into Ryuen Kakeru right at the door of the private room.

"But didn't you say there were two other people? Why did you come alone?"

Ryuen Kakeru glanced at Hoshino En and Shiina Hiyori's clasped hands, then quickly returned his gaze to Hoshino En's face.

"Sakaya and Kamuro will be delayed for a while. As for you, A- A-Sho, I thought you'd just sit in the private room and wait. Why are you waiting at the door?"

"Of course it's because I want to see you as soon as possible!" (Gloomy Starry Eyes)

Ryuen Kakeru walked around to the other side of Hoshino En where no one was occupying, and put his arm around her shoulder.

"I have so many things I want to talk to you about, Hoshino!"

His arm was strong; rather than a harmonious and loving touch, the force seemed more like it was to prevent him from escaping.

The visitor seemed ill-intentioned, and considering what Tokito Yuya had done to Sato Maya, Hoshino En Hoshino's face darkened.

"I'd also like to talk to you about that shady thing you instructed Tokito to do, Ryuen."

He shrugged and shoved Ryuen Kakeru aside.

"You bastard..."

After taking a less-than-perfect [Iron Mountain Lean] from Hoshino En, Ryuen Kakeru clutched his chest and took two steps back, his expression slightly changing.

Although the attack wasn't fully unleashed due to the short distance, Ryuen Kakeru still felt real pain and chest tightness.

What's going on with this guy? Is he that strong?

After knocking Ryuen Kakeru back, Hoshino En patted the shoulder that Ryuen Kakeru had leaned on, her voice lowered.

"A-Sho, this is just a school, and we're all classmates, so I don't want things to get too ugly. I don't care about my place in Class A."

"In the end, even if you become a student in Class A and receive the benefit of [100% employment and further education], that's just the beginning of your life: getting into university doesn't guarantee a smooth graduation; getting into a good company doesn't mean you won't be laid off—so you can do whatever you want for that position that offers no benefits, as long as you don't go too far, I don't care."

Swelling "you--"

"I'm not talking about Sudo's matter, I'm talking about Tokito's matter. He's someone you trained, and how you punish him later is your business. But now that he's made a mistake, it's naturally up to you and Class C, which you represent, to take responsibility."

:"I--"

"You're saying Tokito told you he didn't do that, that he's been framed? But can he produce evidence to prove his innocence? You're a man too, don't you understand men's minds? Would you honestly tell other people about your philandering? Can you be sure Tokito really didn't do that kind of thing?"

But that's—

"Was that a conspiracy by Class D? Were they framing you? But don't you know your own reputation and Class D's standards? Do you think I'd believe your one-sided story? Do you think Class D has the intelligence to do something like this?"

"Besides, although the girls in Class D aren't very capable, they're all very pretty. If they wanted to, finding a high-quality partner wouldn't be a problem. What do you think she'd gain by using her innocence to frame Class C?"

Ryuen Kakeru fell silent.

What's wrong with this guy? Does he have a mind-reading ability??

Being matched with someone like that on the same server is incredibly unlucky!

"Why does everyone think like that?"

Ryuen Kakeru's expression was particularly telling; Hoshino En couldn't hide her thoughts of making a sarcastic remark.

"You too, Kamuro too, I really don't have any [mind-reading] special abilities. That's just a fantasy, how could it possibly exist in reality!"

Ryuen Kakeru & Kamuro Masumi hiding around the corner: Liar!!

First Semester of First Year:

Chapters 134 and 126: Dinner, Gaze, and Public Outrage

Since Hoshino En retorted to Ryuen Kakeru, the dinner they had agreed to have was naturally canceled.

"Shiina, are you staying with the people in Class C, or are you going to have dinner with me?"

"Ibuki should be in the private room too; you shouldn't be bored with her there."

Hoshino En looked at Shiina Hiyori beside him. Although he had brought this child with him, she was still a member of Class C. He would feel bad if she became estranged from the other members of Class C because of him.

Ryuen Kakeru, who was mentioned by him Shiina Hiyori, blinked. She looked at Ryuen Sho across from her, who had a headache, and then at Hoshino En, who had asked him the question. A look of astonishment appeared on her small face.

"Have you finished talking? Don't you need to go in?"

"It's clearly a Hongmen Banquet inside. Ryuen- chan probably already has a whole bunch of [Body Double] like Albert inside. As soon as I go in, they'll follow Ryuen- chan's instructions to pin me to the ground and Ryuen her do whatever she wants to me. Afterwards, they'll take a bunch of indecent photos to blackmail me."

While exaggerating, Hoshino En observed Ryuen Kakeru's reaction—although she was disgusted by his choice of words, there was a hint of surprise mixed in with the disgust, and what he said was probably not far from the truth.

"Besides, the surveillance cameras inside have probably been blocked long ago. No matter what they do to me, I have no recourse. For safety reasons, it's best not to go in."

"I see..."

Shiina Hiyori stared blankly at Ryuen Kakeru for a moment, then took Hoshino En's hand and walked straight outside.

"En-kun, it's getting late, let's go eat!"

The girl's delicate body suddenly burst forth with tremendous power, causing Hoshino En, who hadn't been able to exert her strength, to stumble.

"Hey! Shiina, slow down..."

The two disappeared around the corner of the corridor, one after the other, escaping Ryuen Kakeru's sight.

Ryuen Kakeru: "..."

Fate... you?!

No, the plan to have Shiina Hiyori take down Hoshino En hasn't even begun, and the person responsible for executing the plan has already been taken down??

On the other side, Shiina Hiyori and Hoshino En had just turned the corner when they bumped right into the two from Class A who were eavesdropping.

Previously, due to the provocation of being confronted directly, Sakayanagi Arisu only noticed at this moment that Shiina Hiyori had changed how she addressed Hoshino En.

"En-kun? It seems that even without me, Hoshino-kun is having a lot of fun playing with the other kittens."

With her eyes slightly narrowed and the corners of her mouth turned up in a perfectly curved smile, she addressed the two of them.

Although you're trying very hard to smile, there's absolutely no kindness in your eyes!