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"Ryuuen, this is what happened. We probably can't make a move on Class B anymore." Ishizaki stood before Ryuuen with his hands at his sides, frustration in his voice as he recounted everything that happened in the cafeteria.
After listening, Ryuuen looked up at Albert. "Albert, according to Ishizaki, the guy who stepped in was the head of the boxing club? You've been in the club for a while. Think you could beat him?"
Albert first nodded firmly, as if confirming "he's the club president," then quickly shook his head.
His Adam's apple bobbed. "The club president is... the runner-up of the national boxing championship... I... can't beat him."
The last few words came out slowly but clearly. That was a level of strength even he had to respect.
"A national runner-up, huh." Ryuuen slowly repeated the words, his voice trailing off, as if weighing their significance.
Ishizaki stood nearby, even softening his breathing. He knew all too well what this demeanor from Ryuuen meant. The calmer he was, the more complex things he was thinking about.
Albert was still standing there. He'd seen Sato several times during boxing club training, and his punches were fast as lightning.
If it came to a fight, he wouldn't last five rounds.
"Understood." Ryuuen suddenly smiled. "Since it's someone we can't afford to mess with right now, then let's stop."
Ishizaki was stunned. "But Ryuuen, our plan against Class B..."
"Plans are rigid, people are flexible." Ryuuen slowly stood up and walked to the window, his gaze sweeping over the students coming and going below. His tone held a hint of displeasure at having his rhythm disrupted. "This time I miscalculated. That Ichinose woman actually got a third-year to step in. Looks like her 'charm' skills aren't entirely useless. To drag a third-year upperclassman into this, either she went all out or she's genuinely good at winning people over. Either way, she's more troublesome than I thought."
He suddenly remembered the test papers Sakayanagi had shared at noon and the special exam content she'd mentioned.
Later, he'd specifically asked some second-years and confirmed all that information was true.
A thought suddenly popped into his head. 'If I present the recording of my conversation with the second-year, plus that test paper as evidence, and then have some classmates protest with a "test unfairness" complaint—if it escalates to that point, the school, under public pressure, will surely be forced to change the test papers, right?'
But he quickly calmed down. Changing the test papers wouldn't benefit Class C at all.
He knew, even without thinking hard, that this situation would be most advantageous for Class A and Class B.
Those guys already had good grades. Even if the test papers were changed, they'd most likely still pass easily.
But Class C and Class D were different. Several students might fail.
He'd declared at the beginning of the semester that he'd lead everyone in Class C into Class A, so if someone fell behind because of modified test papers, it would undoubtedly be a slap in his own face.
As for studying—Albert's grades were decent, passing all subjects. But Ishizaki next to him was different, still failing several subjects.
Hoping for Ishizaki to calm down and study hard? It'd be more practical to tell him not to bother with his brain and just be a reliable enforcer.
At least throwing punches could unleash his "value" more effectively than studying books, and with much higher efficiency.
'That woman from Class B has always played the role of a "social butterfly." Whether she's faking it or genuinely kind, she definitely wouldn't dare tamper with the test papers. She wouldn't risk her reputation.'
'That woman from Class A deliberately leaked the information to other classes. She must've anticipated the possibility of a report, but she didn't act herself, probably wanting to win over the other classes, so she wouldn't report it either.'
'She thinks I can't see through her? A class can only gain at most thirty-something class points.'
'I'm concerned about the struggling students in Class C, so I won't report it. Class D's grades are even worse than Class C's, so they definitely won't do it.'
All classes had their own concerns, and no one could genuinely report the test paper issue.
But from another perspective, this "unable to report" situation instead became a "beneficial" balance for all four classes. At least for now, no one would break the current stability by reporting the papers, and no one would bear additional risks due to the papers being modified.
But Ryuuen could never truly treat that test paper as a safety net.
Distrust was etched into his bones. He was inherently skeptical of so-called "safety nets."
In his opinion, only truly foolish people would completely believe in a supposed "safety net."
Who could guarantee that some brainless idiot wouldn't suddenly expose the test paper issue?
Or perhaps the school had actually prepared two sets of papers, A and B, and what was presented this time wasn't the final version at all?
Better safe than sorry.
Since he couldn't act against Class B for now, he decided not to make any moves to interfere with other classes this month. Focusing on building up the class was the proper thing to do.
This week was about to end, leaving only three weeks until the midterm exam. The last week would also deduct the actual exam time, so Class C actually didn't have much time left to review.
"Starting today, everyone needs to focus. Stop thinking about messing around, listen carefully in class, and thoroughly understand the exercises after class," he instructed Ishizaki. "In the last week, I'll bring out the test papers, and even if I have to force them, I'll make sure everyone in the class memorizes the key content."
This was probably the most stable and optimal solution for Class C so far.
Now, compared to using tricks to interfere with others, holding onto his own advantages was more important.
In this month's special exam, the class could earn a maximum of 100 class points.
Class C had to get above 90 points, otherwise it'd be easy for other classes to widen the gap.
Of course, this didn't mean he'd completely abandoned his plan to harass other classes. It was just temporarily shelved, to be executed next month.
Next month would be the monthly exam, and he figured there wouldn't be any special exams.
The third month would be the best time to target other classes and reduce their class points.
If he couldn't touch Class B, weren't there still Class A and Class D to watch?
Instead of wasting energy on Class B, which he couldn't crack for now, it was better to turn his attention to easier targets. There'd always be a class where he could find a weakness.
However, the bad news was that the other four classes probably all knew about the test paper issue.
His only worry now was whether these people would think they had a safety net and therefore have no intention of studying at all.
Fortunately, he used violence to control Class C, so everyone would still be forced to obey his orders.
The other classes, especially Class D, might not be so obedient.