Your mind is full of yourself

The Advanced Nurturing High School cafeteria is spread across three floors, featuring a minimalist design while offering a wide variety of dishes.

There are dedicated service counters for ordering, or one can use the self-service kiosks.

After scanning the area, Chihaya Rei selected a Seafood Feast priced at over a thousand points.

He never mistreated himself when it came to food.

Besides, after a busy day, his physical exertion had been quite significant.

However, if he were to eat such expensive meals three times a day, even the school's monthly allowance of one hundred thousand points wouldn't be enough.

Fortunately, Chihaya Rei felt that as long as it was a matter of points, it wasn't a problem at all.

One should never underestimate his intelligence network, which was far ahead of everyone else's!

He had to take advantage of the fact that his information was superior to everyone else's to earn points aggressively.

Points were money, and the school would even buy them back at a certain rate upon graduation.

He already had a plan in mind.

He would start by selling the information on the school's first-month behavioral conduct exam to Class B and Class C.

Just then, someone suddenly arrived with a bowl of noodles and sat down in the seat opposite him.

Chihaya Rei looked up and was slightly surprised to see who it was.

Wasn't this his number one target for torment, Horikita Suzune?

What Chihaya Rei found strange, however, was her behavior.

Given her personality, why would she choose to sit across from him when there were still plenty of empty seats around?

At that moment, Horikita Suzune, acting as if no one else were there, tucked her long hair behind her ear with one hand while using her chopsticks to pick up some noodles with the other. She blew gently on them with her rosy lips before bringing them to her mouth.

It was as if she hadn't seen him at all...

Chihaya Rei immediately realized that his Stealthy Aura had been in effect.

He hadn't turned it off; he had simply forgotten to.

It seemed the effect of Stealthy Aura was even more powerful than he had imagined.

One day, when it came to a contest of strength, he could suddenly activate this skill and land a punch on someone; they probably wouldn't even be able to react.

With a thought, Chihaya Rei deactivated Stealthy Aura and said:

"Horikita, your noodle-slurping technique is quite professional."

"Huh?"

Horikita Suzune suddenly looked up, her eyes widening involuntarily as she met Chihaya Rei's half-smiling expression.

"Chihaya?! How did you... come to be sitting..."

Because her mouth was stuffed with noodles, Horikita Suzune made intermittent sounds, but she quickly realized it was inappropriate and clamped her mouth shut.

At this very moment, Horikita Suzune was filled with confusion and deep embarrassment at being seen in such a state by him.

But... when she chose to sit here just now, she remembered there being two empty seats.

How did Chihaya Rei suddenly appear like a ghost?

If she had known Chihaya Rei was sitting here, she would never have come to sit across from him—absolutely not!

"I've been sitting here the whole time, I arrived before you."

Chihaya Rei stated the facts calmly to seize the moral high ground, then added with a look of disdain:

"Also, you'd better swallow those noodles before you speak; I don't want to be sprayed with imported noodles."

Horikita Suzune's face flushed slightly, and she turned her head away to chew and swallow.

Soon, seeing Horikita Suzune's expression return to its usual coldness, her thin lips parting as if to speak, Chihaya Rei preempted her:

"What a truly annoying coincidence."

Horikita Suzune: "?"

How did this guy know exactly what she was thinking?

Glaring at Chihaya Rei without backing down, Horikita Suzune retorted:

"That's exactly what I wanted to say."

However, since she had already sat down, Horikita Suzune didn't intend to leave.

If she just picked up her bowl and left now, wouldn't it look like she was chickening out? She wouldn't back down from Chihaya Rei.

Chihaya Rei suppressed a laugh, intending to use Horikita Suzune to farm some experience.

Just as Horikita Suzune picked up her chopsticks again to put more noodles into her mouth, Chihaya Rei timed his interruption perfectly.

"Horikita, a day has almost passed; have you discovered anything about this school?"

Horikita Suzune had no choice but to put down her chopsticks, feeling that Chihaya Rei was doing this on purpose.

But she still looked up at Chihaya Rei.

Clearly, she was also somewhat interested in this topic, as she too felt there was something strange about this school.

Horikita Suzune asked nonchalantly, "What have you discovered this time?"

Chihaya Rei didn't mind, saying casually:

"I've discovered quite a lot. For instance, the cafeteria we are currently in provides a piece of intel that can be analyzed."

"What is it?" the straightforward Horikita Suzune couldn't help but ask.

"Eh, you didn't notice? I thought you were quite smart, considering you were third in the entrance exam."

Chihaya Rei feigned surprise.

Upon hearing this, Horikita Suzune frowned slightly, then, as if to prove herself, she turned her head to look at the surrounding students and the cafeteria windows, attempting to find the clues Chihaya Rei was talking about.

Since Chihaya Rei could see it, there was no reason she couldn't.

"Just like the school store, there are free windows here."

"And then?"

"And then..."

Horikita Suzune fell into a brief silence.

To be honest, she had no clue and couldn't guess the school's purpose.

"You really are too slow."

Chihaya Rei said bluntly.

[Torture Horikita Suzune, gain 1050 Torture Points]

Without waiting for Horikita Suzune to retort, Chihaya Rei extended a slender index finger and pointed at several upperclassmen sitting in different locations.

"Look at that spiky-haired senior in the innermost seat to our front left, that senior girl wearing flesh-colored stockings, and..."

"What commonality do you think they share?"

Chihaya Rei asked.

Hearing this, Horikita Suzune focused her gaze and began to examine them carefully.

"They are all sitting alone."

"Hmm, as expected of you, that's the first point you noticed, but there's more."

"Their complexions are unnatural; it seems as if... the food is very difficult to swallow."

"And?"

"The food they are eating seems to be the same? It's... it's that set meal from the free window."

Horikita Suzune hesitated for a moment, her tone shifting from uncertainty to sudden realization.

"Correct, that is called the Mountain Vegetable Set Meal."

Chihaya Rei gave his affirmation.

"As for how the Mountain Vegetable Set Meal tastes, you only need to go get one yourself to verify it."

"Why aren't they eating Tonkotsu Ramen like you, or a Seafood Feast like me? It couldn't be that they're just tired of eating it, could it?"

Chihaya Rei said with a light chuckle.

Horikita Suzune couldn't help but ponder.

By organizing these seemingly insignificant clues, one could deduce quite a lot.

It was clear that these people eating the free set meal were facing a points crisis, and judging by the looks of it, there were quite a few of them.

They were all upperclassmen; it shouldn't be the case that they had already spent all their points so quickly, forcing them to choose such unpalatable food.

In other words, the points they received were simply not enough to live on.

"Do you know why you didn't notice it earlier?"

"Why?"

Horikita Suzune asked subconsciously, though deep down she felt she had just been careless for a moment.

But she also admitted that Chihaya Rei's observational skills were superior to hers.

Chihaya Rei looked up, his gaze meeting Horikita Suzune's directly, and said slowly:

"Because your head is filled only with yourself!"

[Torture Horikita Suzune, gain 3080 Torture Points]

My head is filled only with myself?!

Upon hearing this remark from Chihaya Rei, Horikita Suzune felt as if a giant boulder had suddenly smashed into the depths of her mind.

Her eyes widened slightly, and for a moment, she forgot to retort.

Chihaya Rei was very satisfied with Horikita Suzune's reaction and the Torture Points provided by the other party.

He used his chopsticks to pick up a plump, delicious oyster from his bowl and ate it, squinting his eyes in enjoyment.

Is Horikita Suzune's observational ability poor?

No, Horikita Suzune's observational ability is not poor at all.

He only had to provide a slight hint, and Horikita Suzune was able to approach the answer.

It is just that in the heart of the aloof and prideful Horikita Suzune, there is simply no necessity to pay attention to these students who have nothing to do with her.

This also leads to her never paying attention to what others are eating.

Therefore, these clues were naturally overlooked by her.