[How did he do that? I couldn't even see him move!]
[I was completely wrong. It wasn't Yamauchi. This Saiki guy is the real mastermind behind everything.]
[He can remotely delete videos, which means he has incredible programming skills. And now he's shown fighting abilities far beyond what I imagined! Saiki, you truly are someone who can bring me joy.]
Ryuen Kakeru, lying on the ground, quickly got up and charged at Saiki again—only to be swatted away like a fly hitting a fly swatter.
That level of attack would have been enough to knock Ishizaki Daichi unconscious, but Ryuen Kakeru managed to stay conscious, falling and getting back up like a cockroach.
'Yare yare, is this guy a punching bag? How is he so durable?'
Saiki inwardly complained.
"You deliberately created this situation, didn't you? You think you can crush us with your strength!"
Ryuen Kakeru, his face bruised and swollen, shouted at Saiki as if he were the victor.
"Victory in violence isn't just about strength; it's also about mental fortitude!"
"Maybe you'll win this time, but what about the second time? The third time? Even the tenth time? You'll let your guard down eventually, and when you do, I'll strike without mercy!"
"If you think you can make me fear you, you're dead wrong! I'll never feel fear! I'll keep watching you until one day..."
"Ah, from start to finish, you've been mistaken about one thing."
At that moment, Saiki sighed and spoke slowly.
"I didn't deliberately create any situation. It's just that you guys are too troublesome, so I came to teach you a lesson and avoid bigger problems in the future."
"You're acting so relaxed, like some superior being!"
Ryuen Kakeru struggled to open his swollen left eye and smiled.
'Yare yare, this is such a hassle.'
Saiki sighed and immediately walked up to Ryuen Kakeru.
[No matter what, I have to destroy Saiki. I can't lose like this. After all, I'm the one who's going to take Class D to Class A!]
"I will defeat you, Saiki—"
The moment Ryuen Kakeru attacked again, Saiki simply raised his hand and flicked Ryuen's forehead. Ryuen did a backflip and collapsed to the ground, finally losing consciousness.
Ryuen Kakeru was out cold.
'Yare yare, I'm not relaxed at all. If I hadn't controlled my strength, you might have flown off like a rocket, and that would've been troublesome.'
Saiki sighed. This was the first time he had actively shown even a fraction of his strength in front of others—less than 1%, but still far beyond an ordinary person's capabilities.
Originally, Saiki had planned to deal with Ryuen Kakeru later, but today he overheard Ryuen's conversation with Kushida Kikyo and learned about his plan.
If Karuizawa Kei had come here, she might have been subjected to terrible bullying.
For Saiki, this crossed a line.
Moreover, given Ryuen Kakeru's personality, if he continued to believe that "Yamauchi Haruki is the mastermind X," even if Saiki stopped him today, Ryuen would likely cause more trouble in the future. So, Saiki decided to take the initiative and solve the problem.
'I was prepared to use memory erasure if necessary, but they seem to have mistaken it for some advanced martial arts technique. That saves me a lot of trouble.'
Saiki glanced at the four people lying on the ground. Regardless of the other three, Ryuen Kakeru wasn't lying. If he didn't resolve this thoroughly now, there would be more trouble in the future.
He looked down at Ryuen Kakeru and prepared to use his telepathy—
But just as Saiki was about to use his ability, a familiar voice suddenly rang out.
"...Kusuo?"
'Crap, I didn't notice someone coming from behind.'
Saiki turned around and saw Karuizawa Kei looking at him in disbelief.
Although Saiki had told Karuizawa Kei not to get involved, she was still worried about him and eventually decided to come to the rooftop alone.
She had guessed that others might try to use this situation to threaten her, but if something happened to Saiki, it would be disastrous. So, Karuizawa Kei mustered her courage and came here to check on Saiki, even preparing herself for the worst—that she might be bullied.
However, Karuizawa Kei never expected to see Saiki standing there, with Ryuen Kakeru and three other Class D members knocked out on the ground.
[Saiki... Saiki took down all four of them by himself?]
'Yare yare... Karuizawa came after all? This is a bit troublesome. I was planning to deal with these guys and then tell her that I'd settled things with Manabe. I didn't expect her to show up at the scene...'
As Saiki pondered how to handle the situation, Ryuen Kakeru suddenly opened his eyes.
"AAHHHHHHHHHH!"
Ryuen Kakeru let out a blood-curdling scream as his consciousness returned to reality. He quickly checked his hands and felt his neck to make sure it was still there.
In his dream, Ryuen Kakeru had experienced something terrifying.
For example, he had turned into a stone, or his head had been kicked around like a soccer ball by a bespectacled adult.
The dream felt so real that Ryuen Kakeru felt an unprecedented fear in his heart.
And in the dream, Saiki was always present—in fact, it seemed like everything was his doing.
[What was that just now? A dream?]
'Yare yare, it wasn't really a dream.'
Saiki responded in his mind. He had used his telepathy to implant some terrifying experiences directly into Ryuen Kakeru's mind. Dreams can influence a person's subconscious to some extent, and after experiencing these nightmares, Ryuen Kakeru would undoubtedly feel some fear toward Saiki.
A fear that went straight to the bone.
'Guess I'll have to push through.'
"You... you're finally awake."
Saiki said. Ryuen Kakeru turned to look at him, and the memories before he lost consciousness flooded back.
"You... you... did you knock me out?"
Ryuen Kakeru's voice trembled. His earlier arrogance and excitement had completely vanished.
[What kind of monster is this guy...?]
Ryuen Kakeru's thoughts were crystal clear to Saiki. He had already developed a fear of Saiki.
"You were out for a few seconds."
Saiki said.
He could clearly hear Karuizawa Kei's shocked thoughts.
[So it's true! Saiki really took down Ryuen and the others all by himself?! Saiki is... this incredible?]
Saiki could feel Karuizawa Kei's gaze on him, now filled with admiration. However, his identity as a psychic remained hidden.
"Karuizawa Kei... you came after all, huh?"
Ryuen Kakeru struggled to get up, grimacing as he spat out some blood.
[He easily defeated us, putting on a hero-saving-the-damsel act in front of Karuizawa Kei to better control her... Saiki, was this all part of your plan?]
'Not at all!'
Saiki responded in his mind.
At that moment, Ibuki Mio and the others gradually regained consciousness. After a period of disorientation, they recalled what had happened and cautiously kept their distance from Saiki.
"You're terrifying... Saiki..."
Ryuen Kakeru looked at Saiki, the earlier ferocity in his eyes completely gone. At the same time, his mind raced.
[If I report to the school that the four of us were beaten by Saiki, it might cause him some trouble... No, that's impossible. Even if it were Sudo, the school would never believe that someone with Saiki's build could take down four people. And if what he said earlier is true, he might have recorded everything remotely. He might even have other dirt on me...]
Despite his reluctance, Ryuen Kakeru had to admit one thing.
"This time... I lost."
"Will you keep causing trouble for us in the future?"
Saiki asked.
"No... I won't..."
Ryuen Kakeru replied, his voice trembling. This surprised Ibuki Mio, as Ryuen Kakeru wasn't the type to give up easily.
What had Saiki done to Ryuen while they were unconscious?
Using his telepathy, Saiki confirmed that Ryuen Kakeru wasn't lying. The guy had completely lost his earlier fighting spirit.
"The matter's resolved. Let's go."
Saiki sighed inwardly and had Karuizawa Kei follow him as they left.
[Saiki is this strong?]
[How did he do it?]
[Saiki... did he fight them for me?]
As they left the school building and headed back to the dorms, Karuizawa Kei's thoughts were in turmoil, but she didn't say a word—though Saiki had heard everything.
'Yare yare, on one hand, it was to solve future problems, and on the other, it was a thank you for all the sweets you've given me.'
Saiki responded in his mind.
"Um... Kusuo, thank you."
Just before they reached the dorms, Karuizawa Kei finally spoke.
"Go get some rest. The issues from your past are resolved now. Don't worry."
After saying this, Saiki didn't engage in much further conversation with Karuizawa Kei and quickly returned to his room.
Karuizawa Kei witnessing the event would make her pay more attention to him, but since his psychic abilities weren't exposed, there was no need to use memory erasure.
'Yare yare, this school is such a troublesome place, and so are the people around me.'
Saiki sighed.
'Ryuen's been dealt with. Now it's just Kushida. Once I handle her, there shouldn't be any more trouble.'
.....
Ryuen Kakeru struggled to lean against the railing, a bitter smile on his face. He then placed his phone on the rooftop floor and slid it toward Ibuki Mio's feet.
"I'll take full responsibility. Before that, transfer all my points to you."
"What? Ryuen, what are you talking about? Are you an idiot?"
Ibuki Mio was completely baffled.
"I lost. Even though neither side will talk about this, Class B has the upper hand. If they use this incident, they could push Class D into a corner. As a price, I'll drop out. I'm sure that's what Saiki intended."
Ryuen Kakeru replied.
"A tyrant is only tolerated as long as their power is meaningful. After a loss like this, no one will follow me."
But at that moment, footsteps echoed on the rooftop again. Everyone thought Saiki had returned and tensely looked toward the entrance.
However, the person who appeared was someone else.
Ayanokoji Kiyotaka.
"I remember you... Horikita's lackey, Ayanokoji. Why are you here? Did Saiki send you?"
Ryuen Kakeru immediately asked, a hint of nervousness in his tone.
Ayanokoji Kiyotaka scanned the group but didn't answer right away.
[Earlier, I saw Karuizawa looking anxious as she left the dorm, so I followed her secretly. I didn't expect Saiki to have already handled things to this extent. He deliberately created a situation where violence could solve the problem, luring Ryuen Kakeru into a trap and completely neutralizing him. This progress is much faster than I expected. Did he start planning this when he framed Yamauchi?]
[As expected, Saiki isn't just brilliant; his combat skills are also exceptional.]
[However, Ryuen Kakeru showed a hint of fear earlier—fear of Saiki? While I don't feel that way myself, if Saiki can make someone like Ryuen feel that way, he must have used some method. Even I might not be able to do that. Since Saiki has already handled most of the situation, I'll take care of the rest. This must all be within his expectations.]