This Is More Like It

"Shi Cheng, here's the bento I promised you."

For those who paid attention in class, time passed quickly. Kato Megumi took out the bento she had prepared long ago.

"Thanks." Shi Cheng accepted it without standing on ceremony.

Before he could even turn around to taste it, Kato Megumi suddenly lowered her voice worriedly. "This school feels really strange."

Only half a day had passed.

Yet the image of a good school in Kato Megumi's mind had completely collapsed.

When it came down to it—

It was not entirely the teachers' fault.

Studying itself was a personal matter.

But wasn't this school supposed to be where elites gathered?

Why had things turned out like this?

Kato Megumi found it hard to understand.

If they had been corrupted by all that money—

Kato Megumi did not think that should be the case.

This was only the first day.

Wasn't everyone's self-discipline far too poor?

"You feel that way too?" Shi Cheng sighed, fully sharing her sentiments.

Since he sat in the back row, he could clearly see what was going on in class.

Not everyone, perhaps, but nearly two-thirds of the class had not been listening seriously.

Not paying attention could be understood if they were geniuses who had already learned everything.

But the problem was—

Whispering to one another during class, playing on their phones, gaming, sleeping like the dead.

None of those lousy habits had anything to do with being a genius.

Shi Cheng felt that something was seriously wrong.

He had not planned to say anything.

After all, it was other people's business. Even the teacher had not interfered, had she?

Why should he remind them?

Now that Kato Megumi had brought it up, he casually agreed with her.

Kato Megumi gently shook her head. "Sorry, Shi Cheng. Let's forget about it."

Talking about others behind their backs was not good. Kato Megumi did not want to become an unpleasant person.

"That's true. As long as we take care of ourselves, that's enough." Shi Cheng nodded in agreement.

"Look at Horikita. She has the admirable quality of ignoring everything outside the window and focusing wholeheartedly on her studies."

Shi Cheng forcibly dragged Horikita Suzune into the conversation.

Horikita Suzune, who was eating a homemade sandwich, raised an eyebrow and bluntly replied, "Isn't that just normal?"

That was such a Versailles remark that Shi Cheng did not know whether he should envy her.

After all—

There were countless distractions from the outside world.

Being able to keep such a calm state of mind was not something ordinary people could do.

"Horikita, you're amazing!" Kato Megumi felt the tiniest bit envious, though her expression remained unchanged throughout.

"You are?" Under normal circumstances, Horikita Suzune would not bother responding to this sort of praise.

But Kato Megumi was not a normal circumstance.

Because only now did she realize—

There was actually another classmate sitting beside her.

Horikita Suzune truly had no interest in pointless socializing.

But living in this environment—

She would inevitably exchange a word or two with some people now and then.

So yesterday, Horikita Suzune had already labeled several people.

She would never say a single word to any of them.

Yet even under such circumstances—

She had only just remembered that someone named Kato Megumi existed.

That slightly piqued Horikita Suzune's interest.

"My name is Kato Megumi. Please take care of me."

Remembering that she had only exchanged names with Shi Cheng, Kato Megumi politely introduced herself.

"Horikita Suzune." Horikita Suzune responded coolly.

Once she learned her name, the curiosity in her heart instantly faded.

Kato Megumi did not mind and silently began eating her bento.

Seeing that there was nothing else going on, Shi Cheng looked forward to trying Kato Megumi's cooking.

Before he could open the bento—

A figure arrived with a fragrant breeze, announcing her presence.

When she stopped beside him, Shi Cheng knew she had come to find him.

He looked up curiously.

A gentle, adorable face appeared before him.

Shi Cheng became even more interested.

If he remembered correctly—

Hadn't she said during her introduction yesterday that she wanted to become friends with everyone in the class?

Her ability to act was impressive.

That was what Shi Cheng concluded.

The next moment, his thoughts were confirmed.

"Shi Cheng, can we add each other as friends? I want to be friends with you."

"Of course." Shi Cheng naturally would not refuse Kushida Kikyo's request.

Especially in a situation like this.

Leaving everything else aside, he could be said to be getting the better end of the deal.

So there was no reason to make trouble for himself.

"That's great." Kushida Kikyo's excited voice sounded utterly sincere.

While they added each other, Shi Cheng's gaze casually swept over the trio led by Sudo Ken.

Aside from Sudo Ken, that straightforward guy—

The other two did not show any hostile looks at all.

It seemed they had already added each other as friends.

That was Shi Cheng's conclusion.

"All done, Shi Cheng. Make sure you keep in touch with me." Kushida Kikyo waved her phone and gave him a playful smile.

"Okay." Shi Cheng gave a slight nod.

Yet inwardly, he made another judgment.

A true white lotus?

He could not be blamed for thinking that.

After all—

Those two had been discussing things extremely loudly in class.

As long as she stayed in the classroom, there was no way she could not have heard the topics that could easily disgust girls.

Even so—

Kushida Kikyo had actually added both of them as friends.

Did she have some confidence to back herself up?

Shi Cheng briefly examined Kushida Kikyo's energetic, lively figure.

For the moment—

He could not tell.

"Shi Cheng, then I'll head back first." Kushida Kikyo said it as though she were reminding him.

Shi Cheng calmly withdrew his gaze.

He silently thought—

Interesting.

After Kushida Kikyo left—

Shi Cheng suddenly remembered something.

What about Kato Megumi?

Shi Cheng was completely certain.

Kushida Kikyo could not possibly have secretly added Kato Megumi as a friend behind his back.

After all, they had practically been together the entire day yesterday.

There had been no opportunity.

Shi Cheng instinctively glanced behind him.

"Mm!" Understanding what Shi Cheng meant, Kato Megumi puffed out her cheeks unhappily.

Though the movement was tiny—

Shi Cheng still saw it clearly.

"Kato, your expressions are actually pretty varied. That was great." Shi Cheng smiled.

Although they had not spent much time together—

Shi Cheng had never seen any major change in Kato Megumi's expression.

So that little reaction felt unexpectedly stunning to him.

"Not at all." There was no trace of embarrassment on Kato Megumi's face as she directly replied that she did not believe him.

All this time, people who knew her had always commented—

It would be nice if she showed more varied expressions while speaking.

"What can I do if you don't believe me?" Shi Cheng shrugged and pointed at his eyes.

"But I've already treasured it."

Facing such teasing for the first time, Kato Megumi felt her heart stir.

She blinked her bright eyes.

"Should I be angry right now?"

Why are you asking me?

Shi Cheng naturally could not say yes.

Instead, he asked, "What do you think of me, Kato?"

Kato Megumi looked at Shi Cheng for a while.

Then she answered, "You're quite handsome."

Though he had wanted to know about his character, that was not wrong either.

When looking at someone, did people not look at their appearance first?

Shi Cheng said solemnly, "Then you can't be angry. You should blush instead."

"Huh?" Kato Megumi let out a small cry of surprise. "Is that how it works?"