"Maybe from now on, you'll always be zero.""It's just a one-point lead. This contest has only just begun. Does White Bacteria enjoy popping champagne at halftime?""I prefer popping champagne all day long—celebrate when I fail, mock when I succeed.""Heh. I'll remember that answer of yours."
The activity room was thick with tension, as if swords and blades hung in the air. Yui Yuigahama looked around nervously, unsure what to make of it—was this an argument? It didn't feel like one. Perhaps the two speaking were simply extraordinary people; their energy was hard to interpret… though she could still smile and watch from the sidelines.
"I'll head off first."
The short lunch break was nearly over, and Hachiman Shiro slipped out of the activity room ahead of everyone else.
"Wait… uh, these are from yesterday when I got home. Thank you for helping me out!"
Yui Yuigahama flusteredly pulled two packs of cookies from her backpack, handing one each to Shiro and Yukinoshita Yukino. Then, clutching the remaining pack, she rushed out of the door.
"Shiro! This is a gift!"
Her voice came from outside the activity room. Having finally delivered the cookies, she returned, grabbed her backpack to say goodbye, and bounded away like a little rabbit, her steps quick and cheerful.
Shiro stared at the cookie pack as if it were a formidable opponent.
Yukino studied the color carefully. Though a bit darker than usual, it was still within acceptable range… probably.
Shiro tossed a cookie into his mouth and exhaled in relief. "Not too sweet. Just… burnt. Hero, how does it feel to help someone, to gain a companion's trust?"
"Feels… okay…" Yukino realized and added, "Shiro, speak normally. Using someone's name is polite."
"You can call me Demon King if you want."
"Since you don't mind a nickname, then I'll call you the Sweet-Kill Tyrant."
"I forgive your impudent audacity… but only this once. Step forward again, and the world will turn upside down."
"You clearly started the argument. Don't shift responsibility, and please, speak properly."
…
…
The cookies were far too sweet, but at least edible.
Since they were a gift, they had to be eaten properly—food mustn't be wasted.
Hopefully, the cookies Yui plans to give someone else won't be this overwhelmingly sweet. These were the cookies that defeated a tyrant; a normal person might die from a taste.
Making cookies sweet wasn't about Yui having a special opinion; it was just her considerate way of knowing the recipient likes sweets. Misinterpreting someone's kindness is a truly distasteful thing.
Hachiman Shiro brushed cookie crumbs from his hands, silently hoping the next time the "minister" acted up, he wouldn't end up playing the unlucky fool.
Those who praised Méless, and Yukino, dissatisfied with playing the dead grandmother, should consider poor Hachimanus carefully!
Of course, criticizing the cruel king was essential—right and proper—day and night!
What a ridiculously demanding minister!
Muttering complaints internally, Hachiman Shiro quietly returned to Class 1-F and sat at his desk.
Yui Yuigahama chatted with a few friends, then turned and saw him. Her face relaxed into a smile, right hand raised to greet…
Wait! Don't do something so pointless!
As a man skilled in risk management and reading the atmosphere, Hachiman immediately flopped onto his desk, pretending to sleep.
Yui naturally stopped herself from greeting.
He nearly forgot she was in his class…
Through the slight gap in his arms, Hachiman's observant eyes scanned the classroom.
The "popular kids" occupied the largest territory—the boys around Hayama Hayato, the girls around Miura Yumiko—a social group with the highest class status. Yui was part of it.
Just like elementary and middle school.
Hachiman remained the lone wolf, invisible in the crowd, the true outsider. Let the fools of youth enjoy themselves; he had no intention of getting involved.
So never chat with him in class, not even a greeting. Remember that, Yui Yuigahama!
That would be mortifying.
…
"Hello, my name is Anshin'in Angelina."
Shoulder-length light brown hair tied into twin tails.
A cute girl with a hint of baby fat, nervously introduced herself to dozens of gazes, then scampered back to her seat in short, hurried steps, breathing in small, rapid gasps.
"Wishing you smooth sailing, dear classmate."
A voice rang out, not lowered at all. Angelina instinctively looked over—it was a handsome… no, a wonderful boy, with starry, clear eyes. She blinked her left eye in response.
"Guh—"
She instinctively shrank her head.
She had encountered a strange person!
During class, he delivered a peculiar, dramatic declaration—already bizarre!
Wow! Everyone's eyes glanced her way. Is this the kind of gaze that feels real in novels?!
It wasn't that the gaze was sharp—it was just that she felt awkward.
Once Angelina calmed down, she realized few classmates were actually staring.
Most looked indifferent, occasionally whispering and gossiping about that flashy boy.
"Shiro, class time. Pay attention."
The teacher, equally unbothered, reminded him: "From now on, Angelina will be your classmate. Let's continue the lesson from the last session…"
May you meet like-minded people, make friends, and enjoy ordinary school life.
Don't worry about anything else; I no longer follow the rules, Shiro thought, and stared off, sometimes pondering, sometimes writing, immersed in his own world to avoid seeing attractive hands and losing control.
There's a weirdo in the class!
Angelina quietly observed, murmuring to herself.
Then she noticed the boy who occasionally moved had stopped, staring blankly at his desk.
Uh… even weirder.
After the teacher finished explaining a topic, they tidied the materials, pocketed their notes.
The bell rang.
"Class dismissed!"
Perfect time management, yeah, yeah!
I'll definitely snag that limited menu at the cafeteria!
The teacher strode out decisively, round reflective head, the last rebellious hairs waving in the wind, exuding flair.
…Even the teachers here are a little odd.
Angelina felt uneasy. Did she transfer to a strange place?
"Pitiful barrier! How dare you stop me!"
The boy who had stared blankly all lesson suddenly stood and left the classroom.
Curious, Angelina whispered to a nearby girl: "That… strange person—what's with him?"
No need for names; the girl knew who she meant. She shrugged, "Kaven, no materials, no passion. When Shiro encounters these problems, he gets unusually quiet and restless… basically a weirdo. A strange foreign student, the top of the campus's seven oddballs… You're not a weirdo too, are you?"
Angelina quickly shook her head. "No, impossible. Definitely not."
I am absolutely not some superpowered weirdo!
…
Kaven.
The trial every creator fears but must face.
Without materials, passion alone cannot create content.
Without passion, materials alone cannot produce smooth, natural work.
It's the seven-year itch of married life, the breeding ground of affairs, the early stage of love's decay; it's a peasant uprising in a feudal dynasty, a sign of tension exploding, the first indication of a kingdom's fall; it's the laziness of a freelancer, the catalyst for indifference, the direct cause of moral decay!
Scary? Yes, terrifying.
Frustration, hatred, yearning for interesting, delicious souls!
Shiro wanted to rush to Yukino's J class, grab her hand, and savor desire and passion.
Then become a wanted criminal.
A total disaster.
Fine! To avoid becoming a killer, he'd watch Hachiman instead.
Yui and Hachiman are in the same class—maybe something fun will happen?
Class 1-D… 1-E… F.
"Yui, you've been acting a little strange lately, haven't you?"
A female voice, slightly sharp.
"Ah… well, no… ahahaha… ha…"
Yui stammered, her vague voice giving the impression, I have something on my mind, but I don't want to say.
Oh-ho. Fun!
Shiro's eyes lit up; from experience, many quarrels were particularly amusing. Let's see what this one's about.
Peeking through the back door of Class 1-F, Shiro quickly glanced inside.
At the back row, five or six students observed the quarrel with half-steps, half-detached. The sharp-voiced girl, sitting on her chair with long golden hair, curled side strands, looked frustrated.
"I said! What are you trying to do? Can't even speak properly?"
Yui stood in front of her, hands behind her back, hiding a cloth bag for her lunchbox, smiling awkwardly. "Um… just didn't have time at lunch…"
Further in the classroom, other students were present for lunch, and a pair of sharp eyes quickly noticed Shiro.
Hachiman Shiro sat by the wall, his desk filled with fried noodle bread and such. His lunch interrupted by the quarrel, he spotted Shiro peeking from the door, quietly blinking his Dead Fish Eyes.
Time to activate the Social Club Minister!
Shiro: (*￣︶￣)
Hachiman: "?"
Shiro withdrew.
Hachiman glared with his Dead Fish Eyes: "?!"
Hey! Minister, what are you doing? You're just going to stare like that?!