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The First Year canteen at noon was still bustling.
The aroma of food, the chatter of students, and the clinking of cutlery intertwined into a vibrant background sound.
However, beneath this seemingly ordinary liveliness, everyone's gaze, like invisible probes, was focused on the same figure—Sakamoto.
He carried his tray, which held the canteen's most basic and affordable set meal: a bowl of white rice, a small dish of stir-fried seasonal vegetables, and a bowl of miso soup.
Similar to his choice of free items at the convenience store yesterday, this simple choice stood out particularly under the halo of an A-class elite.
Sakamoto's gaze calmly swept over the slightly crowded dining area, searching for an empty seat.
His steps were steady and fluid, his posture composed, as if he were carrying not a cheap lunch, but exquisite tea snacks.
In a corner of the canteen, Horikita Suzune sat alone at a small table.
A similarly simple meal was placed before her, her back as straight as a ruler, her cool eyes lowered, as if an invisible wall of ice separated her from the surrounding noise.
The current state of Class D suffocated her. A group of disorganized, unmotivated classmates were a far cry from the pinnacle she envisioned, a place led by her brother, Horikita Manabu, who reigned as Student Council President.
Her gaze inadvertently swept across the crowd and caught Sakamoto's figure.
Seeing his cheap meal, Horikita's brow furrowed almost imperceptibly.
An A-class student? So frugal? Connecting this to his bizarre "umbrella stand seat" on the school bus on the first day and his behavior at the convenience store later, a complex emotion surged within her.
His behavior was odd, yet it exuded an indescribable sense of composure and control.
He was in Class A, the same position as her brother.
He must have his reasons for acting this way, right?
Horikita pursed her lips, a flicker of confusion and imperceptible self-doubt crossing her cool face.
She averted her gaze, forcing herself to focus on the food in front of her, but her thoughts were somewhat scattered.
Not far away, at another table, Ryuuen Kakeru was irritably poking the fried chicken pieces on his plate with his chopsticks.
On the second day of school, he had completely seen through the essence of Class C—a disorganized mess, lacking cohesion, and without a true strong leader.
Those so-called "elites" in the front row? Just bookworms with good grades but no guts.
To expect them to lead Class C to survive or even rise in this school? What a joke!
His sinister gaze swept across the First Year students in the canteen wearing their new burgundy uniforms, finally landing on Sakamoto.
That guy with black-rimmed glasses and a calm expression… Ryuuen remembered him.
Yesterday, it was Sakamoto who, like a peacock surveying his territory, stopped to observe outside Class C's window, with a gaze that was almost coldly scrutinizing, which greatly annoyed him.
He inquired about him, Class A? Hmph, putting on airs! Acting superior on the first day of school, it's infuriating!
At this moment, Sakamoto was carrying his tray, walking purposefully towards an empty table diagonally behind Ryuuen.
Ryuuen's lips curled into a cold, sinister arc.
This was his chance.
He put down his chopsticks, leaned back slightly, and casually rested his right hand on the back of his chair, but his fingertips subtly hooked onto the support leg behind his seat—precisely the inner front leg of the chair Sakamoto was about to sit on.
"Heh… let's see you taste the floor."
Ryuuen sneered inwardly, a flash of violent pleasure in his eyes.
He planned to yank the chair back sharply the moment Sakamoto's buttocks were about to touch the seat!
In such an unguarded situation, anyone would fall awkwardly to the ground and make a fool of themselves in public!
He wanted to see if this "Mr. Elegant" from Class A could maintain that damn composure when he fell flat on his face in front of everyone!
From the best viewing spot, Nagumo Miyabi's eyes, like a precise radar, had already taken in Sakamoto's every move.
He naturally also saw the cheap set meal on Sakamoto's tray, and Ryuuen's subtly hooked fingers and the malice in his eyes as Sakamoto walked towards the empty seat.
"Heh…"
Nagumo Miyabi chuckled softly, took a sip from his water glass, his eyes full of amusement.
"The little tricks have started. It seems his demeanor has annoyed the troublemaker."
He had no intention of stopping it; on the contrary, he was quite interested.
He wanted to see how Sakamoto, whom he considered a potential opponent, would react to such a crude but direct provocation.
Would he make a clumsy fool of himself, exposing the fragility of his "elegance"? Or… would he reveal a deeper, more hidden side?
Sakamoto walked to the empty table and gently placed his tray on the surface. His movements were still fluid and natural, without the slightest pause.
He turned slightly, preparing to sit down.
Just as his buttocks were about to touch the seat, in that critical moment!
A fierce glint flashed in Ryuuen's eyes, and the hand hooked on the chair leg suddenly pulled back with force!
"Swish—!"
The chair scraped against the floor, emitting a harsh sound, and was instantly pulled back half a foot!
Under normal circumstances, Sakamoto should have awkwardly fallen backward onto the ground due to his center of gravity being lost, his tray spilling, drawing a burst of laughter.
However—
Time seemed to freeze at this moment!
Sakamoto's body, when his buttocks were still several centimeters away from the seat that should have been there, suddenly froze!
He didn't fall! He didn't stumble! He didn't even show the slightest hint of panic!
His thigh muscles instantly tensed like the most precise springs, his knees bent at an extremely clever angle, and his ankles, with incredible stability and strength, firmly pressed against the ground!
His entire body's center of gravity, in a flash of lightning, was adjusted, controlled, and solidified in a suspended state!
He maintained the posture of "about to sit down," his buttocks suspended in the air, his upper body still straight as a pine, his hands naturally hanging at his sides, and the gaze behind his black-rimmed glasses was calm and unwavering, as if he had merely paused a perfectly natural action, rather than having walked through the gates of hell!
The entire canteen instantly fell into a dead silence!
All the students who witnessed this scene were as if under a freezing spell, dumbfounded!
Chopsticks hung in mid-air, open mouths forgot to close, and laughter abruptly ceased!
Countless gazes, like spotlights, locked onto that suspended figure!
Buzz—!
After a brief silence, there was an uproar like a volcanic eruption!
"Holy crap—!!!"
"He… he stopped?!"
"Sitting in mid-air?! How is that possible?!"
"My God! How did he do that?!"
"Is this a movie?! Special effects?!"
"Anti-gravity?!!"
Gasps and incredulous whispers instantly swept through the entire canteen like a tide!
Everyone was completely shocked by this incredible scene that defied common sense!
Horikita Suzune suddenly looked up, her cool eyes instantly wide open!
She had just noticed Ryuuen's little trick, and had even subconsciously tightened her grip on her chopsticks, her lips slightly parted, almost about to blurt out a warning to Sakamoto!
However, before the warning could escape, it was forcefully blocked by the shocking scene before her eyes!
She looked at the figure suspended in mid-air, still composed and upright, and her heart pounded uncontrollably!
Embarrassment? No, what surged in her heart at that moment was an even stronger shock and a stir she hadn't even noticed herself!
He… he actually resolved it in this way?! What terrifying body control and reaction speed would that require?!
She tightly pursed her lips, her fingertips slightly white from exertion, and her gaze towards Sakamoto was indescribably complex.
Ryuuen's sneer completely froze, then turned into an expression of disbelief and… furious indignation at being played!
He widened his eyes, staring at Sakamoto, suspended in mid-air as if sitting on an invisible chair, his mind a blank!
What… what the hell was going on?!
He had actually been casually defused by the opponent in a way completely beyond his comprehension?!
He could even feel the gazes from around him, filled with surprise and subtle mockery!
He suddenly stood up, the chair legs scraping against the floor with a harsh noise, his sinister eyes fixed on Sakamoto, his fists clenched, knuckles white!
Nagumo Miyabi's hand, holding the water glass, froze in mid-air. The amusement was instantly replaced by intense shock and a subsequent, uncontrollable excitement!
His smile froze for a moment, then, like ripples on a lake after a stone was thrown in, it suddenly spread, turning into a joyful smile of having met his match!
"Excellent!!"
He couldn't help but cheer in a low voice, his voice carrying a hint of suppressed excitement.
"Absolutely excellent!!"
This was by no means a clumsy evasion, but the most powerful, most elegant, and most impactful counterattack!
With absolute strength and control, he instantly transformed the opponent's malicious trap into a stage to showcase his extraordinary abilities!
This composure in the face of danger, this superhuman body control, this calm demeanor that turned crisis into a personal show… "Hahaha…"
Nagumo Miyabi finally couldn't help but laugh out loud. He put down his water glass, leaned forward slightly, his gaze fixed on Sakamoto, and the fighting intent in his eyes burned fiercely like a lit flame.
Sakamoto, at the center of the storm, seemed oblivious to the surrounding gasps, discussions, Ryuuen's fury, Nagumo's eagerness, and Horikita's complexity.
His suspended body, as if held by invisible threads, was unsettlingly stable.
A few seconds later, as if merely adjusting his sitting posture, his suspended buttocks descended naturally and smoothly, settling firmly onto… the chair that Ryuuen had pulled away.
The moment he sat down, he even slightly adjusted the position of his tray, his movements so natural that it seemed as if the astonishing mid-air suspension had never happened.
Then, he picked up his chopsticks, picked up a pinch of stir-fried seasonal vegetables, calmly put it into his mouth, and began to enjoy his lunch.
As if the surrounding tumultuous waves were merely a gentle breeze passing by his ears.
The canteen's uproar, the moment Sakamoto sat down and began to eat, seemed to have been put on pause.
Only the subtle sound of his calm chewing remained, and countless gazes, still fixed on him, filled with shock and inquiry.
The chair that had been pulled away now stood as the most ironic witness to this silent confrontation.
Ryuuen stood to the side, his face ashen, as if he had been nailed to the pillar of shame.