'Yare yare, another troublesome guy has shown up.'
Saiki Kusuo glanced in the direction Ryūen Kakeru had left, using his peripheral vision.
'In a way, Ryūen and Ayanokōji are quite similar—both treat those around them as pawns and tools... Is this what high school students are like nowadays?'
'But there's no doubt that this Ryūen guy will cause even more trouble later.'
'Now, both inside and outside the class, things are getting dangerous.'
Inside the classroom, Ayanokōji Kiyotaka had grown somewhat suspicious of Saiki Kusuo after hearing Chabashira Sae's information.
And outside the classroom, their Class C had become Ryūen Kakeru's new target.
At that moment, Saiki Kusuo really felt like sighing. This hardly felt like a school anymore.
"I'm so sorry, Saiki-kun!"
Shiina Hiyori quickly explained to Saiki Kusuo,
"That's Ryūen Kakeru from our class... It's best if you don't clash with him."
[Ryūen beat up almost every boy in the class during the first month of school, which gave him control over the class... I don't approve of his methods, but he did successfully organize the class. He's quite an impressive person... If Class D wants to climb back up, we'll probably need Ryūen's strength.]
'Is this some kind of hot-blooded high school drama?'
For a moment, Saiki Kusuo didn't know how to react. This was supposed to be a school, but Ryūen Kakeru had turned it into something resembling a fighting arena.
'In any case, it's best to avoid conflicts with Ryūen and his group. If things escalate into a fight...'
Even with the limiter, Saiki Kusuo still struggled to perfectly control his powers. It wasn't impossible for him to punch Ryūen Kakeru straight out of the atmosphere.
[Hey, isn't that Saiki over there?!]
Just then, Saiki Kusuo heard a familiar voice from nearby. It was the trio of idiots—Ike Kanji, Sudō Ken, and Yamauchi Haruki. They had probably just finished buying snacks and drinks for their evening gathering and were passing by. The café was close to the student supermarket, after all.
'Compared to guys like Ayanokōji Kiyotaka and Ryūen Kakeru, this trio's personalities are incredibly simple and straightforward—no hidden agendas. But to me, it doesn't really matter. I can hear their thoughts anyway.'
Saiki Kusuo thought to himself. The trio of idiots was what typical high school students should be like.
[Wait, who's that girl next to Saiki?]
[A beautiful girl we've never seen before! She's not from our class!]
[Saiki's usually invisible in class, but he's already hooked up with a girl from another class! So envious! Tonight, I'm definitely asking Saiki how he did it!]
'I take back what I just thought. These three are complete idiots.'
...
After chatting with Shiina Hiyori about mystery novels for a while longer, the two left the café.
Shiina Hiyori headed back to the dorm, while Saiki Kusuo went to the supermarket to buy some snacks, as others had suggested.
Although Saiki Kusuo strongly disagreed with hosting a celebration in his room that evening, there was no stopping it now. He could only go with the flow.
After buying most of what he needed, Saiki Kusuo returned to his dorm to rest. However, he didn't get much rest, as his classmates soon started arriving at his room.
"Sorry to disturb you, Saiki!"
Kushida Kikyō smiled at Saiki Kusuo, her eyes scanning his room.
"We're here!"
Behind Kushida Kikyō was the trio of idiots.
As they entered Saiki Kusuo's room, their faces showed a hint of surprise.
[Is Saiki's room really this clean?]
'Well, I don't actually sleep here every night.'
[I didn't expect Saiki's room to be so tidy. I thought it would be as messy as mine.]
'Please don't compare me to you. And I'd rather not imagine what your room looks like.'
[Saiki's room must usually be a mess. He must have cleaned it because he knew we were coming—no, because he knew Kushida was coming! While trying to get closer to Kushida, he's also flirting with girls from other classes. Saiki, you're impressive! You've earned my respect!]
'Sorry, I don't need your respect. And do you have some deep misunderstanding about me?'
Just as Saiki Kusuo had thought, the trio of idiots wasn't the brightest.
Earlier, Saiki Kusuo had considered deliberately messing up his room to deter them from holding the celebration there. But he realized it might lead to even more misunderstandings or disdain, so he decided to leave it as it was.
"Sorry to disturb you."
Soon, Ayanokōji Kiyotaka arrived, with Horikita Suzune by his side.
"Horikita? What are you doing here?"
Sudō Ken was surprised. He hadn't expected Horikita Suzune to join the celebration.
They hadn't invited her earlier, knowing she'd refuse based on her personality.
[I have no interest in this boring gathering. Celebrating for being second-to-last? You guys are just dead weight. If we hadn't gotten the exam questions in advance, we'd still be in Class D, and our class points might have been deducted to zero!]
Horikita Suzune's impatience was written all over her face.
If it weren't for Ayanokōji Kiyotaka insisting, she wouldn't have come to this pointless event.
'As annoying as it sounds, I actually agree with you.'
Saiki Kusuo thought to himself. Unlike Horikita Suzune, he rarely showed his emotions on his face.
[Never mind Ayanokōji, but Chabashira-sensei specifically mentioned Saiki's name. He seems so ordinary in every way... Could it be that he can control his own ranking?]
Horikita Suzune's sharp gaze fell on Saiki Kusuo, but quickly shifted back to Sudō Ken. She was about to say something when Ayanokōji Kiyotaka interrupted.
"Oh, I invited Horikita to join us."