Chapter 4: A Literate Genius

"Good morning, sleepyhead." Yutarou greeted a closed—eyed Keijirou who was moving a lot.

Keijirou groaned and covered his head with a blanket. "Morning..."

Yutarou chuckled. "We have to get ready early. The bathrooms have limited shower sets. We'll be late for school!" He urged, snatching the blanket from him.

"Wait, why do we have limited ones?" Keijirou frowned. There was never a point in his life that he had to share anything with anyone. The MC was an only child who's pampered by their parents since birth.

"Uh, because we've not accomplished anything yet. Only special students get to have a good dormitory and lots of shower sets." Yutarou reasoned out. There's no way Keijirou would've known otherwise.

Keijirou hummed, unimpressed. "Let's go, then."

"Most students wake up at 7 or 7:30 in the morning. It's currently 6:45. If we wake up a little later, the restrooms would be really crowded." Yutarou explained to him.

Yutarou and Keijirou walked through the dark and ghost—quiet corridors.

They were the first ones in the showers, Yutarou and Keijirou entered their own cubicles, closing the curtains.

"So, uhh, Yamaguchi—kun. Where do you usually eat breakfast?" Keijirou consulted.

"We have a kitchen in the middle of the dorm. We can also make our own food for lunch, although with our own ingredients and money." Yutarou informed him.

"I see. Uh, my cooking skills are not good, so may I ask for your help later?" Keijirou's silent voice was heard by Yutarou.

The MC was also programmed to be quite helpless and have no agency, that way, the MC wouldn't be able to escape the male leads and the game can continue.

"Sure, that's what friends are for." Yutarou remarked.

A few minutes have passed and just after Yutarou and Keijirou finished freshening up, most of the students had woke up and started to line up in the showers.

Keijirou eyes widened by the long line. "Good thing we woke up early."

"Right?" Yutarou agreed and Keijirou nodded "Let's go."

Yutarou and Keijirou went back to their own rooms to change into their uniforms and met in the kitchen.

"So, what do you want to eat later?" Yutarou inquired.

"Uh, what do you usually eat during lunch, Yamaguchi—kun?" Keijirou considered.

"Depends on my mood, really. Right now, I would love some rice, egg omelette and some sausages." Yutarou concluded. "You?" He hoped that Keijirou had chosen, as well.

"I'll have the same as yours." Keijirou replied.

Yutarou hummed. "I'll cook the rice and you do the sausages and omelette."

"Er, Yutarou—kun. Can you do the design the sausages like octopus?" Keijirou asked with a sheepish smile.

"Octopus?" Yutarou furrowed his eyebrows.

"Yeah, the ones they show in commercials." Keijirou looked to his side, thinking.

Yutarou's confusion was lifted the moment he understood what Keijirou was talking about. "Oh, you mean cutting it?" Keijirou nodded at Yutarou's question.

Yutarou chuckled and sliced the sausages into octopus. Enough to not let it fall apart.

"Okay?" Keijirou's hands were trembling and he was biting his lip, almost letting it bleed. "Ouch!" He blew on his hand.

"What happened?" Yutarou immediately went to help Keijirou.

The blue haired boy admitted, sighing. "I told you I have no cooking skills."

"Don't slam it when you put it in, just roll it from the spoon to the pan, nice and gentle." Yutarou instructed.

Keijirou did it again, following Yutarou's instructions. "Oh! I got it!" He gasped. "Oh my gosh! I can actually do it!" He was literally jumping.

"Yes, you can." Yutarou complimented.

"I was not allowed to cook back in my house. It was my mom who does all the house chores and my dad is the one who's always away for work. So, I don't have time to learn this kinds of stuff." Keijirou didn't have to explain, Yutarou already knew it so well.

'That's because you were programmed that way to become the perfect victim of the male leads.'

It was true. A person who lacks streets smarts and common knowledge of life are the ones who were bound to fall for someone else's manipulation.

"That's okay. Not everyone can do it. Besides, you can learn it, now. No one will be stopping you." Yutarou stated, patting his back.

"You're right. I'm so excited." Keijirou chuckled, doing some light hops. "I did it."

"Good, now put them in this plate. We have to cook the eggs next." Yutarou instructed him. "The rice is also almost cooked." He added.

"Uh, Yamaguchi—kun. How do you cook an omelette?" Keijirou asked again.

"Crack the eggs in the large bowl, then mix it with this." Yutarou said, handing a mixer to Keijirou. "The finished product should be all yellow, then, put a good amount of fresh milk, mix it well, again. Then put some oil on the pan. Stir it with a spatula. Once it's cook just lay it on a plate and done. We just have to get our lunch boxes." He explained, thoroughly.

"Cool! I'll get mine, I'll be right back." Keijirou ran faster than a cheetah.

Yutarou, then, reached for the upper cabinet, opening it. There was a lunch box with his name on the bottom.

'Good.'

"I'm back." Keijirou announced, hugging his lunch box.

"Great timing, the rice is cooked." Yutarou applaud.

Yutarou, then, started to put the food in his box and Keijirou imitated him.

"I learned a lot this morning." Keijirou grinned.

To be happy about something as simple as this, Yutarou felt sorry for the MC.

"Right? Good for you." Yutarou smiled in return.

They divided the food they cooked for breakfast and lunch so they could eat.

The bell rung right after they finished eating breakfast. They grabbed their bags and put in their food, running outside to head to class.

[Cooking with MC for the first time — 500 EXP]

[Cooking lessons with MC — 500 EXP]

[300 coins.]

[You have leveled up.]

[Yamaguchi Yutarou — Level 4]

[Affection Level of <Takahashi Keijirou> towards <Yamaguchi Yutarou> has increased]

The pink liquid started to fill the heart jar, until the number three reached six.

[(4)Yamaguchi Yutarou — 6]

'Woah, a good amount of three levels increased for his affection towards me? And, I leveled up. That's double win!'

"Yamaguchi—kun. Let's run faster." Keijirou told him, grabbing his hand to sprint.

"Eh?" Yutarou was taken aback by Keijirou's daring behavior. "Ehh?!"

Keijirou laughed as he was dragging Yutarou who's bag was loosening around his shoulder.

"Yay! We're first!" Keijirou cheered, letting go of Yutarou's hand. "Oh, we're not." Yutarou looked at where Keijirou's eyes were. When he knew it was Akira, he immediately averted his gaze.

"Let's not look at him." Yutarou pushed Keijirou farther inside the room to their seats.

"True. He looks scary." Keijirou whispered back.

'Huh?'

The MC was suppose to find Akira pitiful for being alone. Yutarou was confused by the sudden change of heart. That was probably one of the bugs of making a playable character into just a game character.

"Good morning, class. Today, we will choose a class representative. Anyone whose willing to volunteer." The teacher proclaimed.

Yutarou groaned. He already knew who's going to be chosen.

"Oh, yes. Sato—kun? Anyone else wants to volunteer?" A girl raised her hand and Akira glared at her. Yutarou saw this.

'And, his evil scheme has started."

"Yes, Minato—san. You want to run?" The teacher asked her.

The girl lowered her hand, gaze on the floor.

"No. I was just... I was wondering if I could go to the restroom." She answered, shivering. Akira looked back at the teacher with an arrogant look.

"The class has just started. You can go later." The teacher said and the girl sat back down, covering the side of her face with her hand.

'Poor girl.' Yutarou thought.

"So, no one else? Then, our class 2—A representative is Sato Akira." The teacher announced and he bowed. Everyone gave him a round of applause.

Soon after that, the classes began.

It was Yutarou's favorite subject: English.

"Yamaguchi—kun." Yutarou looked up to the teacher who had called his name.

"Yes." Yutarou answered to his call.

"Please read the next paragraph." Yutarou stood up and lifted his book to his chest level, holding it with both hands.

"Little did the red riding hood know, it was the big bad wolf." Yutarou had read it with ease and good pronunciation. His accent was on point, as well, even the teacher was shocked by this.

"I guess we have a genius here in class aside from Sato—kun. That's great!" The teacher said with such delight. Yutarou's eyes widened once he remembered about the genius yandere.

'I'm dead.' He cursed himself as he took a quick glance at Akira who's face was darkening.

He swore that his eyes were piercing daggers at him.

Akira has always been known as a genius ever since his first year, all the school staffs know this, of course.

But, no one knew who Yamaguchi Yutarou was.

Yutarou's plan of blending into the background was totally ruined.

"Alright, next line." The teacher picked another student to recite.

"Yamaguchi—kun, you didn't tell me you were so good at English. You were a total expert at it. The way you speak sounded like you're some kind of a nobleman." Keijirou stated, grinning.

He was proud to be his friend.

"T—thanks. I practice a lot." Yutarou sweat—dropped, trying not to mind Akira's deadly stare.

Yutarou sat on his chair, listening to the lesson, hoping for Akira to stop glaring at him.