Is this a joke?

All these… belong to Yao Staryan?

Even as a guy, I felt Alexander the Great-sized pressure from such a massive haul of food.

Yet Willow Ran didn’t bat an eye. To her, Yao Staryan devouring this mountain seemed perfectly normal. Could you imagine? This petite girl polishing off enough food to form a small hill—I’d sooner believe the gorilla-classmate from earlier could pull it off.

“Tell me… this isn’t real…”

I simply couldn’t link “glutton” with Yao Staryan.

But reality was cruel. Willow Ran shot me an apologetic look.

“It’s unavoidable. Her metabolism… Staryan gets hungry so easily. She has to snack between every class, or her stomach might growl during lectures.”

“No way?”

Such a manga-esque trait existing in real life—wait, file this absurd detail away. Might be useful later.

“Listen, Gale Splendor,” Willow Ran leaned in conspiratorially. “Nothing bonds people faster than shared secrets. I’ve read enough books to know this truth. Though it’s not *technically* ‘just us’… you’re the first guy to learn this. Be grateful!”

Selling your friend’s secrets with such shameless confidence.

I nodded obediently on the surface. Beyond research needs, I also had a rather… compromising secret in Willow Ran’s hands—all her fault, really.

Led by Willow Ran, we arrived at the special admissions building—a two-story structure with a rooftop terrace.

“Yao Staryan’s here? She’s a regular student, right?”

“Staryan’s a girl. She’d be mortified if others knew about her appetite. Too many people in the main building. She sneaks here to eat between classes.”

I felt like I’d uncovered a world-shattering secret.

As we reached the stairs to the rooftop, Willow Ran snatched the plastic bag from me and dashed up first. Behind her, I heard Yao Staryan’s voice—bright, bubbly, dripping with sugar. Nothing like the cold rejection she’d given me before. Food truly transformed her.

*Just how often does she get hungry…?*

I stepped onto the roof to a sight I refused to believe: Yao Staryan’s mouth stuffed full of pineapple buns—the very ones I’d “sold my looks” to buy.

My sudden appearance made her choke mid-bite, coughing clumsily. Gone was the sharp girl from our first meeting.

Before she could demand answers from Willow Ran, the latter vanished with a flimsy excuse: “I’ll grab water!”

*Seriously? The bag’s full of milk and juice!*

To avoid awkwardness, Yao Staryan dabbed her lips with a silk handkerchief. Instantly, she morphed back into the aloof girl who’d rejected me.

“So. What are you doing here?”

*Damn.* How to answer? If I admitted knowing Willow Ran beforehand, suspicion would follow. Did Yao Staryan even know Willow Ran’s sister was Fenghua’s editor?

I’d learned my lesson: never reveal compromising info without 100% certainty. Time to deploy my novelist’s improvisation skills.

“Oh, nothing much. Just saw that classmate struggling at the store—crowded, looked exhausting—so I lent a hand.” I kept my tone light. But Yao Staryan’s narrowed eyes suggested I’d backfired spectacularly.

*Panic.* Willow Ran had gifted me this alone time. If this dragged on, class would start.

“Ah—how’ve you been lately?”

*Kill me.* Why did that sound like an ex’s reunion line? Her stare confirmed she thought I was an idiot.

“None of your business.”

*Why am I always on the defensive?* I’m a shoujo novelist! I should excel at this! …Though honestly, I was here *because* I didn’t understand girls’ minds in such moments.

Salvation arrived as Willow Ran returned with drinks.

I glanced back: all four cartons of milk were already gone. Supernatural speed.

Having likely overheard my weak excuse at the stairs, she handed Yao Staryan an orange juice and passed me iced tea.

“Thanks for earlier.”

*If only she smiled this warmly when we’re alone.*

*Good girl.*

“Xiao Ran’s always polite to new acquaintances,” Yao Staryan doused my hope with ice water. *I know. But why does it still sting?*

“Hey, Staryan,” Willow Ran feigned innocence perfectly. “What were you two chatting about?”

“Nothing. Just wondering why he suddenly helped you. Be careful, Xiao Ran—monsters hide behind pretty faces.”

*Still sharp-tongued as ever.*

For my revenge plot, I’d endure this. At least she hadn’t exposed my confession.

“Really?” Willow Ran beamed at me. “But we’re classmates. Helping each other is only right.”

I invoked the moral high ground—unassailable, even for Yao Staryan.

“Sure it is,” she muttered, turning away to nibble another bun.

*Still eating? I’m full just watching.*

“What’s that look for?” she snapped.

“…Nothing. You’ve got sauce on your cheek.”

She frantically wiped her face with the silk cloth. *Unexpectedly cute.* This was my opening.

“Do you two know each other?” Willow Ran played dumb flawlessly.

*Oscar-worthy.* I matched her act.

“Ah, I—”

“We’ve never met!” Yao Staryan cut in, flustered.

*Why the anger?* Was she hiding “that day” too? Illogical, but her reaction was clear.

“Huh. You seem close,” Willow Ran pressed.

*Are you blind?*

“I’m kind to everyone!”

*Yao Staryan—you didn’t deny it?!*

Perfect. This was my stage. I’d rehearsed such scenes countless times—in my head, on paper.

“—I could never be kind to *everyone* like you.”

“See? This guy—”

“But…” I let the word hang, smiling enigmatically as I glanced at the empty food wrappers. “Honestly? Today made me happy. Because…”

*All the world’s a stage.*

“I understand you better now than when I arrived~”

I pressed the cold tea can against her smooth cheek, then left with a simple “Goodbye.”