At the top of the stairs, after Mira Tsubakihara left, a girl who resembled her by nearly eighty percent cautiously peeked out from behind the wall. Her youthful, striking face was frozen in shock.
Her lips parted in disbelief.
Nina Tsubakihara was rarely this shaken, but this time she truly couldn't control herself. Adjusting her glasses with trembling fingers, she muttered,
"Mom… what was she just doing?"
The woman who had never shown interest in any man—who cared nothing for status or power—had just kissed someone her own age?!
Impossible. Absolutely impossible.
No one knew the shock Nina Tsubakihara had suffered.
Meanwhile, Kanna Hiiragi looked at Kazuma, who was deep in thought, and asked softly,
"Kazuma… who was that woman? She's really pretty…"
"I don't know."
Kazuma frowned. In his memories, Mira Tsubakihara was never like that.
Why would she suddenly kiss him?
Could she have known him before?
He searched his memories, but found nothing. After all, he had only been in this world for a few days. Everything before that was a fabricated identity created by the system—false memories, nothing more.
For now, Kazuma had no answers.
"You really don't know her? Then why did she kiss you?" Kanna Hiiragi asked quietly. She wasn't jealous—after all, she herself had gone even further. Still, compared to that woman, she couldn't help feeling inferior.
"That's exactly why I'm confused," Kazuma replied, his brows knitting together.
"She clearly knows me. I need to find out what's going on."
"Mira Tsubakihara, huh? I'd like to see what secrets you're hiding."
His gaze fell on the items in his system backpack, then he focused on his reward.
Right—Kanna Hiiragi's wish list reward.
[Wishlist (Kanna Hiiragi) Completed]
[Rating: S | Reward: Lottery Coins ×5]
Another positive review.
Considering that he had done his best, an S-rank was only fair.
Grinning, Kazuma opened the Future Department Store interface and immediately performed a five-pull.
One capsule dropped after another.
[Anywhere Door]
[Bamboo Dragonfly]
[Door Without a Room]
[Superpower Training Kit]
[Reflection Cloak]
Holy crap!
Kazuma stared in disbelief.
"They're all top-tier items—not a single dud!"
The Anywhere Door and Bamboo Dragonfly needed no explanation. The Door Without a Room could create a safe four-dimensional space, even more reliable than the Wallpaper House. As for the Superpower Training Kit—it could train three abilities: X-ray vision, telekinesis, and teleportation.
The final reflective cloak is also a kind of bug, capable of deflecting all attacks and reflecting them back, almost like a law of causality itself.
"The only problem is that this superpower training kit is a bit troublesome. It will take three years to complete the training…"
"Hey! You fat pig! You're forgetting again, aren't you—"
In a secluded corner beside the stone wall in the atrium of the teaching building, Izumi Nogami was punching and kicking Tazaki. Minako Sanada and Sae Hinata occasionally joined in, adding a kick of their own. Ever since they had been humiliated by Kazuma, this group of popular girls had gradually intensified their bullying of Tazaki.
It seemed as if all their resentment was being vented onto him.
The fat pig clutched his head and remained silent, yet a chilling light flickered in his eyes—not only toward these popular girls, but also toward Saki Yoshida.
That woman… I thought she was a gentle angel, a good person. But it turns out she's no different from trash like Akane Nanao. Kazuma hooked her with just a flick of his finger, and now she grovels and wags her tail in front of him.
Just like Akane Nanao, she's probably been toyed with plenty. Damn it! Bastard! Filthy bitch!
Compared to these popular girls, Fatty hated Saki Yoshida even more. His cold gaze locked onto her, filled with deep resentment.
In the past, Saki Yoshida would have felt sorry for him. But after learning about his lewd behavior and seeing his true nature, she avoided him like the plague. Even now, as he was being bullied by Izumi, she merely stood by and did nothing.
Puff—
After kicking him in the face, Izumi Nogami sneered. "Who gave you permission to look up, you fat pig?! Don't stare at us with those disgusting eyes! Get down on the ground like a pig!"
By coincidence, Fuyuka Tosaka happened to pass by and was interrupted by Izumi Nogami's shouting. She had been thinking about Mira Tsubakihara and Kazuma when she suddenly witnessed the bullying scene. Her brows furrowed slightly.
She didn't want to interfere, but—
"What are you doing here, Nogami?"
She knew Izumi Nogami.
"Well, well, who do we have here? It's Tosaka-senpai," the leader of the gyaru group laughed, deliberately emphasizing the words Tosaka-senpai. "What? Tosaka-senpai can't stand seeing this fat pig bullied and wants to stand up for him?"
"Is this kind of thing really that interesting?" Fuyuka Tosaka genuinely couldn't understand why Izumi Nogami—who also came from a prominent family—would enjoy bullying others.
"This is interesting. Super fun~. Senior, why don't you give it a try? Oh, right, I almost forgot—the Tosaka family is basically finished now, isn't it? You can't be the bully anymore; you'd just be the prey. Maybe you should worry about paying off your family's debts first, hahaha!"
Fuyuka Tosaka's heart clenched painfully.
Old scars were torn open mercilessly, leaving nothing behind but blood and pain.
Just as the atmosphere reached a stalemate—
"What are you laughing at?"
"Hahahaha—?"
The girl who had been laughing wildly a moment ago suddenly froze. She stared in disbelief at Kazuma, who was walking toward her with a faint smile. Izumi Nogami's expression stiffened, the muscles in her cheeks twitching violently.
"Kazuma, what are you trying to do? Don't come any closer. I'm not here to cause trouble for you this time."
Although she tried to sound calm, her steps were unconsciously retreating.
I still have psychological trauma from that snake… it's burned into my mind. Who would dare get close to him?
"I never said you were causing trouble," Kazuma replied calmly. "I'm just asking—what are you laughing at?"
"Y-you… you've gone too far…"
Izumi's presence is getting weaker and weaker, Minako Sanada and Sae Hinata thought silently.
It was him again. Looking at the boy, Fuyuka Tosaka felt a tangle of emotions—gratitude, curiosity, reproach, resentment, and even a faint trace of warmth and tenderness.
As for the forgotten Fatty, seeing Kazuma once more—this time with yet another beautiful girl beside him—his jealousy nearly burst out of his chest.
One after another, these bitches keep throwing themselves at him—why?!
You slut! You bitch!
"Kazuma—"
The moment Fuyuka Tosaka spoke his name, her eyes widened in shock. Kazuma suddenly leapt forward and kicked Tazaki to the ground. The unexpected action left not only Fuyuka Tosaka, but also Izumi Nogami and the other two girls completely speechless.
Everyone was stunned.
They hadn't noticed the sinister look Tazaki had cast toward Kanna Hiiragi—but Kazuma had.
"Keep your eyes where they belong," Kazuma said coldly as he stomped on Tazaki's face, pressing him hard into the ground. Then he bent down, his gaze terrifyingly sharp, and spoke word by word, "If there's a next time, I'll dig them out."
Bang!
He added another kick.
"Ugh—hehehehe—cough, cough, cough!"
A painful whimper escaped Tazaki's mouth.
Overwhelming fear seized his entire body, his fat trembling uncontrollably. He lay on the ground, not daring to say a word or show the slightest dissatisfaction, afraid of provoking an even more horrifying blow.
Kazuma took out a tissue and calmly wiped his shoe.
"Nogami-kun, that's really mean," Kazuma said with a smile. "Bullying someone without even including me? Remember to invite me next time—I love being the bully." He patted her shoulder in a friendly manner. "But only this fat pig. Let's forget about Tosaka-senpai. I'd feel guilty bullying her."
"..."
"..."
Kanna Hiiragi's heart was pounding. Was Kazuma standing up for her? She had noticed that disgusting look earlier too, and it had made her feel sick. She hadn't expected Kazuma to be so domineering.
To Tazaki, Kazuma looked like a devil. But in Kanna Hiiragi's eyes, he radiated dominance and an overwhelming sense of security. No one noticed, however, that Minako Sanada—standing beside Izumi—was also looking at Kazuma with a strange light in her eyes.
So… was Akane feeling the same way back then?
Overcome with emotion, Kanna Hiiragi hugged Kazuma's arm even tighter, wishing she could cling to him forever and never let go. She really did like him more and more.
As for Fuyuka Tosaka, she glanced at Kazuma's back, then at Tazaki curled up on the ground, and smiled helplessly. Just like before, she still couldn't understand this guy at all.
However, Kazuma's final words left a warm glimmer in Fuyuka Tosaka's eyes. She stopped arguing with Izumi Nogami and hurried after him.
"Kazuma, that person just now…"
Kazuma was enjoying Kanna Hiiragi's affectionate clinging when he casually replied, "That classmate? Not a good person either. To be honest, he was clearly being bullied, yet I don't know why he holds such a grudge against me. Heh… interesting."
A cold chuckle escaped him.
"He's probably jealous," Kanna Hiiragi said with a smile. "There are always pretty girls around Kazuma, so of course he'd feel resentful."
"Then I'm quite honored. Wait—are you praising yourself?"
"Hehe~"
Fuyuka Tosaka nodded in understanding. "I see… I was too impulsive."
"By the way," Kanna Hiiragi suddenly asked, "do Tosaka-senpai and Kazuma know each other?" Her gaze shifted back and forth between them.
"Well… should we call ourselves friends?" Fuyuka Tosaka looked at him. "What do you think, Kazuma-kun?"
"Yes. Friends."
Kazuma didn't know that Fuyuka Tosaka had already recovered her memories—and she had no intention of telling him either.
"Kazuma, you're making more and more strange friends," Kanna Hiiragi sighed. "I really wish we could go back to a few days ago, when you were just an ordinary high school student…"
Unfortunately, it was already too late. The hidden gem had been discovered.
*****
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