Mid-May
As the days passed, today marked the long-awaited announcement of the midterm test results. Tension filled the classroom.
However, things seemed calmer than I had anticipated. It appeared that the past exam papers distributed by Ryuen had had an effect—more than fearing expulsion, students seemed concerned about potential retribution from Ryuen. That was the kind of atmosphere that prevailed.
"I will now announce the results of the midterm tests."
As Sakagami entered the classroom and declared this, the tension among the students deepened even further. When the class grades were posted, my classmates responded with voices of joy and relief.
"I must say, I'm impressed. I never expected you all to improve your scores this much."
It was no wonder the teacher would say that. Until recently, the class average had been around 50 points, but this time, the average was about 80 points. Such improvement was truly unprecedented. Undoubtedly, it was thanks to Ryuen.
The top scorers in the class were Kaneda and Shiina. I scored 75 points.
After homeroom ended and the teacher left, Ryuen stepped forward as usual, accompanied by Albert and Ishizaki.
"You've done well for now. But the past exam papers will only take you this far. This school isn't that lenient. Starting from the finals, study on your own. Of course, those who fall below my standards will face consequences."
Initially relieved by Ryuen's words, my classmates shrank back at his final statement. However, there was no denying that support for Ryuen was growing, given his significant achievements. Although it felt like a dictatorship now, I was curious to see where this class would go from here.
...
After School
People headed off to club activities or hung out with friends, but today I was at an electronics store with Shiina. It seemed her hair dryer had broken recently, and she wanted to get it checked while we were at the library.
"Thanks for coming along today."
"It's no big deal. I was just tagging along."
Looking around a bit, it seemed a bit crowded today. Spotting one counter open, I hurried Shiina towards it.
"Welcome..."
Approaching the counter, a sales clerk stood there. They glanced over at us, quickly diverting their gaze when they saw me, but scrutinizing Shiina as if assessing her.
"Um, this is... my hair dryer broke recently..."
Seeming uncomfortable with the clerk's gaze, Shiina hesitantly pulled out the broken hair dryer.
"Oh, this one's done for. It's a battery issue."
The clerk said this almost deliberately as they took the dryer in hand. After checking it, they again shot an uncomfortable glance at Shiina.
"Oh, right. Do you have the warranty card? Warranty card."
"Uh... yes."
Shiina, visibly frightened, searched through her bag and handed over the warranty card to the clerk.
"Oh! It's still within the warranty period. We can exchange it at no cost."
"It'll take about three days, so... can you fill out your address and phone number here?"
Continuing to eye Shiina in a scrutinizing manner, the clerk made her nervous. Seeing Shiina trembling as she tried to write her address and phone number, I stopped her hand holding the pen.
"When the repair is done, please contact me."
"W-wait, you!?"
The clerk sounded surprised at my statement.
"Uh, she's the owner of this dryer, you know? Th-that's a bit..."
"The manufacturer's warranty confirms the purchase date from this store. You've already verified the warranty card. There shouldn't be any issue, right?"
"I... I guess so..."
My response made the clerk look embarrassed, and reluctantly, they agreed to contact me using my phone number, quickly finishing the transaction.
Once everything was settled, Shiina, still shaken by the clerk's gaze, grabbed my hand, and we left the store briskly, heading down a less crowded path.
"... Are you okay?"
Looking at Shiina's face, her eyes were moist, and she still seemed scared.
"I'm sorry for doing that without asking."
"... No, thank you. If it weren't for Hikigaya-kun, I might have ended up signing something."
She still seemed uneasy, her aversion not yet fading. I wanted to reassure her, but I wasn't sure what to say.
"Next time, I'll try to help sooner."
That was all I could convey right now—a genuine sentiment, not just empty words of comfort.
"... Yes. Thank you very much."
Seeing Shiina's relieved expression, I felt glad that I could say something meaningful to her.
"Shall we go to the library?"
Feeling the tense atmosphere, I changed the topic as I thought Shiina might still be anxious.
"Um, well..."
As I steered the conversation, Shiina blushed, appearing both flustered and nervous.
"Is something wrong?"
"Well... I'm still scared from earlier, but when Hikigaya-kun held my hand, I felt relieved... Could you hold my hand again?"
Blushing and looking up at me due to our height difference, Shiina, a beautiful girl, made such a request—I couldn't possibly refuse.
"Y-yeah, sure."
I said this, feeling embarrassed yet seeing her genuinely happy smile. I thought to myself that this was the right thing to do as we held hands and headed towards the library.
...
Around the End of June
While there were moments that weren't exactly peaceful, we managed to enjoy some semblance of tranquility. Ryuen had mentioned gathering information from each class.
"Next, Komiya, Kondo, Ishizaki, come see me later. There's something I need you to do."
"Yes, sir!"
Already like soldiers, these three seemed resigned to whatever might come next. As I savored this rare peace, gazing slowly out the window, Ryuen directed a smile towards me, clearly plotting something.
"Oh, right. Almost forgot. Hikigaya, you too."
Ryuen's unexpected words drew the class's attention to me.
Please spare me.
After school, we were called by Ryuen to hear his plan. While Ishizaki and the others thought I'd face consequences, they gave me sympathetic looks as I left, planning to provoke Sudou of Class D. Ryuen stopped only me, though.
"Kukuku, well, I just wanted to ask you something."
"Ask me something...?"
"About this situation. Do you think we can win?"
"I don't think so."
As I answered instantly, Ryuen laughed as if he had expected my response. In this matter, Ayanokoji would likely get involved. He was associated with that guy, Horikita, who aimed for Class A, so Ayanokoji would probably come out in an unpredictable manner. Even though I had grown a bit, beating Ayanokoji was impossible.
"You're probably right. I feel the same way. I just want to see how the school handles it this time. Besides, there are loopholes in this situation."
It was possible someone in Class D would notice those loopholes.
"If you know that much, then I guess I'm not needed?"
"True, I do intend to eventually withdraw my complaint... but."
As Ryuen said this, he threw a punch at me. I caught his fist, and his smile disappeared, replaced by a sharp gaze.
"I want to see what you're going to do after you've said so much to me."
I see, so he meant to say...
–––––If you're going to meddle, show me your power.
"... So, am I to handle this situation?"
"Yeah. Do as you like."
With that, Ryuen grabbed his things and left the classroom.
Well, well, what was I going to do now?
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