Chapter 76: So... So Strong Attack
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"Ugh... Damn that Kushida Kikyo! Why did she go to talk to Matsuoka-san? Could it be that she's got her sights on him too?"
Karuizawa Kei wailed silently in frustration as she sat back down, realizing that Kushida Kikyo had beaten her to Rin Matsuoka.
Her strange behavior—standing up abruptly only to sit back down—did not go unnoticed by the girls around her, who gave her puzzled looks.
"Kei, why did you suddenly stand up and then sit back down?" one of them asked.
"I... I was exercising," Kei stammered.
"Really?"
"Yes, really."
Meanwhile, Kushida Kikyo, flashing her trademark sweet and innocent smile, cheerfully greeted Rin. "Matsuoka-san~ I came to chat with you! Are you okay with that~?"
Rin Matsuoka narrowed his eyes slightly. Something about Kushida Kikyo's smile felt... off.
Tsk. This girl is so two-faced.
Despite her petite, curvaceous figure and delicate, cute features, Rin felt no attraction toward her. The sense of disharmony she exuded was simply too strong.
Feigning politeness, he responded flatly, "Ah, sure. You're welcome."
Kikyo didn't seem to notice his indifference, tilting her head playfully. "You just came back from outside with Horikita-san. You two seem really close."
Rin glanced toward Horikita Suzune, who wore her usual cold expression. "Horikita, Kikyo says we have a good relationship. What do you think?"
"I think she's blind," Horikita replied, her tone ice-cold.
Wow... what an intense blow! That's Horikita Suzune for you.
To Rin's amusement, Kushida wasn't the least bit fazed by the harsh response. Instead, she adopted a pitiful, wounded expression.
"That's so mean, Horikita-san! I really wanted to be friends with you."
Horikita, unbothered, replied without hesitation. "Does that mean you don't want to be friends with me anymore? Great. I never had any intention of making friends. I prefer being alone."
"..."
Kikyo gritted her teeth in frustration, though she kept her face composed.
This girl... She's so blunt and tactless!
No wonder everyone avoids her.
Yesterday, while out shopping, eating lunch, and chatting with classmates, Kikyo had subtly steered the conversation toward impressions of Class D.
Soon, the topic naturally shifted to Horikita Suzune. Kikyo had carefully gathered their opinions—ones that reflected her classmates' first impressions of Horikita.
"She seems hard to get along with," someone had remarked.
You're absolutely right.
"It's really difficult to communicate with her."
Couldn't agree more.
"I wouldn't want to be friends with her."
Of course not. Horikita doesn't want to be friends with you either.
By the end of her inquiries, Kikyo was convinced that while her classmates thought highly of Rin Matsuoka, their opinions of Horikita were overwhelmingly negative.
Now, standing in front of Rin Matsuoka, Kikyo knew she had lost the exchange with Horikita. Meanwhile, Rin watched the whole thing with hidden amusement.
With Horikita's personality, Kikyo would never get anything useful out of her.
As expected, Rin thought with a grin. She really is impossible to deal with.
Rin Matsuoka was also pleased to see the two-faced Kikyo Kushida suffer a setback.
It seemed Kushida had given up on trying to befriend Horikita Suzune after her blunt words. She turned toward Rin, her expression shifting to one of calculated curiosity.
"Matsuoka, have you heard? Something really terrible happened in Class C yesterday," Kikyo whispered, her voice dropping as if sharing a secret.
"Um?"
At the mention of Class C, the image of a delicate girl with a soft, graceful temperament immediately surfaced in Rin's mind. Just the day before, she had lent him a famous novel.
That beautiful girl's name was Shiina Hiyori.
Curiosity piqued, Rin leaned in slightly and asked, "What terrible thing happened in Class C yesterday?"
"I heard there's a dangerous delinquent in their class. His name's Ryuen," Kikyo whispered, her tone hushed as if the name itself carried weight. "Apparently, after their homeroom teacher handed over his student ID and phone, Ryuen forced all the students to transfer 20,000 class points to him."
Kikyo leaned closer to Rin, her breath brushing his ear, making it itch slightly. Rin resisted the urge to rub it and asked, "And then?"
"Well, of course, everyone in Class C was furious. That's 20,000 points!"
"And Ryuen didn't stop there," Kikyo continued, her eyes gleaming with scandalous delight. "He started using violence against anyone who dared resist him. The whole classroom supposedly turned into chaos."
"A delinquent blackmailing people on the first day of school and using violence? That's pretty bold," Rin whispered thoughtfully.
"Are you sure this is true, Kushida-san?"
"I'm not entirely sure," Kikyo admitted, twirling a strand of her hair. "I only heard the story from others. I didn't see it myself, so I can't say for certain."
"It sounds unbelievable," Rin said, stroking his chin. "If it were true, the school would've expelled that Ryue guy on the spot."
"That's true." Kikyo nodded, her innocent demeanor concealing the satisfaction in her expression.
The idea of Ryuen forcing his classmates to hand over 20,000 personal points and using violence to enforce his demands was outrageous. It was a textbook example of bullying.
Chabashira Sae, their teacher, had clearly stated that the school took bullying very seriously. If the administration became aware of Ryuen's violent behavior, it seemed inevitable that he would face expulsion.
But... what if Class C's homeroom teacher chose to ignore it?
Their teacher, Sakagami Kazuma, was a gloomy man with glasses—someone Rin had noticed briefly during the entrance ceremony.
Kazuma was known for his lenient attitude and willingness to bend the rules in favor of his students. For him, the interests of Class C took precedence over everything else. So, even if improper actions occurred under his watch, he might turn a blind eye.
It was rumored that Kazuma had been a delinquent himself in the past. Perhaps that was why he seemed indifferent to Ryuen's behavior. Some even suggested he admired the boldness Ryuen displayed.
"Tch," Rin clicked his tongue in irritation. "I hope Kazuma's kid ends up getting bullied by someone just like Ryuen someday."
He imagined the frustration Kazuma might feel if his own child became a victim of such violence. Would he still admire delinquents then?
Admiring a bully—what kind of twisted logic was that?
If a minor admired bad boys, it could be attributed to immaturity and lack of guidance. After all, some young people thought delinquents were cool—fighting whenever they wanted, causing trouble without consequence, and acting as if no one could stop them.
But for an adult like Kazuma to share that admiration? That was something Rin couldn't understand.