Chapter 35

Resentment felt too specific in its targeted punishment content, carrying an uncanny vibe as if he was terrified others wouldn't know he, Nangong Cheng, was the mastermind behind the scenes.

He could only hope that once his ability continued to upgrade, he would gain the authority to adjust the punishment content or even delete it entirely.

After all, being unable to obtain Points without completing tasks was already a punishment in itself.

Eventually, once favorability was farmed up, there might not even be a need for such things as punishments to push them into doing tasks.

"Shiina, do you come to the library every day after school?"

Once is an accident, twice is a habit.

Horikita Suzune took action as soon as she received the task.

This probably also had to do with the fact that she had basically never received any of those intensely repulsive task contents—except for the incident on the very first day of school.

"Yes." Shiina Hiyori replied while turning a page, "As for Classmate Horikita, I seem to occasionally see you come to the library."

"Mm, because I believe reading can effectively expand my knowledge base, so I set a reading quota every week."

"That is certainly very much in Classmate Horikita's style."

Shiina Hiyori tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, her gentle voice very comfortable to listen to.

Horikita Suzune let out an acknowledgement and continued, "So if Shiina comes to the library every day, I was thinking we might just happen to keep each other company."

"I've written down some personal essays and reflections while reading before, and I can share them with Shiina-san when the time comes."

Even standing on opposing class standpoints, Horikita Suzune did not dislike Shiina Hiyori.

That was because her personality naturally leaned towards communicating with outstanding, like-minded people, and the fact that Shiina Hiyori could receive special attention from Nangong Cheng and be deliberately introduced to her meant the other girl was definitely not ordinary.

Therefore, since she could learn and seek guidance from Nangong Cheng, there was no reason she couldn't also learn and seek guidance from Shiina Hiyori.

"Alright, then let's add each other as friends first."

"Mm, I'll scan your code."

Nangong Cheng took in everything before his eyes, then quietly left the library.

Arriving outside the library.

He pulled out his phone, clicked on Sakayanagi Arisu's profile picture, and sent two messages.

[Want this?]

[Chat log of the trade with Horikita Manabu.jpg]

The message was replied to almost instantly.

[Time, location, conditions—send them over.]

Truly succinct.

Nangong Cheng typed out his reply.

[6:00 PM, xxx dormitory, conditions to be discussed in person.]

There was no need to keep the Student Council spot locked in his own hands.

Anyway, according to Advanced Nurturing's tradition, every Student Council President was basically designated and inherited by the previous Student Council President.

As long as Horikita Suzune could pull herself together and win Horikita Manabu's recognition, Horikita Manabu, being a prickly siscon, would surely be willing to choose Horikita Suzune as his successor.

To take a step back, as long as that blondie Miyabi Nagumo didn't end up succeeding the position of Student Council President in the end, that was enough.

Nangong Cheng clicked on Ichinose Honami's profile picture once again and began tapping on the screen with both hands.

[Mom, cook more food tonight]

[There's a guest coming over]

5:30 PM.

Nangong Cheng arrived at Ichinose Honami's dormitory ahead of time. While continuing to help prep, he still used compliment tactics to make the girl blush and her heart flutter.

"Are you getting used to the Student Council?"

"Mm, President Horikita arranged for Secretary Akane Tachibana to show me the ropes regarding Student Council matters. Senior said the President intends to groom me as the next secretary... All of this is thanks to Nangong-kun."

Nangong Cheng nodded.

The big brother-in-law's assists were still reliable.

Of course, one couldn't completely rule out the possibility that Horikita Manabu wanted to foster a relationship between him and Ichinose Honami, wishing to keep him from messing with Horikita Suzune.

People like that were extremely shrewd.

Two Student Council spots just to make him babysit Horikita Suzune for three years—good thing he was a man with a system.

"It's just taking what we each need."

"Even if I hadn't given you that Student Council spot, you could have easily spent points to buy one once Class B had points coming in next month."

Ichinose Honami was noncommittal about this.

Yet entering the Student Council truly meant she had taken a huge advantage from Nangong Cheng, and her mother had taught her never to forget her roots.

"Even if I could pay to buy a Student Council spot next month, there's absolutely no way President Horikita would have personally arranged for Senior Akane to show me around."

"Without a doubt, this is because Nangong-kun, you gave me this connection."

At this point, the girl's expression suddenly turned somewhat resentful: "I actually thought the remaining spot was one Nangong-kun reserved for yourself, but I didn't expect..."

She didn't expect that Nangong Cheng would really do as he said initially, attempting to eat from both Class A and Class B.

Though actually, this was still fine.

Because for her right now, graduating from Class A was no longer the only way out. The reason she was still willing to consider this matter was naturally out of consideration for her classmates.

Yet through these few encounters, Ichinose Honami found that it was very difficult for her to guess and sway Nangong Cheng's thoughts, so she could only do her best.

"Is Ichinose Mom jealous?"

"Although I'd very much like to set the meeting place in my own dorm, the other party is a girl, so I took the liberty of giving out your room number."

Nangong Cheng was still playing dumb.

After all, the hidden little lambs of Class A were the most numerous among the four first-year classes; naturally, he couldn't waste these infinitely renewable resources.

"Nangong-kun is truly mischievous. The moment we touch on a topic you don't want to discuss, you start calling me mom to try and divert my attention."

Ichinose Honami rolled her eyes cutely.

She wasn't genuinely a pure and naive girl; these past few encounters had already let her know that Nangong Cheng's mouth belonged to the type that spoke whatever came to mind.

This person was certainly very serious when he was serious.

Yet he was exceptionally unserious when he wasn't.

Fortunately, she had already built up a certain tolerance toward Nangong Cheng calling her mom from time to time, and had even figured out how to counter his mischievous behavior.

"Mom over here, you know, can't feel a shred of respect for 'Mom' from Nangong-kun's words and actions."

"Since that's the case, Nangong-kun probably wouldn't want everyone to know that you go around chasing people and calling them mom in private, right?"

Volume 1 : 43, Go back, you're too old.jpg

"Ding-dong—"

Just as Ichinose Honami finished speaking, the doorbell at the entryway suddenly rang.

Nangong Cheng immediately oiled the bottoms of his feet and went to open the door.

As for that remark of Ichinose Honami's about how well her little life was going, he naturally didn't take it to heart.

Are you kidding.

To survive in this world, one had to be thick-skinned.

"Click—"

The person ringing the doorbell outside wasn't actually Sakayanagi Arisu, but the person standing in front was indeed Sakayanagi Arisu.

Maa-chan, say something already.

Nangong Cheng glanced at Kamuro Masumi, who stood behind Sakayanagi Arisu like a meditating senior monk, and sighed silently in his heart.

"Classmate Sakayanagi, and this classmate whose name I don't know yet..."

"Please come in."

"Pardon the intrusion~"

Sakayanagi Arisu walked into the room with a smile.

Kamuro Masumi followed slowly behind.

"Nangong-kun, is that Classmate Sakayanagi?"

Wearing an apron, Ichinose Honami walked out of the kitchen carrying dishes, her words and actions giving off the strong visual sense of a mistress of the house.

Nangong Cheng nodded and looked toward Kamuro Masumi.

"And there's another classmate I've seen before but still don't know the name of..."

"Kamuro Masumi."

Kamuro Masumi finally spoke this time.

Yet judging solely by her expression, one always felt she was either impatient or angry about Nangong Cheng secretly pointing her out time and time again.

"Ichinose-san, it seems your relationship with Classmate Nangong is very good, to the point where you can already share a meal in the same room."

Sakayanagi Arisu opened with a probing remark.

She had already obtained Nangong Cheng's admission records from her Chairman father, and judging solely by the contents of the files, Nangong Cheng was just an ordinary person.

Yet what was the reality?

Could an ordinary person unravel the truth that Advanced Nurturing had hidden for so many years in a single day?

"Is that so? But actually, even I couldn't have imagined that my relationship with Nangong-kun would become this good. I can only say that things like fate are truly wondrous."

Ichinose Honami placed the dishes on the table.

Then she tilted her head with a nostalgic expression, pressed her index finger against her lips in contemplation, and finally even smiled somewhat embarrassedly.

Taking all this in, Nangong Cheng silently marveled that women were truly born actresses; this little set of maneuvers was far too smooth.

"Fate?"

"To think that Classmate Ichinose would actually believe in such ethereal and illusory notions?"

Sakayanagi Arisu was observing as well.

Though she couldn't guess what Ichinose Honami specifically wanted to do, this move that apparently staked a claim stirred up her competitive spirit.

Even though she scoffed at the notion of Fated Partners, if tasks were genuinely issued centered around Nangong Cheng, she could just as well claim that she and Nangong Cheng shared a special fate.

"Why wouldn't I believe it? It doesn't seem like a choice that requires me to pay any price, after all."

"Just like how there are people in reality who pray to gods and buddhas, this sort of thing is fundamentally just to seek peace of mind."

Ichinose Honami made another trip back and forth between the kitchen and the living room.

Facing Sakayanagi Arisu's noncommittal attitude, she calmly voiced her own thoughts.

"Then it seems Classmate Nangong must have done something extraordinary to make you believe in this fate so deeply, Ichinose-san."

"Mm~ You're right about that~"

Ichinose Honami playfully gave a wink.

Nangong Cheng's heart skipped a beat.

Could it be...

"Classmate Sakayanagi should already know about me joining the Student Council, right? Nangong-kun helped me with that matter~"

"However, what I really want to talk about isn't this, but rather that Nangong-kun's condition for helping was actually wanting me to be his mom."

As she spoke, Ichinose Honami slyly tossed another wink toward Nangong Cheng.