Throughout the entire first year, there were only people Ryuen did not know—never anyone who did not know Ryuen. His bad reputation had spread far and wide.
It was no surprise that Ryuen knew Chie Hoshinomiya. She was a beautiful teacher with the same hair color as him; it was only natural that he would occasionally pay attention to her. Perhaps she could even provide an opening for crushing Class B.
Though Ryuen appeared to be reading, he kept a close watch on Hoshinomiya. She had not come here to read either. Like him, she had picked out a book at random. Her eyes were fixed on its pages, but she never turned one. There was no concentration in her gaze—only distraction.
She was anxious. Ryuen came to that conclusion.
At this school, the only things this teacher truly cared about were Class B and Chabashira. Since the Special Exam had not yet begun, Class B could be ruled out. That meant this was about Chabashira.
When Hoshinomiya entered, she had tried hard to appear composed. But the tension in her leg muscles told Ryuen that she had jogged here. Most likely, she had stumbled into this room while trying to avoid someone—and that someone was almost certainly Chabashira.
Chabashira was nearby.
At this hour, Chabashira had probably gone to see Kiyotaka Ayanokoji. Pressured by Ayanokoji's father, he would reveal his true worth in this exam.
Since Hoshinomiya had not come to read, Ryuen had no reason to keep watching her put on an act. "It doesn't seem like you're much of a reader, Ms. Hoshinomiya. Why don't we talk about Class B instead?"
"Trying to pry information out of me, Ryuen? I'm not telling you anything. Besides, aren't you the one who doesn't like reading? Ever since I came in, your eyes haven't left me."
Hoshinomiya placed her book facedown on the table, crossed her legs, and scrutinized Ryuen with an intensely serious expression.
Ryuen smiled and gently closed his own book. "I don't know whether I enjoy reading, but I do enjoy beautiful women. They say every book has its beauty. When one is sitting right in front of me, why would I go looking for one in a book?"
Hoshinomiya cupped her cheeks in both hands, feigning shyness. "Beautiful woman? Ryuen, you should focus on girls your own age. This teacher's heart already belongs to someone."
Ryuen sneered inwardly. Belonged to whom? Chabashira? What was so fun about scissoring?
On the surface, however, he put on a regretful look. "What a shame. I'm actually rather interested in Ichinose, but if you don't want to talk about Class B, Ms. Hoshinomiya, I'll just have to study her myself."
Hoshinomiya frowned. "Ichinose is a good girl. She's highly regarded among the boys, but she isn't suitable for you. And aren't you pursuing Suzune Horikita? Being unfaithful is wrong, Ryuen."
"Hm? How do you know I'm pursuing Horikita?"
It was a lie—nothing more than a test for Hoshinomiya.
"Ahaha, everyone in the grade knows about that. Isn't it natural that I would know too?"
It sounded flawless, but Ryuen noticed something strange. Why had the rumor that he was pursuing Horikita spread through the entire grade? And why had Horikita not clarified it to her Class D classmates? If anything, she seemed rather pleased by the rumor.
Some girls liked showing off the fact that outstanding boys were pursuing them, satisfying their vanity that way. But Horikita was obviously not that kind of person. Someone had to be fueling this from behind the scenes. Who could it be?
"Horikita is a good girl. If you pursue her wholeheartedly, you're sure to win her heart."
Seeing Ryuen lost in thought, Hoshinomiya assumed he was still eyeing Ichinose and spoke up to warn him again.
It seemed Hoshinomiya truly did not want Ryuen setting his sights on Ichinose.
"But my heart is broken, Ms. Hoshinomiya. It shattered into countless pieces, and every piece fell in love with someone different."
Ryuen raised an eyebrow. Hoshinomiya's mouth was sealed too tightly; he could not extract a single useful piece of information from her.
What a shameless, scumbag thing to say. Hoshinomiya silently branded Ryuen a player, making her even less willing to let him get near Ichinose.
"Then you're certainly generous with your affections."
Hoshinomiya made to leave, but Ryuen was irritated at having learned nothing useful. So he decided to toy with her a little.
"That's right. Just now, one fragment of my heart was branded with your name, Ms. Hoshinomiya. What do you think I should do about that?"
"Flirting with a teacher can get points deducted from your class."
Hoshinomiya's expression turned hostile.
"That's fine. They're only Class Points. If it wins me your heart, I wouldn't mind losing a few more."
"Hmph. Smooth talk, and not a word of it sincere. Go use those sweet lines on younger girls, Ryuen. I have no interest in chatting with you. I'm leaving."
Her small leather shoes clicked across the wooden floor. Click, click, click.
"How heartless, Ms. Hoshinomiya. Then I suppose I'll go find Ms. Chabashira instead. She's quite beautiful too."
Hoshinomiya stopped. Turning around, she stared at Ryuen. "You know quite a lot. But that isn't enough to threaten me."
"Why would I threaten a teacher? I'm a law-abiding, model student. I'm merely offering you a kind reminder, Ms. Hoshinomiya. Beauty fades with age. Don't waste your time."
Hoshinomiya left, and Ryuen was once again alone.
This time, he had offended Hoshinomiya—but he was not afraid of her. It had only been a matter of time. Whether he moved against Chabashira and Class D in the future, or against Ichinose and Class B, she would come to resent him anyway. So why bother preserving a fleeting and pointless friendly relationship between teacher and student?
In Japan, where hierarchy was so deeply entrenched, one of Ryuen's favorite things was challenging those above him.
The books in the room could be borrowed, so Ryuen took several guides on wilderness survival with him.
On the ship, Ryuen shared a room with Daichi Ishizaki and Satoru Kaneda. Both were fairly loyal to him, so neither complained when he told them not to return to the cabin before eight.
Ryuen did not even need an excuse to send them away. That was the advantage of ruling through violence: the ruled only needed to obey.
At the moment, there was one other person in the room besides Ryuen—Mio Ibuki.
There was only one girl who had always resented Ryuen's rule. That person was Ibuki.
"What the hell do you want with me, asshole?"
Ibuki was never in a good mood when she saw Ryuen.
"You want a beating?"
Ryuen did not indulge her either.
"Bring it on. We'll see who's beating whom!"
Ibuki shouted arrogantly.
Ryuen could not understand that behavior. It was pure stubbornness—the idiotic urge to walk straight toward a tiger despite knowing it was there.
"I have something I need you to do."
Ryuen got straight to the point.
"Not doing it."
Ibuki's answer was immediate and decisive.
"You refused before I even told you what it was. I didn't call you here so you could refuse me."
This brat simply needed a beating. One good lesson would do it. Naturally, Ryuen did not hit her hard; he would still need her for the upcoming exam. He merely tied her up with a bedsheet and stuffed a handkerchief into her mouth—the handkerchief he had previously taken from Hiyori.
"All right. Now listen."
...
When Ibuki left, the bedsheet had left red marks all over her body, with some places even bruising purple.
Ryuen, meanwhile, stared at the handkerchief dampened with Ibuki's saliva and frowned. "I should've made her wash it before she left."
Not long after Ibuki departed, another visitor appeared in the room: Katsuragi Kohei of Class A.
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