"Wait, wait—if we're talking about cup sizes, isn't it obvious that a B can't compare to a C?"
Yuigahama Yui argued seriously, but the moment her peripheral vision caught sight of Class-A hero Matsubayashi Mimiko, she quickly added:
"Ah—sorry, Mimiko, I wasn't targeting you! With your petite figure, if you actually had a C it would look weird. Honestly, the way you are now is perfect!"
Her tone was sincere—because she really meant it.
On Mimiko's tiny frame, barely reaching one and a half meters, giving her Shouko's cup size would be a burden.
Yui could already imagine her toppling over under the weight with every step she took.
"Wake up, Yui! The cup size isn't the issue here—and I don't need relationship advice from a girl who's been single since birth!
I may not be Sakura, but I'm still pretty popular, you know!" Mimiko puffed out her cheeks, clearly annoyed.
"Wha—s-single since birth!? Don't say it like that! I-I'm not some kind of virgin! And for the record, I'm way more popular than you are!"
Yuigahama snapped back like a cat whose tail had just been stepped on, ears burning, her voice rising as if Mimiko had just uttered some forbidden curse.
"Eh? But I never said you were still a virgin." At that, Mimiko's eyes went wide.
She stared at Yui, then asked in disbelief:
"Wait… don't tell me you're still holding onto that old-fashioned idea that you have to marry the guy you date, and that you can only give yourself to your future husband? No way, seriously? Yui, you're actually that conservative?"
Yuigahama's face turned scarlet.
She flailed her arms like helicopter blades, denying it with all her might.
Even though Mimiko's tone made it obvious she was only teasing, Yui desperately tried to prove she wasn't conservative at all.
Wedged between the two of them, Yamauchi Sakura listened to their bickering with a grin, occasionally stepping in as the so-called referee.
Of course, her rulings weren't professional or fair—she was clearly fanning the flames just to enjoy the show.
During the lulls, she would study Yui's flushed face and quietly muse to herself.
A lively pink twin bun hairstyle.
Sparkling earrings.
Makeup a little heavier than average.
A uniform skirt altered to be very short.
A phone charm so huge it could double as a dumbbell.
Even her schoolbag was covered with flashy trinkets.
There was no mistaking it—Yuigahama Yui was the textbook definition of a gyaru.
Anyone could tell at a glance.
And just like she felt ashamed of still being a virgin, Yui seemed to pour herself into playing the role of a gyaru every single day.
Yes—playing.
She pretended to be the type who would scoff, "Sleeping with someone? Please, I was used to that back in kindergarten."
But if you thought she was really talking about that kind of bedroom activity, you couldn't be more wrong.
What she meant was: brushing her teeth and flossing every night, carefully washing between each toe, drinking a glass of warm milk before bed,
Giving her mom a goodnight kiss and her dad a sweet "good night," replying to all her messages, then tucking the blanket neatly under her chin to ensure the most comfortable sleep until the alarm went off.
Yes—behind her flashy gyaru exterior, Yui was actually just a wholesome, ordinary girl.
Of course, this was only Sakura's private headcanon.
But still—there were reasons for her theory.
Despite her ultra-short skirts, Yui once immediately dropped tennis class from her electives just because she was too embarrassed to wear the tennis uniform.
Just like Mimiko said, Yui really was conservative.
Her glamorous looks and kind personality might make her popular among the boys, but she always played dumb and innocent to dodge any real advances.
The world was like a vast sea, and everyone was struggling to keep their little boat afloat.
Watching Yui, red-faced and tongue-tied under Mimiko's relentless teasing, Sakura finally decided to be merciful.
"Yui, there's nothing wrong with saving something precious for the person you love."
"…I-I know that! But I'm definitely not conservative!" Yui turned her face away, hiding her burning cheeks against the wall.
Mimiko didn't press further. Anyone who spent enough time with Yuigahama Yui would eventually realize she was a simple, earnest girl.
Her high "popularity rating" among the boys came from exactly that.
So what if she wasn't a real gyaru?
Who wouldn't want to be friends with such a sweet girl?
The only person who couldn't see it… was Yui herself.
"Anyway, Sakura," Mimiko said, deliberately changing the subject as Yui continued sulking, "that Class-B hero you mentioned earlier—who was it? Someone from our class?"
"Nope. She's a sparkling, shining princess," Sakura replied with a mischievous smile.
At that same time, the one who could outshine even the so-called Sparkling Princess despite only being a Class-C hero—Shouko—was more than proving her strength.
The terrifying "final boss" of their class, Kawasaki Saki, who could reduce Mimiko to tears for three straight periods, was now standing before Shouko—yet so nervous she couldn't even string together a full sentence.
————————————————————————
On the Rooftop
Silver ponytail against pink twin buns.
The two girls stood face to face.
From their posture to their outfits, the scene looked less like a simple school quarrel and more like a campus delinquent bullying a shy honor student.
If a certain doujinshi artist or light novel author saw them, they could instantly churn out volumes of… less than wholesome material.
"…You've figured it out, haven't you?" Kawasaki Saki lowered her head, her tone dry and heavy.
"I don't know!" Shouko's crisp, immediate reply rang out.
Her voice was so clear and innocent it almost felt like Eriri had possessed her body.
Back at the Ruyi Dorm, every time Kyousuke tutored Eriri, he'd always hear that same proud, ringing line—'I don't know!'—delivered with such confidence that everyone around her simply accepted it without question.
"Oh, I see, you don't know? Alright then." Nobody ever thought to ask, "Wait, why don't you know something this basic? Where did your brain go?!"
But Shouko was a sparkling princess.
So what if she didn't understand English, math, literature, physics, biology, or chemistry?
What of it?!
It only meant the tutoring sessions dragged on endlessly—sometimes a single easy question took Kyousuke half an hour to explain.
And during that time, the princess would unleash her arsenal of "soul-crushing teacher attacks":
"Why are you so mean?"
"If I can't learn it, it's because you're not teaching properly."
"Just one more explanation and I'll get it—I'm this close!"
"Hey, household tutor, I'm hungry."
"Ugh, studying is exhausting! I bet I've already killed a hundred brain cells. I'll need extra nutrition later."
"Alright, that's enough, isn't it? We haven't even finished one problem yet, but I'm already exhausted.
Come play a game with me, Kyousuke—or maybe let's catch up on last night's anime episode?
According to the famous Theory, the brain learns best when it's in a happy state, you know!"
"Arghhh! You damn errand boy, how dare you wake me up! I was just dreaming—dreaming of… of… ugh, a very annoying dream!"
"…"
That was just one of her endless combo attacks.
Of course, her most devastating weapon was still the one phrase that echoed like a curse through the Ruyi Dorm's spacious lounge—
"I don't know!"
And in the end, the proud little princess would slam her workbook shut, stand gracefully, smooth down her skirt, and deliver her final blow:
"You're still far from good enough. Try harder—stake your very life on it!"
Without even glancing at her useless household tutor, she would stroll into the flower-filled courtyard, where she'd start playing with Eriri-chan, her clear and foolish laughter ringing out—nourishing the plants like sunlight.
For Shouko, mimicking that silly, childlike voice was a piece of cake.
She'd been infected by it deeply, after all.
And besides—she was a professional voice actress praised by every teacher she had!
"It can't be… That look in your eyes clearly says, 'I've caught you. If you don't want anyone else to know, you'd better obey me.'"
Kawasaki Saki finally lifted her head.
Her large, silver-blue eyes shimmered with tears, brimming with grievance.
She had been foolish.
Foolish enough to think Nishimiya Shouko was a good person.
Foolish enough to imagine inviting her someday to eat Black Forest cake from Pikachu's café, using her hard-earned part-time wages.
That cake alone would derail her carefully planned savings! And yet—Shouko wasn't a kindhearted girl at all.
No—Shouko said "I don't know" only to force her into admitting it herself.
To humiliate her, to toy with her like a cat torturing a mouse.
'So cruel….'
The very "I don't know" that had driven countless teachers to madness… Shouko could even wield it here.
Truly fitting of the girl who fooled everyone into believing she was a sweet honor student.
A big, round question mark popped up in Shouko's mind.
Wait—weren't voice actors supposed to act with their voices?
Since when were her eyes this expressive?
Saki shuddered, staring into those wide, innocent eyes.
'That gaze… it's terrifying.'
'Like a bottomless abyss hidden beneath a frozen lake.'
'If I fall in, I'll be swallowed whole. My high school life, my future—it's all over.'
How could such a cute, gentle-looking girl hide such malice in her heart?
If Saki hadn't already uncovered Shouko's true nature, she would still be deceived by those deer-like eyes—eyes brimming with innocence, as if she couldn't understand a single word being said.
"No, Kawasaki-san, you've got it wrong—"
"Oh yes, I misspoke…"
"Y-yeah, calm down a littl—"
"I mean, according to your kind, the line you're supposed to say is: 'You wouldn't want anyone finding out you use underwear as a hair tie, right?' Isn't that it!?"
Saki roared, her chest tight with despair.
Why—why had she ever used her underwear as a hair tie just to save a measly hundred yen?!
She could've just used her little sister's hand-me-downs!
No, wait, she couldn't.
That was her sister Keika's proof of growing up.
They were treasures to be saved, so that one day they could open the memory box together and laugh about them.
But if anyone ever found out about this… her younger brother Taishi would be mocked mercilessly at junior high.
"Hey, Kawasaki Taishi, does your sister only use underwear for hair ties, or does she use other stuff too? Like panties? Maybe the pair you're wearing right now used to be hers!"
No—no, no, no!
Not just Taishi—her little sister Keika, still in kindergarten, would be dragged into the ridicule too…
What should she do?
Just imagining her precious siblings' lives ruined because of her cheap shortcut made Saki want to break down completely.
'I'm such an idiot. Why didn't I just earn that extra hundred yen?'
'I should've taken another shift. So what if I lost another hour of sleep?'
'A human can survive on four hours a night. I was just too lazy.'
'Keika, my sweet little sister… Taishi, my dear brother… it's all my fault.'
'Your sister's carelessness has doomed you.'
Looking into Shouko's big, deer-like eyes, Saki saw not innocence but an endless vortex.
Her soul was being dragged into it, never to return.
"…Fine. I understand. Whatever you say, I'll do it. Even if it means kneeling to lick your shoes… or lying face-down in sewage so you can step across, I'll do it! So please—please don't let anyone know about the underwear hair tie!"
Tears burst forth, soaking the beauty mark beneath her eye until it glistened.
"I beg you—leave my family out of this. They're innocent! My sister's still so young—I can't ruin her life!"
Her legs gave out, and the silver-haired girl collapsed weakly to the ground.
And thus, with nothing more than a single "I don't know," Class-C hero Nishimiya Shouko utterly defeated the "final boss" Kawasaki Saki—who could reduce Mimiko to tears for three periods straight.
Not only crushed her spirit, but also gained herself a loyal servant.
Should one marvel at Shouko's power as a Class-C hero, or should one simply respect the invincible finishing move that even Kyousuke had bowed to—"I don't know"?
A pure gaze. A clear, childlike voice.
Genuine kindness.
Without all three, the technique would never work.
If she had spoken with malice, her words would have only been cruel—not devastating.
But as Shouko watched Saki collapse into sobs, panic rose in her chest.
The kindhearted girl instinctively tried to help her up—only to stumble back in fright when she saw the raw despair on Saki's face.
That single backward step… pushed Saki further into the abyss.
The silver-haired girl, like a princess whose kingdom had fallen to the demon army, crawled forward on her knees—desperately clutching at her last hope.
Her only plea: that the so-called hero, who was in truth a demon lord named Nishimiya Shouko, might spare her people.
"Ahhh!"
Seeing Saki crawling toward her on all fours, her tear-streaked face twisted like a beast, Shouko's expression turned to terror.
She spun on her heel and bolted for the rooftop door.
"D-don't come any closer!!"