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While eating, Akira also witnessed a very interesting scene.
The first-year Class C student who appeared in the surveillance footage last time and destroyed the camera—a burly boy named Ishizaki, it seemed—was now leading two Class C followers, walking straight toward a table ahead and surrounding a lone classmate.
"W-what do you want?" The surrounded boy's voice trembled, and the chopsticks in his hand quivered slightly.
Ishizaki grinned, revealing an ill-intentioned smile. "You must be a first-year Class B student, right! We watched you walk out of the classroom with our own eyes! Don't be nervous, as kind-hearted classmates from Class C, we're just here to admire you eating."
"Please leave! I can't eat properly like this!" The boy tried to straighten his back, but the fear in his voice betrayed him.
"Huh?" Ishizaki dramatically spread his hands. "We didn't do anything, we didn't even touch you. If you don't have an appetite, that's your problem, isn't it?"
"You guys... the surveillance cameras are recording this, you'll lose class points!"
"What can the surveillance cameras record? We're just standing here watching you eat. Which school rule does that violate? We didn't curse you, and we didn't hit you! What does it have to do with us?!"
"...Enough! I won't eat, alright?!" The boy stood up, his face pale.
Ishizaki, however, showed an even more malicious smile and stood beside him. "Don't be in such a hurry to leave, we've just finished eating too, why don't we go back to the classroom together? Or even back to the dorms together!"
"N-no need... I can go back by myself..."
"Why be so polite? Isn't it only right for classmates to look out for each other? Let's go, we'll 'escort' you back. Don't worry! Not just you, but other Class B classmates, we'll personally look after them one by one."
The four of them gradually disappeared around the corner of the cafeteria.
"Has Ryuuen finally lost his patience and started acting? Has he already begun targeting Class B students?" Akira watched them leave.
Excluding hooligans harassing Class B students, this method, though despicable, was unexpectedly effective.
Only Ryuuen could come up with such a tactic: neither resorting to physical violence nor verbal abuse, simply staring at the other person with malicious intent while they ate, and then following them like a shadow.
Even if reported to the Student Council, the other party could perfectly argue that they were merely "friendly observing a classmate."
However, if subjected to such harassment for a long time, one's mental state would likely suffer.
And once Class B students lost their patience and made the first move, severe disciplinary action according to school rules and heavy penalties in class points would await them.
Ryuuen's move took dirty tricks to the extreme.
In any case, whoever got entangled would probably suffer for a while.
He just didn't know how Ichinose would choose to handle this matter.
When the dismissal bell rang, the atmosphere in the first-year Class D classroom had subtly changed.
After the morning homeroom, Class D had once been shrouded in a heavy, low-pressure atmosphere.
Chabashira's remarks about "defective products" and the cruel reality of class points meant that throughout the morning, the classroom was filled with a tension that could erupt at any moment, and interactions between classmates were sharp.
However, now—Akira looked around, secretly clicking his tongue.
In just one afternoon, under Kushida's persuasion, it was as if a magic spell had been cast, completely revitalizing the class atmosphere.
The tense confrontations of the morning seemed to have never happened, replaced by a chorus of laughter and chatter.
Akira admitted that he could never achieve this level of influence.
It wasn't a lack of the kind of versatile emotional intelligence.
It was simply too much to ask him to smile at everyone.
Kushida and Hirata stood on the podium, one on the left and one on the right, explaining the specific arrangements for this month's class activities to the Class D students.
However, Koenji and Sudo were already gone—the former had obtained privileges due to his excellent grades, and the two turned a blind eye.
The latter left early on the grounds of club activities, and although Hirata tried his best to keep him, he only received an impatient refusal.
Watching this scene, Akira secretly shook his head.
Kushida, being a two-faced person, her amiability was the result of deliberate cultivation, it was fake, but at least within a normal range.
But Hirata's almost pathological tolerance was truly perplexing—this went beyond the scope of being a good-natured person; it was almost like some kind of self-sacrificing obsession.
"Speaking of which, didn't Chabashira-sensei say that the class representative would be re-elected this month?"
A girl's voice suddenly rang out in the classroom, with a hint of deliberate prompting.
"In that case, Kushida-chan won't be able to continue being the class representative this month, will she?" Another girl immediately chimed in, her tone subtly laced with hostility.
"It's Hirata-kun's turn this time!" Several girls supporting Hirata seized the opportunity to echo.
Although Kushida was known as the "little angel" in the class, Hirata's gentle and reliable nature also attracted many fans.
During the last election, some girls had voted for him, and now they naturally wouldn't miss this chance.
"This... actually, I don't mind. Anyone can be the class representative..." Hirata showed a gentle smile, trying to ease the atmosphere.
"No way!" Kushida bowed her head slightly, then raised an understanding smile. "Since our homeroom teacher said so, it's better for us to be fair. And... honestly, I've been a little uneasy being the class representative all this time."
She paused, then suggested in a cheerful tone. "How about this? This time, we'll decide the class representative based on who attends the study sessions, what do you think?"
"Great!"
"Then I'll go to Hirata-kun's study session!"
"I choose Kushida-san's study session!"
The class quickly split into two factions, taking sides.
Kushida then lightly clapped her hands on the podium. "Anyway, the most important thing now is to prepare for the midterm exams! Hirata-kun and I will both organize study sessions after school. All students who are unsure about their studies—"
Her gaze inadvertently swept across the back of the classroom, subtly pausing on Akira for a moment.
"Especially those students with failing grades, although participation isn't mandatory, it's best to come three or four times a week! Shimizu-kun!"
'...So I'm on the "failing" list too.'
This realization made him belatedly twitch the corner of his mouth—being called out in public indeed felt a bit strange.
'Hmm? Did I offend her or something? What does it mean to call out my name?'