Since most students were just standing around staring at us, plenty of seats remained empty. I casually picked one and sat down, and Jilianbing took the seat opposite me.

Students near our table immediately wolfed down their food and fled—or simply grabbed their trays and squeezed onto tables on the other side.

They artificially created a mysterious "square-ring" space around us.

“…”

What the heck… Are they isolating us on purpose?

“How thoughtful of everyone! So many people here, yet they left such a spacious spot just for us two. Hehehe~”

Jilianbing chuckled as she set her bento box on the table. She unwrapped the cloth covering it and lifted the lid.

The dishes inside were ordinary—stir-fried bamboo shoots, braised shrimp balls—but they looked incredibly appetizing. How to describe it? Like food straight out of a gourmet show, crackling with visual effects.

She really nailed it. Did she make this herself?

“Did you make this yourself?”

Oops. My mouth ran off before I could stop it.

“My maid made it.”

“A maid? Your family has a maid?”

Hearing the word “maid,” my interest instantly spiked. I looked up at Jilianbing.

Well… I only have a tiny bit of interest in maids. Seriously, just a tiny bit!

I absolutely do *not* think maids are cute! Not at all! And I have zero interest in garter-belt modified maid outfits!

I definitely didn’t buy an external hard drive just to store that 3D Custom Maid game!

Jilianbing smiled faintly and tilted her head. “Oh? Master Cheng, you’ve never heard of the Ji Clan?”

“…No.”

Forgive my ignorance, but I truly had never heard of any “Ji Clan.”

“Hehehe, it’s fine if you haven’t. Don’t worry about it—it’s nothing worth noting. You just need to know my family can afford maids.”

…That makes me *more* curious. Though I’d never heard of the Ji Clan, they must be some insanely wealthy family…

Stunningly beautiful, top grades in studies and sports—already terrifyingly impressive—and now she’s adding “heiress” to her profile too? What a frightening woman.

This was the legendary ultimate “rich, beautiful, and brilliant” package.

I fell silent and ate my meal without looking at Jilianbing. Instead, I focused on the onlookers, reading their titles.

Their titles were far more normal—similar to what I’d seen on my way to school. But some were gray…

Beyond white, green, and pink, gray had appeared too… Just how many colors were there?

Focusing, I caught snippets of hushed chatter around us:

“Jilianbing actually came to the cafeteria?! Isn’t she a wealthy heiress? Why would she come to a place for commoners?”

“Idiot! Didn’t you see she brought a bento? Obviously, she’s here with that guy! Who *is* he? Which class?”

“No idea… But this dude’s seriously impressive. He actually snagged Jilianbing!”

“Heavens! The goddess has been conquered!”

Sorry to disappoint, but I haven’t “snagged” Jilianbing, nor do I have any intention of “conquering” her. If anything, I’d prefer she never bothers me again.

But that hope probably won’t come true anytime soon…

“Master Cheng.”

“…Huh? Me?”

What kind of palindromic nonsense was “Master Cheng”? Don’t twist my name like that!

“Would you like to try the bento my ‘maid’ made?”

She deliberately stressed “maid.” Had she noticed my interest? This… this girl’s insight was terrifying!

Though I *was* curious about maid-made food… I wouldn’t fall for it! If I said yes, Jilianbing might just shove a bite straight into my mouth. Whether I ate it or not, it’d become a nightmare scenario!

I had to refuse firmly to avoid trouble.

“No thanks. I’ll stick with my own food.”

“Hmm~ Is that so? Then… may I try a bite of the food *you* picked, Master Cheng?”

Stop flipping my name around so casually!

Slightly annoyed, I grumbled, “Help yourself!”

Then—Jilianbing did the utterly unthinkable.

“Nope~ I want *you* to feed me, Master Cheng~”

“Pfft!”

It wasn’t just me. Half the cafeteria probably snorted in unison at that exact moment!

She actually acted cute and coquettish!

Did she have zero regard for her own image? Sure, it was undeniably adorable, but her character setting had completely derailed!

What incompetent writer turned you into this?! Fix it immediately!

I frantically tried signaling her with my eyes, but Jilianbing didn’t stop. She leaned toward me, parted her lips slightly—a pose only clueless couples would strike for feeding games.

“Ah~”

She was deliberately throwing me to the wolves!

Instantly, I saw a wave of gray flood the onlookers’ titles. Some even turned pitch black!

Was this the infamous “envy-hate” aura?

Crap. At this rate, tomorrow I’d likely get hooded and dragged into an alley for a beating on my way to school.

What to do… Feed her or not…

As I hesitated, a chill shot down my spine.

*Killing intent!*

It came from right across the table!

Jilianbing’s eyes narrowed slightly, as if silently warning: *Feed me now, or I’ll gouge out your eyeballs and eat them!* (Pure speculation, of course.)

Under that invisible pressure, I hurriedly picked up a piece of mapo tofu to feed her… but disaster struck.

Nerves—tension, panic, fear—scrambled my motor control. My hand trembled. Violently.

And… the tofu meant for Jilianbing’s mouth instead poked squarely against her cheek.

Me: “….”

Jilianbing: “….”

The crowd: “….”

*Plop.*

The tofu landed in her bento box.

*Gyaaaaaaah!* I’m dead! I’m dead! Help!

I cowered, hands shielding my head, bracing for chopsticks to stab my eyes—but…

What reached my ears was Jilianbing’s voice, gentle as water.

“Are you alright, Master Cheng? Do you feel unwell? Your movements were so stiff… Should I accompany you to the infirmary?”

Her tone overflowed with concern, not a trace of blame. As if the incident meant nothing, her only thought was for me.

Everyone was moved by her tenderness—even I felt a flicker of guilt. *Was my earlier fear of her just a delusion?* I slowly lowered my hands…

*Delusion my ass!*

Red. Blood-red. Crimson—the color of danger!

Jilianbing’s title had shifted from green to scarlet!

Somehow, I could *feel* the murderous rage radiating from that crimson glow. No matter how worried she looked, all I sensed was her desire to end me.

“N-no! I’m fine! Totally fine!”

“I see… That’s a relief.”

Jilianbing dabbed her cheek with a handkerchief and resumed eating.

The horrifying blood-red lingered for roughly three minutes before fading back to green—a noticeably paler shade…

Did that mean she’d calmed down slightly?

Or was she just pretending to let it go?

I had no clue what Jilianbing truly felt. She didn’t speak to me again until lunch ended.

And I, too anxious to eat properly, barely touched my food.

The lunch break ended in an uncanny silence.

Deep down, I sensed one thing clearly: Jilianbing was genuinely angry.