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Ryuuen Kakeru leaned back in his seat at the back of Class 1-C, the afternoon sunlight slanting through the window, casting half-light and half-shadows on his face.
Even outside of class time, Class 1-C still exuded a lazy atmosphere, which Ryuuen was displeased with, but could do nothing about.
His fingertips unconsciously tapped the desk, making a dull, rhythmic sound, like the heartbeat of a lurking beast.
Even if Class 1-C had received information about class points in advance and could gain an advantage in the first month, the overall quality of Class 1-C students was truly unsatisfactory, with very few talented individuals available in the class.
A class led by only a few excellent students would definitely not suffice; Ryuuen still had to find a way to improve the entire class's capabilities.
It seemed the path to defeating Class 1-A was still very long.
His phone in his pocket vibrated slightly.
Ryuuen's movement paused, a glint flashing in his eyes.
He subtly pulled out his phone, the screen lit up, and a new message appeared.
Sender: Shiina Hiyori.
The content was concise and clear:
"Sakamoto is working at the coffee shop in the shopping center. During lunchtime. A position bought with personal points."
Ryuuen's lips silently curved into a grin, revealing his stark white teeth.
Sakamoto, working at a coffee shop?
This information seemed simple, but Ryuuen had already thought of a way to scheme against Sakamoto.
Buying a position with points, that move was truly brilliant.
Koudo Ikusei High School outwardly prohibited students from working, but the unspoken rule that "points can buy anything" was like a sharp dagger hidden beneath a splendid robe, which Sakamoto had precisely drawn out and was brandishing openly.
What would those unsuspecting students think when they saw Sakamoto wearing a Waiter's apron, "working" brazenly in a school that prohibited part-time jobs?
Shock? Confusion? Followed by awe?
Would they think he had powerful connections, capable of even disregarding school rules?
This undoubtedly elevated Sakamoto's image invisibly, adding another layer of mysterious halo to his "elegant and composed" facade.
Ruthless enough.
Sakamoto is truly a fellow who knows how to manipulate people's hearts.
Ryuuen sneered inwardly.
Shaping his own image and then elevating his status, not a bad idea.
But this also exposed your whereabouts!
Usually elusive, difficult to track?
Now it's clear: lunchtime, coffee shop. A fixed location, a regular time slot.
Sakamoto, you've put an invisible rope around yourself.
Ryuuen put away his phone, leaned slightly forward, and crossed his hands on the desk.
He no longer paid attention to the students playing around him, lost in thought.
The primary goal now was to grasp Sakamoto's interpersonal relationships.
This guy seemed to be a lone wolf, but he was definitely not an island.
What was the relationship between him and those in Class 1-A who surrounded him?
Were they simply admirers, or potential allies, and what was Sakamoto's attitude towards them?
Since he couldn't budge the mountain that was Sakamoto, and couldn't find his personal weaknesses, then he would target the people around him, the people he might care about.
Only then could he set a trap for Sakamoto.
After lunchtime, in the classroom of Class 1-A.
On the podium, the history teacher was passionately recounting the alliances and rivalries of the Warring States period, his voice rising and falling.
Kamuro Masumi sat in the back row, her purple hair falling over her shoulders.
Her gaze seemed to be on her open textbook, but her focus had long since blurred.
The teacher's voice on the podium became a vague humming background, her thoughts, like wild horses, uncontrollably galloped back to the coffee shop during lunchtime.
Sakamoto's figure was clearly etched in her mind.
That miraculous tray spin to catch the cup, that calm pressing of the palm to smooth the coffee, that serene composure when faced with Yamauchi Haruki's chatter... and finally, what he said to her, standing behind the cashier, wearing that cashier's uniform, his eyes deep.
She unconsciously looked up, her gaze passing over the shoulders of the students in front, falling on the familiar back by the window.
Sakamoto sat upright, his shoulders straight, his burgundy school uniform impeccably smooth without a single wrinkle.
He slightly tilted his head, seemingly listening attentively to the teacher's lecture, his black-rimmed glasses reflecting the light from the window, obscuring his gaze.
That focus and serenity strangely overlapped with the figure who was in control, elegant, and composed in the coffee shop.
Kamuro Masumi's heart inexplicably skipped a beat.
The "magic" at the convenience store, the "secret technique" at the coffee shop... Sakamoto's displayed abilities repeatedly redefined her understanding.
The web of conspiracy woven by Sakayanagi Arisu and Ryuuen Kakeru, in the face of Sakamoto's almost inhuman composure and ability, seemed... somewhat ridiculous?
He seemed to possess the power to easily crush all conspiracies.
A strange sense of security, mixed with deeper confusion, quietly emerged.
If Sakamoto was truly so powerful, wouldn't Sakayanagi and Ryuuen's schemes be in vain?
Were her previous worries and hesitations somewhat superfluous?
But as soon as this thought arose, it was suppressed by another, stronger one.
No matter how strong Sakamoto was, he was still human, and humans have weaknesses.
Kamuro Masumi's brows furrowed slightly.
What exactly is Sakamoto's weakness?
Does his flawless composure hide an unknown secret?
Her thoughts were a tangled mess.
She looked at Sakamoto's back again.
Now that she knew where Sakamoto worked part-time, that place seemed to be an excellent window to observe him.
During lunch break, at a fixed location, he would be there.
A thought uncontrollably popped into her head:
Go see again.
No reason needed.
Just to understand him a little more.
To understand this enigmatic classmate, to understand why he is so special, and to understand how he will deal with Sakayanagi and Ryuuen's schemes.
Kamuro also thought of the silver-haired girl from Class C—Shiina Hiyori.
The way she unhesitatingly walked towards Sakamoto in the cafe, the hidden curiosity beneath her calm exterior, was identical to her own.
Shiina Hiyori, she was also observing Sakamoto.
Then—
Kamuro Masumi took a deep breath, as if making some kind of decision.
She withdrew her gaze, refocusing on her textbook, her fingertips unconsciously tracing the words on the page.
On the podium, the history teacher's voice was still loud:
...Oda Nobunaga, with the ambition of 'Unifying the World by Force,' broke the old order...
In the depths of Kamuro Masumi's purple eyes, that daze and confusion gradually settled, replaced by a new kind of determination.
She would go again.