The Terrifying Bastard Foodie Suzuki Sonoko

Teitan High School, Class 2-B.

Just as the bell for the first class of the morning was ringing out, Lin Ran arrived at the classroom door. The Chinese teacher on the podium saw him, simply nodded kindly, and gestured for him to come in quickly.

However, the guy behind him who was also late wasn't so lucky.

I was caught by the teacher with a blank expression, and the "education of love" began.

No matter where you are, good students who excel in both character and academics always have some privileges, let alone a "top student" like Lin Ran who has consistently ranked in the top three of her grade in several mock exams since transferring schools.

While the teacher was giving a "love education" talk, Lin Ran quickly returned to her seat.

The middle seat by the window, the hometown of the king.

He had just sat down when he felt a light poke on his back with a ballpoint pen.

Lin Ran turned around and saw a lively and spirited girl whose beauty was partially concealed by a hairband. Taking advantage of the teacher's inattention, she peeked over and asked in a low voice:

"Hey, Lin Ran, were you writing late again last night? You almost missed class today!"

Sonoko Suzuki, the second daughter of the Suzuki Foundation, is his classmate. She has a cheerful personality, sometimes too cheerful, and is one of the few people who know his pen name "Summer End".

Hearing the commotion of the two, the black-haired girl sitting in front of Lin Ran also turned around. A distinctive little horn on her bangs was playful and cute, and her youthful face showed a concerned expression.

It is none other than our angel girl, Ran Mouri.

Looking at her two beautiful classmates who were concerned about her, Lin Ran explained softly, "No, I took care of some things at home this morning, so I left a little late."

Upon hearing this, Sonoko Suzuki's eyes lit up, eager to gossip about something more, but the teacher on the podium had already finished her lecture and was looking over.

She had no choice but to immediately shut up, sit up straight, and pretend to be reading seriously.

Lin Ran also took out her textbook, her gaze falling on the podium, but her thoughts were somewhat scattered.

I've gained quite a bit in the six months since I transferred here.

For example, she established a good friendship with two beautiful classmates with very different personalities, Ran Mouri and Sonoko Suzuki.

Especially after a certain great detective "disappeared without a trace," he, in a way, perfectly replaced Shinichi Kudo in the original trio of "Shinichi, Ran, and Sonoko," becoming the male friend closest to the two girls.

Don't get me wrong, he's not trying to poach someone.

He was just... well, out of a sense of classmate affection, taking care of the lonely childhood friend of that missing detective.

That makes sense, right?

To be honest, his familiarity with Xiaolan and Yuanzi wasn't something he initiated.

It was purely because our Miss Sonoko saw the serialization of "The Devotion of Suspect X" in the Yomiuri Shimbun one day, and was instantly shocked by its ingenious plot and profound emotions, becoming a fanatical fan of "Summer's End".

Subsequently, she made full use of the Suzuki family's financial resources and connections to uncover Lin Ran, who was not particularly well hidden behind the pen name "Summer End".

Sasaeng fans are truly terrifying.

When Sonoko learned that the genius writer she admired was actually her classmate, she was so shocked that she couldn't sleep all night.

You should know that although Lin Ran had transferred here before, he was too outstanding in appearance and had a somewhat aloof temperament. He didn't usually participate in any club activities, which made him seem very cold. So even the enthusiastic and cheerful Sonoko was too embarrassed to take the initiative to talk to him.

Now that she has the filter of being an "idol," the next day Sonoko dragged Ran to Lin Ran and expressed her overwhelming admiration.

Xiaolan was also very surprised.

She has loved literature and film since childhood, and her appreciation ability is much higher than that of Sonoko, a pampered young lady who only cares about "enjoying what she sees."

Therefore, she understood better than Sonoko what a terrifying genius it was for a Chinese transfer student at this age to write such a groundbreaking work in Japanese, a language other than her native tongue.

The three of them became acquainted as a result.

Knowing that Lin Ran was studying alone in a foreign country, the two girls took good care of him, often bringing him lunch or inviting him to participate in campus activities to help him adapt more quickly.

In their words, "It's mainly because we feel sorry for Lin Ran, who always eats convenience store bread or cafeteria meals. It's so convenient for us to make an extra portion!"

Lin Ran naturally accepted this with pleasure.

After all, being able to eat a bento box made by a beautiful girl every day is much happier than eating dry bread.

……

The morning classes ended when the bell rang.

As soon as the teacher stepped out of the classroom, Yuanzi took a large stack of various newspapers out of her drawer, ran excitedly to Lin Ran's desk, and slammed the newspapers down on his desk with a "bang".

This attracted the attention of several classmates who had not yet left.

"Lin Ran, you're famous! You're famous, Lin Ran!"

"The garden!"

Xiao Lan quickly tugged at her friend's sleeve.

Sonoko then realized what was happening, quickly covered her mouth, blinked, and lowered her voice, but her excitement was still palpable.

She and Xiaolan stood on either side of Lin Ran's desk.

Lin Ran looked at the thick stack of newspapers from different newspapers on the table and picked up a few to look through with great interest.

Sure enough, today the arts and culture sections of major media outlets across Japan, and even the front pages of many newspapers, were dominated by the title "The Devotion of Suspect X" and "Late Summer".

Yomiuri Shimbun: "A genius has arrived! 'The Devotion of Suspect X' ushers in a new era for mystery novels!"

Asahi Shimbun: "Late Summer: A Unique Star Illuminating the Literary World!"

Mainichi Shimbun: "A phenomenal work! The social reflections sparked by 'The Devotion of Suspect X'..."

The page was filled with praise, as if the most exaggerated adjectives were needed to express the critics' shock.

Lin Ran even saw an interview clip of the famous and popular idol Yoko Okino in an entertainment-oriented newspaper. She publicly stated that she was a fan of "Natsumo"'s books and that if "The Devotion of Suspect X" were to be adapted into a film or television series in the future, she would very much like to play the role of "Yasuko Hanaoka".

The phenomenal success of the physical book's release yesterday, which sold out immediately, has prompted various media outlets and celebrities to try and capitalize on the hype.

Yuanzi sat beside Lin Ran as they flipped through the newspaper. Seeing the praise for Lin Ran and her work, she was even more excited than if it were praise for herself. Her little face was full of pride.

"Lin Ran, you are really amazing." Xiao Lan read the various high praises in the newspaper, her pretty face filled with sincere admiration.

She witnessed this boy's growth step by step.

When the series first started, there were quite a few other opinions in the media, but when it was more than halfway through and the plot began to reach its climax, it was basically all praise.