Chapter 166 – Eat a little more

While contemplating the things between Hoshinomiya-sensei and Chabashira-sensei, Yukio entered the convenience store, intending to stock up Shiina's refrigerator.

Casually picking up a small basket, he headed towards the food section. Convenience stores are quite handy, unlike large supermarkets with numerous shelves that require effort to search. Here, the ingredients are always in fixed locations, easy to pick and go.

As he passed the snack aisle, a flash of pink hair and an overwhelming chest caught his eye. It was Sakura, Yukio's undercover girl, carefully scrutinizing the freezer, comparing food prices.

"Sakura," he greeted her naturally as there were no other students around them. He considered transferring some money to ease her tight budget.

Given how scarce D-class's points were and how much he had influenced that, he couldn't just suppress D-class and forget about his key players.

"Ah!" Sakura shrank a bit when she heard her name, her shoulders tensing up like a timid young animal startled by a predator.

Once she realized it was Yukio, she relaxed and involuntarily patted her substantial, trembling chest, making it difficult for Yukio to look away: "Oh, it's just you, Yukio-kun."

Upon recognizing Yukio, her fear vanished, her eyes sparkled unusually, and her previously somber face brightened, rivaling the warm afternoon sun outside.

Yukio glanced at the convenience store clock on the wall: "Are you here to buy ingredients for dinner?" It was quite late in the afternoon after all.

He was late because of what happened after breakfast with Shiina and was now replenishing ingredients for lunch. Seeing Sakura shopping so late, he casually asked.

"No," she said, her face showing a trace of nervousness: "Just that during the afternoon, everyone rests, and there are fewer people in the convenience store..."

Even if Sakura's communication barrier has improved, she still fears crowded places and accidental eye contact with others.

So she deliberately chooses times with few or no people to shop, and even then, she compares prices, likely feeling the impact of Yukio suppressing D-class.

Yukio took the two ingredients Sakura had been looking at and placed them next to her. Then, pulling out his phone, he asked, "Sakura, are you running low on private points?"

"Eh?" Sakura blinked, quickly understood Yukio's intention, and vigorously shook her head: "No, no, no, how could I take money from you, Yukio-kun?"

She really isn't the type of girl who could comfortably spend someone else's money; she couldn't bear the thought.

Her sincere expression, filled with nervousness, made Yukio smile leisurely: "Why can't you accept it? Have you forgotten the sports festival? When I received the D class participation list, I already wanted to reward you."

Sakura chose a good time to talk, when there was no one around, making it easy to discuss things that couldn't be said in public.

A slow "thump-thump" resounded in Sakura's ears, her heart uncooperatively beginning to beat faster, each pulse seemingly rushing blood to her cheeks.

Feeling dizzy as if walking on clouds, joy uncontrollably burst from her heart.

Yukio wanted to reward her as soon as he got the participation list? She really did help Yukio! After receiving so much care and help from him, she could also give something back!

Under the nourishment of joy in her heart, Sakura felt even less inclined to accept the private points: "No, it's not necessary. I did what I did for Yukio-kun out of my own will. I don't need any reward."

Watching the girl in front of him, radiant with joy from the inside out, Yukio's heart skipped a beat.

Not for anything else, nor for rewards, but simply because of him, was she willing to engage in espionage?

Yukio, not lacking in emotional intelligence, naturally understood the hidden feelings of the girl. But for Sakura, he thought it best to let things take their natural course.

After all, Shiina was still waiting for him to come back and make lunch, especially after taking her most precious possession and promising to spend the stickiest day with her.

Turning his head and getting too deeply involved in conversation with Sakura would make his heart uncomfortably twist. Rather than feel displeased, it was better to transfer the money now and let his relationship with Sakura develop naturally in the future.

So he was blunt: "Sakura, just take it. I've noticed you've gotten thinner lately; I don't like girls who are too delicate."

"?!" Sakura's eyes widened, as if her soul was about to escape her body because of Yukio's words.

Yukio... What did he mean? He complimented her for being thin? What did he mean he doesn't like delicate? Does it mean that if she eats a little more, Yukio will like her...?

The "thump-thump" of her rapidly beating heart replaced the earlier "thump-thump," the accelerated pumping coloring Sakura's cheeks with a charming flush.

Sakura herself was confused, her mind blank, devoid of any thoughts. She dumbly unlocked her phone and placed it in front of Yukio.

The meaning was clear: if Yukio didn't like delicate girls, then she should probably eat a bit more...

Her phone's screensaver was interesting, too. Under bright sunlight, it showed Yukio, dressed in sportswear, laughing contentedly and appearing to be taking a photo.

Yukio recognized it immediately. Wasn't this from yesterday, during the fun race when they tricked Nagumo? Goodness, it had been captured by Sakura as a screensaver?

Yesterday, during the bread event, Nagumo's embarrassing situation was photographed by countless people across three grades, used to mock Nagumo.

Perhaps Sakura was the only one who had not photographed Nagumo but had instead secretly taken photos of Yukio—and, to top it off, she had managed to make him look quite handsome.

"Ah!" Sakura, originally blank-minded, snapped back to reality when she noticed Yukio suddenly stopped talking and saw him looking interestedly at her screensaver, which embarrassed her so much she wished she could dive right into the ground. She couldn't bear to look at him anymore!

"Yukio-kun, I, I didn't mean to take your photo! It was just..." She couldn't complete her sentence and was almost on the verge of tears.

Yukio quickly transferred the private points to her to reassure her: "It's okay, as long as it's not seen by your classmates, I don't mind being used as a screensaver by Sakura."

His words, meant to calm, brought a sweet light to the depths of Sakura's nervous eyes, and her mood strangely settled: "Actually, it doesn't matter if it's discovered. The school forum is full of it now."

Sakura then showed Yukio the school forum on her phone, which was dominated by posts, with ninety percent featuring unflattering photos of Nagumo and ten percent showcasing Yukio's handsome shots.

The unflattering photos mainly depicted Nagumo hanging beneath a baguette, struggling to pull it free in a comically embarrassing pose, while the handsome photos were of Yukio laughing freely next to him. Nagumo's unflattering photos had been photoshopped by the creative netizens into various hilarious versions.

For instance, some had replaced the baguette with men's briefs, making the scene rather distasteful. More skilled photoshoppers had turned the baguette into a python's head, making it look like Nagumo was leaping to kiss a python.

Now Yukio understood why Sakura dared to use his handsome shot as a screensaver; the forum was overflowing with them. He was okay, but for Nagumo, it was truly a social death, a plight so pitiful that even Yukio felt a bit amused...

***

Enjoyed the chapters? Read 20 chapters ahead on Patreon

PATREON.COM/METARLN

400 power stones = 1 extra chapter