The next day after school, Yukinoshita Yukino still met Tanaka Masao downstairs in the teaching building, then went home together for his tutoring.
But today was different.
The two met downstairs in the teaching building, and instead of keeping their distance like yesterday, they walked side by side.
This action naturally attracted the attention of other classmates.
"That's Xuezhixia Classmate, isn't it?"
"Yes, who is that boy next to her?"
"Could it be her boyfriend?"
"No way, choosing someone like him as a boyfriend is so lame, so ridiculous."
"What's so charming about this kind of person? I certainly don't like him. Maybe this is the special preference of geniuses; we ordinary people don't understand."
...
"Who is that kid, walking with Yukinoshita?"
"Not sure, some unknown nobody, quite bold."
"Should we find a chance to teach him a lesson?"
"Yes, let him know that some people are not for him to approach."
...
Almost all eyes were focused on them.
The boys felt envy and a little jealousy towards Tanaka Masao, thinking about teaching him a lesson.
The girls, on the other hand, were somewhat gloating. They couldn't compare to Yukinoshita Yukino in terms of looks, grades, or family background.
Seeing that the excellent Yukinoshita Yukino's male companion was just this kind of person, they immediately felt a sense of superiority.
What's the use of being so excellent if you can't even find a good man?
...
Tanaka Masao vaguely heard these people's discussions.
Hearing this, he felt a slight displeasure.
He glanced at Yukinoshita Yukino and found that she showed no signs of discomfort, as if the surrounding discussions and attention didn't exist.
Tanaka Masao was a little curious, can she really be so indifferent?
"Xuezhixia Classmate, aren't you angry being talked about like this by others?"
"Angry? Why be angry? Why should I use others' harshness and sarcasm to make myself unhappy?"
Although Yukinoshita Yukino's tone was quite calm, Tanaka Masao could hear the emotion in her words.
It might be anger, but more than that, it was contempt and pity for those who maliciously speculated.
Yes, it was pity.
In Yukinoshita Yukino's view, these people, who, out of jealousy, never reflect on their own shortcomings and only seek a sense of superiority by finding others' weaknesses, are truly weak.
Compared to the calm Yukinoshita Yukino, Tanaka Masao was also somewhat indignant.
"If it were me, if they dared to talk about me like that, I would definitely teach them a lesson."
"Oh, teach them a lesson."
Yukinoshita Yukino raised an eyebrow, revealing an interested smile.
"What, you want to beat them up? I remember those boys just now called you a nobody and said they wanted to cause you trouble. So, Tanaka-kin, are you going to teach them a lesson?"
Tanaka Masao showed a rather proud expression.
"Heh, they're jealous that I can go home with Xuezhixia Classmate. I'm too happy about it to even think about these poor guys."
Seeing the smug Tanaka Masao, Yukinoshita Yukino sneered but didn't say much.
She hadn't really thought of letting Tanaka Masao fight with others; she just wanted to see what Tanaka Masao's reaction would be.
The result, well, being rational and not impulsive is good, just a bit thick-skinned.
...
Tanaka Masao experienced, for the first time, returning home under everyone's gaze.
How to describe this feeling?
Although it was cool to be with the school beauty, receive everyone's envy, be a show-off once, and experience the treatment of a protagonist.
But there was always some discomfort.
He still preferred going home quietly as usual.
Leaving the school grounds, when there were no other classmates around, Tanaka Masao secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
He couldn't help but exclaim,
"Phew, this feeling of being in the spotlight really makes one nervous. It's truly impressive that Xuezhixia Classmate lives in such an environment every day and can still be so composed."
Hearing this, Yukinoshita Yukino proudly tossed her long hair.
"Tanaka-kin might not realize it, but being both cute and excellent, I was born to be in the spotlight, a protagonist-like existence.
However, Tanaka-kin, you also need to adapt, because anyone who can be by the protagonist's side is, at the very least, a character who can show their face and has a name."
There it was, Yukinoshita Yukino's moment of arrogance.
Tanaka Masao named it [Smug Yukino].
If Yukinoshita Yukino knew of Tanaka Masao's evaluation, she would surely be enraged out of embarrassment.
She would definitely say, [How can an excellent person's actions be called smug?].
Then it would be [I'm so popular, really...]
Entering the Kong Yiji and Xianglin Sao mode.
...
Arriving at Tanaka Masao's home, today's tutoring was similar to yesterday's.
Kashi was like a dry sponge, frantically absorbing new knowledge.
Tanaka Masao also felt the weight of the saying, [It's not scary if someone more excellent than you exists; what's scary is if someone more excellent than you works harder].
Kashi not only studied diligently at home but also self-studied at school.
According to her, since she was bored in class anyway, she might as well learn more knowledge, which would also make it easier for her to operate in the human world.
As for listening to the teacher and doing multiple things at once, isn't that a simple matter?
Tanaka Masao was also stimulated by Kashi.
His enthusiasm for learning was unprecedentedly high.
Because if he didn't work harder, with Kashi's talent, it would only be a matter of time before she caught up to his current level.
If you're going to compete, I'll compete too.
Such a strong learning atmosphere even affected Yukinoshita Yukino, who actually took out knowledge she had long mastered and reviewed it again.
When one is focused on a task, not only does time seem to pass quickly, but it also feels like there isn't enough time.
This was the situation for the three of them now.
It wasn't until the Tanaka couple came home that the three of them snapped out of their concentrated study.
Tanaka Kazumi, who had been informed in advance that Yukinoshita Yukino would be coming to tutor again today, specially went to the supermarket to buy more ingredients.
She decided she must treat Yukinoshita Yukino well.
[To capture a daughter-in-law's heart, you must start by capturing her stomach.]
[To keep a daughter-in-law, make her fall in love with this home.]
To get this daughter-in-law she was very satisfied with, Tanaka Kazumi was going to put all her effort into it.
As for Tanaka Masao's thoughts?
With such a good girl, and a high chance, what's there to be picky about?
So, for Tanaka Kazumi, Tanaka Masao was defaulted to having no opinion.
The Tanaka couple entered the kitchen full of fighting spirit.
...
On the other side, Tanaka Masao, unaware of his mother's thoughts, stretched his stiff body.
He massaged his neck and sighed,
"I accidentally studied for too long. I never thought there would be a day when I would be so serious about studying."
Yukinoshita Yukino's body was also very stiff.
However, compared to Tanaka Masao's broad movements, her range of motion was much smaller.
Tanaka Masao glanced at Yukinoshita Yukino and really wanted to say,
[Xuezhixia Classmate, you can stretch boldly. Don't worry about your buttons; they won't be under any pressure.]
The three of them stopped studying and sat on the soft sofa in the most comfortable positions, turning on the TV.
While relaxing their bodies, they also allowed their heavily working brains to rest.
Because today's dinner was more elaborate than yesterday's, it took a bit more time.
The two of them, who had already used their brains intensely and consumed a lot of energy, were already starving.
Facing such a lavish dinner, they found it even more delicious than usual.
Kashi had asked for "another bowl" countless times.
Even Yukinoshita Yukino, feeling a bit embarrassed, added an extra bowl of rice.
As for why there were two of them, of course, it was because Tanaka Masao was eating a separately prepared diet meal.
Tanaka Masao: Daily persecution.
He ate the tasteless boiled broccoli with tears in his eyes.