"There was a large-scale fight between Class 1-C and Class 1-D."
After stating this, Tachibana Akane paused. Nagumo Miyabi, seated a rank lower on Horikita Manabu's right side and currently handling club affairs, raised his head with interest and asked:
"Brawls among first-years have happened before, haven't they? Especially with classes like C and D at the bottom tier."
Since the two first-year Student Council members were absent today, Nagumo had no reservations in speaking bluntly.
"If it were merely a physical altercation, it wouldn't be so concerning."
Though Tachibana disliked Nagumo, she didn't show it openly. She continued speaking calmly:
"What I just stated is from a formal report. A signed complaint from Tokito Hiroya, a student of Class 1-C."
"More importantly, the Student Council received four separate complaints with similar content on the same day. To summarize—"
"An anonymous report claiming a conflict involving possible violence between Class 1-A and Class 1-D."
"A signed report from Class 1-C's Ryuuen Kakeru, stating that serious violence had occurred within Class 1-C and requesting Student Council intervention."
"And finally, a formal complaint from Class 1-A's Katsuragi Kouhei, claiming that two students from Class 1-D had orchestrated entrapment and fraud against Class 1-A, demanding punishment for Yamauchi Haruki and Ike Kanji."
Even the usually composed Horikita Manabu and Nagumo found themselves perplexed by the flurry of reports:
"This is a complete mess."
"What exactly happened? Who's the victim here?"
Faced with Nagumo's question, Tachibana could only shake her head in frustration:
"The full details are still under investigation. But based on the content of the four reports..."
"Each party claims to be the victim."
"Analyzing the timeline of the reports, the incident seems to have originated two days ago, on April 16th."
-------------------------------------
"Hey, you two awake yet?"
Sudou Ken rubbed his eyes, awakened by the buzzing of his phone on the pillow next to him. It was a message in the group chat from Ike Kanji.
Sudou didn't have many friends in class, just Ike and Yamauchi Haruki, who he was relatively close with. Though he'd heard the girls privately refer to them as the "Three Idiots," it didn't really bother him.
He glanced at the time—6 AM. Sudou wondered why Ike was up so early. Unlike himself, who had morning basketball practice, Ike and Yamauchi usually slept until the bell rang, shambling to class at the last minute.
He replied with a sleepy sticker to show he was awake. As expected, Ike sent another message right away:
"Found an amazing snack last night."
"Too stuffed to sleep?"
"Idiot, not that kind of snack. You know what I mean."
Ike followed up with a winking emoji. It took Sudou a moment to grasp what he meant.
Yamauchi suddenly chimed in too:
"Ike, you're really getting lamer."
"How could you find something and not share it with me?"
"Of course I didn't forget you. Already sent it."
Though not particularly interested, Sudou clicked the link Ike sent, half skeptical. The page loaded quickly.
On the screen appeared a woman who looked to be in her twenties, wearing what resembled a school nurse's uniform. Her curvy figure was emphasized by the tight outfit—ample chest, slim waist, and a well-shaped rear. Her youthful face looked like it belonged to a high schooler.
"Whoa, is this a new release or something?"
Yamauchi sent an excited message.
"That's our school's teacher! Class 1-B's homeroom teacher, who also doubles as the school nurse!"
Ike replied eagerly:
"Think about it—she's a real person we see all the time. With that image as reference, you can imagine all sorts of things."
"Why did we get a buff old guy for a homeroom teacher... so unlucky."
"Let's go check the nurse's office later today!"
"'Teacher, I'm not feeling well... could you give me a special check-up?'"
Sudou shook his head at the two perverts joking around and got out of bed to stretch. Unlike them, he cared only about basketball.
Even though he had joined the basketball club only two weeks ago, Sudou had already made a name for himself among the first-years. Even the coach had high hopes for him.
But another first-year, Kito Hayato from Class 1-A, was also doing well. Though Sudou thought he had better skills, he often lost his composure when provoked, leading to dumb mistakes. The coach had warned him repeatedly about staying composed.
Grabbing the basketball hanging on the wall, Sudou started his morning run.
If he kept performing well, he might get selected as an official player for the summer tournament. That was all he was focused on right now.
After morning practice, he returned to the dorm for a shower, grabbed some snacks from the convenience store, and headed to class while munching on a rice ball.
When he opened the classroom door, he immediately saw Ike and Yamauchi waving him over. As soon as he approached, they launched into another discussion about the girls in class—who was cute, who was rumored to be dating whom, and how far they'd gotten.
"Hey, I noticed Matsushita-san is dating a guy from another class."
Ike whispered conspiratorially. Sudou and Yamauchi followed his gaze. Matsushita Chiaki was quietly reading a book. She was one of the many pretty girls in Class D, so they hadn't paid much attention to her before.
After a moment of looking, Yamauchi clutched his head and groaned:
"What the hell, she's super cute!"
"Even if she weren't dating someone from another class, she still wouldn't go for you. Didn't you guys just spend the morning drooling over the Class B homeroom teacher?"
Sudou swallowed his rice ball and mumbled.
"That's different."
Yamauchi tugged on Ike's sleeve, asking:
"Are you sure about this? Who is it?"
"That guy from the mixer with Kushida, from Class B. I think his name was Yagami. They've been pretty close since then. I'm guessing they're dating."
"Tch, can't believe someone like him got lucky."
Yamauchi muttered sourly. They were about to continue when the bell rang. Ike gestured to continue the conversation on their phones later, knowing the teacher wouldn't care anyway.
-------------------------------------
Tokito Hiroya's mood had been sour lately. A student from Class 1-C, he had witnessed Ryuuen Kakeru's brutal domination of their class on the very first day of school. Calm by nature, Hiroya hadn't stepped in to challenge Ryuuen then. In his eyes, violence was the dumbest approach—it only built up resentment. All he needed to do was wait for the right moment, and with one rousing speech, he could tear Ryuuen down effortlessly.
But things didn't go as expected.
The students of Class C shockingly accepted Ryuuen without protest. Their compliance frustrated Hiroya, who was beginning to feel ashamed of their cowardice. Even the few rebels from day one—like Ishizaki Daichi—had become Ryuuen's lapdogs.
Ryuuen's grip over Class C was only growing stronger.
It didn't make sense.
Hiroya sat alone in the corner of a café, chin resting on his hand as he stared out the window at the bustling crowd. He, too, craved admiration and praise. In his eyes, Ryuuen was nothing more than a clown in a borrowed crown. And yet, Hiroya couldn't change the reality.
This contrast between what he believed and what he saw ate at him. Every day he grumbled privately, only to wilt under Ryuuen's snake-like glare in class.
He wasn't incompetent—he was just waiting for the right timing.
If only he had a chance, overthrowing Ryuuen's violent regime would be a breeze.
Replaying past events in his mind, Hiroya thought of Shiina Hiyori, who had dared stand up to Ryuuen. Maybe she'd be a potential ally. But she had firmly rejected any involvement.
Taking a deep breath, Hiroya looked up—just in time to spot a burly guy scanning the café for a seat.
The place was packed with students. The big guy stood awkwardly with his drink and snack. Hiroya, sensing opportunity, waved him over.
"Thanks," the man said politely, his voice at odds with his rugged appearance. His Japanese was awkward, and his dark skin gave Hiroya the impression he might be a foreigner.
"Are you an international student?" Hiroya asked.
"Yes. I'm Yamada from Class 1-D. Japanese... still learning. Sorry."
Yamada spoke between large bites of food.
"I'm Tokito Hiroya from Class 1-C. Nice to meet you."
Hiroya smiled and extended a hand, not caring about the grease on Yamada's palm. He eyed the guy's massive arms and solid build with envy—not due to any odd preference, but because a plan was forming.
Ryuuen's authority stemmed from his raw power. Even Ishizaki, with his delinquent background, had fallen quickly. Fear of violence kept Class C obedient.
So what if someone stronger beat Ryuuen?
Destroying Ryuuen's image of invincibility would collapse his regime.
Hiroya wasn't that guy, but Yamada might be.
Towering nearly two meters tall, Yamada looked like he could take on three Ryuuens at once. Best of all, he was from Class D—eliminating the risk of him becoming the next tyrant of Class C.
Excited by the idea, Hiroya started chatting him up. When Yamada looked like he wanted more food, Hiroya cheerfully scanned his student card to pay:
"I just feel like we really click, Yamada. Don't worry about it!"
After the meal, Hiroya stuck to him like glue. His warmth was so overwhelming that even Yamada's dark face turned a little red.
Within a single day, they'd become unexpectedly close, walking with arms slung over each other's shoulders. Their odd pairing drew stares and sparked wild rumors.
"Big spender, huh? Looks like he's gonna be living off mountain herbs the rest of the month."
Kitagawa Ryo trailed behind, whistling casually.
"This was your scheme, wasn't it, Ryo?"
Shiina Hiyori walked beside him, sticking out her tongue. She had mentioned Hiroya's offer to rebel against Ryuuen in passing a few days ago—she hadn't expected Ryo to act on it so quickly.
She still didn't fully understand his intentions. Having Yamada approach Tokito Hiroya so deliberately felt too suspicious. She couldn't quite read him.
"If I hadn't intervened, Yamada might not be able to handle Ryuuen at all."
A glint of nostalgia flashed in Ryo's eyes.
"Tokito Hiroya's plan is doomed to fail. Compared to Ryuuen, he's just not in the same league—he doesn't even have basic resolve."
Surprised by Ryo's evaluation, Hiyori asked, "You knew Ryuuen before?"
"Yes and no," Ryo replied with a smile.
"It's more like... we've never met, but somehow we just clicked."
He turned to look directly into Hiyori's eyes.
"Kinda like when I first met you."
"Back then, I even called you 'Hamlet,' remember?"
Hiyori burst into laughter at the memory.
"Yeah."
Ryo replied softly, rubbing the ring in his pocket with his fingers.
He often took the ring from storage to hold it in his palm.
[One Ring: Should come as a pair. But right now, you don't know whose hand the other is on.]
It had been a gift—a confession to Hiyori during his second simulation with Karuizawa Kei.
But that was in the past.
He and Shiina Hiyori would have many more "firsts" in the future.
Not in simulations.
In reality.
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