As Natsuki Subaru's words fell, the classroom grew quiet.
Haruki Yamauchi, whose face had already soured, now had cold sweat beading on his forehead.
Not far away, Rokusuke Koenji, who had been watching Subaru, wore an appreciative expression.
In Year 1, Class D, Koenji had long since realized that Subaru was different from Kiyotaka Ayanokoji and had been secretly observing them both.
This time, Koenji had extended an olive branch to Subaru because he greatly admired his unapologetic nature.
Like a sword with its edge fully exposed.
As the future heir of the Koenji Group, Koenji liked to wield sharp swords, carving a path through thorns.
He dismissed the saying that a sword too sharp might hurt others or oneself.
On the contrary, he was somewhat disappointed by Ayanokoji's tendency to hide his strength; he found it unappealing.
"You, what do you mean by this..."
Yamauchi was visibly flustered.
Although he had mentally prepared himself countless times for expulsion, convinced he wouldn't be disturbed by the thought of it.
But when truly facing this moment, Yamauchi realized he wasn't prepared at all.
"Yamauchi-kun, this is your problem."
"You just don't understand what people are saying."
Subaru smiled gently at Yamauchi and said, "What I mean is, if you continue to bother me for no reason, Yamauchi-kun, then I don't mind spending my personal points to have you expelled."
"I wonder, how far one million personal points can go?"
As a faction's ruler, Subaru was not a mindless killer.
It was just that after becoming a ruler, Subaru often didn't need to overthink things; absolute power and strength granted him carte blanche.
And before he achieved such power, Subaru could still address people he disliked with a smile.
Sometimes, Subaru himself sometimes wondered if his extreme impatience with many people wasn't solely due to their 'colorless' nature; that wasn't the true reason.
It might also be that he disliked his own past.
On the path to becoming the Purge King, Subaru had already exhausted his patience.
Now, in modern society, he was no longer the Purge King.
Subaru wasn't someone who struggled to let go of the past, so following the school's rules and the norms of modern society was something he could accept readily.
At most, when he couldn't help it, he would toss a coin and kill someone to relieve his mood.
Just like how Kikyo Kushida, overwhelmed by negative emotions, came to his room to unburden herself, he and Kikyo Kushida shared a similar core essence; when negative emotions accumulated, they needed an outlet.
It's just that Subaru's way of venting involved taking lives, and he couldn't tolerate accumulating many negative emotions.
"Na... Subaru..."
"What are you trying to do?!"
Yamauchi's voice involuntarily dropped.
Looking at Subaru, whose smile hadn't changed from beginning to end, Yamauchi softly began to defend himself, "I just think that Subaru, you clearly got this information early on, you could have given us a hint..."
"We are all classmates, you don't have to be so absolute, right?"
Kiyotaka Ayanokoji could still rationally consider the reasonableness of spending a million personal points to expel someone, but Yamauchi clearly lacked such a logical mindset.
Faced with Subaru's threat, Yamauchi was immediately terrified.
Between a potential expulsion by the school and a definite expulsion by Subaru, Yamauchi was very clear which outcome he preferred.
"So, Yamauchi-kun still wants to continue studying here."
"Earlier, I thought Yamauchi-kun had already given up on the idea of continuing to study here."
Looking at Yamauchi, whose defiant stance had softened, Subaru gently smiled and said, "In that case, Yamauchi-kun, you should think carefully about what I just said."
"After all, if possible, I don't want Yamauchi-kun's gaze to always be on me."
"It makes me feel irritated."
With that, Subaru directed an even gentler smile at Yamauchi.
"..."
Yamauchi looked at Subaru, wanting to say something more.
The other students of Year 1, Class D were quietly watching Subaru and Yamauchi at this moment; until today, no one had imagined that their conflict would escalate to this extent.
In everyone's eyes, what happened these past two days was just a minor verbal dispute.
Just as the atmosphere was about to freeze to the extreme, Yosuke Hirata's gentle, soothing voice intervened. "Alright, Subaru-kun, Yamauchi-kun, you two should calm down first."
"Yamauchi-kun, what you said just now was a bit too subjective."
Hirata stood up from his seat, his tone very gentle as he said, "How Subaru-kun obtains and uses his personal points is his own freedom."
"As classmates, we can ask for Subaru-kun's help, but we cannot treat it as an obligatory duty."
There was no trace of reproach in his tone; it was more a statement of fact, tinged with comfort.
Hirata quickly walked to Yamauchi's side and gently patted his shoulder.
Once Yamauchi's emotions had stabilized, Hirata turned back to Subaru and sincerely said, "Subaru-kun, some of what Yamauchi-kun said just now was indeed problematic."
"It made Subaru-kun feel troubled; I apologize to you on behalf of Yamauchi-kun."
"But please, Subaru-kun, don't say things like using personal points to 'expel' Yamauchi-kun anymore."
At this point, feeling his emotions beginning to fray, Hirata took a deep breath.
Forcibly calming his restless and irritable heart.
And with Hirata's words, the originally frozen atmosphere also slightly eased.
"Since Hirata-kun has said so..."
"As long as Yamauchi-kun behaves a little better in the future..."
Subaru looked at Hirata, who was watching him somewhat nervously, and smiled thoughtfully, saying, "I won't say things that carry little weight."
'Just talking, what's the use.'
Subaru's principle had always been to crush opponents directly, never giving them a chance.
If it weren't for modern society, and the ubiquitous surveillance cameras, Yamauchi wouldn't see the sun the next day.
Having Yamauchi expelled would be the gentlest possible method.
Subaru didn't even dare to think the look Halibel would give him if she were here and knew what he was doing.
'Hehe, she'd probably think I'm possessed...'
'Halibel...'
Even when he was the Purge King, Halibel often advised Subaru.
At the same time, Halibel was one of the few—perhaps the only one—who could advise, or even defy Subaru, and still live in his presence 'without any color'.
Halibel had long proven her loyalty to Subaru.
Even when she was 'colorless', Subaru was willing to have a little patience when facing Halibel.
"Everyone being able to enter this school..."
"Being able to be classmates and spend the next three years together is a kind of fate in itself."
Feeling that he had somewhat soothed Subaru, Hirata sighed softly and said, "I know that now the class points are zero, everyone is tight on funds, under a lot of pressure, and emotions are inevitably a bit frayed."
"Yamauchi-kun is just too anxious; he speaks without thinking."
"We are a collective; we'll face many challenges in the future. If we start internal strife now, or even threaten each other with 'expulsion,' then the road ahead will only be more difficult."
"Subaru-kun, your strength and foresight are admired by many of us."
"Yamauchi-kun... perhaps he just hasn't found the right way to express his needs and anxieties..."
Sometimes, Hirata himself felt a weariness settle in his heart.
Even when alone, Hirata had asked himself if it was worth doing all this for a person who had already passed away.
Yes!
Worth it!
No matter what, Hirata would not let anyone in the class drop out!
However...
Hirata looked at Subaru with a trace of unease.
'He couldn't quite put his finger on it, but class was almost starting, so he could only wait to chat privately with Subaru a little later.'
Subaru's thoughts were truly too dangerous.
No matter what, Hirata had to persuade Subaru to abandon the idea of expelling classmates.
If persuasion failed, Hirata resolved that he would use even the most direct method to make Subaru abandon his dangerous idea!
"S-sorry, Subaru."
"I just... I was a bit anxious just now and said nonsense."
Yamauchi also came to his senses then and immediately followed Hirata's words, and began to apologize.
"I promise, I will... I will never speak nonsense again."
Almost everyone could see that Yamauchi's apology was more out of fear of 'expulsion'.
He wasn't truly realizing his problem, and many others couldn't either; after all, in the eyes of many, Subaru was just a selfish person who sold out the collective interests.
Now, the reason they didn't dare to speak was fear that Subaru would use his immense personal points against them.
"Then, Yamauchi-kun, you should work hard to review your studies."
Subaru looked at Yamauchi and chuckled lightly. "If you are expelled due to failing grades, then things would become very interesting, wouldn't they?"
Only once he had studied and reviewed with all his might, barely scraped by the passing line, and thought he could finally avoid the danger of expulsion—then Subaru would directly have Yamauchi expelled.
This way, Subaru thought, it would be a bit more interesting.
In this 'colorless' world, when the timing was right, Subaru wasn't averse to finding some fun for himself.
"I, I know..."
After a long pause, Yamauchi finally sat down.
Subaru's meaning was very clear: the premise of targeting him was that he could pass; if he couldn't even pass the exam, then everything was just empty talk.
Such a Yamauchi truly didn't even qualify for Subaru's attention; it was utterly uninteresting.
Thus, the offensive launched by Arisu Sakayanagi, leading Year 1, Class D into chaos, ended in an anticlimax.
"You're going to let Yamauchi off?"
Looking at Sae Chabashira, who was teaching on the podium, Suzune Horikita couldn't help but feel curious.
In Horikita's impression, Subaru was a guy who seemed approachable and mild-mannered, but in reality, he was extremely stubborn.
Although what Hirata said was very reasonable, Horikita herself had been trying to persuade Subaru for so many days, and Subaru hadn't shown any intention of changing; it was impossible that Hirata could sway Subaru with just a few words.
"Horikita-san, why would you think that?"
Hearing Horikita's words, Subaru smiled and said, "I never said I would 'let Yamauchi off' or anything like that."
"Then what you just said..."
Horikita was slightly stunned and wanted to say something.
However, Horikita quickly realized that Subaru hadn't given Hirata any guarantees.
In other words, Subaru had never directly agreed to Hirata's request from beginning to end.
He hadn't given up on the idea of having Yamauchi expelled.
"Yamauchi is just too noisy."
"I remember a saying that I've always found very correct."
Looking at the speechless Horikita, Subaru gently smiled and said, "That saying is 'pulling up grass to find a snake, strike first to gain the advantage.' Only by completely resolving Yamauchi can I achieve a little peace."
"Indeed."
"Yamauchi's existence, even I find irritating."
Hearing Subaru's words, Kiyotaka Ayanokoji nodded silently in agreement.
To be honest, although Ayanokoji wouldn't go as far as Subaru, he could very much understand his thoughts. As one of Yamauchi's 'friends,' the latter had even copied his dorm room key.
He could enter his room without permission.
If Subaru was going to force Yamauchi to drop out against everyone's gaze, Ayanokoji would fully support it.
This way, Ayanokoji would also feel much more at ease.
___
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