The Classroom of the Elite Backed by Black Technology

Besides, didn't Japanese girls drink ice water and eat popsicles during their periods? No matter how you looked at it, that was practically a cult. Wouldn't it make the symptoms worse?

After a brief silence, Shuichi Kanda still felt he should remind her. After all, there was nothing amusing about watching a pretty girl suffer so much over something like this.

Of course, if it had been Sakayanagi, he might have mocked her instead.

It wasn't that Sakayanagi wasn't cute—it was just that she was so obnoxious that it overshadowed her cuteness!

Come to think of it, he hadn't seen Sakayanagi in quite a few days.

"Um, Ichinose, this might be a little rude to ask, but are you planning to go back and drink ice water?"

It was only because this was Ichinose. If it had been someone like Kamuro, Shuichi Kanda might already have had an intimate encounter with the floor.

By now, Ichinose's face had turned bright red. An ordinary girl would probably have left immediately or glared fiercely at Shuichi Kanda.

Some might have even started yelling at him for sexual harassment.

But Ichinose didn't. What kind of hidden gem was this girl?

"Although I don't have any experience with this, I'd still recommend drinking some warm water. If you have brown sugar and ginger, you could simmer some together. It might work much better than drinking ice water and taking painkillers."

"Pfft!"

What was that supposed to mean, no experience with this? Ichinose couldn't hold it in and burst out laughing. It seemed he really hadn't meant anything by it earlier.

That only made Shuichi Kanda even more embarrassed. If the other person had been at fault first, he wouldn't have felt the slightest burden about firing back.

But if he took the initiative to be mean, he couldn't quite get over it himself. That was why he had apologized to Sakura Airi in his heart first.

After all, he was a man with a conscience.

And besides, hadn't she laughed long enough already?

"Sorry, I just think Kanda is a very gentle person too."

"Of course I am. I'm the gentlest man in Class D," Shuichi Kanda declared shamelessly when he saw Ichinose return to normal.

"I do believe that. Back in the library, when you saw a classmate being bullied, you didn't hesitate to act against the Class A students."

Hm? Was she bringing that up now by accident, or on purpose?

Looking at Ichinose's expression and eyes, Shuichi Kanda's thoughts began to turn before he made up his mind.

It was deliberate, wasn't it?

"Speaking of that, I created a perfect opportunity for your Class B. Yet you still failed to take down Sakayanagi. Honestly, I didn't expect that."

Shuichi Kanda's words were exceedingly sharp.

It was practically as if he had carved the word "trash" onto her face.

But Ichinose Honami didn't mind at all, because what he said was true. Their points had nearly surpassed the other side's, but after failing to endure Class C's provocation, they had been thoroughly taught a lesson and lost their chance to challenge Class A.

But that also meant Shuichi Kanda had admitted that he had deliberately provoked Class A.

"So that really was intentional, Kanda? It feels a little underhanded."

"Of course it was underhanded, but I don't care. Making reasonable use of your own weaknesses is also a method, don't you think?"

Shuichi Kanda's words were something Ichinose couldn't quite agree with.

Even after coming to this school, she still wanted to defeat her opponents fair and square, rather than relying on such petty tricks.

"You wouldn't use that kind of method against our Class B, would you?"

"Of course not. Though these unorthodox tricks can be very useful at times, once they're exposed, they can cause incalculable losses. So if I can fight openly and honestly with the proper approach, I'll fight openly and honestly with the proper approach."

In reality, there was simply no need for him to use such crooked methods against the current Class B.

"Still, no matter what, thank you for creating such a good opportunity for us, even if we regretfully failed to seize it."

"No need to thank me. It was merely a coincidence."

After talking for so long, the elevator finally arrived.

When they reached the fourth floor, Shuichi Kanda said goodbye to Ichinose and left.

Back in his room, Shuichi Kanda looked at the whole chicken in his bag of groceries and had an idea.

Maybe he should stew some chicken soup today.

Sure enough, his conversation with Ichinose was still affecting him. But did it really hurt that much?

This Is Chicken Soup I Stewed for Over Four Hours ### Meanwhile, after Ichinose returned to her room, she casually opened the freezer, intending to take out some ice cubes to chew on.

But for some reason, Shuichi Kanda's words from earlier came to mind.

It's better to drink warm water.

After hesitating for a second, Ichinose put the ice cubes back in the freezer, then took out a thermos, poured herself a cup of warm water, and drank it.

It seemed to have worked?

If Shuichi Kanda had known, he definitely would have complained: That's just the placebo effect! How could it work that quickly?

After drinking a cup of warm water, Ichinose lay down on her bed and began thinking about how to handle the coming pressure from Class A and Class C.

Sakayanagi of Class A launched relentless attacks, while Ryuen of Class C kept pulling all sorts of underhanded tricks behind the scenes. To be honest, Class B was already struggling to hold on.

If this continued, they would probably soon fall to Class C, never mind competing for Class A's position.

Should they form an alliance with Class D?

Once the thought appeared, it lingered stubbornly in Ichinose Honami's mind, and she began considering whether it was feasible.

She would discuss it with Kanzaki and everyone else in class later.

Meanwhile, Shuichi Kanda was preparing the whole chicken. Since he had decided to stew chicken soup, he did not hesitate.

As for the staple food, noodles would do.

Chicken noodle soup with two drumsticks—nothing could be more satisfying. He could also seal up the leftover soup in the fridge and have another meal tomorrow. Perfect!

He stewed it for over four hours. The moment he opened the rice cooker, the aroma of chicken soup filled the entire room. The chicken had also been cooked until it was tender and flavorful. He had not even taken a bite yet, but he could already tell.

After eating, Shuichi Kanda stored the remaining chicken soup in the refrigerator and prepared to open today's diary.

June 3rd, Wednesday, sunny.

Today, I got Student Council President Horikita's contact information. I heard I'm the only first-year student who has it, which feels a little flattering. Too bad I forgot to show off in front of Horikita Suzune. I need to remember tomorrow.

On my way back to the dorm, I ran into Ichinose Honami from Class B. She was very pretty. And very well-endowed. She also had a great temper; otherwise, based on what I said at the time, I probably would have been ground into the floor already.

Dinner: chicken stewed for four hours. Delicious.

Closing the diary, Shuichi Kanda stretched. It was already nine o'clock. He had just finished the second Harry Potter book while the soup was stewing that afternoon, so he did not plan to keep reading. Instead, he turned on his computer to play some games.

Knock, knock, knock!

That familiar knocking sound awakened the fear buried deep within Shuichi Kanda's heart.

He looked through the peephole. Oh, it was Kushida. She had probably built up stress again and come here to vent it.

This girl really was strange. Couldn't she do it in her own room? Why did she insist on coming here, especially this late at night?

Sure enough, the moment Shuichi Kanda let Kushida in, she began cursing furiously.

She started with Horikita, then moved on to the two idiots, Ike and Yamauchi, then the students in her class, and finally the students from other classes.

Shuichi Kanda was already used to this scene, but there was one thing he found concerning.

Whether Kushida had interacted with Horikita that day or not, the first person she cursed was always Horikita Suzune. Are you really that obsessed with her?

Shuichi Kanda simply ignored her, put on his headphones, and started gaming.

Half an hour later, Shuichi Kanda finished a match and took off his headphones. Only then did he realize that Kushida had stopped cursing long ago and was now curled up on his bed.

Seeing that, Shuichi Kanda was speechless. Are you planning to offer yourself to me?

"Hey, hey, hey. Hugging my blanket like that—are you trying to be some kind of pervert?"

"Shut up, I... ngh..."

Kushida suddenly rolled over, and her little face turned deathly pale in an instant. Both hands hurriedly clutched her lower abdomen.

Damn it. Two beautiful girls with period cramps in one day, and one of them even came into my room and is lying on my bed.

Wait, you're not going to leak, are you? If bloodstains show up on my sheets, people are going to get suspicious.

Thinking that, he walked over to the refrigerator.

"Have you eaten?"

"How could I eat when it hurts this much?" Kushida said viciously. "Or do you want to try suffering like this too?"

Kushida, you're awfully cocky, aren't you?

Still, I'll let it slide since you're in so much pain.

Taking out the chicken soup he had only just stored away, Shuichi Kanda poured it back into the rice cooker and began reheating it.

I stewed that chicken for four hours. I wanted to save it for tomorrow, but what a waste.

Luckily Miyake had not come over today. Otherwise, Kushida definitely would not get a single sip of soup.

More than ten minutes later, Shuichi Kanda carried a bowl of chicken soup and set it on the small table in the middle of the room—the dining table he normally used for meals.

"Hey, get up and eat."

"Huh? Didn't I tell you I can't eat?"

"You won't know whether you can eat until you try. Get up already."

If you weren't feeling unwell, I would have made my move already.

Seeing Shuichi Kanda's impatient expression, a mischievous smile suddenly appeared on Kushida Kikyo's face.

"Then feed me."

What?

You want me to feed you too?

Why don't you just fly up to heaven while you're at it?

Don't push your luck, I'm warning you!

Two minutes later, at the dining table, Kushida Kikyo sat sideways on the floor while Shuichi Kanda held a bowl in one hand and a spoon in the other. After scooping up a spoonful of chicken soup, he fed it to Kushida Kikyo.

After drinking every last drop from the spoon, Kushida Kikyo narrowed her eyes like a cat, wearing a satisfied expression.

"Mmm~~ So good."

"If it's good, eat it yourself."

Shuichi Kanda set the bowl back on the table and replied irritably.

Although feeding her did feel pretty nice, it also made him feel like she was wrapping him around her finger, so Shuichi Kanda decisively refused.

"Tch." Kushida Kikyo huffed in displeasure, then picked up the spoon and started eating on her own.

Though she had said earlier that she couldn't eat, she was actually hungry, so she showed no restraint in the face of this delicious chicken soup.

Besides, the soup was just the right temperature and perfectly seasoned—better than most of the food in the school cafeteria.

I didn't expect this guy to be such a good cook!?

Damn it, missing out last time was such a loss!

Damn Yamauchi, why did you have to drag me off to some celebration party? You idiot!

After finishing a bowl of chicken soup and eating the ingredients in it as well, Kushida only felt refreshed all over. Even the pain in her lower abdomen seemed to have eased considerably.

Ah, next time it hurts, I'm never drinking ice water again. What kind of evil cult nonsense was that!

"Now that you're done eating, hurry up and leave. Get a good night's sleep—you've still got work tomorrow."

Shuichi Kanda cleared away the bowl and chopsticks Kushida Kikyo had used, then spoke impatiently.

Damn it!

Was this just payment for making me work?

Give me back my gratitude!