(Riku POV)
***
'This isn't how my revenge debut was supposed to go.....'
I stared at the backs of the two people that were getting smaller and smaller as they left, and my jaw clenched with anger involuntarily.
I looked away and checked the options provided by Spice again, to see if I somehow chose the wrong one.
[Options:]
1. Apologize for implying foul play in the midterm rankings and go through with the bet
2. Show support and say that you believe in her and can help her prove her innocence
3. Ask her how she managed to raise her grades so much
4. Accuse her of cheating and report it to the Student Council
***
'.....No, I definitely made the right choice!'
Options 1 and 4 were instantly eliminated, because they were obvious traps.
Apologizing and going through with the bet would lead to social death, and no girl would look at me the same if I really posted a video of licking my foot.
And also, I didn't really do much to apologize for in my opinion.
4 doesn't even need to be explained.
Between 2 and 3, they both seem relatively similar in the sense that they increase the chances for a reasonable conversation, but if analyzed closely, the latter makes it seem like I was accusing her of cheating again and was just trying not to make it obvious.
Which means.....
'SPICE! ARE YOU SCAMMING ME?' I screamed internally.
[DING]
[Host, please do not accuse me senselessly. Reflect on yourself]
'But the favorability decreased before I even made a choice!'
When I had just started talking to Haruna, a notice popped up over her head that signaled her favorability falling by another point.
Which made no sense.
[Reflect on yourself]
'FUCK YOU!'
[DING]
[Detected insult from Host]
[Administering Punishment]
"Wait, Spice! I was just jok- ASHJHYDGLAJBHSKDHBDJNWSKAJNXJW"
The same agonizing electrocution coursed through my body again, and I fell to the ground while convulsing like a deflating party balloon.
After 5 more seconds of this torturous hell, I was finally able to breathe again, my chest heaving up and down as sweat ran down my back.
'...I absolutely cannot insult this thing again!'
Thankfully, no one was around to see such an embarrassing sight, and I wiped my forehead as I slowly pulled myself up and started walking back to class.
'Increasing favorability seems harder than I thought.....'
My face was grim as I now knew that even with the system guiding me, it would be far from a cakewalk to recover all those lost points.
'If only Spice came earlier.....'
I shook my head and sighed, trying to figure out how to approach the heroines while lowering the risks.
And maybe Spice heard me, because.....
[DING]
[You have been assigned your first quest]
[Click to View]
My eyes widened in surprise, and I instantly clicked on the floating screen as I tried to contain my excitement.
This was my chance to shine!
[Mandatory Quest: The Accused President]
[Detail: Fujikawa Noa will encounter an unwarranted problematic situation next week]
[Goal: Prevent or Solve her predicament]
[Reward: +2 Charm, +2 Physique, ???]
[Punishment: ???]
***
My face fell as soon as I read the entire thing.
'.....I've never even talked to her properly, how am I supposed to interact with her and figure out how to help?'
Maybe she'd even accuse me of being the source of whatever issue she was about to face, which I wouldn't say was outrageous, considering her condescending attitude.
But then I remembered something.
'Wait, aren't I supposed to go to the Student Council three days a week for supervised study? I can interact with her then!'
What was supposed to be a punishment turned out to be a blessing in disguise.
I had cursed her out when she first told me about it, and now it seems like that was simply the Child of Destiny's luck I'd read about in Chinese novels!
Turning misfortune into fortune.
I glanced at the rewards section and grinned, a shudder of pleasure flowing through my veins, just like the electrocution did, as I thought about the advantages it could bring.
Charm and physique spoke for themselves, and hopefully, it would shorten the gap with Yagami.
And yet, I was more interested in the unknown prize.
According to web novel logic, these unknown rewards are the most broken!
'Yeah....Let's do this!'
***
*DING-A-LING-RIIIIING*
Reiji braced himself, his eyes closed in quiet expectation.
"Hey! What happened? Why didn't you guys come back after lunch?"
"A-Are you okay?"
He turned to the panicking duo who were swarming his desk, and Airi was even tugging both of her pigtails at the same time.
"Calm down!" he chuckled, standing up as he slung his backpack over his shoulder.
"Ugh! Just tell us!" Airi snapped.
"Nothing much. Prez made us take another test on the spot to prove our innocence, and we both passed. End of story. We didn't come back until after English class because we needed to eat."
They both relaxed a little after hearing that, but Greeny still wasn't very happy.
"Making you both take a-another test doesn't seem fair."
"I know, but watcha gonna do?" Reiji shrugged. "Anyway, I have MMA Club now, so I gotta go."
"Huh? What about your shoulder?"
"I won't use it, obviously. I think I can manage lower body stuff though."
"Just take some rest, geez!" Airi groaned with exasperation.
"I'll be fine!"
As he was reassuring them, Haruna came up to them in a hurry.
"I'm leaving, I need to go back home to tell Granny!" she chattered, bouncing up and down in an attempt to restrain her anticipation.
Reiji couldn't help but smile at her energy and simply nodded.
"Go ahead, let me know how it goes."
He didn't expand on too much detail, since neither Airi nor Greeny knew about why she had been so determined to make the rankings.
"Are you gonna come over after?" Haruna asked hopefully.
"I might be able to? Depends on how tired I am after training, so I'll let you know by Chatly afterwards."
She looked a little disappointed, but accepted it with a small pout.
"Okay, keep me updated!"
Haruna ran off, making her way through the crowd of students with astonishing skill and dexterity, like a racecar moving through the tracks.
Soon, he parted ways with his two friends and headed for the Club Hall, not looking forward to how Nishimura Sensei would react to his injury.
Especially since the City Tournament was not far away.
'.....Maybe I really should just skip?'
But he clicked his tongue and continued, albeit a little slower than usual, out of hesitation.
When he reached the hall, he entered the changing room and took off his uniform.
"Huh? What happened to you, Junior?"
He turned around to see the MMA Club's Senior, Fujita Senpai, standing behind him with quivering eyes as he locked onto the thick bandages on his bare shoulder.
"Oh.....It's a small cut, it'll heal soon."
"That.....doesn't look like a small cut."
Reiji didn't reply, and his silence said it all.
Fujita Senpai rubbed his forehead with worry.
"Will it heal in time for the tournament? I just talked to Sensei a few minutes ago, and he was really excited about it....."
Reiji moved his shoulder a little, checking for pain and tried to predict how much it would improve by the time it started.
"I.....I'm not sure?" he replied weakly.
The changing room's door slammed open before Senpai could say another word, and they both turned to the noise just as a sharp voice echoed through the walls.
"How long does it take to change, you lazy, no-good fools?"
Nishimura Sensei studied the room, glaring at all the men who were still changing, but when his gaze reached Fujita and Reiji, his fierce eyes widened.
"You....."
His wrinkled face contorted with fury as he stormed towards them, his fists clenched as if he was about to throw a punch.
But when he was just inches away, he stopped and reached for Reiji's arm.
"How bad is it?" he asked anxiously.
"Uh, I'm not a hundred percent sure I can participate in the tournament," Reiji replied with reluctance.
Hiding it would do no good.
Sensei's brows furrowed, and he swore under his breath.
"Tch, not after I boasted to that bastard..."
"What?"
Reiji tilted his head curiously, unsure if he'd heard right.
"Nothing, I'm trying to think about what we can do now."
Nishimura Sensei started walking around in circles in the middle of the changing room, and the rest of the men, who were only in their underwear, exchanged bewildered looks.
"....Should we continue changing?" one of them whispered.
Sensei scowled and waved his hand.
"Why would you not? Unless you enjoy walking around naked?" he hissed.
"Uh...."
Everyone quickly scrambled to wear their uniforms, and Reiji put on his tracksuit as well with a wry smile.
They soon left, leaving only the three of them in the room.
"Hmph, I don't care how you got that injury, but you need to be disciplined so that this doesn't happen again."
Reiji had a bad premonition, a feeling that he was about to suffer.
"Wh-What does that mean?" he asked.
Nishimura Sensei grinned, his sparse yellowish-white teeth gleaming under the bright lights of the changing room.
"10 laps, 200 squats, 50 weighted squats, 5-minute horse stance, kicking drills, and 5 more laps to finish off."
'.....Kill me already.'