"How do you like the new sunglasses? Are you getting used to them?"
Walking through the indoor shopping mall, Arisu Sakayanagi glanced at Kure Ragna, who was now wearing a pair of wine-red sunglasses.
She seemed to be in a good mood, and why wouldn't she be? She had personally chosen those sunglasses for him—and even paid for them. Well, technically, it was just returning the favor for the tea he had bought her earlier.
"They're... pretty good."
Kure Ragna adjusted them slightly and gave an honest evaluation.
"Of course, nothing beats seeing things with the naked eye, but they're much clearer than my old ones. At least I can see properly now instead of everything being too dark and the colors feeling off. But, Arisu... are you sure I won't attract attention with these?"
"Of course," she replied confidently.
"As I told you earlier, unless someone gets too close, they won't be able to tell."
"...Then why do I feel like people are staring at me?"
"Probably because you look handsome," she said matter-of-factly.
And she wasn't lying.
Kure Ragna had always been good-looking, but his previous oversized sunglasses covered the upper half of his face, making it difficult for anyone to truly see his features. Now, with the lighter wine-red lenses, the contours of his face—from his cheekbones to the corners of his eyes—were subtly visible, adding a certain hazy charm to his appearance.
"That's a nice way to put it..."
Kure Ragna looked around, seemingly still adjusting to the new color tone.
"But if someone from our grade sees me, rumors will probably spread across the school by tomorrow. Something like 'The weakling is strutting around like he owns the place.' Gossip is human nature, after all."
"Heh, so what?"
There was a sudden shift in Sakayanagi Arisu's tone. The usual softness in her voice was replaced by something more authoritative—an unmistakable air of superiority.
"When have my actions ever been something others have the right to comment on?"
"...What?"
"What's wrong? Surprised?"
"No, I was just going to ask what you want for dinner," Kure Ragna replied, raising his phone to show the lock screen.
It was already close to 5 PM. After classes had ended at 3 PM, he had taken his time in the classroom discussing various matters, then returned to the dorm to shower and do laundry. After that, he and Arisu had spent some time shopping for tea and sunglasses, bringing them to the present.
With the first-year students having just received their 100,000 points, many were eager to spend them on good food. Restaurants would start filling up soon, so if they didn't pick a place quickly, they'd have to wait in long lines.
"I'll leave that to you," Arisu said nonchalantly.
Her casual demeanor was quite the contrast to the commanding presence she had shown just moments ago. It was almost amusing—one second, she seemed like a delicate, frail princess, and the next, she was an unshakable queen, only to revert back to a princess the moment after.
Was this what people called gap moe?
Shaking off the thought, Kure Ragna scanned the area for a suitable place to eat.
That was when he spotted a large advertisement hanging from the second-floor bridge of the commercial plaza. The banner displayed an inviting image of a steaming hot pot, split between a red, spicy broth and a milder white broth, filled with an assortment of ingredients. It almost felt like he could smell the aroma through the picture alone.
"Let's go for hot pot," he decided.
The hot pot restaurant was located on the second floor. The owner was clearly both a cunning businessman and a marketing genius. Instead of renting an expensive first-floor space, he had chosen a cheaper second-floor location while also renting out an advertising spot on the bridge. That way, anyone passing through the plaza would see the banner and be directed toward the restaurant.
It was smart—better than having a ground-floor shop in some cases.
As they climbed to the second floor and approached the restaurant, the rich, enticing aroma of the hot pot greeted them. There were already several occupied tables inside.
A tall waitress in uniform stood behind the counter and quickly approached them with a welcoming smile.
"Hello! How many in your party?"
"Two," Kure Ragna replied.
"Please follow me."
She led them to an empty table and handed them a disposable menu along with a ballpoint pen.
"What kind of broth would you like? We have—"
"Clear broth is fine," Kure Ragna cut in before she could list the options.
He then glanced at Arisu Sakayanagi, who sat across from him with a subtle, amused smile.
"Clear broth, right?" he repeated for confirmation.
The waitress seemed briefly surprised but quickly checked off the corresponding option.
"And for the ingredients?"
"Let me take a look..."
Kure Ragna swiftly went through the menu, picked their dishes, and followed the waitress to the counter to pay with his school points.
When he returned to his seat, Arisu was already smiling at him.
"I thought you would go for the yin-yang pot," she mused.
"So you could secretly take food from the spicy side while I wasn't paying attention?" Kure Ragna scoffed. "Nice try, but I'm not falling for it."
"What a pity," she admitted without hesitation.
She wasn't even trying to hide her plan.
A self-destructive tendency...
Kure Ragna sighed inwardly.
It wasn't that Sakayanagi Arisu had some kind of mental issue, but it was common for people with physical limitations to develop a deep resentment toward their own weaknesses. They would sometimes push themselves to prove that they were no different from ordinary people—even if it meant doing things that could be harmful to their health.
(Just like how, in the original story, she insisted on drinking coffee despite her heart condition...)
The restaurant wasn't too busy, so their orders arrived quickly.
Kure Ragna turned up the induction stove to maximum heat and picked up a large plate of thinly sliced lamb. Just as he was about to drop the meat into the pot, a commotion erupted near the entrance.
"Welcome, how many—"
"Can't you count? Stop with the nonsense and just take us to an open table!"
"Y-Yes, right away."
The rude, commanding voice drew Arisu's attention. Though she usually didn't waste energy on unnecessary observations, her gaze followed the source of the noise.
At the entrance, a boy with long red hair stood at the front of the group. He was undeniably handsome, but there was a certain roughness to his expression. His school uniform jacket was completely unbuttoned, and the wide-open collar of his shirt revealed his toned—though not particularly muscular—chest.
Behind him stood two boys and a girl. One of them, with dark skin and an imposing physique, looked to be of African descent. His sheer size made him stand out like a walking fortress.
"That's Ryuuen Kakeru, from Class 1-C..." Arisu muttered thoughtfully.
Meanwhile, the waitress—clearly uneasy about the group's aggressive demeanor—attempted to guide them toward a more secluded table to avoid disturbing other customers.
However, before she could lead them away, the red-haired boy suddenly paused.
His gaze locked onto something—or rather, someone.
Then, a grin slowly formed on his lips.
"Well, well... look who we have here."