Chapter 8: Rationality = Shamelessness
"What's this?"
Ayumu jogged out from inside the school gate and immediately spotted the striking Ryouka and the equally noticeable Ryouma. "So you're already out, Kobayashi. I thought you were in the bathroom waiting."
"Waiting?"
"Didn't we agree to go home together?"
"..." It wasn't exactly agreed upon, was it?
"We seem to be heading in the same direction, so let's walk together," Ryouka explained. "Besides, after what happened earlier... there might be retaliation. Walking together would let me protect you both better."
"Ryouka is amazing!" Ayumu said with a smile.
Ryouma: "..."
How should I put it?
It's not that he doubted Ryouka's fighting ability, but Ayumu's habitual reliance on her left Ryouma somewhat indifferent.
Still, since they were going the same way, walking together for a bit couldn't hurt.
"Kobayashi, I heard you got into a fight with Anshi today?" Ayumu asked. He had gone to buy a drink earlier and only heard about it when he returned to the classroom.
"Yeah," Ryouma nodded.
"Why?" Ryouka quickly inquired.
Ryouma's gaunt appearance made him look like an easy target for bullying. Having grown up with a childhood friend of that type, Ryouka was particularly sensitive to such matters.
"It's nothing, just fooling around," Ryouma said. He couldn't very well say it was because Anshi had made lewd comments about her.
If he did, that guy would probably face social annihilation. Anshi had only made a minor mistake and had already been guided onto the right path by his "Personality Correction Fist," so Ryouma decided to spare him some dignity.
Ryouka carefully studied Ryouma's face and noticed a faint redness on his cheek, as if he had been slapped.
"If you get bullied, you have to tell me," Ryouka said seriously.
Ryouma smiled faintly: "Are you some kind of big sister? Ryouka-nee?"
Ryouka's face flushed red: "N-no, it's not that... just... be careful, okay?"
"Hmm..." Ryouma responded noncommittally.
"I didn't expect Kobayashi-kun to be quite good at math," Ayumu added. "That problem in class, I thought the answer was '1' too... It was so deceptive."
"Just luck," Ryouma said.
[It was clearly Ai-chan's...]
The system abruptly tried to join the conversation, but fortunately Ryouma's mind wandered quickly enough to suppress it instantly.
"And during break, I saw you reading a book full of kanji! I can't understand that kind of book at all!" Ayumu became full of praise.
As for the math problem with the answer '0,' Ryouka could probably guess which one it was. After all, both classes had the same math teacher, and she still remembered how deceptive that problem was. She had been fooled by it too... but this problem was still within the scope of the textbook. With careful attention, one could arrive at the correct answer.
A book full of kanji...
Most ordinary high school students wouldn't read something like that! It's too difficult! Besides, recently young people have been using katakana more and more often...
"Can you understand it?" Ryouka asked in a measured, gentle tone.
It didn't give off the unpleasant feeling of being interrogated.
"I can understand it."
Ryouma didn't hide this fact.
For him, knowing kanji was a skill etched into his bones. He didn't want to conceal it, and he even said it with a hint of pride.
"That's amazing," Ryouka praised without doubt. "There are so many characters I don't know how to read."
"Japanese kanji are manageable, but proper Chinese characters are the real challenge," Ayumu explained knowledgeably. "I once saw a program that said in China, they euphemistically refer to 'going to the bathroom' as 'convenience.' But if someone tells you 'I hope you come when it's convenient for me,' it definitely doesn't mean 'I hope you come when I'm using the bathroom.'"
A classic Chinese joke.
Ryouma never expected to hear such a joke in this country. He smiled faintly.
More, give me more.
But Ayumu didn't continue.
Because a dark voice sounded from behind him:
"We meet again!!"
The voice brushed past their ears like a gust of wind.
Ayumu shuddered, let out a "Whoa!" and leaped up, almost immediately hiding behind Ryouka.
Yamato Aihara.
The bespectacled man who had fled in panic after being outsmarted by Ryouma had returned.
This time, there was not a trace of feigned cheerfulness in his demeanor—he was full of gloom. And behind him was the delinquent group led by the blond guy.
Moreover, there were more of them than before.
Familiar setup, familiar location...
Still on this street.
For some reason, there was no one coming or going on this street.
There were only two factions: Ryouma's group and Yamato's group.
Though referred to as "two groups," Ryouma's three-person team was vastly outnumbered by Yamato's faction.
"Ayumu..."
Ryouka stepped in front of Ayumu, then said to Ryouma, "Kobayashi-kun, you should hide too..."
But Ryouma stepped forward instead, shielding Ryouka behind him.
"You're at it again?" Ryouma's tone was calm, not only steadier than the trembling Ayumu but even more composed than Ryouka. "Aren't you afraid I'll call the police again?" he asked.
Yamato stuck out his tongue and said:
"Call the police? That might have worked earlier, but there's no chance now..."
"It's never too late to call the police. It's not like you can actually kill me," Ryouma cracked his neck. "As long as I'm alive, I can report you even after the fact. The worse my injuries, the heavier your sentences will be."
"About... that..." Yamato showed a shadowy smile. "I've considered that too. So we'll capture Ryouka... and take some 'exquisite photos.' If you dare call the police... Ryouka would probably face social death, right? Would you really want to see that happen?"
'Exquisite photos'...
Though phrased rhetorically, Ryouka immediately understood they meant something quite obscene. She exclaimed angrily, "You! Shameless!!"
"Hehe, who told you to cross me, and... us?" Yamato laughed. "This should have been settled last time, if not for this guy ruining everything..."
"Wait a moment."
Ryouma raised a hand. "Aihara-san, please understand one thing."
"...What?"
"Even if I don't call the police, you're not going to let us off anyway, right?"
"Seems you know your place..."
"So that means: don't let us off → take photos → we don't call police → you can keep threatening us with the photos → might even take more photos... that's the sequence, right?" Ryouma counted on his fingers. "The other option is: don't let us off → take photos → we call police → you can't use photos to threaten us... which one should we choose? Is there even a question?"
Ryouma's 'rational thinking' almost made Yamato curse out loud: "Don't you care about Yotsumoto's purity at all!?"
"After what you'd do to her, what purity would remain?" Ryouma tilted his head. "Besides, with so many of you here, everyone would be involved. You'd definitely have to pay compensation - several million yen per family at minimum. I doubt any of you are rich kids, so this would ruin you financially. With that much money, Ryouka and I could go anywhere. Why stay in Japan to experience social death? Plus, my Chinese is quite good. In modern society, money can buy immigration. Meanwhile, you'd serve eight to ten years, your families would pay huge sums, your parents would question their lives because of their criminal sons, struggling to support the family... and when you get out, you'd be branded 'rapists.' I'd like to see who really faces 'social death' here."