Classroom Of The Elite: The Silent Syndicate

"So, what did you do?" Ryuen leaned back against the wall, his arms crossed, his sharp eyes boring into me with a mix of curiosity and skepticism.

"I don't understand you, Ryuen. You three just came back from the infirmary. Shouldn't you be resting instead of dragging me out here for an interrogation?" I replied, keeping my tone even, though I could feel the intensity of their stares on me.

Ryuen ignored my question entirely, his smirk sharp as a knife. "I know your little plan worked, so explain to me how it worked exactly." His words were measured, but there was an edge to them. "There's no way they were convinced just by what you said."

Ibuki, Ishizaki, and Albert stood nearby, their expressions betraying their own mix of emotions. Ibuki's frustration was the loudest—her hands clenched into fists at her sides, her body practically trembling with suppressed rage. Ishizaki's brows were furrowed, his confusion evident as he tried to piece together the mystery. Albert, as always, remained a silent and imposing figure, but even he was clearly paying attention.

"...I don't think I should be elaborating on what I did," I said.

"The fuck do you mean, you bastard?" Ibuki snapped, stepping forward and jabbing a finger at me. "I got beaten to a pulp, and you don't want to explain how you convinced them to give us the points? Are you out of your goddamn mind?"

I met her glare with a calm look. "I 'blackmailed' them into accepting the offer of sending the points."

Ryuen's smirk faltered for the briefest moment, replaced by a flicker of suspicion. "It wouldn't work," he said, his tone colder now. "I already explained earlier to them that the plan wouldn't work because the third years know how this shit goes. They're too experienced to fall for basic tricks. And yet, you managed to pull it off. How?"

Before I could respond, Ishizaki chimed in, his tone uncertain but insistent. "Also, Takashiro-san, when we were leaving, we saw one of the students who beat us up in the infirmary. He looked... really messed up. Like, extremely injured. What the hell happened?"

"Yeah, Ishizaki's right," Ryuen said, his voice growing darker. "The guy had a broken arm, his face was completely bloody, and he couldn't even talk properly to the nurse. It's almost like he saw Satan himself." 

"Just because you guys messed up doesn't mean I didn't know what to do," I said, my gaze sweeping over the group.

Ibuki's eyes narrowed, her anger still bubbling beneath the surface. "What's that supposed to mean? We followed the plan Ryuen gave us. You're acting like this whole thing was our fault!"

"Did you genuinely believe a bunch of third years would want to fight 3 first year students?"

"..."

"I adjusted the plan so that the fight still happens."

Ryuen raised an eyebrow, his smirk returning, but it was tinged with curiosity. "Adjusted it how?"

I crossed my arms, taking a moment to glance at each of them. "I paid a group of girls in Class 3-C to convince their boyfriends—yes, the very same boys who ended up fighting you—that you two," I nodded toward Ryuen and Ishizaki, "were perverts. I told them to claim that you tried touching them inappropriately. That accusation alone was enough to ignite the fire in their boyfriends to fight you guys. After all what kind of man would let his woman be touched by another. Lucky for us that Albert was able to film most of it."

The realization seemed to hit them all at once. Ibuki's mouth dropped open, and she took a step back, her anger now mixed with disbelief. "You actually did that?"

I smirked, feeling a surge of triumph. "Of course. The moment those rumors spread, it was game over. Their boyfriends would be too furious to think straight, and the fight would be on."

"But what about those 2 reputations? What if the girls tell more people about it." Ibuki asked, her voice laced with concern as she pointed towards Ryuen and Ishizaki. 

"They won't," I replied. "I already made it clear to them that the moment their boyfriends come back to confront them and tell them that they beat their so-called 'perverts,' they'll have to admit they hit the wrong students. That's what they've been paid for."

"But what if one of them decides to go off-script?" Ibuki pressed, still wary.

"Trust me, Ibuki. I chose those girls carefully." 

"Alright, I understand why they even fought us, but can you explain at least what happened to that other student?" Ryuen asked.

"Oh, that's simple. I beat him up," I replied casually.

"..." The silence that followed hung thick in the air, each pair of eyes fixed on me, waiting for the punchline or some kind of clarification.

"Ok, can you at least explain to me how you convinced them to give you the points?" Ryuen pressed, his curiosity mingling with skepticism.

"Oh, that's also pretty simple," I replied. "So basically I asked a girl from their class to film the scene so that I have a footage early. Then, I arranged to meet Ryuhei, the leader of Class 3-C. I showed him the video and offered him a deal—points in exchange for keeping the footage under wraps. But he rejected the offer outright. Instead, he let his pride take over and tried to fight me in a rage, his friend jumping in to back him up."

"I beat his friend to the point of traumatizing him. Ryuhei stood there watching, his bravado just evaporating in thin air."

"Traumatizing him, huh?" Ryuen smirked. "And what happened next?"

"After I had him on the ropes, Ryuhei was desperate to save face. He didn't want to admit he was scared, but I could see it in his eyes. That's when I pushed my advantage. I told him that if he wanted to avoid further humiliation, he needed to come up with a plan to pay me points every month. At first, he hesitated, but I made it clear that if he didn't cooperate, I could easily spread that video around." 

"He then told me that he will have to convince his class to give him points each month so that he can pay. He told me that he would be at the Karaoke as from 4 p.m and that's most of his friends will be with him at that point, so it's basically the best time to convince them. With a bit of acting from him and his friend being a bunch of dumbasses, he was able to convince his friends to accept the offer." 

Ryuen leaned in closer, intrigued yet wary. "And you really think this plan is foolproof? What if one of his friends starts to doubt him or digs deeper into the situation?"

"You're forgetting something crucial," I replied, leaning back slightly, my voice steady. "All of them beat up Ibuki, and their faces are clearly visible in the video. Plus, let's face it: a bunch of guys assaulting a girl? That's a PR nightmare for them. If Ibuki wants, she can file assault charges, and trust me, they know how bad that would look." 

"..." 

"Also Ibuki I want you to go to Nagumo and put chargers on a bunch of students in class 3-A that they were the one who assaulted you. I will send you their name by tonight." 

"Who is Nagumo and why should I do that and why class 3-A?" She asked confusedly. 

"Because I said so. Nagumo is the vice school council president. You won't get any problem as you are the victim, there is also a video that the girl shot that doesn't show any of their faces and only their legs hitting you. So you don't have to worry about getting in trouble for false allegations." 

Ibuki stared at me, the gears in her head clearly turning as she processed what I was asking her to do. "But that sounds risky. What if he doesn't believe me or thinks I'm just trying to stir up trouble?"

"Nagumo is not dumb. He knows the consequences of a fight involving upperclassmen against a first-year girl. He'll take it seriously, especially with the video evidence backing your claim. He also hates the current SCP who is a student of class 3-A." 

"You can basically just go to him tomorrow alongside Ishizaki, tell him that you were assaulted by a bunch of class 3-A students. We will leak the video of them beating you up on the school forum anonymously. He will take you seriously since you have no reason to have a beef with students of third year. If he asked you why you got beaten up, tell him you try helping Ishizaki who was getting assaulted by a third year who lost his temper." 

Ibuki looked at me for a moment, then slowly nodded.

As she nodded, a sense of resolve settled in the room, though I could see the flicker of doubt still lingering in her eyes. "Alright, I'll do it," she said, her voice steadier now. "But I want to make sure this really works. I don't want to end up in deeper trouble."

"Trust me, you're in a position of power now," I assured her. "Being the victim means you hold the trump card. Plus, with Nagumo involved, he won't let anyone push you around. Just stick to the plan and do as I told you." 

"Alright."

"Good. And remember, you need to act scared but resilient," I reminded her. "Show him that you're serious about the assault and how it affected you." 

Ibuki nodded, but a flicker of concern crossed her face. "Wait, but what if the Student Council President tries talking to me? You said he was a Class 3-A student. There's no way he'll let his friends get falsely accused by me."

I waved off her worry. "No need to panic. If he tries to talk to you, just say that you're still traumatized by the event and that he's intimidating you. Make it clear that you don't want to engage further. Then tell him that if he has any questions, he can ask Sakagami-sensei, me, or even Ryuen. It'll put the onus on him to seek out the truth without putting you in a vulnerable position." 

Ibuki frowned, still uncertain. "And what if he presses me? What if he doesn't back off?" 

"Then you tell Nagumo about it. You understand it now?"

"I understand it now," she replied, her voice steadying with newfound determination.

"Alright then since we are done here you guys can leave my room now." 

The door clicked shut, leaving me alone in the dim light of the room. I took a deep breath and just laid my head on the table.