Kushida Kikyō's ominous premonition quickly came true.
The towering parfait glass in front of them had been completely emptied.
She had only taken that one tiny bite at the start—the rest had been devoured by Shimizu Akira alone.
Her eyes flicked to the countdown timer on the table.
Two full minutes remaining.
(This bastard… He played me!)
The realization finally dawned on Kushida.
His earlier act of struggling with the ice cream? Total performance!
Had he been fishing for her "reward" from the very beginning?
"Didn't you say you couldn't handle the parfait?" Kushida forced a smile.
"Normally, I wouldn't be able to." Shimizu set down his spoon, shrugging. "But sorry—I'm not normal."
His physique was clearly abnormal.
Though the first few bites had given him brain freeze, his body quickly adapted, and by the end, he was eating as smoothly as if it were room-temperature pudding.
That said, he hadn't expected her to offer a "reward."
Knee pillows? Really?
Kushida had probably been counting on him suffering—maybe even sprinting to the bathroom afterward.
But alas, his constitution wasn't so easily defeated by a mere cup of ice cream.
He could probably down ten of these without issue.
"Server! I finished! Does this mean we don't have to pay?" Without hesitation, he raised his hand.
A server hurried over, eyes widening at the empty glass and still-running timer before nodding.
"Congratulations, sir. You've completed our challenge. The parfait is free, as per the rules." She smiled politely. "However, the young lady's mango smoothie is a separate order and will require payment."
Shimizu's brow twitched. "Wait, the rules state the entire table is comped, no? The sign says so too."
This felt like a scam.
He wasn't the type to fuss over a few hundred points, but that didn't mean he'd let them cheat him.
This wasn't about the points—it was about principle.
The server's smile turned strained. "My apologies, there may have been a misprint. The promotion only covers the challenger's item."
With that, she reached to take back the promotional sign.
"Hold on. What kind of 'misprint' is this?" Shimizu slammed a hand over the sign. "This wasn't the deal when we ordered."
Kushida blinked, surprised by his firmness, but interjected softly, "It's fine, I only got a drink—"
"No." Shimizu cut her off, his gaze sharpening on the server. "Either honor the advertisement, or call your manager. Pick one."
The server's smile froze—clearly unprepared for such pushback.
Nearby customers began glancing their way.
(This is bad…) The server panicked internally.
"F-Fine!" Relenting, she forced a smile. "The smoothie will also be complimentary."
"If you can't deliver, take the sign down. Don't false-advertise."
Compromise wasn't in his nature—especially when his rights were at stake.
"..." Kushida studied him with newfound interest.
Who knew this usually laid-back guy could be so unyielding when provoked?
(That smoothie was 600 points… Was he fighting for me?)
(This shop is trash! Can't even comp 600 points properly!)
(Trying to scam me? Watch me bury them in one-star reviews! Go bankrupt already!)
"Kushida-san, you have a review account, right?" Shimizu turned abruptly. "Want to 'gift' this place some bad ratings together?"
"Huh?! That's… a bit much, no…?" She feigned hesitation, biting her lip—though internally, she was thrilled.
Had they just had the same idea?!
So he was the type to strike back when wronged!
"What's 'much' about it?" Shimizu didn't hesitate. "The ice cream was artificially over-frozen, the service was trash—this is fraud. Bad reviews are how you teach these places a lesson."
Kushida's eyes gleamed as she "reluctantly" nodded. "If Shimizu-kun insists… I'll just leave an objective critique, then."
Her fingers flew across her phone screen.
(Publicly trashing a store in front of someone… This is a first!)
She typed out a furious tirade:
[Are your staff all braindead?!]
[Close this scam shop already!]
[Was your ice cream shipped straight from the Arctic?!]
Midway, she paused.
(This doesn't fit my image at all…)
Biting her lip, she deleted it all—then curiously checked the latest reviews.
Shimizu Akira's account stood out immediately:
[This shop's ice cream is deliberately over-frozen, constituting consumer fraud. Evidence preserved. Will report to school food services.]
(He's reporting them to the school?!)
Kushida stifled a giggle.
Compared to his direct approach, her earlier rant seemed childish.
Watching the shop's rating plummet with each new one-star review, an odd satisfaction bubbled up inside her.
In the end, she settled for an elegant:
[Unfortunately, the service here has ensured I will not return.]
"That's it?! Doesn't sound like you!"
When she looked up, Shimizu was studying her with raised brows.
"...Well! I'm not the kind of bad person who leaves nasty reviews." She lifted her chin, lying through her teeth.
"Who said leaving bad reviews makes you 'bad'?" Shimizu tilted the empty parfait glass. "This is normal. If you get scammed, you fight back. Who wouldn't?"
"...Uh... Fine." Cornered, she tapped her screen a few more times before adding:
[The 'free dessert' promise is a lie. Fellow students, avoid this scam.]
"Now that's more like you!" Shimizu grinned.
Kushida's fingers tightened around her phone, her chest suddenly stuffed with tangled cotton—messy and soft.
How had he known her first review was too tame?
She recalled their café deal last month—that must've been when he realized she wasn't just the angelic facade she showed the world.
Not that she'd fully exposed herself. A single vaguely threatening remark hardly counted—at most, it hinted at a slightly scheming side, far from her true colors.
Her habit of cursing under her breath or kicking doors when pissed? Shimizu remained blissfully unaware.
But the most baffling part?
He'd seen through her act—yet didn't seem to care.
No probing questions, no attempts to expose her. His "that's more like you" had been effortless, as if her occasional sharp edges were exactly as they should be.
(What the hell is going on in that head of his…?)