Inside the cafeteria,
that absurd and magnificent "candlelight lunch" finally came to an end.
Nagumo Miyabi ate every exquisitely presented dish, tasting like chewing wax—it was less enjoyment and more a forced ritual.
Asahina Natsume, on the other hand, was completely satisfied, her face beaming with the pleasure of having tasted perfect food.
As soon as they put down their cutlery, the figure standing silently, as if merged with the shadows, immediately moved.
Sakamoto-kun, as if having calculated the timing perfectly, glided silently to the table.
The next moment, a dazzling cleaning performance began.
His movements were as swift as the wind; dirty plates, used knives and forks, oil-stained velvet cloths... in his hands, they seemed to be under a spell.
The plates were stacked neatly and uniformly, and the knives and forks were gathered without a single clink.
With a flick of his wrist, all the residue on the dark red velvet cloth seemed to be drawn together by some force, easily dumped into the trash can, and the cloth itself instantly returned to its smooth, pristine state.
Finally, he used a clean white damp cloth to wipe the tabletop with a unique technique; wherever it passed, grease was gone, and it was as clean as new.
The entire process was fluid, extremely short, and astonishingly efficient.
When Sakamoto-kun bowed, indicating that the cleaning was complete, the table was even cleaner than after the cafeteria staff had cleaned it, reflecting a faint glow under the cafeteria lights.
"Wow—"
The students around, who had been observing, once again let out uncontrollable exclamations and discussions.
Many students had already pulled out their phones and recorded Sakamoto-kun's cleaning process, which was like a special effect, in its entirety.
Undoubtedly, this video, along with snippets of the previous "candlelight lunch," would soon appear on the school's internal forum, becoming another incredible rumor about "Legendary First Year Sakamoto."
Nagumo Miyabi watched this scene, his expression becoming even more displeased.
The thing he feared most was happening.
Sakamoto-kun creating such an exaggerated spectacle, choosing the cafeteria, the most crowded public place, was entirely intentional.
His purpose was to blow things up and make them known to everyone.
And he, Nagumo Miyabi, as one of the direct beneficiaries and protagonists of this "performance," would inevitably be drawn into the center of this maelstrom of public opinion.
After the video spread, what would people say?
"Look, isn't that Vice President Nagumo, who was served a top-tier feast by a First Year student?"
"His expression back then, he looked completely dumbfounded, didn't he?"
"Is this the leader of the second year?"
Although his authority within the second year was solid, such an embarrassing scene, almost like "social death," widely circulated, would undoubtedly damage the image he carefully maintained of being cynical yet having everything under control.
He couldn't even get angry at Sakamoto-kun on the spot.
Because on the surface, everything Sakamoto-kun did was "perfectly executing" the "harsh" demands he, the interviewer, had made, and providing him with top-notch service.
As a "beneficiary," openly reprimanding the "service provider" would only make him appear narrow-minded and fickle, making things worse.
Damn it.
Nagumo instantly understood the crux of the matter.
This was Sakamoto-kun's precise and elegant counterattack, using Nagumo's own "rules."
He used extreme "obedience" and "service" as weapons, in turn putting him on the spot.
This First Year student... was truly troublesome.
Even though Nagumo had integrated an entire year with his methods, he had never seen such an exaggerated scheme.
Just as Nagumo's mind was churning, rapidly analyzing the pros and cons, Asahina Natsume's voice interrupted his thoughts.
"Sakamoto-kun!"
Asahina Natsume, with an undisguised smile of appreciation on her face, walked up to Sakamoto-kun.
"Thank you so much! Lunch was absolutely delicious, and the service was impeccable! You are simply a genius!"
She even enthusiastically asked about the recipe for a certain dish.
Sakamoto-kun responded calmly, fluently rattling off a series of professional cooking terms and parameters precise to the gram, temperature, and time.
Asahina Natsume's eyes sparkled as she listened, and although she didn't understand most of it, it didn't affect her admiration in the slightest:
"Wow! It sounds amazing! So professional!"
Nagumo looked at Asahina Natsume, who was completely engrossed in the "gourmet experience," and sighed helplessly.
And after that, Sakamoto-kun and Asahina Natsume chatted a bit more.
"Miyabi? What are you spacing out for? Let's go!"
Asahina finally remembered Nagumo next to her and waved her hand in front of his eyes.
Nagumo snapped back to reality.
His first reaction wasn't to answer Asahina,
but to vigilantly and quickly scan his surroundings,
his gaze sweeping over every corner of the cafeteria.
No... that black figure was gone.
That pervasive, unsettling feeling of being watched... seemed to have also disappeared.
"Where's Sakamoto?" he asked Asahina in a low voice.
Asahina saw his suspicious look and couldn't help but laugh again:
"Don't worry! I sent him away!"
"Sent him away?" Nagumo was stunned, somewhat incredulous.
"That's right," Asahina nodded, her tone relaxed, "I just told him, 'You did a wonderful job, we were all very satisfied with lunch. However, it's now lunch break, and the Vice President needs some private space to handle a few things, so you may take your rest now.' Then he simply nodded in agreement, bowed, and left. See, isn't he very obedient?"
Asahina felt she had solved a small problem, her tone slightly triumphant.
Obedient?
Left?
Upon hearing this, Nagumo not only didn't relax, but his brows furrowed even more.
Based on his "profound" understanding of Sakamoto, which he had developed in just half a day,
there was no way this guy could be "sent away" so easily.
His promise to "completely obey orders" was like a tight curse, which he would execute to an appalling degree.
Now, suddenly disappearing so "obediently"... made Nagumo feel even more uneasy.
He always felt that those eyes were still watching him from somewhere unseen.
That guy... must still be nearby!
Asahina saw his face still tense and patted his shoulder:
"Alright, don't scare yourself. Maybe he really just went to rest? Let's go, we still have classes this afternoon."
Nagumo was skeptical, but the feeling of being watched had indeed diminished a lot, so perhaps he really had left temporarily.
He took a deep breath, trying to suppress the absurd sense of unease in his heart.
Maybe he could really have a short, quiet lunch break.
With this hopeful thought, he left the still-buzzing cafeteria with Asahina.
Meanwhile, Sakamoto had already returned to the Class 1-A classroom at a speed Nagumo couldn't imagine.
Asahina's words were quite effective, but this did not mean the end.