On the morning of the third day of school, a peculiar tension settled over the classroom of Class 1-C.
Sunlight streamed through the windows, yet it couldn't dispel the oppressive solemnity hanging in the air.
Ryuuen Kakeru stood at the podium with his hands casually tucked into his pockets, chin raised. His sinister gaze—sharp and cold like a searchlight—swept slowly across the room. Moments earlier, he had finished explaining the core rules of the class points system and declared his intent to become the sole leader of Class C.
"…So."
Ryuuen's voice echoed through the silent classroom, low and heavy.
"From today on, what I say goes. If you want to survive here and climb to Class A, you'll follow my rules. Any objections?"
His icy stare skewered the few students who had shown signs of rebellion before. Instinctively, they lowered their heads, refusing to meet his eyes. The room remained dead silent.
Ryuuen's lips twisted into a cold, satisfied curve.
Good. The first step—fear—had been planted.
"Since no one has any objections," he continued, shifting seamlessly into command, "first order of business—Albert."
From the back row, a towering figure rose.
Yamada Albert—nearly two meters tall and built like a fortress—stood up. His broad frame even blocked part of the sunlight. Dark-skinned, silent behind his black sunglasses, he was the embodiment of intimidation. After witnessing Ryuuen's ruthlessness firsthand, he followed him without question.
"Yes, Boss," he replied in accented English.
"Go collect the money," Ryuuen said simply. "25,000 points per person. Now."
Albert began his march forward, each step heavy and unhurried, like a mobile wall advancing on the first row.
Instantly, the students' faces stiffened.
Twenty-five thousand points. A quarter of their entire monthly allowance—vanishing on the third day of school.
Pain, reluctance, resentment… all flickered across their faces. But with Ryuuen's cold gaze fixed on them from the podium, and Albert's overwhelming presence looming closer, none of them dared voice a complaint. Especially after Ryuuen's explanation of how class point rankings worked.
A chorus of suppressed sighs and soft beep sounds filled the classroom.
One after another, students opened their payment app and—gritting their teeth—transferred their points to Albert.
Ryuuen watched from the podium, expression frozen, jaw tightening ever so slightly.
One million points.
The number burned in his mind like a brand.
His thoughts drifted back to the previous afternoon in the teachers' office—
Sakayanagi Arisu, poised and elegant, performing the role of a magnanimous Class A honor student.
And he, Ryuuen Kakeru, forced to act the part of a "knowledge-seeking" representative from Class C.
Sakayanagi had casually tossed out an outrageous price—two million points for information—and enjoyed the sight of his expression darkening.
Mashima Tomoya, Class A's homeroom teacher, looked mildly taken aback. Class C's homeroom teacher, Sakasue Kazuma—a stern man with a perpetually serious expression—frowned even harder. He pushed up his glasses, tapping the desk with clear irritation.
"Two million points? Sakayanagi-san, this price is absurd!" Sakasue protested. "That's half of Class C's monthly allocation. As a teacher, I must look out for my students' well-being."
"I understand your concerns, Sakasue-sensei," Sakayanagi replied softly, her voice gentle yet unwavering. "But this information concerns Class C's future. It can guide them on how to rise within the merit-based system… and surpass Class B."
Surpass Class B.
The phrase struck Sakasue. As Class C's homeroom teacher, his deepest wish was for his class to climb upward.
Seeing his reaction, Sakayanagi continued smoothly:
"Besides, Ryuuen-kun approached me himself. His willingness to seek knowledge and make bold decisions is admirable. Class A has the ability to obtain information—and Class C has the wisdom to pay for it."
Mashima nodded slightly after a moment of thought.
"Sakasue-sensei, Sakayanagi-san has a point. Information value can't be calculated precisely. Still, two million is excessive. While we cannot interfere with student-to-student transactions, we can mediate and help reach a more reasonable price."
Sakasue knew he couldn't directly hand the information to Ryuuen—teachers had limits. But this information was undeniably vital. In silence, he weighed cost against necessity as he studied Ryuuen—the dangerous, rising leader of Class C.
Finally, he exhaled slowly.
"One million points," he declared. "That is my bottom line. The information must be genuine and complete."
His gaze turned sharp as he looked at Sakayanagi.
"Sakayanagi-san, do you guarantee it?"
She smiled gracefully and nodded.
"Of course, sensei. With both teachers as witnesses, I guarantee its authenticity."
Ryuuen clenched his teeth behind a mask of calm.
He accepted the deal—accepted being extorted.
That woman was doing all of this deliberately.
First the recording.
Now this calculated robbery of points.
One million points.
A full quarter of Class 1-C's total class points—gone.
But he had no choice.
Without knowing the actual rules, Class C risked losing everything next month.
With this information, however…
They had a chance. A real chance.
Not only to avoid collapse—
But to surpass Class B in the very first month.
These one million points—
they were Class 1-C's entry ticket to climb upward and overtake Class B.
In the long run, this investment was worth every point.
"Ryuuen-sama…"
A boy in the front row muttered hesitantly, his voice trembling.
"Twenty-five thousand points… isn't that too much…?"
Ryuuen's cold gaze sliced toward him instantly.
The boy froze as if a blade had pressed to his throat, his face draining of color.
"Too much?"
Ryuuen's voice was icy, yet carried a fierce, compelling force.
"If I hadn't found a way to get this information out of Sakagami-sensei—if I hadn't forced the price down to one million—how many points would you all have left next month? You might drop straight into Class D."
He seamlessly linked the information to the teachers, framing himself as the negotiator who fought for their sake.
Admitting the purchase came from an A-Class student would only stir unnecessary suspicion. This was the version he and Sakasue-sensei had agreed upon.
"With this information,"
Ryuuen continued, his voice rising with confidence,
"we can avoid every trap, build strategies, and keep our class points intact. In the very first month, we can crush Class B from the start. We might even challenge Class A."
His gaze sharpened.
"Is twenty-five thousand points too high a price to buy a month's advantage?"
The students exchanged uneasy looks.
The resentment that had been simmering in their expressions slowly faded.
In its place came a complicated mix—shock, lingering fear, and something like awe.
Forceful as he was… Ryuuen genuinely seemed to be thinking for Class 1-C.
At the front, Yamada Albert silently completed his task and handed the phone to Ryuuen.
Ryuuen looked down at the long string of digits confirming the transfer.
In the depths of his eyes, a shadow flickered.
Sakayanagi… these one million points? I'll remember them. I'll make you pay back every last one—principal and interest.
He pocketed the phone, his expression hardening once more.
The information was secured.
The price had been paid.
Class 1-C's initial "unity" had been enforced.
Now it was time to get serious.
His target had always been Sakamoto of Class A.
The guy who humiliated him in the cafeteria.
The one Sakayanagi had conveniently suggested he should "probe."
Sakayanagi wants to use me? To test Sakamoto?
Ryuuen scoffed internally.
Ryuuen Kakeru was no one's pawn.
He would tear off Sakamoto's elegant, composed façade himself—and expose whatever was hidden underneath.
But even he knew one thing:
Facing Sakamoto alone probably wouldn't be enough.
He needed assistance.
He needed a thinker.
Ryuuen's gaze swept across the room.
The muscle-headed brutes? Useless—fists didn't work on someone like Sakamoto.
The loud, quirky girls? Even worse—they'd only create chaos.
His eyes finally settled on a figure by the window.
Shiina Hiyori.
She sat quietly, completely detached from the surrounding chatter.
Her soft silver hair fell like moonlight over her shoulders. A few strands brushed her pale cheek as she lowered her head, absorbed in the thick mystery novel open before her. Her slender fingers lightly traced the edges of the pages.
Her violet eyes were still and serene—almost transparent—utterly unlike the rest of the unsettled class.
Ryuuen remembered her well.
On the first day of school, she had been just like this—quiet, isolated, reading.
But Ryuuen had caught her observing everything around her.
Her gaze wasn't timid or curious—
It was analytical, cool, sharp.
She was different.
Interesting.
Ryuuen stepped down from the podium without hesitation and strode straight toward her.
His footsteps echoed clearly in the hushed classroom.
One by one, heads turned, curious and tense.
Shiina Hiyori remained in her book's world—until Ryuuen's shadow fell over her desk. Slowly, she lifted her gaze.
Her violet eyes met his calmly.
No fear.
No surprise.
Almost as if she had anticipated his approach.
Ryuuen stopped in front of her and stared down in silence, his presence pressing upon her like a physical force.
Shiina closed her book with delicate movements, tilting her head slightly as she met his gaze.
"Student Ryuuen," she said softly, her voice light and airy. "Is something the matter?"
His lips curled into a thin, dangerous smile.
He leaned forward, placing his hands on the edge of her desk. His tall frame enveloped her in a heavy, suffocating pressure.
His voice dropped, low and cutting.
"Hey, Hiyori."
He intentionally used her first name—intimate and oppressive.
"What do you know about Sakamoto of Class A?"