"Tanaka-kun!"
By the time Suzuki returned to the massive stone courtyard of the castle, the sun was beginning to set, casting long, dramatic shadows across the training grounds. The moment he stepped through the gates, his classmates quickly spotted him.
"You all look absolutely starving. Don't worry, I bought plenty of food."
Suzuki maintained his harmless, perfectly practiced corporate smile as he began pulling thick, steaming skewers of grilled meat from his [Absolute Storage]. Naturally, because time was completely halted inside his inventory, the food was still piping hot, the juices sizzling exactly as they had when he bought them hours ago in the market.
The heavy, intoxicating scent of roasted spices and fat wafted across the courtyard. No one hesitated.
"Thank you very much!"
The entire class had just been subjected to a grueling, Spartan-style physical training regimen personally overseen by Captain Meld. They were modern teenagers suddenly forced to swing heavy swords and run drills in armor. While the castle kitchens were supposedly preparing a formal dinner, the students were absolutely ravenous right now.
Fortunately, their otherworldly stats prevented their muscles from completely tearing, but they were all pushing their physical limits.
"Come on, don't be shy. There is still plenty more," Suzuki said smoothly, handing out fresh apples and more meat. "I kept it all in my inventory. Eat up."
"Thank you...!" several students practically sobbed as the savory meat hit their stomachs.
Frankly, while a significant portion of the class secretly resented Suzuki because he was vastly superior to them back in Japan, they weren't stupid. They knew he was the smartest person in the room. Even though he had a non-combat job, they knew that if he went out into the city alone, he absolutely must have discovered crucial information or secured valuable assets.
If they tried to antagonize him now, what would happen? What if he deliberately fed them fake information about the outside world?
More importantly, Suzuki was a Merchant. Watching him effortlessly feed an entire platoon of hungry students after a single, brief outing proved that he was already highly capable of securing logistics.
What if Suzuki decided to only financially invest in a small, select group of students and completely ignored the rest? What would happen to the ones left behind? They would be forced to fight horrifying monsters wearing cheap, rusted armor while Suzuki's favorites drank high-grade potions and wielded enchanted weapons.
...Fucking shit.
The bullies—guys like Hiyama and his sycophants—could only curse violently in their heads. They hated that Suzuki could effortlessly manipulate the crowd into liking him simply by throwing money and food at them.
But that was the power of money. While it was common, it was the one thing absolutely everyone needed to survive.
Many had heard of Suzuki's pristine, elite reputation as a Toudai scholar and a star athlete. But the delinquents also knew the dark, whispered rumors of his bad reputation. Hiyama had heard the stories from the long-distance running club: how Suzuki had ruthlessly blackmailed an oppressive upperclassman, effortlessly taking control of the entire club hierarchy and securing the Anchor position as a mere freshman.
In this world, even without a combat class, Suzuki was a terrifying predator.
If someone foolishly antagonized him or mocked his orphan status, Suzuki wouldn't throw a temper tantrum or beat them up. Instead, he would patiently look for their absolute weakest point. He would blackmail them, use them repeatedly until they were bled dry, and then coldly discard them when they were no longer useful.
Suzuki was not a "good" person. The bottom-feeders of the school knew it, even if the rest of the world naively viewed him as a stoic, hardworking saint.
But did Suzuki actually enjoy being cruel?
No. It was purely pragmatic. If he didn't secure leverage over his enemies, he would be the one devoured. Exposing a weakness meant becoming a target. No matter the situation, he had to clearly demonstrate to everyone around him that messing with Suzuki Tanaka meant financial and social suicide.
"Thank you, Suzuki," Yuka Sonobe smiled softly, wiping the grease from her lips. The simple gesture, combined with her exhausted flush, made her look surprisingly alluring.
"No problem," Suzuki nodded, playing the humble support role perfectly. "I can't do much on the front lines anyway, so the least I can do is support you all from behind."
His eyes scanned the crowd until he spotted Shizuku. Her signature black ponytail swayed heavily as she practically jogged toward him, clearly relieved.
"Welcome back!" she breathed out.
"Thanks for waiting."
Shizuku desperately wanted to throw her arms around him and hug him tightly, but she was acutely aware of the dozens of eyes watching them. Flushing slightly, she settled for reaching out and slipping her hand into his, gripping his fingers tightly.
"..."
The surrounding students didn't know what to say. Watching the school's famously fierce and unapproachable "Iron Lady" look at Suzuki like a devoted puppy made them insanely jealous. It wasn't just the boys envying Suzuki; several of the girls envied Shizuku, desperately craving that exact same aura of absolute, unshakable security that Suzuki provided.
It was painfully obvious how deeply Shizuku loved him.
Watching the display, Kouki Amanogawa stepped out from the crowd, a deeply complicated, bitter expression twisting his handsome face.
Why did you have to choose him, Shizuku? Kouki thought, his ego stinging.
If Suzuki knew what Kouki was thinking, he would have rolled his eyes. Kouki was the exact reason Shizuku had chosen Suzuki in the first place.
Dealing with Kouki's suffocating, self-righteous "hero" complex was exhausting. If Kouki and Shizuku hadn't been childhood friends, she would have abandoned him years ago. Because Kouki constantly acted like a delusional martyr, Shizuku was always forced to be the responsible one, cleaning up his messes and protecting him from the shadows. Everyone expected her to be the strong, infallible swordswoman.
But with Suzuki, Shizuku could finally relax. She didn't have to be the "Iron Lady." Suzuki's overwhelming competence allowed her to finally be vulnerable—to be protected, spoiled, and deeply loved without having to constantly manage someone else's ego. She was finally liberated.
So, even if they were trapped in another dimension, and even if Suzuki was stuck with a mundane Merchant class, it didn't matter to her. She knew he was a man who would never give up. Just as he had always taken care of her in Japan, she was fully prepared to wield her sword to protect him here.
"...Why are you looking at me like that?" Suzuki murmured, his voice dropping low so only she could hear. "You're going to make everyone think you want to eat me alive."
"I-I'm not looking at you like that!" Shizuku hissed, her face burning a bright, alluring crimson as she squeezed his hand harder.
"Ahem!"
Kouki coughed loudly, forcefully stepping between them to hide his intense discomfort at seeing Shizuku act so soft and feminine. "Did you just get back, Tanaka-kun? I heard from Captain Meld that you went out into the city alone. I really don't think that's good for the group dynamic. You know we're a team, right? We should be sticking together and training, not wandering off—"
"Are you hungry, Amanogawa?" Suzuki smoothly interrupted, offering a massive, perfectly grilled skewer. "Here. Eat some."
"...."
Kouki's stomach let out a loud, treacherous rumble, completely undermining his heroic lecture.
Kaori instantly recognized the rising tension and stepped in to defuse it. "Wow, I am absolutely famished! Let's eat, Amanogawa-kun!"
"O-Okay... if Kaori says so..." Kouki muttered, his cheeks flushing slightly as he accepted the meat. As the "Hero," he had trained harder than anyone else today, and his caloric deficit was massive. He bit into the meat and let out a helpless sigh of comfort.
"Thanks..." Suzuki whispered to Kaori, appreciating the assist.
"You owe me the best piece," Kaori whispered back, pouting playfully. She knew exactly what she was doing. She was actively using her cute charm and Kouki's obvious crush on her to manipulate the Hero into backing down.
"No problem."
"Yeah, Kaori gets the very best piece," Shizuku smiled, leaning slightly into Suzuki's shoulder.
"...." Kaori suddenly felt incredibly awkward, chewing on her grilled meat with a slightly bitter expression as she watched her best friend flirt with the man she had just helped.
Still, the peace didn't last long.
"Um... Tanaka-kun?"
A quiet voice broke through the chatter. "You've been outside the castle walls, right? Could you... maybe tell us what you saw?"
The moment the question was asked, the entire courtyard fell completely silent. Dozens of hopeful, desperate gazes snapped toward Suzuki.
Information.
It was the most vital currency they currently lacked. They had absolutely no way of verifying anything Ishtar or the knights had told them. Because Suzuki was a fellow student—and explicitly not part of the Kingdom's military—his firsthand observations were infinitely more trustworthy than the Pope's grand speeches.
Suzuki didn't answer immediately. He slowly chewed his food, his dark eyes locking onto the girl who had asked the incredibly sharp question.
It was Eri Nakamura. A cute, unassuming girl with round glasses and a soft bob haircut.
"Sure," Suzuki finally said, his voice carrying easily across the silent courtyard. "I'll tell you everything I learned about the market and the city. Unless there is anyone here who doesn't want to listen?"
"We all want to listen!" several students shouted eagerly.
"Good."
As Suzuki began to carefully weave a heavily edited, strategic narrative about his outing, ensuring he revealed just enough to secure their trust while hiding his true financial schemes, he noticed something slightly off.
Eri Nakamura was watching him very, very closely. And behind her thick glasses, her gaze held a strange, calculating intensity that didn't quite match her innocent persona.
---
The 5th Suzuki has been decided!
It will be fun~!