Rascal Does Not Dream of a Busty Glasses Girl

The entrance ceremony was held in the gymnasium as scheduled, no different from those at any ordinary school. For Natsukawa, the only entertainment during the entire ceremony was the inexplicable expression on Horikita's face when the student council president took the stage to speak. He and Ayanokoji Kiyotaka stood at the back of the Class D formation; one was lost in thought, contemplating his next plan, while the other remained expressionless, as if everything around him had nothing to do with him.

After the ceremony concluded, the crowd poured out of the gymnasium one after another. Natsukawa glanced at the clock by the roadside; it was approaching 12 o'clock.

"What's next?"

"It's noon, so naturally, we're going to the cafeteria to eat. I wonder how the food tastes."

The two followed the flow of people into the student cafeteria. The cafeteria was spacious and bright, divided into several sections just like a university canteen. Each area featured signature dishes, ranging from exquisite Japanese-style set meals to calorie-packed burgers and fries. Prices varied from a few hundred to over a thousand points, which seemed like good value for money—at least for students holding a "fortune" of 100,000 points.

"Natsukawa, your health doesn't seem very good," Ayanokoji said, sizing up Natsukawa's frail physique before glancing at the cafeteria windows. He offered a suggestion, "You might want to consider ordering some nutritious set meals, like that Wagyu set or the pork cutlet bowl." He pointed to several sets priced between 700 and 1,200 points.

"Then I'll take Ayanokoji's advice and order a beef set meal to try. Since it's for the sake of recovering my health, I guess I can't help but splurge (haha)."

After finishing their lunch in the cafeteria, the two went to the on-campus supermarket to purchase daily necessities. The supermarket was quite large, with a dazzling array of goods ranging from snacks and drinks to stationery and daily supplies.

As soon as he entered the supermarket, Natsukawa's gaze scanned like a radar, quickly locking onto an area clearly marked with a sign that read: "Free, limited to three times per month." Without hesitation, he turned his footsteps toward that section.

After all, who could resist the temptation of getting something for free?

The variety of goods in the free section was limited, consisting mainly of daily essentials: unscented basic shampoo, toothbrushes, toothpaste, and basic towels. Natsukawa carefully selected a few items, eventually picking up a bottle of shampoo, body wash, and a towel. Although they looked simple, they were enough to meet his most basic needs.

Afterward, Natsukawa went to the low-price section to stock up on other necessities like a toothbrush, toothpaste, and a rinsing cup, carefully comparing the points for every item he picked up. When he checked out, the whole pile of goods cost him only a few hundred points, making him a model of frugality.

"Why not buy something better? You have plenty of points, don't you?"

"There's no need. These things are good enough."

Having finished purchasing his daily necessities, Natsukawa finally arrived at his ultimate destination for this trip—the electronics store. He needed a computer to earn his first pot of gold.

The on-campus electronics store was also well-equipped, with various brands of computers, headphones, and other electronic products on display. As soon as he entered, Natsukawa noticed a bit of a commotion near the counter.

A girl with red hair tied into twin tails and wearing thick glasses stood timidly by the counter, being pestered by an overly enthusiastic clerk. The girl kept her head down, her eyes darting away, her hands clutching the strap of her bag tightly. Her body shrank back slightly, as if she wanted to hide herself. Facing the clerk's rapid-fire sales pitch—"This camera is perfect for girls," "There's a discount if you buy it now," "How about we exchange contact info so I can message you about future promotions?"—she only let out faint, barely audible sounds of "Um..." and "Well...", her face turning bright red as if she were on the verge of tears.

It was Sakura Airi. Natsukawa recognized her immediately; there was no way not to, as her most prominent feature was far too obvious. Although she looked like a plain, shy girl on the outside, her hidden identity was actually that of a vibrant blog idol.

"Should we go help?" Ayanokoji turned to ask Natsukawa.

"Yeah." Natsukawa nodded, pulling Ayanokoji along as he walked toward the counter.

Approaching the clerk, Natsukawa put on a harmless smile: "Excuse me, clerk, could you help my friend here by introducing which computer models you have? My friend is a total beginner and doesn't really know what price range to look for." He cleverly shifted the object of the "introduction" from Sakura to himself and Ayanokoji.

"Tch, computers are all about the same. Just buy whatever fits your budget."

A look of obvious dissatisfaction appeared on the clerk's face.

"What, are you giving us different treatment? Do you want me to file a complaint with your manager?"

Hearing this, the clerk stared at Sakura with wide eyes, as if trying to burn her image into his memory. Only then did he reluctantly turn to face us.

I gave Ayanokoji a look, and upon receiving it, he led the clerk toward the computer section with an expressionless face.

As the clerk walked away, Sakura was visibly relieved.

"Hey, what a coincidence. To run into you here."

Sakura's mood, which had just settled after the clerk's departure, immediately tightened up again.

"Don't be nervous, I'm your classmate. My name is Natsukawa Sosuke, and we're both in Class 1-D. I sit diagonally across from you."

Sakura Airi let out that held breath. She quickly looked up, stealing a glance at Natsukawa with those large eyes hidden behind her lenses, her expression a mix of gratitude, shyness, and bewilderment. Her lips moved as if she wanted to say thank you, but in the end, no sound came out. She simply clutched her bag and, like a startled rabbit, quickly and silently slipped to the other end of the counter, pretending to look at other products, though the tips of her ears remained bright red.

Natsukawa didn't deliberately try to strike up more conversation; he knew that for someone with Sakura's personality, excessive attention would only be a source of pressure. So, he turned and headed toward the computer section where Ayanokoji was.

When he found Ayanokoji, the clerk was reluctantly explaining the differences between the various price points of the computers. Ayanokoji was listening with a blank expression. Natsukawa's goal was clear; he chose a laptop with enough performance to support his programming, priced at around 40,000 points. It wasn't that he was unwilling to buy the best one, but it wasn't necessary. After all, in a month, there would be 90%-new computers waiting for him to collect.

Natsukawa carried the laptop to the clerk to pay. After settling the bill, he scanned the store and saw that Sakura had disappeared, no longer being pestered by the clerk. He called Ayanokoji to leave together.

"Where to next?"

"Let's head back to the dorms. It's inconvenient to move around with all this stuff, and it's a good time to check out the living environment."

As Natsukawa and Ayanokoji left the electronics store and looked for the route back to the dorms, not far behind him, a red-haired girl with twin tails was quietly watching Natsukawa. Only after he disappeared around the corner did she silently turn and walk away.