"Just as I thought, a good workout deserves a proper reward!"
Five thousand points had flowed from Koenji's pocket to Shinjo's, and then on to the Cloud Cafe.
Being able to enjoy your favorite desserts whenever you wanted was enough to make even the head of the Odd Jobs Agency hum with delight, wasn't it?
"My little darlings, your master is coming to spoil you~"
Looking at the treats on the table, Shinjo was like Dong Zhuo after arriving in the capital, unable to decide which one to start with. Just as he finally chose the caramel pudding for an appetizer, an unwelcome guest rang the doorbell.
"Ding-dong~"
"Ah, I must be exhausted. I'm just hearing things. It's an illusion, an illusion..."
"Ding-dong."
"I must be too tired!"
Shinjo raised his voice, hoping the unwelcome visitor outside would hear him and quickly leave. Nothing mattered more right now than enjoying the pudding's springy texture and sweetness!
"Ding-dong! Ding-dong!"
He didn't know whether the person outside hadn't heard him or simply didn't want to leave, but they kept ringing the bell, growing more and more impatient.
"Tsk... You'd better have a good reason for this."
Reluctantly, Shinjo got up and slowly opened the dorm room door. A familiar yet unfamiliar face appeared before him.
The girl had what could well be the cutest face in all of Class D. Her honey-colored hair was tied in a high ponytail, and perhaps to show off her personality, she had taken off her shirt and tied it around her waist.
She was the very picture of a stereotypical gal.
"Uh... Karuizawa?"
Countless possibilities had flashed through Shinjo's mind, but he hadn't once imagined it would be her.
After all, they'd exchanged greetings and spoken a few times before, but that was all.
"Um... Shinjo, could I talk to you for a bit?"
The girl looked very nervous and ill at ease. She must have something important to discuss, so Shinjo agreed to her request without hesitation.
"Come on in, if you don't mind."
Karuizawa let out a long sigh of relief when he agreed, then closed the dorm room door behind her.
"Sorry, I'm out of clean slippers, so you'll have to make do with these."
"Ah, it's fine! Really, it's fine."
She seemed so nervous she was already stumbling over her words.
Shinjo thoughtfully poured her a glass of water. "Have a seat."
Karuizawa took it and thanked him, then noticed all the different snacks and cakes on the table and exclaimed, "Wow! You really love desserts, don't you, Shinjo?"
"They're delicious. Don't laugh, but whenever I arrive somewhere new, I always try the local cuisine first. Little by little, eating desserts went from something I liked to a habit."
"Oh? That sounds pretty nice."
They chatted back and forth. Perhaps it was Shinjo's easygoing manner that gradually put Karuizawa at ease, until she could even joke around with him a little.
"Hahaha. So, Karuizawa, what brings you here today?"
At Shinjo's question, Karuizawa stiffened. Then she picked up her glass, rubbing her fingers against it restlessly.
"I... I actually wanted to... wanted to ask you something."
"Oh? Go ahead. I'll tell you everything I can."
(As long as it's something I can tell you, I'll tell you everything.)
Karuizawa took a long, deep breath.
"During swimming class, I saw what looked like a really bad scar on your chest... So..."
Katsuya Shinjo's pupils contracted almost imperceptibly. They weren't particularly close, so why had she come all the way here to ask him about something like that?
Even if she was curious or concerned, she could have asked during swimming class or in the classroom tomorrow...
Something was off. Ten out of ten off...
"Ah... you mean that..."
Shinjo hadn't figured out how to answer yet. He could always use the same excuse he'd given Ayanokoji, saying he'd been scalded by hot oil, but...
In Karuizawa's eyes, however, his evasiveness meant something else. She thought it must be a painful memory he didn't want to talk about!
So she tried to sound it out indirectly, disguising her question as a joke.
"I'm not the type to meddle in other people's business... I was just a little curious. But then I saw you competing against Koenji in the swimming race and realized I might've been overthinking it. After all, you're so impressive, Shinjo. You don't seem like someone who's ever been bullied. Hahahaha... Sorry, that was a weird thing to say..."
After that, Karuizawa laughed awkwardly, though her laugh was awkward to begin with...
But Shinjo had picked up on a key detail in what she'd said. He pretended to pour himself a glass of water too, took a couple of sips, and then said, "So... Karuizawa... you suspect I was bullied before?"
"Ah. No, no, I... I meant..."
"Well, you've got a sharp eye. To be precise, that's exactly what happened."
There was nothing wrong with what Shinjo had said. He had indeed been bullied, just not to the extent of school bullying...
At his words, Karuizawa's eyebrows shot up, and her smile slowly faded.
So... that's what happened?
"Then... when did you get that injury?"
"That was... I think it was two years ago. I don't really want to think back on that time."
As he spoke, Shinjo picked up his glass again and sneaked a look at Karuizawa's changing expression.
Her face showed a hint of unease. If he had to put a number on it, perhaps three parts fear, one part resentment, and six parts blank shock.
"You... Even a guy as strong as you can get bullied?"
"Being bullied has nothing to do with how strong you are, or whether you're a boy or a girl. For that matter, whether someone is strong or weak has nothing to do with their gender or physique, either."
"Why?"
"Because I've always believed that a strong person's power comes from within, never from without."
"So that's why you..."
Karuizawa looked thoughtful, as if she still wanted to say something, but Shinjo interrupted her.
"You've really got a sharp eye, though. Ayanokoji and the others actually believed I'd been scalded by hot oil. I'm impressed you could tell I'd been bullied... Karuizawa, you seem to have quite a bit of experience with this sort of thing?"
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