And so, by the time the first day of school was over, everyone and their grandmother knew about Amos Black being gay.
Since everyone and their grandmother knew, the hero's father would also naturally know about it.
Therefore, when Amos arrived back in his family villa, instead of a bowing team of maids, he was welcomed by a fist to the face.
"Bastard! You dare make a mockery of me like this?!"
The bewildered boy clutched his bleeding nose, unable to believe that his always calm and cold father had actually punched him in the nose. To this day, he had never been hit by anyone, never in his entire life!
It wasn't just the first time he had been mocked and scolded, now he had even been hit in the face, and it was by his own father. Amos couldn't believe it at all, and thought that it must be a nightmare.
"D-Dad?"
Amos's father looked nothing like him. With dark black hair and black eyes, he looked like an average man if not for his overly muscular frame that was barely contained by his black suit. It was clear that the handsome looks of the hero came from his late mother's side.
His father's eyes were cold, but with a burning fury surging within the dark pupils. "So you still know I'm your father… Tell me, which bastard's cock are you sucking while I'm not there?"
The hero could hear what his father was saying, but he couldn't make sense of his words at all.
"W-What the hell… are you saying?"
The older man clenched his fist, resisting the urge to punch his son again. This was the heir he had been carefully raising and nurturing for so many years, and the boy had always made him proud.
Even if he liked boys, it's not like it was the end of the world. The society was much more open these days, he could slowly prepare for it to not only not harm his company's growth, but be beneficial instead.
What pissed him off was that the little bastard gave him no clue at all, and now even dared to lie to his face.
"Don't pretend to be dumb. I have eyes and ears in places you can never imagine. Everyone at your school seems to know about your interest in boys. You better confess which bastard it is, and I promise not to flay him alive in front of you."
The hero's confidence was finally shaken. What kind of malicious rumors had been spread in the school without his knowledge? If not for his dad, would he even know? Was everyone mocking him behind his back while he remained oblivious?
No matter how he thought about it, however, he couldn't think of anyone who would dare make a move like that against him.
Amos shook his head frantically. His first priority was to clear this misunderstanding with his father. Because without his father's support, there was nothing he could do to take revenge on those who tried to harm him.
"Dad I swear I don't know anything about this! I don't like boys, I like girls!"
The doubt in the man's eyes was obvious.
"Do you now?"
The hero had never imagined where he would have to wrack his brains to prove something that was so obviously true. Suddenly, he remembered the girl who had made his heart beat faster with just one look, and his eyes brightened.
Isn't this a small matter once his father sees there's a girl he likes?
"Y-Yeah! I even saw the girl I love today!"
As the head of a corporation like the Black Tiger, the interrogation skills of Amos's father were not to be underestimated, however. It was not so easy to convince him with just a few words.
"Oh? If you're telling the truth, how come all your schoolmates think you like boys?"
Unfortunately, his son wasn't as good at providing reason and logic to back up his claims.
"I don't know! Dad, believe me, I like this girl in class A. You'll like her I swear!"
The black haired man sighed, feeling slightly disappointed in his son for the first time. Unfortunately, this was his only heir, and he had no other option but to give him a chance even if he didn't deserve it.
"Alright, I'll believe you for now. Tell her to come here for dinner, let me see if she's suitable to be your wife."
Amos looked stunned. "I-I can't dad, I don't know her n-number."
His father frowned. Is the matter over if you can't call her? Was the Black Tiger's head someone who can be refused a meeting with just because of a phone's battery running out, or being out of the coverage area? If there's someone he wants to meet, they have to come to him one way or the other.
"… Tell the driver to take you to her house, you can bring her in person."
There was cold sweat on the hero's back now. Maybe he shouldn't have bought that girl in to save his skin.
"D-Dad, I d-don't know where she lives…"
"Bastard… are you making fun of me right now?"
Looking at his father rolling up his sleeves, Amos almost peed his pants.
"N-No dad, I swear I love her! It's just the first day we've met, so I—"
"Alright, tell me then, what's her name?"
"…"
"You little bitch… don't tell me you don't even know her name?! And you dare say there's a girl you love?! Tell me where the bastard is who's cock you're sucking!"
----------
Emilia was shocked to see the bruising on the hero's face when he came to school the next day. Although she did expect some rumors to spread from the little gossip yesterday, she never expected them to be so effective.
"I have to say, Emilia, that chalk forehead girl is much more effective at being a villainess than you. Ah, how good would it be if she were my partner instead, you know?"
"Humph, if you like her so much more than me, just go to her instead."
Cynthia had wanted to tease her, but didn't expect her reaction to be so strong. "E-Eh? Are you angry?! I-I was just joking! Emilia, Emilia!~ I'm sorrryyyyyyyy…"
After listening to her system's pleading voice for a while, Emilia couldn't hold back her chuckle.
"Y-You villainess! You were just teasing me?!"
Emilia smirked, not responding to Cynthia's complaints anymore as she focused on cleaning up her math notes from last class. Although there was no homework, she had spent considerable time yesterday to make sure everything that she understood and everything she did not was clearly marked out.
Despite her efforts, the two classes in the morning went just like yesterday, with her barely understanding half of the contents. Of course, Emilia wasn't too discouraged since no castle was built in a single day.
"Let's go to the library?"
Her friend nodded. "Let's go."
----------
And so, three hours later, the two of them arrived in front of class A.
"C-Crystal! Crystal, come here!"
The heroine looked bewildered at the newly appointed male monitor's blushing face.
"T-There's a bunch of beauties looking for you!"
She was slightly annoyed at having been interrupted from her self study, and the reason wasn't even anything important? What do a bunch of beauties have to do with her, is she here for a beauty pageant?
"A bunch of what…?"
The boy gulped. "G-Girls from class S!"
The heroine gave him a disgusted look, but he didn't even notice. She could only helplessly put her books back in her bag before heading for the door.
Crystal almost rolled her eyes at the red faced monitor as he followed behind her. Do you have to make sure that the job assigned to you was completed perfectly or something?
And she had a feeling that she knew exactly who it was looking for her. A rich beauty from class S… where else had she crossed path with one before?
And as expected, with gentle pools of liquid gold in her eyes and soft chestnut brown hair that reached her waist, it was the beauty she had regretted saving from the moment their hands touched.
"Crystal~ Here she is… thank you, monitor!"
"Y-Y-You're welcome!"
The blushing boy stared at Emilia for a while, seemingly rooted to his spot before realizing that all three girls were looking at him now.
"O-Oh, I'll leave you guys to it then, b-bye."
Emilia giggled once he went back inside the class and it was only the three of them in the corridor. "Fufu. Your class monitor is such a shy boy, Crystal."
The heroine held her head with one hand, as if suffering from a migraine.
"Why are you here?"
The smile on Emilia's face was replaced by a pout. "Aw… I thought you'd be happy to see me?"
Crystal bit her lip. What good could come from a poor girl like her getting involved with someone who had almost nothing in common with her?
Dixy looked at the two of them awkwardly. Emilia had clearly told her that she knew someone from class A who could teach them, but it didn't look like the other would be willing to help them at all.
Seeing as how the heroine didn't respond at all, Emilia felt slightly disappointed. She thought she had made a pretty good impression already. At the very least, there shouldn't be any reason for the heroine to not like her, right?
But now that she was already here, just leaving would undoubtedly form a wedge between them. So, she could only push on even if her previous assumptions were wrong.
"Well… Crystal, if you're free, will you please allow me to thank you for helping me in the morning? I wish to buy you a coffee."
Crystal looked embarrassed when reminded of what happened yesterday morning. "T-There's no need, I just did what anyone else would."
Emilia smiled. "If you don't want coffee, I'll thank you with a kiss?"
A furious blush exploded on the heroine's face. "E-EH?!"
Looking at the rich girl's teasing smile and the other girl's exasperated face, she waved her hands frantically.
"C-Coffee! L-Let's go for a c-coffee!"
"Fufu. Alright."
----------
And so, as the school bell rang an hour later, Crystal was left holding her freshly kissed cheek while staring at the empty coffee cup in a daze.
The heroine vaguely recalled the two of them confessing that they had tried and failed to study efficiently on their own, and desperately needed help from someone smarter.
But she didn't know why exactly she agreed to tutor the two of them every weekend. After all, she had a lot on her plate already.
She didn't even remember the exact details of the compensations she had been promised in return. All she could recall was the soft feeling of lips on her cheek as Emilia left her with a smile.
"I'm doomed."