Chiba Yu, Ordinary and Unremarkable

"Interesting. He even keeps his own classmates in the dark. What, does he think you lot are too beneath him to be worth the time?"

Ryuen's mocking words echoed in the ears of Horikita Suzune and her group, drawing expressions of displeasure from them.

"That is none of your concern, Ryuen," Horikita Suzune replied, her face tight with annoyance.

"True, but I'm in a foul mood after being played like this today," Ryuen said with a cruel smile. "Once I get back, I'll root out that rat hiding in your class first, and then I'll come back to settle the score with you."

"Oh, and Suzune, when you get back, tell that 'rat' in your class to wash his neck and wait for me. I'll show him what true hell looks like!"

With a cold snort, Ryuen turned and walked away, followed by Ishizaki and the others, who looked frustrated and disappointed. Halfway there, however, he suddenly spun around.

"Right, here's a bit of good news: if you want to find the guy hiding behind the scenes, you might want to check your classmates' personal points. That guy swiped quite a few from me, after all."

Ryuen sneered, his meaning clear enough. Yet, Horikita Suzune and Ayanokoji Kiyotaka stood their ground in silence, neither letting on what they were thinking.

While Ryuen and Horikita Suzune were locked in their standoff, Chiba Yu was sitting in a restaurant at Keyaki Mall, across from a boy with slightly rugged features but a friendly demeanor.

"Come to think of it, we really are fated to meet. I didn't expect to run into you here. I was too rash last time, so let this meal be my apology."

Based on the introduction just now, Chiba Yu knew his name was Kimura Itsuki—the same person he had bumped into at the dormitory elevator previously.

"You've been staring at your phone since you sat down. Is something urgent going on?"

Hearing this, Chiba Yu paused, then shook his head and slowly lowered the hand holding his phone. "It's nothing. Speaking of which, I heard the relationship between Class C and our Class D isn't exactly great lately. Are you sure it's okay to be eating with me like this?"

Faced with Chiba Yu's question, Kimura Itsuki scratched his head and laughed. "It's fine. Even if Ryuen is a bit violent, he shouldn't care about such a trivial matter. Just eat, don't worry about it."

Suddenly, Kimura Itsuki sighed. "Honestly, I'm actually quite envious of you guys in Class D."

"Oh? Why? You should know that our class isn't getting any personal points right now. Just based on that, it's hard to see what there is to be envious of, isn't it?" Chiba Yu feigned a look of mild surprise.

"At least you guys live relatively peacefully day-to-day. By comparison, the atmosphere in our class is... well, it's hard to describe."

Chiba Yu thought of Ryuen's personality. As his classmates, a large portion of Class C likely lived in constant trepidation, fearing they might provoke him. It just went to show that every class had its own struggles.

"Ding!"

Mid-sentence, Kimura's phone suddenly chimed. He picked it up, and his expression soured instantly.

"Sorry, Chiba. Something came up in our class, and we need to head over there now. Let's hang out again when we have the chance."

Hearing this, Chiba Yu slowly stood up from his seat. "No worries. I don't have much going on anyway. If you're busy, go ahead. We'll catch up next time."

As he spoke, Chiba Yu patted Kimura on the shoulder with an "I totally understand" expression.

Kimura Itsuki left, leaving Chiba Yu alone at the table, staring blankly at the scene outside the window.

"Managed to retrieve it without a hitch. I can't be this careless next time; who knows when I might actually get caught."

Looking at the tiny bug in his hand, which glinted faintly under the lights, Chiba Yu murmured with a flat expression. There wasn't a hint of lingering fear in his tone.

"Ryuen is probably fuming right now, searching high and low for that so-called 'traitor.' If I can use this opportunity to lay low for a while, that would be ideal."

After a few casual thoughts, Chiba Yu stood up. Running into Kimura Itsuki at the mall had been a complete accident. He had intended to refuse when the guy offered to buy him lunch, but he hadn't been able to resist the guy's persistence.

With a sigh, Chiba Yu headed toward the exit. The sun was already setting, and since dinner was finished, it was naturally time to head back to the dorms and lounge around.

"That movie was so good! I actually cried when the leads hugged at the end."

"I know, right?"

"Hey, look! Isn't that Chiba over there?"

A small group of three girls walked through the mall, chatting and laughing. Judging by their conversation, they had just come from the cinema. They noticed that the boy not far from them appeared to be their classmate.

"Oh~ it really is him! Should we go say hi, Karuizawa?" Mori Nene, one of the girls, teased with a giggle.

"Yeah, yeah! At least say hello," Matsushita Chiaki chimed in, clearly looking to stir up some trouble.

The two of them played off each other, causing Karuizawa, who hadn't felt much of anything initially, to blush slightly. She then retorted in a flustered, defensive tone, "Who would want to say hi to someone as gloomy and lazy as him!"

But to the others, Karuizawa's reaction only looked like a classic case of playing hard to get.

"Hehe~ what are you afraid of? You aren't dating Hirata, and besides, everyone knows that the only boys you're close to in class, other than Hirata, are Chiba, right?"

"Exactly! And I've heard that Chiba's reputation in class has been pretty good lately. A lot of girls are starting to get interested in him. If you don't make a move soon, Karuizawa, don't come crying to us when you regret it."

"Ahhh! What are you guys even talking about! How could I possibly like a gloomy, lazy guy like him! Even if I were to date someone, it should be someone youthful and sunny like Hirata!"

"Oh~ so you're saying you actually like Hirata then?!"

"That's not what I meant! I was using a metaphor, do you understand what a metaphor is?!"

While they were bickering, Chiba Yu had already walked to a spot not far in front of them. As for their conversation...

Heh, sorry for being such a gloomy, lazy guy...