One Fish, Multiple Ways

Since that incident last time, Konoe hadn't dared to casually look at Horikita in class recently, making Konoe sigh.

At this moment, his phone, his student terminal, vibrated. He saw it was a message from Ayanokoji.

"Horikita will treat you to lunch."

What magic did this kid cast? Speaking of which, is he getting more and more proficient at handling Horikita? However, Konoe didn't care. This level of suggestion shouldn't be considered offensive to her.

His expression, which had been sighing constantly, turned happy involuntarily. Konoe patiently waited for noon to arrive.

As expected, after the morning classes ended, Horikita came to Konoe's desk. "Are you free at noon? If you are, would you like to have lunch together?"

"This is truly rare," Konoe said happily.

"...I'll treat. You can have whatever you want. Come or not?" Horikita's tone turned cold.

"I'll come. I don't mean anything else..."

Horikita didn't respond upon hearing his reply and walked ahead on her own. Seeing this, Konoe quickly followed. Ayanokoji was already waiting for the two of them at the entrance.

The three soon arrived at the student cafeteria.

Konoe chose Kaiseki Ryori. Horikita had said to choose freely, and since the opportunity was rare, he picked the expensive option.

The three found a table and sat down. Seeing that Horikita had ordered a cheap set meal, Konoe felt a pang of guilt. Ayanokoji ordered the moderately priced Croquette Set. Only Konoe unceremoniously ordered the luxurious Kaiseki Ryori.

But strangely, none of them started eating, waiting quietly.

"What's wrong? Ayanokoji-kun, Konoe-kun, hurry up and eat?"

This is a bit terrifying, Konoe thought, looking at Ayanokoji.

Ayanokoji reluctantly took a bite of his croquette and looked at Konoe.

"Konoe-kun, why aren't you eating?"

"Sigh..." Helplessly, Konoe also started eating. He put a piece of exquisite fish into his mouth.

His eyes lit up. He hadn't expected the chef to be so skilled. This single piece of fish not only brought out the umami of the fish but, combined with the landscape background on the plate, created a unique flavor.

He felt as if he were by a lake at the foot of a snowy mountain, admiring the snowscape. A cool breeze blew gently, yet he didn't feel cold.

"Then I'll get to the point. Can you listen to me for a moment?" Seeing that both of them had started eating, Horikita immediately spoke.

Ayanokoji tried to get up and leave but was pulled back by his sleeve by Horikita.

"Ayanokoji-kun, I'll say it again. Can you listen to me for a moment?"

Ayanokoji no longer dared to run away.

Horikita conveyed her thoughts. Simply put, she wanted to hold a small study session to help the Idiot Trio prepare for the upcoming midterm exam.

This surprised Ayanokoji. It was also consistent with Hirata's actions. Hirata was also planning to hold study sessions to help students with poor grades. However, Sudo and the other two would clearly not go to Hirata.

Horikita's reason was that she wanted to advance to Class A. The prerequisite was to gain points without losing any. This exam's results might be related to bonus points.

"Konoe-kun, is that okay?" Horikita looked at Konoe, but Konoe's mind was no longer in the cafeteria.

He took a sip of soup, as if he were in a hot spring at the foot of a snowy mountain, with a comfortable expression on his face.

"Hey? Are you spacing out?" Even though Horikita raised her voice, Konoe seemed not to hear. It wasn't until Ayanokoji forcefully patted Konoe that Konoe jolted.

"Ah? Ah. What's wrong?"

"You'd better have heard what I just said. So, what's your reply?" Horikita's cold tone came, her eyes fixed on Konoe.

"Of... of course I heard. Yes, okay, no problem, right." Konoe gave four affirmative replies in a row, though he didn't know what he was agreeing to.

Ayanokoji beside him reminded him, "Next, you'll be responsible for tutoring students who fail, excluding the bottom three. By the way, is Kaiseki Ryori that delicious?"

"Ah? What tutoring... I can only say it lives up to its 5000-point price tag."

Ayanokoji was also stunned when he heard the price. He only received 11,000 points this month.

Horikita glared at him angrily. Konoe immediately buried his head, trying to salvage the situation. "I understand. It's the midterm exam, right? Don't worry, I'll make sure they pass."

"I hope you keep your word... And Ayanokoji." Horikita needed Ayanokoji to gather the Idiot Trio so she could hold the study session.

After speaking, she left. Ayanokoji followed closely behind. Seeing the two leave, Konoe could finally savor the unfinished delicious food. He was once again transported to the snowy mountains.

"Ah, what unexpectedly delicious food..." After finishing his meal, Konoe started on his way back to the classroom. He once again marveled at the chef's skill.

"You there, can I bother you for a moment?" A girl's voice called out.

"Ah... Maruko Head Senpai." Konoe turned around and said directly, still seemingly lost in the delicious food he had just enjoyed.

"Wh... What!" The other person looked at him in disbelief.

"Ah! Did I actually say that out loud? I'm sorry, Tachibana Senpai." Konoe immediately bowed and apologized. He hadn't expected the delicious food to make him so careless.

"...Come to the student council after school. This is an order!" The other person said angrily and left without waiting for Konoe's reply.

"...Is this what they call 'extreme joy leads to sorrow'?"

Konoe shook his head and returned to the classroom.

"Konoe, can you chat with me for a bit?" Hirata seemed to have been waiting in the classroom for a long time. As soon as Konoe entered, Hirata stepped forward and said.

"Of course, no problem." Konoe responded, rallying his spirits. He couldn't afford another mistake like the one just now.

"Actually, yesterday we had a mini-class meeting. We decided we need to prepare for the midterm exams to avoid any students failing and facing expulsion. So, we wanted to gather everyone for a study group."

What a guy, Hirata. Always trying to help out his classmates.

"I don't want to see any classmates expelled. Plus, doing well on the midterm exams might even earn us some points. I've already contacted a few students who got good grades to help with exam strategies. Most of the class will be there, especially those who failed the last mini-test. So, I wanted to ask Konoe, the top student, for your assistance."

'Heh heh, this isn't just killing two birds with one stone anymore, it's killing three!' Konoe was so busy grinning foolishly that he forgot to reply to Hirata.

Hirata thought Konoe wanted to refuse, so he continued, "Konoe, we just need you to help explain the problems. Everyone will gather at five after school. You just need to stay for an hour... no, even half an hour is fine. I know you dislike trouble, but we really need your help this time..."

"Of course, no problem! How could an hour be enough? I'll stay for two hours! I won't let any classmates get expelled, leave it to me!"

Hirata hadn't expected such an enthusiastic response from Konoe and replied in surprise, "Uh... uh! That's great! With Konoe's help, the classmates will feel much more at ease! Let's work hard together!"

"No problem! But I was called by the Student Council today. I'll try to get back as early as possible, but it's also possible I won't be able to make it."

Konoe agreed to Hirata's request, completely oblivious to Horikita staring at him from beside his seat.