When the girls from the Kaede Rukawa fan club began shouting accusations, the students in the classroom immediately sensed hostility and instinctively moved to shield Oliver, who was lying face down on his desk.
"You… what do you plan to do?"
Oliver lifted his head, eyes wide with disbelief. The situation had spun wildly out of his control.
"What do you think we're doing?" one of the girls from the fan club snapped, pointing at Oliver with disdain.
"This guy isn't starving at all! One of our members saw him earlier eating a full meal in his own classroom!"
"So what?" another classmate fired back, rising from their seat. "Oliver trains like crazy every day. What's wrong with him eating more?"
"Yeah," another chimed in, "people who exercise a lot burn more calories. Isn't it normal for them to eat more than the average person? And honestly, how is that any of your business?"
"Hmph! We want to prove that Rukawa-sama is the best in Shohoku! But now this little monkey is stealing his popularity! It's unforgivable!"
"You can't say that!" Haruko stood up, visibly upset, her hands on her hips. "Rukawa-san is certainly charming and talented, but that doesn't mean you should discredit someone else's hard work!"
"Hard work? Please," another girl sneered. "I bet he didn't even go train. He probably just stuffed his face at lunch and now needs the bathroom!"
"What did you just say?!"
That line pushed the entire class over the edge. Sato, standing to the side, flushed red with anger.
"You… you're going too far…"
Sato tried to respond, but he was too emotional to speak coherently and burst into tears before finishing his sentence. Seeing Sato cry, the boys immediately erupted with rage.
"Enough with the nonsense!!"
One of them slammed the desk with a bang.
"Are you seriously suggesting that Oliver didn't train hard with pride for Shohoku and was just dealing with… diarrhea!?"
"If anyone's embarrassing Shohoku, it's you people—the Kaede Rukawa support group!"
…Unfortunately…
That's exactly what happened…
Oliver lowered his head in shame.
"And another thing! Your beloved Kaede Rukawa walks around like he owns the world. What's he even pretending to be? It's crazy that a bunch of brainless fans like you are obsessed with someone like that!"
"Whaaat!? How dare you insult Rukawa-sama?! That's why none of you have girlfriends, and that's why Rukawa-sama is so perfect! I'm sick of you guys!"
"What did you just say?!"
"Alright, enough!! Everyone calm down!!" Haruko shouted, trying to mediate. But as a gentle girl, it was difficult for her to manage two groups on the brink of a riot.
At that moment, Kaede Rukawa happened to walk past the classroom window. As soon as the girls from the fan club saw him, they screamed, "Ah! Rukawa-sama!!" Immediately, they abandoned their argument and rushed to the door.
"…These people are unbelievable."
The other students in the classroom shook their heads in disbelief. The same group that had been ready to tear the class apart had now abandoned their argument just to fangirl over a passing glimpse of their idol.
Maybe it was instinct or intuition, but Kaede Rukawa, while walking past, paused and glanced toward the classroom. His eyes landed on Oliver, who was slumped weakly at his desk.
Then, without a word, he walked into the classroom.
At 187 cm tall with a solid build, Rukawa's presence was commanding. His classmates instinctively stepped aside, creating a path for him.
"Uh… hey, Rukawa… What brings you here?"
Oliver looked up, forcing a crooked smile despite his stomach cramping in pain.
"We lost the last game because of that idiot," Rukawa said coldly, looking down at him. "But I still want to challenge you. Let's have a one-on-one match."
Are you kidding me right now!?
This timing!?
Another wave of abdominal pain hit, and Oliver gritted his teeth.
"Hah… Are you serious? Right now?"
"Yes. Right now," Rukawa replied, unmoved.
You've got to be insane!
You want me to play 1v1 like this?
This is too much!
"Can we… maybe do this another time? I'm kind of…"
"Gu—!!"
Oliver's stomach made a strange noise, and his back arched involuntarily.
"Hehe… I'm a little out of shape today…"
"Yeah, Rukawa, let Oliver eat something first," one student said hastily. "Look at him, he's clearly starving!"
"That's right!" another echoed.
"No. I can't wait," Rukawa replied.
Without giving Oliver a chance to resist, Rukawa grabbed him by the arm and pulled him up from the chair.
"Right now. Come with me to the gym."
"Wait…!! Wait!! Can you at least slow down!? Rukawa!!"
Oliver wailed, stumbling behind him.
It's coming!!
I can't hold it anymore!!
"Ah!! Tough Rukawa-sama is so dreamy too!!" his fans swooned.
Dragging Oliver along, Rukawa led him into the gym and slammed the door shut behind them, not allowing anyone else in.
"Hey!! Rukawa!! Open the door! We want to see the match too!!"
Bang! Bang! Bang! The students banged on the door.
"Rukawa-sama!! Let us witness your glory!!" his fan club screamed from the hallway.
"..."
Kaede Rukawa didn't say a word. He simply stood by the door and pressed his back against it, making sure it stayed shut.
"…Rukawa?" Oliver looked at him, confused.
Rukawa still didn't speak but subtly gestured with his eyes toward the gym's bathroom.
"You… You brought me here to rescue me on purpose?"
Oliver was stunned. Rukawa had always come across as someone indifferent to everything, yet he had just gone out of his way to save Oliver from complete embarrassment.
If things had gone just a bit worse, I would've needed a time machine to escape this nightmare…
There was no need for grand gestures between men. Oliver simply gave Rukawa a thankful nod and hobbled into the bathroom with awkward steps.
...
Meanwhile, in Classroom 7 of Year 1.
The atmosphere changed abruptly as three tall, muscular upperclassmen strode in. Their presence alone was intimidating—each of them clearly experienced in martial arts.
"What's going on here?" Mito and his group stood up, stepping between the newcomers and the rest of the class.
"None of your business," the leader replied coolly, walking past Mito and heading toward one particular desk.
"You're Sakuragi Hanamichi, right?" he asked.
"Huh? Who are you guys?" Sakuragi asked, confused.
"Tch. You really are as dumb as they say."
The bulky leader smirked and lifted his chin arrogantly.
"Come with us."
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