Class C Begins to Act (3)

A boy covered in wounds endured his pain and trembled as he spoke:

"Ryuen..."

"Someone might have seen us..."

"When I was fighting with Sudo, I felt like there were people around..." Before he could finish, the large black man standing beside him stepped in front of him and said:

"Bad boy"

Then, he began to add new wounds to his body.

Watching him wail incessantly, the wound on his head began to bleed once more.

He grabbed the boy by the hair and shoved his face toward Ryuen with an expressionless look.

"You're starting to look more and more like a victim." Ryuen slowly poured the drink he was holding over the boy's head and said mockingly.

The boy, looking at Ryuen, could only endure the pain and say:

"Th-thank you..."

"Hmph, make sure you follow the plan properly." Ryuen didn't care about his injuries in the slightest and spoke with cold indifference.

"Yes, boss..."

However, at another booth, a blue-haired girl looked coldly toward Ryuen.

"It's all Sudo's fault, this is just terrible." Ike complained to Yamauchi.

"We're going to be living with zero points again this month..."

"It would be better if that guy just dropped out."

"Exactly." The girls around them chimed in as well.

Horikita watched this scene quietly and said indifferently:

"Do you think so too? Do you also think it would be better for Sudo to drop out?"

"I'm indifferent," Ayanokoji said, resting his head on one hand while sitting beside her.

"What about you? As one of the people who extended a helping hand, do you want to give up too?"

"Our class currently has zero points. If we lose more points because someone drops out, there won't be any left to deduct," Horikita said, calmly analyzing the situation they were facing.

"Perhaps," Ayanokoji replied.

"What's with that tone? It's really quite similar to that guy Kitahara."

"Because we can't say for sure that points aren't being added or deducted without our knowledge," Ayanokoji continued, ignoring her teasing.

"What do you mean?"

"The formula hasn't been released yet; perhaps we are still being deducted points right now."

"If someone drops out, maybe the deduction isn't happening now, but could be deferred to the future."

"Perhaps the condition for reaching Class A is that no one drops out."

Listening to his analysis, Horikita fell into silence.

Seeing her wavering, Ayanokoji continued:

"We don't know how the school's system works, but if we aim to reach Class A..."

"I believe we need to eliminate all dangerous factors. Besides, Sudo's excellent athletic ability and his status in his club might come in handy in the future..."

"So you think I still need to help him?" Horikita asked after catching his drift.

"..." Ayanokoji simply nodded silently.

"I see..." Horikita looked at Ayanokoji, then toward Kitahara's empty seat, lost in thought.

"Everyone..." Hirata walked up to the podium and began.

"I want to believe in my classmates. I think we should all work together to find clues about the witness."

After Hirata finished speaking, Kei, as Hirata's "girlfriend," also spoke up:

"That's right, I agree too."

Seeing the two main pillars of the class speak up, those around them had no choice but to nod.

"I think so too. First, we have to believe in him ourselves." Seeing the situation, Kushida, the "little angel," also spoke up.

"Since Kushida says so..."

"Then of course I'm all for it," Yamauchi and Ike, who had been against it at first, said with perfect timing.

"Hey, Horikita and Ayanokoji, you'll help too, right?" Kushida walked up to them and smiled.

"Since it's come to this, I assume you'll help Sudo. After all, I don't know who was saying all those things just now," Horikita said, looking out the window.

"No, I don't have any desire to reach Class A," Ayanokoji said.

"You'll come to help, thank you," Kushida said happily, as if she hadn't heard Ayanokoji's reply.

"Yeah." Seeing there was no way to avoid it, Ayanokoji could only reply.

"Then, Horikita, you..."

Horikita ignored her question and left the classroom coldly.

After witnessing her departure, Kushida could only say:

"Let's do our best on our own..."

Meanwhile, in the student council room, Kitahara, who had been making a fuss all day, was still stubbornly saying:

"President, don't do this to me! I'm really not cut out for handling these kinds of things."

"How about you go find Sakayanagi instead? With her ability, she would definitely resolve this matter smoothly."

Hearing Kitahara's complaints, even someone with Horikita Manabu's temperament finally reached his limit after a full day of sonic bombardment and said:

"If you refuse again, who knows how long it will take for your club's activity room to be approved."

"Ahem, President, actually, I feel that this is a responsibility I should bear as a member of the disciplinary committee. I will strive to complete the task."

Seeing Kitahara's rapid change in attitude, Horikita Manabu couldn't help but feel a sense of regret.

If he had known, he should have threatened him like this from the start instead of ignoring him. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been pestered by him from yesterday afternoon until now.

"Mm, as long as you know."

"What is your take on the current situation? You already gained a general understanding of the circumstances yesterday," Horikita said, looking at Kitahara.

"Uh, President, do you want to hear an objective answer or a subjective one..."

"Start with the subjective." Looking at the unreliable Kitahara in front of him, Horikita Manabu was momentarily speechless. He didn't know why the current Kitahara was completely different from the one he had investigated.

It was entirely different from his image in Class D.

"Hehe, President, then I'll say it. I think this matter is Sudo's fault. After all, he's the one who hit me twice, so I think he has violent tendencies. Besides... he definitely... wait, President, could you..."

"Alright, that's enough." Listening to Kitahara drifting further and further off-topic, Horikita already knew this was just his way of getting revenge.

After all, he also knew that the two of them hadn't actually fought; it was just a minor conflict.

"Tell me the objective one."

"Oh, actually, this matter is just a probe by Class C against Class D," Kitahara said straightforwardly.

"It seems you believe this is a trap set by Class C," Horikita said, revealing a smile that showed he had expected as much.

"Uh... President, you don't have to put it that way. Ryuen's methods certainly couldn't be hidden from you."

"Then how are you so certain of this?" Horikita Manabu looked at Kitahara quietly and asked.