The Next One

Ryuuen's words didn't shock Ayanokoji. He knew he wouldn't be the only one to recognize Karuizawa Kei's value. If Ryuuen wanted to claim her for himself, Ayanokoji would let him. While it might be a bit more troublesome, creating a "Karuizawa Kei 2.0" in the class to replace her wouldn't be difficult for Ayanakoji.

Though Ayanokoji said nothing, Ryuuen knew the negotiation was successful. Ayanokoji left Karuizawa Kei alone in the dim cabin and exited.

As he left, he tossed Ryuuen's phone back to him.

Albert Yamada, a Black man, stood by the cabin door, indicating Ryuuen had come prepared. In Class C, Albert's combat power was second only to Ryuuen's. If Albert were to join the fight, while he still wouldn't be Ayanokoji's match, he could certainly cause some minor wear and tear. If Ayanokoji's stamina was excessively depleted, his chances of winning against Ryuuen would decrease. The most crucial point was that Ryuuen liked to play dirty.

Albert standing by the door was likely intended to catch Ayanokoji off guard with a surprise attack, as it's easy to dodge an open assault but hard to guard against a hidden one.

With just a quick glance at Albert, Ayanokoji walked past him. Albert, in turn, rushed into the cabin to check if Ryuuen was alright.

Albert only saw Karuizawa Kei kneeling before Ryuuen. Both Karuizawa Kei and Ryuuen noticed Albert's gaze, and the scene became a bit awkward. Albert retreated and stood guard by the door.

This familiar feeling left Albert somewhat numb.

In Karuizawa Kei's eyes, Ryuuen was no better than Ayanokoji. Now that she was in Ryuuen's hands, Karuizawa Kei was still very afraid, but she could only resign herself to her fate.

Standing before Karuizawa Kei, Ryuuen was also considering how to handle her. Faced with Ryuuen's scrutinizing gaze, Karuizawa Kei's lips trembled, and she slowly spread her legs.

Karuizawa Kei looked utterly defeated, her eyes appearing lifeless. Ryuuen could already imagine what kind of image he held in Karuizawa Kei's mind.

"I have no interest in your pathetic figure." Ryuuen kicked at Karuizawa Kei's skirt.

"Stand up and talk," Ryuuen's tone was more like a command.

"Ugh, I, my legs are weak," Karuizawa Kei said, somewhat troubled. Extreme fear could indeed cause one's legs to give out. Or rather, it was a good sign Karuizawa Kei hadn't wet herself.

Ryuuen grew impatient. He grabbed Karuizawa Kei's arm with one hand and lifted her entire body.

Although Karuizawa Kei was lifted, she couldn't stand on her own and immediately fell back to the ground.

"Worthless."

Ryuuen cursed, then lifted Karuizawa Kei again.

Lift, fall, lift, fall…

Karuizawa Kei didn't know how many times she had fallen, only that her backside no longer felt like her own. Her fear gradually dissipated, and a sense of complaint and cursing towards Ryuuen began to build within her.

"I can stand up."

Leaning against the wall, Karuizawa Kei finally stood. Though still afraid, she wasn't tense.

"Manabe and the others won't bother you anymore. In return, my commands to you are absolute, understand?!"

Seeing Karuizawa Kei finally standing, Ryuuen gave her instructions.

Karuizawa Kei hugged her shoulders, understanding she had no choice. She nodded reluctantly.

"Get out."

Ryuuen chased Karuizawa Kei out of the cabin. Karuizawa Kei, seeing the sunlight again, couldn't say how happy she was; instead, she felt a subtle melancholy.

Alone in the cabin, Ryuuen picked up his phone and called Kikyo, "Come to the cabin."

"Didn't you say we'd meet tonight?"

Kikyo had just asked when the call was cut off before Ryuuen could answer.

Kikyo arrived running, beads of sweat on her forehead.

Albert watched Karuizawa Kei stumble away. He was surprised that another girl had appeared so soon. Kushida Kikyo was well-known among the First Years, and Albert recognized her. He hadn't expected Ryuuen to have her under his thumb too.

Kikyo wasn't worried about Albert exposing her relationship with Ryuuen. If Ryuuen couldn't even manage his own subordinates, he might as well drop out of school early.

"Why the rush?" Kikyo asked Ryuuen, still catching her breath.

"Tell me what you wanted to see me about earlier," Ryuuen stayed in the cabin. The reason he hadn't left was to think about his future relationship with Karuizawa Kei and Ayanokoji's next moves. Calling Kikyo was purely to avoid wasting time, as Ryuuen believed that whatever Kikyo wanted from him at that moment couldn't be important.

"Uh, well, it's about that."

Kikyo stammered, which was very unlike her usual self.

Ryuuen was exasperated. This girlish demeanor was truly awkward. "Just say it. Is there anything we can't talk about directly?"

"I need points."

Kikyo spoke quickly, then hastily explained, "Maintaining relationships with classmates and getting information all require points. And you know, our Class D lost badly in these last two exams, and we'll have even fewer points when we get back to school."

Ryuuen scoffed, "I'll transfer you 100,000 every month."

Ryuuen didn't even consider such a small amount of money. As for the source of these points, Kikyo would explain it to her classmates herself; he didn't need to worry about it.

Kikyo was a little overwhelmed. She hadn't expected Ryuuen to be so straightforward, nor that he would give so much. This made Kikyo a bit embarrassed. "50,000 is enough."

50,000 was what Kikyo had planned from the start: 20,000 for her daily expenses and 30,000 for social interactions.

"I mean what I say," Ryuuen waved his hand, first transferring 100,000 points to Kikyo, then signaling that she could leave.

Kikyo didn't leave. She pressed herself against Ryuuen, but Ryuuen wasn't interested at the moment. He raised his hand to stop her exploring fingers from moving further down.

"I'm not in the mood. You can go now."

Kikyo was also surprised to be rejected. She felt Ryuuen was acting strange today.

Looking at Ryuuen's hand, Kikyo noticed his reddened hand and a faint scratch that she didn't know when he got. Ryuuen himself hadn't noticed it. The wound was tiny, only seeping a trickle of blood, already beginning to scab over.

"You're hurt," Kikyo's voice held a note of concern.

"Just a minor scratch," Ryuuen said, glancing at the back of his hand, unfazed.

"Still, you should probably take care of it," Kikyo replied, rummaging through her pockets, only finding a few tissues.

"No need," Ryuuen refused Kikyo's tissues. This slight injury hardly warranted a bandage.

Seeing Ryuuen's stubborn attitude, Kikyo didn't press the issue. She knew the wound was small, but an inexplicable worry still gnawed at her. Then, as if possessed, she bit down on Ryuuen's wound.

Her tongue licked the wound, using her saliva to disinfect it.

The sensation of her tongue made the back of Ryuuen's hand tingle.