Takumi Yuuya arrived at the classroom and sat in his usual spot, smiling at Aki Rumiya in front of him.
Sawamura Eriri was such a helpful person — she had given him 50 points of disgust in just one morning.
Adding the 30 points he had accrued yesterday, he was only 20 points short of opening another bronze treasure chest.
Thinking it through, he began drafting his message.
A few minutes later, he sent all the plot ideas he had prepared to Eriri and waited for her feedback.
"Disgust level from Sawamura Eriri +50"
The notification popped up on his virtual screen.
Takumi was both surprised and delighted. Fifty points in a single go? Clearly, he had reached the pinnacle of her irritation.
But that made sense — the plot he had proposed was undeniably provocative.
At lunch break, Takumi approached the Service Club room with a sense of anticipation.
He didn't bother knocking, opening the door directly.
Yukinoshita Yukino, seeing him, didn't even bother reminding him to knock. She placed a bento on the table.
Takumi picked it up and sat down.
Opening it, he saw: half rice, the other half fried pork cutlet with scrambled eggs and tomatoes.
The warmth of the bento was apparent.
"Wait… you knew I wanted it hot?" he asked, puzzled.
"I haven't been to your place, but I can research online and in books," Yukino replied.
"Impressive, Xukino — you're really smart."
"Compliments from you won't make me feel even a little happy," she said flatly.
"I know, you're naturally not a smiling person," he teased.
"I only offer cold smiles for you," she retorted.
"That's fine; even a cold smile is a smile. Just thinking about Xukino smiling at me every day brightens my mood," Takumi said.
"You really should see a doctor," Yukino muttered.
She opened her own bento while Takumi quietly ate hers, the room falling silent.
He finished quickly and cleared his throat.
Yukino glanced at him.
"Cough, cough," he continued.
"Go see a doctor if you're sick," she said bluntly.
"I'm thirsty, but I didn't bring a drink. Could you pour me some tea, Xukino?" he asked sheepishly.
"No," she said without hesitation.
"You don't want me coughing beside you while you're reading, right?"
She glared at him but still took a paper cup and poured some tea.
Takumi smiled, took the cup, and returned to his spot, blowing on the steam and taking a careful sip.
"This tea…" he murmured, impressed.
"It actually tastes like tea," he said seriously.
Yukino gave him a blank look.
Takumi drank thoughtfully, contemplating how to earn today's disgust points.
Yukino finished her bento and looked at him.
"Will you be home for lunch tomorrow?" she asked.
"Huh?" Takumi was momentarily confused.
She gestured at the bento.
"I said I'll make sure your lunch is satisfactory every day, including weekends."
"Xukino, you're being too kind… do you like me?"
"I'm just keeping my word. I don't like you at all. Even if you were the last man on Earth, I wouldn't like you," she said firmly.
"Actually, although you're beautiful, I personally prefer well-built girls. Xukino isn't in my range," he lied, staring into his tea.
"Disgust level from Yukinoshita Yukino +10"
The notification appeared.
Takumi looked up at her.
"Forget weekend lunches. I might not be home, but I can trade your lunches for your contact info. I have a few cats around my place; I could take some pictures for you."
"Fine," Yukino hesitated slightly. This was her secret — the high-achieving flower of Sobu High liked cats.
Lunch break ended.
Takumi and Yukino left together.
In the quiet hallway:
"What does Xukino do on weekends? Go out with friends?"
"…"
"Not even one friend?"
"…"
"Actually, I don't have friends either. Do you want to be mine?"
"No matter what, I will never let you be my friend," she said calmly.
"Disgust level from Yukinoshita Yukino +20"
Takumi grinned at the quick points. Xukino really delivered fast, though not as much as Eriri had.
Looking at his 160 points, he felt a twinge of dissatisfaction.
He looked at Yukino again.
"I heard your sister is excellent. She must take good care of you, right?"
"…"
"Not true? I thought your skill came from having an amazing sister."
"My relationship with my sister isn't good," she replied.
"So, your excellence is about surpassing her?"
"You finally speak human. Congrats," she said.
"I actually know your sister's weakness," he said mysteriously.
"How do you know that?"
Yukino recalled the day he joined the Service Club.
Takumi smiled mysteriously.
"Getting this weakness is simple. I'll be bored wandering around alone on weekends. If you join me, I… never mind, we can talk."
Yukino ignored him and quickened her pace.
As she walked away, he muttered:
"Her weakness… is you."
Afternoon classes ended quickly.
Takumi packed his bag, thinking about where to go tomorrow.
As he started forward, a figure appeared: a blue-haired girl, waist-length hair, delicate features, beautiful face, carrying her bag, yawning — clearly sleep-deprived.
Her exhaustion? She worked part-time and returned home at 5 a.m., getting barely over two hours of sleep daily, plus lunch break, totaling at most three hours.
Why work so hard? To save money for college.
Takumi followed her as she headed to the bike shed.
It was Kawasaki Saki retrieving her bicycle.
He approached her.
"Kawasaki-san," he said.
"Yes? What is it?"
Saki paused, turning to him.
Seeing no one else around, Takumi continued:
"Your part-time hours far exceed school regulations. If I tell Hiratsuka-sensei, she'll come to your house."
"How much do you want?" she asked.
"No, I don't want money. I want to offer you a simple, easy job," he replied.
"A job?"
"Three thousand yen an hour."
"Three thousand?!"