Chapter 70: The Tyrant of Css C

  “So, does this mean you’re rejecting me?”

  Ryuen’s expression immediately darkened. “I never show mercy to my enemies, even if you're a woman.”

  “You’re making such a big deal over not agreeing to be an insider, are you really this petty?”

  Haruno shook her head, her expression one of disappointment. “You're really small-minded. So, what's next? Are you pnning to use violence or something to make people submit?”

  “Heh, so what if I do! Violence is the simplest and most effective way to make people submit and fear you, especially for people like you from the high and mighty Css A. I really want to see the miserable sight of you all kneeling and begging for mercy when the time comes.”

  Ryuen, completely unconcerned, was openly spreading his philosophy of violence around the school. This confidence was only possible because of his unshakable position in Css C, which he had earned through violent means.

  The atmosphere dropped sharply. If before Ryuen was just arrogant, now he was openly making threats.

  “If violence actually worked, you wouldn’t be sitting here so quietly.”

  Haruno, completely unfazed by Ryuen’s ‘violent threats,’ didn’t even try to hide her disdain. “I’ve never heard of strong people negotiating with the weak. At the end of the day, the ‘violence’ you talk about might work in schools outside of this one, but here, it’s just the most underhanded method.”

  Haruno calmly looked at Ryuen, whose face had turned dark, as if she had already seen through him. She smiled lightly. “You know this yourself, which is why you’re sitting here, don’t you?”

  Ryuen’s face darkened even more, while Haruno remained composed. The contrast between them was clear. Moreover, every word Haruno spoke seemed to pierce deep into Ryuen’s heart.

  Such a skilled psychological attack, how sharp!

  “Ha... Hahaha!”

  Ryuen chuckled, rubbing his finger against his nose, and then covering half of his face as he ughed coldly. “I knew it. You’re just as annoying as that shortie, Sakanagi!”

  Bang!

  Suddenly, Ryuen grabbed the coffee on the table and spshed it toward Haruno. No one expected him to act so recklessly and use such a dirty trick in a public space. Even though Haruno reacted quickly, she still couldn’t avoid it completely.

  But in the next second, a figure suddenly stepped in front of Haruno, and the bck coffee spshed all over the young man’s body and face. His hair was drenched in it.

  “Hikigaya!”

  Haruno quickly stepped forward, but Hikigaya waved his hand, signaling that it was fine. He then calmly grabbed a few tissues from the table and wiped his face. Hikigaya had noticed the hidden ‘bck hand’ beneath Ryuen’s feigned ughter while quietly observing from the start.

  “Heh, I prefer my coffee a bit sweeter.”

  Hikigaya didn’t forget to make a joke to Haruno before leisurely sitting back in his seat, as if nothing had happened.

  However, Haruno’s expression wasn’t so cheerful. The teasing smile had completely disappeared, repced by a cold expression as she gred at Ryuen.

  “Oh, sorry. I accidentally slipped.”

  Ryuen pretended to apologize, but his face was filled with mockery, and his gaze finally fell on Hikigaya.

  “Css D trash. You’re useful as a shield, I guess. But it seems like the student council in this school is just a pce for sheltering trash.”

  Ryuen sneered.

  Hikigaya’s eyes narrowed. He naturally caught the underlying meaning in Ryuen’s words. It seemed that Ryuen had already figured him out?

  When you think about it, Hikigaya had dealt with so many Css C students harassing others, so it made sense that Ryuen would know about him. But... did the initial disregard mean it was intentional?

  “Heh, ignorance breeds fearlessness.”

  Hikigaya gnced at Ryuen, who had made it clear from the beginning that he was looking for trouble, his expression indifferent. He spoke calmly, “If you want Css A so badly, then as the leader of Css C, you should have respected the student council from the start. But I guess you’re really just ‘this much’.”

  From the beginning, during the student council recruitment, it was obvious. Every css except for Css C had students signing up, but Css C didn’t even make a move.

  Hikigaya’s expression remained calm, but his tone was unexpectedly aggressive. Even Haruno looked at him with some surprise, as if she noticed something different about him now.

  In Hikigaya’s calm tone, Haruno could feel his anger. Even though she had teased him several times and he had always been indifferent, compining and saying he hated things, she never truly felt any real anger from him. There was always this feeling that he would ‘tolerate’ whatever happened.

  But at this moment, Haruno was feeling Hikigaya’s anger for the first time.

  “Ha? Do you know who you’re talking to?!”

  Ryuen seemed to have heard the funniest joke in the world and burst out ughing. “Hahaha, someone actually dares to say ‘you’re just this much’ to me?”

  The next second, Ryuen fixed his eyes on Hikigaya, showing a sinister smile. “Do you know what happened to those who said things like that?”

  Haruno was about to speak, but Hikigaya suddenly smiled and said, “You think this is Suzuran, or Fushimi, or Gokudo, where people settle things with their fists? All I know is that barking dogs... don’t bite.”

  In the next second, Haruno let out a ugh. It was a response to what she had said earlier about ‘puppy’ Ryuen, and the others also noticed it, but only Haruno ughed freely. The rest of them were silent.

  Hikigaya wasn’t intimidated by Ryuen. If this were another school, Ryuen’s violent threats might have been effective, but in this school, strength is what truly matters. Violence is only one part of strength, and the lowest form of it.

  The best strategy is to attack the strategy, followed by attacking alliances, then attacking soldiers, and stly, attacking cities.

  From the conversation between Haruno and Ryuen, it was clear that Ryuen had failed to execute a strategy and had resorted to attacking with violence, which was a cheap move.

  It’s the 21st century, and you still think you can solve things through violence and fighting? What are you thinking?

  The real battlefield is hidden beneath the surface of an iceberg. Hikigaya has already experienced this deeply, even suffering a crushing defeat!

  "Very good! Very good!"

  Ryuen didn’t act as Hikigaya had expected, using violent means in the coffee shop. Instead, he cpped his hands and ughed loudly. "A guy who’s been excluded from his css actually has the guts to say such things in front of me."

  Hikigaya’s expression didn’t change, but he became more cautious in his mind. It seemed like Ryuen not only knew about him but had also investigated his situation in detail.

  "Things must be tough for your Css D right now, huh? You have to rely on women to give you money just to come here. What, you want some points? I have plenty to spare."

  Ryuen suddenly shifted the topic to points, catching Hikigaya off guard.

  But he quickly figured it out. Not only had Ryuen targeted Haruno, but now he was targeting him too. Was it because the student council's position was too obvious?

  Also... what did he mean by “relying on women for money”? It was Haruno herself who insisted on treating!

  The life of a househusband, that’s what it’s like!

  “Ha, you went all the way around just to say you want to develop an insider in another css,” Hikigaya sneered.

  "What’s so strange about that? You’re the kind of guy who, even if you manage to get into the student council, will still be ostracized by your css. You're looked down upon by the entire css, secretly insulted by them. Don’t tell me things like ‘I won’t betray my css,’ or ‘I have feelings for my css.’ That’s ughable,” Ryuen said with a tone filled with contempt as if he understood Hikigaya’s situation very well. “You haven’t done anything wrong, but you’re still paying the price for the trash in your css. What’s left to miss about a css that’s already rotten? Sympathy, guilt, and self-righteousness are the most useless things in this school. You think they’ll appreciate you for not betraying them?

  Hahaha, they’ll just wonder ‘when will you betray us,’ and then they’ll have the perfect excuse to abandon you! I’m offering you the chance to grab onto a big leg now!”

  Ryuen’s words were very realistic, almost showing the bloody side of human nature right in front of Hikigaya. However, it was clear that Ryuen had intentionally amplified the dark side of human nature and all conspiracy theories to present his ‘facts.’

  But... was Ryuen wrong in saying this?

  Not necessarily. At least, Hikigaya thought that the things Ryuen mentioned might very well come true for him. After all, the evil in human nature works like this.

  In a votile collective, even a small bit of suspicion can ruin a person’s reputation. Hikigaya didn’t deny this, and even today, his ‘meeting’ with Ryuen would become ammunition for the tter's attacks.

  But...

  Hikigaya couldn’t help but ugh, “Big leg? Is it you? Are you qualified?”

  He then looked at Haruno, and the meaning was clear. When comparing Css C to Css A, who had the bigger leg to grab onto was obvious.

  And besides, this was the leg of a young dy!

  Who wants to rub legs with you? Gross!

  The moment Hikigaya finished speaking, Ryuen’s face immediately darkened, but unexpectedly, his gaze was not directed at Hikigaya but at Haruno.

  “I see, you say you don’t want to participate in css battles, but behind the scenes, you’ve already started to take action!”

  Ryuen seemed to have seen through the real retionship between Hikigaya and Haruno and confidently reached his conclusion.

  "This is getting more and more interesting! I’m really looking forward to the day you’ll kneel and beg me for mercy!"

  Ryuen then turned to Hikigaya, sneering, “I was wondering where a lowly, rejected css member like you got the courage to confront me. Heh, turns out you’ve already become someone’s dog.”

  “Well, no wonder a Css D trash can get into the student council. You must have been using someone’s power to get in. No wonder a Css D piece of trash can speak so confidently.”

  Hey, did you misunderstand something?

  And why do you always call people trash and useless? Can’t you be more creative with your insults?

  But Ryuen kept talking without giving Hikigaya a chance to interrupt. “Since that’s the case, there’s no point in negotiating. I will crush the high and mighty Css A, and as for Css D... Hmph, just wait to be crushed by me! You can look forward to the day of your destruction and be ready to kneel and beg for mercy! Maybe I’ll show some mercy and pity you! Hahahaha!”

  After saying that, Ryuen stood up and was about to leave. Just as he was about to walk away, Haruno, who had been watching silently, suddenly smiled and said, “Tsk, tsk, such a scary decration~”

  "However, let me give you some advice.”

  Haruno’s expression gradually turned cold, and her tone carried an indescribable indifference. “That is, this school has many reasons for students to be expelled, other than exams. I hope to still see a lively dog jumping around, not a dead stray.”

  “Hmph, are you threatening me?”

  “Just stating a fact.”

  Ryuen snorted coldly. “Only the weak try to reason. The strong are the reason! I... am the reason! Hahaha... You can enjoy this st bit of warmth, because soon I’ll show you what hell really looks like!”

  Arrogant, prideful, and filled with unshakable confidence. At the same time, he would stop at nothing to achieve his goals. This was the impression Ryuen left on Hikigaya.

  After saying that, Ryuen left, but not before giving Hikigaya a deep look, a meaningful smile on his face.

  Bckghosts