My Measurement: The Villain Desires a Satisfying Payback

Ring~!

"Good morning, class. It looks like I will be in charge of you guys again this year, so let's do our best~"

"Good morning!"

"Mornin'!"

"Morning, Hayashi-sensei!"

With the bell to signal the start of the day, the teacher―a youthful woman with her honey brown, braided hair hung over one shoulder and a pair of glasses resting on her face―stepped in front of the class and spoke with a cheerful smile.

"I hope everyone's had a nice summer~ I know what happened at the end of last year was greatly saddening, but let's try to not let it keep our moods down. With that said, shall we begin registration? Shizuko Aikawa~?"

Class 3-B.

Our teacher for this year, Haruka Hayashi, is the same homeroom teacher our class had last year.

It was a complete coincidence, but perhaps the school was in a bit of chaos because of the incident last year, so they just gave our class a teacher we were comfortable with.

Regardless, with the start of this new school year...

"―Oscar Itou~?"

"Here."

...I was sure that it would turn out to be quite eventful.

= = =

***

= = =

Ring~!

Lunchtime.

As everyone else sorted themselves into their usual groups, I remained seated where I was―a seat in the middle of the back row.

Just as I had done last year and the year before that.

I had thought this tradition would continue, but to my surprise, someone shouted in my direction.

"Itou-senseiiiii...!"

A tall blond guy with handsome features and brushed hair rushed over to me as if laying eyes upon the Holy Grail.

"...Do you need something?"

User 'I am a dull knife'. Also known as...

"Say, wanna join us after school? We're going for a meal later."

―Yuu Shimura.

"Oi! Yuu!"

And.

"Stop bothering Itou if he doesn't like it, ya pest!"

A tomboyish girl with caramel hair and rolled-up sleeves.

User 'Chihihi'―Chihiro Suzuki.

"Gasp-! Excuse you?! I would never bother Itou-sensei! He is my saviour!"

"Shut up! Stop leeching off people to pass exams, dumbass!"

"What?! But if I do that, I'll fail! You don't want to see me, your best friend, fail, do you?!"

"Hey! If you don't want to fail, study more! Whenever we hold study groups, you always mess around! It's no wonder your scores are so awful! I bet you don't even study by yourself, right?"

"You bet! 'Cause studying sucks! Why would I want to do that? I've been fine until now anyway, so there's no reason for me to start studying now!"

"Idiot! So, you want to fail, huh?! You even said it yourself―that Itou is your saviour! Try passing an exam by yourself, huh?! Keep leeching and you'll be such a nuisance that even Itou might fall below 100%!"

"Gasp-! Miss Suzuki Chihiro! You! How could you say such a thing!? I would never commit such wicked acts to the detriment of Itou-sensei! Never ever!"

...So, they acted the same way even outside the group chat, huh.

I never really paid attention before now, but I couldn't take my eyes away now that I was aware of it.

I watched them continue to argue for a while as I took the lunch out of my bag that was cooked for me by the maids of the house and began to eat.

As I did so, a gentle voice then spoke to me from the side.

"Good afternoon, Itou-san. Oh, wow, look at that lunch~! Do you mind if I ask who made it?"

Shizuko Aikawa. User, 'Shukozi🤍'.

Her long, black hair cascading down her back with the top being tied at the back in a half-updo, and showing off the unblemished school uniform exquisitely, she carried a very elegant appearance.

To this girl, a true model of the student body, I responded simply.

"I made it."

Needless to say, it was a lie.

It wasn't as though I couldn't cook―as someone who knows how to do anything, the fact that I could cook better than anyone else is simply par for the course.

All it is, is following a recipe.

And I know every recipe there is.

However, if I were to come out and admit that a maid had made my lunch, it would just lead to unnecessary trouble.

"It looks so good. I had no idea that you could cook, Itou-san. I practise cooking too, and am even in the Cooking Club, but I don't think I'm that good... Do you think you could teach me sometime? If it isn't a bother, of course."

Casting a sideways glance at her as I put the start of a sandwich into my mouth, I thought about it briefly.

Pros of teaching her to cook.

For starters, my reputation would increase. If people think I'm a nice person, I'm sure it'd be useful at some point.

Cons.

I don't want people to think I'm too nice and a pushover because that leads to trouble, so I'll have to set some clear boundaries. Otherwise, it'll just be a pain. Although, I have to do that kind of thing whether I help her or not.

Other than that... Well, I guess it doesn't really matter.

Teaching her how to cook well or not.

It's not something that's going to have a big effect at the end of the day.

It's also not something that's difficult for me to do at all.

Since clubs are mandatory, I could join the Cooking Club and teach her there. That's two birds with one stone, isn't it? There aren't any clubs in particular that I'm interested in, so it doesn't seem like a bad idea.

But, again, it's not really necessary.

Setting aside the Cooking Club, there are a multitude of other clubs that are equally fulfilling or that can be used just as effectively.

Well, whatever.

"―I'll consider it."

It's not something that I need to decide right now, and we have a few weeks to decide what club we want to join anyway.

"Alright, thank you for thinking about it, even though I understand it can be a bother. It's not a blunt rejection, so since there's still a chance, I'll accept it, hehe~"

Gulp.

I have to say, it was a pretty good sandwich.

No wonder she wants to learn how to make it.

"By the way, sorry about those two..." She apologetically laughed, glancing at the two quarrelling in the middle of the classroom. "Both of them mean well, but don't hesitate to speak up if they're bothering you at all; we'll sort them out for you."

I then heard her mutter something like 'something we have to do too often...' but I wasn't that interested.

Well, sure.

"I'm fine."

As long as I wasn't involved in the argument, then I didn't care.

Though, since it's been a while, I find the current atmosphere of the class rather refreshing, so I wouldn't want anything that might disturb that to happen.

Furthermore, having that guy succeed because of me is basically a free boost to my reputation since it barely takes me any time at all to tell him what's going to come up on the next exams, so that's not really a bother.

Once again, if they see me as a good guy then, logically, it's hardly going to result in anything bad.

All I have to do is keep up that façade, which isn't difficult.

As for that group dinner invitation...

"―I'll pass."

There's no need for me to go that far. For now, at least.