"...What exactly can this recording prove?"
Horikita asked, struggling to maintain her composure.
Ryuen's voice was dripping with confidence.
"If you're so sure of yourself, then why not attend the disciplinary meeting? I'll report everything to the school, including the discovery of the two unauthorized surveillance cameras in the hallway. With this recording as evidence, it'll be clear that you installed them. According to school regulations, that's a serious offense."
Ryuen couldn't suppress his amusement.
"Not only will those three idiots be expelled, but you two might also face long-term suspension or even expulsion."
Seeing the despair on Horikita and Ichinose's faces, Ryuen felt triumphant. This was turning out better than he had anticipated.
Initially, he had just aimed to exploit Class D's weaknesses and see if that troublesome guy would get involved. But when they insisted that Class D was completely innocent, Ryuen was convinced they were guilty. It was clear that Class D would resort to any trick to escape punishment.
The "rotten" individual Ryuen suspected hadn't intervened directly, and instead, another naive person had stepped into the fray—Ichinose Honami, the leader of Class B.
This was an unexpected opportunity, one that Ryuen couldn't pass up. He focused his harsh words on Ichinose, knowing how much she valued her class and feared disappointing her friends.
As for Horikita, she was just a side player, someone he'd deal with later.
"...So, what do you want?" Ichinose asked, her voice trembling.
Surprisingly, Horikita remained more composed than the panicked Ichinose, though Ryuen shot her a disdainful glance.
"What do I want? Didn't anyone teach you the consequences of lying and wrongdoing?" Ryuen taunted.
Horikita bit her lip, then lowered her head.
"I'm sorry. It was a moment of poor judgment."
"I-I'm sorry too… It's all our fault," Ichinose admitted, bowing her head in apology.
"Good, you recognize your mistake," Ryuen said with satisfaction.
"Now, Honami, confess to your misdeeds... And remember, in Japan, reflecting on one's mistakes often involves kneeling in apology."
"Eh... I…" Ichinose hesitated, unsure what to do.
Ryuen, uninterested in her indecision, turned to Ishizaki.
"Hey, Ishizaki, since you're the victim, you should record Honami's apology."
"Understood, Ryuen-san."
Ishizaki quickly pulled out his phone and pointed it at Ichinose.
"Don't claim we're blackmailing you," Ryuen sneered.
"We just want to see a sincere apology."
Ryuen's true intent was to undermine Class B by compromising Ichinose, who was central to their unity. If he could gather damaging material on her, it would be a severe blow to Class B, exposing their supposedly fair and impartial leader as someone who used underhanded tactics.
"Ichinose, kneel and apologize," Ryuen urged impatiently. "Or do you want to be expelled and have your entire class witness your disgrace?"
As Ichinose hesitated, ready to kneel, footsteps approached from the distance.
"Heh…" Ryuen smirked as a figure appeared at the end of the corridor.
"Hikigaya, I was wondering when you'd show up."
Hikigaya ignored him, instead taking in the broken camera, the silent Ichinose and Horikita, and Ishizaki holding the phone. He sighed deeply.
"Haha, you never disappoint!" Ryuen laughed at Hikigaya's reaction.
"You've figured out what's happening, haven't you? You're the perfect prey! Once I'm done with the others, you'll be my final target!"
"...You're so annoying."
Even Ryuen found Hikigaya challenging, though Class C members were at a loss when dealing with him. Hikigaya, far from pleased, just wanted Ryuen to calm down.
"Honestly, I didn't want to come here at all," Hikigaya said with another sigh.
"It was Ayanokouji who told me Ishizaki was here and asked me to find you, Ryuen. Isn't Ayanokouji a bit much? Why should I run errands for him? Ayanokouji is a real jerk, isn't he?"
"...What are you talking about?" Ryuen was baffled by Hikigaya's sudden rant.
"And who's Ayanokouji?"
"He's Horikita's associate. He was at the meeting yesterday."
"Tsk, why bother with such a minor character?" Ryuen dismissed him.
"It's not worth mentioning," Hikigaya replied casually.
"He's just someone who can play piano while sipping tea and hold his own against the karate president."
"Enough with the nonsense."
Ryuen shrugged him off.
"So, Hikigaya, what are you planning to do? Are you going to play the hero?"
"No, I'm not a hero," Hikigaya said, taking out his phone and operating it.
A moment later, Ryuen's phone pinged with a notification. His expression froze as he saw a video of himself kneeling before Hikigaya during a previous encounter.
Then another message arrived from Hikigaya: "Do you want this video pinned on the forum for three years?"
Ryuen stared intensely at Hikigaya, who walked closer.
"I've said many times that I'm not interested in class battles," Hikigaya said quietly.
"If you just want some points, I won't interfere. But as a member of the student council, I'm responsible for managing this situation. So..."
He patted Ryuen on the shoulder.
"That's all there is to it."
Despite showing the video, Hikigaya didn't believe for a moment that Ryuen would let the matter go easily. If he couldn't extract enough benefits, Ryuen might very well make the video public himself.
Compared to Horikita and her group's tactics, Ryuen's actions were trivial in comparison.
Installing hidden surveillance cameras to deceive the school was a serious offense that could lead to Horikita and her group's expulsion if exposed. At this point, the truth about the assault was secondary.
It was like a lawsuit where the defense hired someone to impersonate a police officer to deceive the complainant. If this impersonation were discovered, it would escalate the issue beyond just the lawsuit.
Even if the impersonator uncovered evidence of the complainant lying, the court wouldn't recognize it. Evidence obtained illegally is considered tainted, and anything derived from it is inadmissible, even if it could potentially alter the verdict.
This principle is known as the "fruit of the poisonous tree."
"Ryuen, do you find it amusing to attack Class B like this?"
Hikigaya asked, deliberately trying to provoke him.
"The official class battles haven't even started, and you're already trying to demoralize Class B? Since when did you become so dull?"
"Heh, you've got a smart mouth for a piece of trash," Ryuen responded with a cold smile.
At that moment, Ryuen realized Hikigaya's true intentions and sensed that his original plan might be falling apart. Letting Hikigaya interfere could lead to unforeseen complications, so it was better to cut his losses now.
"Alright, how about we make a contract? I'm sure you've already got the terms figured out," Hikigaya said confidently.
"Hmph... Fine," Ryuen agreed, though it was clear he was irritated that Hikigaya had seen through his plans.
He wasn't foolish enough to argue over the details.
"And what about you two?" Ryuen turned his gaze to Horikita and Ichinose.
"…I agree."
"…I accept… So, please go ahead."
"Hmph, then I won't hold back."
Ryuen's face twisted into a triumphant grin.
"If you want to keep Ishizaki and the others quiet, you'll either need to pay two million points upfront or have every member of your class contribute twenty thousand points each month."
His demands were outrageous.
Even Hikigaya couldn't come up with two million points, and the rest of Class D was in no position to help. The combined points of the class probably wouldn't suffice.
Class B might manage it, but Class D would essentially become Ryuen's cash cow.
"I… I…"
Ichinose looked hesitant, and from her reaction, it was clear that Class B might be able to gather the points. But knowing her, she would likely rather be expelled than burden her classmates.
Such a naive girl, Hikigaya thought.
He sighed inwardly and offered her some advice.
"Ichinose, you can always earn more points later, but if you're expelled, Class B will immediately lose three hundred points."
"…Hikigaya-kun."
"If you want to make up for this, focus on contributing more to your class in the future. After all, you're the best at uniting everyone, right?"
"But…"
"Besides," Hikigaya continued with a faint smile, "this is a three-year-long battle. There's no sense in giving up before it even starts. If you aim to challenge Class A, you can't be intimidated by a mere two million points."
"You're right… Thank you, Hikigaya-kun!"
Ichinose nodded firmly and closed her eyes. When she opened them again, most of her confusion and anxiety had vanished.
She met Ryuuen's gaze with determination.
"I understand. I accept the first condition... Ryuuen-kun, you win this time, but I promise, I'll get my revenge."
Ryuuen chuckled.
"Haha, I look forward to seeing you grow into a woman who can entertain me."
After speaking, Ryuuen turned his attention to Hikigaya, who shuddered at the sudden focus.
"Why are you looking at me? It's creepy."
"Hmph, your class can only choose the second option," Ryuuen remarked smugly.
"It's not my problem," Hikigaya replied with a roll of his eyes. Then, more seriously, he added, "Our class situation is complicated. We don't have a real leader, and there's no way everyone will agree to sign the contract."
Ryuuen snickered. "You're pretty good at lying, aren't you?"
"...Horikita, what do you think?" Hikigaya turned to her for input.
"I... I don't know," Horikita muttered, her usual confidence shattered as she hung her head.
Realizing she was too shaken to contribute, Hikigaya decided to bring in reinforcements. He called Kushida over and asked her to bring Hirata as well. These two were the de facto leaders of Class D, and if they agreed, the rest of the class would likely follow.
Before long, Kushida and Hirata arrived. Upon hearing the situation, they quickly grasped the gravity of the problem.
"I'm so sorry, Ichinose-san!"
Kushida apologized, bowing deeply.
"I was just trying to help Horikita-san and Class D, but I ended up causing you harm... I'm sorry. We'll find a way to make it up to you!"
Ichinose shook her head hurriedly.
"No, it's fine. I did this voluntarily, and your class—"
"Yeah, our class only has 91 points, and we can't even afford 20,000 a month," Kushida admitted with a rueful smile.
"Don't worry about it," Ryuuen interjected unexpectedly.
"Just pay what you can each month. I'm not going to count it as debt. I'm not a demon."
Ryuuen knew that if he pushed Class D too hard, they'd collapse entirely, and that wasn't in his interest. He needed them to remain in the game.
Just then, Hirata's voice broke through in shock. "Hikigaya-kun, what are you thinking? How could you even consider that?!"
"Why not?"
Hikigaya shot back.
"This whole mess started because of those three idiots. It's only fair they take the fall. I don't see anything wrong with it."
Hirata shook his head vehemently.
"That's not the way. If we just explain everything to everyone, they'll understand! Blaming Yamauchi-kun and the others isn't the answer!"
"Understand what, exactly? That they should never get involved in others' problems?"
Hikigaya responded with disdain. The more he looked at Hirata, the more he saw him as another Hayama—always thinking about unity and understanding.
Even though Horikita had made mistakes, she had worked hard for Class D. There was no reason she should take the blame alone. Besides, there was no better option than letting the three troublemakers bear the responsibility.
Hikigaya knew that revealing the full truth to the class would only drag Ichinose into the mess as well, and that wasn't an option.