Following the incident where Matsuura-san was dumped by Takeuchi-kun, she was nowhere to be seen in Class 2-A.

Even after morning homeroom began, her seat remained empty. The homeroom teacher simply announced that she was absent due to illness. Apparently, she had contacted the school beforehand, so it didn't become a major issue.

As a result, the girls in the class were freely chatting amongst themselves. With that day, Matsuura-san's shift in the school's social hierarchy became firmly established. Overturning it would be no easy feat.

On the other hand, Takeuchi-kun's reputation was rapidly rising.

During the second period, which became a rare self-study session due to a teacher's absence, the students of this perfectly ordinary school took the opportunity to chat eagerly. Naturally, a crowd formed around the handsome guy—mostly girls.

"Takeuchi-kun, I heard you danced at a dance event!"

"Eh, really!?"

"No way!? I would've loved to see that!"

"Is there a video of it online?"

"I wish I'd gone too!"

"I'm super curious about it now!"

Word about the dance competition had somehow leaked.

For Takeuchi-kun, who was at the center of the crowd, this was precisely the topic he wanted to avoid. He hadn't exactly shone on stage and had stood out for all the wrong reasons due to his awkward cross-dressing. Kousaka had been thrilled, but for Takeuchi-kun, it was a complete embarrassment—a dark chapter in his history.

"No, it wasn't really a big deal..." he mumbled.

"That humble side of you is so cool!"

"I want to dance with you, Takeuchi-kun!"

"Ah, that's not fair! I wanna dance with him too!"

"Takeuchi-kun! Me too! I can dance ballet!"

"Wait, isn't ballet unpopular with boys?"

The classroom was filled with even more excited squeals than usual.

It was, without a doubt, a lively and joyful scene.

A paradise brimming with the very essence of youth had unfolded there.

On the other hand, the area around the futsumen's seat was deserted.

"......"

Not a single trace of youth could be found there.

Any notion of intimacy or sex was a far-off legend.

Nishino was killing time by staring at his textbook, but inwardly, he was secretly dying to talk to someone. He wanted to tell others in his own words that he too had participated in the event with Takeuchi-kun, that he had stood on the same stage and danced alongside him.

However, the cynical god dwelling inside him forbade him from reaching out to others first. 'That wouldn't be cool. That wouldn't be stylish,' the god whispered. Therefore, he remained seated, pretending to be unfazed as he flipped through the pages of his textbook.

The book in his hands was the Biology II textbook prepared for class. Unlike other subjects filled with text and equations, this subject's diverse diagrams could be enjoyed visually without much mental effort. It was a convenient material to kill time.

The futsumen continued to gaze at the pages without doing anything in particular.

Eventually, his finger stopped flipping pages. His gaze landed on an illustration depicting a food chain pyramid. Arranged from top to bottom were carnivores, herbivores, and plants, with the base widening as it went down – an absolute law of this world.

"......"

His eyes involuntarily drifted to the plant layer at the bottom.

The diagram reminded him of his own place in the school's social hierarchy.

Yet, the plants depicted on the page were vibrant and varied, a lively and cheerful assortment of species thriving together in their layer. In contrast, around Nishino, seated at his desk in the classroom, there was not a single soul to be seen.

"...I see."

One stalk of rice was depicted among the plants.

For a moment, Nishino felt as if even that silent rice plant was criticizing him, saying, "I'm totally different from you!"

What naturally came to his mind was the graph of standard deviation he had looked at just a few days ago.

"And what exactly do you see?"

"!"

A voice came from nearby to the lonely boy engaged in his solitary play.

Naturally, the futsumen lifted his gaze from his textbook.

There stood Shimizu, who had appeared without him noticing.

The beautiful class president that Class 2-A boasted of.

"What's up, Class Rep? Do you need something from me?"

This knee-jerk response upon meeting someone was precisely why others tended to keep their distance from him, though the clueless guy remained oblivious to that fact. The peculiar direction of his communication, shaped by an unusual living environment, was ingrained in him to the core.

"Talking to you never fails to irritate me..."

"If my words offended you, I apologize. My bad."

"......"

As a result, there was no sign of him ever changing.

'Isn't that what makes him so charming?' or so Rose would probably say.

"...This fell from your desk."

The class president held out her hand, looking visibly annoyed.

Resting on her palm was an eraser with rounded corners. Its distinctive curves were unmistakably familiar to Nishino. He had used it in the previous class, so there was no doubt—it was his eraser, considerably smaller after half a year of use.

"Thanks, I appreciate it. I must've dropped it without noticing."

"It just happened to roll all the way to my desk, so don't get the wrong idea, okay?"

She turned her head away with a "hmph" immediately after speaking.

Apparently, she had come over just to return the eraser that had fallen from Nishino's desk.

"Yeah, don't worry. I understand perfectly," Nishino replied, though he likely didn't.

Why the eraser, which had rolled from his desk two seats away, had ended up under hers—and how she had correctly identified its owner—was a question that would likely remain unanswered, even if he asked her directly.

"Speaking of which, Nishino-kun. You also..."

The class president continued speaking to Nishino.

But before she could finish, a loud voice echoed across Class 2-A.

"Whoa, amazing! Is that really Rose-chan dancing?!"

The voice came from the seat of Kousuke Tokumoto, the class's number one masochist.

No — to be precise, it came from the mouth of his friend standing beside his seat.

The two of them were lined up together, intently staring at a laptop placed on Tokumoto's desk. Their eyes were locked on the video playing on the screen. Because of the loud voice that echoed through the classroom, other students also turned their attention toward them. Naturally, their gazes drifted to the details of the video playing on the device.

"Wait, is that a video of the dance that Takeuchi-kun participated in?"

A nearby girl, sitting close to them, asked as she caught a glimpse of the screen.

Just as she pointed out, the screen displayed the stage of a dance event.

Upon hearing this, students quickly began to gather around Tokumoto's desk.

In an instant, the classroom became much livelier.

"It's true! This is crazy — Rose-chan is super cute!"

"Rose-chan as a cheerleader? Seriously!?"

"Wait, I wish I could've seen that in person..."

"Hold on, where's Takeuchi-kun? Takeuchi-kun!"

"Takeuchi-kun's not here? It looks like it's all girls."

"Eh? Really?"

It was a scene you could witness at least once a year in any school — that moment when an otaku guy's prized possession shines brightly in the classroom. Before anyone realized it, a huge crowd of classmates, both boys and girls alike, had gathered around Tokumoto's desk.

"Speaking of which, N-Nishino-kun, you participated in the dance competition too, didn't you?"

Finally, the long-awaited conversation event occurred between the class president and Nishino. She must have already gotten the information from somewhere. Thanks to that, the futsumen was caught off guard — he had never expected the class president to bring up breakdancing in conversation.

"Yeah... I ended up helping out a little."

"Hmmm."

Naturally, their attention also shifted toward Tokumoto's seat.

Should I get up and go take a look? Nishino wondered, half-rising from his seat.

However, the area was already packed with classmates, making it difficult to get close. It seemed hard to peek at the small laptop screen from afar.

It was amidst all this that it happened.

"Wait, who's this gal-looking girl?"

"She's not from our school, right?"

"Right? Never seen her before."

"She looks like she'd be super wild, don't you think?"

"Totally!"

"But even though her makeup's heavy, her skin's weirdly smooth on her arms and legs."

"Oh, I thought the same thing!"

Unintentionally, the topic had shifted to Gyaru Nishino.

Apparently, none of the girls had realized the gal's true identity.

And of course, Takeuchi-kun wasn't about to let this opportunity slide.

"Ah, that's Nishino."

The handsome Takeuchi-kun couldn't possibly let only the futsumen escape unscathed — they were in the same boat, after all.

Before coming clean about his own cross-dressing, he made sure to prepare a sacrificial lamb.

Thanks to that, in an instant, every pair of eyes in the classroom locked onto the guy with weirdly smooth skin. Without exception, every single person had the same 'Eh? What the heck?' expression. No one could have imagined that the flashy gyaru in the video was actually the awkward, virgin dude standing right in front of them.

Then, someone reacted to this revelation.

It was none other than the quick-witted class clown of Class 2-A.

He quickly closed the distance and stood in front of Nishino's desk, next to the class president. As he did so, he caught a whiff of Shimizu's pleasant scent, which sent a shiver down his spine. Fueled by her sweet smell, he shouted loud enough for the entire classroom to hear:

"Huh!? Cross-dressing!? That's seriously gross as hell, mannnnn!"

Without hesitation, he thrust his beloved metaphorical spear straight at the futsumen before him.

The class clown's mocking voice reverberated through the classroom.

For him, it was the moment he had secured the perfect material for jokes. With this, his position within the school's social hierarchy was safe for a while, and a sigh of relief escaped him inwardly. After all, despite everything, the class clown had started to feel worn out from constantly playing the fool every day.

But this time, his judgment was a fatal mistake.

"You're not implying something, are you? Just so you know, I also cross-dressed back then."

"!?"

Takeuchi-kun shot the clown a sharp glare.

The power dynamic between them was entirely one-sided. An insurmountable wall separated them: the difference between being handsome and not. Hit by the piercing yet beautiful glare from the heartthrob, the clown's not-particularly-handsome eyes widened in shock.

"Right?! I knew it! The tall one on the far right has to be Takeuchi-kun!"

"I thought so too! He's, like, so tall!"

"Cross-dressing for a dance? Takeuchi-kun, you're too adorable!"

"I totally wish I'd seen Takeuchi-kun's spats in person..."

It was a wave of support for the handsome guy.

A gentle space where only boys loved by the class girls were welcomed.

"Actually, in this video, doesn't Takeuchi-kun look like a visual kei band member? Isn't he super cool?"

"Yeah, totally!"

"If he changed outfits, that would totally make my heart flutter down there."

"Hey, don't say stuff like that with your face!"

"I actually think the cheerleader outfit isn't bad either."

Class 2-A grew even livelier as they swarmed around Takeuchi-kun.

The class clown's right to speak had been completely revoked.

"......"

Looking pale, he silently returned to his seat, having lost all words.

No one offered any words of comfort to his lonely back.

Being the class clown was a tough path.

Once you step onto it, there's no turning back. You have to keep making people laugh by picking on those lower in the social caste. There is no solace, no respite. You have no choice but to keep clowning until graduation.

No matter how exhausted your heart grew, as a class clown, you're not allowed to stop. Even if you started feeling guilty about belittling others, denying it was not permitted. Because if you did, the one who'd fall to the bottom wouldn't be anyone else—it'd be you.

"He's funny, but he's a bit foul-mouthed..."

"Don't be too hard on him, Class Rep."

"Just so you know, you're no different, Nishino-kun."

"......"

Thanks to a certain futsumen stirring things up, Class 2-A's order gradually began to crumble. Matsuura-san's refusal to come to school and the class clown's dejection were just the beginning—a fact that none of the classmates had yet realized.

◆

On the same day, right after the morning classes ended, during lunch break—

A student approached Nishino, who was waiting for Rose to distribute lunch.

"Nishino-kun, could I have a word with you?"

It was Risa-chan.

It was an approach that came immediately after the fourth period ended.

"...I don't mind, but what's the matter?"

Then, as usual, Nishino's blunt way of speaking, which completely ignored the sense of distance between them, echoed throughout the classroom. His words unintentionally grated on the nerves of the one who had called out to him. 'Nishino-kun and I aren't even that close, are we?' Risa-chan struggled to swallow the words that nearly escaped her throat.

As a result, this exchange drew even more attention from their classmates.

Even though Risa-chan's influence had waned since Rose's transfer, she had once reigned as the school's Madonna. So when someone like her called out to Nishino—a guy at the absolute bottom of the school's social caste—it was only natural for others to start speculating.

"Did Nishino do something to Risa-chan this time?"

"Seriously? What a guy, he really has no morals."

"Could it be that... Risa-chan also has some weakness that Nishino is exploiting?"

"Ehh!? That's awful!"

"Nishino's the worst!"

"Poor Risa..."

As if trying to escape from the commotion, Risa-chan grabbed Nishino's arm.

"Come with me for a bit."

"Alright, got it."

The two of them quickly left class 2-A.

Led by Risa-chan, they headed towards the rooftop of the building where class 2-A was located.

For Nishino, this rooftop had become a familiar place. Lately, he'd been eating lunch here with Rose. It had become a daily routine for him to head to the rooftop with her, bento in hand, during lunch break. This fact had sparked some rumors among the other students.

Rumor had it that Nishino was blackmailing Rose-chan into making his lunch.

"About what happened the other day, you absolutely can't tell anyone, okay?"

"...What are you talking about?"

"D-Don't play dumb! It's about me being a daddy's girl!"

"Ah..."

Risa-chan revealed it quite easily.

She fully understood that her fetish wasn't considered normal by society. Despite that, she had absolutely no intention of changing it. Why? Because she felt her current self was normal and her days were fulfilling.

It wasn't for nothing that she spent every night in bed, fantasizing about ravishing her dad in her mind.

Her preferred position was reverse cowgirl.

And to top it off, in her eyes, Nishino was nothing more than a low-tier nobody.

"So?! What's your answer?!"

"Having a good relationship with your parents is a good thing."

"...I'll punch you."

Risa-chan's eyes sharpened.

There was an odd intensity in her expression.

"Don't worry. Even if I were to spill everything, I wouldn't breathe a word about your preferences."

"...Really?"

"I swear. I'll even bet this left eye on it."

Nishino pointed to the blue eye he had just received from Rose, looking quite smug. It was a gift from his sworn enemy—one he couldn't bring himself to fully appreciate, yet still felt indebted to in some small way. A complicated present, to say the least.

Because of that, he felt like treating it a bit roughly. He was thinking all sorts of overly complicated things, like how that might create a certain kind of attachment. As a result, his mouth had moved on its own and ended up spouting cool-sounding lines out of momentum.

To Risa-chan, who had no idea about the backstory, it was nothing short of infuriating.

"Nishino-kun, you're really good at irritating people, aren't you?"

"No, that's not my intention at all..."

"......"

Risa-chan conveyed her feelings even more directly than the class president.

However, her thoughts didn't reach him. The dejected look on the futsumen's face made him seem genuinely apologetic, which was all the more infuriating. As a result, Risa-chan, too, understood that he wasn't being malicious.

"If what happened last night offended you, I apologize. My bad."

"That's not the point, though..."

"Then what is it?"

"Hasn't anyone ever told you that you're kind of a pain to talk to?"

"No? I've never been told that before."

"......"

Even Risa-chan, as expected, seemed to decide that any more back-and-forth was a waste of time. She wasn't as sociable as the class president. Having said what she needed to say, she quickly tried to wrap up the conversation.

"Whatever. Just don't tell anyone about me, okay?"

"Don't worry. I've got it under control."

Nishino's expression became stern as he nodded deeply.

But no matter how serious he tried to look, his painfully average face ruined the effect. His thick, single-lidded eyes always made his emotions come across two or three levels weaker than intended. The harder he tried to appear earnest, the more his deadpan expression stood out.

As a result, Risa-chan eyed him with suspicion.

There was nothing to be done about that.

Just then, another voice cut in from the side, interrupting their conversation.

"Ara? I wonder what kind of secret Nishino-kun discovered about Kondo-san?"

"!?"

It was Rose.

Standing right in front of the door leading to the stairwell, the golden-haired lolita had appeared as if from nowhere.

Beside her, like a goldfish's droppings, was the silver-haired lolita. She still disliked Nishino, but her affection for Rose had never wavered, so she continued to stick close to her day after day. Nishino, in turn, tolerated her presence as a way to keep Rose in check.

"Good afternoon, Kondo-san."

"Eh? R-Rose-chan? W-What are you doing here?"

"I was just about to have lunch with him. What about you, Kondo-san?"

"Eh, that's..."

Risa-chan's gaze fell on the box-shaped package Rose held in her arms. What came to her mind were the rumors circulating among the students lately—that Nishino was supposedly blackmailing Rose into making him lunch every day.

"And? What might that be?"

Rose stared intently into her eyes.

That gaze carried a quiet strength, a stark contrast to Nishino's thin, indifferent eyes. It was hard to believe she had come here against her will. The feelings she carried seemed to come from a place of her own volition.

And Risa-chan, with her exceptional social skills, quickly picked up on the emotion behind that gaze.

"Ah... no, it's nothing. I'll be heading back now. Sorry for intruding."

Perhaps she sensed something familiar in Rose that resonated within her.

Unlike the class president, who had jumped to conclusions and ended up shouldering undeserved blame, the former school Madonna was no fool.

"Fufufu." Rose chuckled lightly. "My apologies for making you feel unwelcome."

"Oh, no, no! I should be the one apologizing for borrowing Nishino-kun."

"No, it's fine. Don't worry about it."

"Really?"

"Yes, that's right. I think you and I could get along quite well, Kondo-san."

"Hearing that from you, Rose-chan, makes me so happy!"

With a bright smile, Risa-chan took a step away from Nishino.

Her movements were light, almost carefree.

"Well then, I'll take my leave now!"

The daddy's girl hurriedly left the rooftop. Her figure quickly disappeared into the stairwell, and soon her footsteps could no longer be heard. True to the words she muttered as she left, she didn't linger to snoop on Rose and the others, and simply returned to the classroom obediently.

Once he confirmed she was gone, Nishino finally spoke.

"I don't know how much you overheard, but don't breathe a word about her."

"Of course. I understand."

"Good..."

Rose had absolutely no interest in any student other than Nishino. Even if it was about the peculiar fetish of a girl at the top of the school's social caste, she wouldn't care in the slightest. She might even forget about it by tomorrow. It was that insignificant to her.

On the other hand, Nishino had something he wanted to discuss with her.

It was a matter that, in a small way, related to Risa-chan, who had just left.

"By the way, there's something I need to discuss before we eat."

"What is it?"

"I'm thinking of getting orthodontic braces. For now, I want to borrow money to cover the cost."

"No."

"......"

Rose's decision was immediate.

As soon as Nishino opened his mouth, she made her refusal clear.

Not backing down, he pressed on.

"Since it'll be self-funded, the treatment will certainly cost a fair amount. However, the benefits are immeasurable. Of course, one aspect is the improvement in appearance, but beyond that, there are many advantages in terms of physical health and function as well."

"No."

"I've heard that dental alignment can affect sleep quality. If that improves, I might be able to function with less sleep. Higher efficiency leads to better productivity. Plus, I'd spend less time on dental care in the future. Overall, it's a net gain."

"No."

"The class president mentioned it too. Proper teeth alignment is necessary for gaining social trust—"

"I absolutely refuse."

"......"

No matter what he said, Rose remained firm in her rejection.

This made Nishino anxious.

With no money on hand, he had even begged Marquis for spare change just to attend yesterday's consultation. That's how much the conversation with the class president meant to him. He had been so clearly itching to talk to someone that her approaching him made him genuinely happy.

If he came to school wearing orthodontic braces, maybe it would lead to more conversations. Perhaps Shimizu had gone through the same thing. If they shared that experience, it could spark new topics and expand their circle of conversation. Such cheerful possibilities filled his mind.

"Actually, I already signed the treatment contract yesterday..."

"Then cancel it."

"......"

But the blonde-haired lolita didn't budge. Even after Nishino's desperate presentation, she refused to give in.

The futsumen had planned to recover the cost through today's negotiation, so he hadn't expected a rejection. At this rate, he wouldn't just fail to follow the class president's advice—he'd also end up breaking his promise to Risa-chan's father.

"Is that all you wanted to talk about?"

"Well, yes, but—"

"Then let's have lunch. You must be hungry, no?"

"......"

Just like yesterday, Rose calmly began preparing their meal.

There was no way she would ever approve of Nishino getting orthodontic treatment. If anything, she would rather have all his teeth pulled out and feed him by mouth-to-mouth with food she chewed herself, like some kind of deranged caretaker. The idea of him having neatly aligned teeth through braces was something she absolutely refused to allow, no matter what.

After all, no teeth would be better, right? That way, when performing certain intimate acts, the tongue could reach deeper, making it feel even better, or so she thought.

"Perhaps you're not hungry?"

"...No, I'll eat."

The appointment Nishino had made with Risa-chan's father for next week's check-up—

Nishino's heart ached as he realized that day would never come.

◆

That same day, after school, Nishino went straight to Rose's place.

Normally, he would've stopped by the breakdancing club to practice new moves. But right after homeroom ended, Rose showed up in Class 2-A and forcibly dragged him home.

Lately, he didn't even have the freedom to participate in club activities.

"So, what's this about?"

Sitting down on the living room sofa, the futsumen asked the person across from him.

Across the short coffee table, Rose sat elegantly, sipping tea. Having changed out of her uniform into a short-skirted dress, she casually crossed her legs—provoking the virgin boy's senses while enjoying her teatime.

"It's about what we discussed before."

"...The talk about starting a new club?"

"As expected of you, Nishino-kun. You catch on quickly. That's helpful."

"Don't mock me."

Notably, there was no teacup in front of Nishino.

Because of his dislike for Rose, he'd refused her offer to pour him some tea. As a result, his throat was parched, and his mouth felt sticky and uncomfortable. Even though his living conditions had become more luxurious, the quality of his life hadn't really improved.

It was all due to his own cynical attitude.

"Now then, can I expect a positive response right away?"

"I'm well aware. A promise is a promise."

"My, how delightful."

"However, the breakdancing club hasn't been officially recognized as a school club yet. And our agreement was that we'd only move forward once it was formally approved—remember?"

"Ara? You really are persistent..."

"Got a problem with that?"

"Not at all. A promise is a promise, after all."

"In that case, you'll just have to wait a bit longer."

"Very well."

Rose accepted Nishino's words without protest.

After all, the blonde lolita had taken a liking to practicing breakdancing. There had even been days when she used dance instruction as an excuse to touch the futsumen's body all day long. She was finding it beneficial enough that she was even considering fully joining the club herself.

As Nishino himself might say—this world is full of unexpected turns.

"Not to sound rude, but you're being surprisingly cooperative."

"Ara? How rude. I do keep my promises, you know?"

Seizing the opportunity, she tried to score points with him.

Naturally, Nishino had no way of guessing her true intentions.

"...Is that so."

"Yes, that's how it is."

He had no idea that the girl in front of him was head over heels for him.

The futsumen was simply impressed by her straightforwardness.

"By the way, Nishino-kun, are you going to continue dancing?"

"Why do you ask?"

"Because of this whole incident, you've earned yourself a new title."

"A new title?"

"A 'perverted cross-dressing weirdo', apparently."

"......"

And so, the incident surrounding the breakdancing club—which began with Nishino's ridiculous whim—came to an end without bringing him any personal gain. His original goal of becoming popular with the opposite sex went unfulfilled, and in exchange, he was left with an unwanted and disgraceful title.

What awaited him in the future was something he couldn't even begin to imagine.

"Well, what do you think?"

"...I suppose I'll participate in this club of yours while I figure things out."

"That's the wise choice."

There were many twists and turns, but in the end, at least for Rose, the matter was settled.