At those words,
before Yamamura Miki could respond, everyone nearby, men and women alike, stared over in disbelief.
Bro.
You're way too full of yourself.
Some adult women might like a puppyish guy like that, but this was still high school. No matter how handsome he was, what high school girl would willingly let someone toy with her?
He was dreaming!
The moment he said that, he'd lost all hope of getting a girlfriend at school.
Quite a few people around them rolled their eyes, thinking he was an unbelievably delusional idiot.
But, taking a closer look,
the girl across from him was quite pretty, aside from seeming a little down on her luck and lacking confidence. How had she ended up sitting with a guy like that?
Unaware of the reaction around her, Yamamura Miki let out a sigh of relief. Then she came to her senses and silently grumbled to herself.
Ah~ I'm such an idiot. How could I believe this guy so easily? But... thinking about it carefully... it seems... there's nothing wrong with it...
Kijima Tsukur had already gone this far. Surely he wouldn't lie about something like this, or he wouldn't have openly talked about toying with girls.
Thinking about it that way, she actually felt she could trust Kijima Tsukur.
With that in mind,
Yamamura Miki finally breathed a sigh of relief.
As long as Kijima Tsukur didn't force her, there wasn't much to be afraid of. As for willingly letting him toy with her, how could that happen?
But she didn't really mind bringing a friend lunch or anything like that.
The main thing was that she'd also have to cook for this guy in the evening. That was a little troubling, but she just didn't know how to refuse.
Yamamura Miki took small bites of her lunch and chatted with him like a friend. Something had been on her mind, so she asked:
"By the way, Kijima, can I ask you something?"
"Ask away."
"I noticed you didn't seem to know how to use the ticket machine. Have you never used one before?"
"I haven't."
Kijima Tsukur explained, "I've only used vending machines that sell drinks. Someone else takes care of everything else in my daily life."
"Really?"
Yamamura Miki sucked on her chopsticks and tilted her head, puzzled.
"Then what do you do at school? Or do you bring a packed lunch every day?"
After all, if he'd never even used a ticket machine, he should have been unable to manage on his own. Unless he had servants looking after him at school, too?
Kijima Tsukur had already finished eating. He opened a can of Coke and took a sip before answering:
"Not that. I've never been to school."
"Huh!?"
Yamamura Miki was stunned. "How's that possible? Education was compulsory through middle school. How could you have never gone to school, Kijima?"
"It's true."
Kijima Tsukur leaned back in his chair, not particularly concerned.
"I've had private tutors since I was little. I guess it makes sense that I've never gone to school, right?"
"But... how did you enroll, then? What about your school records?"
Yamamura Miki furrowed her delicate brows. This was beyond anything she could understand. She'd thought you couldn't survive without school records, and surely the government wouldn't allow that.
"Don't know."
Kijima Tsukur glanced out the window at the clear blue sky and answered frankly:
"But I can guess, more or less. He probably gave the chairman a reason he couldn't refuse."
"Huh?"
Yamamura Miki tilted her head and furrowed her brows, genuinely confused.
Judging by Kijima Tsukur's circumstances, it wasn't hard to guess that he was well off.
Going by the plots of TV dramas,
was he some super-elite from a powerful family, or a genius raised by a secret organization?
But somehow, neither seemed to fit. Kijima Tsukur didn't seem to be lying.
Whether in class or now, Kijima Tsukur answered every question without hiding a thing.
He was practically a rich landowner's clueless son!
How was he anything like a super-elite?
The students in their class certainly had impressive abilities, but not so much that they seemed unreachable. No matter how she looked at it, none of them seemed like super-elites.
[Starting at five o'clock this afternoon, the club information session will be held in the First Gymnasium. Students interested in joining a club, please gather in the First Gymnasium. I repeat...]
Just then,
a sweet girl's voice came over the school broadcast, drawing the attention of the students in the cafeteria. Yamamura Miki was curious, too.
"Kijima, is there a club you want to join?"
"A club?"
Kijima Tsukur rested his chin on his hand. "What was that announcement about?"
"Maybe... the Student Council?"
Yamamura Miki didn't seem entirely sure, either. "At ordinary schools, the Student Council usually holds the club information session. I'm not sure about this school."
The Student Council?
Kijima Tsukur remembered.
On the organizational chart in the school's enrollment guide, the Student Council ranked alongside the teachers.
"Yamamura, what usually happens at a club information session?"
"Hm?"
This seemed to be the first time Kijima Tsukur had called her by her name. For some reason, Yamamura Miki felt a little nervous as she explained:
"Um... they introduce the various clubs to the new students, like the Basketball Club and the soccer club, so the new students can choose the ones they like."
"What about the Student Council? Is that a club, too?"
"Uh... I don't think so?"
Yamamura Miki had never joined the Student Council, so she wasn't sure how the distinction worked. But she could more or less tell what Kijima Tsukur wanted to know.
"Still, the Student Council usually recruits new members, too. The Student Council president is generally elected by the whole school. If you want to join, Kijima, you could go take a look."
"I see... Yamamura, come with me to the Student Council after school."
Kijima Tsukur stood up and finished off his Coke. He set the empty can on the table. "Take your time eating. I'm heading out."
Before long,
Kijima Tsukur had disappeared into the crowd.
Yamamura Miki glanced at the empty plate across from her, then at her own lunch, which was still half-finished. Her fingers tightened around her chopsticks until they turned pale.
She was about to explode!
What was wrong with him?!
He made her cook, bring lunch, and serve it to him.
And he couldn't even wait for her to finish eating?
Yamamura Miki picked up a piece of pork cutlet and bit down hard with her rosy lips, as if she wished she could sink her teeth into Kijima Tsukur himself.
What kind of person was he?
He wasn't gentlemanly or considerate at all, let alone the sort to cherish a girl.
And now he wanted her to go with him to the Student Council?
Dream on.
This afternoon, she was going to reject him outright!
She'd make Kijima Tsukur go to the Student Council alone and experience what it felt like to be abandoned. Only then would he understand how kind and gentle she was!
How dare he look down on her?
She'd make Kijima Tsukur kneel before her and repent!
"Hmph."
Yamamura Miki felt rather proud. Just imagining it made her a little excited.
Leaving the cafeteria,
Kijima Tsukur wandered around the school, taking the opportunity to observe his surroundings.
He spotted quite a few surveillance cameras along the way. The school was no different from the outside world, so there were bound to be plenty of blind spots.
Clearly, just as he'd told Yamamura Miki,
the school only banned bullying in name. In reality, it didn't truly prohibit it, and even seemed to turn a blind eye to violence.
Some things weighed next to nothing until you put them on the scales—then they could weigh a thousand pounds.
As long as no one found out, there'd be no punishment.
For now, the school seemed like a miniature society.
Just then, Kijima Tsukur caught the scent of flowers. Before he knew it, he'd arrived at Central Garden, where a girl lying facedown on a bench caught his attention.
Morishita Ai!
Her black tights were on full display, showing off her alluring figure without the slightest concern. She was sprawled on the bench, looking miserable.
Kijima Tsukur went behind her and crouched down, carefully studying the territory beneath Morishita Ai's skirt. He reached out, wanting to lift the hem.
Morishita Ai, still lying on the bench, glanced back at the man trying to lift her skirt.
"What are you doing?"
"I'm curious if you're wearing safety shorts."
"You're going to lift a girl's skirt just because you're curious about that?"
"What's the problem?"
Kijima Tsukur looked completely matter-of-fact. He really was curious whether Morishita Ai was wearing safety shorts. Wasn't she worried that someone might see, lying on the bench like that?
"That's sexual harassment, you know."
Morishita Ai stayed sprawled on the bench, looking back at Kijima Tsukur, who was crouching behind her and eyeing her skirt. Her voice was weak and listless.
"Aren't you worried I'll call the police?"
"It's fine. I'm confident I'm handsome, and the world is very forgiving of handsome guys."
Kijima Tsukur crouched on the ground, his face impassive.
"Besides, I'm not hiding what I'm doing. If she wants to refuse, she can stop me at any time. Of course, I wouldn't force her."
"I see. I'm wearing them."
Morishita Ai revealed her secret without the slightest concern.
She was wearing safety shorts!
Before you continue