Author's Notes:

Happy New Year to everyone! Hope you have a prosperous year ahead.

I also want to thank everyone who likes this story. This being just wish fulfilment for me, I am grateful to you all.

Now before the chapter starts, I have a few things to say.

This update has only two chapters because I have run out of pre-written chapters by now, so the frequent updates will end here. And because work has been drawing up on me now, my writing speed will reduce a lot. And unlike the established writers, I cannot write one and then upload. Seriously, it's like once you start writing and are done with one chapter and move on, new ideas will pop up in the middle of writing and you then have to go back and revamp things. Or you just re-read a chapter and decide to change a few things, like using different words or adding some detail etc.

This is why I write a few chapters and then upload them at once, so there is no mess. This way I can change things whenever I like and refine them as much as I am able to.

Secondly, this update ends at the point just before Kyosuke meets with the two main love interests in earnest and starts spending all his time with them. So by the time of this upload, I am thinking of how that goes. Writing conversations is hard, doubly so when I personally love the characters involved and want to make everything the best I can. So the next upload will definitely be after many months, maybe even an year or so. It will be a large one though.

Lastly, I do not earn anything from this story in any way, shape or form. Everything used in it belongs to their respective owners. Everything mentioned in this story is fictional and any parallels to real life events, people or thing is purely a coincidence and there is no deeper meaning anywhere. Please don't say anything like that.

Chapter 13

It was Thursday and Kyosuke woke up like normal for his fourth day of high school. Morning is the time for him to focus on his resource points and check that everything is on the right track. So despite it being the day after he was forced to join the Service Club, thoughts about Yukino or Hiratsuka-sensei were the farthest thing from his mind.

After finishing up his morning tasks and ensuring that there were no troubles which needed his attention and all his arrangements, hidden or otherwise, were working as expected, he left for Sobu on time. The weather was quite good, with the usual morning rush consisting of office workers and students walking to their respective destinations passing him by.

At one point, Kyosuke came across a group of four office women waiting at the side of a road. One of them was on a phone, talking to one of their co-workers who was supposed to come pick them up. They were all dressed quite professionally in white shirts and black pencil skirts with black stockings.

'Ah. Now this is a good omen for the day. What a good way to start the morning.'

Kyosuke was feeling a bit more excited this morning because of a good dream from last night, so the sight of multiple mature women dressed in secretary outfits made him look back twice.

Discreetly of course. Getting caught staring is very embarrassing and troublesome, especially when he is the only one doing it. Everyone else around acted normal like it was nothing and passed by the group without a backward glance. But obviously that isn't the case for Kyosuke.

He can't help it that he finds them attractive.

Actually, make that very attractive, especially that woman with the deep purple hair which can be confused for black when seen from a different angle. Her outfit goes very well with her hair and eyes.

The officewoman outfit gives a mature vibe without being revealing. At a first glance there is nothing lewd about it, since it covers the body appropriately and is not deliberately appealing or any of that sort. That is why it makes it all the more exciting if the one wearing it acts flirty. Not to mention how easily it can be discarded and even modified. A few adjustments like opening a button to show some cleavage or removing the stockings to bare those smooth legs can heat things up in a heartbeat.

So that office attire can be said to be a favourite of his. The same outfit can be worn by a secretary, a librarian and even a teacher, whether real or role playing ones, so it is a very popular one in ecchi anime and hentai.

Seriously, if that is what a salaryman sees in the office, then Kyosuke would be happy to do overtime himself if he were an ordinary person. Even if others have a different standard of beauty from Kyosuke, they would still get to see the ones they consider to be attractive in that outfit. So it's no wonder that a ton of people do overtime over the week days and even the weekends.

When Kyosuke sees such a sight, it makes him want to start a company or something along those lines, just enough to get a sexy secretary for himself. But then his common sense prevails and he satisfies himself from the porn he has bought from the Shop.

Yes, porn from the Shop. It is very cheap as well, costing only a few Credits which he could earn by a wave of his hand when he was five by smashing a few skeletons and zombies, let alone now when he can wipe out a whole army with the same effort.

Because of this, combined with the onset of puberty now that he is not rushing everywhere in the Dungeons like a possessed madman or meditating in some extreme environments to understand magic on a deeper level, his bedroom now has many top notch books on his shelves because of this. As for why they are physical books?

Well, he was curious about them. Physical copies, that is. In his past life, everything he saw was digital because where would you even buy something like that? And even after buying, where would he, who was still in school, hide it?

But things are way different now. In Japan, physical copies of porn are sold in around 90 percent of the convenience stores. There are even special stores for adults only which have a vast collection, though high schoolers can easily get in if they don't act like morons and give off a feel of being an adult by acting confident.

Kyosuke has personally checked it. His height really came in handy then.

It is also a common troupe in anime for boys to hide porn under their beds or in their closets, though Kyosuke doesn't have to do that. He lives alone, so no one will be looking in his room for those.

So after coming across them several times in real life by coming across his classmates from middle school buying them sneakily and watching the same in anime over and over, he decided to just buy some and indulge his curiosity. Though he stopped buying from the shops after his first time when he realized that he has a better method of procuring them.

So he turned to the Shop and he is happy to say that that was a very wise decision on his part. Because the things in the Shop can be filtered to ridiculous degrees, what he buys are all the best stuff and extremely to his liking.

It was with these thoughts that Kyosuke arrived at Sobu. Naturally, nothing amiss could be detected from his face. Keeping a serene expression is very easy for him now, otherwise he would have been walking with a stupid look as the girls in his previous school used to say about those who were too enthusiastic about their successful endeavors. It is also a necessary skill to have in a fight to not give away any clues to the enemies.

So Kyosuke walked into the gate like usual. But apparently there was something different about him since he was attracting attention this time, and was not just a background character blending in.

When he neared the school gate, from the point where the students crowd the streets in the morning, he noticed that many students would stare for a while after getting a glimpse of him. It wasn't a lot, unlike what any of the real popular students would receive. And no one was coming to approach him to talk like they would for any of the really famous personalities. But the stares and attention weren't so less as to be written off as nothing either.

Kyosuke started paying more attention then. He surveyed all of those in the vicinity, whether they were looking at him or not. After a quick glance, he found that most of the ones staring were first years like him. They were the ones who would point at him discreetly and then whisper to those around them.

Hearing what they were talking about was very easy for him. Even without using magic, his base Stats are still insane enough that he can hear things for miles around if he just wants to, so no non-magical, no matter how discreet they might be or how softly they whisper, can evade him.

Each word spoken around was clear to Kyosuke. And since he doesn't feel anything about using his power like this, he has no problem eavesdropping on anyone.

"Hey, hey, that's the one. The guy I was telling you about."

One of the students said and slightly tilted his head in Kyosuke's direction to indicate who he was referring to. The one he was telling that to started turning to look at Kyosuke himself, but the first one quickly grabbed his friend and stopped him.

"You idiot! Don't be so blatant." He hissed. He looked at Kyosuke who walking ahead and didn't seem to know about these gossipers. "Don't stare at him in a way he will notice. Just act casual and look at the whole area. Don't focus on him in particular."

His friend was startled by the suddenness with which he was stopped. Though he did not try to fight him on that.

"Sorry sorry." He said in a hushed whisper. He stopped trying to look at Kyosuke and turned back to his friend.

"Is he really so scary?" He asked. "I haven't heard about him before."

The other boy nodded seriously at the first part. "Yes. He is really scary. Although I also haven't heard about him before Sobu or even before the fight on Tuesday."

There was a third member with them who was wearing glasses. He lightly pushed them up, anime style with sunlight flashing off them and started informing the only ignorant one out of the trio of friends.

"That guy is very scary indeed. You two don't know the guys who were beaten, but I do. I went to the same middle school as them and let me tell you, it is really shocking that they were the ones who were beaten up."

He gestured for them to move a bit away from the crowd surrounding them and his friends did so. They had curious looks now, gossip being a universal hobby among all humans. And their friend seems to have some juicy details from first hand accounts, so they obliged easily.

Once they were sure no one else would be able to hear them talk, unaware that the subject of their gossip could hear everything clearly, Glasses resumed speaking.

"The two who were beaten, Takamura and Takishima, were famous bullies in my middle school. They are the type of bullies who stick like gum once they find an appropriate target and tail them aggressively. Their favourite targets were the loners and those who looked like they wouldn't fight back, especially those who no one would care were beaten up or not. They were cautious as well and never started trouble where a teacher might stumble across them. Not only that, those two are quite good at sports, so they knew some senpai from the football club who supported them the few times any victim complained to the teachers. As a result it became a classic case of one side's words against the other. You can guess who used to win out in that since the football club in my school was quite popular."

His expression was twisted in displeasure by the end, conveying his views on the bullies who were beaten up, the teachers and even the football club from his middle school. He was not a fan of any of those.

"Yeah, that is easy to guess." The first boy said with clenched teeth. Looking at his face and posture, it was obvious he shared Glasses' view. What's more, it seemed like the situation described must have been a personal experience for him. "It is very annoying when that happens. The teachers only listen to the bigger and popular side and we get the short end of things as they sweep everything away quickly. I really hate when that happens and really hate those shitty bullies and those shitty teachers."

The other two nodded in complete agreement, having equally matching scowls on their faces. This is a common situation across all schools all over the world. So a lot of students suffer through it.

Most teachers jump to conclusions without waiting to hear from each side. Most of the time when they come across a scene, they would start dishing out punishments based on first impression.

And even if they don't, and decide to hear both sides, they still decide the outcome according to their bias. In their opinion, students have to listen to them without any hesitation or defiance, like they believe themselves to be someone important just because they have power over kids.

Another really, really annoying thing about teachers is that they don't want to be told they are wrong about anything. So no matter what happens, once they make up their minds, they will stick to it no matter what and disregard any evidence or opinions to the contrary. In fact, any backtalk only makes them come down harder on the party responsible for not falling in line immediately.

"So what happened on Tuesday? Those two bullies were beaten up?" The second boy asked Glasses after the trio was done cussing out their middle school teachers.

The first boy and Glasses both nodded in answer together. "Yes. They were beaten very badly." Glasses said with a gloating expression. His happiness was written on his face and he did not bother to even try hiding it.

"I only know the gist of it. Apparently they cornered Sachi-san during lunch break when he was going behind the gymnasium alone. Obviously they thought they must have found another victim to bully and extort."

"But this time luck was not on their side." The first boy interjected in a happy voice.

Glasses nodded and continued, not bothered by the interruption. "That's right. Luck was not on their side and the situation was reversed swiftly. Then Sachi-san beat them in the ground." He said in a lamenting voice and clicked his tongue. "Man, I wish I could have seen that. It's said that they returned to class after an hour or so, looking like one giant bruise walking on two legs."

"So that is why the P.E. teacher has been making rounds there now?" The second boy asked.

"That's right." The first boy said. Then he made a face like he just remembered something. "I also heard that the ones beaten were really scared of Sachi-san yesterday. Apparently some teacher was forcing him to apologize to them but they didn't want to accept that. Although I don't know whether it is true or not."

He shrugged when he friends looked sceptical at the last part. Beating someone up so much they are scared enough to not even accept an apology sounds ridiculous, like something which belongs in an anime.

One of them voiced that aloud and Kyosuke, who had been listening to everything till now, snorted mentally in amusement.

If only they knew.

They started talking some more about it, brainstorming about whether the last part was true or not. So Kyosuke stopped listening to them at that point. The relevant information was already delivered by them and it was enough for him to draw up the picture of the situation.

'It seems like news about the fight has already spread a lot. Well, it is a good topic to gossip about, especially this early in the school year. And it looks like I have been established as a delinquent of some sort even though some people are happy at my actions.'

Obviously those who were bullied in middle school and couldn't fight back against their tormentors are the ones who enjoy the news. Schadenfreude from those at the bottom of the totem pole is nothing new after all.

Although none of them will say that to anyone who is not a close friend, so Kyosuke's reputation as a delinquent will spread to the upper years soon enough.

He did not find anything regrettable about that. If the situation repeats itself again, then he will do the same thing again and again without remorse. Anyways, those two who tried to bully him wouldn't feel remorse if they could make Kyosuke suffer, so why should he feel remorse for doing the same in return?

Besides, being avoided is not a novel experience for him. When he was in the Institute, others would give him a wide berth after finding out how he altered his training regime out of his own free will to be even more brutal than it originally was.

They, very rightfully, concluded that something was very wrong with him.

Then he did that stunt with the gashadokuro, where he showed off so much hidden power that it made the remaining management of the Institute go weak in the knees from fear. Because of that, when he moved back into Chiba, none of the local mages showed a desire to get to know him. That is including the Chiba Branch head whom he met the moment after his relocation.

Then the two years he spent grinding away in the Dungeons each waking moment he could manage, living in isolation despite staying in a city like Chiba, did not help in making him popular to anyone.

So no, being avoided is nothing new to him and he can easily handle that. And after a little bit of thought, Kyosuke realized this turn of events is quite beneficial for him.

At least now the most annoying flies won't bother him. Anyone who approaches him now will be those he can get along with, if only because they won't be against beating up bullies and won't insist on him being a doormat to shits like that Takamura and Takishima.

Besides, he is sure the rumours will die down after a while of there being no further fuel to reinforce this image. People will move on to more interesting topics once news about him becomes old, which will happen in a few days at max. He is sure some first year will jump the gun and confess to some girl, believing it to be the start of their 'youth'.

Besides, it's not like he is going to look for trouble and embrace being a delinquent. Well, unless some more punks come looking for a fight. In that case, he will, of course, give them the same treatment he gave the first batch, though it is unlikely to happen.

Most of the 'delinquents' at Sobu are actually just students who look scary or unapproachable. Like Saki Kawasaki for example, who just looks unapproachable most of the time and downright scary when she scowls, which she does a lot.

So there are very, very few real delinquents at Sobu who would try to start actual fighting or some serious trouble, so Kyosuke doubts any further problems will occur.

So all in all, no harm has been done.

With that concluded, he put the gossiping students out of his mind and entered the building. While he was changing his outdoor shoes for the school shoes before his locker, he heard a commotion happening at the entrance.

'Now what?'

He looked over curiously and saw a crowd had formed on the sides. A few students were standing in the middle as well. When their actions started blocking the way, the ones in the middle moved aside. Though they did it while doing their best to get a spot on the sides to see outside.

Not only them, but all those arriving were also the same. They moved slowly and did their best to get a good look at something outside. Some of them simply moved aside without entering the building even. They showed quite a variety of emotions as they did so.

Of those already inside the building, those who were in the front and who could see outside were looking excited and surprised by whatever was the source of all this attention. They would look straight ahead and then whisper to those around them. Then the ones hearing that would pass it on to those standing behind them and so on.

Those who couldn't see the source by themselves were listening with rapt attention instead. Excitement and surprise would also appear on their faces, combined with disbelief. Then they would try to get a glimpse for themselves by either trying to stand on their tip toes and craning their necks, or asking those ahead to move to the back.

Kyosuke did not check what was causing the commotion first. He was more surprised by the crowd instead. The students at Sobu are not the type to be so excited and act like this usually. Such a collective loss of composure was very unexpected.

The fact they weren't showing signs of dispersing even more so, given how the entrance was getting congested by now and was even feeling a bit suffocating from the students bunched up together like this in such numbers. But despite that, the crowd continued to grow bigger and bigger as more and more students tried to wiggle in.

At least they weren't shoving or pushing each other like a mob, so things weren't out of control yet.

Looking at the crowd and their current state, Kyosuke could only think that it was like a scene from a high school anime when a beautiful girl, who is some sort of princess or idol or something as attention grabbing according to the specific background setting, comes to school for the first time and everyone wants to get a good first look at her.

But that was not all. As if just to surprise him specifically, a girl walked past Kyosuke at that moment. She has waist length black hair and a great figure. She was easily among the more beautiful of the girls at Sobu and even in general, but that is not what caught his attention.

No, it was how the others reacted to her, which was very unlike how it would be expected when a beauty like that walks by. Instead of sending admiring or even jealous looks her way, the surrounding students ignored her.

Yes, instead of attracting attention and people trying to approach her, the opposite was happening as those around her moved out of her way. They did it even if it was inconvenient to do so, which it very much was in this crowd. But despite this, anyone near her cleared a path for her to walk on, working as a collective to the best of their ability so as not to hinder her.

The girl in question for whom everyone was being so accommodating took it in stride and marched on, like it was not unusual and was, in fact, obvious for others to act this way in her presence.

What was even more surprising and definitely abnormal was how none of them seemed to see her. Logically if she was so important that people scrambled out of her way, then they should have at least looked at her in awe or apprehension or nervousness. Any emotion would do, but there should have been some reaction.

But the girl seemed to be invisible to the student body as she moved. No student looked at her. Whenever they would glance her way, it was like their eyes were incapable of registering her existence and slid right off her, like water sliding off a raincoat. But despite this they seemed to know to avoid her.

Obviously magic was involved in such anomalous behaviour. Otherwise something like this wouldn't be possible at all.

'There is a mage at school?'

Kyosuke was a little surprised when he sensed the magic she was using. And why wouldn't he be? He has checked for mages on all the days since school started. By now it is instinct for him to check for those with more than average mana in his vicinity, so no one with any sort of training related to magic can evade his sensory range, which can differ from a few hundred meters to hundreds of kilometers depending on his mood.

The fact he did not notice her before can mean only one thing - today is the first day she came to school for this school year. There is no way he would have missed someone trying to hide, let alone someone who was using magic in such an amateurish way that even beginners can sense her.

But now that he has noticed her, the next was determining if she would be a threat to him or not. Both [Clairvoyance] and [Danger Sense] cleared her quickly. She wasn't even strong either, with [Observe] showing her Level barely more than an ordinary person's.

She was definitely an ordinary mage. Her movements were those of someone with zero combat training, so much so that Kyosuke would wager she might even be one of those hobbyists type of mage. These are people who come into contact with magic by luck, like having an item in their family which obtained some small magical effect over time for some reason or coming across a book on magic written by a non-magical with some kernel of true information there.

To put it simply, these people can't even be said to be mages as they hardly know any decent magic and are in most cases just one trick ponies.

This, combined with the fact Mai was lacking any malicious intent and wasn't even looking at Kyosuke as she passed him by, made him lose interest in her.

Her not recognizing him is not that surprising. Since he isn't really famous among the regular magic folks and only the higher ups of the Committee and yokai would know about him, it is understandable why some random mage wouldn't know him. He might have tried to approach her, if only to know the sole person at Sobu who seems to know about the existence of the supernatural if not for one thing.

She seemed really frustrated. Scratch that, she seemed on the verge of anger even, with her steps coming down with more force than necessary. Not only was her foul mood being blasted out for anyone with even a lick of empathetic capability to pick up on, the way she was almost stomping forward would have made everyone around look at her in annoyance if she wasn't using magic.

Not wanting to test how she would react if he reaches out now, he decided to put her out of his mind and turned back to the watching the entrance.

He focused on the whispers which were increasing in volume and intensity and decided to stay and watch until this, whatever it was, is over. It was obviously some animesque event, since words like 'cute', 'beautiful', 'sisters' and 'quintuplets' were being thrown around.

He wasn't surprised by the first three, but the last made his brows raise in curiosity. So definitely interesting.

Kyosuke didn't have to wait long as after only a few more seconds the source of the commotion walked in. To be more precise, five girls walked in at once. They were bunched together in a way which indicated their familiarity and closeness with each other. They were either on their phones or talked to each other in low voices.

What was eye catching about them was their appearance. It was obvious they were sisters, but they weren't any ordinary sisters either. Instead, they were quintuplets, looking identical to each other.

Even Kyosuke was taken aback when he first saw them, let alone the rest of the students who hadn't seen the world as much as him. Due to this a hush fell over the crowd, all the whispering and talking ceasing at once now that the source of their turmoil was so close.

Or, to be more accurate, the sources of the turmoil were before their eyes.

The silent crowd watched as the quintuplets looked around the lockers and discussed for a moment or two. They then walked to a corner and stood before them in a row, taking out their indoor shoes from there and changing into them without hesitation. Many onlookers scratched their heads and some even rubbed their eyes to make sure they weren't seeing things at this.

But no. They were seeing correctly and there really was a set of quintuplets present before them. And they were acting like they belonged here and were students at this school. It was definitely true, considering they were even dressed in the Sobu uniform.

So after the initial shock passed, everyone started wondering when such a unique group had joined Sobu. There was no way the sisters would have been missed by anyone before. On top of being quintuplets, the sisters were eye catching enough on their own as well.

They all have red hair and blue eyes, average height and a good figure. Very eye catching indeed.

Kyosuke could see the way they walked was different from each other. Same went for the way they carried themselves. They were subtle differences which only a few of the more attentive people could pick up.

But there were many big and obvious differences as well, namely their hairstyles and accessories. They have different length of hair and very distinct accessories, so they could be recognized separate from each other by everyone.

But if you remove the differences and then look, they are identical enough to have passed off as clones of each other and people would have believed them.

'Wow. Even quintuplets can exist?' Kyosuke was amazed.

He has to admit he never thought something like this might be possible. Even their mana signatures and life force were very similar to each other, just enough to show they were all as close as twins while being distinct enough to be different individuals.

He was not the only one thinking on their existence as everyone else present also had the same question. Twins are rare enough, but many people have seen them. Although Sobu has no twins currently studying there, it is not hard to find some in Chiba. Kyosuke's middle school also had a pair of twin sisters who were the celebrities of his year and very popular among the boys.

Then there are triplets, which people might have heard about from the internet or social media. They are already such a rarity that the majority of people wouldn't see them in person their whole life.

But quintuplets? That is directly skipping the level of quadruplets? and moving on to the next level. Now that is so out of it that it can only happen in anime, especially when they are so identical and beautiful with such a variety of different types as the expressions many boys held could attest to.

The sisters calmly changed their shoes, not bothered by the staring. They have received such reactions from as long as they can remember, so they are long used to it. So they calmly did their business and then walked away as one.

No one stepped forward to talk to them and none of them in return dallied or tried to talk to anyone, though one of them looked around with a cheerful expression and another with a smile that Kyosuke could only describe as that of an onee-san for some reason.

'Huh. Where did that thought come from?'

Kyosuke watched them go in silence. When they disappeared around the corner and out of sight, excited whispers broke out again.

Some were amazed at seeing such a unique sight at school and were describing just that in their own way.

"Quintuplets! Wow. This is the first time I am seeing them in real life."

"Real life? I hadn't even heard about them anywhere before today. At most I have heard about triplets on the internet. But to see five with my own eyes… wow."

Many boys were more focused on their beauty and quickly skipped past the initial shock. Who wouldn't fantasize when beautiful twins pass them by? The current situation was even more hot. Five different styles on the same pretty girl was not something high school boys can ever not be moved by. They were already discussing on which of them was the best.

"The one with short hair is really cute. Did you see how she smiled?"

"As if. Did you see the cool expression the one without any accessories had? She has the look of a mature and cool beauty down to a T."

"I think the one having the longest hair is best. She is pretty and walked with confidence. But she did not look arrogant because of those ribbons. I think they add a cute charm to her and made her look more approachable."

Personally, Kyosuke agreed with the last one. He likes girls with long hair, so he does think the one having waist length hair is more beautiful of the bunch. She also walked with confidence, so that was another point in her favour.

But they are redheads and Kyosuke doesn't like them as much as those with black or blonde hair, so he wasn't terrible interested in them aside from the initial glance.

While a few were more interested in why they haven't seen the quintuplets before and whether they are new students or transfers.

"You think they are new students?"

"Most likely. Since they are sisters, they might have had some family issue that resulted in them missing the previous days."

"It would be great if they were transfer students though. Imagine if they all are in my class together at once, hehe."

"Now that is very unlikely. Don't forget this is Sobu. Who would be able to transfer here? And that too five of them at once?"

"Haaa. I know, I know. But I can hope, right? Being classmates is better than having a kohai I will never get to talk to easily. It is easier to approach a classmate, you know?"

Kyosuke listened for a while but nothing concrete came up. No one was aware about the exact situation and were just speculating, so slowly the crowd started dispersing. Seeing that Kyosuke also left for his class.

On the way, those aware about the quintuplets could be seen informing their friends and acquaintances who were unaware about this latest event which was easily shaping up to be the highlight of the year.

For now the common consensus was that they were first years who had missed the initial days due to some problems. This is because transfer students at Sobu are very, very rare.

As mentioned earlier, Sobu ranks among the best schools in Chiba and all those who graduate go to college. The entrance exams are nothing to scoff at and because of this, barring a few exceptions, no malcontents enter this school. Because of this, a transfer would occur only when the student in question is exceptionally good and has just moved into city, or they have parents or guardians who are very influential to make it happen for a not so exceptional student.

A set of quintuplets attending Sobu is amazing enough. If they were transfer students, then it would be an even bigger shock. That means that the social hierarchy which has existed for the past year or more will be upended fully, which many of those at the top don't want to see.

Mainly the girls who pin after their respective prince charming and worry that they might be snatched away by the newcomers. Already a few were gritting their teeth from what Kyosuke can hear.

'This school is becoming more and more interesting by the day. At this rate this year won't have any dull moment.' Kyosuke mused while on the way to his classroom. He was enjoying the atmosphere a lot. With the way everyone was so active now, it is like the student body has been collectively given a shot of adrenaline. 'Those girls give off anime heroine vibes as well. They are definitely unique enough that they cannot be background characters.'

Seriously, with five of them together, there is no need to gather any other girls. Just throw a protagonist at them for whom they all can fall in love with together and a rom-com anime would be ready with all the shenanigans that would follow.

'I wonder who would be the one to handle them? And what sort of issues they might need fixing from the-'

He was climbing the stairs when he paused for a moment. He quickly resumed walking so no one else noticed it, but now Kyosuke was looking forward to the year some more.

'What if they come to the Service Club? It would definitely be interesting for sure if Yukinoshita is the one to engage them instead of some anime protagonist. Or maybe they would disrupt the budding love triangle when Hikigaya and Yuigahama join the club?'

He thought the last with some expectation.

It seems like canon Oregairu would have been out the window even without his existence. He found it mildly entertaining since he wasn't interested in any canon of sorts, but it is good to know that the world is not a copy paste of the anime from his previous life.

XXX

The whole day, the only topic that any student could talk about were the new quintuplets in school. Because of this, when he arrived in class in morning, Kyosuke's classmates did not show much interest in the fact their class otaku might actually be a delinquent instead of the nerd they estimated him to be.

Sure they kept a distance from him now that he has been labelled as a troublemaker, but they weren't free enough to talk about him. Although he felt it was a pity this threw a wrench in his plans of creating some working relationships with his classmates, in the end it wasn't that big of a deal.

During homeroom, Mafuyu-sensei picked up on the way everyone was brimming with energy, but since they did not act out in any way and were still disciplined before her, she did not point it out. She was also surprised by the news when she heard it yesterday during a teachers meeting, so she perfectly understood their current emotions.

Then classes for the day went like before. Soon enough it was time for lunch. This time Kyosuke stayed in class, idling the time away by fiddling with his phone and checking up his mundane assets.

He did keep an ear on the rumours in the school to know about the news from the morning. So by the time lunch was halfway over, he knew that the quintuplets were not first years. They were, to Kyosuke's delight, second year transfer students.

This only reinforced the idea for Kyosuke that they are from some anime, because 99 percent of high school anime occur when the main characters are in their second year. Even if not all of the characters are second years, then a large portion of them definitely are, especially the most core of the main characters. This is because only the second years can have senpai and kohai both, which gives more variety to the love interests or any side characters that might exist.

After lunch was over, classes for the second half of the day started. For class 1D it meant that they have to go for P.E.

Physical Education is conducted for multiple classes at once. So when Kyosuke followed behind the boys of his class while walking to the changing rooms, he saw two more first year classes also exiting at the same time.

In the changing room, most of the boys were quite excited. P.E. is a good chance to show off before the girls for them. It was even more so for this bunch since class 1D has Alisa.

Already those from the other classes were whispering about doing their best while those from 1D were talking about not letting others show them up.

This is why only a few saw Kyosuke when he changed into his P.E. uniform. When they did, they fell silent, not knowing how to react.

With no slightly baggy clothes covering him, his muscles, which looked so well defined and amazing they seemed to be chiseled from marble, were on display for a few seconds.

It was enough to make others feel self conscious since with his tall height and broad shoulders he cut an intimidating figure. As those who saw him were struck speechless, it attracted the attention of others who weren't looking in his direction from the start.

"Sachi-san," one of them said in the silence that followed after Kyosuke was dressed and about to head out, "do you go to the gym? Or do you play sports regularly?"

He added the last part because Kyosuke did not look like a bodybuilder. All boys thought unanimously that if his face was more handsome and not this plain, then he would have definitely become the prince charming of their class.

Even now there was a high chance of many girls looking his way if they catch a glimpse of that.

"Huh?" Kyosuke looked back at the speechless looks blankly, not getting why he was asked that and why they were looking at him like that.

In his defense, any mage active enough will have a physique almost on par with him. Having divinity only enhances on the base, and this base is something that even the children at the Institute possessed. That is what happens when one undergoes a routine more intense and brutal than the best military units around the world.

When it did click for Kyosuke why he was getting so many envious looks, he shrugged. "Oh that? Yes, I do exercise regularly. Eat well and exercise well. You will also get strong muscles if you put in the effort."

With a last wave he left, leaving behind an introspective and jealous group of boys.

"You know, I had my doubts how he managed to beat two boys without getting a scratch himself. But now I get it." One of them muttered.

Many others nodded in agreement. "Yeah. Who knew he looked like that under those baggy clothes."

"Okay! Stop wasting time and move out!" One of them said when he saw the rest were distracted. "We need to do our best to not be showed up by the other classes. Imagine what Kujou-san would think if we are so halfhearted?"

That snapped them out of their funk and the boys were all fired up. Many also vowed to not get left behind by a self declared otaku of all people.

So when the rest of them walked out after getting ready, they attracted second looks from the rest of the classes and from the girls of their own class as well.

"The boys look all fired up. Wonder what that's all about?" One of the girls muttered curiously. "Something must have happened in the locker room."

Alisa heard her since she was standing just a step away. "Whatever it is, we must not fall behind." She said firmly.

The girls around heard the conviction in her voice and exchanged wry looks. By now they were well acquainted with her competitive nature, so they would have been more surprised if she wasn't fired up.

From then on the class started.

Due to this being the first P.E. class for the first years at Sobu, whoever among them wanted to join any of the sports club did their best to showcase their abilities. Impressing their senpais, the P.E. teacher and spreading word of mouth are the three main methods to do so.

Normally things would have gone like they always do, with the best of those present being separated from the hopeless, but there was one factor who threw everything into disarray after just a few minutes of the boys stepping on the basketball court.

"Ahem." The P.E. teacher coughed lightly and looked at Kyosuke with a strange gaze. "Sachi-san, can you please let others participate? I can see you don't need to show anything else, so let the others do their part as well. You can take a break for now."

"Yes sensei." Kyosuke accepted the suggestion calmly and stepped away from the court without any fuss.

Every student gathered looked on with disbelieving gazes as he walked away towards the walls and took a seat on the ground calmly. He acted like everything was normal and that him scoring points continuously from the other end of the court without fail was nothing abnormal.

There was scoring a field goal and then there was what he had been doing for the past five minutes straight without fail, making the spectators question if a human could aim with the precision he has just shown. Despite witnessing it with their own eyes, none of the spectators could bring themselves to accept it without doubt.

The teacher let out a breath of relief after Kyosuke was no longer playing. He was singlehandedly winning against the opposing team. Not only was it making things awkward for his teammates who were standing there uselessly, it was also very demoralizing for the opponents who were looking like they were one step away from storming off in anger and irritation.

As the teams were re-selected and the girls also resumed their volleyball match with the sideshow straight from an anime being over, one of Kyosuke's classmates spoke up hesitantly when he joined those sitting idle.

"Do you play basketball often, Sachi-san? That was…" He struggled to find a word that could accurately describe what just happened and settled on, "an unbelievable performance. Your aim is very good."

Kyosuke opened a water bottle beside him and grinned slightly at the looks he was receiving. It is a testament to how shocked everyone was that none of them thought to question where the bottle came from.

"Is that so? Thanks for the praise. But it's nothing that special actually. I just have a lot of practice with my aim. In fact, if any of you practice the same enough times, I am sure you can also do it."

Those around let out weak chuckles at that. They did not believe the last part and Kyosuke did not bother convincing them otherwise.

He was being completely honest when he said that. Every human in this world has magic power, no matter how small or large. And since touki is a thing, humans can also use their life force itself to do superhuman feats. Although actively using any of them is incredibly difficult without training, there are ways to use them passively.

Kyosuke was honestly quite shocked when he looked this up on a whim one day. Even in his past life, the oldest of the Japanese could live for more than 100 years while being relatively fit and not being confined to a bed after crossing the century mark.

Here, with all the advantages that each person has at the bare minimum? Heh.

The regular people would be knocked off their feet if they realize just how much potential they have. The show Kyosuke put before the class just now is something all of them can do if they just put in enough effort.

A big evidence confirming this are the professional sports teams. It is not obvious in sports like cricket and baseball, but those who play football and basketball and reach the top of the world in them are already superhuman when compared to regular humans, though it is not too obvious.

XXX

After the show during P.E., Kyosuke attracted many strange and inquisitive looks from not only his classmates but also from the other classes. The P.E. teacher even approached him to see if he was interested in joining any of the clubs. With a player like Kyosuke on the team, as long as the rest are not wastrels, Sobu can definitely win the city wide tournaments.

So he was disappointed when Kyosuke turned him down politely. He only left after exhorting Kyosuke to think on it and come to him if his mind ever changes.

After P.E., it was time for a few classes and soon enough the end of the day approached. The last class was history with Mafuyu-sensei, so when the bell rang signaling its end, the class relaxed subtly in their seats.

After she left, the students started packing their stuff quickly. Those who would be going for club activities started leaving in groups talking about it, while those with nothing to do left for their homes or to hang out with friends.

Kyosuke was among the former category seeing as he is a member of the Service Club now. So he packed up his stuff and made his way to the club room, wondering what Yukino might have planned for today in regards to him.

After yesterday's spectacle, surely that girl wouldn't still believe that he will listen to her, right? He had made it clear he couldn't care less about her or her opinions, so she should not be delusional enough to think he would act all obedient and take her insults lying down.

So things should be different from yesterday.

…He finds it unlikely though. If there is one thing that he has noticed about people in general, it is that they are prominent in whatever characteristic they display, whether it be stubbornness, cruelty, pettiness, kindness etc.

As expected, some of them end up beneficial and others not.

'Most likely it will be the same insults being thrown around and her narcissism on display. Those like her don't change so easily after all, and it is doubtful how much she would consider my words as worth thinking about.'

For people like Yukino to change, it will require a lot of effort on those attempting to do so. At the very least, two people are needed. One who would be a pseudo doormat for her to walk on and insult impudently, and the other who would praise her abilities sincerely and without double meanings, without becoming jealous of whatever Yukino excels at.

The first person would then slowly challenge Yukino's capability and way of doing things but without ever outright confronting her or making her feel inadequate. The second person would be the constant that takes Yukino's side whenever something happens to not make the girl feel like she is the one in the wrong or that others are ganging up on her.

So, the chances of her doing anything different from yesterday in regards to Kyosuke are nil. And since he isn't going to act the punching bag for her to take her frustrations out on, Yukino will never change the way she would treat him.

He isn't bothered by it anyways. Things might have been different if Yukino was his type, but since that is not the case, Kyosuke has no reason to reach out or compromise.

Besides, it's Hachiman and Yui's job to handle that girl. Kyosuke much prefers being blunt and to the point wherever possible. Beating around the bush and wasting time is not his style.

In a fight it means killing the enemy directly and without spouting nonsense. In personal relationships it means being direct and truthful. At least for relationships that mean something and are not just perfunctory things which can be discarded at any time. In the latter's case he wouldn't mind just going with the flow and not caring about the impact his actions have on it.

What he thinks of his relationship with Yukino is obvious enough. Still, he thinks that he is helping her in a way. Dealing with him now will definitely make things better for her in the long run. After all, she should appreciate Hachiman and Yui more after having Kyosuke as an example before them.

A mocking smirk crossed his face at the thought. 'Really, that girl should thank me for making it easier for her to connect with her genuine friends in future.'

Kyosuke arrived at the hallway the Service Club is located while thinking about such things. And just like yesterday, the place was completely deserted on this floor with the only people present being him out in the hallways and Yukino in the clubroom.

'There really aren't any other clubs around. I wonder how that girl expects to receive requests if others have to come to this deserted corner. It's not like anyone comes here on a whim or to spend time anyway, aside from the teachers who patrol around.'

Honestly, one might think that the Service Club is deliberately located away in this corner, away from places where some student might stumble on it accidentally. Personally, it all feels kind of meaningless to him, like putting up a facade of being seen to be doing something instead of actually doing it.

Kyosuke had a smirk when that thought crossed his mind. He also wondered how Yukino would react if he accuses her of acting like a slimy politician and fooling others with empty promises like a certain fictional Ministry of Magic.

Whatever it would be, it would definitely be interesting. Reaching the door of the club, he wiped away the smirk and put on a neutral and relaxed look. Since the only other person in the club is a girl, he did not barge in like Hiratsuka-sensei does.

He still has this much basic courtesy and he will extend it to a girl as rude as Yukino as well. Besides, he doesn't want to be dragged into the cliche of entering a room while a girl is in the midst of changing clothes or in some other embarrassing or compromising situation, like it happens in anime.

Doubly so since he has no desire to see Yukino like that.

So he knocked on the door twice loudly and waited for a reply.

"Come in." There was a noticeable pause before the reply came.

Kyosuke opened the door and entered, easily catching the fleeting look of surprise on Yukino's face when she saw just who has entered. She was again sitting on a chair by the window with a book in hand. She quickly hid her surprise when he turned around to close the door.

By the time he turned around again and was walking to the chair and desk used by him yesterday, which were still out and where he left them, Yukino was back to her impassive look.

It was easy for Kyosuke to guess why she was surprised. With the way he had acted yesterday, it wouldn't have been surprising if he was dragged here by Hiratsuka-sensei. Yukino's eyes flicked to the door after he closed it, showing she was thinking the same with the lack of anyone who might have forced him to come.

This means he was here of his own will, which Yukino considered. Then she thought it might be her win and Kyosuke's behaviour yesterday was just his way to attract her attention.

That made her look at him with slight condescension. It wouldn't be the first time some boy has acted hard to get before her. It never works and Yukino pities the fools who think they can attract her interest that way, like she is some idiotic and ignorant girl from a story who would be interested in the first person who acts out before her.

So she kept staring at him with a knowing look in her eyes, thinking she was getting a good idea of his thinking. It only lasted for a few moments though.

Kyosuke took his seat, put his bag beside him and then, just like yesterday, took out a book, notebook and pen. Then he started writing and doing his homework. Yukino's face twitched and her expression reverted back to her default state of iciness.

To Kyosuke's slight disappointment, Yukino acted just like yesterday and started off things with the same open sense of superiority.

"It seems like you are lacking in basic manners as well, Sachi-san. Or is your age catching up with you? Don't you know you have to greet people when you enter a room? But here you are, acting like a boor and ignoring a lady. I find it hard to believe that no one ever taught you not to do this."

"I doubt you want my greetings though." He replied without looking at her. Her pitiful attempts at riling him up did not work while his curt reply did not dissuade her at all.

"You are correct regarding that. Although I don't crave your company and would much prefer to not see an old man masquerading as a high schooler, I have accepted a request from Hiratsuka-sensei. So I must correct your defects regardless of what common sense dictates regarding this situation." The retort was swift and delivered without hesitation.

Kyosuke hummed noncommittally, again not caring about the barb. "Good. I don't want to greet you anyway."

So it looks like just like she was focusing on Hachiman's eyes, she would be focusing on his white hair for Kyosuke. Which is a first for him, since people usually just ignore it after getting a few looks. After all, some white hair on an unremarkable guy is not that eye catching when compared to purple, green, orange or even pink hair on a handsome boy or beautiful girl.

Kyosuke did not speak more than that. He continued his work, looking like her words were not worth him even gracing her with a look. And honestly, such juvenile taunts would be more at home in elementary or middle school. At least those at Kyosuke's middle school had the guts to use his orphan status if they wanted to hurt him.

Though he doubts that Yukino would do the same if she knew that. After all, no matter how much she acts like that, Yukino Yukinoshita is a child in his eyes. What she considers harsh or helpful are vastly different from his standards.

Not to mention she is just arrogant, not deliberately malicious. She might put others in their place and even send someone into tears, but taunting someone by using something as sensitive as their lack of parents is not her style.

Yukino waited for a moment but no reply or further action came. Even without looking at her, Kyosuke could sense her emotions and observe all her actions. Honestly, it is better to say that at such close range, it is more like he was using a microscope to observe her.

So her sudden spike of irritation was crystal clear to him. It was so easy to unbalance her it was laughable. And people consider her to be composed?

This girl could not stomach being ignored like this, not when she has a job to 'correct' him. Doubly so when he was treating her as beneath his notice, something which she herself makes use of a lot. Receiving the same treatment rankled her more than she wanted to admit.

But it seems like yesterday's meeting had some effect on her. Yukino sent a cold glare his way which would have cowed all other boys at Sobu. But since he wasn't looking at her, it did nothing.

But then instead of continuing the argument, Yukino stopped speaking. She turned back to her book, intent on ignoring him the same way he was ignoring her. After reaching her apartment yesterday, she had looked back on the meeting and felt ashamed for losing her composure over something like him.

She was not going to repeat that again. And so the room fell into a silence, the only sounds being those of Yukino turning the pages of her book and Kyosuke turning his book and notebook, with the occasional sound of wind coming in from the open windows and sending the curtains fluttering.

It was tense and if any third person was present to see it, they would know it as well. Kyosuke was cool, since he has to get the homework out of the way. Whether it is now or later doesn't matter, but seeing as he wouldn't be doing anything worthwhile in this club aside from this anyway, now was better in his opinion.

But Yukino was slowly getting irritated as the silence stretched on. She wouldn't have felt anything if she was alone, but that wasn't the case now. Sitting in a room in silence, pin drop silence at that, despite having company, is not something she is used to when there is a reason for her to approach the other party and not the other way around, which is a very rare occurrence.

So after 15 minutes had passed, she looked at him discreetly. She saw him smirking while working and for some reason she felt like he was mocking her.

She was right. Kyosuke deliberately made that face when she looked at him. And exactly as he wanted, the girl grew annoyed at the perceived disrespect and returned back to her book, this time even more determined to ignore him.

Time passed like that for another 15 minutes with nothing happening. Then Yukino finally realized something. Her brows furrowed and she slowly lost interest in the book before her. She kept staring at the same page, on the same sentence without taking in any of the word. Then she slowly looked up and at Kyosuke, who still had that smirk.

It made her scowl at having been duped.

She realized just now that she is supposed to fix him. The reason why Hiratsuka-sensei forced him to join this club is not so Yukino can get a buddy to share her silence with. He might be a member of her club on paper, but that's only on paper.

He is also the subject of Hiratsuka-sensei's request, which Yukino feels is more important than him being a member. Anyways, she doesn't acknowledge someone as selfish as him as a member. Someone who doesn't care about saving others is not worthy to be in the Service Club and she wouldn't have ever let him into the room if not for the aforementioned snag.

So if they continue to stay silent and keep ignoring each other like they have the past half an hour, won't Yukino be the one losing? Seeing as she won't make any progress towards completing the request while Kyosuke just sits there, uncaring about the club and the request both?

"What's the matter?" As if Kyosuke had read her mind, he spoke up just when Yukino scowled. He looked up briefly and returned back to his work. "It seems like you just realized something new, Yukinoshita-san. Care to share?"

Yukino realized that he definitely knew. She knew with absolute certainty that he must have concluded the same thing as her, or at least something near enough. Otherwise why would he suddenly take the initiative to speak, if not to mock her?

So obviously she won't be speaking about that.

"If you beg like that, then very well. I will take pity and grace you with my words." She said, putting her book on her lap. "Your obvious rotten and uncouth traits aside, it seems like you are not completely hopeless after all. Since you came here of your own volition without Hiratsuka-sensei needing to drag you, it seems like you know not to make things worse for yourself."

"Is that so?" Kyosuke did not grace her with a look for even a moment. He kept looking at his notebook, his pen moving quickly and finishing what would take others an hour in a minutes.

He did not speak further and stopped there. Yukino looked expectant because no way was he going to just stop there, right?

But that is exactly what Kyosuke was going to do. For people like her who need their sense of superiority over others reinforced, sometimes ignoring them is more effective than winning an argument. If you win an argument, they might refuse to accept your views entirely and label you as someone so far gone that you will deny them who are obviously correct.

So ignoring them is a valid strategy. It doesn't work on everyone like that, obviously. Many people would just dismiss you and believe you are so beneath them any word spoken by them is a waste. They will simply bask in their superiority, unaffected by the world around them.

But Yukino lacks such thick skin. Due to her lacking social interactions with anyone outside her family up to this point, she can't handle direct insults, let alone being ignored like she is worthless.

Doubly so when she always competes with her elder sister who is the center of attention no matter where she goes.

So her being angry was expected.

"When someone speaks to you, it is common courtesy to reply and not ignore them. It is, again, an example of basic manners which all human beings possess. Unless you admit to being a lowly creature which lacks the capacity for these fundamentals. In which case I guess it can't be helped you are this way, though it will make fixing you more time consuming. Which is honestly amazing when I think about it, since my original estimate was not small either from your behaviour yesterday."

Kyosuke stopped writing and looked up at her. Unlike what she expected, he was still unfazed. It was now starting to make her agitated, the way he was dismissing her.

It was reminding her of how her elder sister treats her like a source of entertainment, not taking anything she says seriously. She really does not want to be reminded of that by someone like this.

"You are quite persistent, aren't you?"

"It is called being diligent, a trait which is necessary to succeed in life. Something you lack desperately." She shot back.

To her surprise, Kyosuke actually smiled at the retort. "You have a comeback for everything, huh? What, do you practice this before a mirror everyday?" He said with a chuckle.

"You wish, Sachi-san." She folded her arms after closing her book and putting it in her lap. "Unfortunately for you, I don't waste any moment than necessary on thoughts about you, which is to say none at all. So don't think you are in anyway worth more than you actually are."

"For someone who preaches about manners, you sure have a lack of them." Kyosuke scoffed lightly. "And you really love hearing your voice, don't you? Otherwise, why would you keep on rambling like that? But it is interesting nonetheless to hear whatever delusions you have, so do go on."

He made an encouraging gesture for her to continue, like she is a clown who is amusing him and he won't interfere. "Speak whatever else you have and show me your 'manners', Yukinoshita-san. But please keep in mind that your words and opinions are worthless to me, so I couldn't care less about what you say. You can bask in your imaginary superiority all you want, but know that it is ultimately useless before me."

After saying that, he returned back to the notebook. His demeanor really pissed Yukino off and her face was quite red from anger, her default Ice Queen mask nowhere to be found.

"Imaginary superiority?" She repeated his words with a forced laugh. "It is not me who is deluding myself since it is obvious to anyone but you what exactly is going on. But since you can say that with such conviction, then clearly your problems go far beyond what Hiratsuka-sensei could have guessed. Even I am surprised, but in a bad way. I must reevaluate the time and effort this request will require, now that you are going to be so uncooperative."

She even put on an expression that tried to convey disappointment and pity, though the way her eyes were blazing with anger ruined whatever meager effort she put in. She studied him critically, taking in his expression and the way he was sitting.

Yukino has become quite good at finding deception in people, considering she has a lot of practice with her sister. To her dismay, however, she found that Kyosuke really was not putting up an act.

He genuinely did not consider her important or relevant in any way. And that hit her deeper more than any direct insult could have.

But she rallied quickly.

"So you seriously think you are in the right and don't need to listen to your betters?" She sniffed imperiously and turned up her nose at him. "I am astounded by your attitude, Sachi-san. How do you expect to live life if you are this obstinate? Are you going to delude yourself your whole life into believing that there are no people better than you? You are making things difficult for yourself and teetering dangerously close to being a lost cause."

There was a heavy silence after she was done. She looked at him, now convinced that taking him seriously would only be detrimental to her. So she vowed to ignore his words from here on out, that he is nothing when compared to a perfect girl like her.

But Kyosuke has other ideas. If Yukino is going to repeat her supposed superiority like a broken record all the time, then he will be shaking things up some more. Depending on how it goes, he will decide how much more time he should spend here.

After all, the same joke, when heard over and over, stops being funny eventually. And Yukino wasn't even that funny to begin with, so he is already getting bored of her.

"I have said it before and I will say it again." Kyosuke said calmly and without looking at her. "A spoiled brat with delusions of grandeur, someone whom everyone panders to no matter what, is not my better. You can believe what you want, speak what you want and shout it as many times as you want, but that will never change the truth. Same way you will never affect me in anyway, Yukinoshita-san, no matter how much you try."

He looked up and locked eyes with her. He had an indulgent smile, like he was humouring a lost cause who is in over her head. Yukino was angry, her fists clenched in her lap. She was angry at him for his words and angry at herself as well for losing her composure in the first place, that his words can affect her like this.

"You are a spoiled child trying to do her best to seem mature and grown up, most likely because you are competing with a sibling or cousin like a good cliche in any story. Otherwise you wouldn't believe this," he gestured to the empty room which was akin to a storage room and currently plunged in an eerie silence, "to be of any worth. But you do, so it means that whoever you are comparing yourself to didn't do something like this during their school years, so you are doing this in a bid to set yourself apart from whoever this mystery person is. You are just lucky enough that there is a teacher at this school who is happy to reinforce your delusions and so you have this place all to yourself. There is no capability involved in this, unlike what you seem to think. So please don't be mistaken, Yukinoshita-san."

A smirk spread across his face, conveying equal parts mocking, cruelty and pity as he looked at her. "You are not alone because you are so above the masses that they all can only look at you with jealously and envy. The truth is far from that and is quite the opposite in fact. This clubroom is not a throne you are sitting on, but a corner you are hiding in, away from the world because you cannot bear to face reality head-on without your fragile ego being hurt."

Yukino had flinched when Kyosuke mentioned a sibling and as he kept speaking, her expression kept becoming more and more ugly. Unfortunately for her, Kyosuke was not deterred at all by her reaction.

"You are alone because no one cares about you, the girl who cannot go a sentence without degrading the one you are talking to. No one wants to be around you, you know? The moniker of Ice Queen is an insult when it comes to you and not a praise. It says that you are a frigid bitch people are better off staying away from to avoid being stung."

He continued. "Even the first years understand that in just a few days by now after hearing the upper years talk about the famous and infamous people at Sobu. So, kindly shut up and don't make things worse for yourself anymore. If you can keep your mouth shut and stay silent, at least you will be able to project the illusion of a pretty face that people can admire from afar instead of actively avoiding and talking bad about."

…Well, that was that. Kyosuke waited for a few seconds to see how she would react.

But aside from her face going expressionless and her body going as still as a statue, Yukino did not react in any way. The reference to her sister, followed by her current situation being thrown at her face like a speeding car seems to have been enough to catch her off guard and strike her speechless.

The seconds continued passing by with no further movement from either side. And when she did not do anything aside from looking at him with her jaws clenched tight even after a whole minute, Kyosuke made a face of disappointment. And he had just said she has a retort for everything.

He then looked at the time on his phone and nodded. It was late enough that he can say he stayed after school and 'participated' in club activities, even though said activities amounted to him doing his homework and getting into a verbal spat with Yukino.

He started gathering his stuff, not looking at Yukino now. Said girl kept staring into empty space, the far off look in her eyes perfectly showing she was lost in thought and what he just said has affected her.

It made Kyosuke shake his head in disappointment. For someone professing to be prefect, she sure let an imperfect guy like him affect her with mere words. And that too when she considers him below a human being even, nothing more than a 'lowly beast' as she so put it just a while ago.

Pathetic. Such a fragile bravado was really pathetic.

"I am leaving now." Kyosuke said after he was done packing up. When she did not turn to look at him, he audibly scoffed. "If you can't even handle some words from a random stranger you label as worthless, then close down this club and go back to being the princess separate from the rest of the school. Not everyone will be amenable to being your doormat to step on and feel good, so you better get used to such things since your ego is very fragile currently."

That made her turn to him. Though he had already turned around and was moving to the door. When she spoke, he did not bother to stop and listen. He didn't need to, as the venom in her voice was clear. As was the anger in her eyes and the way she was doing her best to not show weakness and hide just how much his words have affected her.

"You have ruined my day enough with your garbage already. If you have nothing but filth to spew, then kindly shut up. What does a lowly beast like you know anyway?" She scoffed, trying to project disdain and disgust. But it was very weak and did not fool either of them.

"The way you twist words would have been admirable if it were not obvious that everything you say is just you projecting your insecurities on others. There is an item called a mirror which is common these days among civilized people. Although I know it is too much of a task for you, do take a look if you can. It would do wonders for you, otherwise I fear only a dark future awaits you once you graduate high school."

A pause, then she added in a way to make it sound like an afterthought. "If you even graduate in the first place. With the way you are now, I won't be surprised if you are expelled and arrested for violence in one go. You should know it is impossible to have a future if you languish in prison during your college years."

By this point Kyosuke had already reached the door. He opened it and stepped out. When he turned around to close it, he saw Yukino glaring at him defiantly, doing her best to freeze him in fear just by her eyes.

Kyosuke just returned a disdainful scoff in return. "For a would be criminal who shouldn't matter, you sure are affected a lot by what I say. If you are you so desperate to be acknowledged as someone capable and different from the common rabble, Yukinoshita-san, that you would let my words affect you and lose composure like this, then you should take your advice and look in a mirror first. This is no way to live life, you know? Like a puppet getting yanked in random directions by the first one who reaches its strings, you will never get to do anything you actually want."

She twitched at that. He then closed the door before she could reply, ending the day's interaction there. The last thing Yukino saw was Kyosuke with a smirk that was equally mocking, disappointed and pitiful, and then she was left alone to stew in her thoughts as the sound of footsteps walking away was heard.

Out in the hallway, Kyosuke was walking away normally, not at all looking like he just rattled Yukino so much so she has retreated into a shell. Honestly, he was surprised how subdued that girl became once he started being so direct. Not to mention how effective the reference to Haruno really was.

Yukino looked like someone had slapped her for a moment there. She quickly covered it up, but how could it have been hidden from Kyosuke of all people? He is observant and he has a lot of inside knowledge too.

'Some sisters they are. It seems more like they are competing for the family property or something with the way the younger sister reacted, like a scene straight from a soap opera.'

Families with wealth and influence sure are something else, playing mind games most of the time and never being open about their intentions. And even when they care about each other, they will show it in such weird ways like how Haruno does to Yukino via her teasing and mind games.

It is debatable what her real intention even is. Whether she wants Yukino to give up on the position of heir or prepare her for it. Kyosuke can already guess Yukino must have been confused a lot in her childhood before she decided to just do her best to surpass her older sister while setting up walls around herself.

And this is for a regular family with no involvement in magic. Imagine if the Yukinoshita family dabbled in the supernatural. Wouldn't Yukino be reduced to a scared mess by Haruno in that case and start jumping at the slightest of sound?

It makes Kyosuke thankful he wasn't saddled with such a 'family' in this life. Such complex relationships of hate and love would have given him a needless headache he can do without.

'Oh well. I wonder how tomorrow will go.' When he walked out the school building, he sensed Hiratsuka-sensei making her way to the club room, most likely to check up on him. 'That meddlesome woman will definitely notice something wrong with Yukinoshita's mood. I wonder if she will meddle some more and approach me directly, or stay away for a while yet.'

He can already imagine her lecturing him like a wise old woman who knows best, telling him that it is all for his own good and he should follow her instructions. Or something along those lines.

But whatever it is, things will not go according to Hiratsuka-sensei's wishes. Not until Hachiman and Yui come into the picture at least. But by then Kyosuke will have left the club already, because witnessing such a convoluted and strange love triangle does not qualify as something entertaining for him.

If you like someone, you tell them your feelings straightforwardly. If there is a chance of you succeeding, then great. If not, then take it as a lesson and learn from it.

It is not a problem to be rejected with genuine reasons, like the one you confessed to does not want to be in a relationship or has to focus on something else. The reason everyone dreads doing that is mainly being made fun of for revealing their emotions, like how many boys end up after confessing to a girl who showed some kindness to them only to end up rejected ruthlessly.

But in that case there was no chance of a happy ending from the beginning if the other party is so cruel, so it is better to know the truth of the one you like and then stay away before you get attached for real. It would hurt less and become a valuable lesson that appearances are deceiving in many cases.

And this is not true for just romantic love either. Friendship, family relations and others also depend on how truthful and committed all involved parties are.

So yes, Kyosuke is thankful he doesn't have to suffer through what those like Yukino do, where your family say one thing and do another.

Doesn't mean he has to be nice to her though. Her problems are not his responsibility and he has no intentions of making them so.