"There's no one else around."
After inviting Asakusa Tōru into the Class C classroom, Ishizaki Daichi didn't follow him in right away. Instead, he first searched around outside for a bit before slowly entering the room and closing the door behind him.
Watching Asakusa Tōru, who showed not the slightest hint of fear even while facing the entire class, Ishizaki Daichi couldn't help but click his tongue again.
"This guy really has the guts to come in alone."
"You've been watching from outside this whole time," Ryūen Kakeru said, no longer playing catch with the recording pen. Putting it away, he stepped closer and closer to Asakusa Tōru, extending both hands as if about to grab his neck.
"You should know what coming in here means."
"No one will speak up for you."
Just as he said—under his violently enforced rule, there was no such thing as someone stepping forward out of a sense of justice to testify.
And as for the only thing that might count as evidence—the cameras installed in every classroom—they had long since been covered up when he took control of the class.
Even if Asakusa Tōru had other recording pens on him still recording, there was no way he could protect those "pieces of evidence" against so many people.
So honestly, no matter how much Ryūen Kakeru racked his brain, he couldn't understand what Asakusa Tōru was relying on to stand here alone.
"Oh? Sakagami-sensei, that's what your students are saying," Asakusa Tōru said with a cheerful smile. He took a step back to avoid Ryūen's hands, smoothly circling behind Sakagami Kazuma and using his body as a shield while looking at Ryūen.
"Should I apologize right now and drop to my knees instead?"
"Hah?"
Seeing this, Ryūen Kakeru completely lost it.
You're… asking our homeroom teacher for help?
Ha. Then you really picked the wrong person.
After all, the one who'd hinted that nothing would happen as long as the cameras were covered, the one who'd watched him use violence against his classmates with his own eyes—
Was Sakagami Kazuma standing right there.
Why would Sakagami Kazuma have any reason at all to protect this guy?
Looks like I was wrong. This guy's just an idiot who doesn't know his own limits.
That was what Ryūen Kakeru thought—and that was exactly what he was about to do.
Have Sakagami Kazuma step aside. Make Asakusa Tōru understand that no one could protect him. Make him understand the consequences of provoking Ryūen Kakeru.
That was the plan.
"Ryūen."
But unexpectedly, Sakagami Kazuma—who had remained unmoved until now—spoke up and called his name.
He didn't say anything else, but the meaning was unmistakably clear.
Stop.
"You've got to be kidding me, Sakagami," Ryūen raised an eyebrow, his tone openly hostile. "You're telling me now that you're going to protect him?"
Even facing his homeroom teacher, he showed not the slightest trace of respect.
"I'm not joking." Sakagami Kazuma shook his head, his expression grim. "What happens within the class and what's happening now are two different things."
He was a teacher.
As the homeroom teacher of Class C, he could turn a blind eye to Ryūen's violent consolidation of the class—because, in the end, that was meant to produce a leader for Class C.
But once it involved a student from another class, he couldn't do that.
He had to stop it. He could only stop it.
"So that's how it is?"
Taking Sakagami Kazuma's words as his cue, Asakusa Tōru peeked out from his side and smiled.
"..."
Glancing down at Asakusa Tōru beside him, Sakagami Kazuma took a deep breath.
"But if you keep provoking him, I'll treat this as a conflict between students."
This guy looked like he'd seen through the essence of this school earlier—and more clearly—than anyone else.
For new students, the time available to explore and understand the school was only the few short hours between the gates opening and the bell ringing.
So he'd figured everything out in just that amount of time?
Class 1-B…
Looks like Hoshinomiya ended up with a joker in her hand.
"Sure, sure~"
Asakusa Tōru nodded casually, putting away his smile.
"In any case, let's get back to the point. Let's make a deal, Ryūen."
"Of course—just between you and me."
That Sakagami Kazuma would protect him was within expectations. Matters inside the class were one thing; matters involving other classes were another.
Of course, that wasn't absolute. If Sakagami Kazuma chose favoritism to the extreme, Asakusa Tōru would probably still get beaten up.
He wouldn't die—but he'd probably get beaten pretty badly.
But if that happened…
Then he'd just wait, holed up in his class, writing diaries until he pulled enough rewards—then kill them all one by one.
…No, that's bad. A bit too extreme.
Rule of law. Rule of law.
"And why should I listen to you?"
Whether he accepted or not was one thing, but even if he was interested in hearing this so-called deal, Ryūen Kakeru didn't think agreeing outright was a good move.
Especially since he was being watched by the entire class right now.
The leadership position he'd just secured wasn't exactly stable yet.
Asakusa Tōru's right hand slid lightly into his sleeve. His fingers turned—and a dark shadow flew out.
He spoke softly.
"Because I paid a deposit."
That's right. He pulled out yet another recording pen and tossed it to Ryūen Kakeru.
Catching it once more, Ryūen Kakeru lowered his head and looked at the lit-up screen showing that it was recording. His grip on the pen tightened unconsciously.
The hard casing pressed into the flesh of his palm, a faint pain rising up from his hand.
"Good. Very good. What a deposit."
Lifting his head again, the way Ryūen Kakeru looked at Asakusa Tōru had completely changed.
He didn't know where this guy was getting so many recording pens that he could just throw them around like this—but from the attitude he was showing, Ryūen could tell one thing clearly.
This guy wasn't trying to use recordings to control him.
"Ishizaki, take everyone to the entrance ceremony," Ryūen Kakeru ordered without turning his head.
"Ah, but—" Ishizaki Daichi started to say something, but after a moment's thought, swallowed his words.
This atmosphere clearly wasn't one where he could butt in. More importantly, the homeroom teacher's attitude… made it obvious that this wasn't a situation where he could voice an opinion.
Even though their time together had been short, Ishizaki Daichi could more or less tell what kind of person their homeroom teacher, Sakagami Kazuma, was.
Well… it wasn't late anyway. Going to the gym a bit earlier wouldn't hurt.
Soon, under Ishizaki Daichi's lead, the Class 1-C classroom was left with only three people.
Asakusa Tōru.
Ryūen Kakeru.
And Sakagami Kazuma.
That's right—Sakagami Kazuma, the homeroom teacher, had no intention of accompanying the students to the gym at all.
Instead, he stayed behind.
Because he judged that it was necessary for him to do so.