Today, Tokito Hiroya was in an unusually good mood—perhaps even the most excited he had been since the beginning of the school year.
After several days of deliberate efforts, his friendship with Yamada had progressed well. They were now on back-slapping terms, acting like close brothers. So when Tokito asked for a favor, Yamada only hesitated briefly before agreeing.
Taking a deep breath, Tokito glanced at the equipment in his hands, a trace of pain flashing through his eyes. The digital camera, along with a tripod and other accessories, had cost him a total of 40,000 personal points. Combined with the investment he had made in Yamada over the past few days, his initial allotment of 100,000 points at the beginning of the term was almost gone.
He hadn't opted to use the school-issued phone because its camera became blurry at a distance. Since his aim was to record Ryuuen Kakeru's defeat, clarity was essential.
If he could take down Ryuuen, all of it would be worth it.
Tokito Hiroya was a competitive and stubborn person. He firmly believed Ryuuen was nothing but a tyrant who brought no benefit to Class C—just a simple brute.
So he decided to destroy Ryuuen using violence—Ryuuen's own language. By toppling him with the same force he used to rise, the humiliation would be most complete.
Hiroya had already discussed the plan with Yamada. On April 16, he would lure Ryuuen to the grove behind the infirmary. Rumor had it that the security cameras around the infirmary had been malfunctioning lately due to aging wiring, and the school had scheduled maintenance for that exact day. The intel had come from a careless Class B student, whose homeroom teacher happened to be the school nurse and had mentioned it during class.
Hiroya had thought of everything. Even if the cameras were still operational and captured footage of the fight, it would be between Yamada and Ryuuen. Only the two of them would take the fall.
He fiddled with the digital camera in his hands. To be honest, he wasn't very skilled with photography, but this footage was critical. Ryuuen had established his dominance in Class 1-C with a brawl on the first day of school—so nothing would be more poetic than bringing him down with another brawl, one where he lost miserably.
Hiroya wanted every student in Class C to see it. He wanted the image to be burned into their retinas.
With that thought in mind, Tokito arrived early at the designated spot and began scouting for the best angle and getting familiar with the camera.
The most prominent structure nearby was, of course, the infirmary. Using it as a reference point, Hiroya moved through the grove, testing different distances and focus settings, taking shots of the open clearing, trees, and infirmary as he familiarized himself with the gear.
When the appointed time came, Ryuuen arrived on schedule, scanning the area as if searching for Hiroya.
Yamada Albert didn't disappoint. He arrived silently and began beating Ryuuen without hesitation.
Ryuuen looked genuinely surprised. Caught off guard, he was immediately at a disadvantage and could only shield himself with his arms as he took a beating.
Hidden in the trees, Tokito Hiroya was so excited he fist-pumped. He quickly found his position, adjusted the focus, and began secretly recording.
Though Ryuuen had a solid build, he eventually began to lose strength. He was pressed to the ground, his arms limp at his sides.
Hiroya could no longer contain his excitement. He strode out from the shadows, nearly shoving the camera in Ryuuen's bruised face, laughing mockingly:
"Ryuuen? Never thought you'd end up this pathetic."
He spat on the ground near Ryuuen. Yamada had done a perfect job—Ryuuen was bloodied but not critically injured. It was exactly the effect Hiroya wanted.
He stepped forward, lightly slapping Ryuuen's cheek with a grin:
"What tyrant? You were overthrown by a stronger fist. Even if I hadn't done it today, Class C would have crumbled because of you eventually."
Ryuuen's swollen eyes narrowed, still sharp and menacing:
"Still better than someone who relies on others."
"That's the difference between you and me, Ryuuen."
Hiroya pointed at himself, then at Ryuuen. To free his hands, he passed the camera to Yamada.
"You'll never have friends. How does it feel to be betrayed by friendship?"
Drunk on the thrill of victory, he didn't notice Yamada quietly stepping back.
"Tokito Hiroya, right? Fine. I won't forget you."
Still defiant, Ryuuen's words enraged Hiroya further. He grabbed Ryuuen's collar and shouted:
"Ryuuen, you've lost!"
"This beating will spread through our class group chat soon. No one will ever fear you again."
"Got it?!"
Hiroya glared at Ryuuen one last time. He didn't want to linger—getting spotted now would be bad. All he needed to do was upload the footage to the class group chat, and it would be over.
After saying goodbye to Yamada, he tightly gripped the camera and ran toward the dorm.
If he had used his phone, he could have uploaded the footage instantly. But with a digital camera, he needed to extract the memory card and transfer it via computer.
Too excited, he quickened his pace—and at an intersection, he collided hard with someone running from the opposite direction.
The force of the crash sent his camera rolling away. The other person seemed dazed and collapsed on top of him. As both tried to get up, Hiroya's arm, just lifted, was forced back down by the stranger's weight.
"Ah... sorry, sorry!"
About thirty seconds later, the stranger scrambled up. He was a surprisingly handsome young man. But Hiroya, not one to get flustered over pretty faces, immediately stood and scanned the area for his camera.
"Phew, thank goodness."
The camera was lying nearby, covered in dust but seemingly intact. Hiroya rushed over and pressed the power button. The screen lit up normally—aside from a few scuffs, it looked fine.
On any other day, Hiroya would have chewed the guy out. But today he had more important matters. He just shot the boy a murderous glare and barked:
"Watch where you're going next time."
With that, he stormed off, clutching the camera.
The flustered look on Yagami Takuya's face gradually faded.
"Ayanokouji-senpai."
"...Good performance. Looks like the fifth generation really did ramp up emotional training."
Ayanokouji Kiyotaka stepped out from the shadows, flipping the memory card he had just removed from Hiroya's camera.
"I don't know if he actually caught footage of you attacking, but just in case, it's better to confiscate it."
"Yes... I apologize."
"Next time you execute a plan, be more careful."
Ayanokouji shot Yagami a cold glance. If he weren't a useful White Room agent, Ayanokouji wouldn't have bothered cleaning up after him.
"Let's go. This operation failed. Both the infirmary and the basketball club."
"Understood."
Ayanokouji slipped the small memory card into his pocket and stood silently for a moment, stroking his chin.
His phone vibrated. It was a message from Katsuragi Kohei, or rather, the small secret group of trusted insiders he maintained.
After giving Katsuragi some intel on the school's basic rules, the Class A leader had grown to trust Ayanokouji—even if he rarely followed his advice.
Taking out his phone, Ayanokouji quickly read the long message.
"...So that's how it is."
He let out an almost imperceptible sigh, took the memory card from his pocket again, and gazed at it in the last glow of the setting sun.
"I was used."
-------------------------------------
"One million...?"
Yamauchi Haruki was stunned by the number. After all, he had already spent almost all of his 100,000 points this month on things like a PS gaming console, accessories, luxury snacks, and game cartridges. He barely had 10,000 points left.
One million was ten times that amount.
Ike Kanji was equally shocked but a bit more composed. He raised his voice in doubt:
"How do we know you're not just throwing out a random number?!"
"At this school, you can pay a certain number of points to have the school notarize and enforce a contract. The school will ensure the terms are upheld."
Seeing the two waver, Katsuragi Kohei quickly explained.
"Right now, I can send you 90,000 points as a show of good faith."
To prove his sincerity, Katsuragi immediately transferred 45,000 points each to Yamauchi and Ike.
When the transaction notification popped up, both of their eyes lit up.
"Well... this is just barely enough to cover my medical bills."
"We don't buy that contract talk. If you can really come up with one million points right now, we'll let Kouenji off the hook."
Yamauchi swallowed hard, pushing his luck.
For someone of his intellect, contracts sounded fishy. Real points in hand were far more convincing.
Ike said nothing, but his eyes sparkled. He didn't stop Yamauchi's pressure tactics. In fact, he had a more calculated thought—Katsuragi was Class A's leader and always had people following him around. Maybe he could come up with a million points on the spot.
In truth, they didn't have any solid evidence against Kouenji—just some bruises. If they didn't milk this moment, they might regret it when Katsuragi snapped back to his senses.
Then Ike had a flash of inspiration:
"Alright, no need for the full million just yet. But let's sign a contract first."
Yamauchi looked puzzled, but Ike signaled him to keep quiet. He'd figured it out: if the contract worked, then even if they lacked proof, Katsuragi would have to pay. Better to get it in writing now than risk the deal falling through.
"Fine."
Katsuragi gritted his teeth and opened the voice recording app on his phone.
"Let's record this agreement to avoid disputes later."
"Class 1-A agrees to compensate Class 1-D students Yamauchi Haruki and Ike Kanji with one million points. In return, the two will no longer pursue disciplinary action against Kouenji Rokusuke."
"I agree."
"No objections."
Yamauchi and Ike agreed immediately, though Yamauchi still felt unsatisfied.
"Send another 70,000 points. My head's still killing me."
To keep them calm, Katsuragi sent an urgent message to his trusted circle, explaining he needed a lot of personal points quickly. Soon, Totsuka Yahiko responded with concern and transferred 70,000 points.
Seeing his balance climb back above 100,000 points, Yamauchi burst out laughing:
"Perfect! I can finally get a new computer. I heard the one Professor uses costs 80,000 points. I'll get a better desktop and make him jealous."
With gleaming eyes, he opened the school's Keyaki online shop and selected a high-end desktop priced at 104,000 points. After filling out the delivery details, he proudly showed it off to Ike and was about to post it to the class group chat.
Panicked, Ike quickly stopped him:
"Don't let the others know we have this many points!"
"Oh, right."
Watching the two gleefully squander what had originally belonged to himself and Class A's students, Katsuragi felt like vomiting blood. His vision blurred with frustration. Rationally, preserving class points was more important than personal ones—but still, knowing he now owed them over 800,000 more...
"Is the nurse here? Where's the school nurse?!"
At that moment, the infirmary door burst open. Several boys crowded in. Leading them was a tall guy with mid-length purplish-red hair, a bruised face, and bandages around his head. He looked like he'd just been in a fight.
"Damn, the nurse isn't here. What now, boss?"
One burly student scanned the room and asked.
"Send two people to look for her."
Ryuuen Kakeru muttered, frowning as he looked around the room. Then he strode over and shoved Yamauchi aside, plopping down on the bed:
"Move it."
"Who the hell do you think you are?! Can't you see I'm injured?!"
Still riding high from earlier, Yamauchi exploded. He hadn't fully processed Katsuragi's submissive attitude and now pointed a finger at Ryuuen and yelled.
"Injured?"
Ryuuen scoffed.
With a savage kick, he slammed his foot into the arm Yamauchi had in a cast and sling. Katsuragi and Ike stared in disbelief. One thought surged in their minds:
Is this guy insane?
Yamauchi reflexively lifted his left arm to block the kick.
Then came the shocking part—the arm, supposedly badly injured, rose without issue.
Crack!
The force shattered the plaster cast and ripped the bandages apart, revealing a perfectly healthy arm.
"After street fights, there's always someone who fakes serious injuries to milk extra compensation."
Ryuuen gave a mocking smile.
The atmosphere froze. It was like time itself had stopped.
In that suffocating silence, Katsuragi Kohei slowly straightened his back.
"Perfect..."
The man, burly enough to not seem like a high schooler, growled the word through clenched teeth.
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