Chapter 24

Holding a soft, sweet-smelling girl felt wonderful, especially when her ample curves provided such generous cushioning.

But the girl in his arms had completely short-circuited.

"N-Nangong..."

It was her first time being held by a boy, her first kiss on the forehead, her first time feeling a man's presence and a strange sense of safety so intensely...

Ichinose Honami was so embarrassed she had no idea what to do. Her mind went blank, though she instinctively wanted Nangong Cheng to hurry up and take his hands away.

Nangong Cheng obediently let go.

But letting go was one thing.

Ichinose Honami seemed to have lost the ability to move. She stayed against his chest without stirring.

And as luck would have it...

Chie Hoshinomiya finally arrived.

"Ichinose? Nangong?"

Seeing them in such an intimate pose, something unreadable flickered through her eyes.

"What are you two..."

"Did I come at a bad time?"

Hoshinomiya: Chabashira, your student is quite the catch

"No, ma'am. Your timing is perfect."

After Nangong Cheng patiently explained everything, Chie Hoshinomiya understood what had happened.

"So the two of you teamed up to pull one over on the Student Council vice president? You've got guts."

This year's students really were full of surprises.

No, Nangong Cheng was the surprise.

As a former Advanced Nurturing student, Chie Hoshinomiya understood far better than students like Ichinose Honami just how...

Unthinkable Nangong Cheng's actions were.

And her intuition as a woman told her something else.

If Horikita Manabu was the finest Student Council president in Advanced Nurturing's history, then Nangong Cheng might become its first Class D student to topple Class A.

I absolutely cannot let Chabashira use him.

He seems interested in Ichinose, and she even agreed to pretend to be his girlfriend. Perhaps I can use that...

Chie Hoshinomiya's gaze swept discreetly over Ichinose Honami and Nangong Cheng once more. A plan was already forming.

Ichinose Honami had no idea her homeroom teacher was planning to gift-wrap her for Nangong Cheng.

Her head was still spinning.

[Task complete]

[Task reward: Host receives 1,000 Points]

Fortunately, the panel's notification brought her back to her senses. She hurriedly stepped away from Nangong Cheng.

But his embrace and kiss seemed to have left her with lingering effects. Even now, her body felt inexplicably weak.

Nangong Cheng, meanwhile, calmly rubbed his nose and caught a faint, pleasant scent.

"It wasn't a big deal. I just didn't see any reason to be afraid. We're all students when you get down to it."

"Besides, if Miyabi Nagumo can be vice president, why can't I?"

By now, Horikita Manabu should have finished talking with Horikita Suzune. Who knew whether those two tangled-up siblings had cleared up their misunderstanding?

Even if they hadn't, it wasn't a major problem.

Helping Horikita Manabu put Miyabi Nagumo in his place should be enough to earn Nangong Cheng a seat on the Student Council.

Once he turned Horikita Suzune into an obedient little sister, Horikita Manabu would owe him more than he could ever repay.

"Then I'll look forward to seeing what you do next, Nangong."

"Since everything's settled, I'll be going now~"

Chie Hoshinomiya took her leave. She knew staying would only get in the way of the two of them growing closer.

Besides, Nangong Cheng had just given her a fresh topic to needle Sae Chabashira about.

Sae, your student really is impressive, but I have Ichinose. Soon enough, I'll make your student mine too.

How did that saying go again?

He's quite the catch.

"Hmm-hmm~"

Nangong Cheng watched Chie Hoshinomiya skip away humming. He could roughly guess what she was thinking, but who was playing whom remained to be seen.

He turned his attention back to Ichinose Honami.

"Ichinose Mom, let's eat."

"...Nangong, it is lunchtime, but don't you think there's something you should say before we eat?"

Ichinose Honami had more or less collected herself. But seeing Nangong Cheng act as though nothing had happened left her feeling uneasy.

She wasn't exactly angry.

She had prepared herself to some extent. And given the Fated Partners relationship the system had mentioned, this level of intimacy was bound to happen sooner or later.

Besides, he had only held her and given her a fleeting kiss on the forehead. In a sense, that was fairly restrained.

But the fact remained: for a man to hold and kiss a woman, then say nothing about it, was...

"Ahem!"

"If I said I'd only meant to hug you, would you believe me, Ichinose Mom?"

Nangong Cheng felt the Beginner Acting had been well worth the cost. Before coming to this world, he'd barely interacted with women his own age. Without the skill, she would have seen right through him.

At least he could put on an act now, though it probably wouldn't do much good here.

Ichinose Honami still looked gentle, but her smile seemed awfully forced. Nangong Cheng knew his excuse wasn't fooling her.

But was that a reason not to try?

He still had to go through the motions.

"Look at the way that blond guy came after you, Ichinose Mom. How could a devoted son like me stand for it?"

"To make him give up on you for good, I had to go in swinging."

With that, he threw a mock punch.

"Honestly..."

Ichinose Honami could only sigh.

That ridiculously overdone performance wouldn't fool anyone.

But what could she do?

Say Nangong Cheng had acted out of selfish motives?

His actions really had achieved what he claimed. Miyabi Nagumo probably wouldn't come after her again.

At least for now, his attention should be on Nangong Cheng, who had fleeced him for a staggering 5 Million Points.

So did she actually have to thank Nangong Cheng?

It was absurd.

Ichinose Honami felt she needed to get back to her dorm and recover from the emotional roller coaster of meeting Nangong Cheng.

"I need to save money this month, so I'm planning to cook for myself. I won't be joining you in the cafeteria."

"I see... See you later?"

"Yeah. See you."

Nangong Cheng knew today had shaken Ichinose Honami's emotions and worldview, so he didn't try to make her stay.

Since he was eating alone, he might as well tally up today's gains.

[Host: Nangong Cheng]

[Core ability: Master's Task (Lv. 2)]

[Secondary ability: Beginner Acting]

[Experience: 70/100]

[Current eligible task targets: 7 (Horikita Suzune, Kikyo Kushida, Karuizawa Kei, Sakura Airi, Shiina Hiyori, Ichinose Honami, Sakayanagi Arisu)]

[Remaining task issuances: 0 (5 tasks may be issued each day; incomplete tasks do not count toward the limit)]

[Items held: People-Finding Cane]

The experience total was right.

Apart from Karuizawa Kei's selfie task, which remained unfinished, the tasks he had given Sakura Airi and Ichinose Honami today were complete.

The four tasks' base Point rewards were 100, 500, 2,000, and 1,000. Once doubled and adjusted for what he'd spent, they came to the number on the panel.

"Hmm... What should I get?"

Nangong Cheng glanced at [Intermediate Acting], but his gaze soon shifted to [Gene-Enhancement Potion].

Only children made choices. He wanted both.

He didn't have enough Points at the moment, but he certainly would tomorrow. As for which to get first, considering how many people he'd angered and how badly...

"I need strength. More strength."

"I Really Want to Be Mr. Nangong Cheng's Dog"

The next day.

The first thing Nangong Cheng did when he woke was check his Points. The final number had settled at [2,800].

Working backward, Karuizawa Kei had earned 300 Points.

The photo must not have been very good.

Airi had earned 500 on her first try... though perhaps that had something to do with her more substantial assets.

After wrapping up yesterday's loose ends, Nangong Cheng washed up and headed out.

Click—

A girl with long, straight black hair came into view.

Her dark hair stirred in the breeze as she studied the book in her hands. It was a lovely sight.

As long as she didn't speak.

"Nangong Cheng."

"Why did you remove me from your friends list?"

Nangong Cheng smacked his forehead.

Oh, right. He'd forgotten to add Horikita Suzune back yesterday.

More than that, though, he wanted to know whether her talk with Horikita Manabu had gone well.

"Did you sort things out with your brother?"

"..."

Horikita Suzune looked at Nangong Cheng with mixed feelings.

She sighed.