A Tyrant's Will

Volume 2: Chapter 2.1 - The Power of Faith

Later that day, fifteen minutes before the bell rang, I stood up from my desk and made my way towards Class C's room.

The hallway was completely empty, but I needed to ensure that no students from the other classes saw me. It would be especially troublesome if Class A discovered what I was up to.

I flung open the door and made my way inside. I found myself looking at Hoshinomiya and a group of forty attentive students. As I entered, everyone turned their heads towards my direction. Many of them stiffened on reflex upon noticing my presence.

"Ah, if it isn't Ryuuen-kun! You just couldn't resist seeing your favorite sensei again, couldn't you?" Hoshinomiya exclaimed, clasping her hands in delight.

"Ichinose. You know what this is about, don't you?" Ignoring Hoshinomiya, I addressed the girl with strawberry-colored hair sitting at the front of the room.

"Ah, right...Have you come to collect our points, Ryuuen-kun?"

"Class is still in session, Ryuuen-san. Come back later." A boy, whom I recognized to be Hamaguchi, spoke up in defiance.

"It's quite alright, Testuya-kun. We have lots of time to spare for our special guest! In fact, why don't you join our class, Ryuuen-kun? We'd be delighted to have you!" Hoshinomiya crooned, gushing with excitement.

The moment Hoshinomiya finished her train of thought, the entire room erupted into a fit of agitation and discontent.

"Are you kidding, sensei? That jerk? In our class?" Amikura spat with contempt.

I snorted. "What an interesting proposal. I'm afraid I must decline though. My class of dimwits and cowardly sheep is far easier to control than a bunch of delusional toddlers playing make-believe such as yourselves."

"You must think you're the big bad wolf, huh? You strut around the school like some hot shit, but I bet even herding sheep would be a struggle for you," Amikura said in a scornful tone.

Hoshinomiya's eyes widened in mock surprise. "Come on, children. Let's play nicely now. We wouldn't want anyone's feelings to get hurt, would we?"

Ignoring the spectacle, I made my way towards the center of the room and pushed Hoshinomiya off the podium. "Let's go. 1.2 million points. Cough them up," I commanded.

"Don't talk down on us like you're so high and mighty, Ryuuen." Shibata sprang from his chair, glaring at me with snake-like venom, while a few other students murmured in agreement.

"It's alright, Sou-kun." Ichinose turned around to address me. "Don't worry, Ryuuen-kun. I've collected everyone's points this morning, so there's no problem. I'll transfer them to you now."

Ichinose opened the school app on her phone and sent a transfer request to my account. After I accepted, my balance quickly shot to 1.2 million private points.

Our total class bank now stood at 3.6 million, with Sonoda holding onto the remaining 2.4 million private points for the time being. Most students outside of Class A wouldn't accumulate this many points in three years, yet I had managed to do so in just two months.

As the conversation progressed, I couldn't shake the feeling that something was off. The atmosphere wasn't as tense as I had expected, yet it lacked the bubbly energy of Class C from the first month of school. Instead, it was somewhere in between—a blend of discipline and nonchalance.

"So, Ichinose. Mind telling me what you've been up to these past few weeks?" I asked, still standing on the podium.

Ichinose tilted her head in confusion. "What do you mean, Ryuuen-kun? I should be the one asking you that question, not the other way around. This morning was quite eventful, even for your standards."