Tit-for-Tat

Totsuka Yahiko, with his round head and grass-green hair, elegantly speared a piece of steak and said, "This isn't a place for trash like you."

Totsuka Yahiko wore a mocking smile as he added, "Trash should stick to eating trashy food. Why don't you go eat some burgers?"

Sudo, a walking powder keg, exploded instantly. He left his seat, grabbed Totsuka Yahiko by the collar, and roared with fury, "Are you looking down on burgers? Or are you looking down on us?"

Katsuragi Kohei, the bald student beside him, set down his steak knife and said, "Yahiko, as a student of Class A, you should have a sense of propriety. Do not provoke others with trivial reasons. Even though we are on break, our class could still have points deducted for our conduct."

Totsuka Yahiko nodded in agreement.

The bald student continued, "You lot from Class D should learn some manners as well. Don't cause trouble for those around you."

Nearby students were whispering to each other.

"Is that red-head Sudo? The one who started that violent incident?"

"Hey, is that black-haired guy with the dead fish eyes Zhuge? I heard he's brutal to his own classmates!"

"Their eyes are so scary. I wonder how many people they've killed."

"Exactly, exactly. Don't make eye contact with Zhuge. I heard he's a lecherous thug; he's groped the breasts of many girls!"

"That's right, girls, keep your heads down and don't look at him. I heard if you make eye contact with him, you'll get pregnant!"

Before Sudo could react, Zhuge Linghao could no longer swallow this insult. He shouted, "Who the hell started these rumors? Damn it, if you're going to spread rumors, why spread such lewd ones about me? Point them out right now! See if I don't beat them to a pulp!"

[I'm seriously done. I've only ever groped Kushida Kikyo's breasts, for crying out loud!]

Watching the furious Zhuge Linghao, Ayanokoji made a mental note: Correction for Zhuge Linghao, point one: he is irrational and easily manipulated by rumors!

Ayanokoji sighed: What a headache. This personality is somewhat similar to Sudo's, and it appears in even more unpredictable situations. It really is quite difficult to correct!

Katsuragi's calm voice rang out, "Do you really want to make the same mistake again?"

Seeing this, Ike patted Sudo on the shoulder and said, "Why don't we just find another restaurant?"

But Zhuge Linghao was as stubborn as an ox; the four of them couldn't budge him.

Zhuge Linghao shook off their hands and said with a righteous expression, "Just because they call us trash, does that make us trash? Have some backbone! Why can't we eat here? Why can't we become people of status in the future?"

The group was moved by Zhuge Linghao's words and returned to their original table to sit down.

[That's right! This place is open to all students for free anyway. Whether you're from Class A or Class D, you have the right to dine here!]

Just then, the waiter arrived, wiping sweat from his brow, and asked, "Gentlemen, may I take your orders?"

Zhuge Linghao picked up the menu and said in standard, fluent British English, "Well, orange juice, two medium boiled eggs, one piece of toast marmalade and lemons tea for me."

Zhuge Linghao closed the menu and continued, "I will have some salad, roast beef, and mashed potatoes."

He wasn't done yet; Zhuge Linghao decided to show off to the end: "I like the egg drop soup, spaghetti meat sauce and shrimp pilaf."

Those nearby were stunned by Zhuge Linghao's fluent English and cast strange looks in his direction.

The waiter, clearly highly professional, noted down the order and turned to look at the other four.

Sudo and the others couldn't quite process what had happened and stared blankly at Zhuge Linghao.

Ike asked cautiously, "Um, could you please order for me as well, Zhuge?"

Yamauchi and Sudo chimed in, "Me too, me too!"

Zhuge Linghao agreed with a nod, acting as their translator and relaying their preferred dishes to the waiter.

Ayanokoji watched Zhuge Linghao bustling about, and his deadpan expression finally showed a slight change.

If you looked closely, you would notice the corners of Ayanokoji's mouth had curled up ever so slightly.

Everyone swept away their previous unhappiness and began to feast!

"Delicious! This is the most delicious meal of my life!"

"Thank you, Zhuge-kun! Thanks to you, we were able to eat such fine food!"

"Well done, Zhuge! You really are a good brother to fight alongside!"

In a high-end spa room, a beautiful woman and a younger girl were enjoying a massage.

Hoshinomiya-sensei let out a moan, "This feels so good!"

Hoshinomiya-sensei looked at Ichinose and asked, "Which individuals from the other classes do you think we need to pay special attention to?"

Ichinose said confidently, "Sakayanagi and Katsuragi from Class A, and Ryuen from Class C."

Hoshinomiya-sensei continued, "And what about Class D?"

Ichinose let out a satisfied hum as well and replied, "It should be Horikita and Hirata, I suppose."

Hoshinomiya-sensei hinted, "There should be others, right?"

Ichinose smoothed her hair and said, "Shall we add Koenji to the list? I heard his academic grades and physical abilities are top-tier!"

Hoshinomiya-sensei nodded, "That Koenji is indeed someone to watch, but there should be two more..."

Ichinose caught her meaning: "You must be talking about Zhuge Linghao and Ayanokoji, right?"

Hoshinomiya-sensei said happily, "Exactly! I feel those two are also formidable opponents."

Ichinose thought for a moment and said, "I don't think the teacher's intuition is very accurate. From what I know, those two are actually just helping Horikita out."

Hoshinomiya sighed and said nothing more.

The cabin was equipped with plenty of single rooms, and Zhuge Linghao appeared in one of them, lying blissfully on the bed after having eaten his fill.

Suddenly, the doorbell rang. Zhuge Linghao got up to open the door, and to his surprise, it was Hirata Yosuke.

To be honest, Zhuge Linghao had rarely interacted with him alone, mainly because he was such a popular figure, always surrounded by layers of people, making it difficult to get a word in privately.

Now that Hirata Yosuke had taken the initiative to find Zhuge Linghao, it left him feeling flattered!

[Is this the class leader and all-around good guy coming to check on a problem student?]

Hirata Yosuke said gently, "Zhuge-kun, sorry to bother you. I'm meeting up with Karuizawa Kei and the others in a bit; would you like to come along?"

Zhuge Linghao asked, "Hirata-kun, you and Karuizawa Kei are dating, right?"

Hirata Yosuke hesitated for a few seconds before saying, "Y-yes, that's right!"

Zhuge Linghao immediately made a look of disgust: "You two are in a relationship! So why would I go? To be a third wheel?"

Hirata Yosuke hurriedly explained, "It's not like that. It's not just Karuizawa Kei; other girls will be there too!"

Zhuge Linghao felt even more annoyed, [What the hell, are you the main attraction? And I'm supposed to be your sidekick? Your background decoration?]

Zhuge Linghao shook his head and refused: "Not going."

Hirata Yosuke tried to persuade him: "I think this is a great opportunity for everyone to get along!"

Seeing that Zhuge Linghao remained unmoved, he revealed his true purpose: "Zhuge-kun, I heard that Horikita was the one who resolved that violent incident for you, right? Could you help me bridge the gap with her? I've tried approaching her alone, but she barely acknowledges me."

Hirata Yosuke argued righteously: "For the sake of the class's future unity and progress, I believe Horikita's strength is indispensable!"

Seeing that Hirata Yosuke had no malicious intent, Zhuge Linghao agreed to his request.

Shortly after, Hirata Yosuke's phone rang, and he hurriedly said goodbye to go find Karuizawa Kei and the group of girls.

Zhuge Linghao stared at Hirata Yosuke's retreating back and said slowly, "A-Tian, it's almost time to see your performance. Can you handle this version of things?"