CHAPTER 125: CHAPTER 124: THE SCHOOL’S BATTLEFIELD

Roland’s return caused a stir among his classmates.

After all, taking a month-long absence was exceedingly rare, practically the envy of everyone.

The girls in class who were particularly close to Roland swarmed around him, their eyes filled with suggestive glances—as if hinting he should hand over his "stash."

What else could Roland do? He had no choice but to strip off his bag in front of the entire class and surrender his baked goods.

Only then did the female students disperse, happily clutching their treats.

This overwhelming popularity with girls sparked envy among the male students. While their own circles consisted of male friends, Roland’s group had no boys at all. He was constantly surrounded by girls, as if the entire female population of the class belonged to him.

It was infuriating!

Yet as Roland watched the beautiful classmates who had taken his pastries and casually thanked him before scattering, he inwardly cried out in protest.

This isn’t about my charm! If they were after my body, that would be one thing, but they’re clearly just after my food!

You don’t have to leave right away! At least stick around a little longer!

Roland chuckled bitterly. He was losing his treats and still being envied by the male students to the point that they won’t even include him to their groups.

The only consolation was that Yui Yuigahama sat right next to him. Even if she wanted to leave after taking a pastry, she couldn’t.

"Roland," Yui said, actively pulling her chair closer to his and sitting beside him. "What’s up?" Roland asked, looking at Yui’s enthusiastic approach. He nearly couldn’t resist the urge to hug her.

It wasn’t that Roland wanted to take advantage of her; it was simply that after a month of holding so many women, he now felt strangely uncomfortable when not holding someone.

Still, he forced himself to restrain his wandering hand, discreetly withdrawing it. It seems my women aren’t the only ones who’ve developed an incurable addiction, he thought. I’ve caught a bit of ’hug-any-girl-I-see-itis’ myself.

"Roland, why were you on leave for a whole month?" Yui asked cautiously, leaning closer.

"Some family matters came up that required my utmost attention," Roland replied.

"Family matters that take a whole month? Is your family one of those big clans, Roland-kun?"

"Well, we weren’t before, but we’re certainly quite large now," Roland mused.

Their family was now a happy union of the Yukino and Kaur families. With the Yukino Family’s political and business connections, the entire family had effectively become a major clan on its own.

So, it wouldn’t be wrong to say he was now a young master of a prominent family. Once Yukio and the others have birth to his children, his status would immediately rise to that of a patriarch.

And if you really thought about it, the Kawasaki Family could even be considered part of their extended family, right? After all, Mrs. Kawasaki was now his woman, so wouldn’t that make Kawasaki Sakura his step daughter?

Ahem, well, well, making someone my own age my step daughter did feel rather strange. Besides, Saki only wanted to be my mistress, not my wife.

With that in mind, the Kawasaki Family didn’t quite qualify as part of their extended family after all—unless he could get Sakura too...

Roland stole a glance at Kawasaki Sakura, who was propping her head with one hand and gazing blankly out the window. He couldn’t help but notice that this rather marginalized girl in their class was actually quite attractive.

Once the thought surfaced, he couldn’t suppress it. He felt himself becoming increasingly greedy, as if he were no longer satisfied with the status quo. Anyone who was even slightly close to him, he wanted to claim...

Even Roland was startled by the extent of his own greed. When exactly did I become like this?

No, if I keep indulging this greed, there might come a day when things spiral out of control, and I’ll start hypnotizing and abducting every pretty girl I see. At that point there will be distinguish between me and a proper hentai scumbag.

I need to rein myself in while I still have some rationality left. Once I’ve conquered Sakura, I’ll wash my hands of this for good!

With this resolve, Roland shamelessly sprang into action again.

He had been chatting amiably with Yui Yuigahama just moments before, but he abruptly turned and pulled out a lunchbox, placing it on the desk of the dazed Kawasaki Sakura.

Kawasaki Sakura looked at him with immediate suspicion.

"You must have been too busy to pack lunch again, right? I happened to have an extra one. Please, help yourself if you don’t mind," Roland said with a gentle smile.

"Oh... thank you," Sakura replied after a moment’s hesitation. She accepted the lunchbox, knowing she was still scrimping and saving to earn money and hadn’t eaten enough.

But she couldn’t possibly believe Roland’s ridiculous claim about accidentally packing an extra lunch. Who accidentally packs an entire extra lunchbox full of food?

Even if he had accidentally packed too much, he could have shared it with Yui or Yumiko. Why give it to her?

This inevitably made Kawasaki Sakura wonder if Roland, the most popular boy in class, might have special feelings for her.

But it had to be said that Roland’s popularity was well-deserved. He was handsome, skilled, and generally likable—the kind of guy most girls wouldn’t dislike.

Kawasaki Sakura was no exception.

Everyone has a classmate or two they care about during their school years. Kawasaki Sakura had her own, but her mind wasn’t focused on romantic matters.

Now, seeing this person she cared about constantly bringing her food, the feeling was... almost frightening!

Of course, she wasn’t afraid of Roland having a crush on her. There was no reason to fear something like that, right? What she feared were the potential consequences of his affection. Didn’t everyone notice how the atmosphere in the classroom seemed to freeze the moment Roland handed her the lunchbox?

In that instant, the girls who had been happily accepting Roland’s pastries earlier now glared at her with hostility as if they’ll chew her out and spit her out like a gum.

It made sense. So many girls liked Roland, and some were particularly jealous. Seeing the person they liked showing special attention to someone else must have been incredibly unsettling.

Miura Yumiko was a prime example of this.

Unlike others who merely glanced her way, she walked right up to Sakura, arms crossed, and demanded, "Kawasaki-san, are you and Roland dating?"

Sakura hadn’t expected picking up lunch to cause such trouble. If I’d known, I wouldn’t have bothered, she sighed. "No, you’ve got the wrong idea."

"Then why did he prepare a special lunch just for you?" Yumiko pressed.

"You’d have to ask him. Maybe he’s deliberately trying to make all the girls in class hate me?"

"Huh?" Miura Yumiko bristled. How dare she bite the hand that feeds her?

Her fiery temper flared, and she was about to "teach Kawasaki Sakura a lesson" when Roland swiftly grabbed her hand and pulled her out of the classroom.

Yumiko’s foul mood vanished instantly at Roland’s sudden gesture, her cheeks flushing crimson.

Without a hint of resistance, she let Roland lead her away.

Roland couldn’t help but smile bitterly. How had he never noticed the hidden battleground of romantic rivalries right under his nose at school?