"Bonjour~"
Becky greeted him first—that was her usual trick, to lull her target into a false sense of ease.
"Bonjour, avez-vous besoin d'aide…" ("Hello, do you need hel—")
Before Rinji could finish, Becky suddenly snapped.
"TAIS-TOI! Ton français est tellement nul que ça me fait chier, quelle honte!"
("SHUT UP! Your French is so bad it pisses me off, what a disgrace!")
Rinji: "…"
"Tu me rends dingue, j'en ai ras le bol de tes baratins!"
("You drive me crazy, I'm sick of your nonsense!")
Becky was going off in full blast, but in the shadows behind the stage, the principal was nearly pissing himself.
'Becky! That's not Shirogane Miyuki! That's Takamine Rinji! The one beside him is your real target!!'
He wanted to run out and stop her—but how could he explain it without revealing he had sent Becky to insult someone in the first place?
If Rinji found out...
---
'Principal, it seems you really do want to perform seppuku, huh…'
---
'Nope. Not happening. I'll take this secret to the grave before stepping out there.'
The principal decided to wimp out and observe how things unfolded from the shadows.
Becky continued her verbal assault when she saw that Takamine Rinji wasn't reacting.
"But seriously, Takamine Rinji's tolerance level is impressive. If it were me hearing all that, I'd probably be foaming at the mouth on the floor by now. Just what is—wait!"
The principal suddenly realized something critical.
Becky's verbal attacks were based on undermining her opponent's sense of self—she was a master of psychological warfare. Back during debate tournaments, she'd verbally wreck both students and adults into the ICU. Because of her brutal mouth, she had earned the nickname "The Razor Who Licks Wounds."
Her method looked violent, but it was essentially a test of patience.
When her victims couldn't fight back with words and weren't allowed to use violence, most of them just crumpled under the pressure.
But Takamine Rinji was fundamentally different from all those people—because when he wanted to hit someone, he would, regardless of time or place. And he didn't hold back.
If the situation allowed, he'd even draw a gun and pull the trigger.
Despite his usual calm demeanor, he was the kind of person who could kill over something trivial. Sagara Kaya had already warned the principal about this.
For someone used to operating outside the law, being good with words was meaningless. Before the other person even finished their sentence, they might be shot dead.
"Don't tell me… his silence isn't from patience, but because he's already thinking about how to make her die as painfully as possible!?"
Looking at Becky still going on and on in the auditorium and Takamine Rinji whose expression was growing darker, the principal was now convinced of his theory. He genuinely believed Becky was seconds away from being splattered across the floor.
"This is bad! If an exchange student gets killed at Shuchiin, I'm finished! But if I try to step in… I might get killed myself!"
And it wasn't just the principal. Even Shinomiya Kaguya, who had been chatting nearby, caught wind of Becky's voice—and clearly heard every single word she said.
With a sympathetic look, she glanced at Becky.
"Poor girl… she must've just arrived in Japan. Well, at least she's saving money on the flight back home."
At that moment, Becky finally stopped talking.
She was a little puzzled. Normally, after such a long barrage, even the most patient person would have said something. Why hadn't he responded at all? Had she… verbally stunned him into silence?
She looked up—only to meet Rinji's cold, shadowy eyes.
"No… No way. Is he… actually going to hit me?"
Becky started to panic.
Truthfully, she wasn't confident. She had no idea what kind of person this "Student Council President" really was.
She usually picked her verbal targets carefully—scholarly types with fragile pride. Breaking that kind of person gave her a sense of accomplishment.
She was never dumb enough to provoke someone clearly dangerous.
Originally, she thought the president of Shuchiin's student council would be some refined, cultured intellectual. But now...
She could feel it clearly—murderous intent emanating from Takamine Rinji.
"So... so scary…"
Becky turned toward the principal, who was wildly shaking his head, frantically signaling her to stop talking.
"He's really on the verge of snapping!?"
Then, Takamine Rinji reached into his pocket—and in that instant, Shinomiya Kaguya, the principal, and Becky all froze, their hair standing on end.
"He's reaching for a weapon!?" (x3)
"Désolédedéranger! (Sorry to bother you!)"
Becky quickly bowed and bolted.
She ran straight to the principal, stammering and sweating. "I-I'm not going to be killed, right?"
"Not for now. But you did narrowly escape death."
"…Huh?"
"The guy you just insulted isn't Miyuki Shirogane, he's Takamine Rinji, the treasurer of the student council. If you had said even one more word, your head might have been blown open."
"That was close…"
Becky's face was full of relief, as if she had just escaped a near-death experience.
---
Takamine Rinji slowly pulled his hand from his pocket, his bangs hiding his expression.
"President…"
"What is it?"
"I'm so touched. That was the first time a girl ever talked that much to me."
"Huh? Well… congratulations, I guess?"
"But I'm really frustrated. If only I knew a little French, I might've understood what she was saying."
As he spoke, Rinji pulled a small French dictionary from his pocket.
"I was just about to look up what that girl was saying… and then she ran off. Not saying a word probably made me seem like some gloomy loser. No wonder she left right away."
"Well, that's…"
"By the way, President, did you understand what she said?"
"Uh…"
Not a single word.
"I didn't get all of it, but I can tell you this…" Shirogane pointed to Rinji with a bright smile. "Your romantic luck is kicking in."
"Really!?"
"Of course. A girl talking to you like that means you're starting to attract women."
"Ooooh! That's amazing!"
"Even though we didn't understand her, I think she was probably confessing to you or something."
"Whoa, that's awesome… too bad I don't know any French."
Rinji looked a bit frustrated.
"If that was some shy confession, I really missed my chance."