Brunch Cake

The next day.

Today was the first day of formal classes. Perhaps because they were still riding the high of yesterday's fun, many students didn't even bother to take their seats until the bell rang.

However, neither the homeroom teacher, Chabashira Sae, nor any of the subject teachers scolded a single student for being late or slacking off.

Even more absurdly, they didn't even ask where the absent students had gone. It was as if, in their eyes, the classes weren't meant for the students at all.

The teachers' indifference only fueled the students' desire to ignore the lessons. As a result, they chatted, slept, and some even pulled out game consoles to play right in front of the teachers.

It was hard to imagine that the educational environment of the legendary Advanced Nurturing High School would look like this.

"This is truly an unprovoked disaster."

Shintō Katsuya muttered to himself.

Based on his investigation and analysis from yesterday, although it hadn't been confirmed yet, he had roughly concluded that next month's personal points would likely be tied to the students' daily performance—their so-called ability.

While he didn't know if others' behavior would affect him, he certainly had to prepare for the worst.

Soon, the day's classes came to an end.

Just as Shintō Katsuya was planning to fulfill his goal for enrolling, a girl blocked his path.

"Shintō-kun, are you good at your studies?"

"Ah, it's Kushida-san. How could you tell that I'm good at studying?"

The person who had approached him was none other than Kushida Kikyo, and Shintō Katsuya had a deep impression of her.

Hearing him say her name, Kushida Kikyo instantly put on a happy, sweet smile, which made her already cute face look even more captivating.

"Shintō-kun remembers me! I'm so happy!"

At the same time, most of the people in the classroom stopped what they were doing and turned to look in the direction of Kushida Kikyo and Shintō Katsuya.

Of course, Shintō didn't think he was the one attracting all that attention.

In other words, in just one day, this Kushida Kikyo had already become a core figure in the class?

That's truly impressive...

"After all, a girl as cute and gentle as you is always going to leave a lasting impression."

"Hahaha, you're too kind, Shintō-kun. Actually, I noticed today that you were listening to the lectures very seriously, so I was wondering if you were good at your studies."

So you weren't listening to the lecture at all, were you?! Otherwise, why would you have the energy to pay attention to a student sitting in the back row?

After all that, you're also one of the main culprits behind my shrinking living expenses... Though, naturally, I can't say that to her face.

"Actually, it's quite the opposite. My grades aren't excellent; at best, they're just passing. Because I don't understand the material, I hope to work harder!"

As he said this, Shintō even put on an expression of looking forward to the future.

I don't know if some keyword triggered a switch in Kushida Kikyo, but her smile widened, and she raised her little fist and waved it twice:

"So Shintō-kun is such a hardworking boy! I think you'll definitely get better grades. If you have time, could you invite me to a study session?"

"Of course, no problem!"

"It's a promise then~ Anyone who breaks their word has to swallow a thousand needles~"

With that, Kushida Kikyo laughed and ran off.

Although it was a bit inexplicable, doing something like this seemed to fit her persona of someone who liked making friends, so Shintō Katsuya didn't think too much about it.

Just then, two boys with their arms around each other's shoulders patted him on the back and said in a sleazy tone:

"Hey, little Kushida is cute, isn't she?"

The arrivals were the league-retiree and the girlfriend-seeker, Yamauchi Haruki and Ike Kanji.

"Indeed."

Although these two had managed to make most of their classmates avoid them after just one day due to their off-putting behavior, Shintō still gave them the bare minimum of respect.

Besides, Kushida Kikyo was indeed a cute girl.

"I told you! There's no one in this world who could say 'no' to little Kushida!"

"She's cute, has a gentle personality, and most importantly... her figure is also incredibly hot~"

The two chatted back and forth with lewd jokes, not bothering to control their volume. This caused the girls nearby to frown deeply, and they quickly grabbed their bags and fled the classroom.

Shintō Katsuya tilted his head. He didn't want to have too much contact with these two idiots either, otherwise, it would definitely have a negative impact on his reputation.

Moreover, he really didn't have the time to listen to their boring jokes today, so while the Idiot Duo was still distracted, he quietly slipped away.

Because he had already planned his outing, Shintō didn't stop once he stepped out of the school building, heading straight for his destination—the largest dessert shop, Cloud!

I don't know when it started, but Shintō Katsuya, who often had to work overtime and go on business trips, had developed a habit of eating sweets!

What's more, when he bought his headphones yesterday, he received a flyer from the dessert shop stating that the "Brunch Cake," which was only sold one day a month, was about to hit the shelves. If you like sweets, don't miss out~!

Although Shintō told himself countless times that this was just a gimmick!

This was likely just hunger marketing—deliberately making it seem rare to stimulate the consumers' desire to get a good deal.

If it were truly that delicious, wouldn't the shop have it on the shelves every single day?

But... what if?

You can only get scammed once, but if you miss this chance, you might have to wait another month!

However, reality is often cruel.

"I'm sorry, the last Brunch Cake was just sold to that student over there. If you want to eat it, remember to come back on this day next month."

The shop assistant's apologetic tone sounded so grating; no matter how noisy the surroundings were, and no matter how the shop assistant called out to him, at this moment, all Shinjo could hear were the words "sold out."

"Sold... out... hehehe..."

"Um... if you really want to eat it no matter what... that gentleman is currently inside drinking coffee, so you... do you want to try..."

Seeing the light fade from Shinjo's eyes, the shop assistant couldn't bear it, and while complaining internally, she pointed him toward his final hope.

"Really? Thank you!"

Instantly revived, Shinjo followed her finger to the innermost private room, where a yellow-haired boy was sitting with his legs crossed, lounging on the sofa and whistling at him.