Unexpected Visitor

"As expected, you really have to reward yourself properly after a workout to make it worth it!"

Five thousand points flowed from Kōenji's pocket into Shintō's, and subsequently flowed toward the Cloud Cafe.

Being able to eat his favorite desserts whenever he wanted—even the great Yorozuya would find himself humming with delight, wouldn't he?

"My little darlings, the old man is here to pamper you now~"

Looking at the prizes on the table, Shintō felt like Dong Zhuo after entering the capital, unsure of which one to start with. Just as he finally selected the caramel pudding as an appetizer, an uninvited guest rang the dormitory doorbell.

"Ding-dong~"

"Well, I must be overworked, so I'm having auditory hallucinations. It's an illusion, just an illusion..."

"Ding-dong."

"I must be too tired!"

Shintō raised his voice, hoping the uninvited guest outside would hear him and leave quickly. Right now, nothing was more important than enjoying the bouncy, sweet texture of his pudding!!

"Ding-dong! Ding-dong!"

Whether the person outside didn't hear him or simply didn't want to leave, they kept pressing the doorbell, their technique growing increasingly aggressive.

"Tsk... you had better have a real reason for this."

A reluctant Shintō slowly got up and opened the dormitory door. What met his eyes was a face both familiar and strange.

The girl had what could be called the cutest face in all of Class D, with honey-colored hair tied into a high ponytail at the back of her head. Perhaps to show off her personality, she had deliberately taken off her top and tied it around her waist.

She was the spitting image of a stereotypical gyaru.

"Uh... Karuizawa-san?"

Countless possibilities had flashed through Shintō's mind, but he had never once considered this person.

After all, although the two had greeted each other and spoken before, that was the extent of it.

"Um... Shintō-kun, could I have a word with you?"

The girl looked very reserved and nervous. It seemed she really had something important to discuss, so Shintō agreed to her request without a second thought.

"If you don't mind, please come in."

After receiving permission, Karuizawa let out a long sigh of relief and pulled the dormitory door shut behind her.

"Sorry, I don't have any clean slippers here, so you'll have to make do with these."

"Ah, it's fine! Really, it's fine."

It seemed she was truly nervous; her speech was already becoming incoherent.

Shintō thoughtfully poured her a glass of water: "Please, sit."

Karuizawa thanked him after taking it, then caught sight of the various snacks and cakes on the table and gasped in amazement:

"Wow! Shintō-kun really does love desserts."

"Because they're delicious. Don't laugh at me, but every time I go to a new place, I always taste the local customs and flavors first. Slowly, eating desserts went from a hobby to a habit."

"Eh? That sounds pretty nice."

The two chatted aimlessly. Perhaps because Shintō's approachability was quite high, Karuizawa's guard gradually relaxed, to the point where she could even crack a few small jokes with him.

"Hahaha, so, Karuizawa-san, what brings you here today?"

Hearing Shintō's question, Karuizawa's body stiffened for a moment before she picked up her water glass, her fingers tracing the rim incessantly:

"I... I actually wanted to... ask you a question."

"Oh? Go ahead, I'll tell you everything I know."

(As long as it's something I can tell you, I'll tell you everything.)

Karuizawa took a long, deep breath:

"During swimming class, I saw that you seemed to have some very heavy scars on your chest... so..."

Shintō Katsuya narrowed his eyes imperceptibly. Since the two of them weren't particularly close, why would she come over alone to ask such a question?

Even if it were out of curiosity or concern, she could have asked during swimming class or tomorrow in the classroom...

Something was wrong. It was nine parts out of ten suspicious...

"Ah... you mean that..."

Shintō hadn't yet figured out how to answer her. Although he could use the same excuse he gave Ayanokōji—saying he was scalded by a wok—but...

However, from Karuizawa's perspective, Shintō's vague response held a different meaning. To her, this must be a painful memory he didn't want to bring up!

Therefore, she tentatively probed with a joke:

"I'm not really one to meddle in other people's business... I was just a little curious. But then I saw how you looked during the swimming race with Kōenji, and I realized I might have been overthinking it. After all, Shintō-kun is so strong, you don't look like someone who has ever been bullied, hahahaha... Sorry, I said something weird..."

Having said that, Karuizawa laughed awkwardly, though her laugh was awkward in itself...

However, Shintō had picked up a keyword from her words, so he pretended to pour himself a glass of water, took a few sips, and said:

"This... Karuizawa-san... are you suspecting that I was bullied by others in the past?"

"Ah, no, no, no, I... I meant... it's just..."

"Well, you really have a sharp eye. To be precise, that is indeed the case."

There was nothing wrong with what Shinjo said; he had indeed been bullied. It just wasn't the kind of bullying that occurred on a school-yard level, that was all...

Upon hearing this, Karuizawa's brows twitched violently, and the smile on her face gradually froze.

As expected... is that the situation?

"Then... when did this happen?"

"Well... I think it was two years ago. After all, I don't really want to look back on that part of my past."

Having said that, Shinjo picked up his water glass again, stealing a glance at the changes in Karuizawa's expression.

He saw a hint of unnaturalness appear in her look; if he had to describe it, it would be three parts fear, one part resentment, and six parts blankness.

"You... can a guy as capable as you also be bullied by others?"

"Being bullied has nothing to do with whether one is capable or not, or whether one is a boy or a girl. Or rather, whether a person is strong or weak has nothing to do with their gender or physique."

"Why?"

"Because I have always believed that the strength of the strong always comes from within, not from the outside."

"So, that is why you..."

Karuizawa looked thoughtful, as if she wanted to say something more, but she was interrupted by Shinjo:

"However, your eye for detail is truly impressive. Ayanokōji and the others actually believed that I was scalded by hot oil. To think you could tell that I had been bullied... Karuizawa-san, you seem to be... quite experienced in this area, aren't you?"