At the beginning of June, in the No. 2 gymnasium's basketball court at Advanced Nurturing High School, the crisp sound of shoes scraping against the court and the occasional rebound of the basketball against the backboard filled the air.
After the training session, Sudo took a few deep breaths to calm himself down, only to notice Ishizaki watching him with a smug look. This immediately irritated Sudo: "What are you looking at?"
That day, every student in Class D received an additional 5,000 personal points. It was later explained by their class teacher, Ms. Chabashira, that this was a small reward from the school for all the classes that passed the mid-term exams, adding 100 class points to each first-year class. This was a one-time reward, and there would be no more such bonuses for the final exams or any other tests in the following years.
The current class point standings were:
- Class A: 1060 points
- Class B: 750 points
- Class C: 660 points
- Class D: 100 points
Ideally, Class D should have received 10,000 points per student, but due to the contract signed with Class C, 200,000 points were automatically transferred to Class C by the school, leaving only 5,000 points per student for Class D.
The three troublemakers in Class D had no choice but to give up another 5,000 points to repay their classmates. They were practically penniless, as their continuation at the school was genuinely due to the 280,000 points crowdfunded by their classmates.
They naturally had to repay their debts. The sunny boy Hirata, keeping his promise, gave the remaining 5,000 points to Koenji. As for Horikita, she did not accept Hirata's points.
The entire day was filled with unrest in Class D. Almost everyone seemed to have an opinion, and most were quietly blaming Sudo for their troubles.
This situation was incredibly frustrating for Sudo. If it had been anyone else, he would have already thrown a punch. But how could he strike those who had paid to save him from expulsion?
The most tormenting part for Sudo wasn't even this; it was the fact that he now had to pay serious attention during class. This was almost like a death sentence for him. But he couldn't afford not to pay attention, as everyone was extremely serious in class, worried about losing the hard-earned 100 class points they had just gained.
Though it was annoying to share half of their assets with Class C every month, they still didn't want their class points to drop to zero. They didn't want to experience a single day without any points again.
So, during class, Sudo not only had to be attentive, but he was also under the constant scrutiny of many classmates, wary of him dozing off or being distracted. The strange looks from his classmates only added to Sudo's irritation.
Naturally, after holding back all day and finally getting to play basketball to relax, seeing a student from Class C reignited his anger.
He blamed Class C for all his current woes, believing that without them, he wouldn't be facing such hardships.
Sudo's frustration boiled over when he saw Ishizaki. Ishizaki, also a member of the basketball club, hadn't bothered Sudo lately, following Yukio's orders. But seeing Sudo approach him aggressively after the club activity, Ishizaki decided not to back down, especially since he somewhat looked down on Class D: "I'm just looking at the person who's going to contribute 200,000 personal points to us every month."
"This damn you!!" Sudo was enraged, especially since the contribution was a sore spot for him. He stormed up to Ishizaki, his face darkened, and his fists clenched tightly.
A few members of the basketball club furrowed their brows at the escalating tension between Sudo and Ishizaki, but remained in place, thinking they'd intervene if a fight broke out. In a sports club, such skirmishes were not uncommon, and a fight often seemed like a straightforward solution.
Ishizaki, never one to back down, stood nose-to-nose with Sudo. Although no actual fencing was involved, the atmosphere between the two was intensely hostile. "What, you want to fight? I'm all in, you idiot!"
"Fine, fine! That's great!" Sudo had been itching for a chance to thoroughly beat someone from Class C, but previous attempts had been thwarted by Horikita or other classmates in Class D. Now, seeing Ishizaki's inclination, he couldn't hold back and challenged him to a fight: "Do you dare to go outside with me right now? Let's go somewhere without surveillance cameras if you're brave enough!"
After several earnest persuasions from Horikita, Sudo had grown slightly wiser. Even in his rage, he understood that fighting under the school's surveillance cameras was not an option. If it were only him facing punishment, he might have risked it, but now he carried a significant debt.
The debt was the personal points of his classmates in Class D, which had saved him from expulsion. If he were expelled before repaying it, the debt would turn into a bad debt, with no one to repay it, and Sudo couldn't bear the thought of that.
Ishizaki, a street-savvy troublemaker, was no stranger to such confrontations and was even more eager. "Outside, in the small woods. I'll wait for you. If you don't show up, you're a coward!"
...
"So, you lost the fight?" Yukio stared at Ishizaki, his face bruised and swollen, wishing he would get straight to the point next time instead of elaborating so much.
Yukio, along with a few classmates, had gone to the well-known coffee shop in the first-year student area to enjoy some coffee. The shop lived up to its reputation with excellent coffee, explaining its popularity.
After finishing their coffee and heading back to the dormitory with Ryuen and Albert, they happened to come across Ishizaki, who had sustained facial injuries.
"No," Ishizaki replied honestly, scratching his head and wincing as he touched a sore spot. "It wasn't exactly a loss. I was pretty evenly matched with Sudo."
"Yukio-san, don't worry about me looking like this. That Sudo guy didn't fare any better; he's also covered in bumps from our fight! At most, it was a draw; I didn't manage to completely knock him down."
"Of course, Yukio-san, I assure you I'd never let Sudo knock me down. Please rest assured about that! No matter what, I won't embarrass you in public! Next time I encounter that guy, I'll make sure to beat him down!"
Yukio didn't really care about losing face. Even if someone beat Ishizaki, what did it have to do with him? Winning a fight against Ishizaki wouldn't cause him any embarrassment. Such a forced reasoning lacked any logic.
However, since his subordinate was injured, Yukio felt the need to intervene, as he had stated on his first day of school.
In Yukio's worldview, there are only three types of people: his own, who must be protected; those who can be used, who should be utilized; and enemies, who should be defeated by any means necessary. It's as simple as that.
Although Ishizaki might be a bit dim-witted and often acts as a lackey, his loyalty is unquestionable. Even if he hasn't made significant contributions, his efforts in helping out in the cafeteria and doing whatever Yukio asks of him should not go unnoticed.
Now that his follower had been hurt, Yukio couldn't just ignore it: "What are you thinking, Ishizaki? I can have Albert accompany you tonight to ambush Sudo and beat him up."
"Or we could go directly to Class D and say we're willing to abandon the contract, with the condition that they expel Sudo. This tactic was originally reserved for a critical moment to strike at Class D, but using it now is also an option."
"Under the lure of benefits, even if some in Class D strongly support Sudo, it would still exert considerable psychological pressure and torment on him."
"Choose one for Sudo."
As Yukio spoke, Ishizaki's eyes widened in astonishment, touched yet slightly reluctant.
***
300 power stones = 1 extra chapter