Chapter 137: Kiryuin Fuka!
Tuesday's lunch break found the student cafeteria bustling with activity.
Kei held Yuto's arm and showed him a honey-sweet smile.
"Yuto~ What do you want for lunch today?"
"You can choose whatever you like. I already brought lunch." Yuto indicated the food container in his hand.
The cafeteria's cooking was slightly inferior to Chabashira's, so she was now responsible for preparing all three of Yuto's daily meals.
Kei touched her cheek with one finger.
"Then I'll choose a few side dishes for you. A meal tastes better with more variety."
"That sounds good. I'll find us seats while you buy the meal tickets."
Yuto pointed toward a table in a less crowded section.
"Okay~"
Kei released his arm and happily went to purchase the tickets.
Yuto headed toward the mostly empty table. The students already sitting nearby showed subtle changes in expression when they noticed him approaching.
Some appeared curious.
Others looked frightened.
Since the school revealed what had happened to Ryuen and his followers, Yuto's reputation had soared through the official forum and noticeboards.
Someone had also uploaded a photograph of him to the school forum.
Previously, most students had only heard of the demon named Shimizu Yuto. Now everyone knew what he actually looked like.
Yuto considered that development rather convenient.
Several absurd rumors about his appearance had spread throughout the school.
According to those rumors, the demon Shimizu Yuto was eight feet tall and built like a mountain, with a blue face, fangs capable of biting through steel, and eyes that could suffocate anyone they stared at.
Some versions even gave him three heads and six arms, allowing him to defeat people without effort.
In summary, the rumors portrayed Yuto as a bizarre monster.
Once his photograph appeared on the forum, those ridiculous stories about his appearance gradually disappeared.
Many upperclasswomen repeatedly bumped the post and declared that the handsome first-year was exactly their type.
Both Kei and Kikyo had seen the post. At first, they were delighted because everyone was praising their boyfriend's appearance.
However, their expressions darkened after they read the upperclasswomen's shameless comments.
How dare those old women attempt to steal their boyfriend?!
Of course, the upperclasswomen were not actually old. They were only one or two years older.
Under the surrounding students' gazes, Yuto calmly sat in an empty seat.
It was a table for two, meaning it would be full once Kei returned.
However, something unexpected occurred.
A faint fragrance drifted toward him. When Yuto turned, he discovered that a girl had occupied the seat he reserved for Kei.
She had long, silver hair that shone like moonlight, flowing freely down her back. Her mature figure strained against the fabric of her school uniform, and the black tights beneath her skirt perfectly outlined her full, shapely legs.
The silver-haired girl had regular and handsome features, and her slightly upturned eyes revealed a distinct, tomboyish spirit.
"Kiryuin-senpai, sitting beside someone without asking first isn't particularly polite," Yuto said helplessly to the familiar and troublesome upperclasswoman.
The silver-haired girl was Kiryuin Fuka, a second-year student whom Yuto had met while running on the school track in the morning.
Despite her attractive appearance, Kiryuin possessed an extremely troublesome and unrestrained personality.
She closely resembled Class D's Koenji Rokusuke.
"What does it matter? I don't mind, Shimizu." Kiryuin laughed boldly and slapped Yuto's shoulder.
"But I mind!" Yuto retorted.
"What are you objecting to? I'm not bothered. I'm even accompanying you for lunch. Shouldn't you be happy?"
"This isn't about whether I'm happy. My girlfriend becomes jealous easily."
"If she sees you occupying the seat I saved for her, she'll definitely become jealous," Yuto explained.
"Then break up with such a jealous girlfriend. I'll help you find someone who isn't jealous."
"Or you could consider dating me," Kiryuin suggested with a bright and troublesome smile.
Kei happened to arrive with her lunch just in time to hear those words. Her face darkened, and she trembled with anger.
Yuto noticed her and stood.
"I'll have to decline, senpai. Since you insist on using this seat, you can keep it. I'll sit somewhere else."
Kiryuin watched Yuto move beside Kei.
Kei arrogantly snorted at her. Had she not been carrying a tray with both hands, she would have clung to Yuto's arm and openly declared her ownership.
Yuto smiled at her victorious expression.
"Come on, Kei. Stop standing there and snorting."
"Okay~"
Despite being challenged by a younger student, Kiryuin did not become angry. She maintained the confident smile of a powerful person and watched Yuto leave.
As they walked away together, Kei lowered her voice.
"Yuto, is that girl your friend?"
"No. She's a second-year student I happened to meet at the track."
"Her personality is troublesome. She does whatever she wants, follows only her own whims, and is extremely persistent."
"You can think of her as the female version of Koenji Rokusuke."
"Then she really is troublesome!" Kei immediately agreed.
Using Koenji as a reference allowed her to understand exactly what kind of person Kiryuin Fuka was.
Among the second-year students, Kiryuin ranked first in overall ability. She possessed the extraordinary distinction of receiving A+ evaluations in both academics and physical ability.
Although she was in the same grade as Nagumo, she considered the man who had nearly conquered the entire second year incredibly boring.
Kiryuin disliked Nagumo's methods and preferred to focus on the ability of individuals.
In other words, she admired people capable of accomplishing everything through their own strength.
Shimizu Yuto of Class 1-D happened to satisfy that condition perfectly.
Kiryuin possessed remarkably sharp judgment. When she first saw Yuto at the track, she immediately sensed that he differed from ordinary students and developed great curiosity about him.
At the time, Yuto had only begun preparing to challenge the school's clubs. None of the rumors about him had spread yet.
After they found another table and sat down, Kei noticed Kiryuin was still watching them.
She wrinkled her nose toward the upperclasswoman before whispering to Yuto.
"Yuto, that senior has a really nice figure, doesn't she?"
"I don't like nice figures. I like the one called Karuizawa Kei."
"You're so mean~ Hehehe."
Yuto smiled at the honey-sweet happiness spreading across Kei's face.
What a simple girl.
The minor disturbance caused by Kiryuin ended, and Yuto ate lunch with Kei.
After they finished, Kei carried their trays away to return them.
While Yuto waited at the table, a gloomy-looking boy with a somewhat suspicious appearance approached him.
"You're Shimizu-kun from Class 1-D, correct?"
"And you are?"
"I'm Shiraki Ryuichi from Class 2-D," the boy said quietly.
Yuto raised an eyebrow and smiled.
"So you're an upperclassman. What do you need from me?"
"The truth is, I want to earn some personal points, so I'd like to propose a secret transaction."
"What kind of transaction?"
"There are too many people inside the cafeteria. Let's discuss it outside."
To arouse Yuto's interest, Shiraki deliberately added, "This deal could help your class earn a large number of class points."
"Is that so? All right. Wait outside the cafeteria while I tell my girlfriend where I'm going."
"Okay!"
Yuto watched the delighted Shiraki turn and leave. His eyes narrowed slightly as a strange radiance appeared within them.
He activated his mind-reading ability.
Yuto already knew that Ryuen and Nagumo were cooperating and secretly plotting against him.
Now, a second-year student had suddenly approached him with an offer for a secret transaction.
His instincts told him something was wrong.
In truth, Shiraki's suspicious appearance was the greatest reason. One glance made him look untrustworthy, so Yuto decided to inspect his thoughts and discover his objective.
[It worked! That went unexpectedly smoothly.]
[Once I complete this task for Boss Nagumo, he'll definitely recognize my ability and reward me with one hundred thousand points.]
Yuto lightly raised an eyebrow.
As expected, Nagumo was involved.
'Forged midterm papers, huh? Tch. Nagumo is remarkably persistent.'
'Ryuen's scheme against me only ended a few days ago, yet he's already begun another one.'
While Yuto inwardly clicked his tongue, the familiar fragrance returned.
Kiryuin's pale hand struck his shoulder with enough force to interrupt his thoughts.
"Senpai, stop bothering me. I'm trying to think," Yuto complained as he looked at the troublesome upperclasswoman beside him.
"What are you thinking about? Shimizu, listen."
"That suspicious-looking boy who approached you appears to be one of Nagumo Miyabi's lackeys."
"You seem to have a conflict with Nagumo, correct? He may have sent that insignificant follower to trap you," Kiryuin warned.
Yuto looked at her in surprise.
Her instincts were remarkably sharp. She had guessed everything perfectly.
Shiraki truly had been sent by Nagumo to deceive him.
"Thank you for the warning, senpai. I'll be careful."
"Good. I'm leaving now. Your jealous little girlfriend is glaring at me again."
Kiryuin gave him another powerful slap on the shoulder before striding away with confident elegance.
After returning the trays, Kei came back with her cheeks slightly puffed.
What was wrong with that upperclasswoman?
Kei had only been away for a moment, yet Kiryuin had already returned to steal her boyfriend again!
"Kei, sit with me for a few minutes. I need to think about something," Yuto said.
"Mm~"
Kei obediently sat beside him.
Yuto naturally took her hand and idly played with her palm and fingers while he thought.
Receiving such casual affection in the middle of the cafeteria made Kei intensely embarrassed.
The pure-hearted, honey-blonde girl's lively eyes grew moist and hazy with shyness, and a faint, delicate blush spread across her flawless, fair cheeks.
Though Kei was shy, she felt an even stronger, sweetness filling her heart.
While gently tracing Kei's fingers, Yuto rapidly considered how to respond.
No—that was incorrect.
He needed to consider how to counterattack.
Simply dealing with Nagumo's scheme would be easy. Yuto could reject Shiraki's offer immediately.
However, Yuto wanted to strike back and make Nagumo suffer severely.
Several days earlier, Nagumo had not directly participated in Ryuen's conspiracy. Yuto could therefore retaliate only against Ryuen, resulting in the delinquent's suspension.
This time, Shiraki was directly acting under Nagumo's orders.
That meant Yuto finally possessed an opportunity to counterattack Nagumo himself.
'I should start with this... then do that... and finish it this way.'
'Hmm. First, I need the relevant information. I wonder whether that old man will agree to help me...'
Kei watched Yuto quietly muttering strange phrases and blinked her bright eyes.
'As expected of my boyfriend. He even looks handsome while muttering to himself!'
'I want to jump into his arms and act spoiled~'
'No, I have to restrain myself. I can't interrupt Yuto while he's thinking!'
After two or three minutes, Yuto developed the general outline of his counterattack against Nagumo and ended his thoughts.
The first thing he saw after regaining focus was Kei's blushing face and eyes filled with shy sweetness.
It appeared that his absentminded caressing of her hand had embarrassed her.
"Sorry, Kei."
"Why are you apologizing, Yuto?" Kei asked in confusion, her cheeks still faintly red.
"Touching your hand like this in public made you embarrassed, didn't it?"
Yuto gently squeezed her soft hand.
"I was embarrassed, but... I really liked it!"
Yuto watched the shy and fidgeting Kei radiate sweetness from her entire body and laughed softly.
"You really are something. As long as you enjoyed it."
…
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