-62- Play with me

Nanaya Hori's movements came to a halt, and his deep eyes narrowed slowly.

With Hori's keen senses, he naturally sensed it.

Someone approached him and stood nearby.

Through the glass of the vending machine, Hori vaguely saw the appearance of the person.

It was a man.

The man had relatively long hair for a male, with the ends reaching his shoulders. His hairstyle seemed untreated, parted on both sides to keep his vision unobstructed.

His height was similar to Hori's.

His face appeared somewhat frightening.

Especially his gaze, like that of a predator targeting its prey, giving off a chilling feeling.

Even bold individuals would feel intimidated by such a gaze.

Hori endured the intense stare without flinching or turning his head.

Then, Hori took the water from the dispenser outlet.

Instead of taking the expensive drink "offered" by the man, Hori chose the free mineral water.

Then, while drinking the water, he spoke.

"Who are you?"

Upon hearing this, the man didn't immediately answer Hori's question. Instead, he also reached out, took the drink from the dispenser outlet, opened it, and began drinking while smiling sarcastically.

"Ryuen Kakeru—You should understand when I say it like this, right?"

The man revealed his name.

Ryuen Kakeru.

He was precisely the dictator of Class C, whom Hori had heard about from Ichinose Honami and had sparked some interest in.

"I see."

Hori still didn't look at Ryuen Kakeru, but smiled as if he found something amusing.

"So, you're Ryuen Kakeru?"

There was no hint of surprise or shock in his voice, just a bit of curiosity.

He hadn't expected to learn about this person from Ichinose Honami today and then encounter him in person.

But after this close encounter with him, Hori could understand why Ichinose Honami considered Ryuen Kakeru the most dangerous individual in the school.

Because Ryuen Kakeru exuded an aura of a desperado.

He might truly be a tyrant, a dictator, a terrorist.

Although it was just Hori's guess, this person's past should be similar to his, right?

Always fighting against the people around him, never stopping for a moment.

The man who called himself Ryuen Kakeru gave Hori this feeling.

As a result, it was impossible not to perceive the danger.

However...

"Danger that can be perceived is not true danger."

Hori muttered to himself.

This made Ryuen Kakeru also narrow his eyes and reveal a more chilling smirk.

"Would you like to play with me, Nanaya Hori?"

As he said this, Ryuen Kakeru's tone carried a sense of playfulness and joy.

Apparently, Ryuen Kakeru enjoyed the idea of "playing."

"Play?"

Hori continued to drink his water.

The words he spoke were as follows.

"If it's just playing, then accompanying you wouldn't hurt."

This was Hori's most genuine thought.

Indeed, Hori thought so.

He wanted to play with Ryuen Kakeru.

To see what this individual, whom Ichinose Honami rated as the most dangerous person, wanted to play.

"Very well. It seems you also enjoy life in this school, unlike the boring folks in Class A and Class B. That's great."

Ryuen Kakeru smiled contentedly.

It seemed that besides being a supporter of terrorism, Ryuen Kakeru was also a hedonist.

"After tomorrow evening, come to the Special Instruction Building."

Ryuen Kakeru issued an invitation to Hori like this.

"I'll send a few trashy guys to play with you."

This was clearly a challenge.

Ichinose Honami also mentioned it, right?

To achieve his goals, the person named Ryuen Kakeru won't hesitate to use any means necessary.

This includes resorting to violence.

In other words, Ryuen Kakeru meant to say that he would send a few people to confront Hori.

"If you're afraid, you don't have to come."

Leaving these words behind, Ryuen Kakeru casually threw the unfinished drink into the nearby trash bin and bought another bottle of expensive drink worth 1000 personal points.

"I did say it's for you."

With these words, Ryuen Kakeru didn't bother to pick up the drink that had fallen from the dispenser outlet. He turned around and left directly.

Hori didn't look back.

Or rather, from start to finish, Hori never looked at Ryuen Kakeru.

But even without looking, Hori understood.

Ryuen Kakeru had set his sights on him.

Just as Ichinose Honami said, the dictator of Class C was ready to make a move against Hori, who had recently become the topic of conversation.

Perhaps this was just a test.

After all, Ryuen Kakeru hadn't confirmed Hori's abilities or if he posed any threat.

Otherwise, Ryuen Kakeru would surely have taken action himself, rather than saying, "I'll send a few trashy guys to play with you."

So, would Hori accept this test?

"Why not?"

Hori smirked.

"It's just right for a little play."

After saying this, Hori took out the expensive drink from the dispenser outlet, didn't even open it, threw it into the nearby trash bin, and continued to drink water as he left the place.

In the evening campus, this scene went unnoticed by anyone and peacefully welcomed the night.

...

Advanced Nurturing High School, Special Instruction Building.

It was a building where classrooms for special courses, home economics, audio-visual classes, and other equipment not frequently used were located.

Usually, if there were no relevant classes, there would be almost no one here.

And after school, Hori, carrying his backpack, came here alone.

"It's really hot..."

Looking at the Special Instruction Building in front of him, Hori's first comment was about the weather.

It was the peak of summer.

There were still two months left before summer vacation.

In that case, it was normal for it to be a bit hot now.

However, the Special Instruction Building was even hotter than other places.

The reason was simple.

"In other buildings and even in Keyaki Mall, there's air conditioning, but not here."

After all, it was a building that wasn't commonly used.

If it were in a classroom, the air conditioning would be on.

But now that school was over, there was no trace of air conditioning left, only the stifling heat.

Hori entered the Special Instruction Building under such circumstances.

The destination was the upper floor.

Hori headed towards the rooftop.

And when he reached the floor that was almost to the rooftop, several figures appeared at the staircase landing.

"You're the Nanaya mentioned by Ryuen, right?"

A somewhat unfriendly voice reached Hori's ears.

Hori stopped his steps.