I Don't Want An Ordinary Life

Chapter 35: It's More Fun to Say Bad Things Face-to-Face

"Has he been bad-mouthing me to the president…? Argh! I'm so worried! But I can't just ask him outright…"

Kaguya's expression once again returned to a composed calm as she began devising a way to resolve the situation.

"How can I subtly find out what Ronan said to the president? But if he really did speak poorly of me, then my image in the president's mind will definitely take a hit… Damn it! Why does it have to be Ronan of all people?"

If it had been any other boy, Kaguya wouldn't have cared in the slightest.

But Ronan had disliked the Shinomiya family for four years, even harboring thoughts of wiping them out entirely.

Although he'd declared he wouldn't take any measures against her at school, bad-mouthing her behind her back was practically guaranteed.

"What!? Ronan-kun was at the president's house on Saturday!?"

Just as Kaguya was sitting at her desk, pondering her next steps, Chika let out a surprised exclamation.

"Isn't it perfectly normal for me to visit the president's house? It's pretty common for classmates to hang out," Ronan replied.

"True. By the way, I didn't know Ronan-kun could cook. That's totally unexpected."

"Ronan's cooking is really impressive. His culinary skills are completely professional-grade," Shirogane said with a smile. "I was amazed when I first saw it."

"Really? That's incredible!"

"Conquering the president's favor through cooking? Not bad at all." Kaguya watched the three of them with a cold gaze, her mind racing. "Maybe I could try that approach—go to the president's house, learn a bit, then prepare dinner for him there. That way… that way…"

As she imagined the scene, Kaguya's cheeks suddenly turned bright red.

"That's basically like a newlywed wife, isn't it!?"

Caught off guard by her own thoughts, Kaguya's mind momentarily froze.

"All the plans and strategies from before might as well have been nonsense."

"You all know that my family runs a farm, so it's only natural that I'd know how to cook if I have plenty of ingredients," Ronan said.

"Then…"

Chika placed a finger on her chin, a glint of anticipation in her eyes.

"Can you make ramen?"

"Yes."

"Awesome!"

"

What are you getting at?"

"Can you make some for me?" Chika asked with a grin.

"No."

"Eh?! Why is it okay for you to cook at the president's house, but not for me?!"

Faced with Chika's agitated question, Ronan remained composed and replied slowly:

"Because…"

"Because…?"

"Doing the dishes is a hassle."

"…"

"I even eat red bean buns for lunch just to avoid making a mess. Normally, I wouldn't bother cooking for myself. It's something that has to happen spontaneously."

"How stingy," Chika pouted.

"Sometimes, things just aren't meant to be," Ronan said nonchalantly, resuming his lunch.

Meanwhile, Kaguya, having recovered from her embarrassment, continued strategizing.

"The most important thing now is figuring out whether he's been bad-mouthing me to the president. Asking him directly would be like admitting I care about the president's opinion of me. Absolutely out of the question. I'll have to approach this indirectly. Maybe I can find someone to ask on my behalf…"

"Hey, Ronan," Chika suddenly called out.

"Now what?"

"Have you always had a bad relationship with Kaguya?" Chika asked.

"It's not really that I have an issue with her personally. It's more that I have a history with the Shinomiya family," Ronan replied.

"Oh? Could it be some kind of family feud?"

"Not at all. My dad would never bother with such minor characters. It's a personal issue between me and their family."

Hearing Ronan dismiss the Shinomiya family as "minor characters," Kaguya's eyebrows twitched slightly.

"Is that so…"

Chika frowned, then leaned closer to Ronan.

"When you were at the president's house, you didn't secretly badmouth Kaguya, did you?"

Nice! Vice President Fujiwara, as expected of my good friend~

Kaguya, who had been stuck in a deadlock, saw a glimmer of hope as Chika directly asked the very question she had been dying to know.

"That's not the right way to put it. We should have faith in our student council colleagues. I'm sure Ronan wouldn't talk behind someone's back," she said.

But that was a lie.

She actually believed more than anyone else that Ronan would do exactly that.

The reason she said it was partly to observe Ronan's expression and see if he was lying, and partly to present herself as someone who trusts her teammates in front of Shirogane.

"Huh? Do you think I'm that petty?" Ronan looked at Chika with a disdainful expression, as if she had just asked a really dumb question.

"Ahaha, I suppose not…"

"If I have something bad to say, I say it to their face. Vice President Fujiwara, what dirt on Shinomiya Kaguya would you like to hear? I'll tell you everything right now."

Kaguya: "…"

He clearly had no regard for the fact that the person in question was still in the room.

"Come on now, the student council members should get along. How can you say something like that as the treasurer?" Chika scolded him, hands on her hips.

"Everyone should be friendly, okay?"

"Vice President Fujiwara is absolutely right"

Already back in his seat, Shirogane finally spoke up.

"Since we're all part of the student council, we're all colleagues working together. Let's try to keep resentment out of the picture."

"Mm…"

Ronan glanced at Shirogane, then at Kaguya.

Right now, he had a mission: to bring the two closer together.

That way, when the Shinomiya family eventually made a move, he'd have a justifiable reason to act against them.

If his relationship with Kaguya remained overly tense, his own actions might create a rift between the two that would work against his plan.

"Don't worry. At Shuchiin, I'm just a regular student. I'll get along well with everyone."

"Mm-hm! Such a good boy~ Ronan is such a good kid~"

Chika, her bright smile gleaming, said something that made Ronan want to sock her.

He decided to ignore her and went back to eating.

Kaguya, finally relieved, turned her gaze to the lunchbox in Ronan's hand.

To be honest, she really wanted to try the president's cooking. But she couldn't bring herself to say it directly.

She wouldn't even think about asking for a bite from the box Shirogane was eating—she couldn't lower her pride to ask him for food. As for the box Ronan was eating from…

"Trading a piece of lobster from my bento for one of his fish slices should be fair, right?"

"Uh, Ronan-kun…"

"It's gone. The president's cooking is pretty good."

"Hahaha, thanks for the compliment. It's nothing compared to what you make," Shirogane replied.

Kaguya: "…"

Staring at the now completely empty lunchbox, Kaguya couldn't figure out what had just happened.

How did he finish it so fast!?

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