The Story of How I, a Guy Who Couldn’t Care Less About School Castes, Somehow Ended Up Making All the Five-Star Gals Fall for Me - Chapter 04: The Guy Who Put a Gal in Her Place

Chapter 04: The Guy Who Put a Gal in Her Place

Clearly fed up with the ridiculous back-and-forth, Hari glared at Ikoi from the very back row, her sharp gaze cutting straight through him.

Those cold eyes were like blades—anyone caught in them couldn’t help but feel the pressure.

“…Even if you glare at me like that, I’m not the one with the problem here.”

“Hah? I’m not glaring.”

Her denial came instantly.

Her refined features were as pure as untouched snow. Perfectly shaped brows and long lashes framed jewel-like eyes—so large and striking they seemed almost too much for her delicate, small face. Her nose was tall yet dainty, and her glossy pink lips caught the eye before you even realized it.

She had a model’s figure—slender, long legs, graceful curves—all wrapped in an aura that demanded distance. Arms crossed, one leg casually slung over the other, her knee stretched out, the tip of her shoe practically telling Ikoi to back off.

Even without words, every movement screamed irritation. The air around her bristled, like she was cloaked in a hedgehog’s spines. It was obvious—Ikoi was not welcome.

And yet, that icy, merciless, queen-like aura suited Hari Suitengu perfectly.

Most people, crushed under that intimidating presence, would’ve fallen silent or backed down without a fight.

But Ikoi Kizuki wasn’t “most people.”

He met her gaze head-on—and spoke clearly.

“—You know, your attitude’s really bad.”

He just said what he thought.

No hesitation, no second-guessing, no sugarcoating.

His words flew straight and sharp, like an arrow hitting its mark.

The entire classroom gasped.

Was he completely ignorant of manners?

Did nerves make him blurt out something insane?

Or was it just their imagination?

What they’d just heard was unthinkable—something that, in another era, would’ve been a capital offense.

An open challenge to the queen perched at the very top of the hierarchy.

But this was modern Japan. Tokyo. Just an ordinary high school classroom.

From the outside, the scene was absurd: a plain, forgettable boy casually throwing shade at the reigning queen of the school caste.

In that tiny ecosystem called a classroom, it was the equivalent of a suicide attempt.

And yet—Ikoi Kizuki did it without batting an eye.

Even Hari herself froze, unable to process the words right away.

The other three Fives sat stunned too—none of them had ever imagined someone would speak to Hari like that.

“When a pretty girl scowls, it ruins everything. What do you even gain by intimidating everyone around you? Since when were you crowned queen of this class?”

Ikoi’s tone remained calm, almost conversational.

There was no malice in it—just straightforward questions.

But he still went all in, speaking to the gal without holding back in the slightest.

“Who the hell’s a queen!?”

“Who else could possibly fit that title but you?”

The whole class gave a collective nod—he wasn’t wrong.

“And why do I have to hear that from you of all people!?”

Hari snapped back.

“Am I wrong?”

“Do you seriously think this face looks like it’s enjoying itself?”

“You’re pretty damn troublesome, you know that.”

“Right back at you.”

“See? There it is again—you just look like you’re lashing out for no reason. Your first impression is amazing, but it’s a waste if you keep ruining it yourself.”

“Perfect. You just gave me a brand-new reason to get mad.”

Ikoi’s words hit like a critical blow, and Hari looked about ready to explode.

“You actually went out of your way to find a reason to get angry? Why?”

“Even now… you really don’t get it, do you?”

Hari narrowed her eyes, lips curling into a thin smile.

That bottomless smile sent chills down more than a few spines.

To everyone else, it looked like Ikoi was sprinting back and forth across a minefield.

It was reckless. Insane. A suicidal move.

And yet Ikoi didn’t stop.

“Don’t tell me picking fights and dumping your emotions on everyone is just a hobby now? Using people as punching bags isn’t exactly something to brag about.”

His expression hardened with clear disapproval.

“Of course not!”

“Then maybe try learning a little self-control. We’re in high school now, after all.”

Ikoi spoke to her the way you’d gently scold a kid for misbehaving—calm, patient, almost kind.

And that only made Hari’s nerves snap even harder.

“If that insensitivity of yours is just an act, then you should quit school and go straight into acting.”

Hari shot up from her chair, looming over him with blazing eyes.

“I’m not the type who can enjoy lying.”

It was true—Ikoi wasn’t nearly skilled enough to put on some fake persona like in a play.

“Oh, this is my first time actually talking to you, but that much I figured out instantly.”

“…Seems so.”

A girl reigning at the very top of the class hierarchy normally wouldn’t even remember Ikoi Kizuki existed.

“Suitengu-san, you’re amazing at expressing emotions with your whole body. Honestly, you’d be perfect on stage.”

With her looks and presence, she would shine under the spotlight.

Even the smallest movements were picturesque.

Just a tilt of her head or the shift of her long legs naturally drew every eye.

Proof enough—Ikoi hadn’t been able to look away from her since the moment she stood up.

“Do you seriously think that’s a compliment?”

“Of course. I’m not good at quarreling with people.”

And that was the shocking part. Up to now, Ikoi Kizuki had been speaking from the heart—every word genuine praise.

He was simply impressed, and he put it into words as honestly as he could.

The problem? His stiff expression made it all look like sarcasm or provocation.

As expected, Hari’s anger gauge ticked up another notch.

“—You… just stepped on my landmine.”

Hari’s voice rumbled low, like a final warning.

“I see. Then you’re a really kind landmine—giving me a heads-up before you explode. Thanks for that.”

Completely unfazed, Ikoi kept his calm expression.

But his words? They were pure provocation.

“…What did you just say?”

“A truly dangerous person wouldn’t stop to announce it. Once they saw red, they’d already be flying at me before realizing it themselves. The fact that you don’t? It means you’ve still got reason—and you’re aware of your surroundings.”

“Cut it out with the damn sarcasm already!”

Hari’s brows shot up, anger boiling over.

And strangely enough, when that mature, model-like face twisted in frustration, it revealed a flicker of girlish immaturity beneath.

“…I get it now. I finally understand why Suitengu-san always looks so annoyed.”

“W-What?”

“You’re constantly tense around other people, aren’t you?”

This time, Hari actually gasped.

By now, not just the whole class, but even Hinawa, Miyu, and Platina—sitting right beside her—had gone silent, watching the showdown between Ikoi and Hari.

The gap between Hari’s seething anger and Ikoi’s unshakable calm was staggering.

Instead of being swallowed by the aura of a Five-Star Gal, Ikoi had completely taken control of the conversation.

From the outside, it looked like the gal was getting nailed with cold, hard logic—and had no way to fight back.

Hari Suitengu—the cool beauty, the so-called queen, the leader of the Fives—was stuck. Cornered.

Nobody had ever seen anything like it before.

Without even realizing it, Ikoi had dragged out a new side of her for everyone to witness.

And as he did, he calmly pieced the puzzle together in his head until he reached a clear conclusion.

“Ah, now it all makes sense.”

“…”

“You get tense when you talk to people, so your face stiffens up. For a pretty girl like you, that just makes you look annoyed. And because you’re so good at expressing yourself physically, those emotions come across way stronger than you intend—so everyone misreads it as anger. Then, since you know this happens, you get even more self-conscious about communicating… which makes your face stiffen up even more. It’s a vicious cycle.”

Ikoi had figured it out.

Hari Suitengu—the beautiful girl standing before him—was trapped in a negative spiral, where her expressive body language and her weak emotional control clashed.

Thanks to Ikoi’s sharp eye—and a certain hidden talent of his—Hari’s weakness had been laid completely bare.

“—!”

Hari’s slender shoulders trembled at his blunt explanation.

The landmine didn’t explode.

Instead of running away, Ikoi had dissected it with sharp insight—exposing the weakness she’d tried so hard to keep hidden.

Ikoi Kizuki had just put a Five-Star Gal in her place.

Ruthlessly.

Completely.

Without leaving her a shred of defense.

And because of that, Hari lost her anger’s target.

She no longer had the strength to keep pretending to be mad, and with Ikoi’s words striking dead-on, she had nothing left to throw back at him.

She honestly didn’t know what to do anymore.

The emotions swirling inside Hari Suitengu had nowhere to go—until, finally, they spilled over as tears.

And this moment would go down in history as the legendary Hari Suitengu Breakdown Incident that people would whisper about all the way until graduation.

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