A Tyrant's Will

Volume 1: Chapter 7.2 - The Merciless Siege(Confrontation)

I exited the mall and headed directly towards the secluded alleyway behind the building. It was the perfect place to conduct business. Students never go near that area, and the chance was even lower now that it was getting late.

Ishizaki and Ibuki left just five minutes ago. I deliberately made them take a longer and more roundabout route through the gardens on the outskirts of campus in order to avoid them getting spotted by the security cameras. I had already mapped out the precise location of almost every camera outside the school buildings, so coming up with a safe path was simple. Albert would take the same route in around 10 minutes.

It's beneficial to pay attention to every tiny detail, since I didn't want to leave behind any unnecessary evidence. Of course, I would take the direct path there and let myself be captured by the cameras. All they would see is me walking towards the back of the mall, alone. In the future, this footage might actually be beneficial to my case.

I soon arrived at the destination. The passageway was long and narrow, with a mixture of fans, vents, and pipes along the side. Ishizaki jumped out and gave me a little wave upon noticing my approach. Him and Ibuki were hiding at the very far end of the alleyway, close to the exit on the other side.

Their main job was to stop Kanzaki if he ever tried to run away or escape. Given Ishizaki's history as a delinquent and Ibuki's martial arts training, they should have no trouble subduing him. Albert would be doing the same, except he would be staying out of sight near the front entrance. If Kanzaki ever tried to bolt in that direction, he would be met with a nasty surprise.

A couple minutes later, at around 5:45, Kanzaki showed up. He was by himself, donning his usual stern expression. He narrowed his eyes when he noticed my presence, but his face quickly morphed into a look of slight bewilderment. He glanced up and down the alleyway, as if he were searching for something.

"So? What do you want, Kanzaki? You said you wanna settle things, but all you're doing is standing there and looking around like a moron."

Kanzaki quickly snapped back into focus, recomposing himself upon hearing my words. He seemed to have returned to normal, but I could tell he was slightly on edge and feeling a little concerned.

"It's nothing. I think you already know where this is going, Ryuuen. During these past few days, you've been deliberately provoking my class for no reason. I've asked you multiple times to stop, yet you refuse to listen. However, something happened today that will change everything. During lunch, I was approached by a student from your class who offered me insider information in order to take you down."

"Take me down? Don't be stupid. If you think something like a traitor is gonna stop me, then you're mistaken. I'll find whoever that person is, sooner or later. And when I do, I'll crush them mercilessly."

"How can you be so sure of that, Ryuuen? There are 39 people in your class, excluding yourself. Any one of them could be the traitor. It won't be easy finding them, especially if they conceal themselves well."

"You still don't understand, do you? My class is filled with a bunch of weaklings who're too scared to do jack on their own. I've already hammered into their heads the consequences of betraying me. That eliminates 99 percent of my class."

"That doesn't completely rule out the possibility of one of them secretly being the traitor, though. In the end, you can't be sure who it is, so I still have the leverage in this situation. I can sink your class all the way to the bottom over time."

"Is that so? I'd like to see you try. I bet you're too much of a coward to even do something like that. You'll probably get scared and run away," I sneered.

"I'm more than willing to use every advantage I've got in order to stop people who bully others such as yourself," Kanzaki replied.

"Oho, how interesting. I wonder what your class would say to that declaration? I bet Ichinose would be very disappointed in you. Such behavior isn't a part of her upstanding and righteous moral code, don't you think?"