Silence.
A deadly silence filled the inside and outside of the store.
No one spoke.
How should they put it? It was difficult to argue against this guy's logic. If anything, it was too reasonable. His argument had no flaws—solid from every angle, airtight in its reasoning.
They say you can't guard against a thief for a thousand days, and that sometimes, the best way to avoid trouble is to eliminate the source of fear itself. In that sense, wasn't it perfectly reasonable to beat someone until they were no longer a threat?
Absolutely.
Yet, when they recalled the scene of Kure Ragna single-handedly taking down three opponents with godlike ease, leaving the fourth so terrified that he didn't even dare to move, they couldn't help but feel that something was off.
—Who exactly was bullying whom?
But the question remained: Who made the first move?
Ryuen Kakeru.
And who was forced to fight back?
Kure Ragna.
By all logic, the latter was simply defending himself after being provoked. The fact that he just happened to completely overpower his opponents… well, was that really his fault?
Why should the victim be punished?
Horikita Manabu exhaled slowly, feeling a headache coming on.
"Our student council will handle this matter appropriately," he said.
The moment the words left his mouth, he regretted them.
Coming from the president of the student council, it was as good as officially acknowledging that Kure Ragna was justified in beating Ryuen Kakeru and his group to a pulp.
They say that talking too much leads to mistakes. Horikita had always been careful with his words, yet somehow, he'd still fallen into this ridiculous situation. His intelligence felt like it had dropped by at least fifty percent.
He had envisioned himself as a warrior locked in a fair duel, blade in hand, ready to strike when the enemy exposed an opening. Yet, before he knew it, he had been dragged into his opponent's domain expansion, unwittingly singing and dancing along to the other's tune.
Wasn't there a saying?
The insane will drag you down to their level and defeat you with experience.
But if Kure Ragna was the insane one, then what did that make him, the one being outplayed?
No matter. It was too late to take his words back. He had no choice but to go along with it now.
"Properly handle it?" Kure Ragna sounded intrigued. "And how exactly do you plan to do that?"
"I'll explain, but first, let him go."
"Hmm..."
Kure Ragna looked down at Ryuen Kakeru, who had remained silent throughout the entire exchange.
"What if he gets up and tries to hit me again?"
"Then I'll personally stop him," Horikita replied, rolling up his sleeves, revealing the toned muscles of his forearms.
"...Ohhh."
Kure Ragna smirked and finally lifted his foot from Ryuen Kakeru's head.
To everyone's surprise, the moment his foot moved, Ryuen Kakeru immediately got up, unfazed by the blood trickling down his forehead. He didn't even bother wiping it away.
At the same time, Albert, who had been lying motionless behind Horikita, also struggled to his feet, proving that he hadn't been knocked out after all.
Kure Ragna grinned and released the last hostage.
"You bastard..." The freed boy turned around, glaring at him.
But Ryuen Kakeru stopped him before he could do anything reckless.
"Ishizaki."
"...Yes."
At his leader's command, the boy—Ishizaki—immediately stepped back, though his eyes kept darting toward Kure Ragna, brimming with resentment.
Kure Ragna, however, paid him no mind. Starting a fight now would be as childish as stepping on someone's new white sneakers during a brawl—pointless and immature.
Instead, he turned back to Horikita Manabu, raising an eyebrow as if to say—Alright, let's hear this 'proper handling' of yours.
Horikita cleared his throat.
"Picking fights, instigating violence, and coercing classmates—by school regulations, Ryuen Kakeru, you are subject to expulsion."
The words hit like a bomb.
Ryuen Kakeru's pupils contracted.
No matter how much of a delinquent he was, at the end of the day, he was still a student. The idea of being expelled did frighten him.
Unlike the naive fools who came to this school without understanding its system, Ryuen Kakeru had enrolled with a clear goal—to reach Class A.
If he got expelled on the first day, it would be like an RPG protagonist completing the beginner village quest, setting off on a grand adventure to become the world's strongest swordsman, only to receive a notification:
"This is just a trial version. The full map isn't available. Please return to your village and resume chopping wood."
It would be nothing short of a mental breakdown.
But then—Horikita's next words reignited the flames of hope.
"Of course, that's only if the victim chooses to report it to the school."
In other words, as long as they reached a private agreement, nothing would happen.
Ryuen Kakeru immediately turned to Kure Ragna.
"Alright, let's talk money," he said in a low voice.
"If you transfer 1000 billion personal points to me right now, I'll let it slide—"
"Get lost."
Ryuen Kakeru rejected him outright.
What kind of joke was this? Let alone 1000 billion, even 100 million was impossible!
…Wait.
100 million… might actually be feasible.
"Then there's nothing to discuss?" Kure Ragna tilted his head.
"If that's the case, then you're dropping out."
"...What?"
For a moment, Ryuen Kakeru thought he had misheard.
He had already lowered himself, willing to negotiate. The other guy could have asked for anything reasonable, but instead, he just wanted him expelled?
"That's too much. At least suggest something within reason."
"Hmm…" Kure Ragna pretended to think. "Alright, then—drop out of school."
"I'm giving you a chance here. Think about it. As long as it's within my means, I'll agree."
"Okay—drop out of school."
"Do you have any shame?!"
"Nope. Drop out of school."
"Believe it or not, I'll kill you!"
"Go ahead. (shock)"
"...!"
Ryuen Kakeru's blood pressure spiked. But he still didn't dare to attack.
Because, quite frankly—he knew he would lose.
Just as things were about to reach a stalemate, Horikita stepped in.
"If a student is expelled, their class loses 200 points. To cancel an expulsion, 200 million personal points must be paid. If you ask me, the best deal would be this:
Class C pays Kure Ragna 2000 class points per month, distributed equally among students.
Ryuen Kakeru personally pays Kure Ragna 200 million personal points by graduation.
Failure to comply means Ryuen Kakeru is expelled."
It was a brilliant play.
Horikita had crushed Ryuen Kakeru's expectations, then presented a reasonable alternative—one that felt like a relief rather than a punishment.
Everyone wins.
"The terms are tempting, my friend," Kure Ragna said, nodding. Then, suddenly, he smirked.
"But the thing is… why would I want to be in Class A?"
"...What?"
Even Horikita was momentarily stunned.
Ryuen Kakeru chuckled. "You really gave this guy the least tempting offer possible."
Horikita exhaled, already feeling drained.
"Fine. Name your price."
Kure Ragna glanced at Arisu Sakayanagi… and at the small bag of expensive tea beside her.
Sakayanagi smiled playfully, blinking at him.
After a moment, Kure Ragna sighed.
"Tsk… fine. I allow you to give me money."