A Tyrant's Will

Volume 1: Chapter 8.2 - Interclass Dealings

Every day of the week, the stores and restaurants would be packed and the mall would be swarming with students and lively chatter. But after the month changed and all hell broke loose, there was an obvious dip in the number of freshmen frolicking around. With the midterms coming up soon, the students from each class were all busy studying. 

I was hanging out with Ishizaki and Albert at a small cafe on the second floor. Komiya and Kondou had club activities after class, so they couldn't come. There were a couple of upperclassmen present, but otherwise the place was mostly empty. As I was relaxing, I saw out of the corner of my eye two people walking towards our location.

The girl on the left had long purple hair tied up in a ponytail. She seemed like your average student, and there didn't seem to be anything special about her. She was walking beside a petite girl with short, silver hair.

The little girl's features immediately jumped out at me. Most notably, she was holding a cane and wearing a black beret. I immediately recognized her as Sakayanagi due to her unique appearance.

This girl was probably the only student in the entire school who wore a hat. I couldn't tell if it had any significant meaning or she was just trying to be a show-off.

As she slowly approached, my eyes narrowed in contemplation. Her coming to meet me here was no coincidence. I pretended not to notice her and sneakily started a recording before putting my phone back into my pocket.

"Excuse me. Are you Ryuuen-kun, by any chance?" the little girl asked.

"Who are you?"

"My name is Sakayanagi Arisu, and I am one of the representatives of Class A. It's a pleasure to meet you."

"And what about your lady friend?" I turned my attention towards the purple-haired girl. "What's your name?"

"Why do I have to tell you? Leave me out of this." The girl quickly backed off, signaling that she didn't want to be a part of this conversation. I bet she and Ibuki would be best friends.

"Please don't mind her. I was born with a disability, which is why I have to use a cane for assistance. That's why I asked this kind lady to escort me in case there are any emergencies."

"I see. How much are you paying your babysitter to take care of you, eh?"

The purple-haired girl crossed her arms in dissatisfaction. "What? I'm no one's babysitter. This is just a one-time thing. Isn't that right?"

Sakayanagi let out a small chuckle. "Let's just ignore her for now, Ryuuen-kun. Why don't we get down to business?"

"And what exactly does a Class A leader want from me? I'm not gonna go easy on you just because you have a disability."

"Of course. You've done quite a lot of interesting things since coming to this school now, haven't you? First you provoked Ichinose-san's class in the hallway. Then, a couple days later, rumors spread around about a supposed traitor in their class."

"So, what about it? You think I had something to do with all that?"

"Judging by those scars and bruises on your face and nose, I find it very hard to see how you wouldn't be involved. Also, you received that injury the day after your class provoked Ichinose-san's. It's obvious something happened between you and Class C."

"So, you came here just to sniff around for some information, did you? And what makes you think that I would tell you anything?"

"Oh, don't worry. I wasn't expecting you to reveal your secrets. In fact, I pretty much already know everything that's happened."