According to Ryuuen's original plan, Ibuki's role was simply to provoke Class B.
By continuously escalating the situation, they would force Class B's leader, Ichinose Honami, to step in and resolve the conflict.
Then, by observing Ichinose's behavior and problem-solving methods, they could gauge her personal capabilities and, by extension, assess Class B's overall strength.
After that, they would target Class A, and finally Class D, using the same method to stir up conflicts and force each class leader to reveal themselves, thereby gathering intelligence on every class.
Ryuuen's goal was to probe the first-year class leaders through these confrontations.
Against unprepared classes, even the slightest provocation would leave them flustered and disorganized.
By securing information ahead of others, Ryuuen was confident he could catch those arrogant class leaders off guard.
But now... what was Ibuki doing?
Not only had she completely deviated from the plan, but she was also making a complete fool of herself in public, utterly disgracing Class C in the process.
Losing face was one thing, but...
Ryuuen's sharp, hawk-like eyes fixed on a security camera not far away, positioned perfectly to capture Ibuki's antics.
How was he supposed to clean up this mess? In his view, Ibuki had already lost.
The best outcome now would be if Ishizaki didn't get involved. If he jumped in, things could spiral out of control.
If Class C were fully under his command, Ryuuen would be confident in handling any outcome. But there were still those reckless rebels causing trouble... He had to minimize the class's losses.
"Huff... huff... huff... Are you just going to keep dodging around like a monkey?" Ibuki gasped heavily, her breathing ragged.
Her stamina was decent for a girl, but driven into a rage by Amane's teasing, she had wasted her energy on flashy but ineffective moves.
After just a few evasions from Amane, Ibuki was already bent over, struggling to catch her breath.
"Is that all you've got?" Amane brushed off some imaginary dust from her clothes, then mimicked Ibuki's panting, slightly hunched over.
"You bastard!" Gritting her teeth, Ibuki launched another kick. But Amane, having decided Ibuki had reached her limit, simply tripped her, sending her sprawling to the ground.
"I was just warming up, and you're already done? You're a bit out of shape, aren't you?" Amane remarked.
Ibuki lay on the ground in an embarrassing position, her head buzzing with fury at Amane's words. Amane patted her lightly on the head.
"Grrr!" Ibuki, in a fit of rage, nearly snapped at Amane's hand, forcing Amane to quickly back away. Since when did fighting involve biting?
Amane circled around Ibuki, then suddenly seemed to remember something.
She picked up the uniform Ibuki had earlier discarded and draped it over her short skirt to prevent any wardrobe mishaps.
The boy named Ishizaki and his two lackeys were nowhere to be seen, leaving only the bullied girl still lying on the ground.
Well, if Amane remembered correctly, she had been lying there for nearly twenty minutes—ever since Ibuki had shoved her aside to confront Amane.
Now, as dusk approached, the crowd around them had only grown larger.
Yet, no one had bothered to help her up. Seriously.
"Are you okay?" Amane extended a hand.
"Y-yes, I'm fine..." Shiranami grasped Amane's hand, and with barely any effort, Amane pulled her to her feet.
She was surprisingly light. No wonder even someone of Ibuki's height had been able to lift her by the collar.
"Thank you so much for helping me, Miyako-san. My name is Shiranami Chihiro, from Class B." Shiranami's voice was soft and soothing.
"I was just waiting in line and saw you being bullied, so I stepped in. It was nothing, really," Amane shrugged.
Shiranami's face flushed slightly.
Though Amane was a girl and not particularly tall, her casual shrug struck Shiranami as incredibly cool.
The black shirt, paired with the uniform jacket tied around her waist, gave off a mature and spirited vibe.
"Miyako-san, you're amazing..."
"Huh?" Amazing?
Amane felt she hadn't done much—just wore Ibuki out and tripped her. Beyond that, she hadn't done anything noteworthy.
While Amane was still pondering this, a hurried figure pushed through the crowd, followed by over thirty students.
Wow, had the entire class mobilized?
"Chihiro-chan, are you okay?" The first to squeeze through, thanks to her physical advantage, was a girl with a concerned expression. She had smooth, pink hair and azure blue eyes filled with worry.
"Honami-chan, I'm fine. If it weren't for Miyako-san, I might have been..." Shiranami threw herself into Ichinose's arms.
?!
I want a hug too... Amane thought enviously as she watched.
"There, there... don't be afraid. I'm here now," Ichinose comforted Shiranami, then turned to the boy behind her.
"Kanzaki-san, please secure the area. I don't want anyone who tried to bully Shiranami-san to slip away."
"Understood. We should avoid further conflict, right?" Kanzaki replied.
"Yes, please don't engage with them," Ichinose said.
Kanzaki nodded. According to forum photos, there were three boys and one girl involved.
The girl, who had tried to flee, had already been restrained. As for the three boys...
"Hey! You three, wait right there!"
After Shiranami had calmed down, she explained everything that had happened. Ichinose immediately turned to Amane with an apologetic look.
"I'm so sorry for leaving you out, Miyako-san. I understand the situation now. Thank you so much for your help. If you ever run into any trouble in the future, please don't hesitate to ask. I'll do whatever I can to assist."
If anyone else had said those words, they might have sounded like empty promises. But when Ichinose said them, you couldn't help but believe she meant every word.
"So, what are you planning to do with those Class C students?" Amane asked, noticing Ibuki still glaring daggers at her.
"Sigh, to be honest, I'm not sure. Although Chihiro-san suspects they were acting deliberately, without evidence, it's hard to make them face any real consequences," Ichinose sighed.
"Even if we accuse them of violence, neither Chihiro-san nor you seem to be injured. In that case..."
Ichinose clearly found the situation tricky.
Resolving it was easy, but maximizing their gains was another matter.
Amane blinked, then leaned in and whispered something into Ichinose's ear.
"W-wouldn't that be a bit too much?" Ichinose was taken aback. She never expected someone as gentle-looking as Amane to suggest something like that.
"What's so bad about it? Opportunities like this only come once," Amane insisted.
Hearing this, Ichinose felt tempted. "...Alright, let's go with your plan, Miyako-san."
--+--
T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 3 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.