Leading Class C

A normal person would say thank you, wash the handkerchief, and return it, right? But with Ryuuen, no matter what Shiina Hiyori chose, she'd still lose a handkerchief.

"If you want it, it's yours." Shiina Hiyori actually liked her handkerchief, but she wasn't so petty as to begrudge losing one. At that moment, Hiyori's mind was racing, trying to figure out what Ryuuen was up to—why he wanted her handkerchief so badly.

Without any concern for the handkerchief being stained with nosebleed, Ryuuen stuffed it straight into his pants pocket.

Unable to figure it out, Shiina Hiyori asked him directly: "What are you going to do with my handkerchief?"

"Maybe I just really like this handkerchief." Ryuuen's tone was flippant, a full-on teasing vibe. After all, the persona he'd built was that of a thug leader—he couldn't exactly act like some refined scumbag, that would be way too off.

"You're clearly not that shallow, so can you stop acting so frivolous?"

The quiet Shiina Hiyori in front of him was clearly a bit annoyed by Ryuuen, her cherry-like lips pursed. It wasn't because he'd teased her a few times, but because of his attitude—it felt like he was toying with prey, making Hiyori feel disrespected.

"I look like a frivolous person, don't I?" Ryuuen said, reaching out to touch Hiyori's soft hair. It was smooth, and the girl's hair was tied with two blue ribbon hair ties. Ryuuen took the chance to snatch one and fiddle with it in his hand.

"I like this too. Would've been better if it were black."

Shiina Hiyori hadn't expected Ryuuen to touch her. She instinctively flinched, but still couldn't dodge his sneaky hand. Ryuuen tried to take the other ribbon too, but this time Hiyori grabbed his hand and easily snatched her hair tie back from him.

"I'm not giving you this one. And I'm not someone who judges by appearances! My gut tells me you're not as simple and rough as you look."

Shiina Hiyori was still holding books with one hand, so even after snatching the ribbon back, it wasn't easy to put it on again.

"I'll take that as a compliment." Ryuuen looked smug, grabbing Hiyori's hand that held the ribbon. Hiyori tried to struggle, but against the absolute difference in strength, she could only watch as Ryuuen pried her fingers open one by one, and the ribbon fell back into his hand.

Hiyori's hand was small, soft, and tender, like holding a ball of cotton warmed by the sun in Ryuuen's big palm. He couldn't bring himself to use much force to take the ribbon.

"Only shallow people don't judge by appearances." Ryuuen said as he helped Hiyori tie the ribbon back into her hair. Unfortunately, he had no experience, so it ended up crooked and messy.

Hiyori's face flushed hot from the overwhelming masculine presence. Ryuuen might not be the most handsome guy, but he was definitely the most sexually charged. Seeing Shiina Hiyori's burning cheeks, Ryuuen casually lifted her chin with his finger.

That move scared Hiyori half to death. After all, she was just a sixteen-year-old girl. No matter how composed she usually seemed, at that moment she was visibly flustered.

And then Shiina Hiyori ran. That's right, she ran—books in hand, she bolted. As she fled, the crooked ribbon wobbled precariously in her hair, vanishing with its owner from Ryuuen's sight.

She didn't know how long she ran before stopping, panting, with fine beads of sweat on her forehead. Hiyori reached for her handkerchief to wipe her face, but her hand met an empty pocket, and she remembered Ryuuen had taken it. For a moment, she was angry, then lost.

Standing there, replaying the conversation with Ryuuen in her mind, the evening breeze blew over Hiyori, drying the sweat on her forehead, stirring her hair, and making the ribbon flutter in the wind.

Suddenly, Hiyori remembered that Ryuuen's last words came from Oscar Wilde. Ryuuen knew she'd come to him to shirk the task of collecting class fees, so he'd teased her to change the subject. By tomorrow, once Class C students handed their Points over to her, there'd be no way to avoid the task anymore.

Realizing this, Shiina Hiyori felt helpless. She didn't want to get involved in class conflicts, but Ryuuen had dragged her into the battlefield anyway.

Back in her dorm, Shiina Hiyori took a shower. The wall reflected the girl's graceful figure. Hiyori lay in the bathtub, her dark hair scattered on the water, her slender arm reaching into the misty air, as if grasping something, yet nothing at all.

After her bath, Shiina Hiyori put the ribbon into a drawer. The girl's drawer held several ribbons in different colors, but none were black. Lying in bed, Hiyori thought, "I'll find time tomorrow to buy a handkerchief."

She turned off the bedside lamp and fell asleep, but her sleep was restless. Hiyori had a nightmare where Ryuuen stole her black ribbon.

With faint dark circles under her eyes, Shiina Hiyori had just entered the classroom when a group of girls surrounded her, all there to hand in their class fees. Though she hated the task, Hiyori diligently noted down everyone who paid. Then, a few boys came over one by one to pay.

Ryuuen was the last student to arrive, but he wasn't late. Since Hiyori's seat was next to Ryuuen's, it was easy for her to hand him the list of those who hadn't paid.

The list had only three names, one of which was "Ryuuen Kakeru," marked with a special symbol by the girl.

Ryuuen glanced at the list, then at the girl. Hiyori turned her head away, not wanting to talk to him.

With the list in hand, Ryuuen approached the two boys who hadn't paid. Just as he was about to teach them a lesson, one of them questioned him: "Ryuuen, why aren't you paying?"

The other asked, "Can you guarantee the Points won't be embezzled for personal use?"

Looks like Class C wasn't full of idiots.

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