Chapter 110: Kushida Is About to Explode!
Click, click, click.
When Ryuen was about to take a photo of Horikita Suzune, he suddenly noticed... Hmm, there were a lot of flashes from all around him.
In other words, someone was taking pictures of him from all angles.
"..." Ryuen.
This made the hand holding the phone freeze in mid-air.
"You... What is this supposed to mean?"
Ryuen gave up on taking the photo and instead turned his attention to the dead-eyed boy sitting in the same row as Horikita Suzune.
It was Hachiman from Class 1-C.
He was often seen with cute girls from his class, such as Horikita Suzune.
And it seemed that he had imposed certain restrictions and forced self-discipline on his classmates during the behavior exam, which was why he didn't lose many points in the end.
This behavior seemed like the actions of someone trying to break free from the constraints of Class D.
But now, looking at him, this guy might not be as straightforward as he seemed.
Because why directly took 56 photos of him, a male students? Why were they photographing him?
"My dad told me," Hachiman said. "If you want to shoot, then you have to be prepared to be shot at."
"Isn't that a line from Lelouch?" Ryuen said. "Hmph!"
"Interesting!"
He knew that Hachiman saying that and doing it was his way of making Ryuen understand that if he wanted to take photos, he needed to be ready to be photographed himself.
In other words, was he resisting?
In fact, Ryuen was also observing Hachiman closely.
That's why, last month, he sent a declaration of war to Hachiman, Horikita, and Kushida.
As for Horikita, according to Ishizaki and the others, she was someone who could endure a lot.
She intentionally waited for him to make a move, so she could apply to the student council for a trial, then turn the tables on him.
She was a cunning one.
As for Hachiman...
He was often seen with Horikita.
But Hachiman probably hadn't realized the true nature of the school at first, otherwise, how would he have broken the cameras?
And then lost 50 points in the class evaluation score.
Only then did he realize how foolish his actions had been, right?
But for Hachiman's class, it might have turned out to be a blessing in disguise because they knew the contents of the behavior exam and were able to prepare for it in time.
In Ryuen's class, under his forced tyrannical control, everyone was forced to be disciplined, so they didn't lose many points.
And Hachiman's class used restraint and threats to coerce their classmates, which also caught Ryuen's attention.
And today, Shiina even said that she saw Hachiman reading books on camping.
So, it seemed that Hachiman and his group were trying to perform well in this exam.
But this kind of thing... Ryuen wouldn't let them have their way.
The senior students weren't very tight-lipped, so some of the information definitely spread to other classes, and this time, the exam would take place on a boat, followed by an island exam.
So other students could also get the information and make their preparations.
However, Ryuen didn't like the idea of simply learning about camping and other things. In fact, he didn't think the school would be so conservative and follow the rules strictly. There were definitely loopholes to exploit.
So now, he had information that other classes could also get.
But that wasn't all.
He could also arrange his students.
So...
"Out of respect for you, I won't take a photo," Ryuen said. "And today is quite simple. You probably already know that this boat trip is the special exam for this month."
"Earlier..."
Ryuen said, "I admit I lost to you."
"But this time, I won't lose."
"And the C-class position you're occupying, I'll be taking it back!"
In other words, Ryuen was declaring war again, and this time, it was an open declaration rather than a secret one.
He even revealed the teachers' secrets about the vacation, trip, and other things, which were all related to the exam.
But...
"Ryuen!" Just then, a blue-haired D girl walked out from the side of the deck.
The girl's appearance is above average, with eyes full of spirit, though she looks extremely angry.
She's a resilient person.
However, her anger is directed at Ryuen Kakeru.
Hachiman looks at Horikita.
"..." Horikita.
Although Horikita is sick, she likely made eye contact with Hachiman, prompting her to send a message.
It was a message from this blue-haired girl.
First-year Class D, Ibuki Mio.
A classmate of Ryuen.
But now.
Ibuki was glaring at Ryuen with a hostile expression, as if preparing for internal conflict.
"What... Ibuki, huh..." Ryuen Kakeru appeared a bit surprised but seemed quite amused. "Have you fallen for me?"
He said this with a very flirtatious tone.
As he spoke, he reached out as if to hug Ibuki.
"Don't be ridiculous!" But Ibuki not only avoided him but also pushed his hand away. "I can't stand your actions anymore!"
"Oh?" Ryuen, seemingly unfazed, said, "Then come to my room later, just the two of us."
"Don't be ridiculous!" Ibuki was visibly angry and immediately made a move to attack Ryuen.
Ibuki's steps were steady, and her movements were swift, indicating she likely had martial arts training, such as karate.
However, Ryuen didn't dodge her punch. Instead, Albert Yamada, the tall, dark-skinned mixed-race student who had been standing beside Ryuen, caught Ibuki's punch with one hand.
"Albert!" Ibuki looked shocked. "Why are you helping Ryuen... You've been tamed, huh?"
From an observer's perspective, Ibuki and Albert seemed to have a good relationship, or else she wouldn't have asked that.
Of course, it could have just been a provocation, but Albert, wearing sunglasses, said nothing.
"You're disturbing my fun. Let's meet again another time. In order for me to take back my position, you all just keep struggling. But frankly, it's useless!"
Ryuen made a provocation, then seemed ready to leave.
"Ryuen, don't think you can escape!" Ibuki wasn't giving up and tried to chase after him.
"Smack!" But Albert, who was beside Ryuen, grabbed her arm with one hand and restrained her.
At that moment, Ibuki seemed as helpless as a little chick with no strength to resist.
"..."
Despite her physical discomfort, Horikita couldn't watch any longer. She stood up from her seat, wanting to help Ibuki.
Ryuen appeared frivolous, and Albert's large build made it look like he was bullying Ibuki.
"Smack!" Perhaps noticing that Horikita had stood up and was about to help, Albert casually tossed Ibuki away like an object. Ibuki's body slammed heavily into the railing, then fell.
"We're leaving."
Ryuen turned and glanced at Ibuki, then called Albert.
"Yes, Boss!" Albert quickly followed.
Meanwhile, Hachiman, who had been observing, walked over to Ibuki. "Are you okay?"
He reached out a hand to her.
"Smack!" But Ibuki swatted his hand away. "It's none of your business!"
Then, despite her struggles, she managed to get up on her own, leaving Horikita, who had wanted to help, standing still. Ibuki, without saying a word, limped toward the ship's cabin.
It's unclear whether she was heading back to the cabin or looking for a doctor there.
No one expected to witness such chaos within Class D.
"Just now, Ryuen made a declaration, but his class is far from stable," Horikita Suzune sighed as she withdrew her gaze from Ibuki.
Hachiman didn't speak.
He was thinking.
"What's wrong?" Horikita noticed his state. "Is it..."
"It's not that," Hachiman said. "I'm thinking, wasn't Ryuen's class initially conquered by him?"
"Why is there conflict now?"
"Eh?" Horikita Suzune was stunned.
"Remember the behavior exam? Because I destroyed the surveillance cameras, the evaluation scores for each class were revealed."
"But..."
"The second update was the incident with Sudou."
"Then, Ryuen's class score hadn't been reduced at all before the student council handled it."
"What do you think that means?" Hachiman asked.
What does it mean?
Class 1-A was the first to learn about the school's behavior norm exams, and they were quite disciplined.
But even so, they lost a few points every day.
However...
Ryuen's class... It seemed that after the class evaluation score was exposed, there were no further deductions.
If Ryuen hadn't wanted to sabotage Hachiman's class, then maybe his class could have maintained their score until the end.
So...
Ryuen's class was likely not just about self-discipline.
"So, Ryuen must have had control over his class from the start."
"That means he has subdued everyone. So, isn't it strange that there are still people resisting him now?" Hachiman said.
Hmm...
That point... seems undeniable.
After all, in the previous behavior norm exam, even though Hachiman used constraints and made the whole class taste the worst mountain vegetable set meal, the class still lost points.
Therefore, what Ryuen's class has achieved in terms of self-discipline—or rather, their constraints—was quite frightening.
It could only be that Ryuen used absolute violence to force all students to obey. If they resisted, the punishment would be incredibly severe.
So, in this situation, Ryuen's class could maintain a period of time without losing points.
Then...
Ibuki is also a student in Ryuen's class. The fact that the class was able to be disciplined before means she too was under Ryuen's control.
So now...
How could she possibly be against Ryuen?
"In other words," Horikita Suzune finally understood. "So, they are acting?"
"That's possible," Hachiman said. "If that's the case, Ryuen probably wants us to think that there is a seed of discord between Ibuki and him."
"Perhaps he'll use it later."
"..." Horikita. "This is just a special exam, and yet it has to be arranged in such a way?"
"And it's like... it's like espionage."
This is where Horikita still needs to learn. Human relationships are complicated.
Moreover, the school allows the existence of point cards, essentially tacitly accepting these behaviors.
But right now, Horikita...
Well.
Indeed, it was normal for Ryuen to want to take a photo just now, especially since she looked quite cute with her slightly flushed cheeks.
"Anyway you should confess," Hachiman said.
"Confess... confess what..." Horikita Suzune's tone seemed to weaken a bit.
"You," Hachiman said. "Your cheeks are very red."
"..." Horikita. "I was probably just napping before I came out."
But Hachiman shook his head.
"If you're not feeling well, don't push yourself too hard. You may think you're fine, but you could end up faltering at a crucial moment."
"Besides," Hachiman continued, "the exam isn't starting right away, so take the opportunity to rest properly."
"..." Suzune.
She seemed to think for a moment before choosing to give in.
"Sorry, I used to rarely catch colds or have a fever, but today I stayed in the cabin on the ship for the whole afternoon, and now my body feels a bit off."
"It's probably because I was in the air conditioning for too long," Horikita Suzune said.
Hmm.
Changes in environment do make it easy to get sick.
But...
"You've been working too hard," Hachiman said.
Horikita Suzune's daily schedule is very tight. She studies for 10 hours a day.
It's simply cruel.
Over time, even the strongest body can accumulate fatigue.
Then it becomes weak.
Considering Horikita's health, Hachiman didn't let her stay there any longer.
However...
Ryuen actually arranged for Ibuki to come and act in front of them, which made Hachiman start to pay attention.
In other words, Ryuen was good at using interpersonal relationships and accepting them.
So...
The fact that the other side is good at this could also confuse things.
Because...
Hachiman had already prepared a spy who could be sent to another class.
So, Ryuen, Mr. Ryuen, the days of give-and-take are not far off.
Thinking this, he heard a notification.
"Ding ding!"
Hachiman looked at his phone.
Hmm.
It was a message from a boy.
It was from Hirata.
Inviting Hachiman to dinner was probably an attempt to throw Yamauchi and Takahara over to him, while also feeling some guilt inside.
However...
Aside from Hirata...
"Hachiman..."
"How about having dinner together tonight?"
"I need to consult you about something, Ike!"
In the class group chat, Hachiman was @-ed.
It was from Yamauchi.
Yamauchi didn't have Hachiman's contact information, but the whole class was in the group chat.
So they @-ed Hachiman in the group.
Ike quickly replied as well.
"Hey, Haruki, don't just say it out loud!"
It seemed like it was a somewhat embarrassing topic.
After considering it for a moment...
Hachiman decided to accept the invitation.
These guys, when they first entered school, were capable of creating a huge ranking for bust sizes, and now with the upcoming deserted island exam, there was an opportunity to climb up the ranks. Hachiman didn't want to be sitting here thinking about how to get an A while the other students were just dragging him down. So if there was any danger, he'd immediately suppress it in the cradle.
...
So, Hachiman invited Hirata's guardian, his mother, to the restaurant on the ship.
The ship's expenses were fully covered, and there were many dining options available.
There was a Western buffet.
Hachiman chose the buffet.
When he and Hirata arrived, Yamauchi and Ike Kanji had already waved at them.
"Hachiman!"
Yamauchi was as loud as ever.
"You're the experienced one!"
"So... does that mean you've lost your virginity?" Yamauchi asked.
Oh,
This...
So you're asking him about his virginity, huh?
However...
"Actually, Ike..." Yamauchi continued. "He wants to confess to Kushida!"
"So, he wants to ask you how to confess to Kushida so she would like it."
I see.
Well...
That does need to be addressed.
Because...
Hachiman thought that Kushida's emotional level would likely rise in the near future, and she might explode.