Chapter 78: Discipline is meant to be bent!
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Then, as long as Rin Matsuoka went to find Sakayanagi Narumori and mentioned these matters, the school would start investigating the situation.
If the circumstances aligned, the school should be able to take appropriate action against that troublemaker, Ryuen.
With a soft thud, Shiina Hiyori, seated quietly in the Class C classroom, was slightly startled. She shifted her attention from her study materials to a bottle nearby, but what caught her eye next was the message notification on her phone.
Seeing that it was a LINE message from Rin Matsuoka, a faint smile formed on her fair, delicate face.
After reading Rin's thoughtful message, her soft smile grew more noticeable, radiating warmth.
Fumbling a little, Shiina awkwardly tapped the screen of her phone, trying to type out a response to Rin's message.
However, since she wasn't very familiar with phones and other tech gadgets, her typing was painfully slow. She hadn't even finished the message by the time the bell rang for the third period.
The realization that class had already started made Shiina look visibly distressed. She glanced up from her phone, scanning the students of Class C around her.
Even though class was now officially in session, most of her classmates were still chatting, some playing games on their phones without a care in the world.
Shiina pursed her lips lightly, thinking to herself. Could she continue replying to Rin's message even though class had started?
After a brief moment of hesitation, she pressed on, clumsily typing her response with a look of quiet determination on her face.
After a tense three minutes, she finally managed to compose and finish her message.
With a light tap of her pale fingertip, Shiina sent the carefully typed response to Rin Matsuoka.
Once she hit send, a sense of guilt washed over her, and she slumped into her seat like a plant withered by harsh winds.
"I've become a bad kid who doesn't follow the rules…" Shiina muttered under her breath, her soft voice tinged with regret.
She had always taken pride in being a disciplined, rule-abiding student. But just to respond to Rin's message, she had broken one of her own principles.
In another classroom, Rin Matsuoka's attention shifted as a soft buzz came from the phone he had stashed in his desk drawer.
Unlike Shiina, Rin didn't feel the slightest guilt about bending the rules. Casually, he reached into his drawer, pulled out his phone, and checked the incoming message.
Suzune Horikita, seated nearby, noticed Rin's actions out of the corner of her eye. She pursed her lips slightly but chose not to say anything.
It's just a minor rule violation, she thought indifferently.
Two-thirds of the students in Class D were already ignoring the rules, so what difference would one more make?
Let him have his fun, she concluded, her expression softening slightly as she returned her focus to her own business.
When Rin saw that the message was from Shiina Hiyori, he blinked, surprised.
He had sent her a message earlier but hadn't expected a reply. Given Shiina's gentle and rule-abiding nature, Rin had assumed that she either hadn't noticed his message or would refrain from replying during class.
"She always seemed so quiet and disciplined," Rin mused, a slight grin forming on his lips. "I didn't expect her to respond during class."
He sighed lightly, a mixture of surprise and amusement in his expression.
[Host, Shiina Hiyori is indeed a good student. She only broke the rules because she wanted to reply to your message in time.]
[However, she feels guilty about it.]
Rin's expression shifted subtly at the narrator's words. "Then maybe I shouldn't respond," he murmured. "I don't want her feeling pressured to keep breaking the rules."
[Host, that's not the best approach. While Shiina Hiyori regrets her actions, she also hopes for your reply. If you don't respond, she'll likely feel uneasy for the rest of the class.]
Rin Matsuoka became conflicted.
Replying to Shiina Hiyori's message would encourage her to break class rules.
But if he didn't respond, Shiina would likely remain restless throughout the period.
After a brief moment of hesitation, Rin decided to reply to her.
After all, discipline is something meant to be bent, he thought with a smirk. Rules Are Meant To Be Broken.
He opened the LINE message Shiina had sent and carefully read through it.
[Well, there was indeed a violent incident in our class yesterday.]
[But the reason was that Ryuen wanted to become class monitor. He believes that the most important qualification for being monitor is military strength.]
So, violence ensued.
[After the fight, Ryuen, covered in bruises, declared himself the new class monitor by force.]
[Then, he mentioned that anyone who gives him 20,000 points would be under his protection.]
[Since this payment is voluntary, it's not considered blackmail.]
[That's all.]
The truth Shiina relayed was different from the rumors Kushida Kikyo had spread.
The conflict in Class C hadn't been due to Ryuen extorting 20,000 points from the students. Instead, it stemmed from his attempt to seize the role of class monitor through violence.
The points Ryuen demanded afterward weren't extortion—they were framed as an optional "protection fee" for anyone willing to pay.
Since it's voluntary, Rin thought, the school probably won't treat it as blackmail. Even if they learn about it, they'll most likely just warn Ryuen, not expel him.
He muttered to himself, "Ryuen's behavior doesn't qualify as bullying, at least not by school standards."
With that thought, Rin quickly typed and sent a LINE message back to Shiina.
[Shiina, if Ryuen or anyone else bullies you, please let me know. I'll make sure to handle it.]
When Shiina received Rin's reply, she instinctively checked her phone, her fingers trembling slightly with anticipation.
The concern woven into every word of Rin's message made her heart flutter. Her bright, expressive eyes curved into delicate crescents, a soft smile forming on her lips.
[Yes, I will.]
She paused briefly, then added:
[By the way, did you finish watching Who is the Corpse? last night? What did you think of it?]
It took nearly two minutes for Rin to receive her reply, likely because Shiina was still struggling to type quickly. Rin, already familiar with her slow typing, wasn't bothered.
He responded calmly:
[I read a few pages yesterday, and it was great. But I realized I hadn't bought any daily necessities yet, so I had to stop reading.]
[Thanks again for the recommendation, Shiina. If not for you lending it to me, I never would've discovered such an interesting book.]
Rin knew it might take Shiina a while to respond again. He glanced up briefly from his phone to look at the teacher standing at the podium.
It was the third period, and the teacher was a kind-looking woman in her forties. She spoke with a soft, patient tone, her presence filling the room with calm.