The Temptation Was Too Great

"Shi Cheng, I've already spent nearly thirty thousand. If I start saving now, will it be too late?"

Kato Megumi lightly poked Shi Cheng's back and asked with slight distress.

It wasn't that she liked spending extravagantly.

It was just that she was a girl.

When she saw pretty clothes, it was hard not to lose control for a moment.

She didn't want to either.

Withdrawing his intensely inquisitive gaze, Shi Cheng calmly looked at Kato Megumi. Sakura Airi was right there, after all. Where could she possibly run?

"Don't worry. Kato, you haven't made any mistakes, so your living expenses definitely won't be reduced by much."

After a pause, Shi Cheng secretly pointed at several particularly noisy people.

"They're the ones who should be worried."

Kato Megumi nodded innocently, with no intention of warning them.

Given her personality, she was unlikely to take the initiative to do something she disliked.

Besides, Shi Cheng was the one who had noticed the problem.

So Kato Megumi merely asked, "Will Shi Cheng remind them?"

What was the point of saying anything now? It was already too late.

And he would only be doing thankless work.

Although Shi Cheng hadn't bought anything expensive,

he could still tell at a glance

that the game console Yamauchi Haruki was holding had definitely cost tens of thousands.

Not wanting to draw hatred for no reason, Shi Cheng decisively shook his head. "No. Let them learn their lesson first. I think that was probably the school's intention too."

"That's true." Kato Megumi completely stopped caring after that.

"By the way, Shi Cheng, do you want to learn how to cook? I can teach you."

Having finished the aside, Kato Megumi brought up the serious matter.

Since their future living expenses would decrease,

in Kato Megumi's opinion,

knowing how to cook would definitely become essential.

After all, eating out was nowhere near as cheap as cooking for yourself.

How could he have time for that? Shi Cheng immediately put on a pitiful expression.

"It sounds so troublesome. Can't Kato just make an extra portion? I can pay you for it."

Kato Megumi smiled and gently shook her head. "No. I can't manage cooking alone."

Those words were too straightforward, and Shi Cheng instantly understood the implication.

But he still had to refuse through the pain.

After all, he had grand plans.

How could he stop moving forward now?

For a girl like Kato Megumi, who was cute yet rarely showed emotional fluctuations,

if he wanted to win her over quickly,

he would probably have to invest a great deal of time.

That didn't fit the plan. There were still others waiting hungrily.

Fortunately, this was school.

He didn't need to worry about accidents. He could keep her in the pond for now and take things slowly.

"I'm afraid I won't have any free time for a while." To keep Kato Megumi from pressing further, Shi Cheng gave a reasonable excuse.

"I can't let Horikita handle everything by herself while I go enjoy myself with you."

"Enjoy yourself..." Kato Megumi's earlobes turned faintly red, though they soon became clear and translucent again.

Although she felt a little sorry for Horikita Suzune, Kato Megumi still had to say it.

"But didn't you already hand things over to Horikita?"

Kato Megumi looked curious. "If there's still anything that needs doing, let me help too."

After all, she had received an important piece of information from Shi Cheng.

She would feel bad if she didn't offer something in return.

Shi Cheng nearly broke into a sweat at those words. He hadn't expected the boomerang to come flying back so quickly.

That had only been an excuse.

Given the current situation, he felt that learning the camera layout was probably enough.

What new actions could there possibly be after that?

You had a chance to slack off, and you weren't happy about it? Shi Cheng's gaze held a trace of resentment.

Did she have to work herself until she couldn't walk before she was satisfied?

Shi Cheng thought it over from every angle, but still couldn't come up with a suitable excuse.

He could only put on a serious expression. "Next, it's my turn. It wouldn't be convenient for Kato to show herself."

"Okay, then. Remember to contact me if anything comes up."

What else could Kato Megumi say upon hearing that? Besides, she realized that she seemed to have been a little hasty.

In the past, something like this would never have happened.

"That's more like it." Having successfully sent Kato Megumi away, Shi Cheng beamed. "If Kato really feels bad about it, you can handle logistics."

Shi Cheng gave an improper smile.

Kato Megumi gave a dissatisfied little hum. She didn't know whether her boxed lunch suited his tastes,

but it carried great significance.

Last time, she had been able to give it to him openly as thanks.

Now, she couldn't.

Because of her personality,

Kato Megumi only realized it afterward.

"If Shi Cheng gets tired then, I can help buy drinks."

In any case, boxed lunches were out for now. Other things could be considered.

"I see. Then I'll leave it to you." Shi Cheng answered very seriously.

Even if this verbal agreement never came in handy,

his attitude remained perfectly proper.

Satisfied, Kato Megumi had no further thoughts on the matter.

As long as she didn't fall behind, she felt anything was fine.

Having resolved this new problem,

Shi Cheng finally had time to deal with the intermittent gaze beside him.

Shi Cheng swept his cold eyes over.

Sakura Airi, who had been pretending to be an ostrich, was instantly startled.

In her fright,

her smooth forehead nearly struck the desk.

Fortunately, it wasn't her first time hiding herself.

Sakura Airi smoothly buried her little face in her magnificent bosom.

So exaggerated.

Shi Cheng sighed inwardly.

Seeing such a powerful weapon,

Shi Cheng only wanted to say that Yamauchi Haruki was truly an idiot.

If the confession had been real, then even if she was a country bumpkin, what would have been wrong with that?

But judging by the current situation,

fortunately, it had been fake.

Otherwise, he would inevitably have felt a little uncomfortable.

From Sakura Airi's pathetic display,

Shi Cheng truly couldn't imagine that she would have the courage to confess first.

Especially not to Yamauchi Haruki.

It wasn't like the target had been the little sun, Hirata Yosuke.

Thinking of that warm-hearted guy, Shi Cheng's eye twitched slightly.

He was a formidable rival.

Fortunately, he was the type who treated everyone warmly.

There was no need to worry about becoming competitors.

Considering that Sakura Airi was even more timid than a rabbit,

this wasn't a suitable place to approach her directly.

Shi Cheng had no intention of doing anything for the time being.

Whatever it was, he would wait until after school.

Before long, school was over.

Under normal circumstances,

everyone left very quickly.

And the teachers never kept class late.

Almost as soon as the bell rang, the teachers would end their lessons.

Coupled with their ample living expenses,

they left even faster.

Because the school was completely closed off, it had all kinds of proper facilities for the students' physical and mental well-being.

It was practically a small city.

So very soon,

there were barely any people left in the classroom.

As the dense footsteps faded away, Shi Cheng looked in surprise at Sakura Airi, whose delicate shoulders were trembling.

She had always been the first to leave the classroom, but today, not only had she been slow to leave,

she seemed to have deliberately stayed behind to wait for him.

A thought could not help but arise in Shi Cheng's mind.

Was the other side of her that she had exposed really that important?

She had actually gone this far.

That truly surprised Shi Cheng.

In his view, it wasn't that big a deal.

Wasn't it just that she was prettier, and her magnificent assets ranked among the top three in class?

Everyone else could be open about it, so what was she afraid of?

After all, the nail that stuck out got hammered down. Going by the order, Sakura Airi was still safe for now.