Beef Rice and the Betrayal of the Mountain Vegetable Set Meal

After a morning of instruction.

Tsukishima felt he had gained a lot. He patted Ayanokouji on the shoulder. "Not bad, you really are an all-rounder. Let's leave it at that for the morning. As thanks, I'll treat you to lunch."

"I have to go to Sweet Talk Dessert Shop in the afternoon to learn dessert-making and help out while I'm at it. You go back and report my situation to Horikita."

"Oh, and I'm not interested in being the class leader. Everything I do is just seizing the moment. If you're interested, you can slowly chip away at the class council. As for Chabashira-sensei, you'll have to deal with her yourself."

Ayanokouji put away his drawing board, expressionless. "I'm not interested either."

Tsukishima didn't care what he really thought and said casually, "Fine, then we'll just be pure painting buddies. That works too. Come on, I'll treat you at the cafeteria. I need to hit the restroom first."

He went into the bathroom and sent a message to Kushida.

[Tsukishima]: Ayanokouji seems to know you're two-faced too. No evidence though, so be careful. Don't go from being free of me to becoming someone else's little toy.

[Tsukishima]: Don't come find me anymore. I'll come to you.

[Kushida]: ??? So all my acting was for nothing? Anyone can see through me?

[Tsukishima]: Can't help it. Class D has too many prodigies, and their talents are all different. Anyway, be careful. I'll come play with you tonight.

[Kushida]: Fine. Remember to delete our chat history. I need to go return some points first.

[Tsukishima]: ok!

He took a piss, pressed the flush button, and walked out while pulling up his pants.

"Peeing feels a bit difficult lately. Hope it's not kidney stones. I need to move around more."

Ayanokouji said nothing. He carried his drawing board and followed Tsukishima to the cafeteria.

"You worked hard today too. Must've been tough for you to talk so much. I'll get you the top-tier set meal!"

Tsukishima was generous and ordered two bowls of beef rice.

Ayanokouji didn't speak, eating in silence. He spotted Hirata in the distance but didn't call out.

Hirata saw Ayanokouji and Tsukishima eating together and froze for a moment, as if surprised the two of them could end up together. He looked at Karuizawa Kei beside him and said softly, "Wait a moment. I'll go say hi to Tsukishima-kun and the others."

Karuizawa Kei nodded.

Hirata quickly walked over to Tsukishima. "Tsukishima-kun, Ayanokouji-kun. What a coincidence."

Ayanokouji lifted his head slightly to glance at him, then lowered it again to continue eating.

Tsukishima looked up. "Hirata-kun. Indeed, what a coincidence. You came to eat in person too?"

This remark left Hirata a bit at a loss for words. He could only force a couple of laughs. "I came with Karuizawa. Just wanted to say hello."

Tsukishima glanced at Karuizawa. He felt her gyaru vibe didn't seem as strong as before.

"Good. Keep it up. Go eat now. Don't keep her waiting."

Hirata nodded, smiled at Ayanokouji, and left.

Ayanokouji: "Hirata-kun respects you."

Tsukishima stole a piece of meat from his bowl. "Don't you already know why? Is it strange that he respects me?"

Ayanokouji stared at his beef rice, now missing one piece of meat. "Karuizawa-san seems different."

Tsukishima took another piece of meat from his bowl. "People have to grow. You have to allow people to make mistakes, and you have to allow them to correct them."

Ayanokouji silently picked up the last piece of meat in his bowl, put it in his mouth, and then the beef rice became beef-juice-soaked rice.

Tsukishima burst out laughing. "Haha, I thought you were above worldly desires. Didn't expect you to guard your food too!"

Ayanokouji said nothing, staring at the beef-juice rice as he silently shoveled it into his mouth.

"Hey! Ayanokouji! You traitor! You betrayed us!"

Yamauchi and Ike, carrying Mountain Vegetable Set Meals, appeared from who knows where. "Damn it! Beef rice! Ayanokouji, did you sell out to that guy for points too?"

Their situation wasn't great—though Hirata was still mediating, people had already started avoiding them.

Ayanokouji swallowed the rice in his mouth, his voice flat. "This is the fruit of my labor."

Tsukishima's eyes flickered. He picked up his own bowl and stood up. "So Ayanokouji, you were actually sent by Yamauchi and the others to spy on me? Hmph, you bastard. You deceived me."

With that, he turned and left.

Ayanokouji watched his retreating back: He abandoned me without hesitation?

Yamauchi and Ike froze for a moment, then sat down gleefully. They brutally stabbed their spoons into Ayanokouji's bowl, scooping up a huge mouthful and shoving it into their mouths, barely chewing before swallowing.

"So Ayanokouji, you were getting close to that guy to find his weaknesses for us?"

Ike also scooped up a big spoonful of beef-juice rice. "You've worked hard! As expected of our best friend!"

Ayanokouji watched his meat-juice rice get scooped away layer by layer, then glanced at Tsukishima smirking in the distance. He kind of wanted to ask if he could buy him another serving.

Tsukishima, seeing Ayanokouji about to get up, quickly shoveled a few mouthfuls of rice into his own mouth and then left without hesitation.

The afternoon sunlight streamed through the glass windows of Sweet Talk Dessert Shop, cutting warm yellow patches across the tables.

Tsukishima had changed into an apron printed with a demon kitten and was whipping cream behind the counter.

Boss Lady Yoko Nakano guided him from the side, occasionally reaching out to adjust the angle of his hand mixer.

"Relax a bit. Your body's a little stiff—you could go to a massage place and get worked on."

"Sis, how about you back off a little and take your hand off my ass?"

Tsukishima was being teased again. He couldn't tell if this was flirting or being taken advantage of, couldn't quite figure out if he was losing or not losing anything—it left him a bit confused.

The Boss Lady chuckled lightly: "Oh dear, my hand just isn't listening to me."

"Then how about tying it up?"

"Eh~ Little Tsukishima likes that kind of thing?"

"..."

Tsukishima was actually enjoying himself quite a bit. Otherwise, he'd have gone straight to the Student Council to complain.

Jingle~

The wind chime on the shop door rang.

Tsukishima put down the egg beater in his hand, plastered on a professional smile, and stepped forward: "Welcome. How many... oh, just you, then."

Walking in was none other than Kiyotaka Ayanokouji.

His gaze swept calmly across every corner of the shop, finally landing on Tsukishima: "One black tea."

A moment later, Tsukishima carried the tea set to the table.

Hot water poured into the cup, the tea leaves tumbling, but he deliberately didn't strain out the fine dregs, and a thick layer of foam floated on the surface.

"Enjoy. Specialty 'Observation' black tea."

Ayanokouji looked at the murky liquid in the cup: "Doesn't look like it tastes very good."

"Pretty sharp," Tsukishima said with a fake smile. "But since you're here to test me, my mood's not so great. When I'm in a bad mood, my hands shake, so naturally I pick the wrong tea leaves. Got a problem?"

Ayanokouji was silent for two seconds, then picked up the cup and took a sip.

Bitter, scalding, and a mouthful of tea-leaf grit.

He set the cup down expressionlessly, forcing himself to swallow that one mouthful.

Tsukishima watched him take the hit and laughed.