Downstairs—
Tsurumi Saori saw Akira Fujimiya and bowed politely.
"I will trouble you with taking them to school," Akira said, glancing at Tsurumi Rumi and Kawasaki Keika.
"It's not a trouble at all. In fact, I should thank you, Young Master Akira, for allowing me to take Rumi to school," Tsurumi Saori replied softly, as she bowed again.
"Rumi, please take good care of Keika from now on," Akira said gently.
"I will. I'll treat her like my little sister," Tsurumi Rumi answered with a smile.
Akira nodded, smiling faintly.
Rumi was a clever girl.
Saori Tsurumi started the car. The two little girls sat in the back seat, fastened their seat belts, and soon the car rolled away from Sakurasou.
When the car was out of sight, Saki Kawasaki walked out of the house, holding a neatly packed lunch box.
Akira took the box from her hands, placed it inside his bag, and then held Saki's hand as they started walking toward Sobu High School together.
....
On the way to school
Saki Kawasaki stole a few glances at Akira walking beside her.
Finally, without Yuigahama Yui and Miura Yumiko being around, she was able to walk side by side with him without feeling overshadowed by others.
It was a quiet, precious moment to be with him.
"I suddenly had the idea of skipping class," Akira said halfway through the walk, looking at her teasingly. "Taking you back to Sakurasou and seeing you wear a maid outfit."
Saki's cheeks turned red. "...I can wear it for you this evening if you want to see it."
"With Yui?" Akira asked.
"If you want, I can do it," Saki whispered, her face flushing even redder.
Akira smiled faintly. "Then I'll look forward to it." He gently lifted her hand and kissed the back of it.
"Um… Fujimiya," Saki said hesitantly, her voice barely audible, "do you… like business suits?"
Akira was momentarily taken aback.
He leaned close and whispered his preferences softly into her ear.
Saki nodded, her blush deepening.
She could accept what he said at first—but when he mentioned the apron, her whole face turned crimson.
...
At the Sobu School—
School life was simple—perhaps too simple.
Boring lectures, repetitive lessons, and knowledge Akira had already memorized long ago.
In his original world, after leaving school for many years, Akira would sometimes see middle school students on the streets and envy them—thinking that campus life must have been wonderful.
But the reality wasn't nearly as romantic.
Even Sobu High School, with the famous anime setting, was just as dull as it was in real life.
Of course, that might also be because Akira knew too much.
If he didn't, perhaps he could still enjoy learning.
When the morning classes finally ended, Akira had already finished reading the light novel he brought with him.
By the way, Hiratsuka-sensei had taken a leave of absence that day.
The substitute teacher, an experienced senior teacher who had a good impression of Akira, and was already instructed by the principal not to interfere with him too much.
Other teachers were also reminded.
And with Akira's grades, no one dared to bother him.
Even though he openly read novels during class, the staff viewed it as a sign of confidence rather than negligence.
After all, the effort Akira put in behind the scenes was something ordinary students couldn't even imagine.
.....
Lunch Break – Student Council
Sobu High's Student Council room was unusually quiet today.
Most issues had been resolved the previous week, and this week held nothing urgent.
Yukinoshita Yukino was no longer attending Student Council meetings; responsibilities had been transferred to Meguri Shiromeguri and Isshiki Iroha.
Akira didn't go to the Service Club as usual.
Since today, several girls were chatting there, talking about the things they like, and he didn't want to intrude.
So instead, he made his way to the Student Council.
As soon as he entered, the Meguri quickly gave up her seat for him.
Without hesitation, Akira sat down in the chair of the Student Council President.
A moment later, Isshiki Iroha entered the room, carrying her lunch.
Her bento looked special today—colorful, well-balanced, and neatly arranged.
"Senpai, please try my bento!" Iroha said cheerfully, pulling up a chair beside him.
She opened the lunch box, revealing five types of side dishes.
Akira didn't refused and began eating with her.
Meguri Shiromeguri watched them quietly from the side. Compared to Iroha's bento, hers looked painfully plain.
Still, she smiled softly. She knew Iroha's feelings were sincere, and her effort admirable, even though the person already have a girlfriend...Her lips twitch at the thought as she decided to focus on her bento.
"How is it, Senpai?" Iroha asked with bright eyes when Akira remained silent.
"You're half as good as my Yukino," Akira replied casually.
"Yukinoshita-senpai's been cooking since she was a child," Iroha pouted. "I only started learning recently. Even though I've had some help, I still need more practice." She added as she lowed her head.
"Don't be discouraged," Akira said encouragingly. "Your cooking ranks pretty high in my heart already."
Iroha's cheeks flushed. "Then… who's first in your heart, Senpai?"
"My own cooking," Akira replied without hesitation.
'Then Yukino's, Haruno's and.... Yui's' He thought amused at his own bias.
Iroha blinked, then laughed softly.
"I should've guessed. Your cooking is delicious, Senpai. I want to visit your home and taste it again."
"You could invite me to your place," Akira said lightly. "I'll cook dinner. And in the morning, you can show me your miso soup."
"Eh!!?" Iroha tilted her head, her cheeks bright red. "Senpai, are you saying you'd stay overnight at my house? Isn't that a bit fast?"
Akira chuckled. "No, no. If you don't believe me, you can ask Senpai Shiromeguri. Even if she has no experience in romance, she must've seen how couples usually spend time together."
Both turned to Meguri Shiromeguri.
"!!!"
Meguri was stunned at first for being called out when she was happily enjoying her meal, then face instantly turned red, and she lowered her head, unable to answer.
"I don't...don't know…" Meguri murmured softly. Her ears turning bright red.
"See?" Akira said teasingly. "If Senpai Shiromeguri doesn't understand, then I'll have to teach her. I'll make her fall in love so she can experience it firsthand."
Meguri's face burned crimson, as she lowered her head even more if it was possible, her whole face turned red as a tomato.
"Senpai~~," Iroha said mischievously, "it's just the three of us here. You can bully Senpai Shiromeguri all you like—I won't tell anyone."
"Well, since you said so…" Akira said as he stood up, grinning.
"I—I'm going to the bathroom!!" Meguri suddenly exclaimed, stand up and bolted out of the room, as fast as she could.
She would win first price if she run like that in school sports festival.
Iroha covered her mouth, giggling softly.
While, Akira shook his head with a small smile.
He had only been joking, of course.
To him, Meguri Shiromeguri was just an amusing senior—nothing more.
{T/N:...yet}
...
Afternoon – Tennis Court
Later that day, Akira was on the tennis court, coaching Totsuka Saika again.
After several rounds of rallying, Akira noted that Saika's skills had noticeably improved.
When he asked about it, Saika explained that he'd been coming to school on weekends to practice—together with a few friends.
On Saturdays, Sobu High's facilities were open to certain clubs, and the tennis club was among them.
During their break, Hikigaya Hachiman and Hayama Hayato arrived and began their own match.
Originally, the two boys had little reason to interact. But thanks to club activities—and Hayama's persistence—they'd somehow become friends.
Somehow.....
Akira smiled faintly, taking out his phone.
He snapped a picture of the two playing and sent it to Ebina Hina.
She replied almost instantly: "THANKS, FUJIMIYA-KUN!"
"If you're not busy on Saturday or Sunday, Fujimiya-kun," Saika said softly, "I'd like to invite you to come with me somewhere."
"I'm always busy with dates on weekends," Akira replied casually, putting his phone away.
Saika blinked, surprised. "Aren't you afraid they'll find out about each other and get angry?"
"I'm not afraid," Akira said calmly. "I never lied to them. They all knew about me from the beginning."
"..."
Saika opened his mouth slightly to say something, but nothing came out of his mouth.
Just then, a wild Isshiki Iroha appeared—
Akira seeing her, nodded to Saika and walked toward her.
Iroha immediately took his arm and led him away from the court.
Saika watched them go, feeling stunned.
He knew Iroha was aware of Yukinoshita Yukino and Yuigahama Yui… yet she didn't seem to care at all.
.....
Cooking Club
Iroha had come to find Akira because she recently joined the Cooking Club—and she had managed to get the key to the clubroom.
She wanted to cook something just for him.
As they walked toward the cooking classroom,
Akira asked, "You're going to cook for me using ingredients bought by the club? As a member of the Student Council—and the next president—doesn't that seem a little inappropriate?"
"As long as we don't waste anything, members can use club ingredients," Iroha explained sweetly. "That's the rule."
Akira chuckled. "My Kouhai is getting smarter."
"In fact," she continued, "most of the seniors bring their own ingredients from home. The actual stockpile in the club's storage is several times larger than what's listed."
"Won't that go bad?" Akira frowned, he didn't like to waste food.
"That's why we hold tasting events, sometime" Iroha replied. "Didn't you know? Yukinoshita-senpai came up with the idea."
Akira blinked, then smiled knowingly.
So that was it.
The so-called tasting events were just a way to share excess food—with sports clubs, teachers, and anyone who happened to be around at the time.
Most people wouldn't refuse free food, after all.
As for dishes made by Yukinoshita Yukino herself… well, let's just say ordinary people weren't quite ready for that Masterpiece, only Akira is worthy enough to eat them.
...
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Bonus Chapter:-
4 Bonus chapter at 100 powerstone
6 Bonus Chapter at 150 powerstone
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Word Count — 1,710