-43- The un-united class D

"Thud..."

In a clear sound, Sudou Ken accurately caught what Ayanokouji Kiyotaka had thrown.

It was a basketball.

Moreover, it was Sudou Ken's own basketball, the one he often brought to the classroom.

Ayanokouji Kiyotaka had thrown the basketball to Sudou Ken, forcing him to stop and catch it.

Sudou Ken remained frozen in place, holding the basketball.

"————"

The entire classroom fell into silence.

Everyone looked at Sudou Ken, bewildered and unsure of what just happened.

Surely, no one expected this?

Sudou Ken, who had ruthlessly pushed aside even Kushida Kikyou, and was in a state of rage, had stopped because of a basketball.

So, everyone exchanged glances, unable to grasp the current situation.

Only Nanaya Hori seemed indifferent to the surroundings, ignoring the situation and speaking to the still-unresponsive Kushida Kikyou.

"Are you okay?"

At the words, Kushida Kikyou snapped back to reality.

"I...I'm fine." Kushida Kikyou seemed to breathe a sigh of relief, subconsciously thanking Nanaya Hori, "Thank you, Hori-kun."

"It was nothing." Nanaya Hori showed no difference in demeanor. 

With this, the silence in the classroom was broken.

"Are you calm now, Sudou?" Ayanokouji Kiyotaka asked, probing, his tone unchanged.

"Ayanokouji..."

Sudou Ken glared at Ayanokouji Kiyotaka, holding the basketball.

But Ayanokouji Kiyotaka seemed not to notice, maintaining his gaze on Sudou Ken.

"This is your basketball, right?" Ayanokouji Kiyotaka said, "I remember you mentioning before that your dream was to become a professional basketball player."

Ayanokouji Kiyotaka's words surprised the classmates.

"Professional..."

"Basketball player...?"

The classmates looked at Sudou Ken.

Surely, this was equally unexpected to everyone present?

Sudou Ken, who seemed to have no qualities other than fighting, actually had such a dream. How could that not be surprising?

However, if this was true, then it wasn't difficult to imagine why Sudou Ken, in his rage, would stop for a basketball.

Because that was Sudou Ken's only dedication and pride.

And Ayanokouji Kiyotaka seemed to have perfectly grasped that.

"I heard that although you've just joined the basketball club, due to your outstanding performance, you're already being noticed by the club's advisor. If you keep it up, even as a first-year, you might be promoted to a regular player immediately, right?"

Ayanokouji Kiyotaka tactfully reminded.

"But if you resort to violence here, you'll face immediate consequences, and you might be expelled. Are you okay with that?"

If it came to that, Sudou Ken's dream would be shattered.

If Sudou Ken's dream was indeed to become a professional basketball player, then staying at this school was undoubtedly the most likely path to achieve it.

Even if he didn't advance to Class A, without guarantees in terms of further education or employment, this school was still a nationally led institution for nurturing talent, and every club had its significance.

Didn't they mention at the club recruitment meeting that many of the school's clubs had produced famous athletes, some even at the national level?

So, staying at this school, shining in the basketball club, was the shortest path for Sudou Ken to achieve his dream.

If he left this school, it would be much more difficult for Sudou Ken to realize his dream.

If Sudou Ken were to leave this school, it would be much more difficult for him to realize his dream.

"In that case, you'll be the one most troubled, Sudou," Ayanokouji Kiyotaka advised quietly, "Why not calm down here?"

"Ugh..." Sudou Ken seemed to be touched on a sore spot, gritting his teeth, "Since I'm going to be expelled anyway, I..."

Unfortunately, he was interrupted by Ayanokouji Kiyotaka before he could finish his sentence.

"The results haven't come out yet, so we don't know the outcome, right?"

Ayanokouji Kiyotaka delivered the final blow.

"If you're lucky enough to pass the exam, but get expelled for violent behavior here, then there will be no room for regrets, you know?"

This statement finally silenced Sudou Ken.

"Tsk...!"

Sudou Ken could only click his tongue, holding the basketball. He seemed to want to ignore Horikita Suzune completely, not even glancing at her, and picked up his bag from the desk he had kicked over, ignoring the textbooks scattered on the floor, and left the classroom without a word.

"Sudou!"

"Wait!"

Although Ike Kanji and Yamauchi Haruki, who were affected by Sudou Ken's outburst, seemed somewhat resentful, as the most dangerous members of this midterm exam, after hesitating for a moment, they quickly followed.

The tense atmosphere in the classroom began to ease.

However, the heavy air didn't dissipate entirely.

"Are you okay, Yousuke-kun?"

"I'm fine."

Karuizawa Kei helped Hirata Yousuke up and voiced her concern, earning a shake of the head from Hirata Yousuke.

The classmates gathered around Hirata Yousuke, sympathizing with him.

"Sudou-kun is really out of line."

"Hirata-kun didn't do anything wrong."

"Besides, Hirata-kun has always been concerned about him."

"I didn't expect him to repay kindness with enmity."

"It's despicable."

The classmates expressed their grievances one by one, causing Hirata Yousuke to smile wryly.

On the contrary, Kushida Kikyou approached Horikita Suzune with some hesitation and said.

"Horikita-san, what you just said was a bit too much. If it weren't for Ayanokouji, you wouldn't know what Sudou would have done to you."

Kushida Kikyou's words did not make Horikita Suzune regretful at all.

"I don't think there's anything wrong with what I said. I just spoke the truth." Horikita Suzune was not affected by Sudou Ken's outburst at all, still as assertive as ever, "Moreover, your statement just now was incorrect. Even if Ayanokouji hadn't intervened, I would have taken action against anyone who used violence against me."

From Horikita Suzune's tone, it could be seen that she wasn't just speaking casually but was prepared to act accordingly.

In other words, Horikita Suzune didn't think she was defenseless against Sudou Ken.

Nanaya Hori did notice something from Horikita Suzune's demeanor.

"I guess this girl has some martial arts experience?"

Whether it's karate, judo, taekwondo, or aikido, Horikita Suzune should have learned one of them.

If that's the case, then Sudou Ken, who is only good at fighting, might not be a match for Horikita Suzune.

"Anyway, I don't think I need to be condemned for what I just said."

Horikita Suzune made this assertion and then picked up her bag, leaving the classroom as well.

The classmates watched this scene, also expressing grievances.

"What a..."

"Does she really think she's so great?"

"If she hadn't said anything unnecessary, things wouldn't have turned out like this..."

"Yeah..."

The girls cast disdainful glances at Horikita Suzune's back.

The atmosphere of Class 1-D suddenly became chaotic, like a swamp.

Nanaya Hori observed all of this with a cold eye.

And he thought to himself.

"Indeed, the future of this class seems bleak..."