Just Want to Be a Slacker

"Is that so? I just wanted to see the look on your face after you got stood up."

Besides, if it weren't for you, I wouldn't have been targeted by Ryuen. Messing with you a little now doesn't feel like too much at all!

Hmph, not only am I messing with you once, I'm going to mess with you again later!

Kamio Tatsuya strolled up to her and held out one of the yakisoba breads in his hand.

"Have some lunch."

Watching Kamio Tatsuya's demeanor, Sakayanagi felt a strong urge to slap the bread out of his hand, but after a moment's thought, that would be far too unladylike, and the bread was innocent.

Besides, she'd wanted to try this yakisoba bread for a long time. The supermarket only ever stocked a few, and with her legs being inconvenient, she'd never gotten to eat it.

As for asking Kamuro to buy it... she always felt like she'd be laughed at.

"You plan to treat me to a meal right here?"

Even Sakayanagi was a bit annoyed now. This was a hallway, crowded with people. At the very least, they should find somewhere to sit.

"Then how about the rooftop? The weather's great today, and there are benches up there."

Hearing this, Sakayanagi's irritated heart found some comfort. She thought that maybe this guy could be a bit of a gentleman sometimes.

But that thought vanished quickly.

"Then hurry up. I'll wait for you on the rooftop."

Watching Kamio Tatsuya's retreating back, Sakayanagi Arisu sank into deep self-doubt.

My face... it's still pretty cute, right?

Why can he do such an uncute thing to someone as cute as me?

Where exactly did things go wrong?

Chapter 68: Kamio Tatsuya: My Identity as a Transmigrator Has Been Exposed?

A few minutes later, on the rooftop of the Teaching Building, Kamio Tatsuya and Sakayanagi Arisu sat on opposite ends of a bench.

Sakayanagi's cane leaned diagonally against the bench as she held the yakisoba bread Kamio had treated her to, taking small bites.

The taste was indeed good—no wonder it sold out so fast every time. It was a bit dry to eat, though; something to drink would be nice.

Just as she thought that, she noticed Kamio Tatsuya pull out a carton of juice and slide it across the bench toward her. A warmth rose in her heart. Hmm, maybe, perhaps, possibly, she'd misjudged him?

But what brand was this?

Lime flavor—she'd never tried it. Would it be awful?

Sakayanagi Arisu glanced at Kamio Tatsuya and saw he had the same juice in his hand, which put her at ease.

So she thanked Kamio Tatsuya, tore off the straw, inserted it into the carton, and took a big gulp.

Sour!

The intense sourness made Sakayanagi Arisu's small face scrunch up entirely, the sharp jolt straight to her skull leaving her dazed.

Then she heard laughter ringing in her ears.

"Hahahahahahahaha!"

She'd been tricked again!

In her daze, two lines of clear tears streamed from the corners of Sakayanagi Arisu's eyes—whether from humiliation or the sourness triggering a physical reaction was unclear.

Seeing this, Kamio Tatsuya felt he might have gone a bit too far.

So he pulled two tissues from his pocket and held them out.

In his past life, because of his nearsightedness, he'd gotten into the habit of carrying tissues when he went out. They were useful for wiping glasses, wiping sweat in summer, and even for emergencies.

That habit had carried over to now. He never expected to use it like this.

Seeing the tissues Kamio Tatsuya offered, Sakayanagi Arisu refused to take them, suspecting another trap.

"Don't worry, I'm not messing with you this time."

If I trust you again, I'm a dog!

Sakayanagi Arisu lifted her head, glaring at Kamio Tatsuya with tear-filled eyes, then pulled a handkerchief from her own pocket to wipe her tears.

"How long are you going to keep toying with me?"

Hearing this, Kamio Tatsuya just smiled faintly, not angry at all.

"There's no need to be so upset. I have my reasons for doing this."

"Fine, fine, fine. Then let me hear your reasons properly."

"First, you came to me today to ask for a favor, right?"

"That's correct."

"Then can I assume this is something you can't handle yourself?" Kamio Tatsuya said with a grin. "Since you can't handle it, that means it's a troublesome matter. If it's troublesome for you, it'll be the same for me. Otherwise, you'd have brought it up first thing when you got to school this morning. Am I right?"

Sakayanagi Arisu said nothing, which was as good as confirmation.

"But since you came to me, it means that in your subjective judgment, I'm likely to agree to this matter—at least there's room for negotiation."

As the conversation reached this point, Sakayanagi Arisu's gaze toward Kamio Tatsuya was extremely complicated, because his guess was spot on.

For Kamio Tatsuya, this matter could be described as both simple and difficult.

"Since you're asking me to do something I might not want to do, then what's a little prank on you in return? If you're asking for a favor, you need to have the right attitude. If you can't even tolerate that, you can go back now. Also, I won't bring up the fact that you leaked my information to Ryuen."

Sakayanagi heard this and her body trembled slightly. Twisted logic, all of it!

"I might indeed be asking you to do something difficult for you, but I never said I wouldn't offer compensation. Don't you think your prank on me is going too far?"

Kamio Tatsuya raised his index finger and wagged it left and right.

"Don't get it wrong. For me, there are no difficult things—only things I want to do or don't want to do. So the thing you want my help with is definitely something I initially didn't want to do but would end up doing anyway. You're forcing me. Don't you think you're the one going too far?"

No difficult things? You're really arrogant.

"Then go build a perpetual motion machine."

NM, you're doing this on purpose, aren't you? Do you still want my help or not?

Kamio Tatsuya shot her an annoyed glance.

"I'll give you one more chance to rephrase that."

Sakayanagi took a deep breath. She felt like her heart condition was acting up.

"Are you trying to give me a heart attack?"

Heart condition?

Kamio Tatsuya looked at Sakayanagi Arisu in surprise.

"So you're not a cripple—you have a heart condition?"

"If you can't talk, shut up!"

Then Kamio Tatsuya actually shut his mouth.

MD, to avoid getting expelled, I can never be alone with this person again. If something happens, who the hell would take responsibility? Damn! This bastard is a pro at causing trouble! Who can afford to mess with that?

Watching Kamio Tatsuya suddenly change his attitude, Sakayanagi Arisu felt a sense of unreality.

What, what's going on?

Taking a deep breath to calm herself, Sakayanagi Arisu remembered today's purpose.

"Kamio-kun, who do you think is the most special student in Class D?"

The most special student? NM, you're not talking about me, are you? I mean, I'm a transmigrator!

Kamio Tatsuya pointed at himself suspiciously, which immediately made Sakayanagi laugh.

"I didn't expect you to be so narcissistic."

"Koenji's the narcissist. This is confidence. What the hell do you know?"

After calming down, Sakayanagi seemed to get used to Kamio Tatsuya's way of speaking.

"Besides you, who do you think is the most special student in Class D?"

The most special student in Class D...

Kamio Tatsuya couldn't quite say, because he felt there were quite a few special people in Class D.

Someone like Horikita, the Student Council President's sister, didn't even rank.

Kushida Kikyo, a surface angel but actually a two-faced person...

Hirata Yosuke, usually very gentle but surprisingly fierce in a fight...

Koenji Rokosuke, seemingly extremely narcissistic but highly capable in all areas...

And then there was Ayanokoji Kiyonaka, who clearly had considerable strength but kept hiding it awkwardly...

"You're not in love with someone in Class D, are you?"

"What if I am?"

"I'd advise you to give up. That kind of thing isn't for you."

"Oh? Why?"

"With your physique, plus a heart condition, you probably won't be able to have children in the future."

Anyway, Kamio Tatsuya wouldn't pick someone like Sakayanagi Arisu as a girlfriend—can't do it, can't bear kids. It's pretty realistic, but that's just how humans are.

Those words seemed to really hit Sakayanagi Arisu's sore spot. She sat there for a long time without saying a word.

"Unfortunately, this isn't a topic about romance."

"Is that so?" Kamio Tatsuya shrugged. "Class D has quite a few unusual people. I don't know which aspect you're looking for. How about you just say it outright?"

"The kind that... doesn't seem like a normal human."

Doesn't seem like a normal human...

Doesn't that leave just one?

"You're not referring to... Ayanokoji Kiyonaka, are you?"

Kamio Tatsuya said it with some uncertainty.

Sakayanagi glanced at Kamio Tatsuya and nodded, a smile curling at the corners of her mouth. "You really are sharp, as expected."

So it was him, after all. If the strange behavior of others still fell within human bounds and could be traced, then Ayanokoji was just a bit too odd.

Trying too hard to hide among ordinary people sometimes makes you just as conspicuous.

Plus, Chabashira-sensei had given hints.

Scoring exactly fifty points on every subject in the entrance exam—what kind of weirdo would do something like that? You're not Saiki Kusuo!

No, Saiki Kusuo wouldn't do something so attention-grabbing either.

And Kamio Tatsuya had always felt that guy was dangerous. If possible, Kamio Tatsuya didn't want to get involved with him at all.

As expected, messing with Sakayanagi upfront to collect some interest was the right call.

Kamio Tatsuya let out a rare sigh. "As expected, this is a real pain."