A Tyrant's Will

Volume 2: Chapter 3.2 - Trump Card

The bell rang, signaling the beginning of lunchtime. Inside Class A's room, a petite girl sat with three of her most loyal faction members: Kamuro Masumi, Kitou Hayato, and Hashimoto Masayoshi.

Or so she thought—until she listened to the recording Tokitou had sent her a few hours earlier.

Despite this, the girl, Sakayanagi Arisu, didn't seem particularly concerned. She had already taken the liberty of clearing the classroom, leaving only the four of them behind. As she opened her homemade bento, she playfully tossed a question to the stoic girl sitting next to her.

"So, Masumi-chan, what do you think our opponent's next move will be?"

Kamuro twisted her face in disgust. "Who gave you permission to call me that like we're best buddies? Cut it out."

"Not a fan of the nickname? My apologies. I do think it suits you quite well, though," Sakayanagi laughed.

"Gross."

As Sakayanagi teased Kamuro, the personal slave, Hashimoto and Kitou continued eating without so much as a glance. The personal bodyguards were well accustomed to Sakayanagi's antics, which were often carried out for her own amusement.

"Ryuuen-kun isn't the type to sit idly. He'll make a move and try to expel someone sooner or later. The question is: who will the target be? What do you think, Hashimoto-kun?" Sakayanagi asked.

"I'm not really sure, Princess. I don't think it'll be easy for Ryuuen to expel someone, since everyone's keeping tabs on him. If I had to guess, maybe someone from Katsuragi's faction?"

"Katsuragi-kun isn't foolish. He may not be cooperating with us, but he and his faction know they're potential targets for expulsion. Naturally, they're on high alert as well," Sakayanagi pointed out.

"How exactly do you expel someone? Do you just frame them for a crime they didn't commit?"

"Another way is to catch someone in the act and present evidence proving their guilt. I'd say you're quite familiar with this kind of situation, right, Masumi-chan?"

Kamuro scowled. "I swear to god, if you're intentionally trying to piss me off..."

"But it doesn't really matter. If Ryuuen ever decides to make a move, Tokitou will tell us. The situation is completely in our favor," Hashimoto commented.

"Speaking of which, Tokitou-kun already contacted me during homeroom. He sent me a recording regarding Ryuuen-kun's next moves."

"Wait, what? He did?" Hashimoto jumped up in surprise.

"I think most of you will find the contents quite interesting. Especially you, Hashimoto-kun."

"What do you mean, Princess?"

"Have a listen and see for yourself," Sakayanagi said, handing over her device with a sly smile.

As the three listened to the audio recording, one of the students began to shift uncomfortably in his seat. He fidgeted, unsure how to respond to the intense glare Kitou was throwing at him.

"Hey, guys, come on. It's not like I betrayed the class or anything. I'm just leaving myself with options. Options! Yeah, I mean, anyone would get a little worried about Ryuuen's sudden jump to Class B out of the blue, so like, is it really that bad, and y'know—"

"Shut up," Kitou snapped. Hashimoto quickly closed his mouth.

"So, Hashimoto's a snake? Wow, I totally did not see that coming," Kamuro said sarcastically.

"What's that supposed to mean? There's no way you suspected anything, Kamuro-chan. You can't even solve basic middle school level math equations," Hashimoto snapped back.