Chapter 61: Ryuen Kakeru
"Ryuen, how much longer are you going to stay here? The other classes have already started moving, you know."
A tall, thin man wearing glasses looked at the red-haired boy sitting on a rock in contemplation, pacing back and forth anxiously. Finally, he couldn't help but ask. His name was Sakagami Kazuma, the homeroom teacher of Year 1, Class C. At this moment, the Class C students were waiting quietly at the edge of the forest for the red-haired boy's command.
"Shut up, Sakagami. Don't interrupt my train of thought. I'm going to win this exam, no matter what!"
The boy who dared to tell his teacher to shut up was Ryuen Kakeru, the tyrant simultaneously scorned and respected by everyone in Class C.
He was sitting grandly on a rock, wearing a cynical expression and frowning in deep thought. His vividly red hair, like a fierce flame, was styled in a center part. His resolute face had sharp, heroic eyebrows, his eyes were as deep as an ink-jade pool, and beneath his high nose bridge, his lips were slightly thin, conveying a sense of cold ruthlessness.
"Is that so? Good then." Hearing this reply, Sakagami nodded in relief.
Although Ryuen's attitude was poor, Sakagami didn't mind and even admired him somewhat. This was because, shortly after the start of the school year, this guy saw through the school's trap, then violently took over Class C, and publicly declared that he would lead all Class C students to Class A.
This also made Sakagami have high expectations for him. If given the opportunity, he would not be stingy with his help and favoritism towards Ryuen.
In fact, after listening to Sakagami Kazuma explain the rules, Ryuen Kakeru immediately had an idea.
If the other classes wanted to save as many Material Points as possible, they would have to desperately conserve and endure. As long as he sold these Material Points to the classes that needed supplies, signing contracts with them for private points every month, he could exchange these points, which weren't guaranteed to be saved, for actual profit. Moreover, this exam had a special segment for guessing the leader. If he could correctly guess the leaders of three classes, Class C's Class Points could catch up to Class B.
What's more, he had already acquired a large sum of points from another source before the start of this luxury trip.
If he could cooperate with Class A and send spies to find the leaders of Class B and Class D, Class C could become the hidden biggest winner in this deserted island exam.
The question now was how to make the other classes trust and accept the spies his class sent.
Ryuen looked down in contemplation, inadvertently seeing his calloused palms, and a slight smirk appeared on his lips.
'As expected, a self-inflicted injury strategy is the best way.'
Ryuen thought for a moment, then looked at the Class C students with a scrutinizing gaze. Stared at by Ryuen, the students nervously shrank their bodies.
Ryuen, having confirmed his deterrence, smiled faintly: "Kaneda, Ibuki, you two come here."
"Ryuen-kun, did you need me for something?"
"What is it?"
A sleazy-looking, blonde, bespectacled boy and an expressionless, blue-haired girl emerged from the crowd that instinctively backed away, and walked up to Ryuen.
"I plan to make you two spies to find the leaders of Class B and Class D."
"How do you plan to do that?"
"By using a self-inflicted injury strategy, of course." Ryuen curled his lips, clenched his fist, and a crisp cracking sound could be heard between his fingers: "You two won't object, right?"
Kaneda pondered for a moment, then suddenly looked up with a resolute expression: "If it's for Class C's victory... Since Ryuen-kun trusts me, then let's do it."
"And you, Ibuki?"
"...I have no objections."
"I see... Then make sure you complete the mission properly!"
Just as Ryuen was about to act, a slightly earnest voice came from a distance: "Ryuen-kun! I have something important to tell you!"
A black-haired delinquent shouted loudly, pushing aside the surrounding classmates, running up to Ryuen out of breath.
"Ishizaki, what happened?" Ryuen put down the fist he hadn't yet thrown, waving his hand to signal Kaneda and Ibuki to step back.
Ishizaki Daichi wiped the sweat from his forehead with the sleeve of his uniform and quickly explained the situation he had observed: "Ryuen-kun, all the Class D students have withdrawn from the exam!"
"What did you say?"
"Really? Class D just dropped out?!"
"Don't those guys want points anymore?"
Hearing Ishizaki's words, the Class C students suddenly became noisy, like a pot boiling over.
"Quiet!" Ryuen straightened up, staring at Ishizaki with a fierce gaze, and said with a serious tone: "Ishizaki, tell me all the details."
"Yes! Ryuen-kun, I saw two girls from Class A run over to where the Class D students were gathered. After they negotiated with a few Class D students, Hirata from Class D took those two Class A girls to find the teacher."
"And then?"
"Then the school staff brought a lot of supplies on a small boat, and the Class D students lined up and left on the small boat," Ishizaki took a deep breath, explaining everything he had seen.
"I see... It looks like Class A and Class D have reached an agreement..." Ryuen's eyebrows slightly furrowed.
"Since that's the case, Ryuen-kun, I think you should reconsider your strategy for dealing with the exam."
Just then, a soft, pleasant voice interrupted everyone's thoughts. The Class C crowd looked over and found that the speaker was Shiina Hiyori, who had been quietly reading a book in the shade.
"Oh? Shiina, you have something to say?"
Ryuen stared intently at Shiina, recalling information about her.
Although Shiina was intelligent and had good academic ability, she never participated in the class management or conflicts, usually just quietly staying in her seat or the library with a book. Due to her strangely light and soft demeanor, her position in the class was closer to a mascot.
"Ryuen-kun, using violence against your classmates isn't nice. Also, since Class D has already withdrawn from the exam, I think you should look for better solutions to deal with the exam."
"Hah... If you insist, tell me your idea." Ryuen wasn't angry; instead, he laughed softly, looking interested.
"Hmm... You want me to think?" Shiina pressed her slender finger to her smooth chin, blinking her beautiful large eyes slightly. Then, as if an idea had struck her, she looked at Ryuen with a serious expression.
"Ryuen-kun, if possible, I hope you will withdraw from the exam."
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