"May I ask what this is about?"
Horikita Manabu glanced at the Blonde Handsome Man on the sofa and asked.
Tsukishima got straight to the point. "I'm thinking of learning how to make desserts from the Boss Lady at the dessert shop. Is that allowed by the school?"
Horikita Manabu froze for a moment. He pushed up his glasses, his expression unchanged. "Learning how to make desserts?"
Tachibana Akane and the Blonde Handsome Man looked over, too. Clearly, despite having been at this school for a long time, they hadn't encountered a similar question before.
Tsukishima looked at Horikita Manabu, puzzled. "Is there a problem? Does the school not allow it?"
The Blonde Handsome Man lazily straightened up and raised an eyebrow. "It's not that it's forbidden. The school simply never considered the question when it was founded. By the way, I'm Miyabi Nagumo, from Class 2-A, and the student council vice president."
Tsukishima nodded to him. "Yuto Tsukishima, Class 1-D. So when there's no rule about something, who decides?"
Nagumo watched him with interest. "Generally speaking, the Chairman has the final say."
Tsukishima nodded. "Then should I ask the Chairman? By the way, where's the Chairman's Office?"
Horikita Manabu finally spoke, his voice calm. "The Chairman doesn't usually meet with students."
His fingers tapped against the broad desktop. It was hard to tell what he was thinking.
Tsukishima rolled his eyes. "Does the Chairman's Office usually stay locked?"
Clutching her folder, Tachibana Akane said, "No... but..."
"Will I get expelled for going to see the Chairman?"
"No..."
"Then why not just go in and ask? If the Chairman just says yes, it'll probably be over in three seconds."
Nagumo leaned back on the sofa again and gestured to the seat across from him. "Tsukishima, sit down first. I'm curious why you want to learn how to make desserts. Are you short on points and planning to get a part-time job? I hear Class 1-D isn't very well-off."
Tsukishima didn't sit. He simply shook his head. "I might as well learn while I have the time. I'm doing fine on points, though. Anyway, should I go to the Chairman's Office or not?"
Nagumo said, "Sit down first and talk. The Chairman isn't going anywhere."
Tsukishima looked at Horikita Manabu. "Forget it. Getting information out of you guys is harder than taking a dump."
With that, he turned to leave.
Nagumo laughed. "The Chairman's Office is on the top floor, on the right. Tsukishima, once you've learned, can I try some?"
Tsukishima didn't turn around. He flashed an OK sign and left without stopping.
Outside the Chairman's Office, Tsukishima knocked. A steady voice came from inside. "Come in."
Tsukishima pushed open the door. There were two people inside: a middle-aged man seated behind the desk facing the door, and Sakayanagi Arisu.
Sakayanagi Arisu sat on a small sofa to the side. When Tsukishima entered, she frowned, but said nothing.
Tsukishima ignored her, bowed slightly to the Chairman, then straightened and said, "Hello, Chairman. I'm Yuto Tsukishima from Class 1-D. The student council suggested I ask you about something."
The Chairman glanced at Sakayanagi Arisu and nodded. "Go ahead."
"I'm planning to learn how to make desserts from the Boss Lady at the dessert shop. I checked the School Rules but couldn't find anything about it, so I came to ask whether it's allowed."
Sakayanagi Arisu's frown deepened, making her look like a little old lady.
The Chairman's expression remained unchanged. He nodded and asked, "Tsukishima, could you tell me why?"
"The intense, competitive learning environment at this school hasn't been a good fit for me. So, to avoid getting expelled because of a mistake in a Special Exam, I figured I should learn a skill. That way, my time here won't have been wasted."
"Preparing a fallback plan? That's certainly a good strategy. But as far as I know, you've adapted to this school fairly well, haven't you?"
Tsukishima's expression didn't change. He wasn't surprised that the Chairman knew about what he'd been doing. "I have obtained some points through various means, but that's not why I came to this school."
"I'm sixteen. My main goal should be to learn knowledge and skills to prepare for the future."
The Chairman raised an eyebrow. "I believe competition that follows society's rules is also beneficial to students' growth."
Tsukishima maintained his poker face. "Working a part-time job to earn money is part of society's rules, too."
The Chairman folded his hands together. "But that would take time away from your studies, which doesn't seem good for your growth."
This Chairman really knew how to talk in circles.
Tsukishima cursed inwardly but kept his expression calm. "It would reduce the time I spend worrying about my class, my classmates, and all sorts of rivals."
The Chairman's gaze shifted. He looked at Sakayanagi Arisu, who was tapping her cane, then looked at her again.
Sakayanagi Arisu shot him a fierce glare. Only then did the Chairman turn back to Tsukishima. "Perhaps we should hear the opinion of a Class A student. Sakayanagi, what do you think?"
Sakayanagi Arisu rolled her eyes. "Father, there's no need to pretend. The moment he came in, he looked at your nameplate. He must already know we're related."
The Chairman laughed. "Your powers of observation have improved. So, what do you think about this?"
Tsukishima sighed inwardly. As expected of a seasoned capitalist warrior. They were treating him like he wasn't even there, turning him into a prop in their father-daughter interaction.
Sakayanagi Arisu looked at Tsukishima and asked, "So, you don't plan to learn manga anymore?"
Tsukishima shook his head. "I've learned how to draw manga. The rest—the plots, how to use all kinds of equipment, common manga techniques, panel layouts, and so on—will become familiar with practice."
"If I work at the dessert shop, I can use free desserts to get the upperclassmen in the Manga Club to give me advice. I can also leave my finished manga at the shop for people to take and collect feedback."
"And I get to eat desserts for free, so it's a pretty good deal for me."
Sakayanagi Arisu tapped her cane with a finger and suddenly smiled. "So, what are you willing to offer to persuade my father?"
Tsukishima nearly lost his composure. "Seriously? Are you always looking for ways to scheme against people? You're trying to get leverage over me now?"
Sakayanagi raised an eyebrow. "Oh my, it's a transaction. That's the very core of this school."
Tsukishima stopped trying to hold back. "Then I might as well just give the staff some points to teach me. Besides, with the kind of life you lead, what could you possibly need? Want me to spy on Kiyotaka Ayanokouji for you?"
Sakayanagi shook her head with a smile. "Classmate Ayanokoji... I'll keep an eye on him myself. No need to trouble you, Tsukishima."
The Chairman simply watched the two of them interact without saying anything.
Tsukishima rolled his eyes. "If it's not allowed, forget it. I don't have to learn from them. If it comes to that, I'll just spend some points on instructional videos. At worst, I'll learn something else instead."
Sakayanagi smiled. "You really are interesting, Tsukishima."
Tsukishima put a hand to his forehead and sighed. "Sakayanagi, you might have a problem with your definition of 'interesting.' This is my survival strategy. I don't have the Chairman for a father, so I have to work and make a living."
"To put it bluntly, if I had the Chairman for a father, I'd be even more trouble than you."
The room fell silent for a moment.
Sakayanagi Arisu's smile didn't change, but her eyes flickered slightly.
The Chairman coughed softly and tapped the desktop twice.
"Tsukishima," the Chairman finally said, "your request is approved."
"However," he paused, "your final exam scores must not drop."
Tsukishima bowed. "Thank you for understanding, Chairman."
He turned to Sakayanagi. "Sorry, I was a little rude just now."
Sakayanagi Arisu smiled. "You were telling the truth. You weren't rude."
Tsukishima nodded. "Goodbye."
Before you continue