Ren's declaration of a "kidnapping" sent waves through the classroom.
"Huh???"
"Katsuragi, have you lost your mind?"
"Oh? A kidnapping? I'd like to see how you do that."
The students erupted into noisy discussion. Some didn't understand, some mocked him, and some were just watching for the show. They had thought Ren was a top student, but now it seemed he was crazy. His earlier insight must have been a fluke.
Honami Ichinose didn't question his words. She knew he was a proud person. If he said something, he meant it, and it couldn't be a mistake. Ryūji Kanzaki also remained silent. He didn't think someone with such talent in drawing would make empty boasts.
"Hoshinomiya-sensei, what are the criteria for earning points?" Ren paid no mind to the class's reaction, his voice remaining calm.
"Uhh..." How did the topic get back to me? I can't talk about that! Hoshinomiya froze.
"I imagine it's based on the performance of each class, and the final rating decides the number of points," Ren continued.
"Uhh..."
"In other words, this test began the moment we stepped into this classroom." The second thing he had noticed were the obvious security cameras around the room. What were they for? To monitor if students were behaving as they should.
"Ehehe!" Hoshinomiya tapped her head, stuck out her tongue, and winked. She was an expert at acting cute.
"So, if students behave well, the rating will be high. And if not..." Ren said, ignoring his teacher.
"If I misbehave, I can continuously lower the class's rating until there are no points left to deduct at the end of the month."
"So, everyone... do you understand the position you're in now?"
He stated his conclusion, emphasizing the word "position" to make these peaceful students understand their situation.
I hold all the power here. You are at my mercy.
After Ren had laid it out so plainly, even the slowest students finally understood and fell silent.
Of course, one person still objected. "And what about you? If we don't have points, you won't either. We can all go down together."
"Tch..." Ren couldn't help but chuckle. How could someone still not get it?
In the silent room, his laugh was loud and sharp. The student who had spoken was about to say more, but his deskmate tugged on his sleeve, signaling him to stop. He had seen Ren step out of a car escorted by a fleet of luxury vehicles.
"Perhaps we haven't been properly introduced. My name is Katsuragi Ren. From the Katsuragi Conglomerate," Ren said, satisfied with the atmosphere. After his introduction, the room became even quieter.
In Japan, you might not know the prime minister, but you knew the Katsuragi and Kōgenji Conglomerates. Their businesses were everywhere. To put it bluntly, something in your house was almost certainly made by one of them.
"So, what's the ransom?" Honami Ichinose spoke up. Since Ren had decided to be the villain, she had to step up. Otherwise, the pressure of the Katsuragi name alone would crush the class.
Ren was very pleased with her stepping forward. It seemed she hadn't forgotten what he had taught her. The little girl had grown up.
"Starting next month, we will have a sixty-forty split of the points each of you receives."
"Isn't sixty-forty a bit too high..." the same dissenting student muttered. In the quiet classroom, everyone heard him clearly.
"No problem, I can satisfy you. Let's make it seventy-thirty," Ren replied.
"Ah, thank—" The student thought Ren was being fair. He had just earned the class an extra ten percent! He was about to straighten his back with pride when Ren continued.
"You get thirty, I get seventy."
Feeling the murderous glares from everyone around him, the student's back slumped completely.
"These points aren't just a ransom; they are a guarantee. As a reward, I, Katsuragi Ren, as the heir to the Katsuragi Conglomerate, promise that even if you don't graduate from Class A, I will give you the one hundred percent employment rate this school talks about."
"Of course, there will be rewards and punishments. For the student who contributes most, I can support their entire family for life. For the one who contributes least, I will take back their employment guarantee."
"Also, the ransom is back to the original sixty-forty split."
Ren knew he couldn't just crush his classmates. He understood the carrot and the stick approach. But that wasn't enough. He would also use a last-place elimination system to make everyone compete. If you don't compete, whose blood can I suck?
"So... does anyone object?"
The class remained silent. In this harsh environment, someone was offering them a safety net. At this point, whoever dared to object would be torn apart by the rest.
"I agree!" the gentle Honami Ichinose was the first to take a side.
"I agree."
"I agree."
After everyone had agreed, Ren began to list strict rules for student conduct. Just as the students' faces began to turn sour, he threw out another carrot.
"If our class graduates as Class A, my promise still stands. You can have a friend or family member of your choice redeem that promise from me."
In an instant, everyone's expression changed. Strict? What was strict about this? Who had a problem? Stand up! The young master's system was far too lenient!
...
And what was Hoshinomiya-sensei doing through all this?
Chie Hoshinomiya had covered her face with a book to hide a smile that was nearly insane. Her body had begun to tremble slightly from extreme excitement.
Sae-chan, I'm sorry, but this round is my win.
-----------------------------
Access more than 400 chapters across more than 7 different novels on Patreon!
For this novel, there are already over 100 chapters available, and we're only 3 subscribers away from unlocking up to chapter 150!
We're also already in the final chapters of the Bleach project!
And many more projects are in progress!
If you find any mistakes or inconsistencies, don't hesitate to leave a comment — your feedback helps me improve and fix them!