Leader

Ryuuen's words quickly provoked many of the students present.

"What do you think you are, daring to call us idiots!"

"Yeah, that's right. What gives you the right to call us idiots!"

There were also some who took a bystander attitude, watching from the sidelines. The girl who had been interrupted stood there looking extremely awkward. Under the gaze of the crowd, Ryuuen walked up to the podium. Sakagami Kazuma voluntarily gave up his seat to Ryuuen, curious about what he would do.

"Sit down!" Ryuuen stood there with an imposing air, his voice neither loud nor soft, yet his words were filled with an unquestionable authority. The girl who had been awkward went weak in the knees and collapsed into her chair, as if frightened by Ryuuen's voice. The other voices of dissent gradually quieted down as well.

"I now represent the entire class in raising some questions for Teacher Sakagami Kazuma. The teacher may answer only 'yes' or 'no,' or choose not to answer."

The students below were all a bit confused, wondering what kind of stunt Ryuuen on the stage was trying to pull.

"No problem." Sakagami Kazuma answered very straightforwardly. Answering students' questions was, after all, a teacher's duty.

"First question: Are we under constant surveillance? I noticed quite a few cameras in the Teaching Building."

Sakagami Kazuma gave a helpless smile but did not answer Ryuuen's question. Seeing the homeroom teacher's reaction, the classroom buzzed with noisy discussion again. Some people were very concerned about their privacy, while others were not particularly sensitive to the issue.

"Quiet! No one interrupts when I'm speaking!" Ryuuen slammed the podium. The loud noise once again earned him silence in the classroom. By now, some in the class had begun to realize that there were problems with this school. Though they felt a bit annoyed, they all held their patience and continued listening to what Ryuuen would ask next.

"Second question: Are we in the middle of some kind of assessment?"

Sakagami Kazuma still said nothing, which caused many students to start panicking. For a student, the biggest thing was exams. Although many didn't pursue high scores, no one wanted to rank behind others, let alone in an assessment where nothing was clear. That was even more frightening.

For the second question, although the students below desperately wanted to whisper and discuss with those around them, seeing Ryuuen's fierce glare and the muscles hidden beneath his School Uniform, the vast majority chose to shut their mouths. Yet a few students who didn't know their place still muttered quietly below. Though they lowered their voices, it was especially jarring in the quiet classroom.

Not indulging these students, Ryuuen walked straight down from the podium, went up to a boy muttering in the second-to-last row, and immediately put him in a Chokehold. Even though it was under surveillance, Ryuuen didn't care about losing a few points for the sake of class unity.

This scene terrified the surrounding students. The boy in the Chokehold was nearly suffocating, his face flushed red, his arms weakly pounding against Ryuuen. Many wanted to step in and stop Ryuuen, but fearing they might be next, they held back. Anyone with half a brain could see Ryuuen was making an example of someone, so naturally they didn't want to get involved. Most importantly, Sakagami Kazuma said nothing—the homeroom teacher was condoning Ryuuen's violent behavior!

Releasing his grip, the boy collapsed onto his desk, coughing violently.

"I'll say it again! No one interrupts when I'm speaking!"

Ryuuen swept his gaze across the class. Those who had been muttering just moments before all lowered their heads, not daring to meet his eyes.

"Third question: Do we receive 100,000 points every month?"

"No." Finally, a question he could answer. Sakagami Kazuma breathed a sigh of relief. Even he had been somewhat shaken by Ryuuen's oppressive presence.

Now everyone in the class realized something was wrong. Sakagami Kazuma had indeed never said they would receive 100,000 points every month. Since yen couldn't be used on campus, all their living necessities had to be obtained with points. If the school stopped issuing points, it meant they would go hungry. Those who had been thinking about how to squander their points earlier had now lost all desire to have fun.

Though the intelligence of those who managed to get into Class C varied, their baseline was still quite high. Give them a hint, and they would figure things out.

"Fourth question: Do assessment results affect the distribution of points?"

Sakagami Kazuma fell silent again, but the students had already formed some guesses in their minds.

"Fifth question: Can everyone graduate smoothly and obtain the right to freely choose their employment?"

"No." Sakagami Kazuma still had some concern for his class, and then he thoughtfully added, "Some people will be expelled. Only students in Class A will receive the privilege of freely choosing their employment upon graduation."

Sakagami Kazuma's added remark instantly extinguished the last bit of excitement the students had about enrolling. They had just entered school and were already being told there was a possibility of expulsion. The psychological whiplash made the entire classroom atmosphere gloomy and lifeless.

There was no sixth question. Ryuuen wrote his name "Ryuuen Kakeru" in the center of the blackboard.

"From today onward, everyone in Class C will obey my orders. I will lead you into Class A. Starting now, each person will hand over half of their points every month to..." Ryuuen paused, then swept his gaze across the class and spoke the name of that girl: "Shiina Hiyori."

Many in the class didn't know who Shiina Hiyori was. Shiina Hiyori herself was also bewildered. She didn't want to help Ryuuen, nor was she afraid of him using violence against her. At that moment, her mind was still thinking, "How does he know my name? Or did he just pick a random classmate, and I happened to be the one?" In that brief moment of distraction, Shiina Hiyori had already missed her chance to refuse.

"What makes you think we should listen to you!" The short-haired boy in the class still stuck his head out. Even though Ryuuen had already shown his iron fist earlier, when their own interests were threatened, fools would still kick up a fuss.

Such people were not few in the class. They were already itching to act. Ryuuen, who had long navigated various social scenes, could clearly see the undisguised anger and greed in their eyes.

If there was one characteristic of Class C, it was that there were a lot of troublemakers. It would have been strange if no one opposed Ryuuen.

Ryuuen laughed. He laughed arrogantly, and in a way that made people want to punch him. "There are still ten minutes until the opening ceremony begins. I'll give all the students who oppose me a chance. On the rooftop after school this afternoon, you can all come at me together. Anyone who can beat me to the ground will have me step down willingly!"

"Tomorrow morning, I expect Shiina Hiyori to have collected everyone's points. Don't make me have to act. I don't know my own strength." With that, Ryuuen walked out of the classroom, and control of the class returned to Sakagami Kazuma.

"What makes him so arrogant!"

"Just wait until I take him down this afternoon!"

"I'll make sure he never sees the sun tomorrow!"

The threats came one after another, childish and laughable. When Ryuuen was present, they didn't dare to fart.

At the same time, there were some faint voices in the class saying, "But Ryuuen was the only one who noticed the school's problems, and he promised to lead us all into Class A."

"Ryuuen isn't asking us to do anything particularly outrageous. Keeping 50,000 points is still enough for us to live on."

"For me, 30,000 is enough." Yabu Nanami and the girls around her held different thoughts from the boys.

There were always girls who admired strength, and Yabu Nanami was one of them. This kind of parasitic mode of production was not uncommon in this school.

"Let's wait and see. Although what you said makes some sense, I still find Ryuuen a bit annoying, and I don't want to hand over half my points. I hope some guy can beat him this afternoon." She then glanced at the boys in the class who had been shouting about crushing Ryuuen earlier. Unfortunately, there were no heroes there who could save them.

The vast majority of the class adopted a wait-and-see attitude. On one hand, they somewhat acknowledged Ryuuen's strength, but on the other, they didn't approve of his methods. They were all waiting for a brave soul to appear in the afternoon and defeat Ryuuen.

Among the students of Class C, aside from that black guy who could pose a bit of a threat, everyone else's combat ability was no different from ants in Ryuuen's eyes.

In the gymnasium, Ryuuen spotted an acquaintance, Kushida Kikyo. Behind her sat Karuizawa Kei, with her familiar yellow high ponytail. She hadn't been tamed by Ayanokoji yet. Ryuuen decided to strike first.

"I wonder if Ayanokoji's tool will be convenient for me to use. No, Karuizawa isn't Ayanokoji's yet, and she never will be. She'll be mine!"

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