Transferred
The screen lit up slightly, followed by a message from Kushida Kikyo.
At the same time, a notification popped up—his private points had increased.
Before he could respond, her follow-up message arrived.
[Class D isn't suitable for holding large amounts of points. If someone notices and starts asking questions, it'll be troublesome. No matter the reason, just take it for now]
[Spend it however you like, just don't let your two girls starve]
That wording felt… oddly suggestive.
Toru didn't actually care much about the money.
Sure, it was his idea to squeeze compensation out of the school, but that was never the real goal.
From the start, it was simply because that guy's existence made him uneasy.
That was why he went through the trouble of tormenting him with that constant buzzing.
As for the compensation—since he had handed it off to Kushida, he had no intention of asking for it back.
Whatever she managed to get was her ability. If she somehow squeezed out twenty million, that'd just mean she was impressive.
It wasn't that Toru was particularly selfless.
It was just that, from the beginning, this money was meant to be Sakura Airi's compensation for emotional distress. Doing everything with money as the goal felt… off.
It didn't sit right with him.
That was exactly why, after receiving this transfer and reading her message, Toru felt strangely conflicted.
"..."
He scratched his head a few times, then typed out a reply.
[Payment for tonight received]
Almost instantly, the "read" mark appeared, followed by her reply.
[Too expensive! I'm taking Sakura-mama and remarrying]
So you're playing the daughter role now?
After a brief pause—like she had stuck out her tongue—another message came.
[If I book you for life, I'll convince Sakura-mama to stay]
Toru: "..."
A lifetime was too long.
Even three years already felt long enough.
It sounded like a joke—but through a screen, there was no way to tell whether she meant it, or if it was just playful teasing.
…Better treat it as a joke.
[Then you'll have to pay more]
He sent the reply casually.
She read it instantly—and replied even faster.
[Enough joking. I'm meeting a friend later. If you're free, go play with your Sakura-mama]
Even without seeing her expression, Toru had the odd feeling that she had reached out to test something—only to pull her hand back at the last second.
The longer they spent together, the more things naturally shifted like this.
Before Sakura Airi got involved, things might've stayed stable.
But once Kushida herself pulled Airi into the dynamic, new instability appeared.
The unspoken balance between them began to waver.
After all—
Kushida Kikyo was someone deeply lacking in a sense of security.
Even if the other person was someone as harmless as Sakura Airi.
Even if this strange "mother-child" relationship was something she initiated herself.
Of course, this was all just Toru's speculation.
If he wanted the truth, he'd have to ask her directly.
But he had no intention of doing that.
A bit of distance was necessary to maintain stability.
Overstepping into someone else's life would only drag both sides down.
Their current relationship might look messy—
But both of them were satisfied.
And that was enough.
Don't cross the line.
If anything crossed the line—
That's what the diary was for.
...
Kito Hayato. Male. First-year Class B. Sakayanagi faction.
Tall, hooked nose, an unpleasant face—one of Class B's top fighters.
"In other words, he's got real violence in him."
Ryuuen Kakeru smirked, the corner of his lips lifting.
"Perfect. He's our target."
More than two months had passed since enrollment.
Class C was now completely under Ryuuen's control.
With the backing of their homeroom teacher and his relentless, almost shameless persistence, he had already seized full authority by mid-April.
After the first special exam results in early May, that control only became stronger.
The reason he hadn't made any major moves since then—
There were many.
The biggest one was this:
He hadn't yet figured out the school's true stance.
Each student being assigned to a class based on evaluation wasn't strange.
Even in ordinary schools, teachers mentally categorize students into "good" and "bad."
That wasn't the issue.
The issue was the ranking.
A, B, C, D—
Only Class A graduates received full support from the school.
At first glance, it looked like a typical survival system.
Competition. Elimination. Battle.
Like kids making beetles fight.
But the real question was—
Did the school truly mean "anyone can rise to A," regardless of starting point?
Or—
Had they already decided from the beginning that Class A was special, and the other classes were just sharpening stones?
That distinction mattered.
Ryuuen never believed the school was fair.
If it were, they wouldn't have assigned Chabashira Sae to Class D.
He had investigated thoroughly.
When rumors spread, curiosity was only natural.
If he were an ordinary student, he might've laughed it off.
But he was Ryuuen.
So he verified it.
Even after hearing confirmation from Ichinose's class—and Hoshinomiya Chie herself—he still went further.
He paid private points to Sakagami Kazuma.
The answer he got—
Was true.
Everything.
That made things interesting.
Even homeroom teachers weren't assigned fairly.
The school's intent became obvious.
So he waited.
The rumor surfaced in early May—right when the first exam ended and class points were settled.
Class A—supposedly "superior"—lost to Class B.
Even if the gap was small, it was still a slap to the school.
"Is this your top class?"
It felt like open provocation.
If the school truly favored Class A—
They'd act.
And they did.
Midterms.
100 class points at stake.
Too convenient.
The moment Ryuuen connected the dots—he laughed.
But that wasn't all.
There was something even more interesting.
Class A had two factions.
Katsuragi Kohei—and Sakayanagi Arisu.
Katsuragi looked the part.
Serious. Reliable. Exactly what authority figures liked.
But Sakayanagi—
A frail girl with a cane?
That's Class A material?
Sure, she's smart.
But one punch and she'd drop.
And that's not a defect?
No matter how he thought about it, it made no sense.
Why wasn't Asakusa Toru in Class A instead?
At first, he dismissed it as incompetence from the administration.
Then—
Shiina Hiyori spoke up.
"If you're curious… try looking up the chairman's name."
So he did.
"Sakayanagi Kousei."
Ryuuen laughed.
"I see."
So this was meritocracy, huh?
Connections were the real strength.
No wonder she was in Class A.
What a joke.
So everyone else—
Was just here to accompany the young lady's education?
All that talk about ability—what nonsense.
For a moment, his motivation dropped.
If the system itself was rigged—
Why bother?
Still—
He hadn't given up yet.
The results weren't final.
He waited.
Until June.
Until midterms ended.
If the results proved everything was fixed—
Then forget class battles.
Just grind twenty million points and transfer.
But if the chairman's influence had limits—
Then it was time to go wild.
And now—
Ichinose's class was ahead by just two points.
That was enough.
Time to move.
"Let's start with Kito Hayato."
"Damn, this guy looks scary. Doesn't even look like a high schooler," Ishizaki Daichi muttered, clicking his tongue at the photo.
Albert stayed silent.
"You've got one right next to you," Ibuki Mio said dryly.
Compared to Kito, Albert looked even less like a student.
"Still… you sure about this? He looks tough," Ishizaki said, patting Albert's arm.
Ryuuen smirked.
"That's exactly what I want."
"The tougher they look, the easier they are to provoke."
After all—
Only then could he play the victim properly.
He wasn't stupid enough to harass openly.
That would cost class points.
And he wasn't about to waste those.
Still—
He paused, then glanced sideways.
"Shiina. Any ideas?"
Even he needed strategists.
Shiina Hiyori and Kaneda Satoru were his picks.
And between them—
He trusted Shiina more.
"Hm?"
She looked up, brushing aside a strand of hair.
"Maybe… start by checking the cameras?"
"In this school… surveillance cameras are everywhere."
Her voice fell softly—
And Ryuuen's thoughts suddenly clicked into place.
Something he had realized at the beginning—
But forgotten.
Surveillance cameras.
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