Press a Handprint

Thus, Ryuuen used the same method to force Hiyori to chat with him for an entire week. With a beautiful girl by his side, Ryuuen didn't find it boring, and the occasional adoring little expressions Hiyori showed were quite endearing.

Finally, on Sunday night, the moon was somewhat gloomy. Just as Ryuuen was about to send Hiyori a message, he noticed Kushida Kikyo walking toward the small lake.

Putting down his phone, Ryuuen hid behind a tree and watched Kushida Kikyo vent wildly by the railing of the small lake. The railing trembled under her kicks, and foul words churned from her mouth.

When Ryuuen wanted to look for Ayanokoji, he found him indeed behind him. Coincidentally, Ryuuen also spotted Hiyori. Opening his phone, there was indeed a message from Hiyori: "Busy with something?"

A chance encounter bore unexpected fruit. Ryuuen sent Hiyori a message: "Hiyori, help me stall the D-Class boy in front of you."

With the vibration of her Student ID Card, Hiyori saw Ryuuen's message. Her cheeks flushed slightly (suddenly being called by name), then she gritted her teeth and stepped forward to stop Ayanokoji. Ayanokoji himself was bewildered; he didn't know the girl before him.

On Ryuuen's side, seeing that Kushida Kikyo had mostly vented, he clapped his hands as he walked toward her: "An angel turned into a demon."

Kushida Kikyo's expression was terrifyingly dark, but she didn't speak. She might have been wondering why Ryuuen was here, or perhaps thinking of how to explain her actions.

Ryuuen's violent rule over his class was no secret among the First Years, and Kushida Kikyo naturally knew about it. When she first heard the news, she thought it was a rumor, because she couldn't believe the boy who gave up his seat on the bus would do such things.

His earlier behavior was an act. The moment Ryuuen appeared, Kushida Kikyo made her judgment. For a moment, she even thought Ryuuen was like her—both hiding their true selves.

Ryuuen walked up to Kushida Kikyo, leaned against the railing, and looked at her: "Why aren't you talking? You should have a lot to say right now. Oh, I get it—you're tired from all that cursing. Want to rest a bit and go again?"

"Don't tell anyone!" Kushida Kikyo stared into Ryuuen's eyes.

Ryuuen raised an eyebrow: "You think you can order me around?"

"Don't tell anyone!" Kushida Kikyo grabbed Ryuuen's collar, but he stood there unmoving.

"You want to challenge my authority in my domain?" Ryuuen shook off Kushida's arm and mercilessly grabbed her by the throat. Ryuuen loved using the Chokehold; the pulse transmitted through his palm was exhilarating.

The girl's neck had no Adam's apple, softer and more fragile. Ryuuen applied a bit of force, then let go.

Kushida Kikyo collapsed onto the ground in a duck-like sit, coughing, her full chest heaving with each breath.

Ryuuen crouched down as well: "Now I've got leverage on you. If you don't behave, you'll suffer."

"I'll report your violence to the school! Your fingerprints are on my neck!" Unwilling to be a captive, Kushida Kikyo struggled.

A sudden punch landed on Kushida Kikyo's stomach. Her eyes nearly rolled back from the pain, and a bit of drool leaked from the corner of her mouth.

"It doesn't matter. This level of violence will at most cost me some Class Points. I didn't do much to you. These minor injuries won't even show in a few days."

Seeing him so sure he had her cornered, Kushida Kikyo endured the pain in her abdomen, grabbed his hand, and pressed it onto her chest: "Violence can only cost you points. But if it's rape, you'll not only be expelled but also sent to prison. Your life will be over!"

"Stupid woman." Ryuuen sneered. He didn't let go of the hand on Kushida Kikyo's chest; instead, he increased the pressure.

Big and firm... The buttons on Kushida Kikyo's shirt popped open, revealing a cleavage and pale pink lace. Kushida gasped in pain again.

"Stupid woman, do you think you can hold my hand with your strength? Do you think leaving fingerprints can convict me? Do you think I'd let you leave here with my prints?"

Fear and dread finally appeared on Kushida Kikyo's face. Ryuuen's three rhetorical questions made her realize she had always been at a disadvantage before him.

Tears, drop by drop, fell from the corners of Kushida Kikyo's eyes, tracing down her cheeks and dripping onto her chest, onto Ryuuen's hand.

The beautiful campus life she had imagined was about to shatter. The little angel persona she had painstakingly built was about to be torn apart. And that bitch Horikita Suzune was still doing fine.

"Why me? Why is it always me? Why! What did I do wrong? Why am I always the one getting hurt!" Kushida Kikyo muttered to herself, eyes vacant. The dual damage to her body and mind pushed her to the brink of collapse.

"Did I say I was going to expose you? On the contrary, I'll help you. You just need to pay a small price." Ryuuen gently wiped away Kushida Kikyo's tears, feigning tenderness.

The moon hung high, the clouds scattered. Lifting her head, Kushida Kikyo's eyes regained their light: "What do you want? My body?"

Stupid woman indeed. Perhaps at this moment, in her mind, her greatest value was that shell of a body.

Ryuuen took the chance to touch her neck, his index and middle fingers stroking up and down the girl's artery: "I'm greedy. What I want is far more than that. Obey me, and I'll give you the life you want."

Ryuuen's words were vague and unconvincing, but Kushida Kikyo had no choice. Ryuuen loved to block off all his prey's escape routes, then extend his olive branch. Even if that olive branch led to an abyss, for someone drowning, it was a hard offer to refuse.

Kushida Kikyo stared at Ryuuen, her hands clenched into fists as if struggling: "You choked me and punched me. Let me hit you three times, and I'll agree to your terms."

Though Ryuuen knew he could still use Kushida even without agreeing, letting the girl vent wasn't a bad thing. Not that Ryuuen was a masochist—just a small compensation for his earlier offense.

"Fine." Ryuuen agreed easily. This deal was a huge win for him.

Ryuuen stood before Kushida Kikyo, watching her first punch land on his left cheek. She put her full strength into it.

Without any defense, Ryuuen's face wasn't as thick as imagined, and it swelled up immediately. Ryuuen thought: This woman is ruthless. Good thing I wore her out earlier, or she'd have drawn blood.

Kushida Kikyo wanted to land a punch on his right cheek too, but under Ryuuen's clear gaze, she ultimately held back.

"No need to pretend to be kind in front of me. Just be yourself." Ryuuen was a man of his word; since he agreed to three punches, he wouldn't let Kushida Kikyo stop at one.

"I'll save it for next time. We have plenty of time ahead!" Kushida Kikyo withdrew her fist.

The tactic of hurting the enemy a thousand while losing five hundred left Kushida's fist red as well.

Ryuuen smiled. For Kushida Kikyo to say that meant she had already accepted the deal between them.

Before Ryuuen could reach out to help her, Kushida Kikyo got up on her own, brushed the dust off her skirt, and walked away directly.

As Ryuuen turned around, he found Hiyori standing behind him.

"You saw that?"

Hiyori nodded, her face full of anger, unconsciously pouting. She might not have realized why she was so furious.

"What did you see?" Ryuuen remained calm.

"You molested that female classmate, and she punched you!" Hiyori's tone was icy, staring at Ryuuen. "Aren't you going to explain yourself?"

"Look at my face, it's all swollen, and you don't even care." Ryuuen kept teasing.

"Serves you right!" Hiyori ground her teeth. She still wanted an explanation, but in truth, she had no standing to demand one from Ryuuen.

"Aren't you going to explain yourself!"

The question turned into a statement. In Ryuuen's memory, this was the highest volume Hiyori had ever spoken, though to his ears it still felt as soft as cotton.

The girl's stance was so firm, as if she had suffered a great injustice, like a child whose favorite stuffed toy had been snatched away.

Ryuuen stepped forward and kissed Hiyori—kissed her forehead, through the bangs of her hair. It didn't actually touch her skin, but it still made Hiyori's body go stiff and her neck flush red.

"I don't need to explain what I do."

Waving a hand back at Hiyori without looking, Ryuuen headed back to the dorm. He needed to get back quickly and apply a cold compress, or else his handsome face wouldn't look so great tomorrow.

While riding the elevator, Ryuuen ran into Koenji.

Koenji was in the elevator fiddling with his few strands of golden hair with a small comb. Seeing Ryuuen's swollen left cheek, he taunted, "Dragon boy, you really have no elegance at all."

Ryuuen couldn't be bothered with that monkey. He had to hurry back to the dorm for a cold compress.