Didn't You See the Cute Beautiful Girl Behind You?

Nishikawa Ryoko looked at Yagami Shizuka, then at Sakayanagi Arisu, looking like a defeated hen, still somewhat unwilling to accept it.

She retrieved her textbook and left.

Yagami Shizuka had already confessed to Sakayanagi Arisu on the first day, so seeking him out was just asking for a snub.

"Hehehe, you failed, didn't you!" Shiraishi Asuka, sitting next to her, mocked.

"Go away, do you think you'd have any luck?"

"Hehehehe, I told you long ago, you can't handle a man like this. Just watch me." Shiraishi Asuka walked over, excited.

She toyed with a pen in her hand as she walked, and upon reaching Yagami Shizuka's desk, she flashed a shy, cute smile. "Shizuka-kun, how exactly do you do that pen-spinning trick? Could you teach me?"

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As Yagami Shizuka looked up, he saw a girl with long yellow hair draped over her shoulders, speaking in a soft, sweet voice, and looking quite cute herself.

This Shiraishi Asuka was formidable; in just a few days, she had already hooked up with several male students in the class, and even had ambiguous relationships with students from other classes, including upperclassmen.

It was as if whenever she encountered a male, she could put on a show of fragility and successfully capture his heart.

A woman like this was terrifying.

The above wasn't entirely accurate, though; after all, this information all came from her own mouth, and only she knew what was true.

However, she did possess a constitution that easily charmed men.

Yagami Shizuka also knew of her other identity.

She was an undercover agent planted in this school by the Silver Faction of the White Room, with the mission of monitoring Ayanokoji.

Yagami Shizuka really wanted to find a way to break the deadlock from the hints, but the hints kept telling him to find Sakayanagi Arisu or to simply refuse.

It seemed Sakayanagi Arisu was a panacea; she could block anything at any time. He really had to thank her properly.

"Pen spinning is easy. You lay the pen flat like this, flick it back with your middle finger, then flick it back with your index finger, like this, like this... you can also use your middle finger like this..."

"Is it like this?" Shiraishi Asuka tried it, but it didn't work well; the pen dropped immediately. She seemed genuinely interested in pen spinning but couldn't grasp the technique.

"Teach me hand-in-hand, I don't mind, you don't have to be shy." Shiraishi Asuka made a move as if to sit on Yagami Shizuka's lap.

Thump, thump, thump!

Just then, Sakayanagi Arisu's cane dropped to the floor and rolled to the front of Shiraishi Asuka.

"Sorry, could you pick that up for me?" Sakayanagi Arisu said, appearing to be careless.

"Oh, it's nothing." Shiraishi Asuka bent down directly to pick it up.

Just as she picked up the cane and was about to look up, a small hand appeared on her neck, easily pulling her toward Sakayanagi Arisu.

A faint voice reached her ears, "If you don't want your scandals to become common knowledge, get lost quickly. I'll only say this once."

Releasing Shiraishi Asuka, Sakayanagi Arisu retrieved her cane as if nothing had happened.

This incident gave Shiraishi Asuka quite a shock.

It wasn't that she cared about her own affairs, but the aura Sakayanagi Arisu had just exuded felt like she was about to kill her.

She smiled awkwardly and apologized to Yagami Shizuka, "Sorry, I'm too clumsy. I'll just study it myself; I won't disturb you two lovebirds."

After she returned, she naturally faced mockery from several other girls.

There was no helping it; Yagami Shizuka now had Sakayanagi Arisu as his backer, so even if they had any malicious intentions, they had no way to act on them.

"Does Sakayanagi Arisu really like Shizuka?" one girl asked.

"I don't know. I think it's more like she's protecting her own dignity. Shizuka confessed to her, so even if she didn't agree, she won't allow other girls to lay a finger on him."

"That's too overbearing, isn't it? Just because she didn't agree doesn't mean she can't give us a chance."

"But Shizuka-kun really does like Arisu. He uses Arisu-kun as a shield for everything."

"Sigh, who can blame him? She's the daughter of the board chairman; we can't afford to offend her."

"Can someone tell me why Shizuka-kun would like Arisu? Is there a reason?"

"Go ask him!"

Yagami Shizuka lay on his desk, feigning sleep, ignoring the chatter of the girls behind him. Sakayanagi Arisu was also very curious about whether Yagami Shizuka truly liked her or if he had some other motive.

Normally, love at first sight usually requires getting to know the other person first, or at least having them be physically striking.

Sakayanagi Arisu had self-awareness; whether it was cuteness or maturity, there were many girls in the class better-looking than her. The only thing she took pride in was her brain.

But school had just started, and she hadn't even begun to show anything yet.

Unless he had known her for a long time and understood her very well.

She tapped the corner of Yagami Shizuka's desk with her cane. "After school, where are we going?"

"Where are we going? Back to sleep, of course." Yagami Shizuka looked as if he hadn't woken up yet, stretched, and slumped back onto the desk.

"Didn't you just say you wanted to go out with me?" Sakayanagi Arisu questioned him earnestly.

Yagami Shizuka immediately denied it, "No, no, what I meant was that my outings have to be approved by you. If you want me to go out with you, that's fine too. Where do you want to go?"

The conversation took a turn, sounding as if Arisu Sakayanagi were the one asking him out.

Arisu Sakayanagi was immediately rendered speechless, not wanting to pay him any mind.

You had the chance, but you couldn't even seize it!

You really have the heart of a thief but the courage of a mouse.

Just you wait. I gave you a chance, so don't come begging me next time.

To think you actually wanted me to ask you out personally—you're dreaming.

"Oh, right, I need to head to the library. Reading is one of my main hobbies, so don't worry about me," Yagami Shizuka suddenly remembered his plan to go read.

Because, just as Ryoko Nishikawa had said, he would get bored if he had nothing to do.

Without any clubs to attend, no games on his phone, no long-form novels, and no short videos, the library was his only option.

He had been the same way back at his old school; he was someone who got bored easily, and reading was an essential pleasure for him.

Hearing that Yagami Shizuka was going to read, Arisu Sakayanagi lost interest; it wasn't as if she actually wanted to go out with him anyway.

She felt quite disappointed in Yagami Shizuka. If he had insisted on asking her out, she might have considered it for the sake of them being classmates.

Yet, all he knew how to do was sleep, eat, or read.

Don't you see the cute girl right behind you?

Don't you want to do something?

If you want to win me over, shouldn't you be taking some action?

With such laziness, you still want to win me over?

Do you even know what you've missed out on because of your laziness?

Go ahead and regret it!

She cursed him silently under her breath and didn't ask anything further.

As soon as school ended, Yagami Shizuka headed to the library.

Normally, he wouldn't read directly in the library but would borrow books to take home. Reading one book a day was his standard, sometimes even three.

To borrow books from the library, all one needed was a phone or a student ID, or one could apply for a library card.

Borrowing was free. Points were only deducted if books weren't returned within half a month. The fee was quite reasonable—only 10 points per day. If a book was kept for over a month, it was treated as lost, requiring compensation at the original price, and would result in school disciplinary action, which also affected class points.

As a seasoned bookworm, Yagami Shizuka read everything and never held any prejudice against the books he chose.

He believed that books were a reservoir of knowledge, things painstakingly passed down by predecessors and intellectuals.

All books were cultural treasures, and one should be grateful to acquire such knowledge.

To be picky was a sign of disrespect toward those who came before.

Entering the library and smelling the scent of the rows of books, Yagami Shizuka instantly perked up.

He was listless during class and always wanted to sleep, but reading was a different story.

He could read for days without sleeping and never feel tired; in fact, the more he read, the more energetic he became, all while maintaining 5.5 vision.

He simply attributed this miraculous ability to some special constitution of his own. After all, he didn't truly go without sleep; he used a meditative technique to alternate sleep between his left and right brain.