From the other side of the classroom, Sakurazawa Tomomi had been watching the entire scene unfold. Seeing Kazuma being harassed made her nervous, and she was debating whether to go get a teacher. She hadn't expected Akane Nanao to step in instead.
Do they know each other?
Sakurazawa Tomomi felt a surge of curiosity.
Even Akane's own friends—who were popular themselves—were stunned. This was the first time they had ever seen her this angry.
Was she just standing up for justice?
"Huh?" Izumi Nogami turned around irritably when she noticed the interference. "What does my business with him have to do with you? Don't get in my way. Do you even know him? Otherwise, why stick your nose into this?"
"So what if we do?" Akane Nanao replied bluntly. "Kazuma is my friend."
She strode forward, pried Izumi Nogami's hands off Kazuma, and stood firmly in front of him with her hands on her hips.
"I'm standing up for him."
"Y-you—"
No one spoke. The entire classroom watched in silence.
Kanna Hiiragi wasn't present—she had been called away by a teacher. Otherwise, she would have definitely come over to support Akane. Even so, Akane's presence alone was more than enough.
On one side stood a cheerful, beautiful, and popular girl. On the other stood a group of hot girls who were not easy to deal with.
So who exactly was Kazuma, and why would Akane Nanao defend him so openly?
The atmosphere grew strange and oppressive.
Kazuma himself, however, was completely unfazed. He glanced at Akane Nanao with mild curiosity.
She really looked like a mother hen protecting her chick.
Her presence was powerful. And although it was one against three, she clearly had the advantage—at least when it came to cup size.
Nanao won big.
As for Tazaki, who sat in front of Kazuma, he had initially been secretly delighted. Seeing Kazuma attract trouble made him think the guy was finished, and he felt smug about it. But when he realized Akane Nanao was actually defending Kazuma—and even confronting the hot girls for him—his jealousy exploded.
Why could this guy get the favor of such a beautiful girl?
Why had no one ever stood up for him?
Sure, Saki Yoshida had helped him before—but that was just pity. Tazaki knew it.
Jealousy twisted his face as he glared back at Kazuma.
Sensing the stalemate, Kazuma finally decided to step in. He cleared his throat and said,
"Well, Nanao, forget it. It's fine if they really want to see it. It's no big deal—just don't be disappointed afterward."
Though his words sounded conciliatory, there was something unsettling in his expression.
A faint, eerie chuckle slipped out.
As for Akane Nanao, she stood frozen, a single thought echoing in her mind:
He… he called my name.
Under everyone's gaze, Kazuma let go of her hand, tugged open his collar, and then—amid the smug looks of the hot girls—a green snake's head slowly emerged.
"!!!!"
Their smugness vanished in less than two seconds.
Minako Sanada screamed first, shrill and panicked.
"A snake!!!"
Izumi Nogami and Sae Hinata completely lost their composure and stumbled backward. That wasn't a toy—it was real. With shaking fingers, they pointed forward, stammering,
"Y-you… you…!"
"Relax," Kazuma said calmly. "She's my little pet. She doesn't bite. Didn't you want to see her? Go ahead—feel free to take a closer look. You can even touch her."
The slender snake coiled lazily around his arm as Kazuma stepped forward with a smile.
Splash!
Most of the girls in the classroom screamed and fled to the opposite side.
Akane Nanao's eye twitched violently, and she forced out a dry laugh. Kazuma always had a way of surprising people. As for the hot-girl gang that loved bullying others, the flicking snake tongue was enough to make them tremble and scream in terror.
"Don't come any closer!!!"
What kind of lunatic keeps a snake inside his clothes?!
Finally, they turned and fled in panic.
At that moment, Kazuma—who had previously gone unnoticed—left a deep impression on everyone. Watching him casually play with the snake before tucking it back into his clothes made everyone's heart skip a beat.
This guy was dangerous.
Outside the teaching building, on the stone-paved path near the cafeteria.
"Yoshida-kun."
In Tazaki's eyes, Saki Yoshida looked like an angel. She was charming, gentle, and kind—how had he never noticed her before?
Maybe it was because there were simply too many beautiful girls in the class.
"Tazaki-san, do you need something?" Yoshida asked with a warm smile.
"Um, I came to thank you," Tazaki swallowed, finding her increasingly charming. More importantly, unlike other girls, she didn't badmouth him. "Thank you for speaking up for me just now. Otherwise…"
"I just think Izumi went too far," Yoshida said with a smile, shaking her head.
"I'm heading to the cafeteria too. Want to come along?"
"Eh? Ah, okay…" Yoshida didn't refuse. She had always been a loner, so she was naturally open to making new friends. However, as soon as she finished speaking, she noticed two familiar figures sitting on the bench ahead.
Kazuma?
Come to think of it, he was somewhat like her in the past. Both of them were the kind of people who easily faded into the background.
Suddenly thinking of that snake, Yoshida smiled calmly. "It can't really be that similar… can it?"
"What a weirdo," Yoshida thought with a faint smile. But when she recalled how Izumi and the others had been frightened away, she couldn't help laughing again. It was the first time she had ever seen Izumi suffer such a loss. After thinking for a moment, she smiled and walked toward Kazuma and Akane Nanao.
She didn't notice that Tazaki's expression had turned ugly.
"Hm?" Noticing someone approaching, Kazuma looked up. "Oh, it's you, Saki Yoshida. And you too—four-eyed fat pig. Seeing you two together is kind of unexpected."
Akane Nanao frowned as well. She disliked the way Tazaki looked at her. As for Saki Yoshida, she belonged to the same circle as Izumi Nogami, so Akane naturally didn't have a good impression of her either.
Tazaki flushed red and glared at Kazuma. "Who Yoshida-san spends time with is none of your business. Yoshida-san, let's go to the cafeteria and ignore him."
"Kazuma, Tazaki-kun isn't a bad person…"
Hearing Yoshida defend him, Tazaki felt deeply moved.
"Meow—!"
Whether the kitten sensed hostility or not, it suddenly stood up and growled at Tazaki. Despite its small body, its presence was unexpectedly intimidating, startling the fat pig.
Kazuma ignored the angry cat's reaction and instead glanced at Saki Yoshida. He shrugged and lowered his head to continue feeding the kitten. "Yoshida-kun, the world isn't as simple as you think."
He hadn't wanted to say more, but remembering the girl's tragic fate, he added a few extra words. "That said, I didn't expect you to end up hanging out with those popular girls. It's like a husky wandering into a pack of wolves. Izumi Nogami and the others aren't good people—but this guy isn't clean either."
"If I remember correctly, didn't he sneak into the women's changing room and get caught red-handed by Izumi Nogami and the others?" Kazuma said with a half-smile as he looked at the trembling Tazaki. "That's why he was threatened, right? You pervert."
Yoshida froze, her mouth hanging open in shock. There was that kind of story behind it?
"How do you know?!" Tazaki panicked. "They clearly said they wouldn't expose it! No—no, that's not what happened, Yoshida-san! That time it was just… just because I—" He stumbled over his words, completely unable to explain himself.
Clearly, what Kazuma said was true, and Tazaki had no way to refute it.
Women's changing room?
Pervert?
Yoshida's face turned pale. She instinctively stepped back twice, retreating to Kazuma's side, her expression full of resistance. "Y-you actually did something like that?"
Disgusting.
Yoshida covered her mouth.
Tazaki could only watch helplessly as Yoshida's earlier kindness turned into disgust and rejection. His heart grew cold, his face drained of color, and he lowered his head as he left alone.
...
..
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[image] Saki Yoshida