On the cruise ship.
Ryunosuke couldn't wait to collect money from the two teachers. First, he visited Hoshinomiya Chie to claim his 2 million points.
*BANG!*
He opened Chie's room door with a flat face. The sound of trickling water could be heard from the bathroom; it seemed she was bathing.
Ryunosuke sat calmly on the sofa, crossed his legs, and folded his arms across his chest while waiting for that woman to finish.
"Mmm mmm mmm~"
A soft hum was heard from inside the bathroom along with the sound of Chie's feet splashing in the bathtub. She naturally heard the commotion outside, but she didn't mind.
She knew that young man didn't have "that kind" of interest in her. Even though she already knew, she still felt dissatisfied...
(Am I that unattractive? To the point even a young boy can't be conquered by me.)
Chie wrapped her body in a bathrobe and walked out casually.
Ryunosuke closed his eyes to prevent himself from seeing things he shouldn't see. Chie didn't beat around the bush; she took her terminal phone and transferred 2 million points to that young man.
After all, she was very satisfied with this result. With the class point difference widening to almost 300, it was estimated it would take half a year for other classes to catch up to them.
How could she not be satisfied?
Ryunosuke could be said to have completed his task with results exceeding expectations. She even felt spending these 2 million points still felt profitable.
After receiving those points, Ryunosuke immediately left. He didn't care at all that the beautiful woman in front of him was only wearing a bathrobe; he didn't even deign to glance at her twice.
In his eyes there was only money.
"Really a stubborn kid. Ignoring a beautiful woman like me and only caring about money. What's so good about money? Hmph!" Chie tightened her bathrobe and puffed out her pretty cheeks.
Chie returned to her room annoyed, intending to take a hot bath again because she hadn't finished earlier.
◆━⊰✿✧✿⊱━◆
Ryunosuke then visited Sae to collect the remainder of her points.
The two of them went to a cinema, and Ryunosuke sat beside her. Sae lit a cigarette, took one drag, then praised:
"Good work, Akasaka."
Ryunosuke didn't talk much and immediately showed his terminal phone, signaling it was time to pay.
Sae rolled her eyes in annoyance.
"Don't keep pressing, are you a debt collector? Your money won't be short a penny, why are you in such a hurry."
Although she said that, Sae still took out her phone and transferred the remaining 1 million points to Ryunosuke. Now, she herself only had about 800,000 points for living expenses; she was truly out of money because everything had already been given to him...
Sae looked at her terminal phone sadly then sighed deeply.
(Forget it... this time class points immediately jumped breaking through 700 points. Although the distance with Class A still exists, at least I can see hope.)
"You did very well, Akasaka." Sae patted his shoulder as encouragement.
Ryunosuke swatted away her hand in disgust. "Don't randomly pat my shoulder, I won't be able to grow tall."
"This kid!" Sae laughed in annoyance, but it was sincere laughter without ill intent.
The more Sae looked at this child, the more she liked him.
There was a desire to possess him—not physically of course, but as a tool. This young man was too extraordinary. Throughout her teaching career, she had never met a student this excellent. Even in this school, there had never been anyone like him.
Sae inhaled her cigarette. Ryunosuke beside her clearly smelled it and furrowed his brow. He suddenly took the cigarette from her mouth, extinguished it, then advised:
"Reduce smoking, it's not good for your health, and the smell is very suffocating."
Sae was stunned for a moment. Before she could react, the cigarette in her hand was already extinguished. She actually wanted to be angry—What's it to you whether I smoke or not?!—but after thinking about it, she held back. Considering Ryunosuke was her class's great hero, she had to be patient. However, she still didn't give up and took another cigarette then lit it.
Ryunosuke: "😐"
"Really a heavy smoker."
Sae lit her cigarette and inhaled deeply. "None of your business."
After being silent for quite a while, Ryunosuke broke the silence.
"Sensei, now you have no more money to order me around. If my calculations are correct, the points in your hands don't even reach 1 million."
Sae sighed. "That's true..."
Seeing she didn't continue her words, Ryunosuke reminded again:
"If there's something that makes you pressed, look for me. As my former donor, I can still provide free service occasionally. Consider it after-sales service."
Hearing this, Sae laughed bitterly. "That's right, you've already drained my money, at least you should take a little responsibility. So, in the future... can we still cooperate?"
Sae asked in a slightly careful tone. She didn't dare imagine if Ryunosuke didn't help her anymore, what position would she fall to? Maybe she would return to depression like before.
Sae smiled bitterly. "If only I had met you earlier. If you had come a few years earlier, I might have already fallen in love with you. Because a man as excellent as you is the type I really liked when I was still young."
She looked up at the sky, as if reminiscing about her college days. At that time, she led the worst Class D, kept crawling up until reaching Class A. However, in the final graduation exam, they had to sacrifice one person to maintain class points. If not, class points would be deducted 300 and they would immediately drop to Class B.
At that time, her boyfriend volunteered to shoulder that responsibility alone. He asked his classmates to vote for him to be expelled from school to maintain the class position. But as his girlfriend, how could Sae bear to see her boyfriend just leave this school? In the end, all class members voted yes, except for herself who voted no.
Because of that, the entire Class A turned into Class B, and they failed to graduate with Class A status. Her boyfriend also didn't understand her action and broke up with her.
If Ryunosuke had been there at that time, there surely would have been a way to get a perfect result for both sides. And herself, in front of such an excellent young man, would most likely have fallen so deeply in love it would be difficult to break free. Unfortunately she was no longer young, no longer impulsive like before.
Sae viewed feelings more rationally, no longer reckless and crazily in love like when still young. Perhaps adults were indeed more rational and could no longer find back the feelings of youth.
While Sae was daydreaming, Ryunosuke who had already received his money prepared to leave. However, his words that were cold like a demon suddenly snapped Sae back from the past.
"Chabashira-sensei, Ayanokouji Kiyotaka is my friend. If next time you dare to bother him again, don't expect your class will be able to fantasize about rising to Class A. At the same time, I also won't let you go."
Sae instantly froze stiffly. This young man clearly already knew about her problem of threatening Ayanokouji. She had to explain immediately, otherwise...
Sae just wanted to speak, but Ryunosuke raised his hand to stop her and said with a cold expression:
"Chabashira-sensei, about you threatening Ayanokouji, I won't make an issue of it for now. But don't let there be a next time. Do you hear?"
Sae showed a bitter face and nodded. "I understand, there won't be a next time."
This was the first time Sae bowed her head to a man, who was her own student.
She knew very well if she didn't bow her head, she wouldn't get good results. Ryunosuke had 10,000 ways to destroy her. Hadn't she already seen how Sakagami Kazuma left?
Sae didn't dare to gamble.
Ryunosuke took out the recording pen Ayanokouji gave him with an expressionless face, then played it right in front of Sae's eyes. In it could be heard Sae's confession of threatening Ayanokouji.
Sae's face became deathly pale. She looked at that pen with fear and reflexively wanted to snatch it. However, Ryunosuke's next sentence immediately killed her intention.
"It's useless for you to snatch it, Chabashira-sensei. I still have a backup of this recording, so you won't be able to destroy the evidence."
Sae sat slumped weakly in the chair. She pressed her dizzy head and asked in a hoarse voice, "What do you want? Threaten me? Make me leave this school like Sakagami Kazuma?"
Ryunosuke just shrugged and put back that recording pen.
"I'm just warning you. Don't touch my friend, or not only will your class fail to rise, you also won't be able to stay here anymore. Although this recording isn't enough to expel you from school, verbal disciplinary punishment surely won't be light."
Ryunosuke patted Sae's shoulder and walked away calmly. Behind him, his last words were heard:
"If you want to rise to Class A, behave nicely, Chabashira Sae."
Sae sat in the chair with a bitter face. "Not even calling me 'Teacher' anymore? Directly calling my name... this kid is really impolite."
She wanted to light a cigarette again, but she remembered Ryunosuke's image forbidding her to smoke earlier. She resignedly extinguished her cigarette butt.
"Forget it... this once I'll just follow that kid's words, I'll quit smoking. Besides, I can't keep being depressed. As long as this kid exists, I can definitely rise to Class A!"
◆━⊰✿✧✿⊱━◆
On the other side, Ryunosuke who had just left the cinema met Ayanokouji who had been waiting long at the front door. As if already guessing, he asked flatly:
"Been waiting long?"
Ayanokouji put his hands in his pockets, also with an expressionless face.
"Quite a while. Is everything finished?" What was asked was the Sae problem.
Ryunosuke nodded slightly. "Already settled. That old woman won't bother you anymore, don't worry."
"I'm not worried about that anymore, after all there's you." Ayanokouji answered, indeed not feeling anxious in the slightest.
Ryunosuke took out two lollipops from his pocket, opened one wrapper then put it in his own mouth, and handed the other one to Ayanokouji.
"Want one?"
Ayanokouji looked at the lollipop offered to him and commented softly while still accepting it, "Only kids eat lollipops."
Ryunosuke rolled his eyes. "What do you know? This is a symbol of friendship between men."
"Men's friendship is supported by lollipops?" Ayanokouji asked curiously.
Ryunosuke looked at him meaningfully. "You know it yourself, right?"
"As long as I'm here, your school life won't be disturbed."
"That's true..." Ayanokouji opened the lollipop wrapper and put it in his mouth.
The two walked together toward the student dormitory. Although their conversation sounded vague and full of riddles, both understood each other's meaning.
Ayanokouji needed someone at the front line as a shield, while Ryunosuke only wanted to earn money to pay debts. Both agreed in silence, forming a unique relationship.
Ayanokouji would help Ryunosuke, and Ryunosuke for his own interests would also help Ayanokouji. Their relationship was already very clear to each other, but never explicitly expressed.