I Don't Want An Ordinary Life

Chapter 34: The president made me a lunchbox—jealous?

"I'm really jealous of you, Ronan."

"Hmm? What's there to be jealous about?"

"You don't have to go out of your way to hide your weaknesses, you don't need to live behind a mask," Shirogane said with a bitter smile. "I can't afford to expose my weak side—I absolutely can't."

"... Isn't that kind of admirable, though? Showing everyone your most perfect self for the sake of your goals."

Ronan leaned on the railing, silently gazing at the towering buildings outside. The distant hum of cars reached his ears, and for a moment, his thoughts drifted back to the past.

"Back then, I also tried to be the kind of 'normal' person others expected. But putting on a mask isn't something you can just do at will. Deep down, I'm still that ruthless, cold-blooded guy. I might wear the mask for a while, but eventually, it's bound to slip."

He spoke quietly, tossing the burnt-out cigarette in his hand over the edge.

"Besides, if you keep looking at yourself in the mirror while wearing a mask, you might not even recognize yourself anymore. So... I've stopped bothering to put on a mask just because of what others might think. After all, I never wore one to protect myself."

"I see..."

...

The weekend passed by in a flash, and now it was Monday again, time for school.

Ronan stood in the hallway outside, holding his backpack in one hand and his phone in the other, speaking to someone on the line.

"Hello? Have you found anything yet... I see, just as expected. Gather more evidence over the next few days and send it all to my inbox... No, no need. If it comes to that, I'll handle him myself... Alright then, thanks for your help."

After hanging up, Ronan slipped the phone into his pocket with an unreadable expression, then looked coldly toward the classroom.

"Good morning, Ronan," someone greeted.

"Morning... Oh, Ishigami, perfect timing."

Seeing that it was Ishigami, Ronan quickly motioned for him to come over.

"What's up?"

"It's about what you asked me to look into. That guy, Ogino Ko—I've got the results."

"Already?"

Ishigami was surprised; he'd thought it would take at least a month to gather the information.

Ronan glanced around before grabbing Ishigami's hand and pulling him into a quieter corner where there weren't many passersby.

"The investigation is complete, and just as you suspected, this Ogino guy is a repeat offender," Ronan said. "He's conned four girls so far, blackmailing them with photos to keep them from going public. His current target appears to be Kyoko Otomo, and he's already reached out to three other men."

"This..."

"My team is still collecting more evidence. In a couple of days, we'll have enough to close the net. I'll handle him then," Ronan said, patting Ishigami on the shoulder. "In the meantime, act like nothing's happened—and don't do anything reckless."

Seeing Ishigami's clenched fists and trembling shoulders, it was clear his anger had already reached a breaking point.

"...I understand."

"Good. As long as you understand... You might also want to give him a small warning, let him mentally prepare himself. I don't want to resort to drastic measures."

"Got it... Thanks a lot for this."

"What are you saying? You're my brother."

Buzz~

"Oh, there it is."

Ronan picked up his phone and saw that his contact had sent over a portion of the evidence he'd requested.

He expertly copied the evidence onto a storage card, removed the card, and handed it to Ishigami.

"If you're going to negotiate, use this as leverage."

"Understood."

...

Lunchtime—finally a break after a morning of classes.

As a member of the student council, Ronan had the option to head to the council office for lunch. Not only was the environment nicer, but they even had free coffee available.

When he walked into the student council office with a red bean bun in hand, he noticed two familiar faces besides the president: Vice President Kaguya Shinomiya and Secretary Chika Fujiwara.

"Oh my, it's Ronan-kouhai. You don't often visit the student council office."

"I come here often enough when you're not around."

Though Ronan didn't exactly enjoy dealing with Kaguya or her habit of calling him "underclassman," he still plopped down on the sofa and unwrapped his bun.

"What are you eating for lunch, Ronan?"

Chika, as friendly as ever, sidled up and peered at the bun in his hand.

"Oh? You're eating something so boring?"

"A single bun is enough to keep my energy up for the afternoon," Ronan replied. "Sitting at my desk and using my brain—sugar is what matters most."

As he spoke, he glanced at the two of them.

It seemed Chika had already eaten, but Kaguya…

Her lunchbox was so extravagant it bordered on ridiculous: steaming hot steak and lobster, perfectly balanced sides, and everything made from premium ingredients.

"As expected of the Shinomiya family's heiress, even lunch is over-the-top."

"Hmm? Would you like some, Ronan?" Kaguya asked with a smile.

"No, thanks."

Just then, Shirogane, who had been eating at his desk, suddenly remembered something. He grabbed a bag and walked over to Ronan.

"Ronan, about what I promised you on Saturday—I made you a lunchbox this morning."

"Oh! Thanks so much!"

"Don't mention it; I just used some leftover ingredients," Shirogane said with a grin.

As Ronan accepted the lunchbox, Kaguya's expression clearly showed her disbelief.

"What's going on!? The president made Ronan a lunchbox? Why?"

Of course, none of them noticed Kaguya's reaction. Ronan opened the box, which still emitted a bit of steam, and smiled as he remarked, "How about I drop by your place again this Saturday? I'm free anyway."

"Again!? He's already been to the president's house? I haven't even been there!" Kaguya thought, her mind reeling.

Although she tried to maintain a calm demeanor while eating, the sound of her biting down on her chopsticks betrayed her inner turmoil.

"I don't mind," Shirogane replied. "But this time, you're not allowed to buy ingredients. You already brought some last time. Kei seemed pretty happy about you coming over, though. She even complained about the lunchbox I made this morning."

"Well then, how about I stay over on Sunday? I can cook something in the morning."

"Stay at the president's house!?"

If Ronan had been a girl, Kaguya probably would have fainted from the shock. Thankfully, Ronan was a guy, so nothing inappropriate would happen. At most, they'd just share a bit of a history...

Wait!!

"What if Ronan said something bad about me at the president's house!?"

Kaguya's expression shifted through a full range of emotions—shock, denial, calm, and then panic. It was quite a sight.

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