Inside the school’s KTV, colorful neon lights flashed through the dim room.
Ryuen Kakeru sat with his legs propped up on the coffee table, flanked by two lackeys serving him.
He looked exactly like a stereotypical street thug boss.
Suddenly, the smartphone on the table pinged.
“Hmm?”
He glanced over.
Ishizaki Daichi, quick to read the room, immediately picked up the phone and handed it to him.
Ryuen casually looked at the screen.
It was an email from an unknown sender, and attached to it was a video file.
He tapped to download and played it.
Instantly, his pupils dilated.
“This is…”
A second later, another email arrived.
It contained no text—only an address.
Ishizaki, who was standing close by, easily caught a glimpse of the video since Ryuen didn’t bother hiding it.
He gasped in shock.
“Ryuen-san, this…
this looks like the video of us fighting earlier.
How could this…”
He never expected to see a crystal clear video of Class C’s brutal brawls at the end of the month.
Furthermore, the footage clearly showed the last man standing—and his face was undeniably Ryuen Kakeru’s.
The blue haired girl, Ibuki Mio, scoffed mockingly.
“Serves you right.
That’s what you get for not checking your surroundings properly.”
“Hmph.
Don’t forget, your face is in this too!”
Ryuen turned off the screen, let out a cold snort, and a bloodthirsty smile tugged at the corner of his lips.
“It seems that while I was busy conquering Class C, a rat was hiding in the gutters, quietly peeking at us.”
“Ryuen-san, what should we do?
Are we going to the location?”
Ryuen cast a sideways glance at the panicking Ishizaki, stood up, and sneered, “Of course we are!
I want to see exactly what kind of monster thinks they can play tricks on me from the shadows.
And if it’s just some useless piece of trash…”
He narrowed his eyes dangerously.
“I’ll make him regret ever being born.”
Arriving at the designated location, Ryuen brought along the three people he had officially subdued in class: Ishizaki Daichi, Yamada Albert, and Ibuki Mio.
Ishizaki looked around nervously.
“Where is he?
He called us out here, but no one’s around.
Is he purposely standing us up?”
Just as he finished speaking, the rustling of leaves echoed from nearby, followed by a highly enthusiastic voice.
“Sorry about that, sorry about that!
I was just too tired and decided to take a quick nap on the grass.
I didn’t expect you guys to arrive so quickly.”
The four of them turned toward the sound.
A guy with dark panda eyes slowly and lazily stepped over a row of bushes, stopping about ten meters away from them.
Ryuen carefully studied Shiki’s face.
The memory of a cowardly, crying guy with panda eyes falling to the floor instantly surfaced in his mind.
He recognized him.
But keeping his face neutral, he said, “I was wondering what kind of rat it was.
Turns out it’s just you, Panda Eyes.
Which class are you from?”
Shiki’s features were incredibly distinct.
Ishizaki also recognized him instantly.
Wait, the rat hiding in the shadows was that pathetic coward who fell over from a single bump?!
I even laughed at him when it happened!
“I haven’t introduced myself yet, have I?
I am Tsugikuni Shiki, a student of Class D.
It is a pleasure to meet you, Ryuen-kun.” Shiki remained perfectly polite.
“Cut the crap!”
Ryuen snapped violently, “You sent that video to threaten me, right?
It seems your brain is just as defective as your eyes.
Instead of making you cower in fear, seeing that video actually fed your stupid ambition…
I’ll give you exactly one chance.
Tell me exactly what you want.
Do that, and I might just let you live.
Otherwise, I will execute you right here and make you deeply understand the consequences of pissing me off!”
The violent, oppressive glare and the terrifyingly heavy threat in his voice made it impossible to doubt that Ryuen Kakeru was completely serious.
A normal person would be trembling in fear under such intense intimidation.
But Shiki didn’t care at all.
“How terrifying, Ryuen.” Shiki said calmly.
“Why don’t you take a good look around?
Even though this area doesn’t have security cameras, it’s the absolute perfect hiding spot.
With all these bushes and trees, it would be almost impossible to spot someone hiding in the dark, recording everything.
I’m actually really looking forward to your fists hitting me.
I want to see if you’ll end up kneeling on the floor, begging for my forgiveness in front of the teachers.”
Hearing this, a sharp chill ran through Ryuen’s heart.
His piercing eyes quickly scanned the surroundings.
Shiki was right.
This was a perfect location.
Not only was there a tall building on one side offering a vantage point, but the dense vegetation everywhere could easily hide someone’s presence.
Confirming that there wasn’t a second rat hiding nearby would take way too much time.
If he actually beat up Shiki right here, there was a very high chance someone else was filming it.
“Heh, it seems you came prepared, Panda Guy,” Ryuen sneered.
“But don’t get cocky just yet.
So what if you have a video of Class C fighting?
As long as everyone in Class C claims we were just ‘playing around’ and insists it wasn’t bullying or fighting, that video of yours is nothing but useless trash.”
He had caused countless incidents back in elementary and middle school, yet he always walked away completely unscathed because he perfectly understood how the system worked: If the victim doesn’t press charges, the authorities won’t investigate.
He had absolute confidence in his control over Class C.
He knew he could force the entire class to unify their story so that only one voice was heard.
Ryuen smiled confidently, expecting to see Shiki panic now that his ‘master plan’ had failed.
However, Shiki’s expression didn’t change at all.
Ryuen’s words hadn’t affected him in the slightest.
(TL:After all the edgy talk and stuff…at the end of the day, kid is still kid~, how naive)
Ryuen frowned, a bad feeling rising in his chest.
“How pitiful and naive.
You are so lost in your little dream of being a king that you can’t even see the dead end right in front of you, Ryuen,” Shiki shook his head.
He pulled out his phone and played the audio recording of his negotiation with Chabashira-sensei.
At first, Ryuen didn’t understand what he was listening to, but his expression rapidly shifted.
The other three behind him looked absolutely shocked.
“Do you understand now, Ryuen?” Shiki said.
“Everything you just said is completely irrelevant.
The April exam doesn’t care whether Class C was ‘just playing around’ or not.
The evaluation standard is set by the school itself.
The opinions and excuses of the students don’t matter in the slightest.”
Seeing Ryuen’s face turn ugly, Shiki threw more fuel on the fire.
“Use that empty brain of yours and think for a second.
If I ‘accidentally’ sent that video to the school administration, guess how many points you guys will get next month?
50,000?
30,000?
Or maybe zero?”
With every number Shiki listed, Ryuen’s face turned a shade paler.
Ishizaki and the others also turned pale with dread.
“I imagine the students of Class C aren’t exactly the frugal type.
After receiving 100,000 free points from the sky, they probably went on massive spending sprees.
Since we’re near the end of the month, their point balances must be practically empty by now,” Shiki smiled.
His voice carried a strange, almost demonic allure.
“Although the school provides free necessities to ensure your basic survival, living like that for a long time easily destroys morale.
Especially the completely free ‘Mountain Vegetable Meal’ in the cafeteria…
It’s just clear broth and boiled veggies with absolutely zero flavor.
I highly doubt any of you want to try living off of that.”
“Just a quick reminder: the video I sent you is only a tiny fraction of what I have.
Don’t harbor any foolish hope that your points won’t drop to absolute zero.
After all, I’ve been specifically tailing your class for half a month just for today…
What happens to your future depends entirely on your choice.”
Ryuen’s face was as hard and stiff as a rock.
Next to him, Ishizaki couldn’t hold it in anymore and panicked.
“Ryuen-san, what do we do?!”
“Shut up!” Ryuen roared, instantly silencing Ishizaki in fear.
After waiting for a full five minutes, Ryuen finally raised his head, staring at Shiki with pure, icy hatred.
“You win.
But don’t get cocky.
Sooner or later, I’ll make you pay for this with interest,” he said, gritting his teeth, squeezing the words out one by one.
“Spit it out.
What do you want in exchange for deleting the videos?”
Hearing this, Shiki actually felt that Ryuen’s terrifying, vicious face looked incredibly cute and friendly right now.
He replied in a gentle, warm tone, “Don’t be so tense.
I’m not some kind of demon.
I just want this school to be filled with love and for classmates to help each other out.”
When he said this, Ryuen’s face twisted as if he had just eaten a live cockroach.
Yamada Albert’s dark face somehow turned even darker.
Ibuki’s eyebrows furrowed so tightly they could crush a mosquito, staring at Shiki with absolute disgust.
(How can someone be this completely shameless?!)
Sensing the incredibly awkward atmosphere, Shiki let out a deep, melancholic sigh.
The world truly misunderstands me!
Do they have any idea how hard I worked just to ensure this school maintains a peaceful and quiet learning environment?!
Going against my own pure conscience to stalk and secretly film my schoolmate…
the psychological pressure was immense!
My kind, fragile heart was shattered into pieces!
Is it really so wrong to ask for a little compensation to soothe my traumatized soul?!
Shiki felt deeply saddened by their complete lack of understanding.
When he finally pulled out the contract he had prepared in advance, the veins on Ryuen’s forehead bulged violently.
It wasn’t just because of the contract’s title—[Treaty of Mutual Love and Assistance]—it was because of the actual terms written inside.
“Impossible!” He glared furiously at Shiki.
“See, you’re getting impatient again.” Shiki looked at him with the gentle, caring gaze one might give to a toddler throwing a tantrum.
Ryuen was absolutely furious, but given their terrible situation, he forcefully suppressed the urge to punch Shiki in the face.
He sneered, “Did you even read what you wrote?!
‘Class C will provide a monthly sponsorship of 800,000 points to support the daily life of Tsugikuni Shiki from Class D’…” (TL:Kewk~ leeching of is crazy~)
Ibuki, who was listening silently from the side, gave Shiki an incredibly weird look.
(Is this guy even human?
He is literally extorting our entire class, yet he uses the word ‘sponsorship’?!
And he called it a ‘Treaty of Mutual Love and Assistance’?!
Where the hell is your assistance to us?!)
“You need to realize something.
Right now, besides the school itself, nobody knows exactly how many points we’ll actually get next month.
If our class points drop below 20,000—or hit zero—then we might as well just take you down with us,” Ryuen glared at him coldly.
“That’s exactly why I included a conditional clause, didn’t I?
‘If Class C receives an average of less than 20,000 points per student in a given month, they are exempt from paying the sponsorship fee, and the missed payment will not accumulate as debt.’ See? The source of this chapter is novelping(.)com.
Isn’t that incredibly humane?”
“As long as you sign the treaty, I promise to permanently delete every single video.
You have this contract as proof.”
Shiki genuinely felt he was being way too kind.
If it were Sakayanagi, she probably would have used the videos to completely enslave Class C, treating them as absolute lapdogs and squeezing every drop of value out of them until they died.
Ryuen stared intensely at Shiki, his terrifying gaze looking as if he wanted to slice Shiki into a thousand pieces.
Shiki let out a long yawn.
“Have you decided yet?
You have exactly one minute left.”
“Fine!” Ryuen gritted his teeth so hard it sounded like they might shatter.
“I’ll sign it!”
Shiki sighed emotionally.
“There truly are so many good people in this school!”
Ibuki’s mouth twitched.
“How can someone’s skin be this thick…”
After that, under Shiki’s urging, Ryuen and his three followers gathered the rest of Class C and ordered them all to sign the [Treaty of Mutual Love and Assistance].
The Class C students arrived completely confused, having no idea why Ryuen had suddenly called them.
But the moment they read the contents of the [Treaty of Mutual Love and Assistance], the entire room exploded.
“Are you kidding me?!
Why the hell should we sign something like this?!”
“How is this ‘Mutual Love and Assistance’?!
Where is the love?!
Where is the assistance?!”
“This is completely absurd!
If we sign this, we’ll basically be working for someone else for the next three years!”
“Exactly!
There’s no way I’m signing this!”
SLAM—!!
Ryuen punched the teacher’s podium, letting out a heavy, thunderous bang.
He roared, “All of you, shut the hell up!”
His furious eyes swept across the room, locking onto every single student until the chaotic crowd fell completely silent.
“We got set up,” Ryuen explained, doing something he almost never did.
“If we don’t agree to that bastard’s demands, none of you will get a single point for the rest of our time here…”
BOOM—
Like a drop of water hitting boiling oil, Class C erupted into chaos once again.
BAM—!
“I told you to shut up!” Ryuen roared again.
Thanks to the sheer terror he had built up over the past month, the boiling room was suppressed once more.
However, looking at the restless, agitated faces of his classmates, he knew he had to give them a proper explanation.
Receiving a signal from his boss, Ishizaki swallowed hard, stepped forward, and explained the entire situation from beginning to end.
At that moment, Class C fell completely silent.
The vast majority of them had participated in the ‘underground fight club’ to some extent.
None of them could be absolutely certain they weren’t in the videos, so they couldn’t exactly play the innocent victim card.
Of course, there were a few unlucky students who hadn’t done anything wrong but were still forced to shoulder the burden.
Even though they were deeply furious, their complaints were completely drowned out by the massive, guilty crowd.
In an atmosphere so heavy it was suffocating, Ryuen walked out of the classroom holding the fully signed contract.
Every single student left behind in Class C permanently etched the name of their new ultimate creditor into their minds: Tsugikuni Shiki.
Just thinking about the contents of the treaty made them grind their teeth in pure hatred.
What kind of bullshit ‘Mutual Love and Assistance’ treaty is this?!
At least pretend to assist us!
Shiki, Ryuen, and the others arrived at the faculty office.
After knocking, they opened the door.
The only person inside was the homeroom teacher of Class A.
The strict and dignified Mashima Tomoya looked up.
“Students, do you need something?”
“Mashima-sensei!
You being here is absolutely perfect timing,” Shiki smiled warmly.
From his observations, Class A’s homeroom teacher was one of the very few completely normal people among the four teachers.
“My friends from Class C and I have just reached a very peaceful and friendly agreement.
We need you to act as a witness and officially record it.”
For contracts signed between students to be valid and enforceable under school rules, they had to be recorded by a homeroom teacher.
Furthermore, as long as the students requested it, teachers were strictly forbidden from refusing or interfering with the agreement.
“…Alright.” Mashima took a deep look at Shiki, then took the contract.
He gave it a quick scan, and his usually stern expression instantly cracked.
He was a veteran at this school.
Not only was he an alumnus of Advanced Nurturing High School, but he had also taught many generations of students.
He had seen and authorized countless student contracts.
However, he had never—in his entire career—seen a contract that was so incredibly polite yet dripping with such overwhelming sarcasm.
What did it mean by: ‘The students of Class C, unable to bear the sight of their fellow schoolmate living in poverty, have generously agreed to sponsor the daily living expenses of Tsugikuni Shiki from Class D, fully demonstrating the harmonious and friendly culture of Advanced Nurturing High School…’ (TL:Kewk)
Is this not just blatantly mocking them?
Furthermore, Mashima knew exactly what kind of class Class C was.
Even as Class A’s teacher, he had heard the rumors.
Were they really this easy to negotiate with?
Complaining internally, Mashima looked up at the panda-eyed boy standing in front of him.
Shiki flashed him a pure, innocent, and flawless smile.
“Mhm.
The contract is valid.
It can be finalized.”
This student is definitely not normal!
Mashima kept his face neutral and didn’t think too deeply about it.
As a teacher at Advanced Nurturing High School, his only job was to act as an NPC handing out rules.
The schemes and battles between students were entirely their own business.
He was just a corporate worker, he didn’t get paid enough to care.
(TL: Based worker mindset)