Cafeteria

We arrived at the school cafeteria together, where students were already dining.

"What would you like to eat, Kiyona?"

Come to think of it, Hoshino Kanade usually ate instant noodles or gnawed on bread on the rooftop.

He rarely visited the cafeteria, and with so many dishes on offer, he was essentially suffering from a bout of decision paralysis.

"Uh... let's just take a look around first."

"That makes sense."

Steam billowed at the cafeteria entrance, carrying a complex blend of aromas.

To the left was the Japanese cuisine section, where silver-glinting eel sashimi was arranged like artwork on crushed ice, next to unagi-don drizzled with caramel-colored teriyaki sauce.

Not far away was the Western-style window, where pasta, looking like molten cheese, and freshly baked garlic bread were stacked like towers, golden grease seeping from the gaps in the crust.

The most crowded area was the Chinese cuisine corner: Mapo Tofu bubbled in a large pot, and the thick, rich sauce of the Tenshin-don was ladled over snow-white rice, sending up plumes of steam.

As expected of the premier high school in Japan, the cafeteria was top-tier, and the prices hadn't been hiked up, remaining much the same as those outside.

"By the way, does this place have relief meals like the convenience store?"

"The free set meals only have fixed combinations, and the ingredients and cooking quality don't look particularly appetizing, though they do balance meat and vegetables, so nutrition is guaranteed."

"Do you want to try one?"

Kiyona seemed somewhat interested in that.

"I feel like eating that would be a torture for my tongue, so let's stick to something normal."

There were many fixed combinations for the free set meal that rotated on a cycle, and it was impossible to try them all, so it was better not to put himself through that.

It looked like Kiyona's decision paralysis was even worse than his own; was he going to have to rely on himself?

"I want to eat the Mapo Tofu."

"Then I'll have the Mapo Tofu as well."

Students arrived one after another to eat, and after getting their food, there were few seats left, but fortunately, they found an empty table in the corner.

"Itadakimasu." ×2

The tip of his tongue first touched the warm, smooth sauce, coating the tofu cubes that were as uniform as coffee sugar cubes.

The texture of the tofu was firm yet silky, with a subtle bean flavor that blended with the mildly spicy miso or sweet bean sauce, creating a pseudo-spicy experience that intertwined salty and sweet notes.

The numbing sensation of the Sichuan peppercorns had almost vanished, replaced by the sensation of being coated in a mild, thick soup.

It looked very spicy, but in reality, it had been adjusted for local Japanese tastes, with the numbing and spicy flavors toned down; the taste was surprisingly quite good.

However, this must have been quite spicy for Kiyona.

A porcelain spoon touched the red-oiled tofu; she brushed a stray lock of hair behind her ear, eyes lowered in concentration as she blew away the heat, her fingers as steady as if she were wielding a blade.

The moment it touched her lips, her ears suddenly flushed red, fine beads of sweat broke out on the tip of her nose, and her tongue quickly swept away the spicy residue from the corner of her mouth.

A suppressed hum in her throat was pressed into a rigid line of her lips, and even though she tried to endure it, she couldn't hide the collapse of her cool, aloof demeanor.

"Are you okay?"

Hoshino Kanade picked up a tissue, and seeing that Kiyona didn't refuse, he gently wiped the fine sweat from her face.

"I rarely eat this type of dish, but it feels delicious."

Bearing the name of Mapo Tofu, victory was a matter of course.

Eating in the corner allowed for better information gathering.

Knowing the original plot, Hoshino Kanade understood that he would inevitably lower his guard and carry a sense of superiority.

Only by gathering intelligence and paying attention to every movement could he react in time to the changes he brought about.

Take the idea of winning over Matsushita Chiaki, for example; just looking at their status, she was a wealthy young lady and he was a commoner struggling for a living—it was as delusional as a toad lusting after a swan.

How to turn thoughts into reality and eliminate his own sense of superiority was crucial.

Using his knowledge of Matsushita Chiaki and the other students, he had to move step by step, transforming or disguising his "prophet" status into his own real strength within this school.

Only then could he achieve a leap in social class.

People are not born equal.

If he hadn't entered this school, the best path for Hoshino Kanade would have been to get into a good university and then become a corporate slave, working hard his whole life, perhaps only to end up working for someone else's benefit.

But if he were like Nagumo Miyabi, seizing opportunities but acting recklessly because he held power in the school, he wouldn't even know when he'd be bagged and dumped into Tokyo Bay.

"Kanade-kun?"

Kiyona made a puzzled sound.

"Sorry, I was just spacing out."

"A beautiful girl is right in front of you, and yet Kanade-kun can still space out; you really don't understand the mood, do you?"

After Kiyona finished speaking, her cheeks puffed out slightly, and she put on an angry expression, which, combined with her cheeks flushed from the spice, was incredibly cute.

Hoshino Kanade couldn't quite handle it, reaching out a finger to poke at her pouting cheek.

"Sorry, it won't happen again. I just thought the reactions from those upperclassmen were a bit strange."

"How so?"

Kiyona's attention was captured, though she had only been putting on an act to begin with.

"Judging by the uniform style, they should be third-years. Those few are clearly regulars for the free meal plan," Hoshino Kanade gestured slightly toward them, "Even if it's not obvious, some other third-years look at those students eating the free meals with a sense of contempt."

Once you have the answer, it's easy to work backward to the details that led to it.

Without the answer, Hoshino Kanade could stare until his eyes went blind and still wouldn't be able to decipher the meaning behind the pie charts in those students' eyes.

"That is true, it is quite strange."

Kiyona only took one look before agreeing with Kanade's assessment.

But she suddenly realized that her own display of observation was a bit abnormal.

But she took another look.

And it became even more abnormal.

Fortunately, Kanade didn't notice anything, which made Kiyona heave a sigh of relief.

"But what does this mean? I haven't seen any second-years eating the free meals, and the first-years just received their 100,000 points, so no one would be eating them either."

When information is insufficient, mere enumeration leads to countless possibilities; Kiyona was destined to be unable to deduce the truth for now.

"Sorry, we agreed to enjoy life first, and here I am observing these meaningless things again."

"Why the sudden apology? Being sharp is normal; this school does have many unreasonable aspects."

"Mm."

On the first day of school, after the morning entrance ceremony, the remaining time was free for activities, with classes not officially starting until the next day.

In other words, there was still half a day left to kill.

"I'm going to the library next. What about you?"

"Then I'll go too."

Going to the library was mainly to scan books and read through them all; academic ability was part of one's strength, and Hoshino Kanade would be spending a long time in the library for the foreseeable future.

There was a high probability of running into Shiina Hiyori, and he would see if he could reach a cooperation with Class C.

But that should be a matter for a few days from now; discovering the truth too early would be too suspicious.

To sell information, one needed a reasonable source for the deduction and evidence to prove the information was correct. He needed to put on a show of discovering it himself.

Being one step ahead makes you a genius, being a few steps ahead makes you a monster, and being countless steps ahead makes you a cheater.

Hoshino Kanade still wanted to live a few more years.

As expected, he encountered the person he was looking for in the library.

Shiina Hiyori had long, silver-white hair and purple eyes; her hair flowed like moonlight, and her violet gaze held a rational, detached luster.

Her figure was slender, and her posture while reading with her head bowed, fingertips brushing the pages, exuded a quiet, scholarly air.

The contrast between her plain school uniform and her silver hair and purple eyes made her look like a "blue rose" untouched by dust, blooming with a mysterious and elegant temperament in the quiet library.

Hoshino Kanade felt like he had fallen in love again; although Kiyona was also great, Shiina Hiyori was just too much of a foul play.

They headed to the school cafeteria together, where students were already dining.

"What does Kiyona want to eat?"

Come to think of it, Hoshino Kanade had mostly eaten instant noodles or gnawed on bread on the rooftop in the past.

He rarely went to the cafeteria, and with so many dishes available, to put it simply, his indecisiveness was acting up.

"Uh... let's just look around for now."

"That makes sense."

The steam rising at the cafeteria entrance was laden with a complex aroma.

On the left was the Japanese cuisine section, where silver-glistening eel sashimi was arranged like a work of art on crushed ice, next to an eel bowl drizzled with caramel-colored teriyaki sauce.

Not far away was the Western-style window, where pasta, looking like molten cheese, and freshly baked garlic bread were stacked like a tower, golden grease seeping through the gaps in the crust.

The most crowded area was the Chinese cuisine corner: Mapo tofu, red and white, bubbled in a large pot, and the thick sauce of the Tenshin-don was poured over snow-white rice, sending up clouds of steam.

As expected of a top-tier high school in Japan, the cafeteria was quite premium, and the prices hadn't been hiked up; they were about the same as outside.

"By the way, does this place have relief meals like the convenience store?"

"The free meal plan only allows for a fixed combination, and the ingredients and cooking level don't look particularly appetizing, but it does include both meat and vegetables, so nutrition is guaranteed."

"Want to experience it?"

Kiyona seemed somewhat interested in it.

"I feel like eating this would just be torture for my tongue; I'd better stick to something normal."

This free meal plan offers a wide variety of set combinations that rotate on a cycle, making it impossible to experience them all, so there's no point in putting myself through that.

It seems Kiyona's indecisiveness is even worse than my own—am I going to have to rely on myself here?

"I want to eat the mapo tofu."

"Then I'll have the mapo tofu, too."

Students arrived one after another to dine, and after getting our food, there were barely any seats left. Fortunately, we found an empty table in the corner.

"Itadakimasu." ×2

The tip of my tongue first touched the warm, mellow sauce, which coated tofu cubes as uniform as "coffee sugar cubes."

The tofu was firm yet tender, with a subtle bean flavor that blended with the mildly spicy miso or sweet bean sauce, creating a sweet-and-savory pseudo-spicy experience.

The numbing sensation of the Sichuan peppercorns had all but vanished, replaced by the sensation of being coated in a mild, thick gravy.

It looked very spicy, but in reality, it had been adjusted for local Japanese tastes, toning down the numbing and spicy elements. It was surprisingly quite good.

However, this must be pretty spicy for Kiyona.

Her porcelain spoon lightly touched the chili-oil-drenched tofu. She brushed a stray lock of hair behind her ear, her eyes lowered in concentration as she blew on the steam, her fingers as steady as if she were wielding a blade.

The moment it touched her lips, her ears suddenly flushed red, and fine beads of sweat broke out on the bridge of her nose. Her tongue quickly darted out to lick the spicy residue from the corner of her mouth.

The suppressed hum in her throat was pressed into a rigid line of her lips; even though she tried to endure it, she couldn't hide the collapse of her cool, aloof demeanor.

"Are you okay?"

Hoshino Kanade picked up a tissue, and seeing that Kiyona didn't refuse, he gently wiped the fine beads of sweat from her face.

"I rarely eat this type of dish, but it feels delicious."

Bearing the name of mapo tofu, victory is only natural.

Eating in the corner allows for better information gathering.

Knowing the original plot, Hoshino Kanade understood that he would inevitably let his guard down and carry a sense of superiority.

Only by gathering intelligence and paying attention to every little movement could he react in time to the changes he brought about.

Take the idea of winning over Matsushita Chiaki, for example. Looking at it purely from the perspective of status, she is a wealthy young lady and he is a commoner struggling to make ends meet; it's as delusional as a toad lusting after a swan.

How to turn thoughts into reality and eliminate his own sense of superiority is crucial.

By utilizing his knowledge of Matsushita Chiaki and the other students, he must move step by step, transforming or disguising his "prophetic" knowledge into his own strength within this school.

Only then can he achieve a leap in social class.

People are not born equal.

If he hadn't entered this school, the best path for Hoshino Kanade would have been to get into a good university, become a corporate slave, toil away for a lifetime, and potentially end up working for someone else's benefit.

But if he were to act like Nagumo Miyabi—seizing an opportunity only to act recklessly because of his power within the school—he wouldn't even know when he'd end up stuffed in a sack and dumped into Tokyo Bay.

"Kanade-kun?"

Kiyona made a puzzled sound.

"Sorry, I was just spacing out."

"A beautiful girl is right in front of you, and yet you can still space out, Kanade-kun? You really don't understand the mood, do you?"

After saying this, Kiyona puffed out her cheeks, putting on an angry expression. Combined with her face, which had turned slightly red from the spice, she looked incredibly cute.

Hoshino Kanade couldn't handle it and reached out to poke her puffed-up cheek.

"Sorry, it won't happen again. I was just seeing that the reactions of those upperclassmen were a bit strange."

"How so?"

Kiyona's attention was captured, even though she was only pretending to be annoyed in the first place.

"Judging by the style of their uniforms, they should be third-years. Those guys are clearly regulars for the free meal plan," Hoshino Kanade said, gesturing slightly toward them. "Although it's not obvious, some other third-year students look at those students who eat the free meal plan with contempt."

When you already have the answer, it is easy to reverse-engineer the details that led to it.

Without the answer, Hoshino Kanade could stare until his eyes went blind and still wouldn't be able to tell what the "pie chart" in those students' eyes represented.

"That is indeed the case. It's very strange."

Kiyona only took one look before agreeing with Kanade's assessment.

But she suddenly realized that the observational skills she had displayed were a bit abnormal.

But if she took another look.

It would be even more abnormal.

Fortunately, Kanade didn't notice anything, which made Kiyona heave a sigh of relief.

"But what does this mean? I haven't seen any second-years eating the free meal plan, and the first-years just received their 100,000 points, so no one would be eating the free meal plan either."

When information is insufficient, there are countless possibilities just by brute-forcing them. For now, Kiyona is destined to be unable to deduce the truth.

"Sorry, even though we agreed to enjoy life first, here I am observing these meaningless things again."

"Why the sudden apology? Being sharp is normal; this school certainly has many unreasonable aspects."

"Mm."

On the first day of school, after the morning opening ceremony, the remaining time was free to spend as one pleased, with classes not officially starting until the next day.

In other words, there was still half a day left to kill.

"I'm heading to the library next. What about you?"

"Then I'll go too."

The main reason for going to the library was to scan the books and read through them all; academic ability was a part of one's strength, and Hoshino Kanade intended to spend a long time immersed in the library from here on out.

It was highly likely he would run into Shiina Hiyori, and he wanted to see if he could establish cooperation with Class C.

However, that would likely be a matter for a few days later; discovering the truth too early would be highly abnormal.

For the information he intended to sell, he needed a reasonable source for his deductions, as well as evidence to prove the information was correct. He needed to put on a show of discovering it himself.

Being one step ahead makes you a genius, being a few steps ahead makes you a monster, and being countless steps ahead makes you a cheater.

Hoshino Kanade still wanted to live for a few more years.

As expected, he encountered the person he had anticipated in the library.

Shiina Hiyori possessed long, silver-white hair and violet eyes; her hair flowed like moonlight, and her purple pupils emitted a rational, distant luster.

Her figure was slender, and as she lowered her head to read, the way her fingertips brushed against the book highlighted a quiet, scholarly air.

The contrast between her simple school uniform and her silver hair and violet eyes made her look like a "blue rose" untouched by dust, blooming with a mysterious and elegant aura in the quiet library.

Hoshino Kanade felt like he had fallen in love all over again; although Kiyona was also wonderful, Shiina Hiyori was simply too unfair.