"Provoking Kito-kun shouldn't be difficult. But even if he got angry, I believe he would still show restraint. For injuries severe enough to warrant school intervention—and punishment for Class B—to occur in a one-versus-three situation… if he truly managed that, then his strength would indeed be quite impressive."
Sakayanagi Arisu let out a soft laugh.
"Or perhaps… Class C is simply too weak?"
Her petite frame and gently curved eyes carried an unexpected sharpness. Despite looking so fragile that she could be knocked down with a single punch, she still carried herself like someone standing above others.
It was… irritating.
A true "young lady," through and through.
"Heh. Then that just means your dog is stupid."
Ryuuen couldn't help but mock her as if he were already the victor.
"To use violence so recklessly against fellow students… I'm impressed he even dared. With a face like that, no wonder. Honestly, I don't even know how he got into Class A in the first place."
He sneered.
"Or what? Was he brought in to be your personal bodyguard?"
A baseless guess—yet delivered with confidence.
"Hehe, Dragon boy, you do say amusing things."
Sakayanagi narrowed her eyes.
"—Call me that again and I'll kill you."
Ryuuen's gaze sharpened instantly, killing intent radiating from his narrowed eyes.
"If you're not here to negotiate, then go ahead and wait for the school's judgment. Or better yet, beg your dear father. Maybe the school will conveniently tilt things in Class B's favor."
"In that case, I'd have no choice but to surrender and admit everything."
"Yes, that's right. I did it. I ordered Ishizaki to frame him. I beat them into the infirmary myself. It was all me."
He spread his arms mockingly.
"Must be nice, having a chairman for a father. No evidence needed—just cling to daddy, act cute, and declare victory."
Then he made a disgusted face.
That composed, superior air she carried—it made him sick.
Ryuuen thrived on dirty tactics.
Violence. Harassment. Traps. Manipulation.
He would use anything.
But even he had something he despised—
Power.
Status. Connections.
All his schemes could be crushed by a single word from someone above.
All his effort could be overturned by an uneven scale.
No matter how hard he fought—
"I know him" could erase everything.
That's why her tone—her arrogance—infuriated him so much.
She was weak.
Fragile.
And yet she dared to look down on him just because of her name.
He wanted to punch her.
To show her what real power meant.
"…You actually believe the nonsense written in that diary?"
Sakayanagi's expression stiffened.
She looked straight at him for the first time, teeth clenched.
Only the diary's owner could know about her father.
No normal student would.
"…?"
But Ryuuen showed no reaction.
Neither did anyone else.
"Hey, Sakayanagi," he scoffed. "Don't stare at me like that."
"You've got two choices."
"Pay up—or use your father to crush me."
It was his ultimatum.
But Sakayanagi froze.
He didn't hear it?
"Diary. Diary. Diary—"
She repeated it several times.
No reaction.
!
He wasn't a holder.
Damn it—another misjudgment.
"…Masumi."
She exhaled slowly, raising her hand.
She was done playing.
It was time to end this.
Kamuro Masumi pulled out a voice recorder.
She stopped the recording—then replayed it.
"Yes, that's right. I did it. I ordered Ishizaki to frame him. I beat them into the infirmary myself. It was all me."
Ryuuen's own voice echoed clearly.
His expression darkened instantly.
He recognized the device.
It was from Asakusa Toru.
He'd been careless.
His emotions had slipped.
At the start of the school year, he would never have made such a mistake.
Toru had already taught him that lesson—with a recorder.
But now, two and a half months had passed.
No one in Class C dared threaten him with recordings.
He hadn't needed to be cautious.
This was his first real move.
His first direct clash with Sakayanagi.
Mistakes were inevitable.
But a mistake was still a mistake.
No excuses changed that.
With proper editing, this recording could completely overturn the situation.
Class C's accusation would collapse—
And the damage would rebound onto them instead.
The tide had turned.
Damn it.
If he had recorded things too, he could've defended himself.
But he hadn't.
The recorder Toru gave him was long gone.
Fine.
Very well.
From now on—
They'd see who was better at this game.
For now…
He needed a counter.
Ryuuen quickly regained his composure, staring at the recorder with a cold smile.
"Nice move. Looks like the young lady isn't satisfied relying on daddy anymore—now you're copying someone else and playing with recordings."
"But is this really okay?"
He asked calmly.
Sakayanagi frowned.
Why was he saying that?
The situation had clearly turned.
"Why wouldn't it be?" she replied softly.
"Or are you planning to fall back on your beloved violence?"
Ryuuen's specialty.
His pride.
His control.
Anyone could figure that out.
His appearance matched it perfectly—
Like a venomous snake waiting to strike.
If he had any trump card left—
It had to be violence.
At her words, Kito and Hashimoto stepped forward, shielding her.
They couldn't win—
But they could buy time for her escape.
On the other side—
Albert stepped forward as well.
Even Ibuki moved reluctantly.
The tension spiked.
"Stand down."
Ryuuen raised a hand.
"We're not fighting."
"Of course, I won't just swallow this loss either."
Retreating like that would be pathetic.
He had already found his answer—
From her reaction earlier.
She hadn't leaned on her father.
Instead, she reacted strongly to the accusation.
So—
Was she the type who hated being seen as someone relying on connections?
Someone desperate to prove herself?
Ryuuen looked at her again.
Yes.
That was it.
Prideful people like her always cared about that.
It was time to play that card.
"If you hand over that recording," he said calmly,
"I'll spread rumors everywhere that your father is the chairman of this school."
"…What—?!"
Sakayanagi's grip tightened on her cane.
She hadn't expected this.
This kind of threat?
Was that even… a threat?
And yet—
It worked.
"…Is that really a good idea?" she asked quietly, echoing his earlier words.
"The recording is still running."
"Spreading rumors like that… do you think the school will ignore it?"
If it were just baseless rumors, the school might ignore them.
But this—
A recorded declaration—
Was different.
"Rumors?"
Ryuuen tilted his head.
"Isn't it the truth?"
"Go on. Swear right now that you have no connection to Sakayanagi Arisu's father."
He pulled out his phone, activating recording.
"Say it."
His voice suddenly rose.
"Say it!"
And just like that—
The situation flipped again.
"…!"
Sakayanagi's expression darkened.
Such a weak "secret"—
Yet in his hands, it became a weapon.
Because she had slipped.
No—
Because of the diary.
Because someone had exposed her father.
"…Enough."
She took a deep breath and struck her cane against the ground.
"Tell your people to withdraw the accusation. We'll call it even."
"I won't submit this recording."
"But if that 'rumor' spreads—no matter who does it—I'll hand it over."
"Remember that."
She turned without waiting for his answer and walked away.
She'd had enough.
"…Always looking down on others without even lifting your eyes," Ryuuen muttered with a sneer. "Disgusting."
"Let's go. Tell those idiots to drop the case."
"But at least we learned something interesting."
Sakayanagi Arisu cared deeply about being seen as someone relying on connections.
And she likely wouldn't use her father's power again.
…She probably even believed she deserved Class A purely on her own merit.
Such arrogance.
Maybe Class B wasn't worth worrying about after all.
...
As she walked away, Sakayanagi's expression gradually softened.
Come to think of it…
He mentioned a name.
"Asakusa."
Another diary holder, besides Horikita Suzune?
Interesting.
"Hey, hey—"
Hashimoto Masayoshi suddenly leaned in, grinning.
"Princess, your dad really is the chairman?"
"If that's true, can you get some insider info? Even just about exams that give class points—being stuck in Class B sucks."
"…."
Sakayanagi stopped.
"—Get lost."
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