Monday morning was a minefield. Madison sat in the student council room, her eyes drifting to the window. All she could think about was the way Chris had held her hand at the convention, and the way the "Ragout Rabbit" stew had tasted.
"Madison-san? Are you listening?"
It was Ren Arisaka, the Rank #1 student. He was the only person Madison considered a threat—not just because of his grades, but because he was observant. He was the captain of the fencing team and had a way of looking at people like they were a puzzle he had already solved.
"I’m listening, Arisaka-kun," Madison said, her voice dropping back into its icy, professional tone. "The budget for the Cultural Festival is 5% over. We need to cut the decorations."
"Right. Decorations," Arisaka said, leaning in. He reached into his pocket. "By the way, I went to that Anime Convention this weekend. My little sister is a fan. I saw something... interesting."
Madison’s heart stopped. She didn't blink. "Oh? I didn't know you frequented such places."
"I don't. But I saw an Asuna cosplayer. The costume was perfect. But it wasn't the costume that caught my eye—it was the way she stood. Feet at a 45-degree angle, chin tilted 10 degrees up. Exactly like you do when you’re bored in Calculus."
Madison felt a cold sweat prickle her neck. "A coincidence, I'm sure."
The Confrontation
The "cracks" deepened after school. Madison was meeting Chris in their secret Kitchen Lab 4. She needed the "buff" of his comfort food to survive Arisaka’s suspicion.
But as she stepped into the hallway, she saw a group of the "popular" girls—the ones who followed her around like a fan club—standing outside the kitchen door. They were giggling and pointing.
"Is that Chris Smith in there?" one asked. "The guy who always smells like a bakery? Why is he using the school kitchen? Gross."
"He’s probably making something pathetic," another laughed. "He’s such a background character."
Madison stood frozen at the corner of the hall. If she walked in now, she would be linked to the "background character." Her status as the Goddess would be stained by the "flour-dusted nobody."
Then, she saw Chris. He was inside, through the glass window, looking at a batch of failed eclairs with a look of pure, quiet sadness. He looked lonely. He looked like a player whose HP was in the yellow.
The Decision
Madison thought about the "Ice Queen." Then she thought about the boy who held the wall for her while she fought bosses.
She didn't hide. She didn't turn around.
Madison Glose, Rank #2, walked straight past the popular girls. She didn't just walk past them—she looked them dead in the eye with a glare that could freeze a Floor Boss.
"Smith-kun is the most talented person in this school," Madison said, her voice ringing out through the hallway, loud and clear. "If you think his hard work is 'pathetic,' then your standards are even lower than your test scores."
The hallway went silent. The girls gaped at her. Madison didn't wait for a response. She slid the kitchen door open, walked inside, and shut it firmly behind her.
Chris was staring at her, a half-piped eclair in his hand. "Madison? They... they heard you."
"Let them hear," Madison said, her face red but her eyes fierce. She walked over, took a failed eclair, and bit into it. "It’s a bit soggy. Needs more time in the oven. Also, Arisaka knows. Or he thinks he knows."
Chris set the piping bag down, his expression turning from shock to a soft, proud smile. "So, the Goddess just sacrificed her 'Divine' status for a baker?"
"Switch," Madison whispered, leaning her head against his shoulder. "It was my turn to pull the aggro. Now... make me something that tastes like victory. I think I’m going to need it tomorrow."
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