Itsuka Kendo

"Because of this outsider, I was scolded by Shiozaki..." Monoma turned pale and began to mutter to himself, leaning against the wall.

"So you're the class president of Class A? Don't get cocky, we'll crush your whole class at the Sports Festival!" A steel figure, gleaming in the sunlight, stepped forward, grinning at Jilan Jiyu and Ji Yu. "At the Sports Festival, only I will steal the spotlight!"

"You must be Tetsutetsu Tetsutetsu, right? I think we met during the entrance exam..."

Tetsutetsu's fierce expression vanished instantly. He placed one hand on his chin and began to think hard, because his brain was as hard as steel, and he was always a few beats slower when thinking.

"Ah! I remember now, you're the guy who tricked us into attacking that zero-score robot and then got first place in the grade!" Tetsutetsu shouted. "I thought about it for a long time after the exam. You were using us as cover while you went to rescue people, weren't you!"

Jilan Jiyu shook their heads and calmly said, "You can't say that. Although I got a lot of rescue points, didn't you get any? All the regrets are caused by the helplessness of the people involved. If you could think about it before rushing out, you would probably have achieved better results."

Tetsutetsu was taken aback. This guy was right. He had rushed forward on impulse, without anyone's orders, and because he had diverted most of the robot's attention, he had also gained a lot of rescue points... Should he thank this guy?

"Tetsutetsu, don't be fooled so easily. This guy is using a fallacy of logic." Neito Monoma popped up again, saying in a sinister tone, "Although I don't know what happened in the exam room, the final result is that he got the highest score, right? And if it weren't for your strong physique, you would probably have been eliminated directly, right?"

"What this guy said is right... Monoma said also makes sense..." Tetsutetsu was caught in a dilemma.

Neito Monoma regained his confidence and let out a villainous, three-part, ear-piercing laugh at Jilan Jiyu, "Ha, ha! This classmate from Class A is really clever. Although Tetsutetsu is an idiot, he managed to absolve himself of responsibility simply by focusing on the outcome. You're quite a formidable opponent!"

Tetsutetsu suddenly grabbed his neck and said fiercely, "Monoma, who are you calling an idiot!"

Monoma's hands gripped Tetsutetsu's arms, his neck gradually turning a grayish-iron color, the veins clearly visible. Although he was being tightly strangled, he still shouted angrily, "Let go of me, you idiot! Can't you tell I'm speaking up for you?! What a moron!"

You're the idiot!

Only an idiot calls someone else an idiot!

Are all the people in Class B idiots like them? Jilan Jiyu looked at them speechlessly. They clearly came to pick a fight with them, but for some reason they ended up fighting amongst themselves...

Just as the two were arguing, a pair of huge fists came down from the sky and smashed into their heads. Even though both of their heads were metallic, they felt a sharp pain at the same time and involuntarily let go!

"Big Sister, it hurts!" Tetsutetsu cried out, clutching his head with both hands.

"Kendo- kun, could you give me a heads-up next time you're going to make a move...?" Neito Monoma lay on the ground, his eyes lifeless, and a faint, Invisibility soul could be seen emerging from the corner of his mouth.

"Stop embarrassing yourselves in front of other classes," said the girl with disproportionately large, life-sized hands. "Our reputation will only keep plummeting..."

"Kendo- san, that was too much." Ibara Shiozaki turned around and reprimanded her with a calm gaze.

"Sorry, sorry." The girl named Kendo's hand visibly shrank to normal size as she scratched her head and smiled apologetically at Jilan Jiyu, "I'm sorry for making you laugh. You're the class representative of Class A, right? I'm the class representative of Class B, Itsuka Kendo."

She wore a brownish-yellow ponytail, and her gentle smile made her look like a kind older sister next door. But Jilan Jiyu had just witnessed her walk up behind them with a gloomy face, enlarge her fist, and smash it directly at their heads... Although her hand looked beautiful now, Jilan Jiyu no longer had any feelings for her, and were still wary, telling themselves that they must not anger her.

"Y-hello, I'm Jilan Jiyu." He stammered for a moment, which was uncharacteristic of him, then regained his composure. "I'm just here to see Shiozaki- kun, and I have no intention of provoking anyone."

"I know, it was Monoma who provoked him first. But what brings you to see Shiozaki?" Itsuka Kendo smiled, but secretly pulled Ibara Shiozaki behind her, watching Jilan Jiyu with the wariness of a mother hen protecting her chicks. She had just seen him give Ibara Shiozaki a large sum of money. Even though she knew there must be some reason she didn't know, hearing her classmate's speculation made her think in that direction.

Jilan Jiyu guessed that they might have been misunderstood, and were just about to speak--

"It's a secret," Ibara Shiozaki's calm voice came through. "It's a secret between the two of us."

Jilan Jiyu kept her mouth shut. It was a secret she couldn't tell anyone about Ibara Shiozaki's request to rent her room; she had strictly guarded this information, all for the meager rent. But she had ruthlessly broken that promise by trying to offer some pointless explanations...

Although she maintained a calm demeanor on the surface, Jilan Jiyu, an office worker, was already deeply moved. She turned and left in silence, without revealing anything to Itsuka Kendo.

"What a strange guy." Itsuka Kendo shrugged and cautioned Ibara Shiozaki, "Remember not to have too much contact with weirdos like him."

"Seeing each other about once a month shouldn't be too much, right?" Ibara Shiozaki thought to himself, clenching the banknote in his hand.

Itsuka Kendo turned his gaze to his classmates who were slacking off, and said with his hands on his hips, "And you guys... aren't you hungry at noon? Hurry up and go eat!"

"The show's over, let's all go." Seeing there was no more excitement to watch, the Class B students who had lingered in the classroom dispersed in a flurry.

Jilan Jiyu spent about ten minutes at the entrance of Class B. Although they could go to the school cafeteria now, they were inexplicably not in the mood. They simply strolled over to the canteen near the Management Course, bought a pineapple bun, and selected a can of oolong tea from the vending machine.

Da da--

With a Vibrate from the vending machine, the cylindrical can bounced and landed at the exit. Jilan Jiyu bent down to pick it up, hooked the tab, and took a big gulp. The icy touch made him much more awake.

Then— Jilan Jiyu leisurely turned around and met the gaze of an eye.