Walking together with them, we became the center of attention of the students who were walking with us. Trying to evade the stares. But no matter what I do, they’re all looking at me.

Why me?!

“Haa... Why me...”, I said, with a hint of exhausting expression on my face.

“Just let it be, that’s going to go last for a few days. They’re probably curious about your face.”, Arima said.

“It’s just a fucking face.”

“Hahaha, can’t blame them. That’s how things work, but once they found out about your face. They’re probably going to leave you alone and will be back to normal.”

“That’s it?”, I looked at Arima in bewilderment.

“Probably, then some girls will try to get into your pants.”

“Okay...?”, I said, with a disgusted expression.

“But, that happening is close to none, at how tight your girls are to you. If they want to get close, they’ll need to face your girls. A scary heir from a well-known family and a scary blond girl.”, Arima said with a smirk.

“Scary blond girl? Are you talking about Naoki?”, I asked.

Why did Arima say that about Naoki?

“Of course, Ikeda-san is the only one with a natural blonde hair color here.”

“Scary? Are you sure? Naoki is like an innocent puppy that you would always want to cuddle, though? Every time you would pat her head she would start purring like a cat, then she would even get jealous of my little cousin and will always try to get my attention, and I found that side of her adorable.”, I said nonchalantly.

Even though I didn’t say that out loud, some people heard it and blushed all of them blushed. The three girls who were walking in front of us heard that.

Naoki’s face turned beet-red upon hearing that, and she tried to hide with her hair covering her face while looking down. Yokota was the same, though she was trying her best to hide her embarrassment by looking the other way.

Meanwhile, Yuki was glaring into my eyes, with cheeks puffed like a cute animal. I then notice her glare. Upon seeing that, I felt like she’s trying to say something in her eyes. However, I don’t get it.

After a few seconds...

Realizing the blunder that I made, my eyes widen. Currently panicking inside, I glanced around and saw that other people have heard it. My face gradually flushed from embarrassment.

Yuki’s glare made me realized the blunder, and I was thankful for it. However, the message that she’s trying to convey differed from what I’m thinking. “So, what’s the talk you said earlier?”, Yuki said fiercely, while still glaring at me.

“Um, uhh—... Sorry...”, I said dejectedly.

Then I looked back to Arima, who was also looking at me with a red face, “How can you say that in a straight-face and so casually? Are you not embarrassed?”, Arima said.

“I-I am...”, I said, stammering.

“I fucking doubt that...”, Arima responded.

After that, we continued to walk until we reached the corridors. The people who heard it were trying to gaze away from me, avoiding me. During our walk, Naoki was still hiding her face with her hair and Yuki was pouting angrily, while Yokota was still the same as ever. Arima and I were at the back in silence because of the awkward atmosphere that I myself created by my stupid blunder.

Reaching the cafeteria with my face still down, I can still feel the threshold of the animosity towards me increasing as we are about to reach the cafeteria. We finally reached it.

“Same as always, I’ll go buy since I’m the only one who doesn’t have a bento.”, Arima said.

“Okay.”, I said. Then Arima went ahead to buy his own food.

Following the three, I could feel the gazes toward me darting from all directions, which made me felt uncomfortable more.

Upon taking our seats, Yuki gave us our bento. But, something came to my mind, I glance to my left to where Yui was sitting beside me, “By the way, what did you say about yesterday about skipping 2nd period just to make our lunch?”, I said.

“...Hmpf.”, Yuki ignored me while puffing her cheeks.

I puzzlingly looked at her, “Hey, I’m sorry, it’s just a slip-up. I didn’t mean that.”

Yuki still ignored me.

So, I turned to my right which is where Naoki was sitting, “Can you help me?”

Naoki’s face was still blushing from what I’ve said earlier and mutteringly said, “Idiot...”

Even Naoki is not willing to talk to me?!

“Haaa...”, I sighed.

“Your own fault, Okita.”, Yokota said.

“Yeah... I know...”, I said in a sad tone.

Opening the bento, it mesmerized once again me at how great was Yuki’s cooking.

So, I complimented her, “Yuki, thank you for the food. It looks delicious as always.”, I smiled.

Yuki only stared into my eyes, then she turned her head the other way, “Hampf, I don’t need your compliments.”

What now? Is she that angry because I complimented Naoki?

Poking her puffy cheeks, and said, “Stop being a tsun tsun... Fine, Yuki is cute too. I find your aggressive side adorable and sexy. I like how you would always take care of me and Naoki. I like seeing your serious side because I find that charming. I lik—”, I got interrupted by a stab from my left side of my body.

To which I cry out, “Ouch! Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow...”, while holding it.

“Shut up! It’s not even about that!”, Yuki exclaimed with a hint of beet-red flush all over her face.

“E-E-Eh?! Then, what is it...?”, I said while whimpering from the pain that I received from her.

“Think about it.”, Yuki said sternly, while trying to look serious but failed to do so, as her mouth is twitching, forcing her mouth not to smile.

I started contemplating, while still agonizing over the pain.

‘A scary heir from a well-known family and a scary blond girl.’

‘Scary blond girl? Are you talking about Naoki?’

‘Of course, Ikeda-san is the only one with a natural blonde hair color here.’

‘Scary? Are you sure? Naoki is...’

Hm...

Scary?

Scary heir?

Wait...

Oh! She’s talking about how I didn’t retort to Arima’s statement about her, and I only spoke about Naoki.

I let out a weak laugh. Upon my sudden realization, I leaned near her right ear and whispered, “I find that part of you attractive, that’s what makes you hot.”

After whispering it to her, Yuki’s face was blazing in redness as she then turned her head towards me angrily. I could see the smoke coming out of her. I feel like I made it worse on my end. Yuki then smiled stiffly, as I could feel the rage coming from her. She was looking at me menacingly.

“You better get ready later, you’re not going home. Oh, wrong. I will not let you.”, Yuki said, with a smile, that it imprinted me in my mind that will haunt me.

I gulped.

I could see a faint of lust in her eyes while glowering at me. Cold sweats started forming from my back and forehead. The way Yuki was looking at me was like she will not let me leave in one piece. She will take everything from me, no matter how tiny that is, she will take it. I really dug myself over this one. The feeling of helplessness is taking over me.

“Y-Yes, I-I will Y-Yuki...”, I answered while stumbling over my words.

“Good. About the part of me skipping, that’s correct. I don’t really care about my performance in school since I can easily ace the exams. That’s why it didn’t matter. Got questions?”, Yuki said while still glaring at me.

“Nope. All done. I understand.”, I replied.

“Good, now let’s eat.”, Yuki said, getting her chopsticks out and opened her bento.

We all followed suit and after that, “”""Thank you for the food."""", we all said together.

After eating for a while, I see Naoki glancing at me, so I asked, “Naoki, something’s wrong?”

“Uhh... Tatsu... Can I have a kiss later... Before you go to the faculty office...?”, Naoki shyly whispered to me.

Her sudden request stunned me since I troubled her earlier from what I blurted out and made her embarrassed about it. I think it’s a good thing to accept it, to reprimand my foolishness.

I whispered back, “Yeah. We can just find a secluded place later.”

Naoki’s eyes glistened upon hearing my response to her request, and said beaming, “Thank you.”

“No problem.”, I smiled back.

After a while, Arima finally came, “Whew, that’s one hell of a line. There are too many students lining up. Sorry about that.”

“Don’t mind. Just eat.”, I said.

“Alrighty then. Thank you for the food.”, Arima said.

While eating, I saw Nagasawa and his gang of women sitting on the other side of the table near us. Staring at them, Arima’s childhood friend, who was glaring at Arima’s back, noticed me. Upon noticing me, she furrowed her eyebrows and averted her eyes.

Because of that, the two girls whom I haven’t known looked in our direction. Noticing that I’m looking in their direction, they showed me a displeased face. Because of that, all of them followed suit towards the direction they’re currently looking. Nagasawa did the same. When they noticed the familiar group who’s sitting here, Nagasawa and the gyaru girl looked at us the same, however, Nishimura-senpai’s little sister has an indifferent face while looking at us. I think it doesn’t even bother her.

The looks bewildered me because of how they were looking at me, as if they’re treating me like a bug, even though I did nothing to them. I think...? Reminiscing about the events yesterday; I remember meeting the gyaru and Nagasawa. Was it because of my face? But, I remember Nagasawa and the gyaru were looking at me with stunned expressions, and from the looks of it, I don’t think they recognized me.

From how little our interaction, yesterday...

Did I introduce myself to them yesterday?

But, why did Nagasawa want to shake hands yesterday?

Isn’t that supposed to be a gesture for formal interactions?

Was it because Hina-senpai was there?

Is that why his he held his hostility towards?

Because of how he looks at me every time I see him, I could feel large animosity towards me from his eyes.

Despite that, why all of them are looking at me like that? Though, except Nishimura’s little sister and Arima’s childhood friend as she was glancing a little on Arima’s back with—Resentment? Loathing? Hatred?

I don’t know.

Then Yuki called me, “Tatsu, why are you not eating?”

“Oh, well...”, thinking of an excuse.

Yuki then glanced in the direction to where I was looking earlier, upon noticing the displeased expressions they’re exhibiting towards me.

Noticing Yuki’s eyes looking in their direction, Nagasawa’s expression turned 180 as he was now giving Yuki a gentle smile.

Yuki’s face turned ugly, and she glared at them importantly. Her glare was stronger towards Nagasawa. She even started emitting some sort of pressuring aura from how she looks at them.

“What are those bitches looking at? And, what’s with that guy? I want to kill him so badly. I hated how he smiled at me, he’s unsightly to look at and annoying.”, Yuki said angrily.

Because of Yuki’s glaring, the three girls who had displeased expressions on me got scared and averted their eyes to avoid Yuki’s pressuring hostility towards them. Besides that, the one who Yuki mainly glared at—Nagasawa. He was shaking in fear and did the same as the other three. They all now looked away from our direction.