The previous day ended with a plan to bring down Class C. There wasn't much we could do other than wait for their reaction.
Ayanokōji said he had contacted Ichinose from Class B, and she had already agreed to help.
Either they would take the bait, or simply ignore it. It was just a gamble that we could win or lose.
With two days remaining before the deadline the Student Council had given to Class D, tomorrow evening the president would announce his final decision, which only increased the pressure on those involved. No one knew what might happen now.
Another school day ended quietly. No one wanted to cause any trouble at the moment. The class was already drowning in a disaster whose conclusion had yet to be determined.
I lazily gathered my belongings into my bag before leaving the classroom.
This hunter's game was really nerve-racking. You could never predict who would fall into the trap first.
I stepped into the hallway, which was crowded with students leaving their classrooms. I walked quickly among them, trying to get out before their numbers and annoying voices suffocated me.
I felt a strange itch on the back of my neck. I placed a hand there and continued walking as if nothing had happened.
They had already arrived.
My loner's instincts were telling me that someone was staring at me...
No, watching me.
I slipped a hand into my blazer pocket and pulled out my phone. I pressed the contacts icon and selected Ayanokōji's name.
We had exchanged contact information only for work. I would delete his number once this was over.
I sent him a short message, and the indicator showed that he had received and opened it.
Good.
Now all that remained was...
I left the school building and headed toward a structure somewhat similar to the special annex. There were no classrooms there, but you could consider it a place free from unnecessary eyes.
I walked through it calmly with my bag on my shoulder while trying to ignore the person behind me.
It was really difficult when you knew someone was following you. Even walking started to feel strange.
I wouldn't be surprised if I looked like a penguin right now.
Suddenly, a giant human wall appeared in front of me.
I slowly raised my head.
A student in a school uniform with dark skin and glasses stood before me, blocking my path.
Again, was this student really the same age as me?
I had seen him with Ryūen that day at karaoke, so if it was him now...
I quickly turned around and saw another student approaching me.
He was the same one who had been following me since I left the classroom.
There were several bruises on his face hidden beneath bandages, and a blue bruise around one eye.
Was he one of the students who had gotten into a fight with Sudō?
He approached slowly, leaving a clear distance between us, while the huge student remained alone in front of me.
"Uh... what do you want?" I tried asking politely so things wouldn't get worse from the start.
Neither of them replied.
They continued surrounding me until I heard the footsteps of a third person in the hallway.
Another person appeared, with slightly long dark-purple hair. He was also wearing the school uniform, along with a black shirt.
It was Ryūen himself, the leader of Class C.
So he had come personally.
"Ryūen-kun, I told you Albert and I would be enough... As you can see, we cornered him easily," the boy said.
"Shut up, Ishizaki... If you had done your job properly, we wouldn't have reached this point in the first place," Ryūen scolded his subordinate, whose name seemed to be Ishizaki.
Ryūen looked at me from a distance without approaching.
"Hikigaya, the Student Council secretary, right...?" Ryūen said in a polite manner, far removed from the delinquent impression he gave off.
"Uh... yes. What exactly is going on here?" I said, shifting my gaze between the giant student and Ryūen.
At this point, not even a mosquito could escape.
"Nothing. We just came to check whether you have something related to us or not..." Ryūen said.
"Something related to you...? I don't know what you're talking about," I said while adjusting my bag on my shoulder.
"Well, you don't need to know... We'll decide whether you do or not... Ishizaki, search his bag."
Ryūen gave the order to his subordinate, who didn't say another word and started approaching me.
What?
Why would he search my bag?
I instinctively tried to step back and run, but I felt a heavy force pressing down on my shoulder, holding me in place.
I looked up and found the huge student standing behind me, preventing me from moving.
"You know you'll be punished for what you're doing..." I said while looking around for a camera, but there didn't seem to be any nearby.
"Fufufufu. Punished for what? We haven't done anything. Where's the evidence...? Blame your luck for the absence of cameras," Ryūen said with a sly smile.
Why had the level of public safety suddenly become so low at this school?
Ishizaki carefully approached me and slowly reached toward my bag.
"Don't hold a grudge against me, but these are my orders," he said before placing his hands on the bag strap.
He was actually a decent person.
I almost felt sorry for him because he wouldn't find anything.
But for some reason, he didn't pull the bag away and instead froze in place.
"Amazing..." he muttered while staring at me with widened eyes.
"Your eyes look like a zombie's. Are you wearing contacts...?"
"Uh... no. Those are my eyes... my real eyes," I said while suddenly feeling the urge to cry.
"Ishizaki, stop fooling around..." Ryūen shouted while watching our exchange.
Ishizaki quickly snapped out of it and pulled away the bag.
"Uh... let's make this simple. I swear there's nothing about you in there," I said.
But their expressions showed they weren't convinced.
"Just shut up and make things easy... Are you sure your eyes are okay?" Ryūen said, raising an eyebrow as he approached as well.
What cruel delinquents.
They're bullying me.
I'm going to cry...
Ishizaki started searching the bag, even throwing my books and belongings onto the ground.
"Uh... at least put them back when you're done," I said.
Ryūen turned toward me and frowned, while the grip holding me tightened further.
I looked up at the giant behind me.
He showed no emotion. He simply stood there, watching and obeying the slightest signals from his leader.
What kind of life did Class C students live?
"Ahem... hey, big guy. Your hands are enormous. How about leaving the delinquent business and working in a beauty salon? You'd be useful for massage sessions, I guarantee it," I said.
The boy showed no reaction and continued staring at me as if he didn't understand.
Right.
He was a foreign student.
Maybe he didn't understand the language...
No, wait. The other two were speaking to him in the same language.
He was just ignoring me.
"Ryūen-kun, there's nothing here..." Ishizaki said after finishing the search and scattering my belongings everywhere.
"Really...?" Ryūen turned toward me.
I tried to hide my laugh.
I had already told them there was nothing, and they still hadn't listened.
"His phone..."
"Huh...?"
My eyes widened instantly.
Why would they search my phone?
That was private.
"I told you there's nothing... and I won't let you take my phone."
"Huh...? Then why not?" Ryūen said while cracking his fingers and slowly approaching.
"Uh... because... it has my private things... family photos... yes, family photos. I won't let you see them..."
I started struggling against the grip holding me, trying to break free, but it was useless.
Ryūen came close enough to stand directly in front of me, completely blocking my view.
"Don't worry... We're not interested in your privacy," Ryūen said with a sinister smile.
He reached toward my pocket.
This was unacceptable.
I jerked my shoulder, trying to escape and push his hand away.
"Albert, hold him still..." Ryūen ordered.
The pressure on my shoulder increased until I nearly writhed in pain.
Even so, I continued resisting and trying to push his hand away from my pocket.
Ryūen placed a hand on my other shoulder and looked directly into my eyes.
"You know there aren't any cameras here..." Ryūen said.
"Y-Yes..."
Suddenly, I felt a fist drive directly into my stomach, spreading pain throughout my entire body.
I could no longer see clearly or even distinguish what was around me.
The only thing I could do was cough violently from the force of the punch.
Ryūen searched my pockets with his hands until he finally found the one containing my phone.
He shoved his hand in roughly and pulled it out.
Then he walked away, examining the phone, which had no screen lock.
The giant student finally released me, and I collapsed onto my knees, unable to move.
I coughed heavily, tears gathering in my eyes as I struggled to breathe.
What kind of strength was that?
No one had ever punched me before.
This was the first time.
I tried breathing slowly to calm myself and overcome the pain enough to stand.
Ryūen had his back turned to me while looking at the phone.
Suddenly, a notification sound came from the device in his hands.
Unlike usual, when I kept my phone on vibrate, today I had made sure to raise the notification volume to its highest setting.
"Huh...?" Ryūen muttered.
Perhaps he had seen a strange message.
Ayanokōji.
He hit the target.
There was no time to keep writhing in pain.
I stood up with difficulty and wiped the tears from the corners of my eyes.
My hand remained on my stomach.
The pain was unbearable.
But I would do it.
"Hey... Student Council secretary, what does this mean...?" Ryūen said as he turned toward me and raised the phone.
I tried gathering my breath so I could answer clearly.
"Hmmmmm... You didn't understand the clip yet...? Fine, I'll explain. As you can see, in your hands right now is a complete high-quality video recording, both audio and visual, of Ryūen Kakeru from Class C bullying a Class D student, punching him directly, and forcibly taking his phone."
I said while struggling to catch my breath.
Ryūen's face darkened further after realizing the disaster he had walked into with his own feet.
He started looking around as if searching for something.
"Don't bother. I'm sure he's already moved far enough away by now..."
I hadn't told Ayanokōji to run or retreat, but let's assume he was gone already.
"What's happening, Ryūen-kun...?" Ishizaki asked as he approached his leader, unable to understand what was going on.
"Ishizaki, it seems we weren't the ones who cornered him in a place without cameras... He cornered us," Ryūen said while staring at me with a smile, as though he enjoyed what he was seeing.
Well...
I had expected they might want to corner me somewhere isolated like this.
So I lured them here to make things easier for us too.
And thus, we created evidence that implicated Ryūen, the leader of Class C, personally.
"Hah... impossible..." Ishizaki said, unable to believe it.
"So, what do you want now?" Ryūen asked while digging his fingers into his long hair.
Hmm...
He understood the point quickly.
That made things easier.
"Well... withdraw the complaint against Sudō... and 300,000 private points," I said while standing straight now that I had partially overcome the pain.
The main objective of all this was withdrawing the complaint.
The private points were compensation for wasting our time with his cheap tricks.
"Fufufufu... Interesting. Very interesting. And what exactly do I gain from all this?" Ryūen said.
He was right.
He had done all this to shake Class D.
I could offer him something reasonable.
I spread my arms as if trying to hug someone and then gave him my proposal.
"I can guarantee you a trip outside the school. Expenses covered by me..."
That seemed like a very good offer.
He could visit relatives and relax a little.
Perfect.
But Ryūen clearly didn't like the offer at all.
He frowned at me angrily, his face growing darker.
He slowly approached me, and I instinctively stepped backward.
Then he fixed his eyes directly on mine as if engraving my features into his memory.
Like a beast staring at its prey.
"Hikigaya Hachiman... I'll crush you," Ryūen said before shoving my phone into my chest.
I caught it with both hands.
He also pulled out his own phone and immediately transferred the 300,000 private points to my account without negotiation or objection.
Even he didn't want to risk expulsion.
"Don't celebrate this little victory... This little trick of yours... I'll destroy you," Ryūen said, rage twisting between his teeth before turning and walking down the hallway like a king, his followers behind him.
A defeated king.
I looked at my phone screen and saw that my private points had increased by 300,000.
I was still surprised by how quickly he had agreed.
Would he have given me more if I had asked?
No.
I shouldn't be greedy.
I put the phone back into my blazer and opened two buttons of my shirt around my stomach.
A clear blue bruise had formed on my skin.
I quickly buttoned my shirt again and looked down at my bag and belongings scattered across the floor.
I had told him to put them back at least.
I knelt down and began gathering everything.
This was bad.
If they got dirty and Yukinoshita saw them like this, she would scold me.
She always said books were a student's mirror.
I heard footsteps approaching.
I quickly turned to see who it was.
Ayanokōji was slowly walking toward me.
I had thought he was already gone.
I returned to collecting my belongings from the floor.
"Hikigaya, is this really appropriate...?" Ayanokōji said.
"Ayanokōji, you asked me before whether people are equal, didn't you?"
"And what's your answer?"
"No..." I said.
After hearing my answer, Ayanokōji said nothing and simply continued staring while I gathered my things.
"Then... why don't people stop talking about equality?" he asked.
Why did he suddenly want to talk about these things now?
"It's an obsession... just an obsession with something they'll never achieve no matter how hard they try..." I said.
I think that's the truth.
The inequality of people is the foundation of society.
Maybe it's even what makes us human.
"Then... is life fair?" he asked.
I stood up after finally finishing, brushed the dust from my knees, and put my bag on my back.
"Definitely..."
Before leaving, I took out my phone and transferred 50,000 private points to Ayanokōji.
"Is this enough?"
I turned to see if he wanted more, but he simply kept staring at the screen.
I'll take that as a yes.
I started walking away from the building, but then I remembered something else.
"Ayanokōji... delete the recording you have. The copy with me is enough. Understood?" I said while staring at him.
It would be best to forget what happened here.
Even the recording I had would be deleted after they withdrew the complaint.
I looked at Ayanokōji, waiting for an answer, but he only stared back at me.
I narrowed my eyes slightly before turning away.
Even if I pressured him to delete it, he might have already saved it somewhere else before coming here.
I looked at the phone in my hand.
The screen displayed Ayanokōji's name.
Hmm...
I'll delete his contact information later.