"I'll contribute to the class fund too. The use of the points will be disclosed publicly, but the authority to decide how they're used belongs to me alone."
Ryuen looked down at the two of them. "Any other questions?"
"All the points are in Hiyori Shiina's hands. How can you be sure she won't misappropriate the class funds? I think you should keep them yourself, Ryuen."
The one who spoke was Daichi Ishizaki, one of Ryuen's few truly loyal followers in the original story. Once Ryuen had brought him under his wing, Ishizaki had remained fiercely loyal.
"I trust her. Leaving the points with her also means she can keep an eye on me."
Trust was only part of it. Ryuen also wanted to balance the divide between the boys and girls. If he kept the points himself, the girls' standing in the class would inevitably sink to the bottom. That would not benefit the class's growth. Letting Hiyori manage the points gave the girls a measure of authority, while also helping Hiyori build a female group centered around herself. Some future Special Exams would separate the sexes, and the girls' side would need a capable leader too.
Hiyori, meanwhile, was not moved in the slightest by Ryuen's supposed trust. This was the man who had stolen her handkerchief yesterday and forced her to work for him. As far as she was concerned, he could keep that trust to himself.
There was nothing inherently wrong with Ryuen's words, but most of the class immediately took them in a different direction. Quite a few girls glanced at Hiyori, while several boys made knowing noises.
Hiyori had already taken out her textbooks and begun preparing for class, ignoring the strange atmosphere. Ryuen could not be bothered to explain himself either.
Ryuen left all the class's trivial affairs to Hiyori. Whenever he casually wandered over to her, she wanted nothing more than to smash his head with the book in her hands. But that was all it remained—a thought. A quiet, refined girl like her could never do something so crude.
Whenever Hiyori tried to refuse Ryuen, he would shamelessly refuse her refusal. Like children playing a game of "No, you," it was an utterly brazen tactic. It probably would not have worked on anyone else, but Hiyori was especially vulnerable to it. No matter how unwilling she was, she always completed the tasks Ryuen assigned her with care.
For example, during self-study periods, students still whispered among themselves and passed notes even when Ryuen was sitting right there. That was the difference between Class C and Class A: their self-discipline was far too poor. And minor issues like that were difficult to manage. If Ryuen kept resorting to violence over every little thing, the class would eventually fall apart.
At times like that, Ryuen would tug at Hiyori's ribbon.
Hiyori would protect it at once, swatting his large hand away from her hair.
It was not that Ryuen deliberately wanted to take advantage of her. The girl simply refused to acknowledge him under normal circumstances. Unless he did something outrageous, she would not even give him a proper look.
"Shiina, handle the class discipline."
"I refuse."
"I refuse your refusal."
Hiyori would turn away, unwilling to speak to him, and Ryuen would continue fiddling with her ribbon. Unable to stand it, she would eventually go restore order in the classroom.
One was the class's peak fighter; the other, its hidden strategist. Yet Ryuen and Hiyori's conversations and behavior were as childish as elementary school students.
Quite a few girls in the class loved watching the two of them together. Some were jealous of Hiyori, but none of them did anything to target her.
The boys respected Hiyori as well. She was gentle and quiet, serious in everything she did, and beautiful besides. More importantly, they had quietly decided she was the boss's girl, so they listened when she spoke.
Over time, Hiyori came to understand Ryuen's nature. Before he could reach for her ribbon, she would take the initiative and deal with the class affairs herself.
To everyone else, it looked like the two of them had developed perfect coordination. Hiyori did not see it that way. She was merely avoiding Ryuen's wandering hands. She just did not want him taking her ribbon again.
Ryuen was quite satisfied as he watched Hiyori grow step by step. After all, she was someone he had cultivated himself. In terms of ability, Hiyori was no worse than Suzune Horikita. She simply had no interest in reaching Class A, which meant she lacked motivation.
After going so long without a chance to take Hiyori's ribbon, Ryuen sometimes felt oddly lonely. It was like watching one's daughter grow up—wanting to hug her the way one had when she was little, but no longer knowing how.
Hiyori experienced a similar feeling. She simply refused to admit that some part of her wanted Ryuen to touch her. It was only a young girl's reserve getting in the way. Perfectly normal.
Class C had finally achieved unity and gotten on the right track. The whole process had gone even more smoothly than Ryuen expected. By his calculations, it was about time to plant a spy in Class D.
However, Ryuen had forgotten exactly when Kiyotaka Ayanokoji would expose Kikyo Kushida's true nature. If he wanted to beat him to it, he could only patrol the small lake beneath the dormitory buildings every night.
For several days in a row, Ryuen stood by the lake, enduring the cold wind and staring idly at the still water. After a few more days, boredom got the better of him, and he called Hiyori out to keep him company.
"Shiina, I'm by the small lake beneath the dorms. Come over for a minute." Ryuen sent Hiyori a message.
"No." Hiyori replied almost immediately.
"It's important."
Ryuen did not check his messages again after that, because he could already predict what would follow.
Hiyori would stubbornly send another reply: "No."
Yet by the time she sent it, she would surely already be getting dressed to leave. That was the kind of girl she was: a little prickly on the surface, but kind, responsible, and incredibly cute underneath.
Sure enough, Hiyori came. She had even run over.
Her soft, breathless pants kept time with the pounding of her heart.
"Good evening," Ryuen greeted her with casual familiarity.
Hiyori stood there until her breathing evened out, then replied, "Good evening, Ryuen."
Perhaps this was what it meant to be a lady. Despite rushing over in such a hurry, Hiyori had still put on light makeup. Though the pink lipstick on her lips had been applied unevenly.
"What's so important?" Hiyori asked. Ryuen had been staring at her the entire time, making her heart pound wildly. With no one else around the secluded lake, she was genuinely worried he might suddenly pounce on her.
"Keep me company and talk for a while."
"What does that mean?"
"Exactly what it says."
"How boring!" Hiyori turned to leave, feeling that Ryuen had called her here just to toy with her.
"Then how about we discuss The Crowd?"
The Crowd was the book Hiyori had been reading on the first day of school. She had finished it not long ago and was now reading The Interpretation of Dreams.
Hiyori froze, then turned back with an incredulous expression. "You've read it?"
"Part One: The Mind of Crowds. Part Two: The Opinions and Beliefs of Crowds. Part Three: The Classification and Characteristics of Different Kinds of Crowds."
Hiyori had expected Ryuen to throw out a few famous quotations from the book to bluff his way through it. Instead, he recited the table of contents. He had genuinely read it, and remembered it clearly.
Hiyori tested him cautiously. "When an individual is isolated, he possesses his own distinct personal characteristics."
Ryuen continued without pause. "But once he merges into a crowd, all of his individual traits are submerged by that crowd, and his thoughts are immediately replaced by the thoughts of the group. When a crowd exists, it displays emotionality, intolerance of dissent, and low intelligence."
Hiyori suddenly became excited. She had no friends at school who shared her love of books, and finding someone with the same interest made her genuinely happy. It would have been even better if that person were not Ryuen, but she could live with that.
For the next hour, they discussed their views on The Crowd. Ryuen's understanding of the book was deeper than hers, and as they talked, none of his usual delinquent swagger remained. He seemed more like a profound scholar who happened to be built like a tank. Hiyori learned a great deal. The anger she had felt at being tricked into coming out had vanished completely, replaced by a lingering reluctance for the conversation to end. When Ryuen said it was getting late and they should return to the dorms, she looked a little reluctant to leave.
"I've never seen you read. When do you even find the time?" Hiyori asked before departing.
"Oh? Hiyori's so concerned about me? Don't tell me you've fallen for me." Ryuen immediately returned to the version of himself Hiyori knew best.
Since Ryuen did not want to answer, Hiyori did not press him. She headed back toward the dorms without looking back, though her steps were light and cheerful.
Ryuen watched her leave from behind, shook his head, and sighed. "Heartless woman."
Then he chuckled softly.
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