Back in the classroom, the afternoon lessons continued.
After class, Shizuya took a quick look into the teachers' office—and sure enough, Aizen was already gone from his seat.
No idea what that monster of a man was plotting. It was a little unsettling, but at times like this, he figured he should just wait.
No point digging too deep. Handle his own business first.
Once the day's classes ended, Shizuya followed his usual routine and wandered over to the cafeteria.
He couldn't train on an empty stomach—nutrition came first.
With that in mind, Shizuya never shortchanged himself in places like this.
"Excuse me. Hamburg steak set. Extra rice, miso soup, nanban chicken, and a small bowl of curry."
"Oho, you're pretty late today!"
With how much he ordered—and how fixed his order always was—even the cafeteria uncle had memorized his face.
"Heading to special training again? You youngsters really have energy."
"Heh, you're not bad yourself, Uncle. You still look solid."
"You get it! Here, here—this little plate of pickles is on me…"
There was no harm in being sweet-tongued, and it earned him small perks like this.
As long as it was profit, it was profit.
Shizuya, pleased as can be, headed to the toppings station as usual, sprinkled on some chili powder and shredded nori, then started looking for a quieter corner—
When a familiar back came into view.
That's…
Shizuya lifted his tray, hesitated, then decided to go over.
"Excuse me. One bowl of plain rice porridge, please."
"Again? Miss, you eat this every day—you're going to end up malnourished, you know."
"Uh, n-no… this is fine, ehehe. I'm… I'm actually dieting."
Kote tsu Isane lowered her head uneasily.
She raised her right hand and fidgeted with the dangling ornament near her ear.
Just as Shizuya had guessed, Isane really was the quiet, inward type.
She already struggled with overly familiar people, and now that this conversation had drawn attention, even more gazes were gathering around.
Not again…
She didn't even want to stand out…
It wasn't like she'd asked to be so tall in the first place. She wanted to be normal too—like an ordinary girl…
What should she say? What excuse could she use to muddle through this?
Anxious, thinking, Isane pressed her lips tighter and tighter—
"Ah! So Kote tsu-senpai is here? What a coincidence~"
A familiar voice.
The girl froze for a moment, then turned.
A boy with delicate features, black hair tied tightly back, a gentle face—smiling kindly at her.
She knew that face.
After all, she'd just seen it this morning.
"Kote tsu-senpai, I actually wanted to ask you something—would it be alright if we sat together?"
She couldn't exactly refuse. Besides, she wanted to get away from the counter quickly.
So she nodded on reflex.
"Y-yes! Th-then… let's go!"
They hurried away from the front and circled to a quieter corner.
They sat down at an empty spot, and Isane's expression visibly loosened.
"Um… uh…"
"Let's skip the thanks," Shizuya said with a grin. "Consider it a return for what you did earlier. Just a small favor."
Isane blinked, at a loss, curling her hands in front of her.
"Then why did Arima-kun…?"
"Anyone could tell you were uncomfortable, Senpai."
Shizuya smiled as he split his chopsticks and held them in his left hand, tapping the tips against the table's edge.
Nice—aligned.
"If I noticed, I couldn't just pretend I didn't. And you looked pretty troubled just now, didn't you?"
Of course, assuming someone else's feelings without permission was rude in its own way.
Thinking that, Shizuya paused, then scratched the back of his head awkwardly, laughing.
"On the other hand… if you feel like I overstepped, then I'm really sorry. I shouldn't have acted like I knew better."
Isane hurriedly shook her head.
"No, no! I'm grateful, Arima-kun. It's just… I just don't know what I'm supposed to say…"
It was like a dam had finally cracked.
Isane's already strained expression snapped completely, as if everything she'd been holding in finally spilled out.
"It's been like this ever since I enrolled…"
"I don't do anything, but people stare at me just because of my height…"
"What the heck! It's not like I wanted to turn out this way…! Who gets taller from eating rice porridge? That makes no sense!"
Whoa.
Hearing that, Shizuya wore a pained expression, like his teeth were aching.
That resentment was overflowing. It was about to spill onto the table.
It was obvious she'd been carrying pressure for a long time.
But at the same time—he couldn't exactly offer some perfect, magical comfort.
They'd only known each other for a day.
Also… was it really okay to vent all this to him?
As if realizing she'd lost control, Isane sniffed hard and muttered a quiet, "Sorry."
"…Can we pretend you didn't hear what I just said?"
Could there be any other answer?
Shizuya smiled and nodded.
The tension eased, and with that outburst, Isane's mood seemed to lift noticeably.
She drew a long breath, patted her own cheeks, like she was trying to psych herself up.
Pull yourself together, Kotesu Isane!
Since when did you get this fragile—complaining to a junior?!
"Sorry… for letting you see that."
"It's fine. Honestly, Senpai, you look more normal like this."
"Huh? What do you mean?"
Isane looked puzzled. Shizuya swallowed his food, wiped his mouth, and adjusted his posture a little before speaking properly.
"I mean exactly what I said. You usually look so… cold."
"But that's not really what you want, is it?"
There was nothing she could do about it. With a face that leaned androgynous like hers, if she didn't force an expression, she naturally looked serious to everyone.
"You give people the impression that you're hard to approach."
Isane touched her cheek as if only now realizing it, blinking in confusion.
"I-I do…?"
No one had ever told her that before.
"You totally do!"
Shizuya pressed the advantage.
"If Kotesu-senpai smiled a little, I bet you'd look even cuter."
"Eek!!!"
Like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, the nearly-one-point-nine-meter-tall girl let out an absurdly sweet squeak.
Saying someone was cute so casually…
Ah—this was the first time anyone besides her family had said something like that to her.
That wasn't fair.
Way too light, wasn't it?!
Do you say that to other girls too?!
Isane's brain spiraled into chaos. Her face grew hot, and she reflexively covered it with both hands.
But no matter what, she still had to keep her expression from collapsing.
As for Shizuya?
He genuinely thought compliments made women happy. Calling someone "pretty" felt too forward, but "cute" was safer—more neutral.
It was basically a social template.
Nothing unusual at all.
Besides—he'd learned it from Aizen.
If you copy the master of charisma, you can't go wrong.
The atmosphere between them turned strange.
But the one who broke the silence first was Isane—
She couldn't let him notice her fluster. That thought made her inhale sharply…
And counterattack.
"Arima-kun! Y-your… your appetite is really good!"
Was that supposed to be small talk?
Shizuya didn't notice anything odd. He just gave an awkward laugh.
"I train every day. Can't cut back on food."
"I-is that so…"
Remembering how he'd shown up for treatment earlier, Isane blinked and couldn't help saying,
"But… that level of training is still too dangerous, isn't it? If possible, Arima-kun should take better care of your body."
Whatever the case, she was worried about him.
Shizuya smiled and nodded.
"Yeah, thanks! I'll pay more attention from now on."
That's way too perfunctory—Isane wanted to say something stricter.
But then she remembered what he'd said—
If you smile a little, you'll look even cuter.
So she twitched her face and forced out a stiff, awkward smile.
"Arima-kun… you're very earnest…"
Shizuya nodded hard.
"Yeah. Time at school is precious. I want to work hard while I'm here, so I can get a good posting later."
No one would mock someone that serious.
Isane certainly wouldn't. She could only think: He's really giving it everything.
By now, Shizuya had cleaned his tray.
Such a good appetite… I wish I could eat like that too.
But if she kept eating freely, her height would only keep becoming a problem.
Her eyes drifted to his empty plates, and something stirred in her chest.
"Then… do you have enough money?"
"I did hard labor in Rukongai before, so I saved a little… At least for this year, I'm fine."
Once he learned enough, he could take assignments and support himself—balance income and expenses.
He'd planned it before enrolling, so there was no surprise.
"A job…"
Isane looked like she'd thought of something.
She hesitated, hands intertwined in front of her, rubbing together for a moment—then spoke softly.
"I… I actually have a part-time position through the student council that's recruiting. I was wondering if Arima-kun might—"
Before she could finish, Shizuya's eyes lit up.
"I'll do it!"
If he could start earning early, his finances would loosen up a lot…
And then why would he keep eating hamburg steak?
Bring me steak!
◇ I'll be dropping one bonus chapters for every 10 reviews. comment
◇ One bonus chapter will be released for every 100 Power Stones.
◇ You can read the ahead chapter on P@treon if you're interested:
patreon.com/c/NightTL