The door was pushed open, and the person standing in the doorway was Karuizawa Kei.
She held an unopened bottle of mineral water in one hand, while the other rested casually on the doorknob. Her face displayed the slightly arrogant expression she usually wore. Tilting her head slightly, her gaze swept across the room before finally settling on Horikita Suzune, who was in an awkward, almost kneeling posture.
"Oh dear, did I interrupt something?"
Her voice carried a hint of feigned, exaggerated surprise, completely ignoring the tense atmosphere in the room.
"I just wanted to sneak into the School Infirmary to slack off... I didn't expect it to be so lively here."
She stepped inside as she spoke.
"Karuizawa? Can't you see we're discussing something important?"
"Non-essential personnel, get out immediately."
Facing this wolf from Class C, Karuizawa Kei's heart actually clenched tightly.
But—
She subconsciously touched the terminal in her pocket. The last message Natsukawa had sent was displayed there.
[Don't be afraid. Just do as I say, and he won't be able to touch you.]
That sentence was like a shot of adrenaline, instantly dispelling her fear. In its place was an unprecedented sense of excitement derived from exploiting the tiger's might.
"How can I do that?"
Instead of backing down, Karuizawa walked over to Horikita's side, looking at the woman who was usually so haughty.
"The usually arrogant Horikita-san is now being forced to kneel... If I missed this rare spectacle, I wouldn't be able to sleep tonight from regret."
"Hey, Horikita-san, what are you doing? Are you performing a show? Or... have you finally realized your own incompetence?"
Horikita Suzune's face flushed crimson.
But at the same time, seeing Karuizawa's fearless demeanor and recalling her overly frequent recent contact with Natsukawa Sosuke... a thought flashed through Horikita's chaotic mind.
Was it... him?
Did he tell Karuizawa to come?
She gritted her teeth. "...Kinoshita claims her leg is broken. Ryuuen... he's using this as leverage, demanding I pay 1 Million Points and apologize on my knees, or else he'll report it to the school."
"Broken leg?"
Karuizawa Kei raised an eyebrow, shifting her gaze to Kinoshita Minori on the sickbed.
Kinoshita was currently showing signs of pain, her forehead slick with cold sweat. Judging by the bandaging and swelling on her leg, the injury was indeed severe.
"Well, that's strange."
Karuizawa twirled her hair around her finger and said with a look of "confusion."
"I remember seeing Kinoshita still preparing for the three-legged race with Yajima-san right after the Obstacle Race finished, didn't I? She looked perfectly fine. How did she suddenly get a broken leg?"
At that statement, Kinoshita on the sickbed clearly flinched.
Ryuuen Kakeru's eyes narrowed.
"You're mistaken."
He coldly interrupted Karuizawa and took a step closer, trying to overwhelm her with sheer presence.
"Kinoshita was just forcing herself back then. For the honor of the class, she wanted to keep competing even if her leg was broken. This kind of spirit is something a woman like you, who only watches from the sidelines, wouldn't understand."
"Oh? Is that so?"
She completely ignored Ryuuen, turning instead to Horikita, scolding her with a tone of disappointment:
"Tell me, Horikita-san, aren't you usually quite smart? Why do you turn into an idiot at the crucial moment?"
"Or did you sprain your brain when you sprained your ankle?"
"You..."
"Use your brain and think clearly!"
"If her leg was truly broken during the Obstacle Race, could she still stand up? Could she still go practice the three-legged race?"
Horikita Suzune was scolded into silence.
She lowered her head, her voice faint: "...My ability was lacking. I was set up."
Her tone was full of self-reproach, sounding more like a confession directed at the man who wasn't present.
Just as he said, once an accident occurred, she could only... "Enough!"
Ryuuen Kakeru's patience had run out.
He could tell that this woman who had suddenly burst in wasn't just passing by; she was here specifically to cause trouble.
"Unnecessary people are not welcome here."
Ryuuen pointed toward the door, his tone chilling. "Kinoshita needs rest. If you're here to cause trouble, don't blame me for being impolite."
"Rest?"
"I think I see what's going on, Ryuuen."
"You're trying to extort her, aren't you? You're trying to frame Horikita-san."
"With an injury like a broken leg, let alone running, even moving slightly would be excruciatingly painful. Since she was still preparing for the three-legged race, it means it wasn't broken then!"
"If it wasn't broken then, but it is now..."
"Then how exactly did this injury happen? Was it 'accidentally' broken sometime after that?"
Ryuuen Kakeru's face completely darkened.
"You can eat whatever you want, but you can't speak carelessly."
He stared intently at Karuizawa, his voice terrifyingly low. "Do you have proof? Without proof, that's slander. It's a fact that Horikita frequently looked back to check her position during the race, and it's a fact that Kinoshita is lying here with a broken leg."
"Regardless of the process, the result was caused by Horikita. Even if we report this to the Student Council, we are in the right!"
"Heh, is that so?"
Karuizawa Kei shrugged, mimicking Natsukawa's usual manner, a look of disdain on her face.
"That's only if the reason Kinoshita is currently lying in bed was truly caused by Horikita."
"Ryuuen, you really never learn your lesson. You fell for the same trick once, and now you're trying it again."
"What do you mean?"
"I don't mean anything specific."
Karuizawa walked up to Horikita and grabbed her wrist. "Let's go! Stop making a spectacle of yourself here!"
Horikita stumbled, being dragged toward the door by Karuizawa.
"Wait... but..." Horikita hesitated, afraid Ryuuen would actually go to the Student Council.
"But what, but!"
Karuizawa turned back and glared fiercely at her, then spun around to face the gloomy-faced Ryuuen, lifting her chin and declaring loudly:
"Ryuuen, go ahead and report it!"
"We're ready whenever you are!"
"If you think the Student Council isn't enough, we can also apply for an injury assessment from an external, third-party medical institution!"
"At that point, whether this leg was broken during a collision or deliberately broken by someone... I think the doctors would know better than us, wouldn't they?"
"If it turns out someone deliberately self-harmed to frame a classmate, or if a violent person intentionally injured another..."
Karuizawa deliberately drew out the end of her sentence, sweeping a scornful glance over Ryuuen.
"Then it won't just be a simple expulsion. You might even... end up in the police station."
Ryuuen Kakeru's pupils contracted sharply.
Looking at the aggressive girl before him, he felt for the first time that things might be slipping out of his control.
It wasn't because of Karuizawa herself, but because of the logic behind her words.
These were not the words a gyaru, who usually only talked about makeup and gossip, could come up with.
This was... that person's doing.
The bastard who had been hiding behind the scenes, playing him like a puppet.
"Tch..."
Ryuuen Kakeru gritted his teeth and did not stop them again.
He knew that if the other side dared to mention a "third-party assessment," it meant they were absolutely certain they could expose the truth behind the injury.
This time, he had lost again.
"Let's go!"
Karuizawa Kei, like a victorious rooster, dragged the still-stunned Horikita Suzune and walked out of the School Infirmary without looking back.
With a "bang," the door closed.
Dead silence returned to the room.
Only Ryuuen Kakeru remained standing there, his expression grim.
"I'll remember this debt."
"But this time wasn't a total loss; at least half of the original goal was achieved."
"Hmph, you rat hiding behind a woman, just wait until I find you..."