Classroom of the Elite (LN)
Classroom of the Elite (LN) - Volume 12 Chapter 6.2: “The Sound of Expulsion” Part 2

Volume 12, Chapter 6: 鈥淭he Sound of Expulsion鈥?Part 2

Once Horikita had paid our tab, the three of us left the Karaoke parlor together. While it seemed like this was the end of the entire ordeal, H艒sen and Nanase followed us from behind. As we walked, Sud艒 occasionally looked over his shoulder to glare at them menacingly, but didn鈥檛 go so far as to voice his complaints since they had the same route back.

H艒sen, having noticed what Sud艒 was doing, called out to us somewhat suspiciously.

鈥淗old it!鈥?/p>

鈥淭here鈥檚 no reason for us to wait for you. We鈥檙e done talking.鈥?/p>

Horikita turned a deaf ear to him, but H艒sen didn鈥檛 show any signs of backing down.

It seemed that Horikita鈥檚 all-or-nothing gamble was moving in the right direction.

鈥淎ight, I admit it. You were right Horikita. That day, I went out lookin鈥?to meet up with Class 2-D. After I got here, it didn鈥檛 take me all that long to realize that Class D was the wimpiest bunch in the school. Instead of bein鈥?treated like a joke by the rest of the classes, I figured it鈥檇 be fastest to just go鈥檔 work with you guys, bein鈥?fellow D classers an鈥?all.鈥?/p>

Looks like H艒sen had indeed been sending signals to Class 2-D back then, just as Horikita had predicted.

That said, whether or not his goal had been to form that same cooperative, equal relationship with Horikita was a different matter altogether.

鈥淪o?鈥?/p>

鈥淪o? You sure ya don鈥檛 wanna continue the discussion? You and I are similar, comrades even. Two leaders who thought鈥檃 the same thing.鈥?/p>

鈥淎s long as you intend to keep making ridiculous demands, nothing is going to change.鈥?/p>

鈥淲hat, you really just gonna go in blind? Takin鈥?the penalty and lettin鈥?yer shit get figured out randomly?鈥?/p>

鈥淵ep. I鈥檓 fully prepared to take the penalty if we have to.鈥?/p>

While it was certainly a painful position to be in, it wasn鈥檛 anything we wouldn鈥檛 be able to overcome.

Thanks to the efforts of Kushida and the others, many of those with D and E ratings had already found partners, pretty much guaranteeing their safety.

鈥淚 see. Then how 鈥榖out I propose you somethin鈥?like this?鈥?/p>

Horikita hadn鈥檛 agreed to reopen negotiations, and yet H艒sen began talking all on his own.

鈥淚鈥檒l order the chumps from my class to pair up with ya, so fork over the points. Two mill.鈥?/p>

Instead of conceding, H艒sen forced the discussion back open and jacked up the price even higher.

鈥淭wo million? Seems you鈥檝e finally gone off the deep end, hmm?鈥?/p>

鈥淵ou鈥檙e free to say whatever you want, but this is your only way to guarantee that none of ya flunk out. Most of the guys from the other classes have found partners already. You won鈥檛 end up with jack shit by bein鈥?stingy. Or perhaps you actually want me to flatten you?鈥?/p>

At this point, we arrived at the junction of the two paths for the first and second-year dormitories.

Horikita came to a stop before turning around to respond to him.

鈥淔latten? And just how do you plan on doing that? By intentionally tanking your scores? You wouldn鈥檛 be brave enough to do that. You couldn鈥檛. After all, you have to comply with the rules just like everybody else. That being said, all that my classmates and I need to do is focus on securing at least 501 points no matter what random combinations end up happening.鈥?/p>

鈥淎in鈥檛 no need to go with somethin鈥?so complicated. I鈥檒l flatten ya with this thing right here.鈥?/p>

With a fearless grin, H艒sen held up his fist.

鈥淩ule by violence, huh? People like you are a dime a dozen, it seems.鈥?/p>

鈥淚 don鈥檛 give a fuck what you think 鈥榖out it. This is how I do things.鈥?/p>

鈥淗ow nice. In that case, it doesn鈥檛 seem like we鈥檒l ever see eye-to-eye then.鈥?/p>

At that, Horikita began walking once more.

It didn鈥檛 seem like she had any intention of backing down until the very end.

Or, perhaps I should say that she couldn鈥檛 afford to show weakness to an opponent like H艒sen.

If she did, she would never be treated as an equal ever again.

鈥淗old it.鈥?/p>

鈥淲hat now?鈥?/p>

鈥淚 get it. I鈥檒l think about what you鈥檝e said.鈥?/p>

At the last moment possible, H艒sen said something I hadn鈥檛 expected him to say.

鈥淲hat are you trying to say?鈥?/p>

鈥淭ry鈥檔na keep the upper hand 鈥榯il the very last minute, shit like that鈥檚 only natural in a negotiation, yeah?鈥?/p>

By that, H艒sen was saying that all of this had just been a part of his strategy to try and force a concession out of Horikita.

鈥淭hen in other words, you鈥檙e agreeing to enter into a completely equal relationship with us?鈥?/p>

鈥淭hink of it like our discussion goin鈥?into overtime. There鈥檚 prolly people watchin鈥?here though, so how 鈥榖out we go someplace else?鈥?/p>

It was around 10:00 PM on a Sunday night. While most students should be back home by now, if somebody did show up, they鈥檇 definitely be able to overhear our conversation.

鈥淓ven so, we can鈥檛 bring you into the dormitories with us.鈥?/p>

Given the curfew, there was no longer anywhere suitable enough to continue the discussion.

However, time was running short and neither party wanted to drag this out any longer than they had to.

鈥淲herever is fine. Behind the dorm, someplace else, don鈥檛 matter to me. Won鈥檛 take long.鈥?/p>

H艒sen was brimming with confidence, so Horikita didn鈥檛 have much of a reason to turn him down.

After all, despite having pushed him away at first, having H艒sen chase after her like this was exactly what she had been hoping for.

鈥溾€ine. I鈥檒l give you ten minutes.鈥?/p>

鈥淥ver there then.鈥?/p>

H艒sen led us to the first-year dorms which had belonged to the third-year students last year.

And then, we circled around the front of the building and headed over to the back.

It was a dark, quiet area that didn鈥檛 serve any particular use other than being a place to dispose of trash, so it seemed safe to assume that we wouldn鈥檛 run into anybody given how late it was.

鈥淭hen let鈥檚 continue this, shall we? Our conditions haven鈥檛 changed at all. You鈥檙e fine with that, right?鈥?/p>

鈥淲ell鈥︹€?/p>

As a gesture to highlight his consideration, H艒sen crossed his arms for a moment.

Shortly thereafter, he uncrossed his arms and extended his right hand with three fingers raised into the air.

鈥淭hree mill. You fork over that much, an鈥?I鈥檒l save all your retarded classmates right away.鈥?/p>

Everybody present, myself included, was absolutely stunned at his ridiculous proposal.

鈥淲hat the heck are you even saying?鈥?/p>

It was wholly, completely dumbfounding. Even Horikita couldn鈥檛 help but sigh a few times.

H艒sen was supposed to be trying to salvage the discussion, not jacking up the price even further.

It seemed as though he had gone beyond the realm of common sense at this point.

鈥淎re you fuckin鈥?deaf, bitch? I said you fork over three mill, and we鈥檒l work shit out.鈥?/p>

鈥淲hat, are you fuckin鈥?with us? Suzune鈥檚 already told ya that we ain鈥檛 handin鈥?over a single point!鈥?/p>

鈥淚 ain鈥檛 jokin鈥? After all, I went through all the effort of givin鈥?you lot another chance here, didn鈥檛 I?鈥?/p>

He spoke as though he was the one who had arranged all of this in the first place.

鈥淚 tried to give you another chance, but it seems like that was a lapse of judgment after all鈥︹€?/p>

The chance that H艒sen might make a forthright decision had been a lasting glimmer of hope, but in the end, that faith had been misplaced.

鈥淪top right there! You really think you can just leave?鈥?/p>

H艒sen lightly slammed his fist against the wall beside him, putting his intimidating attitude on full display.

鈥淥h, so just because we鈥檙e behind the dorms, you want to solve this with one of your signature violent outbursts, is that it? Do you really think you鈥檙e going to get away with that?鈥?/p>

鈥淎t the very least, I鈥檒l get to beat the livin鈥?shit outta you fuckheads. How鈥檚 that?鈥?/p>

鈥淔ine, do as you please.鈥?/p>

Shaking her head, Horikita began to make her exit.

She probably didn鈥檛 think that H艒sen would actually make things physical.

However鈹€

Nanase, who had been standing off to the side, turned and looked away.

Almost as though she had foreseen what was going to happen next.

H艒sen made his move.

鈥淪uzune!!鈥?/p>

Sud艒 frantically shouted out as he rushed toward her and pulled her back.

H艒sen鈥檚 foot swiftly swept through the very same spot where Horikita had been standing only moments before.

And then, just like that, the huge first-year proceeded to charge straight at her.

鈥?! What the鈹€!鈥?/p>

At this point, Horikita finally realized that H艒sen was serious, but her body was frozen and wouldn鈥檛 move as she wanted it to.

To protect her, Sud艒 forced himself between the two of them, catching the blow with his body.

鈥淕uh!鈥?/p>

鈥淗ahaha! Let鈥檚 see just how much you can take!鈥?/p>

鈥淏ring it on! I won鈥檛 show any mercy to a bastard who raises his hand against Suzune!鈥?/p>

Laughing happily, H艒sen launched an attack on Sud艒.

And, having reached the limit of his patience long ago, Sud艒 responded in full.

鈥淲ha, what the hell is this guy thinking鈥??鈥?/p>

It was understandable that Horikita would feel shaken by the commencement of an all-out brawl before her very eyes.

No matter how unmonitored this location truly was, it would still be quite problematic if they were caught.

It might not be enough for an outright expulsion, but suspension surely wouldn鈥檛 be off the table.

鈥淗orikita-senpai, could it be that, perhaps this school is a little different from how it was before?鈥?/p>

Nanase, who had been watching this inexplicable turn of events go down with a somewhat cold look on her face, asked Horikita a question.

鈥淛ust as you upperclassmen are more familiar with the events of last year, we first-year students have a greater understanding of the current systems in place.鈥?/p>

鈥淲hat do you mean鈥?鈥?/p>

鈥淪hortly after enrollment, several first-years representatives were called to the student council room to receive a personal explanation from President Nagumo. He said that, from this year onward, the students would be allowed certain freedoms in order to make the school into more of a meritocracy.鈥?/p>

鈥淎re you telling me that fighting is one of those freedoms?鈥?/p>

鈥淚 wouldn鈥檛 say that. Although, from what H艒sen-kun has confirmed, the President has stated that a certain amount of in-fighting amongst students is unavoidable, and therefore promised that it wouldn鈥檛 be judged as harshly as it was in the past.鈥?/p>

Compared to Horikita鈥檚 older brother Manabu, Nagumo had a more tolerant mindset when it came to fighting.

Since the student council acted as an arbitrator in disputes between students, if it were true that they were now tolerant of a certain amount of fighting, then it would certainly be difficult for this to lead to proper recourse.

As the conversation between Horikita and Nanase progressed, the fight between Sud艒 and H艒sen had already started to tilt in one direction.

鈥淥raa!鈥?/p>

Even when compared to Sud艒鈥檚 naturally high strength and quick reflexes, H艒sen鈥檚 were on yet another level as he proceeded to slam Sud艒 up against the wall.

H艒sen then went on to grab Sud艒 by the collar with both hands and forced him upward, causing both his legs to lift up into the air.

鈥淏-bastard!鈥?/p>

Having lost his ground in more ways than one, Sud艒 put forward a desperate show of resistance, but given his position, there wasn鈥檛 much he could do.

With his target completely immobilized, H艒sen began applying pressure on his hold, as if trying to cram him into the wall itself.

鈥淜h! S-son of a bitch!鈥?/p>

Sud艒 latched onto H艒sen鈥檚 arms and, despite his limited space, struck a blow with his knee, causing H艒sen to stagger slightly.

He then took advantage of the opportunity to free himself from H艒sen鈥檚 grasp, only for H艒sen to land a direct kick moments later. While Sud艒 had prepared himself to withstand the blow, the sheer force of it sent him smashing into the wall behind.

The two had appeared to be an equal match for one another before the fight began, but after seeing the way it had been progressing, the difference between them was considerable.

Given his tendency to constantly make enemies out of others, Sud艒 had most likely been involved in several fights before this.

His athletic skill and physique had been honed throughout years of playing basketball, so he had probably never met somebody who could match up to him before.

H艒sen, however, was even more exceptional. Compared to Sud艒, H艒sen had probably taken part in an inconceivable number of fights and braved his way through countless other dangerous situations. The difference in experience was as clear as day. His large build and strong arms felt out-of-place given that there was only a one year age gap between them. And yet, despite his massive size, he was still remarkably quick on his feet. His natural talent was certainly a sight to behold.

This was the reason why even Ry奴en of all people had restrained himself from fighting him.

Ry奴en knew that he simply wasn鈥檛 an opponent that could be beaten in straightforward hand-to-hand combat.

But even so, Sud艒 wouldn鈥檛 go down that easily. After all, his sheer strength went nearly unparalleled out of everyone in our school year. However, that simply meant that he鈥檇 be H艒sen鈥檚 punching bag until he did.

H艒sen proceeded to unleash an unrelenting barrage of punches down on Sud艒.

Even though Sud艒 wanted to seize any opportunity he could to strike back, he already had his hands full with parrying H艒sen鈥檚 attacks.

Every time he tried to shift onto the offensive, even if only slightly, another blow would come and instantly pierce through his defenses.

鈥淣one of us have anything to gain from doing things like this!鈥?/p>

Horikita shouted out, but H艒sen wasn鈥檛 listening. At this point, it鈥檇 be impossible to stop H艒sen with words alone.

Her voice did, however, reach Sud艒, who glanced in her direction for a split second.

Horikita鈥檚 voice, the voice of the girl that he had to protect, somehow ignited a flame within him.

鈥淕raaaah!!!鈥?/p>

With the resolve to sacrifice himself if need be, he lunged at H艒sen and pushed him away from the wall, trying what he could to knock over his opponent.

鈥淥ho. So you wanna try鈥檔 come at me with raw power, eh?鈥?/p>

H艒sen took the impact of Sud艒鈥檚 large frame head-on, sneering as he grabbed hold of Sud艒鈥檚 body and lifted him up again.

鈥淲-woaah!?鈥?/p>

He then spun around in a half-circle before dropping Sud艒 back down and pushing him away with his left hand, effectively swapping places with him.

鈥淲as bein鈥?up against the wall too much for ya? This should be enough of a handicap, so fuckin鈥?man up and come at me!鈥?/p>

鈥淪top fucking with me!鈥?/p>

Sud艒 roared out, his engine running at full-throttle.

He readied himself to charge at H艒sen, fully committed to taking the upper hand, but before he could鈹€

鈥淥i Sud艒, take a look at Horikita鈥檚 face. She鈥檚 glarin鈥?at you somethin鈥?fierce, ah?鈥?/p>

As he spoke, H艒sen unclenched his fists and pointed at Horikita, who was standing behind Sud艒.

Just as their fight was reaching its peak, H艒sen dropped his guard. At this point, Sud艒 suddenly realized that he had lost his cool and had gotten himself wrapped up in a full-on brawl. Worried about how angry Horikita must be with him for breaking his promise, he turned his back on the formidable enemy standing in front of him.

Of course, it wasn鈥檛 like Horikita was pleased with Sud艒 fighting like this.

However, her expression was not one of anger, but one of worry and distress over not knowing what she needed to do.

She could only scream out to him, begging for him to turn back around. Only watch as he let show this one fatal moment of carelessness.

By the time he realized that he had screwed up, it was already too late.

With a fiendish grin on his face, H艒sen smashed his fist straight into Sud艒鈥檚 cheek while his back was turned.

A scathing blow that had seemingly come out of nowhere.

Although Sud艒 was more than capable of taking a punch, he had probably never experienced a blow like this before.

If he had been an ordinary student without any neck training, then this punch might have had very serious consequences.

He flew backward with such force that he slid across the ground after he landed, unable to so much as even attempt to cushion the fall.

鈥淕uh鈹€!?鈥?/p>

Sud艒 cried out with an almost inaudible voice, nearly fainting from the onset of pain.

Even though he had been winning without the use of underhanded tricks, H艒sen had deliberately chosen to end it by setting up this simple trap instead.

He had wanted to hurt him, not only physically, but mentally as well. It didn鈥檛 seem like Sud艒 had lost consciousness though, as he was writhing about on the ground in pure agony.

After witnessing everything I had seen today, I found myself re-evaluating just what kind of person H艒sen Kazuomi truly was.

What was he thinking? What was he feeling? What had driven him to come to today鈥檚 negotiations in the first place? Horikita was right when she said that he sounded like he wanted to join up with our class back when we first met him. Furthermore, he had even admitted earlier that he saw the value in having the two D Classes work together. Up until just recently, he had been making full use of his advantageous position in order to pressure us, and that hadn鈥檛 exactly been that bad of an approach to take.

However, once he saw just how unwilling to bend Horikita truly was, he probably figured out that his approach wasn鈥檛 going to work.

He had realized that, if nothing changed, Horikita would give up on trying to work together. But even then, instead of looking to compromise, he chose to dial up the aggression even further, eventually leading to some insanely belligerent behavior.

He had dumped water on Horikita earlier, and now he had gone so far as to force a serious confrontation with Sud艒.

Just how could he maintain such a cocky, violent attitude when there were suspension and expulsion on the line?

I had been wondering this very question for a long time now.

Did he really just think he could decide everything with violence alone?

That didn鈥檛 seem right either. It didn鈥檛 seem reasonable to think he was that stupid.

In which case, what was he after? What in the world was H艒sen getting out of forcing a fight like this?

鈥淎ight, seems that your trusty bodyguard鈥檚 eatin鈥?the dirt. Who鈥檚 next?鈥?/p>

H艒sen began to approach, alternating his gaze between Horikita and me as he did.

Despite the fact that he had only just been fighting Sud艒, his breathing wasn鈥檛 labored in the slightest.

鈥淒o鈥?Do you really think we will submit to violence?鈥?/p>

鈥淚f not, then I鈥檓ma beat the shit outta you, get you to cry a bit n鈥?have you write out a couple of them binding agreements. An鈥?if you say no to that, then I鈥檓ma keep comin鈥?back, chasin鈥?you fuckheads down 鈥榯il you鈥檙e dead on the floor.鈥?/p>

No matter how tolerant the student council may be when it comes to fighting, there would still be problems if it went too far. Besides, if he forced her to sign some sort of written agreement under these circumstances, there was no way that it would hold up later on. It was also possible for us to pretend to obey him in order to get out of this, but Horikita probably wouldn鈥檛 do that. After all, yielding to H艒sen鈥檚 way of doing things simply wasn鈥檛 an option.

鈥溾€o be it. I鈥檒l be the one to stop you then.鈥?/p>

Horikita steeled her resolve and took up a fighting stance.

鈥淥oh, interesting. If you wanna throw down, then I鈥檇 be glad to take ya up on that.鈥?/p>

H艒sen probably didn鈥檛 expect Horikita to have any fighting or martial arts experience whatsoever.

But he wasn鈥檛 an opponent who would fall for a cheap trick like this either, something that Horikita still hadn鈥檛 managed to understand just yet.

All of a sudden, without any prior warning, H艒sen lurched out his arm.

Horikita nimbly slipped past his reach and proceeded to go for a knockout blow with a strike aimed at his jaw.

She had bet everything on settling this with a single, instantaneous strike.

鈥淥h?鈥?/p>

However, before the strike could make contact, H艒sen grabbed hold of her delicate wrist without so much as batting an eye.

鈥淒amn bitch, that was a pretty good move there. But鈹€鈥?/p>

H艒sen lifted his other hand high up into the air and swung down hard, slapping Horikita across the face.

Horikita tried what she could to dodge or protect herself, but in the face of H艒sen鈥檚 overwhelming speed and power, there was simply nothing she could do but take a direct hit. Her body was blown away as if she had been struck with a fist instead. She tumbled over onto the ground, cushioning herself as she fell.

鈥淪-Suzune!鈥?/p>

Sud艒 cried out as he tried his best to get back on his feet, his teeth clenched in pain.

But his legs wouldn鈥檛 move how he wanted, so he couldn鈥檛 stand up properly.

鈥淵o Horikita. Let鈥檚 make a fuckin鈥?deal already.鈥?/p>

Horikita looked up at H艒sen from where she was on the ground as the first-year student closed in on her, voicing his demands.

鈥淔ive million points. That much, and all your problems鈥檒l go away. How 鈥榖out it?鈥?/p>

The asking price had skyrocketed even further. So high, in fact, that we couldn鈥檛 afford to pay it even if we wanted to.

鈥淲-what kind of sick joke is this鈥? Ayanok艒ji-kun鈥?Call someone, call the teachers鈥︹€?/p>

Adult intervention was probably the only way left to contain the situation at this point.

Alternatively, if a large number of people were to gather, even H艒sen would have no choice but to rein in his fist.

鈥淪o this is what you鈥檝e been reduced to鈥? Well, I guess it makes sense. But are you sure you wanna nark on me? Even though none of you did jack shit, what do you fuckers plan on doin鈥?鈥榖out the fact that you two tried throwin鈥?punches as well? You really wanna get suspended along with me?鈥?/p>

Even if we appealed that we had only acted out of self-defense, we would inevitably face some kind of repercussions as well.

That being said, we鈥檇 still be much better off having a third party intervene than we would letting things continue going like this.

鈥淵ou son of a bitch!!鈥?/p>

鈥淪tay down retard!鈥?/p>

Back up on his feet, Sud艒 threw himself at H艒sen once again, only to be mercilessly kicked back down to the ground. Afterwhich, the first-year finally set his sights on me.

鈥淗ow long you plan on watchin鈥?there fucker?鈥?/p>

鈥淩-run away鈥?Ayanok艒ji鈥?Kun鈥︹€?/p>

鈥淩un away? Don鈥檛 even think about it. You pussy out here, an鈥?I鈥檒l see to it that these two doormats are in for a whole new world of pain!鈥?/p>

Even now, I kept thinking.

What exactly did H艒sen want out of this?

Was he really trying to force us to meet demands that had no chance of ever being accepted?

No, that was just far too unrealistic.

鈥淗orikita. I鈥檒l give ya one last chance.鈥?/p>

鈥溾€ast?鈥?/p>

鈥淚f you submit to me right here, right now, an鈥?fork over the points鈹€ I鈥檒l let Ayanok艒ji live.鈥?/p>

With that, H艒sen stuck his hand into his pocket and pulled something out. It had gotten fairly dark outside, so for a moment it was hard to tell what exactly it was, but once he unveiled its pointed edge, a silver shine glimmered in the moonlight.

鈥淲-what are you, that鈥??鈥?/p>

鈥淪omethin鈥?wrong with your eyes? It鈥檚 a knife, plain an鈥?simple!鈥?/p>

From the way the blade sparkled, it was clearly different from one of those retractable toy blades that were often used for party tricks and the like.

鈥淚f you turn me down again, I鈥檒l stab Ayanok艒ji with this.鈥?/p>

鈥淪top fooling around!鈥?/p>

鈥淚 ain鈥檛 fuckin鈥?with you, tho? I鈥檒l gladly stab this punk if it means gettin鈥?my hands on the points.鈥?/p>

Wielding the knife in his right hand, H艒sen slowly turned to face me.

鈥淪till, even after all this I still can鈥檛 wrap my damn head around it. What makes a punk like you so fuckin鈥?special?鈥?/p>

With his eyes locked on mine, H艒sen spoke, his voice laced with exasperation.

鈥淔uck it, maybe I didn鈥檛 even need to go an鈥?do all this risky shit in the first place!鈥?/p>

From the way he was talking, it seemed like the ridiculous chain of events that he had orchestrated so far had all been done because he was wary of something. Expecting something.

He drew closer to me, one step at a time.

However, Nanase, his very own classmate, jammed herself in between the two of us, stopping him in his tracks.

鈥淧lease don鈥檛 go any further! I can鈥檛 approve of your methods after all鈥?I can鈥檛!鈥?/p>

ILLUSTRATION = https://imgur.com/a/pqhvSAK

She spread out her arms in an attempt to block his path.

鈥淥utta the way, Nanase. Your ass is only here to keep 鈥榚m from escapin鈥? so know your fuckin鈥?place.鈥?/p>

鈥淚 made the decision to lend you my strength until the very end, telling myself that it was for the good of the class. No matter how deplorable your strategy was, I thought I鈥檇 be willing to accept it. But I see now that I was mistaken.鈥?/p>

With her feet firmly planted between H艒sen and I, she shifted her gaze over to Horikita.

鈥淗orikita-senpai, working together with H艒sen-kun has been impossible from the very beginning. You were inspired to cooperate with us after hearing him mention Class 2-D back when we came to meet with you in front of the second-year classrooms, but鈥?That was just a ploy to get things to progress to this point. Even if you pay the outrageous fee he鈥檚 been asking of you, you鈥檇 still be subjected to this same fate.鈥?/p>

Naturally, Horikita鈥檚 distress compiled even further upon hearing Nanase lay out such a shocking revelation.

No matter how hard she tried to negotiate, H艒sen never would鈥檝e accepted anyway. And this wasn鈥檛 her fault either. None of us could鈥檝e predicted that things would turn out like this.

All things considered, this incomprehensible series of events probably came down to an imbalance of information. H艒sen and Nanase had been given intel that we hadn鈥檛. That being the case, there was no way we could鈥檝e had a proper negotiation in the first place.

鈥淎ll your yammering is pissin鈥?me off. You鈥檙e the one who asked me to deal with this shit to begin with. Our class鈥檒l rake in shitloads of money if we take out this Ayanok艒ji guy. Just think of the advantage it鈥檇 give us.鈥?/p>

鈥淭hat is true. However, I just can鈥檛 figure out the reason why we need to target him like this.鈥?/p>

鈥淭hat shit ain鈥檛 got nothing to do with me. If you鈥檙e gonna get in my way, then you can fuck off as well!鈥?/p>

H艒sen readied a wide swing and swept Nanase aside with the palm of his hand, just as he had done to Horikita earlier.

As I stood alone, watching this scene play out in front of me, I arrived at one, single conclusion. And with it, everything fit into place.

鈥淧repare yourself, Ayanok艒ji!鈥?/p>

He came at me, lethal weapon in hand. Naturally, everybody present was fully expecting him to try and stab me with it.

Laughing, he raised the knife up above his head.

I could feel my mind begin to clear as I lowered my stance.

鈥淎yanok艒ji-kun鈹€!鈥?/p>

While most people would鈥檝e tried to escape, I rushed at him instead.

And as I did, everyone watching must鈥檝e thought that I鈥檇 gone mad.

After all, running head-first into an opponent with a knife wasn鈥檛 really a mark of sanity.

Especially when said opponent was somebody as formidable as H艒sen. H艒sen鈥檚 smile widened even further as I did so. He probably thought that I was a fool for jumping at him.

But I wasn鈥檛 trying to prevent myself from being stabbed at all.

As I drew closer, H艒sen swung his arm, bringing the knife down, slicing through the air.

The target of that knife, what its blade sought鈹€ was not my body.

It was his very own.

I used my left hand to stop the descending blade from reaching its desired target.

I wasn鈥檛 trying to grab H艒sen鈥檚 hand or avoid it, but instead let the blade pierce through my palm.

ILLUSTRATION = https://imgur.com/a/hIpwBNz

鈥淲ha鈹€!?鈥?/p>

This was clearly not what H艒sen had expected of me. It would鈥檝e been nearly impossible to predict my actions beforehand.

After all, who would鈥檝e thought that someone would deliberately let themself be stabbed?

The arm driving the blade froze to a halt, and with it, H艒sen鈥檚 smile vanished as well.

鈥淵ou鈥?Ayanok艒ji!鈥?/p>

He was confused. Anyone in their right mind would鈥檝e been after seeing what I had done to myself.

In most cases, my actions here would be seen as hazardous, self-destructive even.

Fresh, bright blood soon began spurting out from the wound on my palm.

鈥淭hat knife, or to be more accurate, that petty knife, it鈥檚 the one I bought, isn鈥檛 it?鈥?/p>

鈥淭he fuck are you on about鈥?鈥?/p>

鈥淵ou were going to stab yourself in the thigh with my own knife. After that, you鈥檇 raise a fuss to the school about your injury, and use that as evidence to get me expelled. That was your plan, wasn鈥檛 it?鈥?/p>

From the way he gripped the knife in his hand, it was obvious that it wasn鈥檛 meant to stab an opponent. He had faced the blade upward to make it look like someone else had stabbed him. Furthermore, he had taken hold of the handle in reverse, so as to allow himself to drive the blade into his leg more effectively.

鈥淗a! So even though you managed to piece it all together, you still came an鈥?got stabbed yourself? You outta your mind?鈥?/p>

H艒sen looked a bit shaken as he let out a dry laugh.

鈥淭his was the best way to completely shut you down. Besides, I don鈥檛 think we鈥檙e that different. After all, you came here fully prepared to sustain a major wound as well.鈥?/p>

Even if they knew that it was the correct course of action, most people wouldn鈥檛 be willing to follow through with such a dangerous act of self-harm like this. This was the primary reason why he would鈥檝e been able to stab himself and frame me for it.

鈥淚t seems like there鈥檚 some sort of pseudo-special exam in effect that was only given to a limited number of you first-years. And based on your conversation with Nanase, it sounds like the premise of that exam is to have me expelled. So to that end, you began to spin up a plan. It鈥檇 start with you luring us out here and forcing us into a fight. Then, after smacking Sud艒 and Horikita around a bit, you鈥檇 say that I pulled out a knife that I carried with me in case of an emergency and stabbed you with it in a fit of rage, eventually leading to my expulsion. That鈥檚 the absurd narrative you were trying to build this time.鈥?/p>

Even if the student council was going to be more tolerant, wielding a knife in a fight wouldn鈥檛 be excused with just a suspension.

It would warrant an expulsion, or it could even end up resulting in criminal charges.

鈥淚鈥檇 heard you were hot shit, but you seemed pretty fuckin鈥?wimpy to me, so I didn鈥檛 really think all that much of ya. To think you鈥檇 come an鈥?let yourself get stabbed鈥?How鈥檇 you know the knife was yours?鈥?/p>

鈥淚鈥檝e done some investigating of my own. As of yesterday, I was still the only one to have bought that model of Petty knife. So it鈥檚 only natural that I鈥檇 put the pieces together upon seeing you pull out the exact same one.鈥?/p>

I could鈥檝e easily slipped past the knife and grabbed hold of H艒sen鈥檚 arm. But doing that wouldn鈥檛 have solved the fundamental issue at hand here. All he would鈥檝e had to do is create some distance and start his plan all over again. In order to prevent him from doing that, I had no other choice but to get stabbed myself.

H艒sen tried to let go of the knife, but I used my own hand to lock his fist in place.

鈥溾€he hell鈥? Who the fuck are you鈥?鈥?/p>

Having witnessed my strength firsthand, the composure H艒sen had maintained so far was completely blown away.

鈥淣ow then, what鈥檚 next? Even though I鈥檓 the owner of the knife, you鈥檙e the one who stabbed me with it. Moreover, an investigation will reveal that you tried to buy the same model of knife before. If you can鈥檛 find a way to talk your way out of this, you鈥檒l be expelled, H艒sen.鈥?/p>

While my fingerprints were on the knife鈥檚 handle, H艒sen鈥檚 were as well. And the fact that the knife was now pierced through my palm wasn鈥檛 something that could be explained away very easily. His very own strategy had ended up backfiring on him.

鈥淪o you thought this far ahead鈥??鈥?/p>

After glowering at me for a moment, H艒sen released his grip and took his distance, leaving the knife pierced through my palm.

And with that, the tables had completely turned on him.

Meanwhile, Horikita and Sud艒 had slowly gotten back on their feet and were now recovering their strength.

鈥淎-are you okay, Ayanok艒ji-kun?鈥?/p>

鈥淎yanok艒ji鈥︹€?/p>

鈥淒on鈥檛 worry about me.鈥?/p>

It wasn鈥檛 unreasonable for them to be concerned about my condition, but this wasn鈥檛 the time to be worrying about that.

The most important thing now was to make sure that H艒sen wasn鈥檛 given another opening.

鈥淗ow much info do you bastards even have鈥? Wait, Nanase, did you fuckin鈥?nark to 鈥榚m?鈥?/p>

鈥淚 didn鈥檛 tell them anything.鈥?/p>

鈥淚 first felt like something was out of place back when Amasawa and I went shopping at the Keyaki Mall together.鈥?/p>

Surprised to hear me drop Amasawa鈥檚 name, Horikita spoke up herself.

鈥淎masawa-san? Are you saying that she鈥檚 mixed up in all this鈥?鈥?/p>

鈥淵eah. According to the store clerk, just as H艒sen was about to finish paying for the knife, she reached out and stopped him from going through with the purchase.鈥?/p>

After responding to Horikita, I turned back to H艒sen.

鈥淵ou鈥檙e the one who came up with this ridiculous strategy, but Amasawa is the one who helped refine it to perfection. After all, if you stabbed yourself with your own knife, it would naturally lead to problems once the school investigated what happened. However, if you could somehow get me to buy the knife instead, then that would have the potential to change everything.鈥?/p>

The reason why Amasawa and H艒sen had chosen to use this expensive Petty knife because it was the only one that came bundled together with a sheath, making it the most convenient option available.

Of course, while there were a variety of other ways to conceal a naked blade, it would鈥檝e been faster and easier to just buy one with a sheath given the added portability.

Back when I went shopping with Amasawa, she had managed to locate and pick out this exact knife without searching for it at all, even though that should鈥檝e been the first time she had been in that store. And this was only the first thing that stuck with me. On Friday, she had shown up at my room saying that she had lost her hair tie, but that had been nothing more than an excuse to recover the knife. It鈥檚 natural to assume that she had planted it there beforehand or simply lied about leaving it there at all. Furthermore, since there was a possibility that I might notice that it was missing if she recovered it too soon, she waited, delaying her move until the last possible moment. After that, she just needed to get the knife out of my room without getting any fingerprints on it and hand it over to H艒sen.

If she hadn鈥檛 been able to retrieve the knife, then they probably would鈥檝e chosen to postpone the plan.

鈥淭ch, I never shouldda trusted that random chick in the first place.鈥?/p>

鈥淣o, it was thanks to Amasawa that this plan took shape at all. Without her help, everything would鈥檝e fallen apart.鈥?/p>

鈥淲hatever. Seems to me like you鈥檝e got the upper hand now. Ain鈥檛 that right Sempai? So what now?鈥?/p>

On top of everything else that had happened, the blood from my hand had stained H艒sen鈥檚 clothes. There was no way he could talk his way out of this now.

Even if he took back the knife and stabbed himself in the thigh, it simply wasn鈥檛 possible for him to come out on top anymore.

Of course, even if he tried to do that, I鈥檇 just use my full strength to stop him.

Chances were that H艒sen had already discerned that for himself as well.

The important part is what would happen next.

鈥淗orikita, Sud艒, and I can all promise to keep quiet about what happened tonight. How鈥檚 that?鈥?/p>

鈥淲hat are you sayin鈥? You really gonna throw away your chance to get me kicked outta here?鈥?/p>

鈥淚n exchange for not doing that, I have two conditions.鈥?/p>

鈥淭wo?鈥?/p>

He probably knew the first without me even having to say it.

鈥淭he first is that you agree to form an equal, cooperative relationship between our two classes.鈥?/p>

鈥淲ell it ain鈥檛 like I got much of a choice between that an鈥?expulsion. So what鈥檚 the second?鈥?/p>

鈥淚 want you to partner up with me for this special exam.鈥?/p>

From the time I first laid eyes on H艒sen, I found myself thinking that if I was in any position to select whoever I wanted, then he鈥檇 be my first choice by far. While there were several reasons for this, the biggest was that he didn鈥檛 care about attracting attention due to his problematic behavior. If I were in Tsukishiro鈥檚 shoes, I probably would鈥檝e instructed my enforcer to avoid standing out as much as possible. I had been considering the option of privately reaching out to him to discuss the idea of working together if Horikita鈥檚 discussion ended up falling through. So in that sense, this series of events had turned out to be quite convenient for me.

鈥溾€re you serious?鈥?/p>

鈥淵ou鈥檝e only just enrolled here, so I鈥檓 sure there are plenty of things you haven鈥檛 gotten a chance to do yet. If you get expelled now, it鈥檒l all be over before you can enjoy doing any of them. I don鈥檛 know how things went back when you were in middle school, but the rumors saying that you鈥檙e an equal match for Ry奴en will end up staying that way. And that鈥檚 all anybody will remember you for. At least, from what I鈥檝e seen of Ry奴en over the past year he鈥檚 been here, you can鈥檛 even really compare to him as you are right now.鈥?/p>

鈥淵ou motherfucker鈥?鈥?/p>

Obviously, the young man known as H艒sen Kazuomi had an unshakable sense of pride.

It came from an egotistical, habitual belief that he was one of the strongest people around.

Even though he was probably a step above Ry奴en in terms of physical strength, the fact that I had said that Ry奴en was better was unacceptable for him.

But most of all, there was no way he鈥檇 manage to tolerate the fact that I had outsmarted him.

He had a B+ Academic Ability rating, so if he were to hold back and flunk the exam, he would definitely get expelled.

That said, it didn鈥檛 seem reasonable to think that he鈥檇 choose to sacrifice himself to take revenge on me. While H艒sen was about as close to innocent as one could get, the fact of the matter was that there was really no way for me to be 100% certain that he wasn鈥檛 from the White Room. In that respect, no matter how much I tried, I wouldn鈥檛 be able to clear him from all suspicion. However, after what happened here tonight, things were different. Even if H艒sen held back on the exam, the fact that I had been stabbed would still remain.

As long as I made it painfully clear that something unusual had gone on behind the scenes, even Tsukishiro wouldn鈥檛 be able to force my expulsion immediately.

The school would set up an investigation to find out exactly what had happened, and H艒sen鈥檚 decision to take a zero on the exam would be put up for deliberation.

Whatever tricks Tsukishiro might try to pull, I鈥檇 stay firm as a rock until expulsion was no longer on the table.

鈥淔uckin鈥?good shit there, Ayanok艒ji-sempai! You鈥檙e the first opponent who鈥檚 gotten my blood boilin鈥?like this. Just forcin鈥?you to surrender won鈥檛 be enough for me anymore. I鈥檓 gonna beat you to death instead, so I hope you鈥檙e lookin鈥?forward to it.鈥?/p>

The faint traces of shakiness that he had shown earlier were a thing of the past. By now, H艒sen had already shifted his focus to preparing for his next fight.

鈥淚 will remain here. There鈥檚 something I feel I should explain to Ayanok艒ji-senpai.鈥?/p>

鈥淗uh? What鈥檙e you gonna tell 鈥榚m, Nanase?鈥?/p>

鈥淪omething that I鈥檝e decided will be useful to Class 1-D as a whole. Ayanok艒ji-senpai and Horikita-senpai are already very wary of us. That being the case, wouldn鈥檛 it be better if we had them stay vigilant of the other classes as well?鈥?/p>

鈥淪uit yourself.鈥?/p>

While the details of what she was saying were unclear, H艒sen accepted Nanase鈥檚 proposal.

In the end, H艒sen was the first person to leave and head back to the dormitory.

(Part 2 End)