Chapter 18

At first, Sakura Airi was cautious. She thought Nangong Cheng might have made some terrible concoction to prank her.

But the moment she took her first bite, she could barely control her expression—or her hand.

It's so good!

Nangong had kindly treated her to a delicious lunch, yet she had assumed the worst and suspected he wanted to bully her...

I'm awful!

"Take your time, Sakura. Don't choke... Oh, and have something to drink."

Nangong Cheng watched Sakura Airi's cheeks visibly redden and assumed she was embarrassed.

Still, alone with him, she was doing much better than she had in the classroom.

For someone with her personality, encouragement and affirmation mattered.

Nangong Cheng didn't mind giving her that emotional support. After all, an investment that cost him nothing would eventually earn him a warm return from her.

"N-Nangong, would you like to share?"

"I don't eat much... There's too much in this lunch box for me to finish..."

Seeing how considerate he was, Sakura Airi felt a little awkward.

And after unfairly suspecting him earlier, she felt ashamed and instinctively wanted to make it up to him.

"Share it? Sure."

"But you don't mind sharing saliva? An indirect kiss and all that?"

Seeing how thoughtful she was, Nangong Cheng didn't pretend to decline. While saying one thing, he secretly issued her a task.

[Task issued: Feed Nangong Cheng by hand and hold the milk tea he provided against your chest while drinking it.]

[Task reward: 500 points.]

[Penalty for failure: Make Nangong Cheng a lunch box served straight from your mouth.]

A lunch box served from my mouth?

But I don't even know how to make lunch...

Wait. Is that what "from my mouth" means?

Sakura Airi's already flushed face grew redder. The system had heard her thoughts and given her a detailed explanation of the penalty.

In the end, she raised a slightly trembling hand and set the drink Nangong Cheng had given her, straw and all, firmly against the chest of her school uniform.

"I d-don't mind..."

"So, N-Nangong, could you p-please move a little closer?"

Though she had managed it, Sakura Airi felt terribly embarrassed. She started stammering again without meaning to.

"Okay."

Nangong Cheng obligingly moved over.

From this close, face-to-face, he saw for the first time that a girl really could drink with her cup resting on her chest.

Unfortunately, she was wearing her school uniform, and the drink wasn't milk tea. It wasn't quite the same.

"By the way, Sakura, that's an unusual way to drink. I've never seen a girl manage to..."

Nangong Cheng even made a gesture to illustrate.

Blushing, Sakura Airi hurried to hide her embarrassment by feeding him his first bite of rice.

"Nangong, please don't tease me..."

"Sorry. That wasn't what I meant."

Nangong Cheng fell silent.

For the rest of lunch, he quietly enjoyed being fed by a beautiful girl and admiring her adorable blush.

But good times never lasted long.

In Japan, school let out early in the afternoon, but the trade-off was a much shorter lunch break.

Nangong Cheng rose reluctantly.

"Thanks for lunch today, Sakura."

"I'm looking forward to next time..."

His pointed remark reached Sakura Airi loud and clear, leaving her secretly delighted and embarrassed all at once.

[Task complete.]

[Task reward: Host received 500 points.]

Looking at the panel in her field of vision, she touched her lips without thinking and murmured so softly that almost no one else could hear.

"I'm... looking forward to it too."

I've Waited Long Enough. I Won't Wait Anymore

After school.

Nangong Cheng had just stood up, intending to apologize to Sakura Airi because he needed to change their plans for the day.

Then he heard someone call his name.

"Nangong..."

He glanced over.

It was the cheerful, sunny boy.

"What is it, Hirata?"

"It's about what happened this morning... I think we need to talk and decide what our class is going to do from here."

Nangong Cheng wasn't surprised.

As perhaps the only person in Class D who cared whether the class fell apart, Yosuke Hirata had his hands full worrying about a bunch of problem children.

Without him, the whole class really might fall apart.

"What do you have in mind, Hirata?"

Nangong Cheng didn't dislike people like him.

Even if Yosuke Hirata's fixation came from a past psychological wound, actions mattered more than motives.

Respecting him was one thing, though. Nangong Cheng still refused to babysit Class D.

"I wouldn't say I have a plan. The reality's right in front of us... We can either work our way up or give up from the start."

Yosuke Hirata spoke with a strained smile.

He didn't particularly care whether he graduated from Class A and received the benefits the school guaranteed. What mattered to him was keeping the class harmonious and stable.

But once the competition got rolling, Class D couldn't stay out of it. One wrong move, and they would become its casualties.

He was afraid the class would fall apart then.

He wasn't blind, either. The past few days had given him a rough idea of what their classmates were like, and expecting them to stand against the other classes was wishful thinking.

That was why they needed a reliable leader to step forward and take a position.

"I get what you mean."

Nangong Cheng looked to his left, at Horikita Suzune.

"If you want to give it a try, Hirata, you have my moral support."

"What do you think, Horikita?"

Horikita Suzune looked up from her seat.

She folded her arms, glanced at Nangong Cheng, and answered coolly, "My principles won't let me give up without doing anything."

"But judging by what happened this morning, Hirata, you should start by talking to the students who might hold the class back."

"Because I don't want to work for the class only to find a so-called teammate stabbing me in the back."

Yosuke Hirata gave an awkward smile.

He was about to offer some diplomatic response when Kikyo Kushida, who had been watching for a while, walked over.

"I'm sure nobody would do that!"

"And if it does happen, Hirata and I will talk it through with them. So please don't say things that undermine class unity, Horikita... Okay?"

Going for the old-school unity speech, are you?

Nangong Cheng glanced at Kikyo Kushida in surprise. She seemed a little too committed to the act.

What, are you going to sing "Spring Day's Shadow" next?

"I'm only telling the truth."

Horikita Suzune might not have considered herself eloquent, but she could hear the insinuation beneath Kushida's words.

She immediately turned the accusation back on her.

"Besides, the public materials explained how this school assigns students to classes. Yet the way you've acted these past few days doesn't seem like a Class D student at all, Kushida."

"So I've been wondering whether you've been putting on an act."

Whoa. Horikita nailed it.

Nangong Cheng raised an eyebrow.

Kikyo Kushida had to be furious now. Her true self had come dangerously close to bursting out on the spot.

"Um... If I've done something to upset you, Horikita, I'm sorry. Could you please stop saying such mean things?"

"I just want everyone to enjoy their three years at this school..."

The more pitiful Kikyo Kushida looked on the outside, the more furiously she cursed on the inside.

I made one sarcastic remark, and you're flipping the damn table, Horikita Suzune?!

Do you even want to play?!

I'm asking you—do you want to play or not?!

"Horikita, please go easy on her."

"Kushida's thinking of the class too. We're all in this together..."

Yosuke Hirata recognized the hostility in Horikita Suzune's words and promptly stepped in to mediate.

He was probably nervous himself, though. He had once personally caused a serious bullying incident.

Nangong Cheng smacked his lips, disappointed.

He had thought he might get to hear a little story about someone's family background.

Still, Horikita Suzune's attack had probably filled Kikyo Kushida to the brim with negative emotions. Her famous scene might be triggered before long.

He couldn't wait.

He had already thought of how to design the task.

"Because we're all in this together, I think Horikita has a point."

Just then—

Karuizawa Kei entered the fray.

She approached with her little group and jumped straight in.

"We all know what Class D is like now, so let's stop fooling ourselves. If someone really does mess things up and hold the class back, are we supposed to keep coddling them?"

"Once or twice is fine. Everyone makes mistakes. But what if they keep doing it no matter how often we tell them to stop?"

Yosuke Hirata opened his mouth to speak, but in the end, he gave a rueful smile and shook his head.

Horikita Suzune glanced at Karuizawa Kei in surprise. She hadn't expected her to speak up in her defense, and a particular idea suddenly occurred to her.

"It's too early to talk about that."