Chapter 5: The Beginning of a High School Adventure (2)
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A large, dark room, no sunlight found its way inside. A collection of strange objects hung on the walls, adding to the mystery of the place. On the couch in the middle of the room, two students sat silently, seemingly waiting for something unknown .
Yoshida spoke in a sharp, warning voice .
" Wait here until the manager comes, and don't touch any of these things ."
One of the students replied quietly .
" Good ."
Yoshida slammed the door behind him, leaving the room in an anxious silence .
After a few moments of silence, Shoyo sighed in annoyance and said :
" Why is it so dark? I'm starting to get bored. Where is this loser manager ?"
Rio replied in a calm tone .
" Calm down a bit, it's only been two seconds since we came in ."
Shoyo smiled sarcastically and said :
" Two seconds are enough to change a person's life ."
Rio looked around, ignoring his friend's comment, and said :
" If you don't like the situation, go back to the teacher's class ."
Shoyo replied with a slight smile :
" Never... She's just handing out grades now. At least we're away from that here ."
Rio raised his hands in a wish.
" I hope you're one of those who clean the halls ."
Shoyo looked at him with fake anger and said .
" You bastard, what did you just say ?"
Rio laughed softly and said :
" I wished you would marry a beautiful girl ."
Shoyo interrupted him with a forced smile .
" You're even bad at lying ."
Rio replied in surrender .
" Well, I wish you could help them clean up ."
Shoyo raised his hands and started wishing out loud .
" I hope you get hit by a car today ."
Rio paused for a moment and looked at him in surprise, but before he could object, a loud sound occurred .
" Bam !"
The two jumped up like two frightened cats. They turned towards the source of the voice, and there stood a man in his thirties at the door, with an athletic body and an imposing presence. In one hand he was holding a bucket filled with a red liquid, and in the other he was holding an alarming gun .
The man spoke in a dry, intimidating voice .
" Clack ."
Then the lights in the room suddenly turned on. Shoyo and Ryo froze in place, stunned by what they saw: stuffed heads of wild animals, from lions and rhinoceroses to cheetahs, hippos and bears, adorned the walls .
The man said coldly .
" Well, what brings you here, boys ?"
Shoyo and Ryo could barely concentrate on his words. Their worried gazes kept on moving towards the bucket and the gun .
The man sighed and put the gun on the wall, then sat behind his desk and put the bucket on top of it .
He said in a quieter voice .
" You can relax now. I am the headmaster. Now, why are you here ?"
After a moment of hesitation, Rio replied .
" We got a ticket for jumping over the school fence yesterday ."
The manager burst into loud laughter :
" Haha, that's funny! Did Yoshida bring you two here just for this ?"
Shoyo and Ryo nodded .
The manager said with a wide smile .
" Okay, I'll forgive you both this time. But be more careful from now on ."
Rio breathed a sigh of relief and said :
" Thank you, Mr. Director. Can we go now ?"
The manager smiled and said in a casual tone .
" Yes, yes, you can go ."
But despite the reassuring words, Shoyo and Ryo sensed something was wrong. They immediately left, and Ryo closed the door behind him .
Inside, the manager sighed slightly and said with a sly smile .
" Sure, those two are special. I think I'll have fun playing with them a little ."
He took out his phone and called someone .
" Hello, Teacher Emilia ..."
Outside, the corridor was crowded with exhausted students after their first class ended. As Shoyo and Ryo made their way through the crowd, their conversation was tense .
Rio said :
" Shouyu, do you feel that was too easy ?"
Shoyo nodded and said :
" Yes... I feel like something bad is going to happen ."
Rio put his hands in his pockets as he walked slowly, looking ahead thoughtfully .
He said in a low voice .
" I expected the headmaster of this prestigious school to be a strict old man, but he was much younger than I expected ."
Shoyo smiled lightly, walking beside him and said :
" I don't have specific standards for managers, but I thought the same thing. However, him forgiving us so easily… I still have my doubts ."
As they walked down the corridor, the atmosphere gradually changed .
Students began to fill the place, and the noise was gradually increasing. Ryo noticed something strange: the girls' glances at him had increased noticeably lately .
He couldn't help but wonder: Is it because he's always with Shoyo? Shoyo's distinctive appearance made him look like a foreigner .
Suddenly, Ryo felt a strange shiver run through his body, as if sharp gazes were piercing his back. He turned lightly towards Shoyo and asked him in a low voice .
" Shouyu...don't you feel like someone is watching us ?"
Shoyo sighed as he wiped his nose with his hand randomly, not caring about his surroundings, then replied coldly .
" No...maybe because you're so attractive to girls, that's why they look at you ."
Rio's eyes widened in surprise and confusion filled his features .
" They're looking at me? They're not looking at you ?"
Shoyo paused for a moment, then quickly raised his hand and hit the back of Ryu's head .
" Are you kidding or do you really not know? All those girls are looking at you, not me !"
Rio wiped the hit spot with his hand and said in a grumbling tone .
" Dude, did you have to hit me? Okay, I get it. But aren't they looking at you too ?"
Shoyu raised his head slightly, then spoke in a slightly proud tone .
" Yes, but most of their looks are filled with fear ."
Rio looked at him in surprise and said :
" Why do you look so happy about this ?"
Shoyo smiled confidently and said :
" Because it's simply a great way to keep problems at bay ."
Rio hesitated for a moment, then nodded in understanding and said :
" You convinced me with your words ."
Ringing... ringing ...
Ryo's phone suddenly cut off the conversation. He took his phone out of his pocket and looked at the screen, seeing the caller's name: Itsuki .
Shoyo asked him curiously as he looked at the phone .
" Who's calling ?"
Rio replied as he opened the call .
" It's Itsuki... Yes, Itsuki, what's up ?"
Ryo turned on the speakerphone so the call could reach Shoyo's ears as well. Itsuki's voice came from the other end .
" Do you hear me? Do you know the room that says Literature Club Room ?"
Rio replied in an emphatic tone .
" Yes, I know her ."
But before he could add anything, Itsuki hung up without explanation .
Rio put the phone back in his pocket, then looked at Shoyo and said .
" Looks like we'll be going to the literature club room now ."
Shoyo silently followed his friend Rio. After a few minutes of walking, they arrived at the door of the Literature Club room. The door was old and dilapidated, and the room was located in a remote corner of the school on the second floor, making it a rarely visited place .
Rio opened the door and entered first, followed by Shoyo inside. Shoyo covered his nose and mouth with a small piece of cloth, trying to avoid inhaling the thick smell of dust that filled the air, while Rio continued to walk forward indifferently .
At the door, Kenzaki greeted them with a small smile .
" Well, it's good you made it... Shoyo, are you okay ?"
Kenzaki asked worriedly as he looked at Shoyo who looked nervous, but Shoyo merely nodded to reassure him .
Everyone continued to enter the middle of the room. Despite its general deterioration, the area they entered was relatively clean. They saw a group of chairs stacked on top of each other next to an open window, and there was an old blackboard hanging on the wall .
Three people sat next to each other. Ryu and Shoyo immediately recognized Itsuki and Ayuki, but the third was unfamiliar .
The boy had dark skin and slightly curly hair. Her most distinguishing feature was her striking yellow eyes and her tall stature .
Ryu and Shoyo looked at him carefully, the two couldn't recognize the boy. But before they could move, the two felt hands grabbing them from behind. It was Itsuki who pushed them towards two chairs which Ayuki quickly pulled out and placed behind them .
Ryu and Shoyo sat on the chairs against their will. Itsuki's face changed, becoming serious, then he stood in front of them to start talking .
" First of all… the teacher found out that we cheated on the test, which is why we will be cleaning the classroom until the end of the first semester ."
Shoyu spoke coldly, as if he was not surprised .
" Well, I expected something like this to happen ."
Rio smiled lightly and said sarcastically .
" Well, good luck to you this year ."
Itsuki's expression suddenly changed, his tone becoming more happy, and he said as he looked at Ryu .
" You're with us too, even though you're top of the class. The teacher said you'd join us ."
Rio was shocked and cried out in surprise .
" What are you saying?! Do you mean that I am the first and I am still with you ?"
Itsuki replied indifferently, trying to hide his small smile .
" Yes, unfortunately, it seems that you are very unlucky ."
Rio sighed in displeasure and said :
" How did this happen?! I mean, there's no way the teacher would do something like this without a reason ."
Itsuki thought for a moment, trying to recall what happened in the class, but Ayuki intervened in a slightly hesitant tone .
" Yes... after the teacher announced that we were being grounded, she received a phone call, and then she said that you would be joining us ."
Ryo was silent for a moment and gathered his thoughts. It didn't take him long to figure out why. Veins protruded from his forehead in anger. The only person who could be behind this was the headmaster .
Ayuki noticed Rio's features full of confidence and doubt, so she asked him curiously .
" Do you know what happened ?"
Rio ran his hand through his hair and pushed him back, his gaze showing that he understood everything .
" Yes, I knew everything ."
Ayuki's eyes sparkled with curiosity, and even Itsuki became more attentive to what Ryuu had to say. Ayuki spoke excitedly .
" So, what did you find out ?"
As Rio prepared to speak and everyone was waiting for his answer, he said with a sarcastic smile .
" I...don't know anything ."
Everyone was disappointed by Rio's sudden answer. There was a heavy silence for a few moments, before Ayuki broke it angrily as she slammed her hand on the table .
" Are you kidding us now ?!"
Itsuki looked at Rio with a look that combined surprise and admiration, and said with a sarcastic smile .
" Seriously, you're a genius at making people wait for empty words ."
Everyone laughed a little at the situation, but Ryu suddenly noticed something. He turned to his side to find that Shoyo had disappeared .
Ryo looked around, finding himself standing in front of the disheveled student who was sitting in the corner. The stare between them seemed intense and charged. The student suddenly stood up, causing Shoyo to take a step back .
The room was tense, and Aoki spoke hesitantly, mixed with fear.
" Shouldn't we stop them ?"
Ayuki grabbed Itsuki's shirt and whispered to him, but was surprised by his calm smile. He placed his hand on her head reassuringly .
" Don't worry, Aoki. It's almost over ."
Ayuki calmed down a bit with Itsuki's words, and watched what would happen .
Shoyu slowly approached the student. The two raised their hands in the air before shaking hands firmly. The sound of the handshake was loud and filled the room. The two smiled confidently, before the student turned to everyone and introduced himself .
" Hello everyone. I'm Kurosaki Hayato. Nice to meet you ."
Both Itsuki and Ryu walked towards him, but Ryu's features looked sharp. He stood in front of Hayato and looked at him seriously .
" What's the most important thing in a girl? Your answer will determine if you'll stay here ."
Everyone exchanged looks in surprise, no one understood the meaning of Rio's question. But he smiled calmly before answering proudly .
" Ethics ."
Itsuki burst out laughing from behind, while Ryo placed his hand on Hayato's shoulder with a confident smile :
" He's with us in the plan ."
Ayuki and Izaki looked at each other in surprise. They didn't quite understand why Ryu and Shoyo were so satisfied with Hayato. To them, the answer was just proof that he was someone who cared about values, but Izaki didn't hide his doubts .
Izaki spoke with a slightly sharp voice .
" Are you sure it will be helpful ?"
Shoyo took firm steps towards Izaki, then said in a confident voice .
" I swear to you on my pride that it will be useful ."
Izaki was a little confused before he replied .
" Well, there's no need to exaggerate like that... We'll let him help ."
While Izaki was talking, both Ryu and Itsuki were holding their stomachs from laughing so hard. Everyone looked at them in surprise, but Itsuki quickly regained his composure and spoke in a dramatic voice, trying to imitate Shoyo .
" I swear to you on my pride ..."
Ryo fell to the ground from laughing, while wiping his tears. Even Itsuki started laughing at his acting. Everyone in the room was puzzled, except for one person: Shoyo, who knew why his two friends were laughing .
Shoyo clapped his hands to get everyone's attention, and said seriously .
" Okay, let's be serious now ."
Ryo and Itsuki stopped laughing, and each sat down on a chair. Ryo stood next to the blackboard, and looked at everyone seriously, as if he was getting ready to say something important .
Rio began to speak with obvious enthusiasm .
" Shoyo, Itsuki, Ayuki, Izaki, and Hayato !"
Everyone replied at the same time .
" Yes ?"
Rio didn't know why he called them like that, but it seemed like his excitement was the reason .
He raised his voice again, saying .
" I will now announce the start of the Great Love Birds Operation !"
Rio announced the name of the operation excitedly, but was surprised by everyone's silence as they headed towards the hall door .
Izaki said apologetically .
" Sorry to get you involved in this, really ."
While Ayuki whispered to Itsuki .
" Itsuki, is Ryo always this weird ?"
Itsuki spoke with a stiff face, trying to hide his embarrassment at his friend's words .
" I... I don't really know that boy ."
Rio shouted after them, trying to stop them .
" Wait! I was just kidding! Go back to your seats, I have a really great plan !"
Everyone stopped and looked at him for a few seconds, then sat back down .
Shoyo spoke in a dull tone as he closed his eyes .
" Wake me up when you're done ."
Rio spoke excitedly, ignoring Shoyo's comment .
" It's simple. Our friend, the student council president, Isaki, is bad at things related to love. So, we're here to support him and make the girl he likes confess to him first !"
Hayato raised his hand in question .
" Who is this girl? Does she have anything to do with the school ?"
Rio replied with a wide smile .
" She's his deputy, Miko !"
Aoki raised her hand to ask in turn .
" Why do you want her to confess first? Why doesn't Izaki do it ?"
Rio smiled as if he had been waiting for this question .
" Because love is war! And whoever confesses first is the loser !"
Everyone looked at him in surprise and astonishment .
"Izaki said, trying not to dampen Ryu's enthusiasm . "
" Sorry, but I didn't think that way. I just want you to make my confession a success, that's all ."
Rio suddenly frowned, speaking in a complaining tone .
" Aren't you a genius, Isaki, and the student council president? Are you trying to make fun of me ?"
Everyone was surprised by his quick change in personality. Izaki spoke up in justification .
" I simply have no experience in this. I don't want to be rejected on my first confession ."
Rio's face turned excited again, and he said with a bright smile .
" Well, since you're honest, I'll help you ."
Itsuki sighed deeply and said .
" Can you stop playing and tell us the plan ?"
Rio began to move towards the board excitedly, as if explaining a huge project for a global company, and said ,
" The plan is easy! Step one, Izaki, you'll meet Miku near the cake shop next to the train station …"
Izaki quickly interrupted him .
" Isn't that obvious? If I asked her ..."
But before he could finish, he heard the sound of taps on the phone's keypad. He turned to find Shoyo holding his phone and talking to Miku .
Shoyo threw the phone towards Izaki and said simply .
" Well, Miko agreed ."
Izaki tried to talk to Shoyo, but Ryo interrupted him with a sly smile .
" Now you can't back out, right ?"
Izaki felt regret for asking for help, but he smiled slightly and said :
" Continue, please ."
The group watched the events silently. Hayato whispered to both Aoki and Itsuki .
" Do we help him or force him to do it ?"
Aiuki put her hands over her mouth and said fearfully .
" I'm starting to get scared of them ."
Itsuki said in a contemplative tone as he held his chin .
" I think they swapped bodies or something ."
Rio clapped his hands and said .
" Stop talking, and let me finish the plan !"
After about half an hour of explanation and justification, and Rio's insistence on the superiority of his plan and not accepting any objections from Isaki, everyone agreed. Rio looked at them with a conceited smile and said :
" You can clap now ."
But, everyone ignored his words and left the classroom quietly .
Outside the classroom, Hayato spoke among us. He looked at the rest with a smile and said .
" Do you want to go to the school cafeteria ?"
Shoyo replied enthusiastically .
" You know exactly what you're saying !"
Itsuki and Ayuki joined them. Izaki, who had caused the meeting, felt more regret than gratitude for asking for help .
Rio remained in the classroom alone, expecting loud applause, but found only silence. After a moment of frustration, he reluctantly clapped for himself and left .
In the school corridors at sunset, students began to stream out of the school with the last rays of the sun. They were tired from the exhausting gym classes .
Someone said .
" Damn, I'm so exhausted... I need a hot shower right away !"
Another enthusiastic response .
" Yes, but did you hear about the fight that took place at the Karate Club? Shoyo and Hayato challenged each other to a test of their fist strength! The teacher tried to intervene, but he ended up getting injured !"
" Oh my god, what kind of monsters are they? This is terrifying !"
" What about the prince who appeared in the basketball club? Everyone is talking about Rio, how talented and smart he is and has so many wonders !"
" Oh, but why didn't he join the club ?"
He told the coach that if he joined, the novel would turn into a sports story !
" He lives in another world ."
While everyone was busy talking, Rio and his classmates stayed in the classroom to clean it up .
Ryo watched the door as if waiting for someone. Moments later, he saw Izaki and Miku leaving the school together .
Itsuki saw that Ryu was absent-minded, so he threw the broomstick at him. Ryu caught it without even turning around .
He smiled confidently and said, "It's time to put the plan into action ."
Ayuki hesitated, saying ,
" Isn't it bad to trick Izaki like this ?"
Rio replied confidently .
" To fool your enemies, you must first fool your friends. Itsuki, explain to her ."
Itsuki sighed and said :
" What Rio means is that we need things to look normal, so that Miku doesn't suspect anything ."
Hayato completed the explanation .
" Right, that way Miko will feel that Izaki is honest and reliable ."
Ayouki burst into tears of emotion and said ,
" This is the spirit of true friendship !"
Itsuki patted her head gently, saying .
" Okay, let's get started ."
The real plan. The group dispersed as Ryu had planned. They made Izaki believe they would put him in situations that would show off his strengths to Miku, but in reality, the plan was to test his patience .
Stage 1: Itsuki and Ayuki disguise themselves to cause trouble with Izaki and Miko, and Izaki shows his cleverness in solving it .
Stage 2: Hayato and Shoyo intervene to pick a fight with Izaki, either by making him look like a strong leader or by embarrassing him, depending on what the two of them want .
The final hurdle: exploiting Miku's fear of knives and gangs to make her completely dependent on Izaki .
As Rio was going over his plan in his mind, he burst out laughing maniacally, much to the surprise of the passersby .
Before Ryu could continue on his way, two people grabbed him and dragged him into a dark alley. He tried to resist, but their voices were familiar .
" Calm down, it's us ."
It was Hayato and Itsuki. They led him to the roof of a nearby building and pointed to a small cafe. There sat Isaki and Miku talking .
Ayoki's voice came from the phone speaker saying .
" Guys, you need to hear this... listen !"
" Izaki, I love you... Will you go out with me ?"
Miko blushed deeply and covered her face with the menu. Izaki took her hand and smiled .
" And I love you, too ."
At that moment, Rio mentally collapsed .
" What?! What kind of romantic comedy is this ?!"
Shoyo tried to comfort him .
" Calm down, not everyone can be a master planner like me ."
Itsuki added .
" Maybe it was just beyond your capabilities ."
Hayato laughed and said .
" It's okay, my friend... planning isn't for everyone ."
Rio exploded in anger.
" Damn you bastards why are we friends "
Shoyo replied to him in a sarcastic tone .
" Because of your poor planning "
Shoyo, Itsuki, and Hayatoa all ran away from the angry Ryu, but continued to mock him .
As Ayuki watched them from afar with a smile, she suddenly realized that they had left her behind .
" Great... I have to go home alone !"