Chapter 109: Ryuen, Are You Trying to Make Trouble?
Although Shiina didn't seem to have many friends in her class.
And she often frequented the library, making her seem like a genuine literary girl.
Now...
Hachiman felt that Shiina might not be as simple as she appeared.
At the very least, she should be a smart person.
What he didn't know was whether she was acting on her own or under Ryuen's instructions.
Although it wasn't to brag, Hachiman had also received a provocative text message from Ryuen, in which Ryuen openly declared his intent to take back his rightful position in Class C.
At the same time, Hachiman believed that Ryuen was the kind of person with no bottom line.
Especially with the current evaluation scores of the four classes.
1st Year Class A, Sakayanagi and Katsuragi's class: 1188 points
1st Year Class B, Ichinose's class: 951 points
1st Year Class C, Hikigaya and Horikita's class: 550 points
First Year Class D, Ryuen's class: 0 points
All his class points were reset to zero.
So, not doing something would indeed be unreasonable.
Thus.
Hachiman left the library.
And in the evening.
He met with Horikita. To be more precise, it was Kushida who made a small report, and it seemed that Horikita had been reading books all afternoon, then stayed in an air-conditioned room, and her health... had taken a turn for the worse.
In other words, the exam hadn't even started, and she was already breaking down?
This development surprised Hachiman.
...
While waiting for Horikita, Hachiman unexpectedly spotted an acquaintance.
He didn't know many girls from other classes, and girls from other classes typically wouldn't approach him.
But one girl directly sat down next to him.
"A cup of coffee."
"No sugar."
This was the way a mature woman would drink, and Hachiman looked at her.
"Is something the matter?" Hachiman asked.
"This isn't your café, can't I sit here?" The tone of her voice was somewhat harsh.
If there were such a thing as a "favorability score," this might be the type where her score would be 100 out of 100, but her favorability was only about 20 points.
Because this was Kamuro Masumi.
She was the one who had spent a high price to buy a test paper only to be told that it couldn't be used.
And regarding this:
"I think you can ask for tutoring," Hachiman said. "Sakayanagi is a genius, and studying comes easily to her."
"So if you could get personalized tutoring from her..." Hachiman paused here.
But Kamuro seemed displeased and pursed her lips.
"I don't think that's necessary," she said. "And I'm not interested in studying."
Because Sakayanagi always liked to tease people, so if she really asked for tutoring, she might end up being teased in an excessive manner.
Kamuro absolutely rejected this idea.
Is that so?
Hachiman took note of Kamuro's expression.
Well, Kamuro might not be sensitive enough. The real problem Kamuro had was with her academic performance, so if she were to get some tutoring...
Her weakness would disappear.
Class A would become even more solid.
But.
She didn't want tutoring.
So, in other words.
Although there was class rivalry, and it was unwise to trust students from other classes, Hachiman felt like he could trust Kamuro.
Because she wasn't smart or cunning enough.
Kamuro seemed like she was only here for the coffee. When she saw Horikita, she immediately left.
And so, Horikita sat in the seat Kamuro had just vacated.
Hachiman looked over.
...
Was Horikita's health really an issue?
Yes.
While Hachiman was waiting at the table on the deck, when he saw Horikita Suzune, he realized... she had become cuter.
Not that her appearance had changed, as she already had the potential to be strikingly attractive. Even Hachiman, who normally didn't care much about looks, couldn't point out anything wrong.
But her cheeks were slightly flushed, and although it was summer, she was wearing a light green jacket. She sat at the bar, occasionally furrowing her brows.
In other words, Horikita... might be sick.
"Horikita."
Hachiman greeted her.
"You're here pretty early," Horikita had already ordered... warm water.
Hachiman looked at her.
"After all, I invited you," Hachiman said. "But aren't you going to have a drink?"
Hachiman said.
He had arrived at the bar, and since all the expenses were covered by the school, students could order whatever they liked. Of course, considering the issue of waste, only drinks within reason were allowed.
"No need," Horikita shook her head.
Hachiman continued to observe her.
Her cheeks were slightly warm, but it wasn't from shyness. It was... likely a cold with a fever.
Hachiman himself had the experience of staying in an air-conditioned room and catching a cold the next day, and it lasted for a week, which was pretty bad.
"Today, I went to the library again to borrow some books on camping," Hachiman said. "And I found that the students from Class D aren't completely ignorant about camping."
"Meaning..."
"Probably because Ryuen's class cares a lot about this exam," Hachiman said. "So even though we don't know the exam rules yet, I think we need to raise our guard."
"Ryuen's class, huh..."
Ryuen's class is Class D, but it dropped from Class C.
The most obvious reason is that the fight involving Sudo was instigated by them.
And now, their class evaluation score is 0 points.
So, how much more can they struggle?
You need to understand that Hachiman was originally concerned about the large gap in points, which is why he intervened in the behavioral exam. Now that Ryuen's class has such a big gap…
Of course, they can't be entirely underestimated.
Horikita once said that she had always been trying to match her brother, but it didn't look like she understand her weakness.
And casually underestimating others was one of her weaknesses.
Hachiman observed Horikita's condition.
It was clear that she was highly motivated for this exam.
But.
The exam is about to start, and Horikita… is she sick?
In a sick condition, you can't achieve good results in an exam, unless you can casually forfeit and still help out.
While thinking this.
"Yo… isn't that Horikita Suzune from the former Class D, and Hachiman from Class C!"
"What's going on? Isn't Kushida here? She wanted to interact with some students from my class."
However, a mocking voice came from the side. Two people appeared in front of Hachiman and Horikita.
One was a man with red hair parted down the middle.
He was Ryuen Kakeru, from Class D, First Year.
And the reason Ryuen was here was pretty straightforward.
Fifteen minutes ago.
In Class D, Ryuen's class:
"This time, our class must seize this opportunity."
"Sakayanagi from Class A didn't come to the exam, and we can't contact the outside world by phone."
"So."
Ryuen said, "This time, we'll take down Class A, B, and C completely!"
"And turn it into a victory that belongs only to our class!"
Ryuen was holding a meeting, or more accurately, a meeting for his small team, where the students in his class were under his control.
But since this month's assessment hadn't started yet, there was no need to deploy all the students.
So, now, he was holding a meeting with those he trusted and could easily assign tasks to, and they would carry out those tasks.
The location was his assigned room.
The number of people was five.
From left to right, there were three boys.
And two girls.
The boys were Kaneda, with a hairstyle that looked like something out of another world, Albert, a mixed-race boy who stood at 1.9 meters tall, and Ishizaki Daichi, a fighter.
Kaneda wore glasses, looked like a nerd, and indeed, he was a nerd.
His academic ability was on par with Shiina's, and he was also very smart.
Albert had a tall physique and was very strong in physical combat. Ryuen couldn't beat him, so he used harassment tactics to wear him down and eventually made him submit.
Ryuen also used him as a subordinate.
It was very impressive.
Of course.
Before Ryuen entered this school, he was a delinquent and the leader of a gang in a certain region.
He didn't want to just stick to his old ways.
Especially after realizing that this school was different, he thought perhaps he could rise up from the bottom.
So, he decided to give it a try and lead his class to make a comeback.
And doing it alone would have no meaning; instead, if there were people who were ready to be used, why do it alone?
So, he formed his own team.
The boys were Kaneda, Albert, and Ishizaki Daichi.
The girls were Shiina Hiyori and Ibuki.
Shiina was smart and academically competent, making her a useful person for academic purposes.
As for Ibuki, she was one of the girls who initially resisted him. But once she realized the true nature of the school, she immediately switched sides, feeling that, with her own abilities, she couldn't make it to Class A.
So, she was willing to play a supporting role.
She was considered someone who understood the situation and acted wisely.
But these were all talent reserves.
So, what was the actual result?
Ryuen's Class C had already dropped out, and they had been at 0 points for two months.
Is there still hope?
Of course, there is hope.
In fact, he deliberately scored 0 points.
First of all, it's difficult to maintain a good score, and after getting 0 points, there are no negative points, so he can perform some maneuvers.
He obtained some exam content from the seniors. Yes, although the first-year students have different exam questions, by listening to the seniors' stories, he got a slight understanding of the school's limits and quirks.
This exam.
It is closely related to the uninhabited island.
Although the exam questions have not been released yet, he is already prepared.
After all, no matter what the exam questions are, the participants will all be students. So, he could approach it from this perspective.
"So, you met Hachiman, huh?" During a small meeting, Ryuen noticed that Shiina had actively reported the information.
"Didn't you ask me if I spoke with Hachiman earlier?" Shiina said. "I specifically paid attention and found out that he borrowed books from the library today."
"He borrowed books on camping-related knowledge," Hiyori added.
"Camping... So, does this mean he knows that the exam will take place on the uninhabited island?" Ryuen said.
"Yes."
"Looks like Hachiman and his group are quite ambitious. They want to climb higher."
"But."
"Class C's position is ours. This time, we will take them down!"
Ryuen said.
Thus.
He decided to meet with Hachiman and Horikita Suzune.
During the earlier Sudo incident, he felt like he had been set up.
And now, it felt like the same thing again.
There are dangerous people in Horikita's class.
So.
Ryuen, along with Albert, set out. After confirming the location of Hachiman and Horikita, they headed straight over.
...
"Yo... isn't that Horikita Suzune from the former Class D, and Hachiman from Class C!"
"What's going on? Kushida isn't here? Didn't she want to interact with some students from my class?"
Hachiman and Horikita were still at the bar, but a mocking voice came from the side.
The owner of the voice wasn't unfamiliar at all, it was Ryuen Kakeru, the leader of Class D.
He was wearing a loose checkered shirt and sunglasses, but at this moment, he took them off, and behind him was a tall, dark-skinned mixed-race bodyguard, Ryuen's personal bodyguard.
Isn't that Horikita and Hachiman?
The way he spoke, it seemed like he knew them.
However, the moment Hachiman saw Ryuen, he immediately knew this guy was probably here to cause trouble.
Because his words referred to "former Class D."
Which means.
He didn't acknowledge that his class had dropped down.
"It's been a month since I sent you the declaration."
"And you're still this lax," Ryuen said. "Horikita, the Sudo fight incident, you really know how to endure. It wasn't until I submitted the trial materials that you took out the evidence."
Saying this, Ryuen looked at Horikita Suzune.
He was talking about the Sudo fight incident, where the actual witness and video recorder was Hachiman. He intentionally waited for Ryuen and his group to make a big deal out of it, then threw the evidence out, turning it around and accusing them of framing.
But Hachiman gave the credit to Horikita.
So, Ryuen only knew that Horikita was the one who did this. It made sense for him to target Horikita now.
However, Horikita didn't even look at Ryuen.
Instead, she focused on the lukewarm water in front of her.
She remained silent.
Hachiman, who understood her, knew that Horikita was rejecting him. She probably realized that Ryuen came over looking for trouble, so since the other party was not friendly, why should she engage?
But Ryuen didn't mind Horikita's indifference or was intrigued by it. "I say..." he approached.
He seemed to want to lean on the bar.
"Your counter-accusations are quite interesting," Ryuen said. "Honestly, I'm a little interested in you..."
From his tone, Ryuen might come off as a frivolous person, but this could be his way of testing Horikita, seeing how different she was from other girls.
"I don't dislike women like you, Suzune~"
Ryuen appeared excited.
After all, Horikita was very beautiful.
She fit most people's aesthetic.
Horikita, on the other hand, looked at him coldly. "I don't know where you got your information."
"So could you stop calling others by their names so casually?"
She was cold to everyone, no matter who it was.
If anyone knew this, would the Kushida angel, who had been coldly rejected by Horikita and almost wanted to kick the railing and curse her out, feel a bit better?
But Kushida Kikyo wasn't here.
Ryuen waved at Albert, and Albert immediately handed over a phone. Ryuen took the phone, seemingly intending to take a picture of Horikita without her consent.
But.
Was Ryuen seriously thinking about doing this?
Because, you know, Hachiman was also right here.
So, Hachiman picked up his phone.