The Start of Study Sessions From Hell

I squatted at the corner of the hallway, agonizing between my choices. I could stay here and continue listening to Sakuya and the new teacher’s conversation. Or I could leave this place and pretend I heard nothing.

But before I could make the decision, their conversation already ended and the new teacher passed by without noticing my presence.

“I know you’re there. Come out, Ryuu.”

I nearly jumped out of my skin when I heard Sakuya’s voice, but I steeled my resolve and slowly stood up. My legs felt like they're stabbed by a thousand needles from squatting for too long, so I dragged my feet toward Sakuya.

“Did you hear everything?”

Contrary to my expectations, she didn’t seem particularly angry.

“Y-Yeah…sorry. I didn’t mean to listen, but I got curious and stayed until the end.” I lowered my head.

For a moment, Sakuya didn’t say anything. I sneaked a glance at her and reflexively remembered what she said about me earlier.

“Right, Ryuu is a chess piece of mine! I still don’t know which piece he is, but I know that he’s an irreplaceable piece for me. He’s definitely not just a sacrificial pawn anymore!”

I didn’t know why, but I was really happy to hear that. It felt like Sakuya had finally started trusting me more and more.

“Sakuya-san…who is that teacher? And why is he…?”

“Well, it doesn't matter. Thanks to that, I don’t have to explain it again to you.”

Sakuya’s words cut my sentence short.

“Then Ryuu, we’re going to get busy from now on!”

“Yes…?” I tilted my head, failing to understand what she meant.

Sakuya flashed her usual confident, ferocious grin. “We’re going to make those stupid subordinates of mine study like hell and pass their test!”

*****

“Rejected.”

Yuuki declared coldly and flatly, as immovable as a judge pronouncing his final verdict.

“But why?!” Sakuya slammed her hands on the desk in front of Yuuki, glaring at him resentfully.

“Sa-Sakuya-san, calm down…” I tugged on her sleeves, helplessly trying to placate her.

Yuuki sighed. “Let’s see here—the self-proclaimed delinquents’ leader came barging into the Student Council room and suddenly demanded that I gave you the permission to use more classrooms after school. Now, please explain to me why wouldn’t anyone instantly reject such an unreasonable demand?”

“Ah, you see, President, we have a good reason for that…” I tried explaining the circumstances to him, but Sakuya cut me short.

“Shut up and let me handle this, Ryuu. Listen, Koyama…”

“I’m your senpai here.” Yuuki retorted but Sakuya simply ignored him.

“…I know you don’t like me at all, but what I’m doing here will benefit the delinquents and this school as well. If you really care for this school, then you should just be quiet and let me have my way.” Sakuya leaned toward Yuuki, her eyes carried unspeakable pressure and seriousness that I’d never seen before.

Yuuki returned her stare silently for a moment. “…and you have no intention of providing any actual explanation to me, at all?” He asked.

“Yeah.” Sakuya’s tone was final.

Yuuki let out a bigger sigh. “Please leave. I’m not giving you any more room to use. Besides, the classrooms are currently used by the clubs in this school, in case you didn’t know. Let me borrow your words—if you really care for this school, then you should have noticed that.”

Sakuya remained silent for a few seconds, staring intently at Yuuki, as if taunting him to change his mind. But when he didn’t say anything further, Sakuya straightened her back.

“Then, I take it that if I can strike a deal with those clubs, you won’t object to that, right?” Sakuya confirmed.

“Yes. That is, if you can truly get them to agree.” Yuuki seemed doubtful.

“That’s good enough for me.” Sakuya turned on her heels and headed for the door. I hurriedly chased after her.

When we were about to leave, the vice-president, Marika, happened to come inside the room. She politely stepped aside to let us through first.

“I don’t really know what's going on, but good luck!” Marika smiled at me.

“Y-Yeah…thank you.” I nodded ambiguously as I followed Sakuya out.

When we'd walked far enough from the Student Council room, I braved myself to ask Sakuya. “Sakuya-san, why didn’t you tell President about the remedial test for the delinquents?”

Sakuya didn’t slow down nor glance at me. “Despite your good grades, you’re a bit slow, aren’t you? Isn’t it obvious that he’ll ask me where I got that information? If I have to explain about Shijima to that troublesome guy, then it’s way better to not ask for his assistance in the first place.”

I stared at Sakuya’s back in wonder. “You really hate talking about that new teacher, huh? No, it’s not just about Shijima-sensei—you don’t want to talk about your past at all, even though it’s the very reason for our trouble right now.”

Sakuya reacted with a twitch, but she acted as if she didn’t hear me. “It’s getting late, so we’ll handle the classroom tomorrow. I’m going to tell everyone to gather after school tomorrow, so Ryuu, I want you to start making mock tests for them to practice with.” Sakuya instructed.

I stared at her back with a frown on my face. Somehow, I felt really annoyed when I heard Sakuya’s words. Even though right now, Sakuya was clearly relying on me more than before. She had trusted me to do something that only I could do as her only subordinate who was smart enough to help out.

And yet…

I couldn’t help but feel irritated.

“Can you do it, Ryuu?” Sakuya finally stopped walking and turned to me.

“Y-Yeah.” I realized that I hadn’t replied to her. “Leave it to me.”

“Good.” Sakuya nodded. “I’ll gather all the related topics first, so you can take it easy. I’ll also help you out with those mock tests, don’t worry.”

“I’m not worried.” I hurriedly fixed my frowning face. “Sakuya-san, you should be more concerned about getting them to gather after school.”

“Ah, that part is easy.” Sakuya’s face transformed into her usual evil, scheming-looking face. “If I told them that I’ll beat up anyone who doesn’t show up, they’ll definitely gather with no questions asked.”

“…such a tyrant.” I smiled wryly at her usual extreme remark.

“Isn’t that fine? I am the Banchou, after all.” Sakuya resumed walking, but I noticed that her steps seemed lighter than before, as if she had let go some of her burden.

“Well, whatever it is, I don’t care.” I shook off the strange feeling of irritation. “Sakuya-san is finally relying on me. I definitely can’t mess this up.”

*****

“President, is something wrong?”

The voice of my vice-president snapped me out of my thoughts. The Student Council room was nearly empty, save for the two of us. The rest of the officers already went home for the day.

“Why do you ask?”

With my vice-president having such perceptive eyes, I had long given up on trying to hide anything from her.

“Well, I didn’t hear what you three were talking about, but after Kagura-san and Shiba-kun went out, you seemed to be lost in your thoughts.” Marika said.

I laced my fingers and sighed. “No, it’s just that Kagura is acting a bit weird today. I was wondering whether something actually happened to her. She never liked the Student Council—if anything, she saw us as a bunch of troublesome people—but today she actually came and asked for help, even though she refused to explain anything.”

“Huh…that does sound weird.” Marika tilted her head. “So you refused her?”

“Of course.” I said. “Who would accept a deal without knowing why that deal was necessary in the first place?”

I recalled Sakuya’s serious face earlier. She seemed so determined, as if her whole life was at stake.

“…perhaps…just maybe…someone’s life is truly at stake here.”

Just for a bit, my heart wavered when I remembered her determination.

Marika stared at me dubiously, but she said nothing.

*****

The next day, just as Sakuya said, the delinquents obediently gathered after school.

If you asked where, then the usual classroom was definitely not enough for nearly eighty people, so Sakuya got threatened—negotiated with the drama club’s president and managed to borrow the drama club’s spacious practice hall until the remedial test was over.

Right, Sakuya was the one getting threatened by the drama club’s president, not the other way around.

That incident really dealt some damage to her pride, so Sakuya went as far as to silence me so I wouldn’t tell anyone about it.

“Okay, good work gathering here, you lot.” Sakuya reclined on her usual throne—brought here by the ever-faithful Ouji and Hiiro. Her throne was put on the stage, so she was looking down at everyone else, who sat down on the floor in front of the stage. “I was a bit worried that some of you might decide to not show up, but it seems you guys are quite meek today.”

Sakuya was saying that with a beautiful smile on her face, yet she was also letting out an impressive bloodlust.

“Well, of course they’d come if you threatened them like that.” I retorted internally.

Many of the delinquents here already tasted Sakuya’s fist after she stepped in to stop their fights, so currently their fear towards Sakuya reached an all-time high.

“Well, the reason why I called you all here is this.” Sakuya fluttered the paper containing list of names that she got from Kikuchi in front of everyone. “To put it simply, you guys are going to attend supplementary classes if you keep being idiots, so the teachers are willing to give you another test before the finals. I’ve volunteered to help you all pass that test, so be prepared to study like there's no tomorrow, you got it?”

For a moment, the whole room was silent.

“WHHAAAAAAAATTTT????!!!!”

Nearly all of them shouted in disbelief.

“This is ridiculous! Why should we care about our grades?!” Delinquent A complained.

“No, you’re still a student, so you should care!” I retorted.

“If it’s studying, then we already did so in class! Why should we study some more?!” Delinquent B joined in.

“Then why are your grades so poor in the first place?!”

“This is ridiculous!” Takashi stood up indignantly. “Are you saying that we’re so stupid that we can’t study on our own?! We’ll handle this test by ourselves, so we don’t need your help!”

“Right! Right!”

“Why do you care anyway?!”

“Acting cocky just because you’re a bit smarter!”

The delinquents who used to be part of the rebels started siding with Takashi.

“Oi, you guys…” Ouji started getting up, ready to beat them into submission.

“Pochi, sit.”

Sakuya raised her hand and Ouji instantly sat down. Far from being angry, Sakuya was smiling as if saying that she had been waiting for this.

“It looks like you guys won’t listen to reason. Then, let’s go outside. I’ll beat you guys enough to make you study.”

Sakuya started rising up from her throne, cracking her knuckles with a fierce look on her face. She was being completely serious with her words. The delinquents sensed that and started inching away with a terrified look on their faces. Takashi instantly sat down again, trying not to stand out.

“Why are you trying to rule them through fear and violence?!” My head started aching from this terrible situation. If I let Sakuya’s fist did the talking, this situation would only get worse.

“W-Wait a second, Sakuya-san!” I hurriedly stepped in front of her, blocking her way.

I could hear everyone gasping and whispering behind me.

“He’s a hero…!”

“He stood up against the demon king!”

“I really misjudged him…I thought he was just a weakling…”

“Such a noble sacrifice…!”

“Who the hell is going to sacrifice themselves for you idiots?!” I retorted in irritation, but I tried my hardest to ignore them and kept my eyes on Sakuya.

“Move aside, Ryuu.” Sakuya ordered. “Those guys won’t get it unless you bash them in the head several times.”

“No, I think bashing them in the head is just going to make them more stupid than now, Sakuya-san.” I automatically quipped at her. “Besides, I think we should settle this with another way. I have a plan, so please let me handle this.”

“Hm?” Sakuya narrowed her eyes. “Fine, let’s hear this idea of yours.”

As Sakuya returned to her seat, I secretly heaved a relieved sigh. I was worried that Sakuya might go violent on me if I opposed her, but unexpectedly she backed down.

“You guys, you don’t want to study more after school, right?” I turned to the delinquents and spoke.

“YES!!!!!!” They all answered in perfect harmony.

Seriously, why did you guys only unite when it’s about studying?

“Then, it’s simple.” I took out a bunch of papers. “You guys just need to pass this test that I made. If you pass the test, then we won’t force you to study. Okay?” I offered them.

The delinquents started whispering among themselves. They didn’t seem to believe me that much.

“Ryuu, let me take a look at it.” Sakuya held out a hand.

I gave her one of the tests and she looked over it.

“Hmm…it’s not bad. This test is slightly more difficult than the remedial test. If you manage to get fifty…no, forty points in this test, then I’ll let you do as you like.” Sakuya announced.

Sakuya’s overly ‘generous’ offer instantly created a commotion among the delinquents.

“That’s…!” Takashi leapt to his feet. “You’re going to hold your words, right?!”

“Of course.” Sakuya answered without any hesitation. “I swear it on my position of the Banchou. However, the reverse is also true.”

Sakuya’s dagger-like, sharp eyes pierced through the delinquents.

“If you fail this test, you’ll agree to study with me every day. Do you guys understand?”

“ “ “…yes…” “ “

Everyone answered, albeit reluctantly.

“Sakuya-chan!”

Only one person courageously—or more like shamelessly—raised his hand.

“If I pass the test, can I ask you out on a date with me at least once?!” Hiiro took this chance to get his wish come true.

“ “ “?!” ” ”

Everyone turned to Hiiro with wide eyes.

“You…do you really want to die????”

Their eyes seemed to scream that.

“Sure, though I’ll have you pass over eighty points for that.” Sakuya casually accepted his request while increasing the hurdle.

“ “ “??!!” ” ”

“Then, can I ask you to fight with me again like we did when we first met?!” Ouji, not wanting to lose, also voiced his own request.

“Well…I don’t mind, but seeing that it’s you, I’ll accept it if you can pass over sixty points, Pochi.”

Perhaps knowing his muscle-headed traits, Sakuya kindly adjusted the hurdle for Ouji.

“T-Then, how about you give me the Banchou’s position—?!”

“Do that after you got a full score, riffraff.”

Takashi timidly raised his hand as well, but he was instantly shot back.

After all of that ruckus, the delinquents finally calmed down enough to take the test. Since this was a bunch of delinquents we were talking about, I carefully kept watch on them to make sure that no one cheated while Sakuya constantly glared at them with killing intent mixed in. Thanks to her, I was quite sure that no one would dare risking their neck just to cheat in this mock test.

“Okay, time’s up!” I clapped my hands, feeling a bit like a teacher.

A lot of groans came out, but they obediently submitted their answer sheet. Sakuya and I quickly graded their test, while the delinquents chatted among themselves and compared their answers.

When Sakuya stood up to announce the result, everyone fell silent and held their breath in expectation.

“Ryuu and I have finished grading all of your tests. When I looked at the result, I’m feeling really moved right now.” Sakuya smiled gently, like a mother about to praise her child. “I can see that you guys worked really, really hard…”

But the next second, her voice rose into a roar.

“…so how in the world almost none of you even reached forty points?! What have you been studying all this time, you idiots?! You all are going to study with me every day after school, you got that?! Anyone who tries to escape will be dead, so don’t bother to try anything funny!”

“EEEEEEEEHHHHHHHHH????????????!!!!!!!!!!!!!”

That day, the whole practice room was filled with shrieks.

As a side note, Hiiro actually managed to get 79 points, while Ouji got 37 points and Takashi got 28 points.

None of them fulfilled Sakuya’s conditions, and thus she declined their requests.

*****

Meanwhile, in an empty classroom…

“I see, so she actually managed to gather all of the delinquents and find a fitting gathering place for them. That’s quite impressive, don’t you think?”

The new teacher, Kikuchi, spoke with his back facing another person.

“My deepest apologies…” His collaborator bowed their head in a fluster. “I’ve tried obstructing her by making sure other clubs won’t lend her any room, and I’ve incited some of the delinquents to reject her study session—but none of them worked.”

“Hmmm…is there nothing else you can use?” Kikuchi asked with his eyes looking outside the window.

“Well…” The collaborator hesitated. “Speaking about her weakness, there’s only one thing that comes to mind…her newest subordinate, Shiba Ryuuji.”

“Shiba Ryuuji, huh? She did seem strangely attached to that boy. Fine, why don’t you try enticing him to leave her side or something like that? I would love to see the look on her face when she’s betrayed by her so-called ‘irreplaceable piece’.” Kikuchi’s lips formed a twisted smile.

“As you will, sir.” The collaborator lowered their head reverently.

“Good. Make sure to do it carefully, so that she won’t notice. I’ll kill you if the deal is off because of your incompetence.” Kikuchi’s voice turned ice cold.

“Y-Yes.” Their voice trembled in fear as they withdrew from the room.

“Kagura Sakuya…” Kikuchi muttered her name vengefully. “I’ll have you admit defeat and drag you back to the house.”