Wednesday, April 15.
The first quiz at Advanced Nurturing High School had ended.
As the lunch break drew to a close, the classroom bell rang.
Standing at the podium, Sae Chabashira silently returned the graded answer sheets before leaving the classroom without another word.
Hanayama Kaoru quietly looked down at his results.
Japanese: 40
English: 33
History: 30
And—
Mathematics: 20
Objectively speaking…
These were terrible scores.
For an ordinary high school student, they would be enough to cause despair.
Yet Hanayama felt an unexpected sense of satisfaction.
(…Twenty points.)
(This is the first time in my life I’ve scored in the double digits on a math test.)
(Not bad.)
Growing up in the yakuza world…
Academics had never been part of his life.
To him, earning twenty points on a mathematics exam felt like conquering a mountain.
It was proof that the awkward hours he had spent studying over the past several days hadn’t been wasted.
“…Why do you look so satisfied?”
A cool voice interrupted his thoughts.
Turning slightly, Hanayama found Suzune Horikita glancing at his test paper with an exasperated expression.
“Most people would be devastated by a score like that.”
“Or does the number twenty hold some special significance for you?”
Hanayama calmly handed her the paper.
“No.”
“This is an achievement for me.”
“I owe it to your tutoring.”
“Thank you.”
He looked directly into her eyes as he spoke.
“…”
Horikita blinked in surprise.
She hadn’t expected such straightforward gratitude.
Turning her head away, she folded her arms.
“…Don’t misunderstand.”
“I only taught you because I promised I would.”
“I merely covered the basics.”
Even so…
She quietly sighed.
“…Still.”
“Compared to a few days ago…”
“You’ve probably improved more than anyone else in Class D.”
“After all…”
“You were the person who confidently answered six times seven with forty-eight.”
“And now you’ve managed to reach double digits.”
Her words were as blunt as ever.
Yet beneath the sarcasm lay genuine acknowledgment.
To Horikita…
Hanayama’s willingness to work hard despite his poor academic foundation was far more admirable than the laziness shown by many of their classmates.
Hanayama slowly stood.
Then bowed deeply.
“This is all thanks to your guidance.”
“I’ll continue relying on you.”
“W-Wait.”
“Stop that.”
Horikita immediately stopped him. New chapters come out on g.com first.
“You’re already conspicuous enough.”
“If you keep bowing to me like this…”
“People are going to get the wrong idea.”
A faint blush appeared on her face.
Quickly hiding her embarrassment, she opened her lunch box.
Hanayama simply nodded.
He returned to his seat and opened the convenience store bento he had bought earlier.
Just then—
“Yo.”
“Sorry to interrupt.”
Three students entered the classroom.
Leading them was Ryūen Kakeru.
His shirt was untucked, his tie missing, and he wore his usual carefree grin.
Behind him stood Daichi Ishizaki and Albert Yamada.
The atmosphere inside the classroom immediately became tense.
Kushida.
Karuizawa.
The other students.
Everyone instinctively stiffened.
Ryūen ignored the uneasy stares and stopped beside Hanayama’s desk.
“I’ve heard some interesting rumors.”
“They say you’ve been selling information about the school’s hidden rules to students from other classes.”
“You’ve made quite a profit.”
Hanayama didn’t even look up from his lunch.
“So?”
Just one word.
Ryūen chuckled.
“No need to be so guarded.”
“I’m here to make a deal.”
“I’ve already figured out most of what happened.”
“But confirmed information is always worth something.”
He leaned forward, resting both hands on Hanayama’s desk.
“I’ll give you 300,000 points.”
“Not bad for outdated information, right?”
On the surface…
It sounded like an ordinary business proposal.
But to Ryūen, it was also a test.
If Hanayama accepted the reduced offer…
Ryūen would establish psychological dominance from the very beginning.
Hanayama didn’t hesitate.
“Rejected.”
“It’s one million.”
His tone was completely flat.
As if reading a fixed price from a menu.
To Hanayama…
A price, once set, wasn’t negotiated.
Whether the customer was rich or poor…
Friend or stranger…
The amount remained unchanged.
Ryūen’s smile stiffened.
Behind him, Ishizaki immediately exploded.
“Hey!”
“Quit screwing around!”
“We’re already offering three hundred thousand!”
“Do you have any sincerity at all?”
“That’s just extortion!”
It was the typical intimidation tactic of a delinquent.
Pressure the other person.
Force them to back down.
Hanayama never even looked at him.
Still holding his chopsticks…
He slowly raised his eyes.
Not toward Ishizaki.
Toward Ryūen.
Only Ryūen.
“…Did you come here to fight?”
His voice remained calm.
Quiet.
Steady.
Yet the instant those words left his mouth—
The classroom seemed to freeze.
Ishizaki instinctively took half a step backward.
Albert’s muscles tensed.
Even Ryūen felt an icy chill run down his spine.
It wasn’t fear born from logic.
Nor from intimidation.
It was instinct.
If he answered—
“Yes.”
This man…
Would immediately smash all three of them into the classroom floor without the slightest hesitation.
That certainty required no evidence.
It simply existed.
(…Tch.)
(What is this pressure…?)
(This guy’s a monster.)
Ryūen forced himself to laugh.
“Hahaha!”
“Come on.”
“Who’d start a fight inside school?”
“Ishizaki.”
“Shut up.”
“I’m handling this.”
Ishizaki immediately fell silent.
Ryūen looked back at Hanayama with his usual smile.
“One million is still too expensive.”
“I was hoping to do business with you…”
“But I guess we’ll have to pass.”
“There are other ways to gather information.”
His expression remained relaxed.
But as he turned to leave…
His pace was noticeably faster than when he had entered.
Almost…
As though he wanted to get away as quickly as possible.
Bang.
The classroom door closed behind them.
Silence returned.
Hanayama calmly separated his disposable chopsticks.
“…Now then.”
“Time to eat.”
As though nothing at all had happened…
He picked up a piece of fried chicken from his convenience store bento and quietly continued his lunch.