Check out advanced chapters on P@treon: [email protected]/CosmicKaminari
----------
Kushida's ominous premonition quickly came true.
The giant parfait cup in front of them was now completely empty.
She'd only tasted that initial small bite. The rest had been completely devoured by Akira.
Her gaze involuntarily drifted to the countdown timer on the table.
There were still two full minutes left.
'This scoundrel... he actually dared to trick me!'
Kushida finally realized it at that moment.
His initial pretense of not being able to eat ice cream was clearly an act!
Was it all just to trick her into offering him "benefits"?
"Didn't you say you couldn't finish the parfait?" Kushida managed to force out a smile as she asked.
"Under normal circumstances, I really couldn't! But I'm sorry—" Akira put down his spoon and spread his hands. "I'm not a normal person."
His physique was clearly unusual.
Although he initially felt a bit of a headache from the cold, after a few bites, his body seemed to adapt to the temperature, and he ate more and more smoothly.
But then again, he hadn't expected her to proactively offer "benefits."
Kushida probably expected him to make a fool of himself, like running to the toilet several times in a panic.
But unfortunately, his physique wouldn't be defeated by a mere cup of ice cream.
He could probably eat ten cups without a problem.
"Waiter! I'm done! So, we don't need to pay points, right?" Thinking this, he raised his hand without hesitation.
The waiter quickly walked over, saw the empty cup and the still-timing clock, a hint of surprise flashed across her face, but she ultimately nodded in confirmation.
"This guest, congratulations on completing our free challenge. According to the rules, this parfait is free," the waiter politely explained. "However, this female classmate's mango juice is different, so it requires separate payment."
Akira raised an eyebrow. "Wait, according to the rules, the whole table should be free, right? That's what the sign says too!"
He felt like she was playing word games with him.
He wasn't the type of person who cared about a few hundred points, but that didn't mean she could take advantage of him!
It wasn't about the points, but about the rules.
The waiter showed a professional smile. "I'm very sorry, but the promotional sign might have a printing error. Our activity is only for the challenger's own item to be free."
After saying that, she actually intended to reach out and take back the promotional standee on the table.
"Wait, what kind of mistake is this?" Akira pressed down on the standee. "That's not what was said when we ordered."
Kushida, seeing this, was somewhat surprised by his assertiveness, but still said, "Never mind, I only ordered a drink anyway..."
"No!" Akira interrupted her, his gaze sharply fixed on the waiter. "Either follow the advertisement, or call your manager. One or the other."
The smile on the waiter's face stiffened. She clearly hadn't expected to encounter such an unyielding customer.
The surrounding customers also started to look over.
'This is troublesome...' The waiter inwardly cried out.
"Alright, alright!" At this point, the waiter could only force out a reluctant smile. "This mango juice will also be free."
"If you can't do it, then quickly take away the sign and stop using such pretexts to deceive consumers."
He'd never been one to compromise easily, especially when his own rights were involved.
"..." Kushida looked at him with some surprise.
She hadn't expected this seemingly lazy and casual boy to display such a strong-willed side at a time like this.
'A cup of mango juice costs six hundred points... Is he fighting for my benefit?'
'This store is really terrible! They won't even make six hundred points free!'
'They actually dared to mess with me... Just wait until tonight when I flood them with bad reviews! They'll go out of business!'
"Kushida-san, you have a review account, right? Want to send a few bad reviews to this store together?" Akira suddenly turned his head and suggested.
"Eh?! This... wouldn't be good..." She feigned hesitation, pursing her lips, but her heart was already eager.
She hadn't expected her and Akira to think alike!
It seemed he was also the type who wouldn't suffer a loss.
"What's wrong with it?" Akira shook his head without thinking. "The ice cream was clearly deliberately lowered in temperature, and the service attitude is so bad. It's simply defrauding consumers. Such a store should be taught a lesson with bad reviews."
Kushida's eyes sparkled slightly, and she nodded, pretending to hesitate. "Since Shimizu-kun says so... then I'll just write a few objective comments."
She lowered her head and rapidly typed on her phone, her fingertips dancing across the screen.
'Publicly criticizing a store in front of someone... This feeling is really a first for me!'
She quickly typed out a string of fierce words:
{Are all the employees in your store idiots?!}
{If you don't want to run promotions, then close down quickly!}
{Is that ice cream so cold it was air-shipped from the North Pole?!}
Mid-typing, she suddenly realized something, and her fingers paused.
'This is too out of character for me...'
She gently bit her lower lip and deleted the typed text one by one. Then, she curiously looked at the latest comment.
In the latest comments, the account of "Shimizu Akira" was prominently visible:
{The ice cream temperature at this store is clearly below normal standards, suspected of defrauding consumers. Evidence has been preserved and will be submitted to the school authorities' catering regulatory department.}
'He's actually going to report it to the school?'
Kushida couldn't help but cover her mouth and chuckle.
Compared to Akira's direct approach, her angry words just now seemed childish.
Looking at the few bad reviews that suddenly appeared on the store's homepage, and the few likes that also suddenly appeared, her mood inexplicably brightened.
Finally, she still elegantly left a comment:
{It's a shame, the service here makes it impossible for me to visit again.}
"So conservative?! That's not like you!"
When she finished commenting and looked up, Kushida met Akira's questioning gaze.
"...Hmm! I'm not a bad person who secretly leaves bad reviews for stores," Kushida said, sticking out her neck, her lie sounding self-righteous.
"? Who told you that leaving bad reviews makes you a bad person?" Akira raised an eyebrow, casually picked up the empty parfait cup and shook it. "Isn't this quite normal? If you've been wronged, you definitely have to get even. Who could be a saint who doesn't partake in worldly affairs?"
"...Uh...Well, alright." Kushida was left speechless by him, her fingers quickly tapped a few times on her phone screen, and she finally added, "The free offer is a lie from this store. I advise other classmates not to fall for it."
"Now that's more like you!" Akira exclaimed naturally again.
Kushida's fingertips tightened slightly around her phone, and her heart suddenly felt like a tangled ball of cotton—both messy and soft.
How did this guy even notice that her comment was conservative?
She suddenly remembered their previous transaction at the coffee shop—that time probably made him realize that she wasn't just the pure and innocent angel she appeared to be on the surface.
Of course, she hadn't completely revealed herself. At that time, she'd merely casually uttered a threat, at most making her a schemer with hidden thoughts, far from tearing off her mask.
As for her habit of secretly cursing people behind their backs and kicking doors when she got angry, Akira was still completely unaware.
But what puzzled her most was—he clearly saw through her act, yet seemed not to care at all.
He neither questioned nor exposed her. That last remark, "Now that's more like you," was said so naturally and openly, as if her occasional display of temper was just how it should be.
'What on earth is this guy thinking?'