Chapter 34: The Cunning Art of Sabotage

Lunchtime.

I am not hiding.

I am eating on the roof.

I am hiding.

"Angel-chaaaaaaaan!"

My hiding spot is compromised.

Hiroto Suzume bursts through the rooftop door.

He is holding two bento boxes.

"I found you!" he pants, skidding to a stop. "You really are like a tsundere cat! Always hiding in high places!"

"Go away, Suzume-san," I groan, not looking up from my onigiri.

"Nope!" he chirps, plopping down next to me. Too close. "I brought lunch! My personal chef made it!"

He opens a bento.

It's not lunch.

It's art.

There are octopus wieners. There are panda-shaped rice balls. It's bright and beautiful.

And... it's disgusting.

"You eat this?" I ask.

"No, silly!" he laughs. "I had him make it for YOU! Because you're secretly super cute!"

I stare at the panda rice ball.

A flash of panda-handled bags.

I flinch.

"Ah!" Hiroto gasps. "A reaction! 'Panda' is triggering! Why? Does 'Fuji-kun' like pandas?"

He's too perceptive.

"So," he says, pulling out his own lunch (which is just a protein bar). "I did some more digging."

"Digging?"

"On our rivals!" he whispers, gleefully. "You need leverage, my Angel! You let them control the narrative!"

"I don't want a narrative!"

"Too bad! You have one!" he says. "Now, listen up. Secret #1 about 'Fuji-kun'."

I sigh.

But I lean closer.

"You know he's grounded by his family, right?" Hiroto murmurs. "But did you know how he got grounded?"

"No."

"He REFUSED a boring family arrangement!" Hiroto gasps, clutching his chest. "Can you believe it?! SO ROMANTIC! He defied his family for 'freedom' (or maybe he just hates the girl). That's why he's here. He's not just trying to get #1. He's trying to PROVE he can survive without them. He's not 'cold'. He's TERRIFIED. Terrified of failing and *being forced to marry some girl he's never met!'"

I blink.

Fuji defied his family?

That's almost respectable.

"And Daiki!" Hiroto giggles, barely controlling himself. "Oh, Daiki-kun. Mr. 'King'. Mr. 'Too Cool'. You know he 'slept through' the 'Cybernetic Dawn' qualifiers? The biggest tournament of the year?"

"Yeah...?"

"He DIDN'T sleep through it!" Hiroto explodes in a whisper-laugh. "He was AT THE VENUE! He FORFEITED! Threw the match!"

"What? Why? He's 'Deception'! He never loses!"

"Because his OPPONENT was 'Sakura-Blossom7'!" Hiroto wails. "His ONLINE GIRLFRIEND! The one he met in 'Doki-Doki Love Story Online'! He KNEW he couldn't beat her without crushing her dreams! SO HE GAVE UP HIS CAREER FOR LOVE!"

I am speechless.

Daiki Hanata.

Forfeited a tournament.

For his online girlfriend from a dating sim.

"He's not cool," Hiroto whispers, wiping a tear. "He's a SIMP!"

This information.

It changes everything.

"So," Hiroto says, wiggling his eyebrows. "What are you going to do with all this power, my Angel?"

I look at the panda rice ball.

A slow, 'Bloody Twilight' smirk.

My smirk.

"I think..." I murmur. "I'm going to do some 'research' of my own."