The School Cafeteria.
Four words that were so familiar, yet felt so strange to Airi Sakura.
Honami's worldview was once again challenged, the rule that "points could buy anything" becoming even more deeply ingrained in her mind.
Most of the students from all grades eating in the cafeteria focused their gazes on Ren's table.
"Honami, what are you staring at? Eat." Ren, having just dipped a slice of lamb for Airi, placed a freshly cooked shrimp paste ball into Honami's bowl, resting his chin on one hand and speaking casually.
Accustomed to being the center of attention, Ren felt absolutely no pressure.
It was just ordering a hot pot in the cafeteria and cooking it on the spot. No big deal.
Airi, being fed by Ren, kept her head down, taking small bites of the food he gave her like a timid hamster.
The little social phobe also didn't care about the surrounding gazes. In her heart, as long as she could hide behind Ren, everything was fine.
Watching Ren, who continued to serve her food with an indifferent expression, and the dazed Airi eating beside her, Honami sighed. "Ren-kun, isn't this a bit too flashy...?"
"Care too much about others' opinions, and you won't be able to move an inch." Not wanting to hear a lecture while eating, Ren picked up a cooled shrimp ball from Honami's bowl and stuffed it into her mouth to silence her.
Honami, wanting to say something more, rolled her eyes at him but had no choice but to accept his feeding.
Withdrawing his chopsticks, seeing Airi beside Honami looking at him with shining, expectant eyes, Ren picked up another piece and fed it to her in the same way.
Of course I know eating hot pot in the cafeteria is too flashy. So what?
Honami was sometimes too saintly, so saintly that her classmates felt she was unreal.
In the crowded cafeteria at noon, this kind of intimate feeding would make the class understand that Honami was actually just a normal girl.
The distance would be bridged step by step, making her interactions with friends more grounded.
As for Airi, the reason was even simpler.
Desensitization training for a social phobe. Once she got used to being watched like this, it would be beneficial for changing her personality later.
Bonk...
Tapping the girl lightly on the forehead with the end of his chopsticks as she cast hopeful glances at him again, Ren said grumpily, "Airi, enough! Eat by yourself; it's not like you don't have hands."
Didn't you see Honami beside you blushing and eating quietly after being fed once?
Do you insist on having a red face and still wanting to be fed like a baby?
"Oh..." Rejected, Airi lowered her head, feeling a little wronged.
"Airi-chan, say ah~"
Honami picked up a slice of meat from the hot pot, blew on it, and brought it to Airi's mouth, taking responsibility for caring for her new sister.
The soup in the hot pot bubbled, spicy red bubbles constantly emerging and bursting.
Ren narrowed his eyes contentedly, quietly watching this heartwarming scene.
Until...
"Damn it, Little Lion, are you sick?" Ren was really fed up.
He seriously suspected that Rokusuke Koenji was a glitched NPC that spawned whenever he ate.
As long as there was food involved, no matter the occasion, Koenji always wanted to leech off him.
Now that your pockets are full of points, you still come to leech!
Koenji didn't care about that. Familiar as ever, he dipped his chopsticks into the hot pot.
He clamped onto a piece of fish tofu.
Slap.
Quick-witted and quick-handed, Ren knocked away Koenji's prize with his own chopsticks and pinned Koenji's utensils against the side of the pot, preventing them from moving.
"Heh, Dragon." Koenji wasn't angry. He quickly withdrew his chopsticks and pressed down on Ren's, engaging in a silent duel.
Interestingly,
All of this happened on the side of the pot facing Ren and Koenji. The side facing Honami and Airi remained undisturbed.
Koenji struck.
Ren parried swiftly.
Ren struck.
Koenji intercepted in advance, trying to redirect the food into his own bowl.
Knocked away by Ren again.
Both withdrew their chopsticks simultaneously, staring at each other with electric intensity.
Just then, a quail egg floated to the surface.
The two extended their chopsticks simultaneously with perfect tacit understanding. Only the sound of wood clashing fiercely could be heard.
Clack clack clack.
Unfortunately, Koenji was slightly faster.
Thrillingly clamping the prize into his own bowl, he raised a triumphant eyebrow at Ren.
In contrast, Ren hung his head dejectedly, like a knight defeated in a joust.
Seeing Ren's childish side, Honami couldn't help but find it funny.
She picked up an identical quail egg from her side of the pot and put it in Ren's bowl.
Airi clumsily tried to pick up a slippery quail egg from the pot. Perhaps due to lack of skill, she just couldn't grip it.
Getting a little anxious, Airi stabbed her chopsticks directly into the egg, finally securing it.
Realizing it wasn't easy to transfer it into Ren's bowl like this, Airi simply imitated Ren's action from earlier.
She stood up and brought the quail egg to Ren's mouth.
The dejected Ren, sensing the intentions of the two girls opposite him, felt his mood lift instantly.
After eating the quail egg fed by Airi in one bite, he shifted his gaze to Honami.
How could Honami not understand Ren's thoughts? She picked up the quail egg in his bowl with her chopsticks and fed it to him in the same way.
Noticing the corner of Ren's mouth twitching as he suppressed a smile, the corner of Koenji's mouth, raised in victory, gradually turned downward.
Feeling a tug on his pants, Koenji looked under the table and saw Ren giving him the middle finger with his right hand.
"?"
Laughing in extreme disbelief, Koenji decided he didn't care about being a polite guest anymore.
He shoveled food from the hot pot into his own bowl until it was overflowing, then patted his butt and left without a word.
Honami, confused by Koenji's inexplicable actions, asked Ren, "Ren-kun, what's with Koenji-kun?"
"Nothing, ignore him." Suppressing the laughter in his heart, Ren tried hard not to burst out laughing.
Noticing that the pot was running low, Ren handed the task of getting more food to Honami. "Honami, can you help me get some more ingredients?"
Usually, Ren did this himself. Why ask her today?
Glancing at the sister beside her, Honami nodded understandingly and left the table.
"Airi, student ID." Once only he and Airi were left, Ren asked for her card.
Not understanding what Ren wanted to do, Airi obediently took out her student ID.
(Transfer successful: 100,000 points)
"Ren, you..." Startled by the notification, Airi hurriedly tried to return the points.
Pushing Airi's student ID back into her hand, Ren rejected her attempt.
"Airi, these 100,000 points are a loan. Remember to pay me back when the school issues points next month. As for interest, I'll charge you 2,000 points."
"Also, regarding the 2 million points the school will compensate you with, I have to take a twenty percent commission."
"As for the ransom, the classmates should have told you. Give it to me together then."
"That's about it."
Ren was like a ruthless businessman at this moment, calculating accounts one by one for Airi.
"Mhm!"
Holding the student ID tightly against her chest, Airi nodded, her eyes misty.
At the start of the school year, she had spent a significant portion of the 100,000 points on an expensive camera, plus various daily necessities.
There were few points left on Airi's card, which was one of the reasons she had refused to eat with Yume Kobashi and the others earlier.
She thought that even if she came to Class A, she would have to continue eating the free vegetable meal set provided by the school for the remaining half month.
She never expected...
"Alright, don't cry. Honami is coming back; if you cry again, she'll laugh at you later." Wiping the tears from the corner of Airi's eyes with a tissue, Ren comforted her.
As for the ransom and the commission...
If you take the money, you have to do the job. Those are the rules.
Correspondingly,
If you do the job, you have to take the money. Otherwise, it's also against the rules.