The arrival of Class D cast a shadow over Ayanokoji's plans.
Originally, he had intended to go along with Ryuuen's invitation to the rooftop, waiting for him to make the first move. Then, he would retaliate with overwhelming force, delivering a crushing blow.
If Ryuuen realized he had been played from the very start, there was a good chance he would never recover from it. At the very least, it would keep him quiet for a while.
Of course, there was always the possibility that Ryuuen would turn the tables and try to pin the blame on him, so Ayanokoji had prepared for that as well.
Not only had he arranged for Horikita to act as a witness, but during the time Ryuuen had blacked out the security cameras, Ayanokoji had been at the Keyaki Mall with friends, providing himself with an airtight alibi.
With that, Class C would have no grounds to file a complaint with the school, and Ayanokoji could remain hidden in the shadows.
But now, with Yamauchi and the others showing up, his plan had been completely derailed.
Even without confirmation, there was no way this was just a coincidence.
"Ayanokoji, what the hell is going on?! D-Did you do all of this?!"
Sudo's disbelief was written all over his face, and the others weren't any different.
Though Class C was their sworn enemy, no one was celebrating. All they felt was shock and unease.
A natural reaction… Sigh.
Ayanokoji sighed inwardly and stepped away from Ryuuen.
At this point, no excuse would hold up.
He had taken on four opponents alone and left them all lying on the ground. That much was undeniable.
And it wasn't as if he could just count Kei as part of his "combat power."
Fortunately, there were fewer than ten people from Class D here, most of whom were guys.
Most importantly, Hirata was among them.
Right now, preventing the news from spreading was the top priority, and Hirata was the best person to keep things under control.
Ayanokoji met Hirata's gaze, silently asking for help. Hirata immediately understood.
"Everyone, let's calm down. I know you're all confused, but now isn't the time for questions."
With that, he walked over to Albert and crouched down to check on him.
Seeing this, the others seemed to catch on and began helping the students from Class C up.
Before long, Ibuki and the others started regaining consciousness. No one was seriously hurt.
Even Albert, who appeared to have taken the most damage, only had a nosebleed and a few scratches on his face. Most of the blood on him came from Ayanokoji's fists.
After all, Ayanokoji had never intended to kill—he had held back.
"Heh… Ayanokoji, you're something, aren't you?" Ryuuen chuckled mockingly. "You even arranged for an audience to show up just in time. Were you hoping they'd admire your heroic moment? Well, congratulations. You single-handedly took us all down."
He must have realized this wasn't part of Ayanokoji's plan, which was why he was deliberately provoking him.
Not that it made a difference. The only thing that mattered now was keeping the number of witnesses to a minimum.
At that moment, Hirata stepped forward.
"Ryuuen, I don't know what happened between you and Ayanokoji, but you're both hurt. You should get those wounds treated first."
He had been watching the situation carefully and immediately picked up on Ayanokoji's desire to de-escalate things.
Ryuuen likely understood that as well.
"Is that alright with you, Ayanokoji?" Hirata continued, feigning concern. "You might be upset, but now isn't the time to argue. Let's all cool our heads first and discuss this later."
"Yeah, I agree."
Ayanokoji nodded obediently.
Next, he just needed to find a way to shut Ryuuen down, ensuring he wouldn't pull any reckless stunts that would backfire on him.
If he insisted on stirring up trouble, then Ayanokoji wouldn't hesitate to drag Ishizaki, Ibuki, and Albert into it as well, threatening to push Class C into total ruin.
"Alright, everyone, just to be safe, let's help them back," Hirata instructed.
There were undoubtedly still many questions, but Hirata made it clear: treating their injuries was the priority.
Under such a reasonable argument, no one dared to speak out of turn.
Once they had time to process what happened, convincing them to stay quiet would be much easier. With Hirata's help, maintaining their silence seemed feasible.
"Tch, I don't need your damn pity."
Ryuuen slowly lifted his upper body, ignoring Ishizaki and the others as he stood up and walked toward the exit.
It seemed like he had something he wanted to say, but with so many people around, he probably couldn't bring himself to speak.
No one tried to stop him. Everyone knew that a wounded beast was the most dangerous.
Besides, since Ayanokoji himself wasn't saying anything, the others had no reason to intervene.
Even Miyake, someone who valued loyalty, merely watched Ryuuen leave with a complicated expression.
Come to think of it, the two of them seemed to know each other from before.
"Ryuuen, wait!"
To everyone's surprise, it was Kushida—the one person who was always so good at reading the room—who suddenly called out to him.
"What's the matter, Kikyo? Do you need something?"
"You and your accomplices attacked Ayanokoji-kun, and you're just going to leave without even explaining?" Kushida asked sharply. "And we also heard you took Karuizawa to the rooftop. What exactly were you planning to do to her?"
Strange. How did they find out?
Ayanokoji didn't believe Karuizawa would have told anyone she had been called there. Did Ryuen's group leak their whereabouts?
"Oh? And who told you that?" Ryuen asked, amused.
"It was mentioned in our class group chat. Hirata couldn't get in touch with Karuizawa, so we all came to check," Miyake answered, stepping forward before turning to Ayanokoji.
"But Kiyotaka, why did you arrive here before us? Didn't you say you were heading back to the dorms to rest?"
"Yeah, are you the one who sent that anonymous message?" Yukimura questioned as well. "Why hide your identity? Wouldn't it have been better if we all came together to save Karuizawa?"
After school at noon, Ayanokoji's group had gone to Keyaki Mall.
However, midway through, Ayanokoji excused himself, opting not to join the others for karaoke.
He had intended to establish an alibi, but in the end, he only deepened their suspicions.
Ever since the last exam, there had already been some cracks within their group. But since it was composed of easygoing and indifferent individuals, most concerns remained unspoken. At the time, Ayanokoji had managed to fool them—at least, temporarily.
But this time, it seemed unlikely.
At the very least, it would be difficult to deceive Miyake and Yukimura, who had personally witnessed him pummeling Ryuen.
"Seriously, look at the state you're in. Why act like some kind of hero? Even Hirata isn't as worked up as you are!"
Yamauchi took the opportunity to criticize Ayanokoji's recklessness.
"I say, you wouldn't happen to have feelings for Karuizawa, would you?" He grinned and leaned in teasingly. "The moment Ryuen took her away, you lost your cool and picked a fight. But don't forget—she has a boyfriend!"
"No, I don't have any such thoughts," Ayanokoji replied flatly.
Honestly, he wished everyone's thinking was as simplistic as Yamauchi's. That would save him a lot of trouble.
"Hey, hey, don't accuse me unjustly."
Ryuen chuckled lightly.
"You're all saying I did something to Karuizawa, so why don't you tell me exactly what I did?"
"Uh…"
Everyone turned to Karuizawa, their expressions shifting to uncertainty.
She appeared completely unharmed—the only student at the scene without a single injury.
"Karuizawa-san, are you okay?" Kushida asked with feigned concern. "Are you hurt anywhere? Do you feel any pain? Should we take you to the infirmary to get checked by a teacher?"
"N-No, that's not necessary. I'm fine."
Karuizawa shrank back slightly, seemingly aware that Kushida's attitude was unusual. After all, they had nearly been at odds not long ago.
Even if it was just for show, it felt excessive—almost as if she was deliberately shifting everyone's focus onto Karuizawa.
If that was her true intention, it could lead to serious complications.
Just as Ayanokoji was considering his next move, the door swung open again, and a cold voice echoed across the rooftop.
"That's enough from both sides."
The figure who entered was none other than the former student council president, Horikita Manabu.
"I'll take over from here. Class D students, return to your dorms."
Ayanokoji hadn't asked him to do anything beyond standing at the door as a witness, meaning he hadn't intended to stop anyone from entering.
Horikita must have realized the situation had escalated and taken the initiative to step in.
Even if it was just to build goodwill, it was undeniably a huge help.
"I don't know who's right or wrong, but if this continues, both classes might face consequences."
Faced with his unyielding tone, the Class D students hesitated uneasily.
After all, as the former student council president, he had long commanded authority. Even after stepping down, his influence remained substantial.
Bringing him here had been the right decision.
Hirata spoke at just the right moment. "Since Horikita-senpai is here, I'm sure things will be handled properly. Let's just retreat quietly… What do you say, Ayanokoji-kun?"
"Yeah, I'll go along with that."
Their coordinated effort successfully convinced the Class D students to back off.
Kushida looked like she still had more to say, but with Horikita present, she had no choice but to hold back.
Yet, just as things seemed to settle, an unexpected figure entered the scene.
"Heh, you first-years sure seem lively. Mind if I join in?"
"Nagumo…? What are you doing here?"
Standing before them was Nagumo Miyabi, the current student council president.
Judging by Horikita's reaction, even he hadn't anticipated Nagumo's arrival.
One big shot after another. The Class D students were visibly unsettled, with Ishizaki and the others growing uneasy.
The situation was becoming more and more complicated.
Ayanokoji had a bad feeling about this—especially about who had called Nagumo here in the first place.
"Oh, I was just passing by." Nagumo smiled slightly. "But, Horikita-senpai, why are you here? Are you involved in this too?"
"No, I was also just passing by."
"Hah, well, since it's coming from you, I suppose I'll believe it."
Nagumo didn't press the matter further. Instead, his gaze wandered, quickly landing on the security camera that had been blacked out.
His eyes gleamed with interest as he chuckled. "Ah, I see. You guys were fighting up here, weren't you? Looks like Class D won. But don't think for a second that winning means it's over."
"No, Nagumo-senpai—"
"We didn't fight! Ayanokoji did it all by himself!"
Hirata had just started to explain when Yamauchi's loud voice cut him off.
Even though the others remained silent, all their eyes turned to Ayanokoji in unison.
"…Heh. Interesting."
Nagumo initially seemed doubtful, but after observing everyone's reactions—and noting that Class C wasn't refuting it—he quickly realized it was likely true.
He stepped up to Ayanokoji and scrutinized him.
"So, you're Ayanokoji? You took down four people from Class C all by yourself?"
"I was merely acting in self-defense."
"Hah. No wonder Horikita-senpai has his eye on you. I think I'm starting to understand."
Nagumo's smile widened, but there was no amusement in his gaze.
It was clear he didn't care in the slightest about who was right or wrong.
"Even if you claim self-defense, I can't just take your word for it. And from the looks of it, you've got more secrets than I expected."
With those words, Nagumo suddenly reached out and grabbed Ayanokoji's arm tightly.
The tension in the air spiked, leaving everyone speechless.
Was another fight about to break out?
But before anyone could react, Nagumo released his grip and smirked. "Relax, I was just joking. Since they all say you took down four people alone, I wanted to confirm it myself. Oh, and I'd also like to hear how you plan to resolve this."
Ayanokoji didn't respond—any answer would only play into Nagumo's hands.
Horikita stepped in to assist. "Nagumo, violence is unacceptable, but the student council's role is only to ensure fair judgment."
But Nagumo wasn't one to give Horikita a face.
"Sorry, but that's just your way of doing things, Horikita-senpai. I won't ignore this."
His gaze swept across the group.
"Tomorrow at 10 AM, both classes will send representatives to the student council office. This matter will be thoroughly investigated."
This was the worst possible outcome.