Are You Having Breakfast? / Boss Longyuan, You Have to Believe Me! I Was Really Just Gathering Information! ...

He had thought he was done for, and that once he got home, he'd be in for even more beatings. He still remembered how, back in elementary school, he'd angered his father, who kicked him from the doorway all the way across the room and into the opposite wall. Trembling, he'd followed his mother home. She'd specially asked her boss for a day off to deal with what he'd done.

But when they got home, his mother didn't hit him again. Instead, she dabbed medicine on his wounds and put bandages on him. She was still crying, but this time she cried as she tended to him, not as she beat him.

She told him that she'd only hit him in front of everyone so they wouldn't stay angry at him. If she'd sheltered her own child, the shop owner and cashier would have been even angrier.

Crying, she said, "Son, we may be poor, but we can't lose our pride. If you're hungry, tell me. I'll give you another ten yuan. It's only two rice balls. Do you think I wouldn't give you money if you wanted to eat? Don't do this again. At the very least, you need to have some self-respect."

That day, he cried too.

"Raise boys poor to build their ambition; raise girls rich to build their virtue." From that day on, he'd held on to his pride. He hadn't asked for another ten yuan. Instead, every night he walked a few extra miles to eat at a home-style restaurant.

He never went back to that convenience store. He didn't have the face to.

The housing agent drank quietly. This was already his fourth can.

He hadn't bought much—just six cans—and he wasn't talking quickly. He spoke slowly.

He picked at his food, drank, cried, and kept his head down.

Kamuro Masumi didn't know what to say. All she could do was lower her head and quietly hold the can of beer in her hands. She hadn't thought much about it when she stole from the store, but she hadn't expected to hear this story.

"So what's so great about stealing? We get a hundred thousand points every month now. We're not poor anymore! What's there to steal? What's there to steal...?"

As he spoke, he sniffled. He'd always kept this story to himself; he'd just never told anyone.

Today, he'd seen the look on Kamuro Masumi's face. It was so much like his own when he'd stolen his first rice ball. So much like the way he'd looked every time he stole something.

That anxious yet eager look, worrying that someone might catch her while secretly delighting in the ill-gotten gains she'd get after leaving the convenience store—it was just too familiar.

"Don't cry. Here, wipe your face."

Kamuro Masumi picked up a tissue and handed it to the housing agent, so he could wipe away his tears and snot.

Looking at her classmate as he blew his nose and wiped the corners of his eyes, she didn't know what to say.

Maybe...this was her senior's final piece of advice to her. Stealing wasn't a good thing. If she could help it, she should never steal again.

"Sorry. I got a little carried away."

When he reached his fifth can—the last one—the housing agent came to his senses.

He seemed to have recovered from the dejected state he'd been in earlier and was back to his usual self.

"It's fine, it's fine."

Kamuro Masumi looked at the housing agent and couldn't help lowering her head.

"I'm sorry."

"Hm?"

"I'm sorry."

Kamuro Masumi repeated herself.

"Why...why are you apologizing?"

"Because I stole things...just for the thrill."

Right. Just for the thrill.

Even though she had a hundred thousand points, she still stole things. Just for fun. Just because it was exciting.

She was a woman with such lowbrow tastes.

After hearing the housing agent's story, the guilt in her heart only grew. She didn't know how to make it go away.

The housing agent had stolen food to fill his stomach. And what about her? She'd done it just to satisfy her own twisted amusement.

If his mistake could at least be excused, what about hers? She seemed even more guilty than the housing agent.

No, there was no "seemed" about it. She was a woman weighed down by guilt.

Standing before the housing agent, she was filthier and more wretched than he was, both in her actions and in her thoughts.

Stealing just to fill his stomach had caused the housing agent so much pain—pain that had stayed with him for over a decade. What did that make her actions?

If she'd really been caught, what would she have done? Would she have thought nothing of it? Or would she have been even more excited? Maybe she would have, if she hadn't heard the housing agent's story. But after hearing it, she...couldn't put her feelings into words.

"I'm really sorry. I never knew you'd been through all that. I was wrong. I did it just for the thrill. I shouldn't have."

She was starting to stumble over her words. She was just a girl in her teens. Girls were naturally sentimental, and after hearing a story like that from the housing agent, she had no idea what to say.

Now she was even a little grateful—grateful she'd met the housing agent. If she'd really gone through with it, then learned about his past, how badly would it have affected her?

"It's okay, it's okay. And thanks for listening to me ramble on for so long. Have some more. I've finished the beer, so I'll go buy some more."

A few cans of beer weren't nearly enough to get the housing agent drunk. Maybe he'd really just been under too much pressure this time. He wandered to the supermarket and then wandered back with two cases of beer in his hands. He sat back down at the table and kept drinking with Kamuro Masumi.

And by the end of it, they were drunk.

The housing agent had planned to tidy up that evening, put the new pillowcases and duvet cover on his bed, unpack the clothes in his suitcase and put them in the wardrobe, and sort out all his other belongings. But none of that got done. He got so drunk that he collapsed face-down on the table.

He wasn't the only one. Kamuro Masumi was drunk too. She'd stolen the beer because she'd never tried it before, so she had no idea how much she could drink.

She hadn't passed out after one sip, but the mood was right, so she joined the housing agent in drinking. Men forged friendships through fighting and drinking. Her friendship with the housing agent, too, could be said to have been forged over drinks.

They didn't get frisky or go wild. They simply chatted and clinked glasses. Before they knew it, both of them were drunk.

The merciless alarm clock woke them. It had no pity, no mercy. Once its owner gave it a task, it woke them right on time.

The housing agent wasn't in the habit of waking up on his own, so he always used an alarm. Today was no exception. Even though he'd been dead drunk the night before, he still woke up groggily.

"Damn, I drank too much again... It's seven. Why did I set an alarm for seven? I haven't been to school in years... School—right, damn it, school!"

The housing agent jolted awake and hurriedly checked the alarm again. Thankfully, it was only seven o'clock. He wasn't late yet.

He wasn't just on time; he even had a chance to wash up, freshen himself up, and grab breakfast before heading to school.

But there was a problem. He wasn't alone in the room.

"Hey, Kamuro, wake up."

The housing agent hurriedly patted Kamuro Masumi on the arm as she slept soundly, sprawled across the table. When she didn't move, he patted her a few more times.

When she still didn't stir, he bent down close to her ear and shouted, "If you don't get up, you'll be late!"

"Late?!"

It turned out that even a girl who liked chasing thrills still remembered she was a student.

The moment she heard she'd be late, she woke up and looked around. All she saw was the housing agent taking off his shirt, baring his torso.

"Hey, why are you taking your clothes off?"

"Come on, it's seven in the morning. Classes start at eight, so quit dawdling. Hurry back to your room and take a shower. You don't want to go to school smelling like booze, do you?"

The housing agent's words snapped Kamuro Masumi fully awake. She checked her phone, saw it was already 7:03, and rushed straight out of his room.

So much for a girl's modesty. What could be more important than showering, eating, and getting to class?

When the housing agent came out of the bathroom, he saw the door standing wide open. As for the girl, she'd already vanished.

Never mind. He didn't have time to think about her. The housing agent quickly changed into a clean uniform, checked that he had the right books in his bag, then took his phone and went to the cafeteria to buy breakfast.

Fortunately, they had two uniforms per season. He'd thrown the one that reeked of alcohol into the washing machine for a quick wash. As for when it would dry...he'd deal with that after he got back at noon.

He bought a few dumplings for breakfast and ate as he walked toward the classroom building. When he got there, he saw Kamuro Masumi hurrying toward the building.

It was obvious she hadn't gone to the cafeteria.

That was understandable. A boy's shower and a girl's shower were two different things. A boy could quickly rinse off, lather up with shampoo and body wash, rinse again, and be done in about ten minutes. For girls, it was another matter. Just drying their hair took quite a while.

Never mind the conditioner, shampoo, and makeup. By the time she'd finished all that, it was already 7:40. There was no way she could still go to the cafeteria.

"Here, rice balls. Want some?"

Since he'd run into her, the housing agent gave her a few rice balls. To be honest, he'd bought them on purpose. If Kamuro Masumi hadn't eaten breakfast, he'd give them to her; if she had, he'd just have them as an extra snack.

After all, he might really have been the reason Kamuro Masumi had missed breakfast. If he hadn't kept her drinking the night before, she might not have been in such a rush.

Chapter Fifteen: Breakfast—Are You Eating or Not?

"Oh, thanks."

Kamuro Masumi didn't think much of it. She took the rice balls and waved as she left. It was already 7:50, and she didn't have time to stand around chatting with him.

And just like that, the two of them parted on easy terms. But for everyone else...how could anyone call that an ordinary goodbye? How had someone started dating on the very first day?

You had to admit, from an outsider's perspective, when a boy brought a girl breakfast, it didn't matter what he brought. The gesture alone meant one thing.

They were dating!

It wasn't just people from Class A and Class C who saw the scene. Students from Class B and Class D saw it too.

After all, it was only 7:50, not eight o'clock. Before class started, it was common for students to wander around near the entrance.

And so...Ryuen Shoko dragged the housing agent into the classroom.

"Alright, spill. Yesterday, one girl from Class B wasn't enough, so you went and hooked up with another one from Class A?"

Since Ryuen Shoko sat in the front row, she had no trouble pinning the housing agent against her desk. In that restrained position, he couldn't help yelling, "Ow, ow! I was gathering intel, gathering intel! I swear I wasn't hitting on her!"

"Just gathering intel? Then why did you bring her breakfast?"

"Because we got up late. She didn't have time to go to the cafeteria after showering, so I thought I'd bring her something while I was at it... Ow, ow! Stop, that really hurts! Please, sis! You're my real sister! Ease up a little!"

Talk about making things worse by trying to explain. This was a perfect example.

Ryuen Shoko's face had turned as black as a pot.

"Oh, so you got up late, huh? What were you two doing last night?"

"We didn't do anything. We just had a little drink... Damn, that hurts! Stop, seriously, we just drank. We both got drunk, but that's all. Nothing else happened."

"Nothing else?"

"Really, nothing else."

"No fooling around?"

"No, no, no! It was the first day of school. How could I dare? Nothing happened, I swear. If we'd fooled around, she definitely wouldn't be able to make it to class today."

"So you have thought about it?"

"No, but she's a beautiful girl. Of course I'd have a few thoughts... I was wrong, I was wrong! I never thought that! Not at all! Spare me, I was wrong, I was wrong! It really hurts! I'm gonna break! Ow!"

The whole class wanted to laugh at Ryuen Shoko and the housing agent, but no one dared. After all, one of them was their big sister, Ryuen Shoko.

Well, the big sister had gotten into another fight that morning. This time, she'd won everyone over for good. Some still had ulterior motives and some refused to accept her, but at least her position as Class C's big sister was settled.

Shiina Hiyori, sitting in the back row, could only feel that the whole thing was absurd. Utterly absurd. This was Class C's king and strategist? No wonder he was a useless strategist. He'd looked so cool yesterday, but it turned out he was a playboy.

Hmph. She was mad.

He only managed to appease the young lady after a whole lot of coaxing. The housing agent grovelled in front of Ryuen Shoko, nodding and bowing while applying ointment to her. He looked like a Japanese person—more Japanese than a Japanese person.

At least, that was what all the Japanese students in the class were thinking as they cursed him for being such a bootlicker.

"Alright, get ready for class... Hey, you two, save the flirting for after class."

The first lesson was history, and naturally, the teacher was none other than Chabashira Sae, who wore a maid outfit.

She didn't know what was going on in Class C, so she assumed the two were up to some sort of BDSM again. She waved the book in her hand and walked to the podium with a disgusted look. When she saw the housing agent sitting directly behind Ryuen Shoko, her disgust only deepened.

Chabashira Sae still didn't have a boyfriend. She'd had one in high school, but they'd broken up. Seeing this shameless couple only disgusted her more. Still, as long as she wasn't in Class D, she could at least act like a teacher, so she didn't say much. She muttered "what a nuisance" to herself and began the first lesson of the term.

Because he'd been drinking the night before, the housing agent hadn't mingled with his classmates before class. So he made up for it after Chabashira Sae left.

As the saying went, when the cat's away, the mice would play. With no teacher in the classroom, the housing agent leapt up onto the podium and began speaking, slapping the desk.

"Hey, hey, listen up. I have something important to tell you. It concerns the next three years of our lives, and we don't have much time between classes, so I'll have to explain quickly."

Slapping the desk, the housing agent glanced at the timetable... The next class was with their homeroom teacher? In that case, he could say a little more.

Kazuma Sakagami was very tolerant of him and Ryuen Shoko. He seemed like the kind of teacher who cared more about achieving his goals than about the means. So the housing agent decided to quickly tell his classmates about S-Points.

Even though quite a few people hadn't taken him seriously when they saw the class clown step up to the podium, planning to listen for a moment just to be polite, as he began to reveal the details, they all stared at him as if they wanted to eat him alive.

"Right, don't look at me like that. I haven't made up a single thing. So from now on, everyone needs to follow the rules students are supposed to follow. That's my only hope for all of you. S-Points are tied to the hundred thousand points everyone gets each month. If you don't want to feast on delicacies today and eat nothing but wild greens next month, you'd better be careful. Also, I tried the wild-greens set meal last night. It tasted pretty good. But if you really want to eat it, you can ask the cafeteria ladies to add some meat. After all, points can buy anything, so you can mix and match."

After wrapping up, the housing agent saw that it was about time and returned to his seat to get ready for class.

Kazuma Sakagami had already arrived in the classroom. Unlike Chabashira Sae, who liked to arrive right on time, he came a few minutes early. He'd heard everything the housing agent had just said.