Senior, You Are Truly Black-Bellied

Are you ok?

Looking at the girl who appeared to be suffering from social anxiety, Ayanokoji couldn't help but feel concerned for her.

After a few seconds, perhaps feeling that she had been rude, the pink-haired girl tucked a lock of hair behind her ear and slowly removed her mask.

As the white fabric was peeled away, the girl's soft, cherry-red lips were revealed, followed by skin as fair as jade and a delicate, high-bridged nose.

Her cheeks were flushed, and even the slightly outdated flat-rimmed glasses she wore couldn't fully seal away her sparkling beauty, her watery eyes filled with a hint of timidity.

? Isn't she actually quite pretty.

Ayanokoji had originally assumed the mask and glasses were used to hide flaws; after all, in a school where everyone was a handsome man or a beautiful woman, having looks below the average could easily lead to self-doubt and inferiority.

It turned out he had overthought it.

As expected, there are no ugly people in the world of 2D!

At a glance, she was clearly a girl with top-tier looks but an overly inferior, socially anxious heart.

After a moment, the girl's pink lips trembled slightly, and she spoke softly: "S-sorry, I've caused you trouble..."

"It's fine, it was just a small favor."

Ayanokoji looked at her indifferently, still feeling that she was far too reserved.

Besides, he had a nagging feeling that this girl looked familiar.

As if he had seen her somewhere before.

However, he didn't dwell on it; in his previous life, he was face-blind, and in this life, Ayanokoji was indifferent to his surroundings, so he had no desire to pry into her identity.

After a brief silence, Ayanokoji took his phone out of his pocket and said calmly: "Give me your contact information. When the camera arrives, I'll bring it to you."

"Eh?"

Upon hearing the words "contact information," the girl's delicate body trembled as if by reflex, and it took her two seconds to process it before she took the phone Ayanokoji offered.

After entering her number, the girl returned the phone to Ayanokoji.

"Okay, tha—"

"No need to thank me. Helping you was my own choice."

Ayanokoji looked at her with indifference, his expression remaining calm.

"I'll contact you when the item arrives. You can just pick a time when you're free to meet up and collect it."

As he spoke, Ayanokoji turned around, raised a hand to wave at the girl, and said goodbye.

After all, they were strangers meeting for the first time; it wasn't as if he expected her to treat him to afternoon tea.

To leave after finishing the task, hiding one's merit and fame, was the main theme of how he did things.

Behind him, the pink-haired girl stood rooted to the spot, staring at his back, feeling an inexplicable sense of security and trust in her heart.

If she analyzed it closely, this sense of security seemed to stem from the way the boy looked at her—it wasn't strange, curious, or uncomfortable like everyone else's gaze.

The boy, perhaps, was a very gentle person.

"Thank you, Ayanokoji-kun."

Watching the boy's back, the pink-haired girl whispered to herself.

However, the reality was not as the girl imagined.

Ayanokoji simply possessed a pair of dead fish eyes that were perpetually unfocused.

At this moment, he was using those dead fish eyes to browse the club recruitment flyers on a wall.

Soccer Club... Basketball Club... Light Music Club... Art Club...

None of them interested him!

Come to think of it, joining a club seemed to grant some special points to be used for club activity funds; he remembered the Student Council mentioning this at the start of the school year.

Hirata was in the Soccer Club, so he would find a time to ask him for the details.

While lost in thought, his gaze inadvertently fell upon a girl walking out of the hall.

The girl was clutching a stack of papers that looked like brochures to her chest, her brows furrowed and her eyes downcast, looking rather dejected.

After pausing briefly, the girl walked in his direction, appearing as if she intended to post the brochures on the bulletin board.

When she reached his side, Ayanokoji silently stepped aside to the left, allowing her to choose any spot she wanted for the posting.

He also glanced at the ribbon on the girl's chest, which was different from his own, and deduced that she must be an upperclassman.

Noticing Ayanokoji's small gesture, the girl smiled and nodded, then chose a spot and began to post the flyer in her hand.

"Student Council recruitment. Students who are interested and have strong mental fortitude can come to the Student Council Room for an interview every Wednesday at four in the afternoon..."

Looking at the content on the flyer, Ayanokoji muttered to himself subconsciously.

"If you have the time and sufficient confidence, you can come and give it a try."

As if she had heard Ayanokoji's self-muttering, the girl with the bun hairstyle spoke up naturally while posting the poster:

"However..."

She suddenly paused and gave Ayanokoji a once-over. "I suggest you don't get your hopes up too high."

"..."

Blatant contempt.

Who does she think she's looking down on?

Still, he didn't pay it much mind; after all, he really did look like an ordinary student—completely unremarkable, with a presence that was mysteriously low-key.

What he was interested in was the wording on the flyer: "Students who are interested and possess strong mental fortitude..." What kind of devilish disclaimer was that?

"Senior, the standards for the Student Council must be very high, right?"

Ayanokoji realized that was a redundant question.

The girl with the hair bun sighed softly and began to speak slowly: "They weren't that high before, but..."

"The current president is quite picky when it comes to selecting people. Unless you possess the hard skills he recognizes, you basically can't get in."

Ayanokoji raised an eyebrow. The current president was none other than Horikita Manabu, the older brother of a certain poker-faced girl.

Ayanokoji remembered that his abilities were outstanding—he was talented in both academics and athletics, possessed excellent leadership and social skills, and was undoubtedly a well-rounded, top-tier individual.

For a person like that, perhaps he pursued perfection in everything. It was understandable that he would have high requirements for the abilities of his subordinates, given the level of his own strength.

"I really wish he would relax the conditions a bit. If things keep going like this, the Student Council will have no successors. He's already rejected several applicants I really liked~"

"Katsuragi-kun... Ichinose-chan..."

Coming back to her senses, the girl with the hair bun seemed to have forgotten her original task. She pressed her forehead against the flyer she had just posted, her other hand—the one not holding anything—clenched into a small fist and thumping against the wall beside it, looking utterly aggrieved over the loss of her beloved candidates.

Is this the moment where I should go for a head pat?

A dangerous thought sprouted in Ayanokoji's mind.

Fortunately, the next second, the girl straightened her heavy bun and smiled at him, saying: "If you're interested, you can come and try too. The Student Council welcomes your challenge~"

Whether it was because she was so worried that she had become desperate, the girl who had just been looking down on him had completely changed her tune and was now encouraging him to take the challenge.

Is it possible the president has a thing for young boys?

Watching the girl's eyes curve into crescent moons, Ayanokoji pondered the subtext behind her smile.

Perhaps in her heart, she felt it had reached the point of emergency where they had to rely on sheer luck...

After a while, only the last flyer remained in the girl's hand, and there was only one empty spot left at the very top of the promotional wall.

Ayanokoji took a look; given her height, she probably couldn't reach it.

Sure enough, the girl's expression the next second gave him his answer.

"This is a bit of a dilemma."

Ayanokoji didn't know why he suddenly blurted out a sarcastic remark; for a split second, he felt that teasing this cute girl might not be so bad.

However, to his surprise, the girl didn't seem to mind at all. Instead, the corners of her mouth curled into a smile that was just right.

The next second, she handed the last remaining flyer to Ayanokoji:

"Junior, you wouldn't refuse to help a cute senior, would you?"