CHAPTER 12: SCHOOL RULES OF SOUMA
A new level of death and terror had been established in the massive canteen of Hakuho Academy.
In a dark corner, Kashi sat weeping on the floor along with his shattered self-respect.
At the VIP table, the entire arrogance of the school's 'Queen Bee', Meiko Fujiwara, had been reduced to ashes by a single, cold whisper from Satsuki Kiryuin.
Without shedding a single drop of blood, the Student Council had buried the egos of these 'wannabe' players straight into the ground.
But the true spectacle of death lay right in the center.
Sprawled on the ground like a corpse was Akuro Yoshibe, and right beside him, his two top executives—Daizen Mori and Toma Kagetsu—were in absolute tatters.
The strength had completely abandoned their legs. The 'Invincible Boss', whose very name made the entire school tremble, now lay right in front of them like a crushed rat.
Just then, stepping right in front of the two, stood the Vice President of the Student Council, Tetsu Saedomi.
His 6'0" lean, muscular physique looked as sharp as a scalpel.
His coral-colored hair and the Dark Pink eyes peering from behind his gold-rimmed glasses gave off an unreadable, chilling vibe.
But the most terrifying thing of all was the calm, sweet smile resting on his lips.
In that deathly atmosphere, Tetsu's cheerful smile looked exactly like that of a serial killer.
"My, how many times did I explain this to you freaks,"
Tetsu said softly and cheerfully, as if he were scolding a small toddler.
"But you just never listened."
Daizen and Toma's throats ran dry.
Paralyzed by fear, not a single word escaped their lips. Swallowing hard, Daizen tried to muster some courage,
"V-Vice President... we..."
"Shhh,"
Tetsu placed a finger over his lips, silencing him.
His smile grew even deeper.
"When the adults are talking,
the dogs shouldn't bark,Daizen.
Now suffer the consequences of your mistake.
What did you think?
That wearing this 'Black Blazers' tag made you the gods of this school?"
Tetsu tilted his neck slightly.
"If your boss lacked the brains, it was your responsibility to make him understand to stay out of the school's affairs.
But instead of stopping him, you chose to be his lackeys.
You thought as long as Akuro was around,
your status would remain sky-high."
Suddenly...
that sweet smile completely vanished from Tetsu's face.
In a microsecond, a terrifying, dead seriousness took over his dark pink eyes, doubling the pressure in the air.
His aura became so suffocatingly heavy that Daizen and Toma felt as if massive boulders had been placed on their chests.
Tetsu stepped forward.
He casually leaned down, placed both his hands on their trembling shoulders, and whispered in a dead, murderous tone:
"True power doesn't reside in a jacket, Toma.
True power is bringing the person in front of you to their knees without even touching them.
If you really don't want to see your boss die an agonizing death right here...
pick up this trash and get him out of here."
Toma's eyes widened in sheer terror.
He just nodded frantically in fear.
Tetsu tightened his grip, his voice melting into their ears like a cold poison.
"Otherwise... next time,
you'll be carrying Akuro's dead body.
And listen...
don't ever let me catch you lackeys anywhere near The Student Council again.
Consider this a final warning from an older brother...
take him away.
You have exactly 10 minutes."
Leaving Daizen and Toma in the shadow of their own fear, Tetsu Saedomi casually walked over to the Senior Leader, Souma Kanzaki, who stood in the center.
That cheerful, lovely smile had returned to Tetsu's face.
Looking down at the unconscious Akuro, Tetsu spoke to Souma with dark humor:
"Oh my, Souma Senpai...
if you beat him up so emotionally,
he's just going to die right here."
Adjusting his glasses,
Tetsu pushed the joke further.
"Which simply means you'll go to jail on murder charges...
And then...
I'll be forced to take your place in Hakuho Academy.
Besides, prison food won't really fit your diet plan anyway."
Souma offered no laugh to Tetsu's dark joke.
His face remained absolutely calm and cold as ice.
Peeling the tape off his knuckles, he said:
"That will never happen, Tetsu.
Understood?
Discipline is not a joke... and I never cross the line by letting my emotions control me.
He received exactly the amount of punishment required to fix the school's environment."
Tetsu chuckled lightly,
"I know, Senpai.
But look... a storm still hasn't completely settled."
Souma's blueberry eyes shifted and locked onto a boy standing right at the front of the crowd.
Raizen Kurotsuki.
That brutal fight with Akuro had completely wrecked Raizen's body.
He was panting heavily, blood leaking from his mouth and nose.
His t-shirt was torn in several places.
But no matter how battered his condition was, there wasn't a single drop of fear in his icy eyes.
Even after witnessing Souma's absolute brutality firsthand, he stood completely fearless.
Souma slowly walked forward, stopping right in front of Raizen.
Only two feet of distance separated the two alphas.
"Your stamina is truly praiseworthy,"
Souma said in a cold, authoritative voice.
"Bringing a wild beast like Akuro to this state is no easy feat.
But do not make your own rules here.
You had no right to take revenge in this school."
A mocking smile crept onto Raizen's blood-stained lips.
Looking straight into Souma's eyes, he said,
"Revenge?I just fulfilled my duty.
And as for the rules...
limits only apply to those who believe in your hollow rules.
I didn't come here to bow my head before any boss."
Souma's gaze darkened further.
"So you're saying you'll challenge the school's system just like these gangsters?"
"System?"
Raizen's voice now held a cold venom.
"If your system was so perfect,
why did it leave dogs like Akuro off the leash?
I did exactly what was right.
If you get in my way for that...
then you're next."
No more words were needed after that.
On one side stood an absolute God (Souma), and on the other, an incoming storm (Raizen).
Their serious eyes locked onto one another.
That single silent stare-down carried such an immense tension that it clearly established the birth of a new, highly dangerous rivalry.
After a few seconds of that heavy silence, Souma broke his gaze from Raizen without another word and turned his neck toward the crowd of over 300 students behind him.
"Alright, everyone... our work here is done."
Souma's deep, commanding voice echoed through the canteen, shaking the very soul of every student present.
"Hakuho Academy is not some cheap street fight club.
And listen closely, all of you...
What you just saw on the floor today was my life example."
Souma raised his right hand, every gesture feeling like a death warrant.
"Anyone who bullies in this school, targets the weak, or imposes their fear on others...
I will dig their grave with my own two hands.
I don't care what gang you belong to or whose friend you are.
Understand this while you still have time!"
"Y-Yes, Senior Souma Senpai!!"
The entire crowd responded in unison, trembling with fear and bowing their heads toward the ground.
Cold sweat broke out on everyone's skin.
The entire school had bowed before his absolute rule.
The 10 minutes given by Tetsu were almost up.
Toma and Daizen had realized their place.
With trembling hands, Toma Kagetsu hoisted the injured, unconscious Kenchon onto his back.
Swallowing all of his remaining pride, Daizen Mori somehow lifted the corpse-like body of Akuro Yoshibe from the floor.
As the two were carrying them away, a student in the crowd whispered,
"Look at the Black Blazers' status now...
running away like stray dogs."
Daizen ground his teeth in pure rage, his steps halting for a second.
But feeling the overwhelming presence of Souma and Tetsu, he knew it was best to keep his head down in silence.
Carrying their defeated, utterly destroyed boss, the two quietly exited the canteen.
The terror of the Black Blazers, which had echoed through the school for so long, had been ground into the dirt forever this evening.
After their departure, the tension of death and fear hanging in the air suddenly began to lift.
The bated breaths of all the students finally returned to normal.
The light streaming in through the windows had now turned into a soft orange and golden hue.
Evening had arrived. And right at that moment...
Tan... taan... tann...
The final, nostalgic evening bell of the school echoed through the air.
Amidst the silence and the golden evening light, Raizen Kurotsuki panted as he slowly walked toward the section of the canteen where a massive, nearly 100-kilogram boy lay on the ground, brutally injured.
This was Renjiro Hoshino.
The same overweight boy who had been targeted by Akuro and his dogs for his physical appearance, who was publicly mocked, and who had been pushed into the jaws of death.
Raizen walked over and stood quietly beside him.
Without a second thought, he extended his right hand to help the heavy, battered Renjiro up from the floor.
With fear and pain, Renjiro slightly opened his swollen eyes.
He saw Raizen's extended hand right in front of him.
But he didn't reach out. In his eyes hid that same old fear and self-doubt.
"Who... who are you?"
Renjiro asked, his voice cracked and filled with pain.
"Why... why are you helping me?"
For the first time in the past hour, a calmness settled into Raizen's icy eyes.
"Just because,"
Raizen replied casually.
"My name is Raizen."
Renjiro bit his blood-stained lip.
"You should have thought about it before coming near me...
I weigh 100 kilos.
I'm a loser.
Everyone runs away from me because I'm fat and ugly.
If you're seen with me, these people will start mocking you tomorrow too."
Raizen extended his hand just a little further.
His voice held no judgment or pity—only a solid truth.
"Dogs barking doesn't change a lion's path,"
Raizen said in a completely calm tone.
"I don't make decisions by listening to what people say.
You took a beating today, but you didn't give up.
That's enough.
Now stop crying...
and get up."
Something inside Renjiro broke, and something new clicked into place.
He mustered his courage.
Reaching out with his heavy hand, he grasped Raizen's strong grip to lift himself from the ground.
Putting his strength into it, Raizen pulled lightly, helping the massive 100-kilo frame stand back on its feet.
"My name is..."
Renjiro said as he stood up.
Rising above his own perceived status for the first time in years, he spoke with a new, burning hope,
"...Renjiro Hoshino."
On the broken floor of that canteen, right in the middle of scattered blood and devastation, the moment Renjiro took Raizen's hand...
this was the beginning of a friendship that would go on to completely shatter this rotten system of bullies and schools, altering Renjiro's destiny forever.
This... is just the beginning.
(CHAPTER 12 ENDS)