"Senpaku, I am Sakamoto. What brings you here?"

"Long Yuanxiang? What are you doing here?"

Faced with Katsuragi's questioning, Ryuen laughed even more blatantly:

"Hey, Katsuragi, your Class A is getting more and more lively. I just came over to drop by and see how your 'Shangri-La' is going. But your classmates don't seem too welcoming."

Katsuragi ignored his teasing.

He walked straight to Ryuen and stood with Hashimoto and Kamuro.

This formed a solid barrier.

"You are not welcome here, Dragon Garden."

Katsuragi's words were direct and forceful.

Ryuen narrowed his eyes; Katsuragi's attitude was exactly what he expected.

He was about to say something more, to further probe or escalate the conflict

A calm, almost abrupt voice instantly shattered the tense atmosphere at the camp entrance.

"Ah, are there any guests?"

Everyone's attention was involuntarily drawn to it.

Suddenly, Sakamoto stood quietly beside a lush banana tree at the edge of the camp, his posture as upright as a pine tree.

His hands were steadily holding a rather peculiarly shaped container.

The container was clearly handmade and fired from clay from near the camp.

It resembles a slightly rough, wide-mouthed earthenware jar, but the mouth of the jar is tightly sealed by a thick layer of moist mud.

Most disturbingly, a series of increasingly frequent and loud crackling sounds were emanating from the clay-sealed container.

It was as if countless tiny living creatures were wildly writhing and thrashing against the walls of the jar.

This foreshadows some kind of impending outbreak.

Long Yuan's pupils suddenly contracted, and he subconsciously took half a step back, his entire body tensing up instantly.

His first thought was danger—

Was it some kind of primitive explosive?

Or was it a corrosive chemical mixture prepared by Sakamoto?

In this deserted island environment, anything unknown that makes such a sound would be enough to raise a high level of alert.

He stared intently at the earthenware pot, his arrogant sneer freezing on his face.

Instead, an instinctive vigilance prevailed.

However, in stark contrast to the tense atmosphere at Longyuan, the students in the surrounding Class A were...

The instant I heard Sakamoto's voice and saw that earthenware pot,

The expression on his face strangely softened.

It seemed they already knew what was in the jar and were waiting for some familiar "performance" to begin.

This contrast made Long Yuan's heart sink.

he realized

I may have fallen into Sakamoto's pre-set rhythm once again.

Ignoring Ryuen's reaction, Sakamoto carried the increasingly noisy earthenware pot and strode toward Ryuen.

His steps were unhurried, each one precisely placed to some invisible rhythm.

It eerily matched the increasingly urgent "crackling" sound coming from the jar.

Just as Sakamoto was about five steps away from Ryuen, something unexpected happened!

"boom--!"

A muffled thud, not deafening but extremely penetrating, suddenly exploded from the earthenware pot!

It was not an explosion in the physical sense.

It is the instantaneous release after the internal pressure reaches a critical point!

The tight mud seal was suddenly blasted open from the inside by a tremendous force, turning into countless tiny fragments that scattered in all directions.

At the same time, a huge, fluffy, golden "cloud" burst forth from the mouth of the can, shooting straight into the gap in the forest above!

That's not a dangerous substance at all.

Instead, it's countless kernels of popcorn, expanded to their maximum size and emitting a sweet aroma of grains!

Large quantities of popcorn were propelled into the air by the powerful airflow, resembling a burst of golden ribbons during a festival.

It was like a sudden, sweet sun shower, falling down in a flurry.

This highly dramatic scene completely stunned Longyuan, which was originally poised to launch its attack.

My mind even went blank for a moment.

He had anticipated all sorts of conflicts and tests, but he never expected this particular method.

And at the very moment that "golden rain" fell from the sky, Sakamoto moved.

His movements were so fast that they left only a blur.

Before anyone knew it, he had two shallow ceramic plates, also made of clay, in his hands.

He turned his body slightly to the side.

The wrist flips and arcs at a speed that exceeds the limits of human visual perception.

"Secret Technique - Catch the Sun!"

As he recited in a deep, clear voice, the two ceramic plates seemed to come alive in his hands.

They transformed into two intertwined, swirling black shadows, traversing the air with unparalleled precision.

Every single popcorn kernel that falls seems to be drawn by an invisible force.

It falls perfectly into the rapidly moving plate, making a fine and crisp "tap-tap" sound.

His movements combined the fluidity of Tai Chi with the sharpness of swordsmanship.

Her steps were as light as a butterfly's dance, yet the swing of her arms carried the decisiveness of a slash.

Popcorn continued to fall, and Sakamoto's figure moved gracefully through this golden rain.

The two plates flipped and flew, but not a single popcorn kernel fell to the ground!

The whole process took only a few seconds.

Sakamoto's movements came to an abrupt halt as the last popcorn kernel fell into the plate.

He stood firmly in place, his breathing even, as if the dazzling series of movements had never happened.

In his hands, the two ceramic plates were already piled high with plump, golden, steaming popcorn.

They were piled up like two small pyramids.

Sakamoto calmly adjusted his glasses and handed one of the ceramic plates to a curious student who had come over, indicating that everyone should share.

Then, he carried another plate piled high with popcorn.

With his usual composed steps, he walked up to Longyuan, who was still in a daze.

He smoothly handed the plate to Long Yuan:

"By using a sealed heating process, the internal moisture instantly vaporizes and pressurizes, causing the corn to expand and crack. Then, I add my homemade cooking oil. It's a fresh trial, and it's still edible. Longyuan, would you like to try some?"

First Grade Summer Vacation: Chapter 109: Sakamoto Seeing Off the Guest

In Long Yuanxiang's pupils, the golden "clouds" that rose into the sky and then fell in a flurry were reflected.

The dull, explosive sound of the clay seal on the earthenware pot being broken by the internal pressure still seemed to echo in my ears.

His facial muscles stiffened for a moment, then were replaced by pure astonishment.

"It was just made as a trial, and it's edible. Longyuan, would you like to try some?"

Sakamoto's voice remained calm, without any hint of boasting or sarcasm.

Longyuan remained silent.

Angry? A little.

But more than anything, it was a deep sense of powerlessness.

Long Yuan took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down.

Anger solves nothing.

Long Yuanxiang has never been someone who is easily swayed by emotions.

His gaze shifted from Sakamoto's expressionless face and once again swept quickly and sharply across the entire Class A camp.

The students were still busy with their own things, but their eyes were all subtly focused on this spot.

There was no panic in his eyes, only a sense of normalcy towards Sakamoto's behavior.

Katsuragi Kohei, Hashimoto Masayoshi, Kamuro Masumi... these core members of Class A stood together.

The vigilance remained, but beneath that vigilance lay a cohesive force centered around Sakamoto.

A sheet of iron.

The word flashed through Long Yuan's mind again.

The Class A in front of him was unlike any other class he knew.

It is not bound by strict discipline or interests, but is united by a more intangible centripetal force.

The source of this centripetal force is undoubtedly the man in front of him who is offering him popcorn.

Looking for clues about the leader?

Longyuan almost immediately gave up on the idea.

In this atmosphere, any obvious clue could be misleading.

Since Sakamoto dared to display his abilities so openly, he must have taken every precaution to conceal his identity as a leader.

If the stalemate continues,

It will only make you look more like a clown.

Long Yuan suddenly twitched the corners of his mouth, putting on that cold smile again.

He reached out his hand, but didn't take the whole plate.

Instead, he used two fingers to precisely pick up a plump popcorn kernel and put it in his mouth.

"Click."

A slight crackling sound. The sweetness and caramel aroma spread in the mouth, perfectly cooked.

"tasty."

Long Yuan chewed, his tone flat, making it impossible to tell whether he was being sincere or sarcastic.

"Sakamoto, you really are... good at everything."

He stopped looking at Sakamoto and anyone else in Class A, turned around, and walked back towards the jungle he had come from.

"Thank you for the 'hospitality' from Class A."

His figure quickly disappeared behind the lush trees.

At the campsite, the atmosphere completely calmed down after Long Yuan left.

Katsuragi Kohei stared at the direction where Ryuen had disappeared, his brow still furrowed.

"He just left like that? That's not like him."

Sakamoto adjusted his glasses, handed the plate of popcorn to a student next to him who was already drooling, and calmly said:

“Ryuen is a realist. When he finds that direct confrontation is not achieving the desired results, he will immediately adjust his strategy.”