The study session lasted until six, exactly an hour and a half.
Hirata Yousuke cleared his throat and announced that the session was officially over. He added that anyone who wanted to keep reviewing could come back here during club activities each day.
As soon as he finished, Ken Sudō let out a long sigh. "I never knew English could be this interesting! Too bad I still have club activities to get to. I already took special leave just for today."
Someone immediately contradicted him. "It's not that English is interesting. It's that Hoshida's teaching methods are so useful!"
Hoshida No merely nodded, then turned to Sudō and offered a suggestion. "You could come to the study session every other day. That way, you'd have a good balance between work and rest."
By the time Hoshida No returned to the dorm, it was already past seven in the evening. But as soon as he reached his room, he caught sight of a tall, dark-skinned figure standing outside.
It was Yamada Albert from the Martial Arts Club in Class 1-C.
Hoshida No had run into him several times at the Martial Arts Club. The first time they met, he'd been rather surprised to learn that the school had an international student.
He approached him and struck up a conversation. "Classmate Yamada, are you here to see me?"
Yamada Albert nodded and spoke in somewhat clumsy Japanese. "Ryuen Kakeru... wants to talk to you."
"Ryuen Kakeru?"
At that, Hoshida No paused slightly, a hint of hesitation crossing his face.
Then, as if a thought had just occurred to him, he raised an eyebrow. "Is he trying to get those 1.2 million points back from me?"
Yamada didn't answer. He only glanced at Hoshida No, then shifted his broad frame to the side, motioning for him to follow.
They walked to the entrance of a private room. As soon as Hoshida No stepped inside, Yamada silently withdrew and stood guard outside.
There were four people in the room.
Ryuen Kakeru sat at the head of the table in the innermost seat, one arm draped carelessly around the long-haired girl beside him. Ishizaki Daichi stood silently behind him.
In the corner farther back, a short-haired, blue-haired girl leaned against the wall. She had her arms folded across her chest, and a fierce, unapproachable air about her, as if she might throw a punch at the slightest provocation.
When Ryuen Kakeru saw Hoshida No enter, he finally released the girl and lifted his chin, signaling for her to leave first.
Only then did he cross his legs and tap his fingertips idly against the tabletop. The steady clicks sounded especially grating in the silent room.
"Hoshida No, long time no see." His voice carried its usual mockery, but his gaze locked onto Hoshida No like a snake's. "You seem pretty comfortable holding on to those 1.2 million points."
Hoshida No closed the door behind him. His expression barely changed, and his tone was as calm as if he were talking about the weather. "Comfortable? That's a strange way to put it, Classmate Ryuen. You offered the points as 'tuition' yourself. I just accepted them."
"Tuition?" Ryuen Kakeru gave a low laugh, as though he'd heard a joke.
Behind him, Ishizaki immediately tensed. The blue-haired girl in the corner narrowed her eyes, and the air suddenly grew thick with hostility. "You're the one who sold information to that cripple in Class A, aren't you?"
"Cripple?" Hoshida No walked over to the chair opposite him and sat down, keeping his back straight and his expression unchanged. "You mean Classmate Sakayanagi?"
Ryuen Kakeru's smile vanished. His fingers stopped tapping, and his gaze turned sharp as a blade. "Who else? Don't think I haven't figured out what you're up to. You gave me incomplete information about the rules, then turned around and sold my secrets to that woman."
He picked up the glass of juice on the table and downed a large gulp. The cold liquid slid down his throat, but did nothing to extinguish the hostility in his eyes. "You didn't actually think she could hold me back, did you?"
Hoshida No had indeed intended to use Sakayanagi Arisu to hinder Ryuen Kakeru's moves. He just hadn't expected Ryuen to come looking for him so soon.
He kept his expression neutral and his tone even. "What has she done to you?"
"Hmph." Ryuen Kakeru sneered, a mocking smile tugging at his lips. "What could a cripple do? Just the same lowbrow tricks you pull—taking photos behind people's backs and spreading rumors."
"Oh." Hoshida No nodded slowly, looking thoughtful.
No wonder Ryuen Kakeru had seemed to vanish over the past month. He'd probably put all his energy into unifying the class.
Now that he was showing himself so openly, Class C had clearly become his to command.
"So you didn't bring me here just to complain?" Hoshida No leaned back in his chair, crossing his hands over his knees. His tone held a hint of indifference. "If that's all, then you have my deepest sympathies."
Ryuen Kakeru kept his gaze fixed on Hoshida No's face. Watching how composed he was, he felt his anger surge several times, but ultimately managed to suppress it.
He leaned forward slightly, resting his elbows on the table. His expression darkened, and his voice turned more serious. "I didn't come here today to talk about trivial things like that."
A meaningful smile slowly spread across his lips. He enunciated each word. "I came to propose an alliance. What do you say?"
Hoshida No's eyes shifted slightly, clearly intrigued. He leaned forward, his tone probing. "What kind of alliance?"
Ryuen Kakeru stared into his eyes and began tapping the table with his fingers again. His rhythm was slower than before, but carried an undeniable pressure. "We join forces for now and take that woman down first."
Even the blue-haired girl in the corner widened her eyes slightly. Ishizaki was so stunned that his mouth fell open.
Hoshida No only raised an eyebrow and didn't answer right away.
"Sakayanagi Arisu is ambitious," Ryuen Kakeru said leisurely. "She wants to reach the very top of the whole school. You and I are both thorns in her side. Instead of letting her take us down one by one, we should join forces and pull out the biggest thorn first."
"Join forces?" Hoshida No repeated, as though turning the words over in his mind. "Since when did you become so 'considerate of the bigger picture,' Classmate Ryuen? I haven't forgotten how, not long ago, you wanted to trample everyone underfoot."
"Circumstances change." Ryuen Kakeru scoffed. "I hate being watched, especially by that self-important woman. As for what happens after we join forces..." His gaze suddenly turned vicious. "Whoever comes out on top will have to earn it."
Hoshida No fell silent for a moment. His gaze swept over the tense Ishizaki and the blue-haired girl, then settled on Ryuen Kakeru again.
He picked up the glass of water on the table and took a light sip, his voice calm and even. "Why should I trust you? Besides, I've been enjoying my dealings with Classmate Sakayanagi."
"Because she wants to make you her subordinate." Ryuen Kakeru's mocking smile returned. "I've heard she likes to recruit people to do her work for her. Not long ago, she told me there was someone in Class D named Hoshida No whom she really liked. She wanted to offer me 500,000 Personal Points to work with her."
"Did you agree?" Hoshida No asked curiously. "500,000 points is a lot."
Ryuen Kakeru snorted. "After what she did to me, do you think I'd agree?"
Apparently, Sakayanagi had caught Ryuen Kakeru by the scruff of the neck. The 500,000 points she had might have come from him.
A faint smile touched Hoshida No's lips. "All right. But we'll have to wait until the next Special Exam."
Seeing that he'd agreed, Ryuen Kakeru raised his glass. "As long as you don't try anything underhanded, then here's to a successful partnership!"
Hoshida No picked up his glass and lightly clinked it against Ryuen Kakeru's. "Of course."