There were three types of people from China that could make Taichi feel physically and mentally intimidated.
The first was a parent, which was a biological suppression.
The second was a teacher, which was a suppression from the one who imparts knowledge.
The third was a person worthy of respect, which was a feeling of explosive admiration mixed with a sense of inferiority that made him too timid to approach them.
Masayoshi Shido didn't fit any of the three. For Taichi, who had Ultraman X's favor, Masayoshi Shido was just a regular human he could crush with a flick of his hand. Even though Taichi saw himself as a morally low person and a fish who had slipped through the net of nine-year compulsory education, compared to Masayoshi Shido, he was a person overflowing with morals.
So, far from being afraid of Shido, Taichi even felt a sense of superiority in his presence. This, however, was only noticed by Toyomi Fujiwara, who could remain calm in front of Shido due to her family background. After seeing Shido off, she noticed a change in Taichi's expression as she glanced his way. The others were too intimidated by Shido's power and status to pay attention, so they didn't notice Taichi's odd reaction.
"Little Naruto, what does your family do?" Toyomi grabbed a plate of grilled meat and sat with Taichi and the others at a table.
Haruno Yukinoshita was completely bewildered by this. She couldn't understand why the daughter of a political family would take an interest in this scruffy, perverted boy. She even seemed interested in getting to know him better.
"My family... I'm an orphan now," Taichi said, swallowing the meat in his mouth and looking at Toyomi. This was true; if his former self had any living relatives, he wouldn't have been reduced to living by participating in drug trials.
Normally, a high-society girl would lose interest and find an excuse to leave after hearing that Taichi was an orphan. But Toyomi... well, she wasn't normal. After all, she had no plans to enter politics. Compared to her two sisters, she simply had no talent for it. The Fujiwara parents, lacking experience as first-time parents, hadn't paid much attention to her upbringing, which resulted in her having an overly uninhibited life goal.
Therefore, her sudden conversation with Taichi wasn't out of curiosity about his family background. After all, no family could be more powerful than the Fujiwara family. The social circle was very small, and most children of the same status knew each other. From the moment she saw Taichi, Toyomi knew he wasn't from a political family.
The reason she was so persistent was because she felt this boy had a secret. A secret big enough for him to show such contempt for a Cabinet Office official. Of course, if Taichi had only shown an arrogant and foolish side, Toyomi would have just thought she had misjudged him.
But after just a few short exchanges, Toyomi was a little hesitant to continue. She had originally thought the boy either had a strong background or was just incredibly stupid. But she never expected him to be a socialist...
That explained his attitude towards Masayoshi Shido. In fact, the fact that he could endure being in the same room as Shido without doing anything was enough to make Toyomi look at him in a different light. Even if he was a socialist... After all, the relevant Japanese factions... well, you know.
Although Haruno Yukinoshita hadn't figured out Taichi's background, she had a vague suspicion. But since Toyomi had also gone quiet, she could only try to shift the conversation. From Ann Takamaki, who wasn't experienced in the ways of the world and would say anything, she learned about the dark side of Shujin Academy. This silenced even Haruno.
Although Shiho Suzui's suicide attempt was covered up and didn't spread to the public, only through whispers among students, it was enough to show that the Yukinoshita family's decision to send Yukino to that school was a mistake. This was a clear sign of how desperate the Yukinoshita family had become. Haruno now didn't even have the strength to look up and joke with Toyomi. Her mind was filled with thoughts of going home and discussing a school transfer for her sister with her mother. From what she knew of her sister... she was sure to get involved in this "mistake" in the future.
Toyomi didn't care about that. After all, the other side of Shuchiin Academy, where she had attended, was even darker. If not for the school's board chairman, the eldest son of the Shinomiya family, those dark secrets would have been enough to bring the school down.
What she cared about was that from Ann's words, she vaguely sensed that Taichi was involved in some way. This gave her an urge to watch the drama unfold. However, it was hard to find an excuse to watch. Her two sisters were at Shuchiin, not Shujin, so there was no... hmm?
Toyomi's gaze slowly shifted to the Yukinoshita sisters.
Maybe there was an excuse to get into Shujin Academy after all. She could just say she was visiting her friend's sister! As for what the Yukinoshita family might do with this excuse in the future, Toyomi didn't care. The Yukinoshita family was too small for the Fujiwara family to worry about.
There was only one thing Toyomi was thinking about now: should she share this gossip with her two sisters? After all, a scandal involving an Olympic medalist in a school would be a juicy "melon" for her sisters, who loved to watch drama unfold. The only thing she had to be careful about was whether Taichi's socialist leanings would cause any trouble for them. She didn't care for herself since she wasn't planning on entering politics, but her two sisters... she would have to ask them when she got home.
It was a perfect excuse since Yukino Yukinoshita's cool personality would likely appeal to her second sister's taste. She didn't know why, but her second sister always fell for people who were emotionally distant and relatively handsome.
"Huh—" Haruno Yukinoshita suddenly shivered, looking around nervously. Just now, she felt as if someone was eyeing her precious secret treasure. She unconsciously reached for her sister's hand.
"Are you hungry?" Yukino Yukinoshita couldn't help but ask. After the initial exchange with Toyomi, Taichi had just put his head down and ate without stopping.
"Not that hungry," Taichi said, taking a break from eating to explain. "It's more that I'm lacking nutrition."
Yukino Yukinoshita nodded thoughtfully. An orphan with shabby clothes meant he had limited funds. His meals were clearly not guaranteed. She began to consider how to offer him financial assistance without hurting his pride. After all, she would need him to protect her when she visited her Shadow sister in the Palace in the future.