My Foolish Young Master

If it was just like some delinquent in a manga, asking her to bring him a meal or something...

That seemed like a small thing to her.

Maybe it wasn't something she couldn't accept?

Perhaps she could even make friends and have a normal high school life?

As for having a boyfriend, Yamamura Miki wasn't considering that at all. No matter how you looked at it, Kijima Tsukur seemed like the type who had something wrong with his head...

After hesitating for a long while... Yamamura Miki could only nod and murmur:

"Okay..."

Clatter...

A pile of phones hit the floor.

The entire class was dumbfounded, every boy wearing an astonished expression.

They'd only just met!

And he was asking a girl he didn't know to look after him?

Unbelievably, the girl had actually agreed. More importantly, Yamamura Miki was quite pretty, and she didn't seem like the particularly outgoing type. Instead, she looked rather innocent.

How was this possible...

For a moment, quite a few boys stared wide-eyed in disbelief, wondering if they were still dreaming.

Could there really be such a thing as destiny?

No way, right?

"Then let's go."

Kijima Tsukur didn't pay them any mind.

He turned and headed for the back door, pointing his right index finger at the ceiling. His indifferent voice carried down the aisle:

"Remember the name of your leader—Kijima Tsukur!"

My Foolish Young Master

Class 1-A.

Yamamura Miki stood beside her desk, hesitating over whether she should leave with Kijima Tsukur.

But after waiting for a long time, no one spoke to her, and no one came over to comfort or dissuade her. It was as though they had already forgotten about her.

After hesitating for a while,

she really had been forgotten.

Yamamura Miki picked up her schoolbag and quietly left the classroom, hurrying after him.

After the two had left,

Class A remained silent.

They knew how varied human society could be, but what they'd encountered today had still shattered many of their worldviews...

They'd never imagined

that someone like Kijima Tsukur could exist...

After a long silence, someone finally spoke:

"Um... That was incredible..."

"My god... I never thought there could be someone like that in the world."

"Forget it, let's not talk about him. What do we do now?"

"We're in the same class, after all, and we'll be together for the next three years. We should start by getting to know each other."

Soon,

no one paid any more attention to Kijima Tsukur.

No matter how strange he was, he had nothing to do with them. At most, they'd witnessed the diversity of the human species.

Even if Kijima Tsukur's theory was right and individual performance affected next month's points,

no matter how strange Kijima Tsukur acted,

once that showed up in their points next month, he'd naturally behave himself.

As members of Class A,

most of them followed the principle of "What's it to me, and what's it to you?" As long as it didn't affect them, they couldn't be bothered to care how strange Kijima Tsukur was.

Besides,

having a weirdo in class

could add a little fun to their school life.

Everyone began introducing themselves.

Some people went over to Katsuragi, while quite a few approached Sakayanagi Arisu, seeing that she had trouble walking, and offered to help whenever she needed it.

Of course, there were also a few who left the classroom alone.

There was no doubt, though,

that Kijima Tsukur, who thought of everyone as his subordinates, currently had only Yamamura Miki by his side.

After the introductions came the entrance ceremony.

After a long-winded speech from the school leaders, everyone was dismissed. The afternoon was free time.

Even without Kijima Tsukur and the others' analysis, no one in Class A would be blinded by the enormous amount of points they'd been given.

They all understood the simple truth that there was no such thing as a free lunch.

Some went off in groups of two or three, while others set out alone. The first thing they all chose to do was familiarize themselves with the surroundings.

Meanwhile, at Keyaki Mall,

Kijima Tsukur took Yamamura Miki to a convenience store and picked out two shopping baskets, handing them to her.

"I'm not sure what someone living alone needs. I know things like toothpaste and toothbrushes are definitely necessary, but I might overlook some details. I'm not familiar with the prices, either, so it's better to leave this to professionals like you. Pick out a set just like yours for me."

"Huh!?"

Yamamura Miki stood there, holding a shopping basket in each hand, dumbfounded.

Was she supposed to carry them, too?

Not only did she have to help Kijima Tsukur buy things, she had to carry them for him?

He sure knew how to order people around!

She didn't mind helping pick out a few things, but wasn't this a bit much?

Yamamura Miki wanted to refuse, but didn't have the nerve. In the end, she voiced a timid protest.

"Um... Some things are different for men and women..."

"That's fine. There should be regular versions. Just get me the ordinary ones."

"Okay..."

Yamamura Miki felt like crying. She walked over to the toothpaste shelf, then turned back to Kijima Tsukur with the two shopping baskets in hand and said pitifully:

"I don't have a free hand..."

"Then I'll do it. Which one?"

"Usually, seven or eight hundred yen is fine. Any cheaper and it gets a bit uncomfortable to use. If you like more premium stuff, you can also get the one for 1,500 points."

"I see. The ordinary one is fine. What about you?"

"Me too."

Kijima Tsukur picked out two boxes of toothpaste and tossed them into the shopping baskets in Yamamura Miki's hands. He showed no consideration for a girl at all, and had no qualms about ordering her around.

The two continued browsing the convenience store.

Whenever they came across something they needed, Yamamura Miki would quietly tell him, and Kijima Tsukur would put the items she pointed out into their respective baskets.

When they came across things like cosmetics,

Yamamura Miki would also ask him whether he used face wash and the like.

As they browsed, Yamamura Miki secretly watched Kijima Tsukur like a newlywed wife, complaining inwardly...

This guy was just too much...

As they bought more things, both baskets grew heavier.

They'd only met for the first time today,

and he was already ordering her around like this. He even had a girl carry his things?

This was ridiculous!

But Kijima Tsukur never ignored her...

She'd had so little presence growing up that she'd never had many friends. This was her first time shopping with anyone other than her parents.

The novel experience made Yamamura Miki a little excited.

Of course,

it would've been even better if Kijima Tsukur had helped carry some of the things.

Ah... No, wait... These were Kijima Tsukur's things. He should be carrying them himself. Damn it.

Soon,

the two arrived at a corner of the convenience store.

The price tags said "free," and the display shelves held all kinds of food and household goods. A young man and woman stood beside them, examining the items.

"Huh!? They actually have free stuff..."

Yamamura Miki murmured in surprise, then looked at Kijima Tsukur beside her and said:

"I see lots of free toothpaste, toothbrushes, face wash, and things like that. Didn't you say we might not get a hundred thousand points next month? Should we switch to the free stuff?"

"No need."

Kijima Tsukur glanced at them casually.

"You get what you pay for. These products are probably even worse than the cheapest ones. I'd guess they're just barely usable. Even if we don't get that many points next month, there's no need to make ourselves suffer like this."

"That's true..."

Yamamura Miki nodded. She'd tried them herself.

If ordinary toothpaste was just okay,

cheap toothpaste felt like sand in your mouth. These free products probably only got the job done, and might even make you feel sick when you used them.

Although she already spoke more quietly than most people, those nearby still overheard their conversation.

"Sorry to interrupt."

A girl standing in front of the shelves looked at them, her voice cool.

"What did you mean when you said you might not get a hundred thousand points next month?"

"Um..."

Yamamura Miki was startled. For a moment, she didn't know how to respond, so she hurriedly stepped behind Kijima Tsukur, pushing him to the front.

Kijima Tsukur vaguely recognized the two. They were the pair who'd sat beside him on the bus.

Running into them here was a kind of fate, so they deserved to have their names remembered. Kijima Tsukur said calmly:

"Your names?"

"Fair enough... It was rude of us to ask without introducing ourselves first."