Great, we're doomed now!

"Over here!" Chika eagerly helped her put down the chair. "From now on, we'll be neighbors, Asuna-chan~"

Calling someone "sauce" the moment you meet them?

Asuna blinked, offering a perfectly polite smile, though she was actually a little awkward dealing with someone like Chika. It wasn't that she disliked her, but rather envied her, even a little jealous.

This is probably due to her family upbringing; Asuna can't be as free-spirited as Chika.

"Please take care of me from now on, Fujiwara-kun."

Just call me Chika~

Chika was clearly excited, while Asuna looked flattered.

Perhaps because she is a year younger and her body is not fully developed, Asuna and Chika look like an older sister and a younger sister when placed together, which is more different than they actually are.

"Everyone here is a very nice person, Asuna-chan, don't be nervous~"

Chika pointed and said, "By the way, the person to your left is Kuze Hakami."

"Kusei..."

Asuna was clearly stunned when she heard this, and her body stiffened.

Chika's eyes lit up: "You were really shocked, weren't you? Just as I thought! I've been wanting to see how others would react to this for a long time. Thank you, Asuna~"

"Fujiwara?" The teacher on the podium couldn't hold back any longer. "What are you muttering about?"

"Here!" Fujiwara responded instinctively, "He didn't say anything!"

"Class is about to start, don't get distracted." The teacher glanced at her helplessly and shook her head.

"I know~"

"Don't let Yuuki-san be affected... Of course, Fujiwara is a good girl, she just wants to get along with you."

"I understand, teacher." Asuna sat in her seat, bowing slightly, extremely politely.

The teacher couldn't help but remark, "Even among young ladies, there are differences in social standing."

After some fuss, the teacher began the formal lesson. Qianhua calmed her restless heart and listened attentively, occasionally jotting down notes—good grades directly affected how much pocket money she received, so she couldn't be careless.

Asuna sat down seriously, trying to calm herself down, but she couldn't help but sneak a glance to her left while the teacher was talking non-stop.

Just a meter away from her, a bright-eyed, black-haired boy sat by the window, flipping through a book with little interest. He seemed detached from the rest of the classroom, not caring what the teacher or classmates were saying, just passing the time on his own.

Compared to the photos in the news, she seemed to have more presence in person—the girl glanced at it quickly and then looked away, focusing her gaze on the blackboard, though her eyes were slightly unfocused.

The Yuki family is a large and powerful family. Asuna's father is the CEO of [Rect]. He resigned after the SAO scandal, but he is still the chief seat of the board of directors. Because he has clung to Kuze's coattails, his status has become even more extraordinary.

Her mother was a university professor, a typical highly educated woman who advocated elite education for her children. Asuna's brother was a given, and even though she was a girl, she was still strictly disciplined.

You could say her upbringing is somewhat similar to Ruri's, except that Maid Girl's story is more like Cinderella's, and she suffers much more than Asuna in every way.

Therefore, despite being only 16 years old, Asuna was not a sheltered young lady who knew nothing, and she could vaguely guess her parents' intention in arranging for her to transfer schools.

It should be noted that she was not a student in the elementary school of Shuchiin Academy. She was originally in another prestigious girls' school, but her family suddenly enrolled her in Shuchiin Academy, skipping a grade and going directly into the second year of high school.

This arrangement was too unusual and too abrupt. The only reason Asuna could think of was her current left neighbor, Kuze Hakami!

Perhaps her family wants her to get along well with this young master, or even take things further... It sounds a bit too cruel to expect such things from a sixteen-year-old girl in the prime of her life.

However, although Asuna guessed her parents' intentions, she didn't know how to respond to their expectations.

Ultimately, just keeping up with the second-year high school curriculum was already quite challenging. Although I did complete the required courses, Shuchiin Academy's level was far superior to that of the girls' academy...

"Father, Mother, I'm afraid I'll have to disappoint you" Asuna glanced at Ye Shou, who happened to be turning his head thoughtfully. Startled, she blinked quickly and pretended to look away naturally.

Chapter 90 The Despicable Fujiwara

"Our cafeteria accepts meal orders. You can select your food in advance on the app and then pick it up at noon using the digital code."

"That's awesome!"

"This ordering system, the equipment for the new multimedia classroom, and the setup of the campus LAN server were all basically done by Xiao Shou. It's getting more and more convenient every day than before."

"Kuse-kun...are you that enthusiastic?"

Asuna, carrying the food tray, left through the window with Chika, listening to her new classmate's endless rambling. Six or seven of the ten things she talked about were related to Hamori, which piqued the chestnut-haired girl's curiosity.

Of course!

Don't let Xiao Shou's bad-looking face fool you; he's basically on the side of good. He's not only helpful but also quick to stand up for what's right when injustice strikes!

Chika praised him profusely, "Asuna-chan, you can go to him for any trouble you encounter at school~"

"Okay, well, I'll consider it." Asuna reluctantly agreed.

The image of Ye Shou that Chika spoke of was completely different from the one circulating in the public! This left Yuuki Asuna somewhat confused.

Ye Shou's reputation is not good. His abilities are beyond doubt, but he seems to be a villain who enjoys bullying the weak... His reputation has always been mixed. However, in Qianhua's account, Ye Shou seems to be a saint who is excellent in both character and academics, charitable, and without any flaws in his private morality!

Even if there are slight differences in evaluations of the same person, shouldn't the opinions be so polarized?

"Huh, they actually came to the cafeteria today?"

Chika suddenly showed a happy expression and changed her route with Asuna, heading towards another table.

The chestnut-haired girl looked up and saw Ye Shou and another student sitting not far away. The two sat facing each other, focused on their own dishes, appearing quiet and independent in the bustling cafeteria.

Asuna saw Chika humming a tune as she walked over, so she had no choice but to bite the bullet and follow. The two of them sat down in the seats next to each other.

Chika didn't shy away from leaning against Ye Shou, while Asuna sat down next to Ruri. The maid's shoulder-length, raven-black hair and fair, delicate face gave Asuna a stunning impression.

Hello~

Hello~

The two greeted each other and introduced themselves. Ruri was quite famous in a certain circle. Even Asuna had heard her father mention that Ye Shou was always accompanied by a difficult maid.

Seeing Ruri in person now, Asuna felt a sense of relief.

She's just a normal girl, not as scary as her dad makes her out to be.

However, the young lady of the Yuki family did not notice the displeasure that flashed in the maid's eyes when she lowered her head.

This is unavoidable. After all, anyone would be unhappy if their time alone with someone they like was disturbed.

Chika, oblivious to her surroundings, unpacked the chopsticks and asked, "Don't you usually bring your own lunch?"

"There are times when I want to try something different."

"Really?" Qianhua asked, puzzled. "It looks quite substantial to me, with a good mix of meat and vegetables, a balanced diet, and it tastes pretty good too."

Of course you think it's a good meal, since you usually shamelessly ask for extra portions when you see unusual dishes.

Ye Shou couldn't help but glance at her, then cleared his throat.

"Liuli's craftsmanship is getting better every day, I can't stand it anymore."

"...Huh? Did I say something wrong?"

"That's right, it's because her cooking skills are getting better and better, and she's putting more and more effort into it, making my lunches more and more lavish—but she has less time."

This guy has a strong sense of responsibility. Even when the workload increases, he won't just do the bare minimum. He'll deduct time from his own rest period, resulting in his fatigue level accumulating day after day... This won't do.

"Is that why you came to the cafeteria?"

Chika nodded in agreement, while Asuna's eyes widened in surprise. She hadn't expected that Ye Shou, who seemed so aloof, would have such a considerate side.

But Ye Shou then said, "Of course, if you can't put your energy into your work, even if it takes longer, your work efficiency will drop significantly—as her employer, I can't let this happen."

Asuna: "..."

The maid who was being criticized lowered her head in shame after hearing her master's words, but a faint smile appeared on her lips.

"Hehe~"

Qianhua flicked her chopsticks and chuckled, "You're still the same. You're clearly doing a good deed, but you always make yourself look like a bad guy."

Asuna, listen to me, the little lord has always been like this. Don't be fooled by his cold attitude; he's actually very easy to talk to~

No, that's probably just something they say to you—Asuna awkwardly agreed repeatedly.

Unlike Qianhua, she wasn't thick-skinned enough to casually try to flirt with Ye Shou!

"Miss Chika still loves ALO as much as ever."

Ruri noticed that Chika's phone charm had been changed to an ALO cartoon doll: "Is that a fairy from the Wind Clan?"

"Yes!"

The flowers were displayed as if to show off, and held in my hands as if they were precious treasures.

"It's my virtual avatar in the game, which was custom-made by someone."

This was just a free gift; that 10:1 scale figure cost me half a month's allowance!

“It’s really well-made,” Ruri commented casually, then looked at Asuna. “By the way, Yuuki’s family is the operator of ALO, right? Speaking of which, this is a project that Kuze and Yuuki developed together.”

"Really?!" Chika turned around in surprise. "Asuna-chan's 'Yuuki,' is that the one from the operator [Rect]?"

"Ah... I don't know much about business matters, and my family never lets me get involved."

Asuna waved her hand, her gaze shifting: "But this game is indeed run by my family, and we've mentioned it more than once during meals."

Actually, she knew quite a lot. For example, ALO was operated by a new joint venture between [Rect] and [Kuze Media Entertainment], but the power always lay with Kuze, and the Yuki family was just freeloading.

"Awesome!"

Qianhua blinked: "Your internet speed must be really fast!"

"..."

Asuna bit her lip, tightened her expression, and nodded seriously.

"Um, it's alright."

"That's great!"

Chika pouted sadly, "I also want to play ALO with the highest settings, but Dad always says I have to improve my grades first... That's not something you can just improve on your own~"

"You're only making progress and trying in words... Oh, right!"

Ye Shou remembered something and couldn't help but say when he saw Qianhua's appearance: "ALO's '2022 Annual Fairy Dance Feast' - a large-scale event project is in the pre-heating stage. There will be cosplayer performances and lucky draws. It is expected that thousands of sets of equipment and small servers will be given away."

If you win but don't need the prize, you can get the cash back... Interested?

Yes, yes!