Beyond the bustling crowds of the shopping center, at the corner of a relatively secluded pedestrian street,
Ryuuen Kakeru leaned against the roller shutter of a closed shop, his gaze directed towards the entrance of the dormitory area in the distance.
Ishizaki Daichi and Yamada Albert stood behind him like two silent iron towers.
The plan was half successful.
Sakamoto appeared.
Although the method was unexpected — that guy actually set up a stall to sell coffee at the dormitory entrance, and even attracted a group of students to line up—
But the target person had finally come.
Sakamoto's appearance itself proved that Ryuuen's first move was correct.
The bait, Kamuro Masumi, had worked.
Ryuuen's lips curved into a cold smile.
He recalled two days ago, when he had initially consolidated Class C and began to work on improving the class's "quality,"
One of the things he did was collect all the students' phones.
Ostensibly to check point usage and prevent malicious spending,
In reality, it was for a deeper purpose: to understand each person's social network, spending habits, and even potential contacts.
Shiina Hiyori's phone was one of the secondary inspection targets.
This meticulous girl was his most valued "strategist" at the moment.
Her phone usage records were very clean, and her point spending was extremely reasonable, with no suspicious activity.
However, just as Ryuuen was about to put down her phone, his gaze froze on a name in the contact list.
Sakamoto.
Sakamoto.
Which Sakamoto could it be?
Ryuuen's heart pounded!
Shiina Hiyori actually had Sakamoto's contact information?!
He quickly scrolled through the chat history.
The result left him both disappointed and even more wary—a blank slate.
There were no call records or messages exchanged between them.
This made it even more suspicious.
Shiina Hiyori, a Class C student, a new student who had only been enrolled for a few days, how could she have the contact information of that mysterious, solitary Sakamoto from Class A?
Moreover, there was no communication between the two of them.
This was too illogical.
Numerous thoughts flashed through Ryuuen's mind.
Was Shiina Hiyori a spy planted by Sakamoto in Class C?
Was she obeying his orders, gaining trust, to relay information to Sakamoto?
This possibility sent a chill down Ryuuen's spine.
But then, he immediately dismissed this overly dramatic idea.
Shiina Hiyori's performance after joining Class C, her observational skills, analytical abilities, and involvement in class affairs, all showed that she was genuinely working for Class C.
At least for now, she hadn't done anything that harmed Class C's interests.
Then another possibility: there was some unknown, private connection between Shiina Hiyori and Sakamoto.
For example, they had known each other for a long time, or they shared a common secret.
Regardless of the truth, the fact that Shiina Hiyori had Sakamoto's contact information, and had not reported it to him, her "leader," itself implied immense risk and value.
This woman was hiding secrets.
He didn't immediately question Shiina Hiyori at the time.
Stirring up trouble prematurely was the most foolish approach. He needed time to observe, he needed evidence.
But this discovery also provided him with a crucial fulcrum for his subsequent plans.
Sakamoto... Kamuro Masumi... Shiina Hiyori... In Ryuuen's mind, a bold and sinister plan gradually took shape.
Kamuro Masumi, that purple-haired girl from Class A, appeared almost every lunch break without fail at the coffee shop where Sakamoto worked, her gaze seemingly glued to Sakamoto.
This persistence and attention far exceeded that of ordinary classmates.
Kamuro Masumi likely harbored some special, perhaps even one-sided, feelings for Sakamoto.
This "concern" was the best weakness.
And Shiina Hiyori, her possession of Sakamoto's contact information, this secret channel, was the key lever to move Sakamoto.
Ryuuen decided to use Kamuro Masumi as "bait" and Shiina Hiyori as a "messenger" to set a trap for Sakamoto that he couldn't refuse.
He divided the plan into three stages, but most of it was a gamble.
During the weekend, he used the oppressive force of Ishizaki Daichi and Yamada Albert to corner Kamuro Masumi into a relatively secluded alley cul-de-sac, creating a sense of isolated crisis.
But this step gambled on Kamuro falling into a panic.
It turned out he gambled correctly.
At the same time, Ryuuen personally appeared and provoked Kamuro Masumi with highly insulting and probing language,
observing her reaction to further confirm her "special connection" with Sakamoto and attempting to extract more information.
This step was also successfully completed.
Kamuro Masumi's intense reaction perfectly confirmed Ryuuen's judgment—her relationship with Sakamoto was definitely not that of ordinary classmates.
Phase one completed.
Phase two was the core of the entire plan, and also the most ingenious part.
Ryuuen knew that merely creating a crisis for Kamuro Masumi was not enough to ensure Sakamoto would appear.
Sakamoto was too calm, too unpredictable, and couldn't know what was happening to Kamuro.
He needed a more direct, more undeniable "signal."
So, he activated Shiina Hiyori, this "secret channel."
He dispatched Ibuki Mio.
This taciturn, nimble, and relatively simple-minded girl was the ideal candidate for this task.
He had Ibuki Mio approach Shiina Hiyori, who was reading as usual in the library, on the weekend.
Then, while Shiina Hiyori was engrossed in reading, or during a brief moment when she left her seat, she was to quickly use Shiina Hiyori's phone to send an extremely short message to the number labeled "Sakamoto" in her contacts:
[Kamuro is in danger]
After successful sending, about a minute later, use the phone's recall function to recall this message.
And immediately delete the sending record.
The entire process had to be lightning-fast, leaving no trace.
Here, Ryuuen was gambling on two points:
Sakamoto would see the message; even if the message was recalled, as long as Sakamoto checked his phone within the brief period after the message was sent, he would be able to see the content.
Sakamoto would believe this message; the message came from Shiina Hiyori—a Class C student who had his contact information and whose behavioral patterns were relatively stable.
The message itself was extremely sudden and urgent, enough to arouse Sakamoto's vigilance and attention.
As long as Sakamoto saw this message, whether he believed it or not, whether he doubted Shiina Hiyori's motives or not, he would very likely take action.
Even if only out of caution, he might go to confirm Kamuro Masumi's situation.
And once Sakamoto appeared, no matter how he appeared, Ryuuen's second phase would be successful.
This proved Sakamoto's concern for Kamuro Masumi, and also proved that the "Sakamoto" in Shiina Hiyori's phone was Sakamoto himself.
More importantly, it proved that Sakamoto was not omniscient and invulnerable.
He could also be misled by information and get caught up in others' schemes.
Today's outcome, although the way Sakamoto appeared was somewhat unexpected and annoying to Ryuuen, Sakamoto did come in the end!
He appeared precisely near where Kamuro Masumi was trapped.
This was enough to prove that Sakamoto saw that message!
And, he took action!
Phase two, successful!
A cold thrill surged through Ryuuen's heart.
Sakamoto, you've finally shown a weakness!
Phase three was the aftermath.
If Sakamoto, after receiving the message, not only took action but also proactively contacted Shiina Hiyori to ask about the message, or expressed doubts about its content... Then, Shiina Hiyori would inevitably feel confused and uneasy, and she might proactively come to Ryuuen to report this abnormal situation.
If this situation occurred, then phase three would be triggered!
This would be Ryuuen's most anticipated outcome!
Because this not only proved Sakamoto's high level of concern for Kamuro Masumi, but more importantly, it directly exposed that there was some hidden relationship between Shiina Hiyori and Sakamoto.
Sakamoto would actually proactively contact a Class C girl?
This in itself was extremely suspicious!
Enough for Ryuuen to conduct a more in-depth "interrogation" of Shiina Hiyori, and possibly even confirm her identity as a "traitor"!
At the same time, this also proved that Sakamoto was not some upright "saint"; he would also use petty tricks like private contact and information probing.
But whether phase three could be triggered depended on Sakamoto's next reaction.
He looked forward to the moment Shiina Hiyori would come to him proactively.
As for Sakamoto's final posture of ignoring him and calmly leaving... Ryuuen snorted coldly,
It doesn't matter. His goal for today has been achieved.
Sakamoto's seemingly perfect shell had already been pried open with a crack.
Kamuro Masumi and Shiina Hiyori, both these lines, were now in his hands.
Sakamoto... This is just the beginning.
Ryuuen's gaze turned towards the shopping center.
Sakayanagi Arisu... that woman, thought she could control him, Ryuuen Kakeru, with "information stratification"?
Hmph, naive.
Since a breakthrough had been made with Sakamoto, the plan to deal with Sakayanagi could also be put on the agenda.
Using the same methods, fighting fire with fire.
Ryuuen Kakeru straightened his body, his gaze sweeping over Ishizaki Daichi and Yamada Albert.
"Let's go."
He no longer looked in the direction of the dormitory area, turned, and strode away, his figure merging into the bustling crowd of the shopping center.
The game had begun, the outcome undecided.
But Ryuuen knew that the initiative was, little by little, shifting into his hands.