Ryuen Shoko patted Hoya firmly on the back. Then she took her food and left the table, leaving Hoya alone.
A greedy subordinate, huh? I'll have to keep a close eye on him from now on. People like that are so easy to buy off.
Ryuen Shoko's expression grew increasingly fierce as she carried her meal away, but Hoya knew nothing about it.
Chapter 10: The King Needs You, and So Do I
"Phew, I survived."
At any rate, Hoya had escaped Ryuen Shoko. He couldn't help patting his chest.
That had been dangerous. Ryuen Shoko really was terrifying.
As for what she'd said earlier? Hoya hadn't taken it to heart.
It was just PUA, wasn't it? He'd seen plenty of it. He'd encountered it countless times back in college, so even though he'd been scared earlier, now that it was over, he didn't need to stay scared.
He refused to believe he could lose to this little girl.
Well, maybe he'd still chicken out the next time he saw her.
As he thought this over, Hoya wandered around aimlessly.
There was no such thing as evening study at this high school, so he honestly had no idea what to do after classes.
Hmm... Should he borrow a few books from the library? Then go buy some things?
Yeah, that would do.
Besides, he might run into the person he wanted to see at the library—Shiina Hiyori.
Shiina Hiyori was no simple girl. She looked like a well-behaved young lady, but if she'd ended up in Class C instead of the well-behaved students' Class B, she must have had some special qualities of her own.
What those qualities might be... Hoya didn't know, but he wanted to find out more about her.
He didn't know Shiina Hiyori's stats. If he had, he might have understood why this well-behaved girl had ended up in Class C.
Academic ability A, intelligence A-, judgment E, physical ability E, teamwork D. The school's assessment was: "A bookworm who can only study. Poor at both teamwork and physical activities, and lacking the ability to make independent decisions. Unsuitable for becoming a member of society's elite."
But was her judgment really that awful? Hoya didn't know, so he planned to get to know this student better.
He'd also taken that test, and how should he put it... It was extremely one-sided.
After all, Ryuen Kakeru had gotten a B in intelligence, just like he had in physical ability. That showed just how one-sided the test was.
After all, in the fanfiction, his intelligence hadn't stood out all that much, but his physical ability had been pretty good thanks to his physique.
His intelligence was only about average. He might have been a little smarter than the average person, but his physical ability was definitely above average.
"Phew... As expected, you find what you weren't looking for, and what you look for eludes you."
After searching the library for a long time, Hoya still hadn't found Shiina Hiyori. He'd only planned to grab a meal and run into the leader of the girls in Class B. How had he failed to find her in the library?
Oh, now that Ryuen Kakeru had become Ryuen Shoko, Shiina Hiyori probably wasn't the leader of the girls anymore, was she?
Never mind. Looking for Shiina Hiyori had just been a side errand. He'd mainly come to find a book.
What should he read...
As he pondered this, his gaze fell on a book he'd read in high school: A Brief History of Time.
How nostalgic it was to be back in high school on Earth. Life had been more exhausting than a dog's back then, but he really did miss it.
He hadn't needed to think about so many things. Every day had been nothing but studying. When he didn't feel like paying attention in class, he'd secretly slack off—for example, by reading A Brief History of Time during physics class.
He'd understood less and less as he went on, but he really had enjoyed reading it. Now that he'd spotted it again, he couldn't help taking it off the shelf.
He was in high school again. Maybe... he could read it one more time.
He read the Four Great Classical Novels too, but finding them in Japan was no easy task. He'd rather read this book than go searching for them.
Who knew what kind of mess foreigners would make of the Four Great Classical Novels in translation? They'd even translated Water Margin as The Story of 105 Men and Three Women. He didn't even want to imagine what the Japanese translation might be like.
"Do you... like reading, too?"
Damn, he really had found what he wasn't looking for.
Hoya turned around with a deadpan expression to look at Shiina Hiyori, who had asked him the question with a curious look.
Where had you gone, young lady? I'd just looked for you twice, and you show up while I'm grabbing a book?
"How did you figure out that I like reading?"
"Hehe. You're holding A Brief History of Time. Usually, students who don't like reading would steer clear of this book, wouldn't they?"
No, maybe you were wrong. Students who didn't like reading might only dislike textbooks. They could still get pretty absorbed in web novels, couldn't they?
Never mind. He couldn't be bothered to explain it to her.
"Maybe I just like physics?"
"That still means you like reading. Math, physics, and chemistry are all connected. If you like reading physics books, that means you read other books too. And if you want to understand them, your language skills must be good as well. So my theory that you like reading is correct."
Ah... Right, right. You're absolutely right.
Didn't he know whether he liked reading?
Hoya didn't say much more. He'd just let her think she'd gotten it right. "There's no prize for a correct answer."
"Then how about you give me a prize?"
"A prize? What do you want?"
"Tell me... why you were looking for me earlier. How about that?"
Shiina Hiyori's words made Hoya's eyes widen slightly. "How did you know...?"
"You've walked around the library twice. I don't believe you were looking for a book. And when I called out to you just now, your expression clearly said, 'I'd given up, so why did my target show up now?' You were obviously looking for me."
Looking at Shiina Hiyori's smile, Hoya couldn't help sighing.
He finally understood what kind of intelligence this young lady had. She really was a woman who surpassed Ryuen.
"Fine, but are you sure you want to talk here?"
"Hmm... Then let's go talk over there."
Shiina Hiyori pointed to the side, signaling for Hoya to follow her.
The place she pointed to was a balcony. There were no books there, and no one else was around, so it was indeed suitable for a private conversation.
The two of them went out to the balcony. Shiina Hiyori felt the breeze brush across her face and narrowed her eyes slightly, looking as if she were enjoying it. "So, Hoya, why did you come looking for me?"
"...What do you think about Ryuen in our class?"
"Oh? I thought you'd keep calling her the King."
"I only did that to make her like me."
"Ohhh~ So Hoya is a playboy."
Watching Shiina Hiyori cover her face as she giggled, Hoya's mouth twitched.
How had he never noticed she was so... mischievous?
Wasn't she supposed to be a good girl?
So good girls were all secretly wicked, huh?
"All right, I'll stop teasing you."
Shiina Hiyori turned her gaze back to the distance and sighed softly. "You can fight among yourselves if you want, but why come to me?"
"The King needs you. And so do I."
Chapter 11: Kamuro, Why Are You Stealing Again?!
"Huh? Why would such a misleading line come out of Hoya's mouth? I thought you only had eyes for Ryuen."
"Who has eyes for her...? Wait, why was what I said misleading?"
Hoya patted his chest. "I'm being serious. I think she needs an external brain to stop her from doing whatever she wants."
"Then wouldn't Hoya alone be enough? Why say you need me too?"
Shiina turned around and looked at Hoya. Her expression was strange, and Hoya didn't know how to describe it.
Like... a doll that would shatter if touched?
"Because... I'm not omnipotent. What's Shiina's intelligence rating?"
"A-."
"I'm only a C."
"Huh? Just a C? But you did so well this afternoon."
Shiina Hiyori's mouth fell slightly open. She couldn't understand why Hoya's rating was only a C.
By rights, he should have been an A, or at least an A-.
But Hoya knew his own situation best. He simply knew more than other people. As for being especially smart... he wasn't.
He was just an ordinary person, no match for those other geniuses.
"It was just a coincidence. I did well this time, but what about next time? Or the time after that? I know my own abilities, so I need someone to help me—someone who can at least question me when I make the wrong choice."
"But... I don't like you all fighting."
"No, not within the class. Outside it."
"Outside?"
"You probably don't know about S-Points."
It was her first day, so Shiina Hiyori naturally knew nothing about S-Points. Hoya explained how S-Points worked and how the classes would have to compete.
"But... No, I don't think I'm suited to this."
"But if we fail, Class C will face an even greater disaster."
Hoya clasped his hands together and bowed as he pleaded with Shiina Hiyori. "Please, Shiina. I'm not asking you to come up with plans. But at the very least, if Ryuen and I are doing something wrong, I really hope you'll stand up and cast a vote against it."
"So you need me?"
"Yes. How can people caught up in the situation see the truth as clearly as someone on the outside? You've always been an outsider, so you're the one most likely to see things as they really are. We need you. We really do."
Hoya needed Shiina Hiyori—he needed her brain, just as he needed Ryuen Shoko's strength.
Shiina Hiyori's brain and Ryuen Shoko's physical prowess would be Class C's strongest spear and shield. Neither could be missing.
In those fanfictions, the two of them had never worked together, which was why Class C's fortunes had fluctuated so much. Now that Hoya had joined Class C, he naturally didn't want to watch it get pushed around. He wasn't expecting to become Class A, but they couldn't end up in Class D either.
Hoya's words made Shiina Hiyori nod. She could already feel the weight of the responsibility on her shoulders.
She really did hate conflict, but if she didn't have to fight and could instead stop a battle they were certain to lose, she was willing to help.
"Then wait here a moment, Hoya."
As she spoke, Shiina Hiyori ran back to where she'd been reading and rummaged through her schoolbag.
Looking at the place where Shiina Hiyori had been curled up, Hoya finally understood why he hadn't been able to find her.
He'd been searching near the seats the whole time. He hadn't known that she liked reading so much she'd been sitting right under the bookshelves. Naturally, he hadn't found her when he hadn't thought to look there.
"All right, you can borrow this book."
"What book is this?"
Hoya looked at the book in his hands. It was called Arrow of Time, and its author was Koveni.
"I don't know if you like mystery novels, but this is the only physics book I've read. You can borrow it for now. If you want me to help you... then read it carefully, and afterward, discuss the book with me, okay?"
"Uh... all right."
Just how much did this girl love reading? In all those fanfictions, they always seemed to meet in the library. From that, Hoya could tell she really did enjoy doing this.
Fine, fine. As long as you like it.
Sighing, Hoya put the book away. "Then I'll leave this to you, Shiina."
"Of course. Don't worry~"
With Shiina Hiyori's agreement, the weight on Hoya's mind finally lifted.
He'd taken care of his backup plan too. Now all that was left was... to take it easy.
After putting both books in his schoolbag, Hoya headed for the dormitory.
Before you continue