Today, Ryūen Kakeru felt unjustly wronged.

  Seriously.

  He was Ryūen Kakeru, the notorious delinquent leader of Css C—the guy who bullied others, never the one being bullied. The kind of person who went to karaoke and never paid a single yen.

  He was always the predator, never the prey.

  Yet today, the hunter had become the hunted.

  A group of nobodies had ambushed him out of nowhere and beaten him up without even asking questions.

  In the world of delinquents, there was a term for this:

  Fighting without honor!

  And the worst part? The guy leading them—his dirty tactics, his shameless way of using others as shields—felt eerily familiar.

  …Wait.

  Ryūen’s pupils shrank as realization hit him like a ton of bricks.

  Uesugi, you bastard!

  All he did was send a few guys to mess with Css B, and this was how Uesugi retaliated?

  The email that lured him here—that was you too, wasn’t it?!

  At this moment, all of Ryūen’s grudges against Uesugi—past and present—piled up into an overwhelming wave of rage.

  His face twisted in fury as he staggered to his feet, ready to spit out a threat.

  "You—!"

  WHAM.

  Uesugi’s foot sent him crashing back to the ground.

  Yes, it was Uesugi again.

  Of course, it was.

  After all, Uesugi had worked way too hard to mobilize all of Css B just to let them beat up some random nobody. That would be embarrassing.

  So the person they jumped had to be someone with status, someone who could ignite the rage of Css B.

  And after scanning the entire school, Uesugi had made his decision with a heavy heart:

  Ryūen, it’s gonna be you.

  Thinking about it, Ryūen was practically tailor-made to be Css B’s designated vilin.

  First, his Css C was a direct competitor to Css B.

  Second, he had been harassing Css B students for weeks—plenty of built-up resentment there.

  Third, he was cunning, maniputive, and actually good at fighting.

  A perfect antagonist!

  No matter who had really written the love letter, today, it had to be Ryūen.

  Sometimes, a fake enemy was more useful than a real one.

  As for how Uesugi baited Ryūen into showing up?

  Well, if some random unknown person could lure Ichinose out with just a letter, then surely Uesugi—posing as Css A’s Katsuragi Kōhei—could trick Ryūen into coming with the promise of an alliance against Css B.

  To ensure Ryūen didn’t suspect a thing, Uesugi had even set the supposed meeting spot inside a café—a totally neutral, ambush-free location.

  …That just so happened to require passing by the back of the gym.

  And just as Uesugi had predicted, the moment Ryūen showed up, the fury of Css B exploded.

  The result? A satisfying beatdown.

  The first taste of violence always led to a second. And with time, it would spark a thirst for competition.

  If Uesugi could get Css B to develop a fighting spirit, their attitude toward inter-css rivalries would naturally evolve.

  For that goal, he was even willing to sacrifice a few css points.

  Even after taking a solid beating, Ryūen kept spewing threats.

  So Uesugi pressed down harder with his foot.

  Still talking? Guess I didn’t hit hard enough.

  Through the chaos, Ryūen dragged himself forward, bloodied but still gring at Uesugi with seething hatred.

  You just wait, Uesugi. I’ll make you pay for this!

  At this point, css competition didn’t matter anymore.

  This was now a personal vendetta.

  Finally, an urgent voice cut through the madness.

  "Stop! Ichinose is coming!"

  Instantly, everyone froze and turned to Uesugi.

  What now?

  "Two people on each side—carry him out of here," Uesugi ordered in a hushed tone.

  "And shove something in his mouth to shut him up. I don’t want him ruining this."

  Ignoring Ryūen’s struggles, four students hoisted him up—one holding each limb—and hurried toward a dark corner nearby.

  "Mmph! Mmmphhh! (Uesugi, I’m gonna kill you!)"

  Ryūen thrashed wildly, his long red hair dragging along the ground as Css B students unintentionally stepped on it like a doormat.

  …

  As Ichinose approached, Css B finally rexed.

  With Ryūen out of the picture, the "love letter confession" wouldn’t happen.

  If she arrived and didn’t find anyone, she’d eventually leave on her own.

  That was the logical assumption.

  But then—

  "N-no… Wait! The person Ichinose is meeting isn’t Ryūen! Someone else is coming!"

  A panicked voice from the girls’ side sent shockwaves through the group.

  Someone else?!

  Which meant—

  They had beaten up the wrong guy.

  Slowly, as if possessed, the entire group turned to stare at Ryūen—still struggling like a fish out of water.

  …It wasn’t him.

  In the heavy silence, Css B’s male students mustered their most awkward, apologetic smiles at Ryūen.

  Shh… Can we call it even?

  But from Ryūen’s perspective—

  A group of masked men were now grinning ominously at him in the dark.

  His struggling became frantic.

  "MMPHH! MMPHHH! (This is illegal! I’m warning you—let me go right now!)"

  At this point, Ryūen didn’t care about delinquent pride anymore. He was ready to call the cops.

  SMACK.

  Uesugi karate chopped the back of his neck, knocking him out cold.

  You did well, Ryūen. Your role in this story is over. Rest easy.

  Then, Uesugi turned to face the group, his expression chillingly cold.

  "What’s done is done. There’s no turning back now."

  "We must not let Ichinose find out."

  The entire css silently nodded in unison.

  There was no other option.

  If Ichinose discovered the truth…

  A collective nightmare fshed through their minds—

  Ichinose standing before them, her voice filled with disappointment:

  "I can’t believe you guys… not only did you fail to protect him, but you even took him out yourselves? I’m really… disappointed in you all."

  Then, she turned and ran away.

  Too terrifying!

  The group furiously shook their heads, erasing the thought from their minds.

  This secret must never be exposed!

  With their unspoken pact sealed, all eyes turned toward the gym’s back entrance.

  …Ryūen might have been a fake target, but—

  Who really wrote Ichinose’s love letter?

  At this moment, everyone’s curiosity peaked.

  Even Uesugi felt his anticipation rising.

  Tap.

  Tap…

  Tap…

  A mysterious figure stepped forward, the sound of their slow, deliberate footsteps echoing in the still night.

  And as the shadow emerged into the light—

  ---

  T/N: HE PLANNED THIS OUT?