They are still close to me today despite their negative feelings

"...Xu Xingxin has a crush on Ge Lanlan, which is an open secret among us boys," Chen Di explained to me, then added firmly, "It's not because of An Yu."

"I don't know what you've misunderstood, but you should keep those words to yourself." I gently pointed towards the door with my chopsticks.

“There were two young men watching Ge Lanlan’s table from the doorway.”

Chen Di's eyes narrowed.

……

"Well then, I'm going home now. An'an, do you want to come back with me?"

"I'll go back with Ning Ruoyu and the others. Ge Lanlan, you go first?"

"Oh, okay? Then class monitor, you have to take good care of An'an, okay?"

"Don't worry, Ning Ruoyu and I will get her home safely."

While I am very grateful to the two handsome young men and women for their efforts in salvaging my reputation, I still feel compelled to offer my humble opinion.

"...I didn't intend to take her home; I needed to go back early to collect my laundry."

Unfortunately, this time, apart from Ge Lanlan, even An Yu and Chen Di completely ignored my opinion.

“My friend went back first. Ge Lanlan and I will go back together,” said Xu Xingxin, the blond man.

"Ah, well, I'm sorry." Grandland looked a little embarrassed. "Anan and I were planning to stroll around the pedestrian street a bit more before heading home..."

"Oh, it's alright! I'll go back with the class monitor and the others then!" Xu Xingxin didn't seem too disappointed.

I'm quite disappointed.

I wanted to disband and go back as soon as possible, but more and more people gathered.

"Okay, I'll be going now, goodbye!"

After greeting the others, Ge Lanlan hesitated for a moment, then nodded reluctantly to me before walking toward her childhood friend who was paying at the front desk.

Where is my tenderloin?

Before the person had gone far, An Yu asked me.

"Ning Ruoyu left you quite a lot, and I asked the waiter to heat it up for you."

Chen Di answered for me.

"Oh, I see. Thank you, class monitor!" An Yu blushed slightly. She seemed to only now realize the purpose of her visit to the restaurant.

"You're too kind. By the way, what were you guys talking about over there? How come Xu Xingxin got involved too? What's that childhood friend of Ge Lanlan like?"

"I think he's a nice person, and quite polite too." An Yu blinked at the pastry in my hand.

Feeling the gazes of those around me, I mustered my courage and asked a question.

"...Would you like some?"

"Thank you!" If An Yu had a tail at this moment, it would probably be wagging wildly.

I nodded, then stuffed it into my mouth.

Ignoring An Yu's incredulous expression, which had turned completely black and white, I said to Chen Di beside me.

"That's great. Let's call it a day and go home."

"actually--"

Xu Xingxin, who was standing to the side, seemed to want to say something, but after glancing at me, he ultimately remained silent.

Just as Chen Di was about to press further, I gently nudged him with my elbow under the table and shook my head.

Fifteen minutes ago.

I used buying a drink as an excuse to go out and passed by two young men who had been lingering at the door.

"Is that kid even capable of winning over that woman? Didn't we play the hero and save the damsel in distress before? Why is he still complaining about just trying to make some money?"

"I guess they ran into a friend and couldn't continue the conversation? Anyway, I've taken care of the website. Money is a small matter; the main thing is the people. If you're specifically asking, DK (French kiss) photos are fine too..."

"That girl's pretty. How about we bring her over and have some fun with everyone? I heard they recently made some new candy...hehe~ supposedly it's incredibly effective at making cream puffs...you know what I mean~"

"The boss wouldn't agree, would he? Even if she were a high school girl working in the outer district, and instead became a 'pear girl' (a prostitute who doesn't provide sexual services), those older men would fight tooth and nail for her... But if I could trick her into getting into bed with me, I could have some fun."

"That's easy. That kid's a complete coward. We can just scare him a bit and he'll definitely send that girl over. We can just put on a blindfold and turn off the lights, and it'll all be the same. We're in pure love."

"Fuck your mother, what kind of pure love is this? Hahaha!"

Although they weren't speaking loudly, the two didn't try to hide it. Instead, they used various slang terms as if showing off—they were obviously newcomers who considered being able to speak slang as something that set them apart.

But even for a newcomer, being targeted by these people would be a nightmare for an ordinary high school student, right?

I went back to my seat and took a sip of my drink.

"Have you learned anything?" Chen Di asked.

“I just went to buy a drink,” I replied.

Let go of the urge to help others and respect their fate. This was the first lesson I learned when I entered this profession.

Even today, I still believe this is a profound truth.

[Next chapter preview: "...I really think you're speechless. Ning Ruoyu is right, you're just a attention-seeking brat."]

"A perpetually hungry monster. To put it bluntly, you'd be a glutton, but because you're so cute, you'd be called a foodie."

You should have said so earlier! I was just checking the price of "90% new, used by a woman".

What caught my eye were several rows of selfies in the room—the boudoir of my class idol was suddenly revealed to me.

"Did I come at the wrong time?"

Chapter Nine: Exclamation Marks Appear Above Miss An Yu's Head

It sucks.

Although I have a pretty good relationship with Chen Di and An Yu, who are the most popular students in the class, it is undeniable that I am still the least popular student in the class.

So after declining Chen Di's lunch invitation and An Yu's snack sharing, I usually choose to eat on the steps of the corridor outside the teaching building, in the laboratory of the experimental building, or on the rooftop of the administration building.

—Don't ask me why I can enter the lab and go up to the rooftop; my daily lock-picking test was a great success.

But the rooftop was unusually noisy today.

They probably never imagined that someone would break into the rooftop to eat. For ordinary students, the rooftop of the administration building is already considered the most secure place.

"Your childhood friend's request is strange. This amount is simply not something a high school student can afford, right?"

“I told him that he started a business with his friends outside of school, and he is just in the initial stage and lacks funds. He also said that he would give me a share based on the amount of money he borrowed.”

“How can a company that hasn’t even started have a share? I think you should reconsider, Granlan.”

"Why are you all like this? I saved up money from my part-time jobs, can't I make my own decisions? What do you know about me and Anan!"

"And Xu Xingxin, I've told you so many times, my affairs are none of your business, and don't go around saying anything about our relationship in front of the boys. There's absolutely no relationship between us!"

"What about that conman named Anan? You like that conman that much? What's so great about him!"

"...I really find you speechless. Ning Ruoyu is right, you're just a attention-seeking brat."

Seriously? This actually hit me on the head? I said big bastard, not little kid or anything. Isn't this pure slander?

While eating my chicken breast bread, I was quite dissatisfied with this mealtime radio program.

And is it possible that—and I'm not referring to just one person, but to everyone present—that they are all…?

Bang!

With a loud thud as the door was kicked open, peace finally returned to the outside.

I stuffed the last bite of bread into my mouth, crumpled the wrapper into a ball and put it in the trash bag, then stood up and patted my pants.

As I opened the rooftop door, I met An Yu's gaze, who was standing at the bottom of the stairs, looking bewildered.

I nodded to her, then stepped back behind the door, preparing to close it again.

Unfortunately, she pushed him onto the rooftop.

Tsk.

Why are you closing down?!

"You've got it wrong. I was clearly planning to go out, but you bumped me into the rooftop again."

"Really?" This time, An Yu was clearly more shrewd, and his eyes were full of doubt as he looked at me.

“Of course, think about it, what reason would I have to lock you out?” I analyzed for her.

"...Oh right, then, I'm sorry!"

"Although I was badly injured and in a lot of pain, I'm a good person, so I forgive you." I sighed. "I just hope you won't threaten me with the 'video' so easily in the future. Do you really think I helped you because of the video?"

An Yu thought about it carefully for a moment, then nodded heavily.

"You ate the pastries you promised me yesterday." She gave me a wary look. "I don't really trust you anymore!"

...This guy is like a stomp on Socrates and a punch on Aristotle when it comes to food.

"Forget it, let's go back and talk about the pastries first."

To avoid her from talking about her troubles any further, I quickly gave her a perfunctory answer and prepared to escape back to the classroom immediately—once back in the classroom, she would naturally have someone else to confide in about her helplessness.

"Oh." She agreed, then turned the doorknob—it wouldn't open.

An ominous premonition crept into my mind.

"I can't open it—the door seems broken," she said anxiously. "No, could it be that I just bumped into it? What should I do, Ning Ruoyu? I'll have to pay for it, right? Will the lock be expensive?"

……

On the open space next to the water tank on the rooftop, An Yu sat on the ground and sighed, then stole glances.

I looked up at the sky.

An Yu shook his head, looking troubled, and then stole a glance.

I continued to look at the sky.

An Yu poked my arm unhappily and glared at me.

"I've already finished eating." I opened the trash bag to show her, proving that I really hadn't hidden any food.

"Eh—" She showed visible disappointment, then immediately realized what she had done and shook her head vigorously.

"I didn't want this! What do you think of me?!"

"A perpetually hungry monster. To put it bluntly, you'd be a glutton, but because you're so cute, you'd be called a foodie."

"That's so unfair! This is really unfair! It's unfair enough to make someone want to cut ties with you! ...Wait a minute, did you slip in something that might make you blush?"

"Whether you're cute or not having enough to eat is a fact, or do you prefer to be treated hypocritically?"

“…It’s clearly a fallacy, but I just can’t seem to refute it.” An Yu looked somewhat frustrated, puffing out his cheeks as he complained.

Okay, let's continue rambling about these random things, and then—

"Ning Ruoyu, can you come with me?"

"Why don't you listen to what you're saying?"

After I questioned her in return, An Yu first tilted her head and looked at me with a puzzled expression, then showed a look of sudden realization, blushing and shaking her head and waving her hands frantically.

"No, no!! That's not what I meant!!!"

"It's Ge Lanlan. Her childhood friend and her friends who started a business together are planning a get-together. Ge Lanlan is a little embarrassed to go alone, so she wants to bring someone along."

"I'm not going. I suggest you don't go either."

“I didn’t want to go! But Ge Lanlan and Xu Xingxin had such a bad argument just now, it would be so pitiful if no one went with her this time. But I’m also afraid of those kinds of places…”

"What does this have to do with you and me? Is she our client or our boss? If she feels uncomfortable or doesn't want to go, she can simply refuse. Is someone holding a gun to her head and forcing her to comply? If so, I suggest calling the police."

An Yu paused, lowered his head, and then took something out of his pocket.

...JK skirts are truly magical; you can't tell they exist, but when you use them, it's as if there's a four-dimensional space inside.

"These are my snacks and my phone!"

An Yu, with her eyes closed, handed me several packets of shrimp chips and a pink, old-fashioned cell phone.