Mr. Pan was being sneaky again.
Ren pulled a cat's head out of his backpack, which made the heterochromatic girl beside him blink in surprise.
"That's my bonus for topping up my phone plan," Ren joked.
"Wow! His head's huge!" Misaki Misaki exclaimed, giggling as she patted the kitten's round, furry face.
As a parasitic spirit who'd once been cut off from the world, the thing she missed most was the ability to touch something warm and alive.
This—this made her feel human again.
Before long, the two reached the classroom.
As expected, Misaki Misaki's bubbly personality instantly sent a ripple of shock through the room.
"Wait, Misaki-san is this cheerful?"
"I thought she was the quiet, icy type who just stared at people."
"Good morning, Misaki-san. Morning, Kurosawa-kun."
"Morning, Kitagawa-san," Ren replied.
"...?"
Kitagawa Umi blinked at Misaki in confusion. "You've… really changed today."
"Kitagawa-san, do you like Kurosawa-kun?" Misaki blurted out with an impish grin.
"Wha—WHAT?!" Kitagawa yelped, her face turning crimson in a flash.
Where did that come from?!
Had Misaki somehow figured out her little secret?
"I mean, you always light up when you see him," Misaki said, twirling a lock of her hair. "You can't stop staring at him. No wonder—guys our age are weak for girls like you with big boobs and a round butt."
"I… I…!" Kitagawa stammered, caught totally off guard.
She turned to Ren, only to feel a jolt of courage rise in her chest. "Well… would he even want a flat-chested, no-hips girl like you?"
"H-Hey! I'm just a late bloomer, okay?!"
Misaki's cheeks flushed instantly as the jab hit a sore spot.
"And for your information," she shot back, "Ren likes girls who wear stockings!"
Chapter 28: Earth's Trouble – Fujiwara Chika
"…What the hell?" Ren's expression soured.
If this went on, the entire class would learn his… preferences.
"Wait… Ren likes stockings?" Kitagawa echoed, eyes wide, her face quickly turning pink.
But she mentally filed the info away.
Black stockings for the comic con this weekend. Got it.
Behind her, Kato Megumi peeked from behind her notebook, her gaze flickering downward in thought.
The chaotic exchange finally ended once Jian Qi Ming woke up from her nap.
Face flushed, the cool-tempered girl glared at her sister with visible annoyance. Misaki, pouting, reluctantly shrank back into the shadows of her desk.
"Hey… don't take what Misaki said too seriously," Jian Qi Ming mumbled, casually tossing a folded note onto Ren's desk.
He opened it.
"She's kind of right. I do like stockings."
Pfft.
He couldn't help but chuckle.
"P-Pervert!" Jian Qi Ming barked, her ears turning bright red as she snatched the note back and crumpled it.
But as she glanced under the desk at her smooth, pale legs wrapped in sheer stockings, her mind wandered.
Was he staring at my legs that day in the black building...?
Her red eyes glazed ever so slightly, a warm flush creeping over her cheeks. Her legs—instinctively—pressed together.
Lunch Break.
The sound of Yukino Baixiang's heels echoed across the hallway as she dashed away on some errand.
Ren took his lunch and followed Kato Megumi and Kitagawa Umi up to their usual rooftop hangout.
"Mr. Pan!" Yukinoshita Yukino lit up as soon as the black kitten popped its head from Ren's bag.
She scooped him up and held him close with a warm, rare smile.
"Okay, Mr. Pan, show us a backflip!"
Ren grinned, channeling a bit of cursed energy.
Since the girls couldn't see it, he subtly lifted the kitten's little legs—flipping him gracefully through the air.
Somersault!
Mr. Pan spun midair with surprising coordination, landing shakily before flopping onto his side and panting dramatically.
Yukino gasped. "Wait… How did you do that?!"
She thought Ren had just been messing around when he claimed he could make the cat do tricks.
But now? Her icy demeanor melted into open amazement.
Mr. Pan kept flipping, determined, even though his tiny legs twitched with exhaustion.
Everyone laughed, the mood light and cheerful.
For the first time in weeks, Yukino's cool expression bloomed into soft, frequent smiles.
It was a lunch break none of them would forget.
On their way back down, Ren paused when he overheard a voice echoing from the corridor.
"Please, Secretary Fujiwara! Can you talk to President Shinomiya about approving anime screenings for the campus festival?"
That voice… sounded familiar.
"I'm really sorry, Aki-kun, but that's just not going to happen," came a soft, girlish reply—apologetic but firm.
Ren glanced around the corner.
There stood Aki Ren, glasses flashing with otaku zeal, pleading his case.
"Secretary Fujiwara, don't you understand how important this is? Haven't you ever watched anime as a kid? Just one little favor, please!"
The pink-haired girl looked increasingly uncomfortable.
Aki's enthusiasm was intense—too intense. The guy had zero sense of personal space.
"Please, just one meeting with the president! That's all I'm asking!"
He reached out to grab her hand.
"That's far enough."
A strong hand gripped his wrist and pulled him back.
It was Kurosawa Ren.
He didn't use much force, but the pressure was enough to make Aki wince and stumble to the ground.
"Ow—seriously?!"
"Oh! Kurosawa-kun!" Fujiwara Chika exhaled in relief, her chest rising dramatically as she sighed.
The sight was enough to turn a few heads nearby.
"Whoa, who made Chika-senpai flinch like that?"
"Looks like Aki Ren again. Didn't he try to get anime screened last semester too?"
"Dude never gives up."
"Aki Ren," Kurosawa said coolly, "you can't force people to appreciate your hobbies."
"Traitor!" Aki barked back. "You've forgotten your roots, Kurosawa! You used to care about the 2D world!"
"This isn't about that," Ren replied flatly. "You're not advocating. You're just hijacking the festival for your own interests."
He met Aki's glare without flinching.
"The school festival is meant for everyone. Even if anime gets approved, people who love it will find it without your help. But shoving it down others' throats? You're just turning people off."
The hallway went quiet.
Even the students who weren't listening before had now gathered.
"That… that actually makes sense."
"Dang, Kurosawa just dismantled that guy."
Aki's face turned ghost-white.
He opened his mouth to argue—but no words came out.
Ren's point hit too close to home.
Forcing others to indulge your obsession wasn't advocacy. It was selfishness.
"Wow… Kurosawa-kun really is amazing," one girl whispered.
"Now I see why all the girls like him."
Still holding his bruised wrist, Aki turned and limped away—his face twisted in silent frustration.
Ren frowned slightly.
The way Aki had looked back… something about it didn't sit right.
Chapter 29: Kaguya Hyou—Conquered by Food
"Thank you for stepping in back there," Fujiwara Chika said, clasping her hands with a soft smile.
"No worries. It wasn't a big deal," Ren shrugged.
He turned to leave, but Chika called out, "Hey—since it's still lunch break, why don't you stop by the student council office? I'll make you a cup of tea to thank you."
Ren paused, then smiled. "Sure. Why not."
They walked together, side by side, as she chatted with ease.
"You know, Kurosawa-kun… you're always in the top three on every exam. That's seriously impressive."
Her eyes sparkled with admiration.
That was the thing about Fujiwara Chika—around her, you never had to worry about running out of conversation.
She carried the rhythm effortlessly.
Even among girls, Kurosawa Ren's reputation was well-known: tall, athletic, ridiculously good-looking, smart, and kind.
And now, rumor had it he was dating a very famous upperclassman…