Scheming in the real world? I can also do a little.

He had thought he was done for, that more beatings awaited him once he returned home. He still remembered when he was in elementary school and had angered his father, who kicked him from the doorway all the way to the opposite wall. He had trembled as he followed his mother home—to handle this incident, his mother had specifically begged her boss for a day off.

But upon returning home, his mother didn't hit him again; instead, she applied ointment and bandages to his wounds. She was still crying, but she was no longer hitting him while she wept; she was just wiping away tears as she sobbed.

She told him that hitting him in front of everyone was just to make them stop being angry at him. If she had shielded her own child, the shop owner and the cashier would have been even more furious.

She cried and said, "Child, we may be poor, but we cannot lack ambition. If you're hungry, tell Mom. Mom will give you another ten yuan. Isn't it just two rice balls? If you want to eat, wouldn't I give you the money? Don't ever do this again. At the very least, a person must have some dignity while they live."

That day, he cried too.

Raise a son in poverty to build his ambition; raise a daughter in wealth to cultivate her virtue. From that day on, he had ambition. He didn't take the extra ten yuan, but instead walked several miles more every night to eat at a home-style restaurant.

He never went to that convenience store again; he didn't have the face to show himself there.

Hoya Chukai drank his beer calmly; this was already the fourth can.

He hadn't bought much, just six cans, and he didn't speak quickly, but rather spoke slowly.

He picked at his food, drank his wine, shed tears, and kept his head bowed.

Kamuro Masumi didn't know what to say. She could only lower her head and quietly hold the can of beer in her hands. She hadn't thought much of it when she stole back then, but she never expected to hear a story like this.

"So, what's so good about stealing? We have one hundred thousand points every month now; we aren't poor anymore. What is there to steal... what is there to steal..."

As he spoke, he sniffled. He had kept this matter in his heart all along, but he had never spoken of it until now.

Today, he saw Kamuro Masumi's expression. It was similar—so similar to him the first time he stole a rice ball, so similar to him every time he stole something.

That nervous yet eager look, the way she worried about being discovered while secretly rejoicing at the thought of getting ill-gotten gains after leaving the convenience store—it was truly too similar.

"Stop crying, wipe your face."

Kamuro Masumi picked up a tissue and handed it to Hoya Chukai so he could properly wipe away his tears and snot.

Looking at the classmate in front of her, blowing his nose and wiping the corners of his eyes, she didn't know what to say either.

Perhaps... this was the final piece of advice her senior would give her: stealing is not a good thing. If possible, she should never steal again in this life.

Chapter 14: Are You Eating Breakfast?

"Sorry, I lost my composure a bit."

When he drank the fifth can, which was also the last one, Hoya Chukai sobered up.

He seemed to have recovered from his previous decadent state and returned to how he was before.

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

Kamuro Masumi looked at Hoya Chukai, and she couldn't help but lower her head.

"I'm sorry."

"Hm?"

"I'm sorry."

Kamuro Masumi repeated it again.

"Why... are you apologizing?"

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

Yes, just for the thrill.

Even though she had one hundred thousand points in her hand, she still stole here just for fun, just because it was interesting.

She was just that kind of woman with low-level interests.

After hearing Hoya Chukai's story, she felt the guilt in her heart overflowing even more. She didn't know how to wash away this sin.

Hoya Chukai stole food just to fill his stomach, but what about her? It was just for the sake of her own twisted amusement.

If his wrongdoing could barely be considered excusable, then what about her? She seemed even more sinful than Hoya Chukai.

No, there was no "seemed"—she was a deeply sinful woman.

In front of Hoya Chukai, both her actions and her thoughts were dirtier and filthier than his.

If stealing to fill one's stomach caused Hoya Chukai such pain—pain that lasted for over a decade—then what could be said of her actions?

If she were truly caught, what would happen to her? Would she be indifferent? Or would she be even more excited? If she hadn't heard Hoya Chukai's story, she might have been, but after hearing it, she... was completely unable to describe her current feelings in words.

"I'm really sorry. I didn't know your past was like that. I was wrong. I only did it for the thrill; I shouldn't have done that."

She also became a bit incoherent. She was only a girl in her teens. Girls are naturally sentimental, and having heard such a story from Hoya Chukai, she had no idea what else to say.

She was even a little grateful now—grateful that she had met Hoya Chukai. Otherwise, if she had continued to act that way and only learned of his story later, the blow to her own conscience would have been far greater.

"It's alright, it's alright. And thank you for listening to my nonsense for so long. Let's eat some more. I finished the beer, I'll go buy some more."

A few cans of beer weren't enough to make Hoya Chukai pass out. Perhaps he really was under a lot of pressure this time. He strolled to the convenience store and strolled back, holding two packs of beer, and sat back down at the table to continue drinking with Kamuro Masumi.

With this round of drinking, they both got drunk.

Hoya Chukai had originally planned to tidy up the room that night, set up his newly bought pillowcases and sheets, put the clothes from his suitcase into the wardrobe, and organize all his belongings, but none of that could be done now. He was dead drunk, slumped over the table.

It wasn't just him; Kamuro Masumi was the same. She had only stolen the beer because she had never drunk alcohol before, so she didn't know her own tolerance.

Although she didn't pass out after one glass, the atmosphere had reached that point, so she drank along with Hoya Chukai. A man's friendship is forged through fights and through drinking. And her friendship with Hoya Chukai could also be said to have been forged through drink.

There was no drunken debauchery, nor was there any drunken madness; the two of them simply chatted and clinked glasses until, in a hazy stupor, they both passed out.

What woke them up were the ruthless alarm clocks. They had no pity and no mercy; as long as their master gave them a task, they would wake their master up right on the dot.

Hoya Chukai did not have the habit of waking up naturally in the morning, so he had always relied on an alarm clock to wake himself up. Today was no exception; even though he had been dead drunk yesterday, he still managed to wake up in a daze.

"Damn, drank too much again... It's seven o'clock. Why did I set an alarm for seven? I haven't been to school in years... School, right, f*cking school!"

Suddenly jolted awake, Hoya Chukai hurriedly checked the alarm clock again. Thankfully, it was exactly seven o'clock; he wasn't late yet.

Not only was he not late, but he even had the chance to wash up, allowing him to get clean and refreshed after being reeking of alcohol before grabbing some breakfast.

But the problem was that he wasn't the only one in the room.

"Hey, Kamuro-san, wake up."

Hoya Chukai hurriedly patted the arm of Kamuro Masumi, who was sleeping soundly on the table. Seeing she didn't move, he quickly patted her a few more times.

Seeing there was still no reaction, he leaned over to Kamuro Masumi's ear and shouted, "If you don't wake up, you're going to be late!"

"Late?!"

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

Hearing that she was going to be late, she hurriedly woke up and looked around, only to see Hoya Chukai, who was stripping off his clothes and exposing his bare torso.

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

"Big sister, it's seven in the morning, class starts at eight. Don't dawdle, hurry back to your room and take a shower. You don't want to go to school reeking of alcohol, do you?"

Hoya Chukai's words jolted Kamuro Masumi awake. She looked at her phone and saw that the time was already 7:03, so she scrambled out of Hoya Chukai's room in a panic.

Forget about a girl's reserve; what could be more important than showering, eating, and getting to school?

By the time Hoya Chukai came out of the bathroom, he only saw the wide-open door. As for that girl? She had long since vanished.

Forget it, he didn't have time to think about her. Hoya Chukai hurriedly changed into a new school uniform, confirmed that he hadn't forgotten any books in his bag, and then took his phone to the cafeteria to buy breakfast.

Fortunately, there were two sets of uniforms per season. The one that had been full of the smell of alcohol had already been tossed into the washing machine for a quick cycle. As for when it would dry... he'd worry about that when he got back at noon.

Having bought a few rice balls for breakfast, Hoya Chukai ate while walking toward the school building. When he arrived, he saw Kamuro Masumi rushing toward the building in a panic.

Clearly, she hadn't gone to the cafeteria.

This was normal. A guy showering and a girl showering were two different things. A guy could finish a quick wash, lather up with shampoo and body wash, and be out in about ten minutes, but for a girl, it was a different story. Not to mention anything else, just blow-drying her hair would take a significant amount of time.

Not to mention the need for conditioner, shampoo, putting on makeup, and so on. By the time all that was done, it was already 7:40; there was no way she was going to the cafeteria.

"Here, rice balls. Want one?"

Since they had run into each other, Hoya Chukai gave her a few rice balls. To be honest, he had bought these intentionally; if Kamuro Masumi hadn't eaten breakfast, he would give them to her, and if she had... then it would just be an extra snack.

After all, the culprit behind Kamuro Masumi missing breakfast might truly be him. If he hadn't dragged her out to drink yesterday, perhaps this rush wouldn't have happened.

Chapter 15: Boss Ryuen, you have to believe me, I was really just gathering intelligence!

"Oh, thanks."

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

And so, the two of them parted ways quite casually. But to others... how could this possibly be a casual parting? How was it that someone was already dating on the first day?

You don't say—in the eyes of others, a boy bringing breakfast to a girl, regardless of what it was, what did this act alone represent?

They were dating!

This scene wasn't just seen by people from Class A and Class C; even those from Class B and Class D had seen it.

After all, it was only 7:50, not 8:00. It was common for students who hadn't started class yet to be wandering around near the entrance.

And so... Hoya Chukai was pinned into the classroom by Ryuen Shoko.

"Alright, let's talk. Yesterday it wasn't enough to hook up with a girl from Class B, now you're hooking up with one from Class A, right?"

Because Ryuen Shoko was sitting in the front row, she easily pinned Hoya Chukai onto her desk. This grappling hold made Hoya Chukai cry out, "Ouch, ouch, ouch! I was gathering intelligence, gathering intelligence, big sister! I really wasn't hooking up with her!"

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

"I woke up late, didn't I? She didn't have time to go to the cafeteria after her shower, so I thought I'd just bring her some... Ouch, ouch, ouch! Don't, that really hurts, sis! Dear sister! Let go a little!"

This was what they called "the more you explain, the worse it gets."

Ryuen Shoko's face was as dark as a clay pot.

"Good for you, kid. Woke up late, huh? What did you two do last night?"

"We didn't do anything, just had a little to drink... Holy sh*t, that hurts! Don't, really, it was just drinking, just drinking! We both got drunk, we didn't do anything else, nothing else!"

"Nothing else?"

"I really didn't do anything else."

"No romance?"

"No, no, no! It's the first day of school, how could I dare! There really wasn't, there really wasn't. If there had been any romance, she wouldn't be able to attend class today."

"So you've actually thought about it, then?"

"No, she's a beautiful girl, how could I not have some thoughts? But it was just thoughts... I'm wrong, I'm wrong! I didn't think about it, not at all! Spare me, I'm wrong, I'm wrong, it really hurts, it's going to break, it's going to break, awoo!"

The scene between Ryuen Shoko and Hoya Chukai at this moment made the entire class want to laugh but not dare to. After all, one of them was their big sister, Ryuen Shoko.

Hmm, big sister had gotten into another fight this morning, and this time she had completely brought these guys to heel. Although there were still those with ulterior motives and those who were unconvinced, the fact that she was the big sister of Class C had at least been set in stone.

Sitting in the back row, Shiina Hiyori could only feel that it was absurd, truly absurd. This was the king and the strategist of Class C? She really was a "dog-headed strategist," looking so cool yesterday, only to turn out to be a scumbag in the end.

Hmph, she was angry.

It took a lot of coaxing to finally smooth things over with this young lady. Hoya Chukai wore a sycophantic expression, nodding, bowing, and applying ointment for Ryuen Shoko; he looked exactly like a Japanese person, even more Japanese than the Japanese themselves.

At the very least, the many Japanese students in the class were cursing him as a bootlicker in their hearts.

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

The first period was history, and the teacher was naturally none other than the one who would wear a maid outfit, Chabashira Sae.

She didn't know the situation in Class C, so she just assumed the two were up to some sort of SM play again. She waved the book in her hand and walked to the podium with a look of disgust. Seeing that Hoya Chukai was actually sitting directly behind Ryuen Shoko, the look of disgust on her face grew even heavier.

Chabashira Sae still didn't have a boyfriend; she had one in high school, but they broke up. So, looking at this pair of "dogs," the loathing on her face became even more severe. But at least, as long as they weren't in Class D, she was still a teacher, so she didn't say much more. She just muttered "bad luck" to herself and began the first lesson of the semester.

Because of the drinking yesterday, Hoya Chukai hadn't engaged in any "friendly interaction" with his classmates before class. Therefore, this friendly interaction took place after Chabashira Sae finished her class and left.

"Hehe, look here, look here."

As the saying goes, when there is no tiger on the mountain, the monkey acts as the king. With no teacher in the classroom, Hoya Chukai hopped straight onto the podium and began to speak while slapping the desk.

"Hey, everyone, stop for a second. I have something important to say. This concerns our next three years, so since the break time isn't long, I have to finish quickly."

Slapping the table, Hoya Chukai glanced at the class schedule... The next period was his own homeroom teacher's class? That was fine, he could talk a bit more.

Sakagami had a high tolerance for him and Ryuen Shoko; it was clear he was a teacher who would stop at nothing to achieve his goals. Therefore, his choice was simple—quickly tell the students about the S-Points.

Even though many people didn't care when they saw the clown Hoya Chukai get on the podium, intending to only listen with half an ear, as he gradually dropped a major bombshell, everyone couldn't help but stare at him intently, their eyes looking as if they wanted to eat him alive.

"Right, don't look at me like that; I'm not making any of this up. So, everyone must follow the discipline expected of students from now on; that is my only expectation of you all. S-Points are linked to the 100,000 points everyone receives each month. If you don't want to be eating delicacies today and wild vegetable sets next month, you'd better pay attention. Also, I tried the wild vegetable set last night; the taste is actually not bad, though I doubt you really want to eat it. Besides, you can also order the wild vegetable set and ask the cafeteria lady to add some meat; after all, points can buy anything, so piecing it together is doable."

After finishing his summary, Hoya Chukai saw that the time was about up, so he returned to his seat to prepare for class.

Sakagami had already arrived in the classroom. With a serious face, he didn't like to arrive right on the dot like Chabashira Sae, but rather a few minutes early. Therefore, he had heard everything Hoya Chukai said just now.