Inside the student cafeteria,
Time seemed to freeze in the corner where Nagumo Miyabi and Asahina Natsume were.
The dining table, covered in dark red velvet and flickering candlelight, was out of place with the surrounding noisy environment filled with students' laughter, forming a strange yet magnificent spectacle.
The alluring aroma and the luster of top-tier dishes continuously stimulated the senses of the surrounding students, drawing gasps of admiration and whispers.
"Those dishes… they look so delicious!"
"How are they eating these in the cafeteria?"
"Is that person… Sakamoto-kun from the First Year? Who exactly is he?"
Nagumo Miyabi sat at the dining table, facing dishes as exquisite as works of art, yet his cutlery remained unmoving.
His brain was still in a numb state after being overloaded.
Who am I?
Where am I?
What am I doing?
These three philosophical questions looped in his mind.
He tried to rationally analyze everything before him: How could Sakamoto-kun complete these dishes alone overnight?
How were they kept fresh?
How was this extravagant setup arranged in the cafeteria under everyone's watchful eyes?
Each question defied logic, pointing to an answer he couldn't comprehend, or even didn't want to comprehend.
This guy named Sakamoto-kun was not normal at all!
His previous thoughts of "controlling him" and "teasing him" now seemed so ridiculous and naive.
The "interview period" he had proposed felt like a huge trap, firmly ensnaring him.
This wasn't an interview at all; it was a public execution!
He could even feel the gazes from around him—curious, envious, probing, and even… with a hint of watching a monkey show.
He, Nagumo Miyabi, the de facto controller of the second year, had never been treated like this before.
Asahina Natsume, on the other hand, adapted very quickly.
After the initial shock, she quickly immersed herself in the delicious food and the absurd atmosphere.
She elegantly cut a small piece of foie gras and put it into her mouth, her eyes instantly lighting up.
"Mmm~! Miyabi, you must try this! This foie gras melts in your mouth, and the sauce's balance of sweet and sour is perfect! It's even better than the high-class restaurant at school!"
She then tasted the lobster bisque, unable to help but exclaim again:
"Wow… the richness and umami of this soup… Sakamoto-kun, you are truly amazing! Did he really make this all by himself?"
Her praise was heartfelt.
Nagumo mechanically picked up his spoon and took a spoonful of soup, putting it into his mouth.
Instantly, the extreme deliciousness and perfect temperature assailed his taste buds.
Indeed… it was astonishingly delicious.
But this deliciousness only made him feel more panicked and bizarre.
He ate this lunch, probably the most "top-tier" yet also the most "uncomfortable" of his life, finding it tasteless, just wanting to end this farce as soon as possible.
Meanwhile, Sakamoto-kun, who had created all of this, was quietly sitting in an ordinary corner a few tables away from them.
In front of him was the most common set meal offered in the cafeteria today—rice, miso soup, and a small portion of vegetables.
He sat upright, chopsticks in hand, and with an impeccable, almost ritualistic elegance, calmly enjoyed this simple lunch.
It was as if the "candlelight luncheon" performance that had shocked everyone just now had nothing to do with him.
He ate very seriously, chewing slowly and thoroughly with every bite, his expression focused, as if savoring some rare delicacy.
That composure and immersion were completely different from his demeanor when he was serving Nagumo Miyabi.
The extreme contrast between the two scenes had different effects on different people.
To some students who admired him, this was an epitome of "low-key and powerful"!
To Nagumo Miyabi, this was outright mockery!
And to another person, this scene was full of incomprehensible contradictions.
Ryuuen Kakeru stood at the cafeteria entrance, arms crossed, brows furrowed, his sharp gaze sweeping back and forth between the luxury at Nagumo Miyabi's table and the simplicity at Sakamoto-kun's.
Sakamoto-kun's respectful service to those two, and his current quiet enjoyment of a simple meal alone, constantly intertwined and clashed in his mind.
Collaboration?
Flattery?
It didn't seem like it.
Being coerced?
Even less so.
That respect seemed to contain a sense of effortless ease.
Moreover, this scene was far too bizarre.
This once again updated Ryuuen Kakeru's understanding of Sakamoto-kun.
He no longer hesitated, stepping forward and walking through the crowd, directly to the table where Sakamoto-kun sat alone.
Without ceremony, he sat down opposite Sakamoto-kun.
Sakamoto-kun's eating motion paused slightly, and he looked up, his gaze from behind his black-framed glasses calmly directed at the uninvited leader of Class B, showing no surprise whatsoever.
"Yo, Sakamoto-kun."
Ryuuen Kakeru got straight to the point, lifting his chin in Nagumo Miyabi's direction.
"You're playing quite a game. Who are those two that make it worth your while, Sakamoto-kun, to go to such great lengths to… serve them?"
He tried to find a flaw on Sakamoto-kun's face.
Sakamoto-kun put down his chopsticks and gently wiped the corner of his mouth with a napkin.
"Why is Student Ryuuen interested in this matter?"
"Cut the crap."
Ryuuen Kakeru scoffed.
"I saw how respectful you were to them. second year? Student Council? Do you… have some deal with them? Or is that test paper sent to each class not a setup at all, but part of your collaboration?"
He directly threw out his biggest suspicion; at this point, there was no need to hide it anymore.
He stared intently into Sakamoto-kun's eyes.
Sakamoto-kun quietly listened to Ryuuen Kakeru's questions, then remained silent for a moment.
Then, he gently pushed up his glasses, and in a calm tone, gave an answer that completely surprised Ryuuen Kakeru:
"Student Ryuuen has misunderstood. That is Vice President Nan Yun Miyabi of the second year, and the other is Asahina Natsume-senpai. I have no dealings with them whatsoever."
He paused, his gaze sweeping over Nagumo Miyabi, who was on pins and needles in the distance, and continued to explain:
"I am currently in a 'one-week interview period' for applying to the Student Council. And this week's interviewer happens to be Vice President Nan Yun Miyabi. The interview assessment he proposed is to 'completely obey his commands and arrangements' within this week. Everything just now was merely part of my duty during the interview period."
"Interview period? Completely obey commands?"
Student Ryuuen froze, repeating those keywords, his face gradually replacing suspicion with a sense of disbelief.
That charismatic blonde man was the student council vice president?
The interview condition he proposed to Sakamoto-kun was... complete obedience?
And then Sakamoto-kun executed that condition as... palace-level butler service plus a special chef's feast?!
This...
Student Ryuuen found that his mindset, based on calculation and threats, was completely useless at this moment.
He realized he might have made a huge mistake.
All his previous guesses—cooperation, transactions, conspiracies—seemed so narrow and ridiculous in front of Sakamoto-kun's understated explanation.
This was not some profound power game at all.
This was more like a performance art where a prankster made an excessive request, and Sakamoto-kun perfectly fulfilled it in an unimaginably extravagant way.
Sakamoto-kun looked at the changing expression on Student Ryuuen's face and added,
"As for the exam paper matter Student Ryuuen mentioned, I am unaware of it and have not collaborated with anyone on it."
His tone showed no hint of falsehood.
Student Ryuuen fell silent.
He stared intently at Sakamoto-kun, trying to find even the slightest trace of a lie in his calm, unruffled expression.
Finally, he snorted coldly and stood up.
"Hmph, let's hope so."
He didn't say another word, turned, and left the dining hall.
Sakamoto-kun picked up his chopsticks again, continuing to focus on and elegantly enjoy his already slightly cooled, most ordinary cafeteria meal.
In the distance, under the candlelight, Nagumo tasted nothing.
Near the ordinary dining table, Sakamoto-kun savored his meal.