Forcefully dragging Ichihara Jun under their eyes was definitely a bold move on my part. Most likely, no one dared to stand up to him before me. Or even if there were a few instances, the students who did it were crushed beneath the heels of their shoes.
That's why it's no wonder that their reactions became delayed regarding what happened before their very eyes.
And that turned out better for me. Because of this unlikely scenario where Ichihara met another unreasonable fellow, it took us two floors below before Ichihara Jun recovered from my intimidation.
Furthermore, on our way down, we already passed by a few students who more than likely spread what they witnessed.
Enomoto followed them with their eyes though. If ever he moved for Ichihara, the gossip would probably not flourish. Well, I was hoping for him to do just that. That way, I could understand the extent of his underground influence. Whether it’s just a leader of the delinquents or there’s a lot more to it.
Anyway, when Ichihara Jun started struggling to extract himself from my strong grip, his strength alone was insufficient.
He needed the dog and the shaved cuck to help him before he could finally escape. They also understood. If it’s Ichihara Jun alone, getting away from me was next to impossible. Little did they know, I allowed that scenario to happen.
Although involving a Guidance Counselor sounded like a correct decision, I doubt they’re uninformed about Ichihara Jun’s tyranny. Well, it’s probably not a tyranny but he’s someone they couldn’t deal with easily.
I don’t know about Eguchi-sensei though. Maybe, she’s unaware of his shenanigans.
Anyway, that’s that.
As I watched the two create a distance between me and Ichihara, I saw Enomoto emerging from behind me and placing himself on the side. Like a bystander watching a very amusing show.
He still wouldn’t make a move.
I sent a quick glance at him to get a read on his intention but there was nothing to pick up there. So, I turned my attention to the two who stepped up like a proper lackeys.
“Vice President, Goto-senpai, are you going to interfere with my work?” I asked without changing my expression at all.
As though provoked by it, Inugaki answered first, still convinced by his misplaced righteousness. “What work? Onoda, you cannot simply drag a student with you without proper reason.”
Really, the guy still thought he was special. By doing this, he’s very much displaying where his loyalty lies.
I directed my gaze to him without replying. He tried facing that with his own willpower. However, it only took a quarter of a minute before the dog shamefully retreated, eyes hurting from preventing himself from blinking. Nonetheless, even if he lost that battle, he remained standing at the front.
Looks like no matter what happens, he’s keen on shielding Ichihara from me. He deserved a large bone for being a good dog. Surely, the spoiled idiot already had him on a leash. A truly fitting status for a dog like him.
I opted not to reply to Inugaki's words and turned my attention to Goto.
“What about you, senpai? Are you also going to say that I don’t have a reason? You all witnessed how disrespectful he was to authority. I’m only doing my job.”
Upon hearing that, the guy immediately clenched his fist and grit his teeth as if he were preparing himself to defend.
“You shouldn’t have done that.”
Really, he’s just another dog on a leash.
Well, I couldn’t care less about their motivation for being one. The most important thing was that they openly admit where they stand.
If they’re going to get in my way, then there’s no reason for me to hold back against them.
“Same choice as him, huh? Alright. Noted.” I sighed disappointedly.
I already achieved my goal of sending them away from my office. What was about to happen was just for me to settle this.
However, with none of the three willing to throw the first punch, settling this with violence was out of the question. I could continue provoking them but with eyewitnesses around, secretly watching these proceedings, I could only act in a way that a Disciplinary Officer would. Strict yet bound to the rules.
I could only my itchy fists that were telling me that it needs to land on some idiot’s face and break some bones.
“Ichihara-senpai. Even if you don’t come with me to the Guidance Counselor, I’ll be marking your name and informing them about this misconduct. And you two… make sure you also prepare an explanation for this obstruction. Especially you, Vice President. You’re such a disappointment. Don’t worry, the President will also hear about this.”
As I declared that, the three in front of me all trembled in subdued anger. But given the situation, none of them still dared to step forward and throw a punch. Even Ichihara who was coming off strong earlier was rubbing his arm; the part that I gripped earlier.
It actually made a red mark on his skin… I thought he was someone who could hold himself in a fight… but that’s very delicate skin, huh?
A while later, the three who were about to say something was stopped by someone else.
Coming in from the side, Enomoto who was biding his time finally made his move.
He stood in between us, his arms raised on both sides as though he was telling me that he was not a threat.
When he noticed that he got my full attention, he lowered it down and calmly mediated,
“May I say something here Onoda-san?” He asked while gesturing with his facial expressions.
Yeah. He’s acting like this was our first meeting. Looks like the other three had no idea that this guy already made contact with me.
In any case, understanding his motive, I decided to play along with him.
“You? Aren’t you a part of their group?”
“Indeed, I am. However… we can both agree that I never went against you, hmm?”
“However, you also never stopped them. Aren’t you just as guilty?”
I put on a smirk which he responded with a wince.
“Uh… You’re right. Am I going to be charged with misconduct as well?”
“Yeah. If you want to.”
“Huh? Then am I clear?”
“Do you want me to repeat myself? Hurry up. State what you’re going to say.”
Whatever scenario we were writing, I couldn’t help but believe that our minds were in sync and this would lead to this situation being peacefully settled. On top of that, my reputation would probably soar to another height after this day.
Whether that was Enomoto’s true intention or not, I had no idea. But at the moment, he’s proving himself to be not just an ordinary puppet master lurking from the shadows.
“Ah! I apologize… I mean, you’re being too intimidating for a first year. You’re really one of a kind. Anyway, what I’m meaning to say is… will it be possible to let this slide? No harm was done.”
“If that’s a joke, it’s not funny. You disrupted the peace and order when you banged on the door of my office looking for a runaway fiancee.”
“I get that. But look, they’re willing to back down now. Let’s all go our own ways, yeah?”
At this point, Inugaki, Goto, and Ichihara were all looking at Enomoto like they would look at a savior. To be able to negotiate with an unreasonable guy like me, he’s turning into an angel in their eyes.
It looked really funny, of course. The clueless idiots.
“What about the inconvenience you caused?”
“We’ll compensate you for that. I’ll see to it that it will be accomplished!”
“Hmm. Let me think…”
I acted like I was contemplating an answer when in fact, I had already decided to break away from them and return upstairs.
After waiting for at least a minute, I glanced at the other three as well as checked on the spectators watching from a distance,
My lips then stretched into a sly smile as I uttered my answer to what Enomoto proposed. “Alright then. I’ll let Ichihara and Goto-senpai’s misconduct go but the Vice President has to explain himself before the Student Council.”
Being directly pointed by me, Inugaki’s complexion paled. It’s like he’s about to throw up. However, he couldn’t utter words of rebuttal on that.
“Is there no other way around it?”
“No. As the Disciplinary Officer, I cannot overlook that.”
With that as my last answer, I once again dramatically fixed my armband before turning around, maintaining the grace of a diligent Disciplinary Officer.
I had no idea what kind of compensation Enomoto would bring me but I would surely expect him to deliver. If he failed to do so, I could easily make my way to the Alchemy Research Club and spend time with that succubus senior. Getting closely acquainted with his childhood friend was also an option…
Right?
Anyway, Enomoto’s timing was impeccable. I couldn’t help but evaluate it as a commendable act… In a sense, he helped me establish my reputation perfectly. Although it wouldn’t remove the animosity of Ichihara against me, he’d start being cautious of me.
But well, there’s his daddy. Will he call on him to wipe his ass again? We’ll see.