Senpai Earned Points with Me / The White Room's Expert Strategist (4.5k)

Ryuen Kakeru seemed to recognize the man who had provoked him as well, and retaliated without hesitation, arms crossed. However, he still felt a little uneasy, as he had never expected that Hosen Kazuomi would be invited to the Tokyo Advanced Nurturing High School's Cultural Festival. This made him wonder about the school's selection criteria.

Simply put, this man named Hosen Kazuomi, who is a year younger than him, is actually a carbon copy of him. The two of them can be said to be the two most notorious delinquent leaders in that area, and they have a deep-seated grudge against each other. Otherwise, the other party would not have started to cause trouble for Ryuen Kakeru's stall the moment he discovered him.

While it wasn't exactly nitpicking in a strict sense—after all, Kitagawa Ryo himself knew that Ryuen Kakeru had indeed tampered with the equipment and props at the booth—being caught by Hosen Kazuomi, who was equally familiar with such matters, was simply reaping what he sowed.

Since Ryuen Kakeru was in the wrong, he thought it would be good to teach the other party a lesson. After watching the commotion for a while, Kitagawa Ryo quickly left the Matoba with Yuki and headed towards the teaching building.

Compared to Kitagawa Ryo, who showed no interest whatsoever, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka, who had somehow wandered over, patiently observed all the words and actions of the man named Hosen Kazuomi.

Kitagawa Ryo and Ryuen Kakeru have collaborated more than once or twice. Under these circumstances, it seems like a good idea to try to bring a powerful henchman with an inherent conflict with Ryuen Kakeru into his camp. After all, the moral standards of the current Class 1-D and the former Class 1-A students are just too high. The only one who seems to be morally Hashimoto Masayoshi, Hashimoto Masayoshi, is always used to having his own ideas, which makes Ayanokoji Kiyotaka very uncomfortable to use. Sometimes, he really needs a pure thug-like henchman with no bottom line.

After memorizing the name Hosen Kazuomi, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka rushed back to the Special Teaching Building. As the manager of the maid café, he certainly couldn't be as free as Kitagawa Ryo; he was making the most of every minute to search for a suitable candidate.

Since it was already close to noon and they had been strolling around for quite a while, Xue was getting a little hungry. So, the two of them temporarily ignored the other facilities located on the first and second floors of the teaching building and went straight to the dessert shop on the third floor.

Compared to its lukewarm reception half an hour ago, the dessert shop is now packed with people. The word-of-mouth effect is even better than Kitagawa Ryo had imagined. Not only are all the seats in the shop full, but the corridor outside the classroom is also teeming with people. Kitagawa Ryo can even see Sato Maya, who works as a waitress, coming out from time to time to maintain order in the queue, or writing "Sold Out Due to High Popularity" after a dessert on the menu board at the door with a colored pen.

However, it must be said that Kitagawa Ryo had made some preparations for their date in advance. He quickly stepped through the crowd and pretended to take out a lottery ticket he had drawn himself from his pocket and handed it to Sato Maya.

"Oh my! Congratulations to this customer for winning our hidden dessert menu item!"

Although Sato Maya, who had already been given advance notice, seemed to be extremely busy, she clearly hadn't forgotten the words Kitagawa Ryo had taught her. She immediately went into the kitchen, plated the desserts that Kitagawa Ryo, who was the head chef, had prepared in advance, and served them to him with brisk steps. The other guests around her were envious, and several even planned to go to Sotomura Hideo, who was in charge of this, to draw a couple more of the so-called raffle tickets.

"Wow, this cake tastes so good, even better than the one I had for my birthday two months ago."

After the desserts were served, Xue, who was indeed hungry, unceremoniously grabbed a small cake from the middle, scooped out a spoonful, and put it in her mouth. She then squinted her eyes happily, the sweet sensation spreading from the tip of her tongue all the way to her mind, making her feel even more cheerful.

"By the way, does Liang know what my birthday wish was back then?"

After quickly eating a few pieces to fill her stomach, the girl slowed down, carefully licking the spoon clean with the tip of her tongue before putting it in her mouth. She playfully raised the corners of her mouth at Kitagawa Ryo, revealing the answer before he could even speak:

"I wish that Ryo and I could never have a happy Sports Festival, nor could we be together forever."

Seeing Kitagawa Ryo's slightly surprised expression, Yuki smiled smugly, as if she had successfully pulled off a prank.

"Idiot, wishes won't come true if you say them out loud!"

Chapter 336: My senior got extra points with me.

"A secret menu? This restaurant actually has a secret menu?"

Just as Kitagawa Ryo was still somewhat stunned by Yuki's sudden coquettish remark, a girl suddenly appeared from nowhere near them. Her bright, watery eyes sparkled as she stared intently at the plates in front of them, quickly confirming that the desserts were indeed not on the menu.

Xue immediately recognized the girl who had suddenly approached her as Nanase Tsubasa, whom she had met a few times in front of Tokyo Advanced Nurturing High School. The girl also recognized her and half-squatted down to wave at her.

"We meet again, Xue."

As she spoke, Nanase Tsubasa unconsciously shifted her gaze back to the small cake in her hand:

"Um, excuse me, how do you win the prizes in this hidden menu?"

In this situation, Kitagawa Ryo obviously couldn't tell her that he had prepared this in advance, so he replied in a rather tactful tone:

"Our Class 1-A photography group is located in front of the main entrance. You can get Discount for this place by spending Private Points there, and if you're lucky, you might even win a secret menu item from the dessert shop here."

At this year's Cultural Festival, each class had more than one facility and booth. Therefore, they all basically adopted the marketing method of giving Discount coupons for other classes' booths when they made purchases on one side. Essentially, this was all to maximize the overall sales revenue, and Class 1-A was no exception.

"Oh, I see. Well, there's nothing I can do then, because I've basically used up all my Private Points."

As soon as Kitagawa Ryo finished speaking, Nanase Tsubasa visibly drooped her head in disappointment. She didn't seem to be a girl who was good at hiding her true emotions; even the few strands of hair on her head drooped listlessly, and she looked quite disappointed.

"Huh? No way, it's only been a little over an hour since we came in? You spent 5,000 Private Points that fast? Where did you go with them?"

Hearing Nanase Tsubasa lower her voice with a melancholy tone, Yuki also stared wide-eyed in surprise, unable to understand how the other person could spend points so quickly.

"Well, actually I didn't spend much. I should say the things in this store are a bit pricey, and I really like them, so before I knew it, I'd spent it all."

When Yuki asked her, Nanase Tsubasa herself looked a little embarrassed, and she reached out to play with the ends of her hair that were hanging by her ear, unconsciously twirling them around her fingers again and again.

To be honest, Kitagawa Ryo wasn't exactly a complete stranger to the blonde girl who suddenly appeared in front of him. This girl, Nanase Tsubasa, had actually appeared in one of his past simulations, but only as a passerby who had only shown up a few times. To be honest, Kitagawa Ryo's understanding of her was definitely not comprehensive.

Of this meager amount of information, the only thing that left some impression on Kitagawa Ryo was that the other party seemed to have a good relationship with Eiichiro, the son of Matsuo, the butler of Ayanokoji Atsuomi.

However, even with just this little bit of information, Kitagawa Ryo was able to get a preconceived idea of the other party's possible stance.

After all, Tsukishiro Ayanokoji Kiyotaka that among the guests at this Cultural Festival, there were individuals whose positions had been predetermined and who were sent to Tokyo Advanced Nurturing High School by the two sides behind them. Identifying and screening these individuals was also one of their hidden tasks.

To put it simply, if Nanase Tsubasa really was arranged by Ayanokoji Atsuomi, then she could very well pretend to be unaware of the situation, make her presence known to Kitagawa Ryo, and then induce him to choose her to join her side. This potential spy threat is even greater than that of an open adversary. Just look at the situation of the former Class 1-A, who have been tormented by spy issues for more than a semester and have now fallen to Class D without any resolution.

Nanase Tsubasa, of course, was unaware that Kitagawa Ryo had secretly become wary of her. She just inexplicably felt that the Kitagawa Ryo she met face to face was indeed more captivating than the official photos on the encyclopedia or the promotional pictures she saw when she entered the school. He seemed to be shrouded in a mysterious halo, and even the exquisite desserts on the table lost some of their appeal to her.

However, the thought of missing out on these desserts that she might never be able to eat again made Nanase Tsubasa sigh with regret for a long time.

But not long after, she suddenly remembered what she had heard from Horikita Suzune half an hour earlier, and immediately smiled and said to Yuki:

"Oh right, are you two on a date? So you two are definitely a couple, right?"

Then, Nanase Tsubasa belatedly introduced herself to Kitagawa Ryo:

"I forgot to introduce myself to you, senior. My name is Nanase Tsubasa, and I'm currently a third-year junior high school student. I hope to pass the entrance exam for ANHS and get into the university next year."

"Hello, I'm Kitagawa Ryo from Class 1-A. It's nice to meet you."

Kitagawa Ryo had just finished speaking so politely when Yuki, standing next to him, eagerly picked up where Nanase Tsubasa left off:

"Yes, that's why I told Nanase about it before we entered, but you didn't believe me then."

"After all, I think that with the fully enclosed management model of Tokyo Advanced Nurturing High School, it's really difficult for these on-campus and off-campus romantic relationships to be stable. It's even more troublesome than long-distance or international relationships."

Nanase Tsubasa expressed her opinion without hesitation. In Japan, where early romance is common even in junior high and elementary school, she felt she could understand this phenomenon, which was simply driven by restless adolescent hormones. After all, she saw it quite often. For them, graduation usually marked the end of the relationship. After all, if they weren't in the same high school, who would waste time and energy maintaining an unnecessary relationship during their prime years, let alone in an even more extreme environment like Tokyo Advanced Nurturing High School?

However, thinking about this, Nanase Tsubasa herself also felt a little melancholy. After all, in a sense, she and Matsuo Eiichiro were in the same situation. Since he entered high school, their relationship had been forced to become somewhat distant.

Especially this time, although Nanase Tsubasa could understand Matsuo Eiichiro's desire to protect his father's position and even his personal safety, on the other hand, all their past contact ended the moment she nodded in agreement to his request and decided to enroll in Tokyo Advanced Nurturing High School.

This is true both on a subjective psychological level and on an objective environmental level.

"It is indeed quite troublesome, but since I can enroll here next year, it's alright."

Perhaps because Nanase Tsubasa and Kitagawa Ryo were complete strangers, Yuki's attitude towards her was quite normal. She even noticed the other teacher's subtle glances at the cake in her hand and generously shared a piece with her.

As it turns out, even the strongest negative emotions can always surrender to sweets, especially those made by Kitagawa Ryo, who possesses the golden talent. Even though she had already eaten quite a bit at the shop, Nanase Tsubasa still felt that every bite was a completely different and fresh taste. Unconsciously, she had already squinted her eyes, and the way she tilted her little face slightly made Kitagawa Ryo even have a hallucination that the child's fluffy tail was wagging behind her, giving her a strange sense of déjà vu as if she were facing a large golden retriever.

"Although I don't know if Xue has told you about that faction thing, compared to that other person I haven't even met yet, you're already a plus in my eyes."

As she spoke, the girl took the last bite and mumbled something indistinctly.


Chapter 337: The Professional Conqueror of the White Room (4k5)

After uttering those words, which seemed somewhat ambiguous to onlookers, Nanase Tsubasa stood up decisively, licked the last crumbs of dessert from her fingertips, and then waved goodbye to Kitagawa Ryo and Yuki.

"Then I won't disturb you two from your date any longer. I heard the tickets for the Gymnasium are especially cheap; I'll go check it out there first."

Watching Nanase Tsubasa's retreating figure, Yuki first held the cup in both hands, gently biting the straw and taking a few sips of her fruit drink to moisten her slightly dry throat, before curiously tilting her head:

"It seems like she's thinking of joining Liang's camp. What does Liang think?"

"How can I tell? After all, I've only known her for a few minutes, and I probably haven't even talked to her as much as Xue has."

Kitagawa Ryo, of course, wouldn't directly step into the trap that was being tested by the snow; he simply stated his thoughts in a calm tone:

"Academic ability, physical fitness, interpersonal skills, and flexible thinking and adaptability— Tokyo Advanced Nurturing High School currently assesses us students based on these four aspects. But based on just those few sentences of conversation, aside from the fact that the girl seems to have a cheerful personality and no problems communicating with others, there shouldn't be anything else to say."

Just as Tsukishiro said that day, this Cultural Festival was a test for him and Ayanokoji Kiyotaka that was no less challenging than the class assignment before entering school. However, unlike then, Kitagawa Ryo himself had far less information about these new students who had not yet entered school. In fact, he did not have much of an advantage in terms of information gap. Everything needed to be decided through actual contact and keen judgment.

In fact, he and Ayanokoji Kiyotaka had made some arrangements for this, such as the quiz-style projects that Class 1-A and Class D of the first year carried out at this Cultural Festival. In essence, this was a way to confirm or screen the academic level of these freshmen in advance.

"Hmm... but doesn't Ryo think Nanase's looks are an advantage? Pretty and cute girls always get preferential treatment in various ways."

After all this talk about feelings, it turns out it's still about this one thing.

Although he silently made this somewhat subtle comment in his mind, Kitagawa Ryo still shook his head without showing any emotion.

"Actually, I didn't pay much attention; it was probably because Xue was nearby."

"Hmph, that's more like it."

After confirming that Kitagawa Ryo's attitude was acceptable, Yuki put down her drink, rested her chin on her hand, recalled her conversation with Nanase Tsubasa that morning, and shared her thoughts with him:

"Actually, this girl is quite valuable to bring to Liang's side. I know the junior high school she attends; it's one of the best schools in the area, with very strict academic requirements. She also seems to have a good habit of exercising every morning. We guests were only invited to this artificial island yesterday, but she still went out to exercise early this morning. Sakurako and I both saw it with our own eyes."

"... Is that so? But let's wait until after the Cultural Festival to talk about it, since there's still plenty of time."

Compared to Yuki, who had already started thinking about recruiting people to join Liangshan, Kitagawa Ryo remained cautious and decided to observe further.

After moving on from the topic of Nanase Tsubasa, the two resumed enjoying their private dessert time. Yuki had never known that Kitagawa Ryo had such baking skills, so she was increasingly pleasantly surprised with each bite.

"No wonder this dessert shop is so popular. After I start school next April, will Liang be able to make desserts for me every day?"

"Eating desserts every day isn't a good habit; you should probably keep that in mind."

"No problem, anyway I'd like to... well, a little bit more meat?"

Although she was also an excellent student at the White Room in her early years, unlike graduates like Amasawa Ichika and Ayanokoji Kiyotaka, Yuki herself was eliminated a few years ago and has been receiving psychological treatment in a hospital ward ever since. Her physique, while not exactly frail, is certainly slender, especially after she had just met Nanase Tsubasa being a third-year junior high school student in some ways.

"Phew—I'm full."

Before she knew it, all the snacks on her plate had been devoured. The satisfied girl stretched her limbs lazily. In just a short while, the number of customers in front of the shop increased significantly. The bustling queue stretched almost from the third-floor corridor to the stairwell leading to the second floor, which was quite exaggerated in every way.

"Let's go then, it's good to stretch our legs after eating."

In this situation, Yuki felt a little embarrassed to continue occupying the seat after finishing her meal, so she quickly pulled Kitagawa Ryo out of the store together. However, she didn't notice that before leaving, Horikita Suzune gave Horikita Suzune an apologetic look, who could no longer leisurely slack off and was forced to get busy. She was then given a cute glare in return.

In this respect, the dessert shop's popularity indirectly prevented another potential conflict, which can be described as a deliberate act of strategizing against an unintended consequence.

In contrast to the thriving dessert shop, Kitagawa Ryo's other project, the cat cafe, has fallen into a somewhat precarious situation over time. The large-scale promotion at the start of the Cultural Festival did indeed play a significant role, and Shiina Hiyori's unexpected appearance actually helped attract more customers. However, as the shop manager, Kitagawa Ryo, took a hands-off approach, and the cutest cat in the shop led the defection, the cat cafe, Class 1-A, ultimately failed to capture all the traffic.

To be honest, this is also related to the positioning of cat cafes themselves. After all, unlike other projects or programs, cat cafes are indeed more selective in terms of the people they attract, and are essentially a niche product.

As the general coordinator of this year 'Class 1-A Cultural Festival, Ichinose Honami also noticed the situation, but she couldn't think of a good solution at the moment. After all, compared to this Cultural Festival where she could still get a minimum of fifty Class Points no matter what, even if the total revenue dropped to last place, she would certainly prefer to take care of Kitagawa Ryo and Hotaru's feelings. Otherwise, she wouldn't have kept quiet about asking him to bring Hotaru back to the cat cafe after learning that Hotaru had gone to Kitagawa Ryo.

Moreover, she had already learned from Kitagawa Ryo how to deal with this situation.

Soon, Ichinose Honami dialed Chabashira Sae's number, indicating that she could change her clothes and come to work at the cat cafe.

Next, she notified Sotomura Hideo and others in charge of publicity, instructing them to immediately publicize at Special Teaching Building that Chabashira Sae, the homeroom teacher of Class 1-D, would be working as a cat-eared maid signboard girl in front of the cat café on the Tokyo Advanced Nurturing High School floor of the special teaching building.

Just as Kitagawa Ryo had predicted, this explosive news caused a huge sensation among the faculty and staff of the entire school. By the time Chabashira Sae had changed her clothes and put on the cat ear hair accessory she had prepared in advance, and was pushed to the door of the cat cafe by Ichinose Honami with a flushed face, the entrance of the cat cafe, which had been deserted just moments before, was now packed with people.

But after only a glance or two, Chabashira Sae was pulled back into the shop by Ichinose Honami, since she couldn't let people see it for free.

"So, what about Kitagawa?"

Chabashira Sae awkwardly crossed her arms, clearly quite uncomfortable with her current environment and attire. She staggered as she was led into the shop, and almost instinctively asked this question.

"Ryo isn't here right now, so I'll explain the work to you, Chabashira-sensei."

Upon hearing Chabashira Sae ask about Kitagawa Ryo, Ichinose Honami, though still smiling and speaking with utmost respect, couldn't help but inwardly raise her suspicions about the woman before her even further.

"As for your specific work arrangements, Chabashira-sensei, it's very simple: you don't need to do anything, just stand here."

"What?"

Chabashira Sae looked puzzled.

"Of course, guests will definitely come to take photos with you in a little while, but Chabashira-sensei, don't worry. You don't need to pose or do anything. Just stand here."

As she spoke, Ichinose Honami picked up another kitten and placed it in Chabashira Sae's arms:

"Of course, if Chabashira-sensei is willing, he can join in welcoming the guests."

The other Class 1-A students working at the cat café stared in disbelief as Ichinose Honami directed Chabashira Sae, since for students, talking to a teacher like that was simply a pipe dream.

But then, Ichinose Honami sent them out to move a pre-prepared notice board out of the classroom. It clearly stated two package options: an admission package for 1,000 points per person and a photo package for 2,000 points per person, with each package specifying the time and number of times.

From that moment on, the cat cafe successfully transformed itself. Waves of customers flooded in, even pushing the cats, who were originally the main attraction, to the side. The previously slowed or even stagnant revenue began to rise again at an even faster pace, and the rapid increase in income left Ichinose Honami speechless.

It can only be said that Chabashira Sae's personal charm certainly did not disappoint the 700,000 yen that Kitagawa Ryo paid for her services; everywhere you could hear the teachers and staff of Tokyo Advanced Nurturing High School marveling at her.

But after the initial shock, everyone quickly thought of another question.

Wait a minute, isn't Chabashira Sae the homeroom teacher of Class 1-D? Why is she now working for Class 1-A on their project?

The students in Class 1-D also quickly learned that their homeroom teacher was working as the mascot at Class A's cat café, because the biggest blow to their maid café project was precisely that.

After all, compared to the Class D maids, who, apart from Kushida Kikyo, are basically just average high school girls in appearance Chabashira Sae, who is in her late twenties and in the prime of her life, is obviously more attractive. It's good to see something new and accumulate some talking points for the future.

Unlike the other students in Class D who were panicked, puzzled, and even wanted to immediately go to their homeroom teacher for clarification, Katsuragi Kohei maintained his composure as the class Leader. After calming the students down, he immediately found a corner and started calling Ayanokoji Kiyotaka.

To be honest, he himself wanted to complain. The other party was clearly the manager and half-leader of the maid cafe project for this Cultural Festival, but in such a short time, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka had already slipped away several times with various excuses, and this time was no different.

"Hey, Ayanokoji, it seems our ace plan has failed. It looks like the Chabashira homeroom teacher was intercepted by the students from Class A."

Katsuragi Kohei was aware beforehand of Ayanokoji Kiyotaka's plan to use Chabashira Sae to boost the popularity of the maid café project in his class, hence his particularly frustrated tone.