The crisp rhythm of footsteps echoed through the school corridor. As Izuru walked, the corners of his mouth twitched upward in a faint smirk before he submerged himself once more in deep deliberation.
{Nakano... Itsuki, huh?}
Recalling their interaction in the cafeteria, Izuru sensed a mountain of red flags. He needed to mentally comb through every detail of that encounter to find the snag in the thread...
Itsuki transferring to this school matched the plot in his memories, so that wasn't the issue.
And Itsuki—being a natural-born glutton—coming to the cafeteria to fuel a "giant" stomach that seemingly knew no bottom? Also standard. By sheer coincidence, she had arrived just as Izuru was ordering, saw his Deluxe Set, and immediately felt her appetite flare, ordering the exact same thing...
Still no problem there!
But what happened next was what truly left Izuru scratching his head.
Since they had ordered the same extravagant meal and shared an appetite that defied the laws of physics, Itsuki—as a fellow foodie—should have felt an emotional kinship, as if she'd found a kindred spirit. Furthermore, as a new student, it was perfectly natural for her to strike up a conversation, eat together, and ask questions.
However, the real anomaly lay in the actual flow of their conversation!
Itsuki claimed the Principal had praised him as the Student Council President?
The moment she said that, doubt bloomed in Izuru's mind. Simultaneously, his guard went up, and he began to form several prejudices against her...
After all, he knew the Principal's temperament all too well. If a student's family background outranked the Principal's, the man became a shameless sycophant. But if the student was a nobody? Forget about it; the Principal would wear a haughty mask as if he were the supreme ruler of the school!
Izuru's position as President was backed solely by the Vice President. The Vice President wasn't just a beauty; her background was so terrifying that if you combined the pedigree of every other teacher and student in the school, they still wouldn't stand a chance against her. Izuru himself, meanwhile, had no prestigious background to speak of. The only thing notable about him was his flawlessly handsome face...
Naturally, this led the entire student body and faculty to one conclusion: the Vice President was "keeping" Izuru! Their imaginations ran wild!
Some high-achieving students had even drafted million-word web novels about a wealthy heiress maintaining a penniless "pretty boy" as her plaything.
That was why, back in the cafeteria, a mob of students had looked at him with such venomous envy, whispering that Izuru was nothing more than a "kept man."
But this also meant that no matter how the Principal treated him to his face—likely putting on a friendly act to stay on the Vice President's good side—one could only imagine how much he looked down on Izuru behind his back.
A man who groveled to the strong and trampled the weak was a pathetic sight, but that was the reality for most workers, so Izuru didn't dwell on it. He couldn't be bothered with the man.
However, Itsuki claimed the Principal had praised him to her?
That was like someone claiming a polar bear was a gentle, domesticated house pet. Who would believe that?
Izuru certainly didn't. Consequently, he began to spin numerous theories regarding Itsuki's true intentions for saying that...
The most likely theory was that she said it to bridge the gap between them and close the distance...
But could a glutton who was supposed to be "clumsy but cute" really execute such a calculated social maneuver?
This only fueled Izuru's suspicions. He sank deeper into thought, until Itsuki's voice suddenly snapped his train of thought!
Having his thoughts interrupted wasn't the catastrophe. The catastrophe was that he had accidentally unleashed his latent, "poison-tongued" potential and blurted out the nickname living in his heart: "Meat bun monster!"
The second those words escaped, he knew things were about to go south!
At the very least, Itsuki's affection for him should have plummeted into the negatives. Forget eating and chatting; it would have been perfectly normal for her to slam the table, draw a line in the sand, and hold a grudge until the end of time.
And yet, despite looking like she was dying of rage, she had managed to restrain herself. That was mathematically impossible!
Then, when Izuru tried to "fix" the situation by redefining "meat bun monster" as a compliment every woman wants to hear, the effect was staggering! Upon hearing that sweet praise, Itsuki wasn't just mollified—her face turned beet-red with bashfulness!
She even... she even called him humorous and said his way of complimenting was unique!
This... was this really Itsuki? Did she even have a feminine side like that?!
No! Izuru reached a swift conclusion. This version of Itsuki definitely wanted something from him!
Thus, he acted decisively, executing a brilliant and meaningful maneuver...
He re-established his identity as the President and offered her help. By doing so, he laid the groundwork for their next encounter while catching her off guard, sabotaging whatever "plan" she had and ensuring he held the reins...
Izuru nodded, giving himself 10,086 thumbs-ups for his own genius.
Even though he was once an otaku who loved the 2D world and had a massive soft spot for the Nakano quintuplets, that didn't mean he was going to crawl like a "simp" at their feet...
After all, being a simp might feel good for a fleeting moment, but being a lifelong simp? Absolute nonsense! Simping until the bitter end only leads to losing everything.
If one truly acts like a simp, the relationship becomes like an Idol on stage in a mini-skirt, with a red-faced otaku below screaming "Sugoi!"
Exactly. While the person on stage might show a sweet smile, in their heart, they view the simp as nothing more than a walking ATM or a disgusting insect.
Therefore, Izuru could not show a single moment of weakness in front of Itsuki. He had to keep the control in his own hands, rather than letting the other party play him for a fool!
Remember: Love is War!
The first one to confess loses! The first one to blush loses!
While Izuru wasn't necessarily going to fall in love with Itsuki, there was no harm in staying vigilant...
With that thought, Izuru flashed a triumphant smile and pumped his fist to psych himself up. At the same time, he came to a halt as he reached one of his destinations...
On the way to the Student Council office, there stood a vending machine.
Every day after finishing lunch, he would stop there to buy a drink. Today was no exception!
However, the process of buying a drink today was destined to be different for Izuru—because he had just run into another beautiful girl...
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