Shiki, knowing better than to mess with the person cooking his food, quieted down.
He glanced at Kamuro’s unfinished meat—she had to handle Sakayanagi’s portion too, since the sheltered princess was completely useless at cooking—and then looked at the tall, terrifyingly fierce looking guy…
or rather, the meat grilling in front of him.
The fierce looking guy stayed silent for two seconds before saying concisely, “Help yourself.”
“Thanks.
What’s your name?”
“Kitou Hayato.”
“Oh, it sounds very imposing.
It suits you.”
Even though it might be rude to think so, his terrifying face really matched the name perfectly.
“Does Tsugikuni-kun rarely come to yakiniku restaurants?
You look a bit inexperienced…” Hashimoto Masayoshi tried to change the subject to ease the tension.
“Yeah, I’ve probably never been.
After all, my standard of living was basically below the poverty line.
I didn’t have the luxury to enjoy things; just staying alive was an accomplishment in itself,” Shiki said without a care.
The table went dead silent.
Hashimoto maintained a stiff smile, mentally slapping himself.
‘Why did I have to open my big mouth?!’ Now the atmosphere was even more awkward.
Kamuro, who was slightly more familiar with Shiki, said in exasperation, “It’s a miracle you’ve survived this long.
But considering your situation, this school should be perfect for you, what with earning points and all…”
(Hmm?
Was Kamuro secretly feeding him information?)
Shiki blinked.
He wasn’t surprised that Class A had already figured out the truth about the school.
From what he knew, Class A’s classroom discipline was surprisingly excellent—the complete opposite of Class D.
Hashimoto cleared his throat.
“Ahem, let’s talk about our campus life these past few days…”
“Fufu, there’s no need to change the subject, Hashimoto-kun.
The Shiki-kun sitting right in front of you discovered the school’s rules on the very first day.
I just wonder exactly how much he managed to figure out.”
“Really?!”
Hearing Sakayanagi’s revelation, Hashimoto stared at Shiki with wide eyes.
Class A had spent a considerable amount of points to obtain that information, yet this guy had figured it out easily on his own.
While he didn’t know exactly how much Shiki knew, this proved he was far from ordinary.
He already knew Panda Guy wasn’t simple, but he hadn’t expected this level of skill.
Sakayanagi had only mentioned that Shiki was “interesting,” without explaining the details.
As a capable subordinate, Hashimoto knew better than to pry when his boss didn’t want to elaborate, leaving him entirely in the dark.
Beside him, the quiet Kitou Hayato also cast a few extra glances at Shiki.
“I didn’t expect Tsugikuni-kun to be this capable…” Hashimoto sighed, looking at Shiki with newfound significance.
“Panda-kun actually doesn’t know anything at all,” Shiki brushed it off.
He had signed a contract with Class B and couldn’t leak any details before the 30th.
“Ara, it seems Shiki-kun’s ability to play dumb falls short of his observational skills.”
Sakayanagi smiled lightly, changing the subject as she stared intently at him.
“Speaking of which, I discovered something very interesting recently.
Would Shiki-kun like to hear it?”
“No.”
“I knew you would want to hear it.” (TL:Cute…)
“…”
(Are you even listening to me…) Shiki swallowed his meat in deep sorrow.
Sakayanagi continued on her own, “Shiki-kun might not know this, but because of my bad legs, I can’t run around and play like the rest of you.
Instead, I developed a hobby of playing chess.”
Shiki’s eye twitched.
“Oh, good for you.”
Sakayanagi looked at him with a half smile.
“However, since I consider myself to be fairly decent, I went to the Chess Club for a bit of fun.
And there, I made an unexpected discovery…”
She paused.
Seeing Shiki’s expression remain perfectly neutral, the sweet smile on her delicate, cute face deepened.
“I discovered that just a few minutes before I arrived, someone had already completely crushed the club members and won a massive amount of points.”
“Eh, really?
To think there’s a master like that around.
So what did you do next?
Just obediently go home?”
“Fufu, Shiki-kun is being naughty.
You know exactly what I did.
Naturally, I challenged them to a few matches to pass the time.
Though it didn’t provide much entertainment.”
Sakayanagi narrowed her eyes.
“Does Shiki-kun know who the person that beat me to it was?”
“Who?”
“I don’t know either.
But rumor has it, he has panda eyes—very heavy dark circles.”
“Wow.
I didn’t expect there to be someone with my exact aesthetic in this school.”
Kamuro couldn’t take it anymore.
“Stop playing dumb!
Who else in this school looks like a panda besides you?”
Then, she, Hashimoto, and Kitou all gave him surprised looks.
“Still, I really didn’t expect you to know how to play chess, let alone beat the best players in the school.
Tsugikuni, could it be that you’re actually smart?”
Shiki was speechless.
“That’s incredibly rude, Kamuro.
Do you see me as some meathead idiot?
No matter how you look at it, I’m definitely smarter than you.”
“Hah? This chapter is updated first at g.com.
You’ve got a lot of nerve, Panda Eyes!”
Kamuro glared at him.
While the two bickered like no one else was there, Sakayanagi softly cut back in.
“It seems Shiki-kun has admitted it.
I have an idea.
Would you like to hear it?”
“No.”
Shiki refused.
“Yes, I knew you’d want to hear it.” (TL:Cute…)
Sakayanagi smiled in satisfaction, completely ignoring his rejection again.
(If you’re not going to listen to my opinion, then why even ask me?
Is this girl the daughter of a politician or something?
Acting all democratic when it’s a total dictatorship.)
Shiki viciously tore into his meat, determined to eat as much as possible to take revenge on this rich snob’s wallet.
“How about a match with me, Shiki-kun?”
“No.”
“Why?”
“It sounds like a massive pain.
Besides, my skill level isn’t that high.
I lose all the time, winning was pure luck.”
Shiki made up his mind to completely ignore Sakayanagi.
No matter what she said, he couldn’t be bothered to respond, merely keeping his head down and eating.
A barely noticeable trace of frustration flashed across Sakayanagi’s small face.
No matter how good her talking skills were, they were useless against a silent rock.
She decided to drop it for now and completely crush him when the chance arose.
“Then, could you tell me what you think of the people around me?
I’m curious if your sharp eyes can spot their shining qualities.”
Sakayanagi changed the subject to keep him from permanently turning mute.
“You really overestimate me.
I’m just a normal guy.
How could I possibly see through people at a glance?
If I could do that, I’d either be a god or a literal tapeworm living in their stomachs,” Shiki finally spoke, his tone suddenly turning respectful.
Seeing his firm resistance, Sakayanagi remembered how easily he folded for money in the hallway earlier.
She spoke gently, shifting to a pitying tone.
“I apologize for being presumptuous.
However…
I was originally thinking that if you could lend me your insight, I would reward you with 100,000 points.
But I suppose…”
“But then again, I do have serious potential to be a tapeworm…” Shiki said with absolute seriousness.
(TL:Kewk)
Kamuro’s eye twitched.
“You spineless…”
Shiki didn’t care about Kamuro’s disdain.
(Pride?
What’s that?
How much can I sell it for?)
The most valuable things he owned were his internal organs.
As for abstract concepts like dignity, pride, and honor, unless they could be exchanged for cold hard cash, they were completely worthless.
Satisfied after fully enjoying the handiwork of his two personal BBQ chefs, he clapped his hands together.
“Alright.
I have to say, Sakayanagi, you’ve picked a pretty excellent bunch.
One glance and I can tell they are all top tier talents, easily on par with you.”
“Why do I feel like you’re mocking me?” Sakayanagi smiled, but her eyes didn’t.
“Haha, since Princess-sama wants to play a game, how about I go first?” Hashimoto took the lead, perfectly playing the role of the loyal lackey.
“What kind of person does Tsugikuni-kun think I am?”
“Hmm.
Two faced.
A battle tested egoist.
A master at kissing up and a total fence sitter who just follows the wind”, Shiki said slowly while eating his meat, ignoring Hashimoto’s freezing smile.
“You’re an opportunist.
When things are going well, you lead the charge; the second things get tough, you’ll jump ship to the winning side.
In a way, you and Sakayanagi are a match made in heaven.
How should I put it…”
He tilted his head slightly.
“You two are perfect for each other.
Neither of you would feel a shred of guilt stabbing the other in the back.
I highly recommend you lock yourselves together so you don’t ruin anyone else’s lives.”
The atmosphere turned dead silent.
Everyone stared at him in pure shock.
Hashimoto was the first to recover.
A forced smile twitched on his lips.
“Haha, even Tsugikuni-kun makes mistakes sometimes.
How could I ever backstab Princess-sama?
I respect her more than anyone…”
“Yeah, sure, right.
You respect Sakayanagi exactly as much as she trusts you.
What a deep, beautiful bond.”
“…”
Hashimoto went completely mute, quietly placing a piece of pork belly on the grill and flipping it.
“Next is Kitou…”
Shiki shifted his target.
Kitou Hayato’s hand trembled, almost flinging his grilled meat right into Hashimoto’s face.
Shiki looked him up and down.
Kitou’s face remained cold and emotionless, but his heart was racing.
“Kitou-kun’s physical abilities are top tier in our grade.
Although his face looks terrifying and fierce, he is undeniably a gentle and sensitive person deep down.
Sigh, it’s such a pity that a genuinely good guy like him has to follow a little devil like Sakayanagi.
Do you want to reconsider your life choices?” Shiki put on a pained expression, as if watching a good youth fall into the abyss.
Kitou Hayato, however, felt a warm fuzziness in his heart.
His grilling motions became even more focused and precise.
Sakayanagi giggled.
“Shiki-kun, are you trying to poach my good friend?
You said so many nice things about Kitou-kun.
It’s a stark contrast to how you treated Hashimoto-kun.”
“See, you’re getting impatient again.
I wasn’t finished…”
Shiki took a sip of cold tea.
“Although Kitou-kun is a good guy, he isn’t exactly the sharpest tool in the shed.
His judgment is lacking, otherwise he wouldn’t be following Sakayanagi.
“Also, what’s up with those gloves?
It doesn’t look like mysophobia.
It looks more like you wear them just because you think they look cool.
How do I put this…
Despite his terrifying exterior, he’s surprisingly like a little kid who loves weird fashion choices.
A bit of a chuunibyou, really.”
Shiki deadpanned his critique.
Kitou remained silent, furiously sprinkling salt onto the meat, practically dumping the whole shaker on it.
“Hey, what about me?
Why did you skip me?”
Seeing everyone stay silent, Kamuro frowned and looked at Shiki.
“You?”
Shiki stared at her for a moment.
His subtle gaze made Kamuro furious.
“Hey!
What’s that supposed to mean?!
Am I that hard to figure out?” She glared at him.
“Not really.
I just felt that since we’re already so familiar with each other, there wasn’t much to say.”
“No, you have to tell me.” Kamuro was being surprisingly unreasonable, a faint blush of anger tinting her cheeks.
“Alright.
Although Kamuro has sticky fingers, hides weird fetishes, looks at people with an unnervingly clear gaze, and acts a bit like a tomboy…
you do have your good points.
You’re straightforward, you’re very comfortable to be around, and your heart is actually pretty good.
You are way cuter than Sakayanagi.” Shiki tried his best to be objective.
“Having a better heart than Sakayanagi doesn’t exactly count as a compliment, does it?” Kamuro felt like Shiki was insulting her.
“Who says?
Look around this table.
Who here actually has a better heart than Sakayanagi?
Just you and Kitou.”
Being repeatedly mocked by him, even the usually calm Sakayanagi couldn’t help but feel a fire burning in her chest.
Her cute little face sneered repeatedly.
“Fufu, it seems Shiki-kun doesn’t deny that he is the exact same type of person as me.
I suppose I should be honored to stand on equal footing with Shiki-kun?”
“Don’t take it so seriously.
Our maggot eaten hearts are basically the same—neither of us is a good person.
The pot shouldn’t call the kettle black.
We both know exactly what kind of trash we are just by looking in the mirror.
Is there really a need to be so angry?” Shiki said calmly.
Then, catching a glimpse of the blonde guy trying to erase his presence, he added, “Oh, right, Hashimoto is exactly the same.”
“…”
The usually eloquent Hashimoto Masayoshi was completely speechless, mindlessly flipping meat on the grill.
(Can’t you gods fighting amongst yourselves leave a path for us mere mortals to survive?!)
Sakayanagi fell silent.
When someone roasts themselves just as mercilessly as they roast you, what can you even say back?
The table fell into dead silence.
The only sound was the sizzling of the meat dripping fat onto the hot grill.
Shiki looked at the completely quiet Class A group and smiled in total satisfaction.
(Finally, some peace and quiet!)
_____________
Time passed at a steady pace.
Nearing the end of the month, Shiki made rapid progress learning Shogi and Go from Ayanokoji.
He didn’t wait until he could completely beat Ayanokoji like he did with chess before challenging the clubs.
As soon as he understood the basics, he went knocking on their doors.
Through chess, he had caught a glimpse of the tip of the iceberg that was Ayanokoji’s strength.
While it might not guarantee a sweep in international tournaments, it was more than enough to look down on everyone at the Advanced Nurturing High School.
Things went exactly as he planned.
With the generous and enthusiastic contributions from the Shogi and Go clubs, Shiki secured another 950,000 points, breaking the 3 million point mark and marching straight toward 4 million.
If there was any special event at the end of the month, it was Chabashira-sensei, who usually acted like a completely indifferent NPC, suddenly dropping a pop quiz on them.
The students were shocked.
They had been partying so hard all month that they practically forgot a student’s main job was to study.
But fortunately, this pop quiz was just a simple assessment of their academic levels and wouldn’t affect their future.
The Class D students finally calmed down.
The quiz was comprehensive.
One paper, twenty questions, four questions per subject.
Aside from the last three questions which were a bit tricky, Shiki felt he did pretty well.
He waited patiently until April 30th, the final day of the human month of April.
This meant his exclusivity contract with Class B had officially expired.
He could finally begin the next phase of his plan.