Chapter 1.10 - Determination

T/W: Contains offensive content (ie. sexual violence, threats, assault), and quite frankly, this chapter is poorly written. If you're not okay with dark scenarios, please skip this chapter.

[T/N: Edits in previous chapter 1.9]

"H-huh?"

She fearfully kept staring at me, in hopes of hearing that it was a joke. Of course, I completely buried that hope simply by glaring at her in silence. I made myself clear, every single word that came out of my mouth was absolute. There was no repeating what I had already commanded her to do.

With a pained expression, Horikita slowly opened her legs, tears streaming down her face as she did so. Even if she knew that she was about to be violated, she still wanted to protect her position. The fear of her being such a hindrance to her brother had won out. I placed my hand on my belt buckle and pretended to rattle it. Even so, Horikita didn't run. She was trying to accept this. She looked at me with empty eyes.

Revealing my true self to her was a big risk. If she reports me to the school, forget about being expelled, I could even face a lawsuit for sexual assault and spent multiple years in prison. However, I had planted the seeds of fear deep inside the roots of her soul. I made him think that no matter what she did, I would inevitably strike back at her even if it meant dragging her down with me.

She did as she was told. With both of her hands, she pulled out a white piece of cloth below her skirt, on a level where it was visible for me to see.

I had seen enough.

There was no doubt about it. The girl named Suzune Horikita was completely shattered by my hand. I had successfully managed to accomplish my goal.

I didn't actually care about her body; I just needed to threaten her to see how far she was willing to go I wished to see how much she was capable of breaking.

Of course, I could go even further and completely break her, but I still needed her to be somewhat sane to accomplish my goals. Abusing her psychologically was the easiest and most straightforward way.

"Stop it, Horikita. That's enough." I grabbed her arms to stop her. Her entire body shook. "Rest assured, I never had the intention to do anything risky to you. And quite frankly, I never saw you as a woman, to begin with."

I let her hands down.

"You think highly of yourself. Your superiority complex is a hindrance to your growth. You fairly excel in the sector of academics and physical abilities. You're intelligence is slightly above your peers. You have so much confidence in yourself that you went as far as to think you don't need anyone else to succeed in reaching class A. That there's no one better than you... That's what you thought, wasn't it?."

She couldn't say anything. Her mind was a mess, her thoughts a storm, her clothes soaked with teardrops. She could only listen to my words.

"But that's nothing but a misconception on your part, Horikita. Some people far exceed you at everything you do. There are people more capable than you are. It's not necessarily they are from another class. Trust me, geniuses are standing right next to you, hiding among your classmates. Compared to them, you're nothing but an insect."

Her tired, sick eyes slightly opened.

"What I'm trying to say is that you need all of them to grow. You need your classmates to reach your destination. Accomplishing that feat isn't something possible for a student to do all by themselves. You need comrades." I kneeled at her eye level. "You said you wanted your brother to acknowledge you, right? That you deserved to be in class A?"

"Yes." she slightly nodded in reply.

"This school operates differently from the normal high schools. I'm sure you are already aware of that. But I will tell you one more thing..."

"What is it?"

"There's a storm coming in front of us. In the future, there will be obstacles much more difficult than you could imagine. We will be made to face off against the other classes. On every single one of them, the superior classes would have a tremendous advantage against us. There's no room for doubt that class A has more stability than us, both academically and physically. 'Arisu Sakayanagi', a born genius, happens to be class A's leader. Overtaking them would be like making history." I continued. "Setting aside class A, to even challenge them, we need to overtake three other classes above us. It would only be foolish if you were to underestimate them. Besides, from what I have heard, not a single class D in the history of this school had ever been able to reach class A."

I paused for a brief moment.

"My question is, even after knowing all that, do you still intend to reach class A?"

What I wanted to see was her resolution, her drive that pushed her to go towards her goal. One thing I knew about Horikita was the fact that she was stubborn, annoyingly so. That is why I wanted to see if she was still the Horikita I knew.

"Yes. I still want to reach class A," she said with a determined face.

Good.

"Then prove it, Horikita. Prove that you are capable of change. Prove that even you can make comrades and rise to class A with them. Whatever I will tell you to do, would help you reach class A. I will personally drag you up there, along with my classmates, no matter what."

I offered her my uninjured hand.

"You will follow my instructions unquestioned, and I can promise you one thing. I will do everything I can to bring our class above the others."

"Wait. Do you think I will trust you after all that? Why are you suddenly being so kind?"

"You should understand what I'm trying to tell you. You will help me, and I will help you. This is an agreement based on mutual benefits for both sides. I have my own benefits from this. Kindness has nothing to do with it. Do you have any problems with this arrangement?"

"....." she looked down in silence.

Sigh

She might have been still thinking about whether or not I should be trusted. In that retrospect, I decided to show her a glimpse of my progress.

"Firstly I'll make sure everyone's aware of the situation we're currently at. You attended the class today. Surely you have noticed a big difference in their behavior compared to yesterday, right?"

While staring down, Horikita thought to herself for a brief moment. After a while of recollection, her face slightly lit up.

"Now that you mention it, I think everyone was being a bit more attentive during the lessons, or at least they all acted slightly more disciplined than usual. Wait, don't tell me you--?" I nodded.

It seems Hirata followed his instructions perfectly.

Being a leader figure, Hirata explained everything to the others just like he was instructed. The cameras, the free items, the downcast glances towards class D, etc every single point was listed down one by one.

I even went as far as to introduce the "class point" system to the others way earlier than the intended period in the light novel. With the help of Hirata and Ayanokouji, I managed to implement the seeds of suspicion and fear among the students.

Even if someone was skeptical about my explanation, there was nothing to worry about. No one wants to live a poor life. The thoughts of not receiving points for an entire month had formed into a huge lump of concern inside them. After I had pointed everything out right before their eyes, the saying 'silence before the storm' had become more and more apparent to them.

"Everyone in our class is now aware of the s-system and the hidden agenda of this school. Do you now understand the reason behind such a drastic change among our classmates?"

Of course, abominations like Yamauchi and Sudou are to be expected, which I would immediately take care of in a different period of time. It was not more than a week since the month had started after all.

"I.. see," she muttered.

"Stop contemplating, Horikita. This is the way. Take my hand and make the first move towards change."

Horikita hesitated, but inevitably gave up and took my hand.

Perfect.

I immediately pulled her from the floor, her clothes were stained in dirt and tears. She fixed her undergarments and dusted her skirt trying to get the dirt off her skirt and her legs.

"All I want is for people to cooperate with me. I want you to assist me in the future, doing whatever I need."

"What? Assist? What do you want me to do?"

"If things continue as they are, Class D will never overtake Class A. While the individual students within Class D certainly aren't incapable, we lack a sense of unity. Our class is scattered. Which is why I have you..."

"Stop talking in riddles. What are you trying to say?"

Up until now, she'd only ever seen me as a lowly, unobtrusive guy. Seeing this side of me must've been a shock to her. But I was done explaining. Besides, the less I talked, the more terrifying I would appear. The less she would resist.

"You will become the leader of class D."

••••••

I came out of the building, and Horikita remained inside. She requested me to give her some time to process. The psychological damage that I caused exhausted her both mentally and physically.

I didn't bother forcing her to accompany me, so I left.

On the way out, I noticed Ayanokouji standing against the doorway.

"How did it go?" he asked.

"It's done," I replied.

"For real?"

"Do you have doubts?"

"I wonder."

"Class D will now have two leaders. Hirata Yousuke and Horikita Suzune. They will both act as our covers." I said.

"I suppose you are right. But I think there is someone else who could be a better leader."

Even better than Horikita? By that, did he mean Karuizawa?

"Who do you have in mind?" I inquired.

As a reply, he pointed his finger in my direction.

"You," he said.

Me?

"Well, I'm flattered. But that's not possible; not yet. Let's leave before we both get caught."

We departed from the gymnasium, again without revealing ourselves. On our way toward the dormitory, we shared the details of our operation.

"Your wound has reopened."

"That wouldn't be an issue."

I would buy a roll of bandage along with some antiseptic pills and a painkiller. It wasn't the first time I had dealt with cut injuries. Honestly, it felt like dj vu. I had experienced the same thing before.

"So, how did it feel to grope her thighs?"

".... Huh?" Suddenly Ayanokouji asked me a question that caught me by surprise. "Why do you ask?"

"I'm just curious."

Curious, huh?

"Well, to be honest, it kind of felt like squeezing a sponge ball, but with a smooth surface."

"Is that so?"

"But there's a huge difference. When I squeezed her left thigh, she let out a "kyun~ kyun~" noise. Her body shook like a washing machine. Not to mention the temperature. It was already hot there. But after I started caressing her thighs, her body had become warmer. Her skin was so smooth, it felt like I was petting a small kitten. The width and the bounciness of her thighs were perfect. Also, the angle I squeezed her--"

"sigh* I wish I could do that too~," Ayanokouji mumbled to himself.

"Did you say something?"

"Nope."

You did.

"In any case don't worry, you'll have your chance."

"So you did hear me then?"

"Did I?"

"You did."

"I wonder if I did..."

"Not a single word, Levent."

He slightly narrowed his eyes at me, probably trying to threaten me, in a friendly manner that is. It was a good thing that he started to show emotions near me.

It was already dark. We entered our dormitory, boarded the lift, and pressed 4 on the elevator. After the elevator door opened we went to our doors.

Before we parted ways, Ayanokouji asked me the burning question.

"So, what is your next move, Levent?"

Next move?

"That's simple. We wait..."

Current balance: 790, 231 ¶¶

End of freshmen arc...