A Tyrant's Will

Volume 2: Chapter 2.2 - The False Traitor

An hour after school ended, I made my way to the first-year dorms, taking care not to draw attention. As soon as I entered the elevator, I pressed the button for the tenth floor.

Floors one through seven were reserved for the guys, while floors eight through fourteen were exclusively for the girls. My room was on the third floor, but I had no intention of turning in this early.

I glanced around, anxiously scanning the hallway for any students leaving their dorms. I wasn't too worried about being seen, but I preferred to avoid drawing unnecessary attention.

The coast looked clear. I speed-walked to my destination and knocked three times in rapid succession. A few seconds later, the door swung open to reveal Ibuki Mio, tapping her foot in agitation.

"Hurry up. Get in before someone spots you."

Before I could say a word, Ibuki hurriedly pulled me inside and slammed the door shut, the sound echoing through the room.

So much for a warm welcome.

With just a quick glance, Ibuki's room was pretty bare. She had few decorations or personal accessories. Though it had only been two months, I was surprised at how little it had changed since we first moved in.

Ibuki plopped onto the bed, lost in thought. I sat in a chair across from her.

"So, what did you want to talk about, Ibuki? We could have met at the mall or somewhere else instead of your room, right?" I asked.

Ibuki furrowed her brow in displeasure. "Are you an idiot? We can't risk getting seen by Ryuuen. If he finds out about this meeting, we're fucked."

"But surely we could have discussed this over the phone, couldn't we?"

"It's too much of a pain in the ass to handle this over the phone. Also, be quiet—I need to gather my thoughts, and you're not helping."

I was also a bit curious about how Ibuki got my phone number in the first place, but I chose to stay silent and wait. What could she be about to say that had her so on edge?

After a short while, Ibuki spoke. "Well, first things first. I appreciate you standing up for me the other day. During that...you know, incident." Ibuki rubbed her cheek, as if recalling the moment.

"Oh, it was nothing. I just wanted to help. We don't have to talk about it if it makes you uncomfortable or anything."

"Right. I'm terrible at small talk, so let's just get down to it. You know about that competition we have going on with Class A, right?"

"I mean, how could I not?" I replied bitterly. The contest was the talk of the school. I protested heavily at the time, but it was hopeless. Ryuuen even had Ishizaki and the others drag me away by force, adding to the humiliation.

"Well, I just found out something big. Ryuuen and Sakayanagi signed a contract dictating the rules of the competition. However, they added an extra clause in there. Whoever loses the contest also has to forfeit their leadership position within their class."

"Really?"

I don't remember Ryuuen or Sakayanagi ever mentioning that. They must have discussed the details afterward.

"Yeah. Their egos couldn't be kept in check, so they just had to raise the stakes even more for no reason," Ibuki scoffed.

"That does seem unnecessary. I think the punishment of losing a classmate is severe enough as it is," I agreed.

"I didn't find out about this until recently, but it's actually a good thing. It's presented a new opportunity."

"It has?" Just what was Ibuki getting at with this?

"Don't play dumb. You want Ryuuen to step down as leader, don't you?"