Ryuuen and Shiina Hiyori

"I'll also hand over the Class Points, and their usage will be made public, but the authority to use them belongs solely to me."

Ryuuen looked down at the two of them from his height. "Any more questions?"

"The points are all in Shiina Hiyori's hands, Ryuuen-aniki. How can you be sure she won't embezzle public funds? I suggest you keep them yourself instead."

The one who spoke was Ishizaki, one of Ryuuen's few loyal underlings from the original story, steadfastly devoted ever since Ryuuen had won him over.

"I trust her. Entrusting the points to her also serves as a check on me."

Trust was only one side of it. On the other, Ryuuen wanted to balance the gap between the boys and girls. If he kept the points himself, it would inevitably push the female students to the bottom of the class hierarchy, which wouldn't help the class grow. Letting Hiyori hold the points gave the girls some power and helped her build a female-centered group around herself. After all, some Special Exams in the future would require separating the sexes, and the girls would need a qualified leader on their end.

Hiyori wasn't moved by Ryuuen's so-called trust, either. This man had snatched her handkerchief just yesterday and forced her to work for him. In her mind, she could do without that kind of trust.

On the surface, Ryuuen's words seemed fine, but most of the class twisted them in the wrong direction. Quite a few girls turned their gazes toward Hiyori, and some boys let out an "Ooh~" sound.

Hiyori had already pulled out her textbooks to preview the lesson, ignoring the strange atmosphere in the class. Ryuuen couldn't be bothered to explain either.

Ryuuen left all the trivial class affairs to Hiyori to manage. Every time he idly strolled around in front of her, little Hiyori wished she could smack him over the head with the book in her hands. But it was just a thought—a quiet, proper young lady couldn't bring herself to do something so crude.

Whenever Hiyori tried to refuse Ryuuen, he would shamelessly reject her refusal, like a grade-schooler bouncing back a bounce. It was a shameless tactic that wouldn't work on anyone else, but Hiyori fell for it every time. Reluctant as she was, she always finished the tasks Ryuuen assigned her.

For example, during self-study periods, even though Ryuuen was sitting right there in the classroom, some people still whispered and passed notes. That was the gap between them and Class A—too little self-discipline. And these little things were hard to police. If Ryuuen kept using force to pressure them over such trivial matters, the class would eventually fall apart.

That was when Ryuuen would reach over and tug at Hiyori's hair ribbon.

Little Hiyori would protect her ribbon and slap away the big hand on her hair.

It wasn't that Ryuuen was deliberately trying to take advantage of her. The truth was, the girl usually refused to engage with him. If he didn't do something out of line, she wouldn't even give him a proper look.

"Shiina, take care of the class discipline."

"I refuse!"

"I refuse your refusal."

Hiyori turned her head away, not wanting to talk to Ryuuen. He would keep fiddling with her ribbon until she couldn't take it anymore and went to manage the class order.

One was the class's peak in physical strength, the other its hidden brain. Yet Ryuuen and Shiina's conversations and actions were as childish as elementary schoolers'.

Quite a few girls in the class shipped them hard, and some were jealous of Hiyori, but no one did anything to target her. The boys all respected Hiyori too—after all, little Hiyori was gentle, quiet, diligent, pretty, and the unofficial "big sister" in their eyes. So they listened when she spoke.

Over time, Hiyori came to understand Ryuuen's nature. Before he could reach for her ribbon, she would handle class affairs on her own.

To others, it looked like a kind of unspoken understanding between them. But little Hiyori didn't see it that way. She was just dodging Ryuuen's sneaky hand, not wanting him to pull her ribbon.

Ryuuen watched Hiyori grow step by step and felt pretty satisfied. After all, he had cultivated her himself. In terms of ability, Hiyori was no worse than Horikita Suzune. It was just that Hiyori had no interest in advancing to Class A—she lacked motivation.

Having gone a long time without a chance to tug Hiyori's ribbon, Ryuuen sometimes felt a bit lonely. It was like watching your own daughter grow up, wanting to hug her like when she was little but not knowing how to start.

Hiyori felt something similar on her end, though she didn't want to admit that she secretly wanted Ryuuen's touch. It was just a girl's pride acting up—perfectly normal.

Class C had finally unified and gotten on track. The whole process went smoother than Ryuuen had expected. Figuring the time was right, he needed to plant a spy in Class D.

But Ryuuen forgot exactly when Ayanokoji had exposed Kushida Kikyo's true face. If he wanted to cut in, he'd have to wander by the Small Lake near the dormitory every night.

For several days in a row, Ryuuen stood by the lake, blowing in the cold wind, staring at the calm water with nothing to do. After a few more days, he got so bored that he called Shiina Hiyori out to chat with him.

"Shiina, I'm by the Small Lake near the dorm. Come over," Ryuuen messaged Hiyori.

"No," Shiina Hiyori replied quickly.

"It's something very important." Ryuuen didn't check the messages after that, because he could guess what came next.

Little Hiyori would stubbornly reply one more time: "No."

But by the time she sent that message, she'd already be getting dressed to head out. That was just the kind of girl she was—a little tsundere, but actually kind, responsible, and very cute.

Sure enough, little Hiyori showed up, jogging over.

A girl's soft breaths kept time with her heartbeat.

"Good evening," Ryuuen greeted casually, as if they were old friends.

Little Hiyori stood there, waiting for her breathing to even out, then replied, "Good evening, Ryuuen-kun."

Should he call her a proper lady? Even though she'd rushed over in a hurry, little Hiyori had still put on some light makeup. But the pink lipstick on her lips was uneven.

"What's the important matter?" Little Hiyori asked. Ryuuen had been staring at her, making her heart pound. And since they were in a secluded spot, she was worried he might pounce on her.

"Chat with me for a bit."

"What do you mean?"

"Exactly what I said."

"How boring!" Little Hiyori turned to leave, feeling like Ryuuen was messing with her.

"Then how about we talk about The Crowd?"

The Crowd was the book Shiina Hiyori had been reading on the first day of school. She'd only finished it recently, and now she was reading The Interpretation of Dreams.

Shiina Hiyori froze, then turned back with an incredulous look. "Have you read it?"

"Volume one: The Mind of Crowds. Volume two: The Opinions and Beliefs of Crowds. Volume three: The Classification and Characteristics of Different Kinds of Crowds."

I thought Ryuuen would bluff by quoting a few famous lines from the book, but instead he recited the table of contents. He'd actually read it, and remembered it clearly.

Hiyori tested the waters: "When an individual is an isolated being, they have their own distinct personality traits."

Ryuuen picked up where she left off: "But when that person merges into a group, all their individuality gets drowned out by the group, and their thoughts are immediately replaced by the group's thoughts. And when a group exists, it's characterized by emotionality, lack of dissent, and low intelligence."

Hiyori suddenly grew excited. She didn't have many book friends at school, and finding someone who shared her interests genuinely made her happy. If only it weren't Ryuuen, but that was fine too.

For the next hour, the two of them discussed their insights on The Crowd: A Study of the Popular Mind. Ryuuen's understanding of the book ran deeper, and when he talked, he shed his usual roguish demeanor, more like a muscular, profound scholar. Hiyori felt she'd gained a lot, and any anger at being tricked into chatting with Ryuuen had completely vanished. Instead, she was left wanting more. When Ryuuen said it was too late and he needed to head back to the dorm, Hiyori looked reluctant to part.

"I've never seen you read. When do you find the time?" Hiyori asked before leaving.

"Oh, Hiyori's so concerned about me? You're not falling for me, are you?" Ryuuen slipped back into the familiar persona Hiyori knew.

Since Ryuuen didn't want to say, Hiyori didn't press. She walked straight back to the dorm without looking back, but her steps were light, clearly in a good mood.

Ryuuen watched her leave from behind, shook his head, and sighed, "Heartless woman." Then he let out a soft chuckle.