"Ryuen-kun."
"I have absolutely no interest in things that lack character."
Looking at the slightly probing expression on Ryuen's face, Subaru's expression didn't shift in the slightest as he spoke. "I couldn't care less about Class D's current state, nor what its future results might be."
"As for the competition between classes..."
"I might have a little interest in watching as a spectator. Perhaps if the mood strikes, it's possible I'll participate a bit. While an overly regular life is comfortable, I don't mind adding a little extra spice."
"I've ordered. What would you like to eat, Ryuen-kun?"
"By the way, is this student with the sunglasses not going to sit down and eat with us?"
As he spoke, Subaru finished selecting the lunch he wanted, handed the menu back to Ryuen, and casually cast an interested glance at the tall, burly mixed-race boy standing behind Ryuen.
Compared to Ibuki, who was acting relatively casual, Albert appeared somewhat overly serious. He stood behind Ryuen the entire time, wearing sunglasses, looking just like a bodyguard.
"Heh, I see."
"I think I roughly understand what you mean, Subaru."
Taking the menu Subaru handed over, Ryuen ticked off boxes while speaking.
"Sure enough, you are a bit too arrogant, Subaru."
"You've positioned yourself above everyone else, completely transcendent, and you believe you can maintain this detached posture forever... Truly interesting."
Without consulting the two people beside him, Ryuen casually selected a few dishes, tossed the menu to a waiter waiting nearby, and then sneered at Subaru.
"However, Subaru, you need to understand one thing."
"This school is a jungle where status is determined by competition and ability. There has never been any true transcendence. Just because you don't participate and don't do anything, doesn't mean trouble won't find you."
Ryuen looked at the smile on Subaru's face, which carried a hint of weariness, and let out a disdainful laugh.
Perhaps Subaru was right; Class D's foolish actions had nothing to do with him. However, Subaru was currently sitting in Class D's classroom, enjoying everything Class D brought him. Regardless of whether it brought benefits or detriments.
"Today, I'm giving you two choices, Subaru."
"First: Transfer classes."
"In this academy, anything can be done with personal points. You pay half the personal points, and our Class C will pay the other half. Transfer from Class D to our Class C, and I can bring you to graduate from this school with the status of Class A."
Ryuen's smile gradually became ferocious.
At least, Ryuen thought so himself. Usually, when he smiled like this, those guys would show expressions of either apprehension or fear. So, later on, when Ryuen did things requiring a similar effect, he would show a similar smile.
"Second: Continue to stay in Class D, or continue maintaining your current ambiguous, self-righteous attitude of transcendence."
"Then, after you make this choice, I will use unscrupulous means to make you recognize reality—to recognize the cruel reality that you have never been 'transcendent' of."
As Ryuen's voice fell, the slightly spacious private room suddenly became somewhat quiet.
Ryuen stopped speaking. Ibuki and Albert had not spoken from the beginning to the end; they just quietly watched Subaru, creating immense pressure on him.
Well, in the eyes of ordinary students, it was probably like that.
Including Ryuen and his group themselves, they also felt that this would bring a very strong sense of oppression to the other party.
"Hahahaha, Ryuen-kun."
Subaru laughed. This time, the smile had a little less formulaic politeness and a little more sincerity.
"Subaru, is there something funny about what I said?"
Ryuen's eyes suddenly turned cold.
Watching the smile radiating a bit of sincerity on Subaru's face, Ryuen leaned his body forward slightly, assuming a somewhat aggressive posture, and said seriously, "Or is it that, compared to transferring to Class C, you look forward to being crushed by me even more?"
"I don't think there was anything funny in what Ryuen-kun said."
Seeing that Ryuen seemed to have misunderstood him slightly, Subaru restrained his smile a bit and said, "My smile just now was simply out of joy, because Ryuen-kun is very pure."
"Do you remember my chat history with Ryuen-kun from this morning?"
"For me, those particularly special existences don't necessarily have to become my friends..."
"Ryuen-kun, for the time being, can barely be counted as this kind of 'special' existence."
While speaking, Subaru took the food tray from the waiter.
There was basically no one on the second floor of the cafeteria, so the serving speed was very fast. Of course, many of the dishes were pre-made anyway.
"In a certain sense, I indeed stand at a height that you, Ryuen-kun, have absolutely no way of understanding."
"Even if you want to interpret my perspective as 'arrogance', Ryuen-kun, that is fine too."
Subaru enjoyed his lunch while smiling faintly. "Whether I continue to stay in Class D or pay a certain amount of personal points to transfer to Class C, I don't care. What I care about slightly is you yourself, Ryuen-kun."
"Me personally?"
Ryuen looked at Subaru, his brows furrowing slightly.
To be honest, Ryuen was really angry inside right now. If not for being in a public place—even if it was a private room on the second floor of the cafeteria, there were surveillance cameras inside, and in very obvious positions.
"Everyone possesses special qualities."
"It's just that some people, in the course of their daily lives over many years, no longer maintain their own purity. I have absolutely no interest in such people, because talking to them has no meaning; it only makes me feel empty."
As Ryuen was an existence whose weight ratio in Subaru's mind was second only to Kikyo Kushida, and who possessed extraordinary future potential, Subaru admitted that he was talking a little more than usual.
But it didn't matter.
An existence like Ryuen, who possessed a genuine possibility, was not the same species as Hiyori Shiina. It was harmless.
'Talking to impure people makes one feel empty...'
Vaguely, Ryuen felt as if he had grasped something. Subaru felt that he himself was very pure...
Then Ryuen reacted, veins pulsing slightly on his forehead.
Ryuen understood what the 'purity' in Subaru's mouth meant.
Ryuen didn't know or care where Hiyori Shiina was pure, but regarding himself, Ryuen was very clear.
In other words, Subaru was looking forward very much to the scene where Ryuen made good on his words.
"It seems Ryuen-kun has already understood my meaning."
"If Ryuen-kun wants to make a move on me, go right ahead."
Subaru ate his meal pleasantly, looking at Ryuen's somewhat uncontrollable anger, and smiled. "Or rather, only for this kind of Ryuen-kun am I willing to spend a tiny bit of time to engage with."
"I look forward very much to Ryuen-kun being able to make me recognize reality."
Subaru hadn't experienced this feeling for a long time.
Since becoming the Purge King, it had been a long, long time since anyone dared to spout nonsense in front of Subaru. And it was someone relatively pure like Ryuen—Haruki Yamauchi didn't count.
In his past memories, those nobles groveling on the ground, those fawning merchants, those opponents trembling before his absolute power and wealth... their faces were filled with fear, greed, and calculation.
'I will crush you.' Only this... primitive, unmasked will was missing.
Ryuen was like an unpolished, sharp-edged rough stone.
Perhaps his methods were rough and his goals simple, but the logical core of his actions was self-consistent, firm, and even carried a kind of childish, self-centered reality.
This was a completely different feeling from Hiyori Shiina.
As long as Ryuen could launch a worthy attack on him and withstand his counterattack, becoming a 'rival' that required slightly serious attention—how could this not also be a genuine possibility?
"Interesting thoughts."
Ryuen laughed out of extreme anger and said, "Since you look forward to it so much, Subaru, then look forward to it well."
"I will thoroughly tear to shreds this arrogance and this high-and-mighty attitude you display."
"If you can do it, Ryuen-kun, just try it."
Subaru responded carelessly while tasting the flavor of the food in his mouth.
'Is it an illusion?'
'I feel like the same item tastes a bit better on the second floor than on the first?'
Meanwhile, in a corner Subaru didn't notice—or wouldn't notice—both Ibuki and Albert looked at Subaru with some shock. Only they, as personal witnesses of Class C, knew Ryuen's terror.
Especially Albert.
The moment he thought of what he experienced in the first month of enrollment, Albert shuddered subconsciously.
To be honest, Albert was somewhat dissatisfied with Ryuen. At first, he was unwilling to accept Ryuen's leadership and rule. Relying on his powerful physical constitution, Albert wasn't actually afraid of Ryuen.
But Albert simply never expected that even when he went to the toilet, Ryuen would come over to start trouble.
Not only was it disgusting, but it was also extremely difficult to deal with.
After experiencing this several times, Albert was truly a bit afraid of Ryuen, so he accepted Ryuen's leadership and began to obey some of Ryuen's arrangements and commands.
Now looking at Subaru, Albert seemed to see himself when he first enrolled, and he was filled with sympathy.
Albert was very clear that although there were many surveillance cameras in this academy, there were still many places where no surveillance existed. Even if Subaru didn't go to remote places, he had to use the toilet, right?
Being attacked while using the toilet or something...
"Then I will try, Subaru."
"I'm already somewhat looking forward to seeing the expression of you begging me for mercy."
Ryuen also began to move his chopsticks.
After talking so much, Ryuen was also a bit hungry. He casually signaled Albert to sit down and eat.
As for Ibuki, she didn't need any signal from Ryuen at all; she had been burying her head in her food the whole time, having absolutely no interest in the chat content between Ryuen and Subaru.
As long as Class C could continue to climb and possess the possibility of becoming Class A, she would do whatever Ryuen asked.
In Ibuki's heart, she was also filled with dissatisfaction about being assigned to Class C. She had to make the class become Class A to properly hold her head high.
'A begging expression?'
'Truly a nostalgic expression.'
Hearing Ryuen's words, a look of reminiscence appeared on Subaru's face.
A long time ago, Subaru would also kneel and beg for mercy.
If he could once again show that nostalgic expression, how could that not be a kind of reality?
The happiness, joy, and tranquility felt when with Hiyori Shiina was 'genuine'. How could the expression of kneeling and begging for mercy that Ryuen spoke of—symbolizing the genuine emotions of fear, dread, and unease—not be real?
However, Subaru didn't say anything more.
What should be said had pretty much been said. Subaru's sense of novelty had also passed slightly.
Until Ryuen took tangible action, and action that accorded with Subaru's wishes, Ryuen's weight ratio with Subaru would be temporarily lowered a bit.
Just like that, another fifteen minutes passed.
Subaru felt it was about time, so he said a word to Ryuen and left the private room directly.
Ryuen didn't say anything more either. Similar to Subaru just now, he had said what he needed to say. Since Subaru decided to go his own way, there was nothing more to say.
Next, the real chapter would be seen under their hands.
Watching Subaru's figure gradually disappear from his line of sight, Ryuen spoke unhurriedly to Ibuki, "Ibuki, what do you think of this guy, Subaru?"
"Heh, not much."
Ibuki was slightly stunned upon hearing Ryuen's words, not expecting Ryuen to suddenly ask her such a question. She immediately sneered, "He's not much different from you, this guy. Neither of you can be counted as a normal person."
"I'm actually somewhat curious who will be the one kneeling and begging for mercy in the end."
"Whether it's you, Ryuen, or Subaru, I think it will be very interesting."
Although willing to cooperate with some of Ryuen's actions, Ibuki had always been sharp-tongued toward Ryuen.
Facing Ryuen's question, she directly mocked Ryuen along with him.
"Hehehe."
"Interesting fantasy."
Ryuen smiled indifferently and said, "I also somewhat want to see who will be the one 'kneeling and begging for mercy' in the end."
Ryuen had encountered very many difficult opponents.
Ryuen actually enjoyed the process of breaking these opponents very much.
Clearly, Subaru was the new target Ryuen had selected—a brand new target that looked very tricky and required him to properly break and subdue.
____
New Story: Starting from Their Seventeen Years Old
🔥We're handing out that '30% bonus' that makes your wallet smile. 😄
✅ Get immediate access to 40 early chapters for all stories.
✅ Enjoy exclusive material and special announcements!
Help us unlock these community rewards:
🎯 100 Powerstones = +1 Bonus Chapter for everyone
🚀 140 MEMBERS = +5 extra chapters across ALL STORIES!
👻 P - Walnutchan