Frustration couldn't even begin to describe Ryuen's mood.
He had been particularly looking forward to seeing Kaoru's expression, but who would have thought he'd be the one carelessly outmaneuvered by Kaoru?
Even before the exam, Class 1-C had to compensate Class 1-D with 2 million Personal Points.
Moreover, they had lost 100 Class Points.
So frustrating!
As soon as they left the Student Council office, Ryuen's expression was as if he had swallowed a fly.
Beside him, Ishizaki was timid and hesitant, unsure whether to explain himself.
"Ryuen-kun, it really wasn't me. I wasn't even fully awake at the time—how could I have drugged the coffee? They're framing me... I don't know what's going on either."
As he spoke, Daichi himself grew confused. It wasn't just Class 1-D, many others claimed to have witnessed him drugging the coffee.
Because of this, the school and Student Council acted swiftly, apprehending him and bringing him to the Student Council office within an hour.
"I know it wasn't you."
Ryuen actually suspected Manabe Shiho and was almost certain that Kaoru had caught wind of the plan.
Although today's events had caught him off guard, they hadn't deviated much from his judgment yesterday—Kaoru would definitely strike first to disrupt his plans before he could act.
"Ryuen-kun!"
Ishizaki was deeply moved, feeling that he had chosen the right leader.
Not only did Ryuen take responsibility for him, but he also showed no sign of blaming him.
Ryuen glared at him and was about to call Mio Ibuki when he spotted Sakagami's figure appear before him.
"You went too far this time." Sakagami Kazuma was their homeroom teacher, fully aware of Ryuen Kakeru's methods and usually turned a blind eye.
But now the situation was different. "If the school seriously investigates this, you'll definitely be expelled."
Ryuen held some respect for this teacher, merely smiling faintly.
"Before expulsion becomes reality, I'll certainly use my Protection Points to test whether the school's rules actually work against the school itself."
Sakagami was speechless.
Hadn't the school already penalized him for previous fights? Did he think he could use the school's own sword against it?
"That vice president certainly has some skills," Sakagami Kazuma said. "Before you arrived, he strongly demanded the school investigate the laxative's source. Starting today, the school will likely strengthen supervision in this area. Be careful."
Ryuen's eyes glinted as he watched his homeroom teacher's retreating figure.
Next, he sent Mio Ibuki to investigate the café witnesses, discovering everyone could identify Ishizaki from photos.
Learning this, Ishizaki appeared deeply shaken, even wondering if he'd been sleepwalking.
Ryuen pondered for a long time but couldn't figure out how Kaoru had managed to make over twenty people consistently stick to the same testimony.
Was it some kind of cash superpower?
Then he began considering why Manabe Shiho would work for Kaoru.
Money? He'd checked Manabe Shiho's phone and found her personal balance was low with no transfer records - Kaoru clearly hadn't paid her.
Connecting this to Kaoru's harem, Ryuen could only attribute it to Kaoru's personal charm.
Surely he didn't actually possess some hypnosis app?
After sending away Ishizaki and Ibuki, Ryuen Kakeru immediately sought out Koenji Rokusuke.
"Interested in cooperating?" Ryuen Kakeru watched Koenji lying in a senior's embrace. "I have the ability to get you to Class A."
Koenji Rokusuke who's enjoyed being fed by the gentle senior, glancing casually at Ryuen.
"I'm not interested in class matters."
"No, you are interested," Ryuen Kakeru said. "Because if you get expelled from Class D, everyone will assume the heir of Koenji conglomerate is worthless."
Koenji seemed genuinely intrigued, squinting at him for a moment.
"So, Ryuen Boy, do you have 20 million?"
"Want to cooperate?"
"Betray the class to help you?"
"Do you care about Class D's trash?"
Koenji left the senior's embrace and sat opposite Ryuen.
"Heh, seems like a fascinating proposal," Koenji said. "If you want to defeat Kaoru Boy, wouldn't Horikita Girl be more suitable than me?"
"It appears I've found the right person," Ryuen smiled. "I haven't even stated my purpose, yet you already know what I want to do. If not you, then who?"
Truthfully, Ryuen was pleasantly surprised.
He'd approached Koenji merely seeking a competent Class D student - Hirata Yosuke, Sudo Ken and others weren't suitable.
Thus, Ryuen Kakeru had chosen Koenji.
"One million - don't go all out in this exam," Ryuen stated bluntly.
Koenji replied indifferently, "I won't lose to anyone."
"If it's too little, just say so."Ryuen raised an eyebrow. "I recall you didn't achieve first place in either the sports festival or the training camp exam."
Koenji's gaze instantly turned cold, but Ryuen acted as if he hadn't noticed and continued, "Don't even think about reporting this to Mitoma later. Even if Mitoma could offer more Personal Points than me, your value to him is too low. He wouldn't give you 20 million."
"But I'm different." Ryuen laid his cards on the table. "I'm someone who will stop at nothing to secure first place. As long as you help me, you'll get 20 million. Whatever you want, I'll give it to you."
Koenji remained silent for a moment. "Class D's value isn't high. Even if I help you win once, what could you possibly squeeze out of them?"
"Will Horikita find out?"
Ryuen said, "That girl only has Class A on her mind. She'll keep climbing upward. Just knowing what she'll do next gives me half the victory."
Koenji understood his reasoning.
With his own presence, subtly guiding Horikita Suzune's thought process would allow Class C to influence Class D's decisions.
This way, Ryuen would wield the power of two classes while Kaoru remained completely unaware, likely leading to his downfall.
Should he help?
Koenji seriously considered the question.
He truly didn't want to get involved—what did these class rivalries have to do with him?
He had his own rhythm in life, and no one could disrupt it.
Yet, Ryuen's words demanded consideration.
The recent voting exam had indeed put Koenji on alert.
If Class D truly intended to vote him out, what could he do?
He could eliminate those instigating trouble, but what if something unexpected happened?
What if the next expulsion exam was even more unreasonable?
After some thought, Koenji decided to observe the situation for now.
Ryuen definitely didn't have 20 million points currently, and even if he did, he wouldn't part with them easily.
He might as well agree temporarily.
If circumstances changed, Koenji would withdraw immediately—he had no intention of actually breaking his back for Ryuen.
Whether he graduated from Class A or not genuinely didn't matter to Koenji.
"2 million."
Koenji opened with an extortionate offer.
Ryuen indeed hesitated for several seconds, likely believing Koenji was already onboard, and ultimately accepted the demand.