The Handsome Boy I Saved from Getting Beaten on the Train… Turned Out to Be the “Prince” of an All-Girls School - V1 Chapter 05: I'm Complimenting You, So Stop Getting All Defensive

Chapter 05: I’m Complimenting You, So Stop Getting All Defensive

“Oooh! It’s the Whoa-Whoa Dude!”

“There he is! We’ve been waiting! Let’s take a selfie!”

“Come on, do the ‘whoa whoa whoa’ thing!”

“Uh… whoa whoa whoa.”

“Kyaahaha! That’s so funny!”

When I walked into the classroom, my classmates immediately swarmed me.

It seriously felt like I’d become one of those comedians who blow up overnight with a single gag.

“So that’s why you came in late and missed the afternoon classes yesterday—you were helping someone out like that?”

“Now that you mention it, Kujou-kun, you don’t do any clubs, but you’ve got a pretty sturdy build.”

“So cool! That took guts!”

Surprisingly, it was mostly girls saying that kind of stuff.

Meanwhile, the guys either looked super sour or kept their heads down on their desks.

I mean, I was already catching heat from the guys just for hanging out with Rinna, the most popular girl in school.

So the fact that they weren’t actively glaring daggers at me right now was honestly kind of a relief.

“By the way, that boy who was getting hit—do you know him?”

“Nope. Met him for the first time yesterday.”

The ones talking to me were flashy girls from another class I didn’t normally interact with.

Naturally, my heart was beating a little fast.

“Really? So did you talk to him after all that?”

“Not really.”

Oh yeah, the police did say the victim wanted to call and thank me, and I told them it was okay to give him my number.

Maybe he actually tried calling last night…

“They only showed him for a second in the video, but he looked super cool, right? Like some dangerous prince with a mysterious vibe.”

“If you get his contact info or anything, let us know, okay?”

Wait a sec—so they were actually crowding around me because they’re after that handsome guy!?

I mean, yeah, even from a guy’s perspective, Rei really was ridiculously good-looking, but still.

“Okay then, later~ Don’t forget!”

Hey, I never said I’d introduce you!

After dropping their request like it was nothing, the gyaru squad took off.

“U-Um, Kujou-shi…”

“Hmm? What’s up, Nakajou-san?”

Just as the flashy girls walked away, a quiet girl I’d never spoken to before—Ako Nakajou—came over to talk to me.

She’s usually the type to stay in the corner of the classroom with two or three friends, whispering among themselves.

“About you and the boy who got attacked… What happened after that?”

“…You too, Nakajou-san? Are you also after Rei?”

I let out a small sigh as I replied.

From flashy gyaru to quiet girls like Nakajou-san, Rei-kun’s looks had completely charmed them all.

Talk about dangerous. That guy’s handsomeness is seriously a crime.

And the wild part is—

In the video, it was mostly me and the construction-pants guy who showed up.

Rei barely even appeared on screen.

“No, no, not at all! Someone like me—a worthless little bug—could never dare to wedge myself between such a sacred couple!”

“…Couple?”

“Ah, pay no mind! Just talking to myself~ Anyway, if anything develops between you two, I’d love to hear an update! Even a tiny scrap of heavenly gossip will keep us entertained for a whole week~ Well then!”

Without waiting for a response, Nakajou-san rattled off her lines and dashed right back to her group in the corner of the classroom.

It’s been a while since I talked to any girls besides Rinna,

But man… why is everyone so one-sided with their conversations?

“Hey, is Kujou-kun in this class?”

While I was still reeling from that, a female upperclassman came into the classroom—asking for me by name.

Sigh…

I gave a smug little “guess I’m popular now” in my head,

But the truth was… this was just exhausting.

“Must be nice, huh, Saito? Getting all that attention from the girls.”

After getting mobbed by senpai for photos and the usual “Introduce us to Rei-kun!” routine,

I finally made it back to my seat—

Only to be hit with Rinna’s cold, squinty glare and sharp sarcasm.

There hasn’t been a single peaceful moment all morning!

“That wasn’t me getting popular. They were all after Rei.”

“Rei-kun… that high school boy who got attacked, right? Yeah, the internet’s been buzzing about how insanely handsome he is.”

“People just keep coming up asking me to introduce them.”

“Oh dear. So even after showing off your big moment of bravery, you didn’t get any love? Poor Saito.”

For some reason, Rinna looked genuinely pleased to hear I wasn’t the one the girls were interested in.

Yep. No doubt about it—this girl’s got a mean streak.

“That’s how it is. Seriously, chatting with girls I don’t usually talk to was exhausting. In the end, just sitting here messing around with you is what suits me best.”

“Oh? So I don’t make your heart race anymore? I’m actually kind of hurt, you know.”

“I mean it’s relaxing to be around you. That was a compliment, so don’t start picking a fight.”

“I-I see…”

“Exactly.”

For some reason, Rinna lowered her head a little.

At last, things had quieted down—

And just when I thought I might finally get my peaceful daily life back—

“Hey, Kujou! Come with me to the principal’s office real quick!”

“Again…? Seriously…”

Hearing Mr. Neya calling from the hallway with that usual smug grin on his face,

I let out a deep sigh and stood up from the seat I’d just settled into.

◇◇◇◆◇◇◇

“Kujou-kun~~~! Good morning! I saw the video! You’re the pride of our school!”

“Principal, please… that hurts.”

The moment I stepped into the principal’s office, he greeted me with a beaming smile—

And started enthusiastically slapping me on the shoulder. Hard.

That smile was probably because he realized he wouldn’t have to take any heat for the incident.

Now that it was clear no responsibility would fall on him, he was all sunshine and rainbows.

“I always believed in you, Kujou-kun!”

“Yeah, yeah, sure you did.”

Even the vice principal looked all cheerful now.

Like, really?

If you believed in me, then what the hell was up with that whole interrogation session that made me miss all my afternoon classes yesterday?

“It’s especially admirable that you resolved everything without using violence!”

“If you had thrown a punch, even if it was to break up a fight, we would’ve caught some backlash. But now we can answer any interviews with confidence, right, Principal?”

“…Interviews?”

That last word, dropped so casually by the vice principal with a twinkle in his eye, made me pause.

And then the principal gave me this smug grin as he answered.

“Yeah. Since the video of you blew up, a bunch of major news outlets have reached out asking to interview you.”

Wait, what!?

Why do they even know I go to this school—

“You were in your uniform in the video, after all. You did remember to tidy up your appearance, right? We’ve got media folks coming in soon.”

“Eh—!? Wait, um, about that… I’m really not good with interviews or the media, so…”

Just being in that video already made me stand out way too much.

I seriously did not want to draw any more attention than I already had.

“I’ll be joining the interview as the school’s public relations representative.”

“No, no, as the principal and official head of the school, it should definitely be me who appears.”

I tried to speak up and decline, but both the principal and vice principal were way too excited to hear a word I was saying.

After spending the whole night tense and worried that this might turn into a huge scandal,

Now that they knew they were off the hook, they were riding that relief way too hard.

Seriously… do these two ever listen to anyone?

Kinda makes you wonder if they’re even fit to be educators.

“Sorry to interrupt while you’re enjoying yourselves, Principal, Vice Principal. But we’ve received instructions from the main department at the Board of Education regarding this matter.”

“”Wait—the Board of Education!?””

That one cold splash of reality from Mr. Neya was enough to freeze both of them mid-celebration.

Honestly, it was kind of pitiful.

“The summary of the instructions is as follows—‘Since the victim, the perpetrator, and the bystander are all minors, you must refrain from making any specific statements. If asked for comment, simply say no comment. Also, for privacy reasons, do not reveal the name of the school under any circumstances.’”

Mr. Neya calmly read out the notice, freshly delivered this morning.

“What kind of bureaucratic response is that!?”

“The Board of Education is a government office, after all.”

“But that’s not fair! This was the perfect chance to get our school some positive press!”

The principal and vice principal both looked genuinely upset about having their moment in the spotlight taken away.

“They never respond when we ask for extra budget approvals, but when it comes to stuff like this, they move lightning fast!”

“That’s because I saw the video last night and immediately contacted an old colleague at the Board of Education to request a response.”

Mr. Neya usually seemed all laid-back and unmotivated,

But wow… he actually worked really fast this time.

Ah.

Now that I think about it—

It was probably because he knows about my family situation that he acted so quickly.

“So this is your doing!?”

“Principal, Vice Principal—Kujou didn’t ask to be thrown into the spotlight for the whole world to see. As educators, shouldn’t we be thinking about what’s best for the student first?”

“”Urgh…””

With me—the actual student—right here,

They couldn’t say a word back once he hit them with that solid truth.

Match point goes to Mr. Neya.

Thanks, Tsuyoshi-nii.

I quietly sent my thanks to him in my heart.

-:+:-:+:-:+:-:+:-:+:-:+:-:+:-+:-+:-+:-+:-+

When I helped a high school boy in real life,

Yeah, I got praised too.

…By a bunch of old guys though.

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