"Well then… since we've been dismissed early for once, let's not waste time! That upscale restaurant isn't far from campus—if we start early, we can wrap it up and head home soon after."
Karls said this casually, completely unfazed by the miserable state of his so-called "rivals."
After all, this was a face-driven society—and ever since he entered high school, ditched his chuuni phase, and embraced his stunning good looks, Karls had been enjoying VIP treatment wherever he went.
"Alright then, let's grab our bags from the classroom."
At his words, the girls all perked up and happily started heading back toward class.
"C'mon, today's cleaning duty—follow me, let's tidy the room real quick. Party or not, we can't neglect classroom hygiene."
Benjamin, ever the diligent class rep, went full Boy Scout mode again. The two unfortunate students assigned to cleaning duty looked at each other, utterly defeated.
How did they end up with this guy as class president again?
"What about those guys?"
"Honestly, I wanna just leave them here… but a dozen unconscious dudes lying on the field kinda ruins the school aesthetic."
Despite the collective temptation, they couldn't really leave the boys like garbage. So a few girls with healing magic reluctantly patched them up—a mild apology for earlier… disciplinary action.
Though the guys eventually got back on their feet, grumbling, they fell silent after catching the don't you dare glares from the girls. Their male pride surrendered to the ancient wisdom:
Never argue with scary women.
And no one wanted to relive the trauma of having their joints twisted like pretzels or taking a hammer-fist to the gut. Some of them were still seeing stars.
They really couldn't wrap their heads around it—weren't these girls supposed to be all cute and dainty? How could they fight like tigers on steroids?
Sigh… girls like Zhao Shishi really are different. So classy, so elegant. Not like these rough-and-tumble commoner types…
With Karls leading the way, it took them about ten minutes to walk to a large, swanky commercial plaza near the school. The place was relatively new, filled with high-end department stores and luxurious hotels and restaurants.
On weekends, this plaza was packed. But Luo Qi never really cared—his only connection to this place was an occasional trip to a fast-food joint that made his favorite creamy chicken mashed potatoes.
Otherwise, he stayed the hell away from here. Why? Because wherever he went, chaos followed.
Better to stay home, watch anime, and game in peace.
Hence, in most girls' eyes, he was nothing more than a bespectacled otaku shut-in.
Not that he minded. Being low-key helped him dodge unnecessary drama—like random crushes from obsessive girls.
The last time that happened, he nearly had to change his identity.
But lately, he couldn't help but wonder…
Would he ever get to experience a normal, boring romance in this life?
That thought hit him with a strange kind of sadness.
"Welcome, Mr. Karls. It's an honor to see you again."
They had arrived at a fancy restaurant called Xuan Cuisine. Lavishly decorated with a sleek Japanese aesthetic, the restaurant occupied the top floor of the plaza's busiest building.
Rumors said it was backed by the city's most notorious underground syndicate.
Of course, these days even the mafia ran legally registered companies—so that gossip was more of a dinner-table story than a confirmed fact.
Still, the staff's hospitality toward Karls was next level.
The manager himself—a middle-aged man with the energy of a golden retriever—greeted them personally and led the entire class into two enormous VIP rooms that could be combined into one mega-suite.
The setup was outrageous: plush sofas, dining tables, karaoke machines, a mini-stage, bar area, and board games—it was like a luxury party suite for celebs.
Everyone was stunned. This was way beyond their usual "party at someone's house with chips and soda" routine.
A chorus of compliments echoed toward Karls.
Naturally, the cost of all this was astronomical.
So while Karls accepted their praise with a cool smile, he was internally holding a memorial for his bleeding wallet.
"I'll have appetizers and sweets brought up right away. Please enjoy yourselves, Mr. Kaka!" the manager beamed, shaking Karls' hand before retreating.
Judging from the way he spoke, the man wasn't just a fan—he was a full-blown idol-obsessed parent-fan, probably dragged into it by his daughter.
Luo Qi? Had zero comment.
Because deep down… he suspected the mafia rumors might be true.
Case in point—just minutes ago, while walking through the hallway, they'd passed a guy with a knife scar across half his face and elaborate tattoos crawling over the backs of both hands.
This man radiated pure "I am 100% not a law-abiding citizen" energy.
The sight of him lurking in this opulent establishment was beyond jarring.
The students wisely cleared the path.
As for Zhao Shishi—Luo Qi wasn't reading her mind, so he had no idea what she was thinking. But from her calm demeanor, she didn't seem fazed at all.
Like she'd seen worse.
And now… Luo Qi was debating whether to activate X-ray vision under her nose to scope the surroundings.
He usually preferred to deal with threats before they became problems. If this restaurant really did house shady people, better to erase the threat silently than risk exposing his powers in front of the class—and having to mass-mind-wipe everyone afterward.
"AAAAHHH! Karls, you're so HOT!"
"I'm officially your number-one brain-dead fangirl!"
"One more song! Encore! Encore!"
It didn't take long before the room descended into chaos.
Karls had picked up a mic and was doing his full idol routine—flawless vocals, flirty winks, the works. A bunch of girls were screaming like they were at a private fan meeting.
"Yeah… I'm gonna hit the bathroom. You two slow down on the steak, will you?" Luo Qi muttered.
Of course Karls was singing to impress Zhao Shishi. But her eyes weren't even on him—instead, she was watching Dylan and Benjamin, who were casually feasting on premium steak like they owned the place.
Clearly, they'd said something to the manager behind Karls' back.
Freeloaders, the both of them.
Time to go investigate. He needed intel.
And there was no way Lady Hero over there would follow him into the men's bathroom… right?