The night was ink-black. The cold, clear moonlight climbed onto the branches outside the dormitory building, casting mottled, swaying tree shadows beneath Fuyuji Mikage's feet. When he returned to the dormitory building, the entire structure was already brilliantly lit.
With a beep, he opened his door. Fuyuji looked at the empty room before him, then pulled out his phone to glance at his chat app. A trace of melancholy actually welled up in his heart.
The messages he'd sent earlier had sunk like stones into the sea. No replies had come back.
They're actually ignoring me for real? You guys are way too cruel. That shouldn't be right?
His best bro and great Morishita were one thing, but why hadn't Shiraishi-mama and Miki sent a single message back either?
Fuyuji furrowed his brow and raised a hand to pinch his chin.
This is a school. There wouldn't be any danger here. So... it's not that they don't want to, but that they can't?
Could it be...
He lit up his phone screen, smoothly slid his finger across it, and quickly dialed a number.
"Du... du... du..."
"Snap! Fuyuji Mikage, what business do you have with me?" Morishita Ai's voice came through, flat yet tinged with a hint of evasiveness.
Fuyuji rolled his eyes and replied irritably, "I can't call you if there's nothing going on?"
"Hurry up and say it," Morishita urged from the other end of the line. "I'm about to take a bath."
"Are you in your room right now? There's no one else around, right?" Fuyuji's voice dropped inexplicably, taking on a coyness even he himself didn't notice.
"How could there be anyone else? This is Ai's treasure vault. Not just anyone can set foot in here," Morishita emphasized, her tone fierce. "Especially you, Fuyuji Mikage."
"Cough cough, it's just that... Ai-chan."
Fuyuji pressed the phone closer to his ear and paced over to the narrow balcony. The early autumn night breeze, slightly cool, brushed against his cheeks. Faint insect chirps sounded in the distance.
"Didn't we talk about it last time on the cruise ship? Let's go on a date. Tomorrow, the Keyaki Mall apparently got a bunch of new stuff. How about we go try it out?"
The sound of a distinct inhale came from the other end. Then Morishita's voice shot through at an extremely rapid pace: "That... Lady Morishita is not free tomorrow. We are currently in a state of cold war. Come back and bring this up with Lady Morishita in a few days. Goodbye, bye-bye. Snap!" With that, she hung up at lightspeed.
Du... du... du... The busy tone droned on stubbornly.
Fuyuji slowly lowered his phone, his gaze fixed on Morishita Ai's name in his contacts. A knowing smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.
Heh heh, just as I thought!
Morishita-sama, the four of you are all together right now, aren't you?
Not free? When have you ever not been free? Usually, if I don't keep you company, you'd just be off on your own, cold-faced, counting insects in the little grove.
Going by past patterns, the four of them had probably signed some kind of alliance pact to give him the cold shoulder for a while. Because they were all together, under mutual surveillance to prevent anyone from sneaking ahead, that was why not a single message had come back.
Fuyuji flopped himself comfortably into the soft mattress, staring at Morishita Ai's name in his contact list.
Lady Morishita, you're quite the player!
Meanwhile, on the other side, inside Yamamura Miki's room.
"If there are any objections, please raise them."
Facing the three gazes directed at her, Morishita Ai shifted uncomfortably. She straightened her petite spine with effort, her knees pressed tightly together, the tops of her feet flush against the floor. Her rear sat squarely on her heels, sheathed in smooth black stockings, assuming a perfect seiza posture. She declared with righteous indignation:
"You all heard it. I rejected Fuyuji Mikage's invitation."
"If it weren't for the fact that we still had proper business to attend to, Morishita-san would have nearly managed to sneak ahead." Shiraishi's violet eyes shimmered as she elegantly raised a hand to cover the corner of her mouth.
A teacup was steadily placed in front of Morishita by Yamamura. Holding her tray with one hand, Yamamura asked curiously, "Is this about that time Morishita-san got trapped in the cruise ship's engine room?"
Two suspicious patches of red instantly flew onto Morishita's fair cheeks. She jerked her head to the side, her gaze beginning to dart wildly across the ceiling, the corner of the wall, the curtain rod. Her voice came out airy and evasive: "That's a matter classified at the level of the True History. No comment."
Just then, Kamuro, who had been propping her chin up with one hand and playing on her phone out of sheer boredom, cut in: "I'd say, can we call it a day already? It's nearly nine."
"That, well..." Shiraishi blinked playfully, her gaze sweeping meaningfully over Morishita's still-flushed cheeks. She unhurriedly lifted her own teacup and blew at the wreaths of steam. "I wouldn't be so sure about that."
...
After finishing his call with Morishita, Fuyuji Mikage, having nothing else to do, took a quick shower, casually drew the curtains, and collapsed back onto his bed with his phone in hand.
He turned on the TV and cranked up the volume. With one hand, he opened his chat app, planning to tease Cha-Cha a bit. With the other, he began his routine training of his superpower.
Sliding his fingers smoothly, he input his password. Fuyuji deftly opened the hidden photo album on his phone and nostalgically admired all the various enticingly beautiful, absolutely stunning pics Cha-Cha had sent him before.
Bare feet glistening like crystal-clear jade, elegant lines wrapped in mysterious black stockings, the youthful curves outlined by pure white knee-highs, the playfully teasing toes peeking coyly out of sandals...
As he looked on, Fuyuji suddenly clenched his fist in righteous fury and fiercely pounded the pillow beside him.
Damn it! Casting his mind back, when Cha-Cha hadn't yet seen through his identity, she'd dangle a few pics in front of him every few days. Now, he couldn't even get a full-body shot anymore.
All that remained was periodic, Zaun-level vitriol directed at Horikita-girl...
To think that he, the great Fuyuji Mikage, known as the first-years' shadow mastermind, the Moriarty of Advanced Nurturing High School, was actually being freeloaded off by a mere Class D woman!
Every time he thought about this humiliating fact, an indescribable bitterness rose up in his throat. If not for his rotten luck back then, he'd still be enjoying Cha-Cha's perks and benefits right now.
This cannot be borne! Who can endure this?!
He, Fuyuji Mikage, was going to reclaim the benefits that were rightfully his today.
With that thought, Fuyuji flipped over and his fingers rapidly tapped on the screen.
[Fuyuji Mikage: Babe, u there?]
The message was sent. An instant, lightning-fast reply.
[Kushida Kikyo: Eww~ You disgusting creep. Got something to say? Say it. No? Then get lost.]
[Fuyuji Mikage: can i see dem legs? It's been so long, I've missed you terribly.]
[Kushida Kikyo: No. Get lost.]
[Fuyuji Mikage: Don't be so cold. I know I messed up. Can we go back to how things were? Thinking back on those days, how happy we were.]
[Kushida Kikyo: Piss off! Just bringing this up makes my blood boil. You damn bastard played me like a fiddle!]
[Fuyuji Mikage: Must it be this way? Aren't we the same kind of people? Shouldn't we be snuggling together for warmth in this meritocratic school, relying on each other?]
[Kushida Kikyo: Fuyuji-kun~ If you help me get that bitch Horikita expelled, I'll agree to anything you want, okay~?]
"..." Just how deep is your love for Horikita-girl, exactly?
[Fuyuji Mikage: You know I don't have that kind of ability, right?]
[Kushida Kikyo: Tsk... You're the type who won't let the hawk fly until you see the hare...]
[Fuyuji Mikage: Look who's talking.]
The phone in his palm buzzed with a "vwoom." A photo had been sent.
In a bathroom still filled with undispersed steam, the girl in the picture stood slightly sideways facing the mirror. One hand was pressed to her chest, gripping the edge of a bath towel. The other hand held up her phone.
A fluffy, soft white bath towel just perfectly wrapped the girl from below the chest down to mid-thigh. Her damp, shoulder-length brown hair, the ends curling in playful little waves, clung tightly to the elegant line of her neck and shoulder blades. Her skin, steamed pink through the white by the hot water, looked like a freshly peeled boiled egg.
Beneath the towel's wrap, the curves of the girl's adolescent body were fully revealed. At the chest, the towel was lifted into a full, natural arc, then tightened downward following the contour of her breasts, outlining a slender yet toned waistline.
Staring intently at the girl in the photo, Fuyuji silently swallowed a mouthful of saliva.
[Fuyuji Mikage: Babe, I knew you still cared about me after all! Moved to tears.jpg]
[Kushida Kikyo: Alright, now go to sleep already. You really got a bargain. Won't help me expel Horikita Suzune and you still think about taking advantage of me every day.]
[Fuyuji Mikage: Can't help it, you're just too cute, you know?]
[Kushida Kikyo: Save the sweet talk for someone else. I hear it every day from those troglodytes in my class until I want to puke.]
[Fuyuji Mikage: Fine, fine. Oh yeah, babe, you want some points or not?]
[Kushida Kikyo: Of course I do. You're giving me some? I'll take however much you give. It's been ages since I could properly go shopping at the Keyaki Mall.]
Fuyuji smirked smugly. Time to let you witness my combat power of a full one million!
[Ding, 1,000,000 Private Points deducted!]
[Fuyuji Mikage: How's that? Here, for you—]
The message was about to be sent when it was abruptly cut off by a sudden incoming ringtone.
"Moshi moshi, how is it, a surpri—"
"Where did you get so many points?" His words were forcibly cut off by Kushida Kikyo's voice, shooting out like a string of firecrackers. "Why give them to me? Don't you need them? Or have you got so much money you don't know where to spend it?"
The barrage of questions left Fuyuji a bit dazed.
"Calm down, calm down. Let me explain." Fuyuji soothed slowly. "This is your compensation. Our Class A isn't like your Class D. We give out point rewards to students who play a significant role in the special exams. Your identity as the VIP played a crucial role in this exam, so this one million is going to you."
"Would you really be that generous?" Kushida asked, suspicious.
"Oi, oi, Kushida-chan," Fuyuji rolled his eyes. "I'm still pretty loyal and decent, alright."
There was a few seconds of silence on the other end, only the faint sound of breathing coming through.
A few seconds later, Kushida's voice rang out again, her tone lowered a bit, tinged with hesitation: "You... you don't need it yourself? Giving the entire one million to me..."
Fuyuji thought about the more than 13 million points in his own account. "Actually... I'm like you in this regard. I'm not used to owing people things either."
[Ding! 950,000 Points received!]
"I'll split 500,000 with you. Help me hold onto the rest. If the people in my class saw it, it'd be really troublesome."
"Cha-Cha..." Fuyuji was somewhat moved. "You're way too nice to me."
"Well then..." The voice from the receiver instantly switched back to that sickeningly sweet mode, trailing off with a bewitching lilt, "Won't you help me deal with Horikita Suzune? I'll be really, really good to you from now on, you know~"
"Uh... can we discuss this another time?"
"Tch." The sugary sweetness vanished instantly. Kushida muttered under her breath, "Wonder what kind of spell that bitch cast on you anyway."
"It's not like that." Fuyuji broke into a cold sweat.
Mainly because a big chunk of this one million points came courtesy of her older brother. If he then turned around and got her brother's little sister expelled, he'd be way too much of a scumbag.
"Goodnight, goodbye!"
Kushida snorted coldly, carrying a hint of petulance. Then, crisp and decisive, she hung up with a "snap."
Staring at the "Call Ended" screen on his phone, Fuyuji pocketed the device and stared blankly at the ceiling for a few seconds, shrugging helplessly.
Cha-Cha, you say that, but if the day ever comes when Horikita-girl really does get expelled, you'd probably lose this spark of yours eight or nine times out of ten, wouldn't you?
"Vwoom—!"
The phone he had just set down vibrated urgently once more.
Again?
Fuyuji glanced at the caller ID — Horikita Suzune.
Oi, oi, do you two share some kind of special telepathy or something? One leaves and the other immediately calls, and you still say there's no connection?
As for Horikita-girl, aside from their agreed-upon weekly routine calls, where she'd simply and spartanly, almost like a status report, tell him what she'd done that week, she generally wouldn't call at other times.
So, this is probably...
Fuyuji answered the call. He didn't speak, employing his usual tactic for dealing with Horikita, quietly waiting to watch her act.
A brief silence stretched across the receiver, accompanied only by the faint static hiss of the line.
"That... are you there?" The moment the words came out, Fuyuji detected a thread of exhaustion in her voice.
Alright, confirmed. This person definitely has something she wants to ask for his help with.
"Hm, a rare guest indeed, Horikita-san."
"Didn't I just speak with you yesterday?" Horikita Suzune reflexively snapped back, though her force wasn't as strong as usual.
"So? What are you calling me for?"
"Let's put that aside for now. First, hear me out," Horikita paused as if gathering herself, struggling to piece together her words, speaking in fits and starts. "Um... hypothetically speaking, there's a turtle..."
"Suzune, there's no one else here. If you've got something to say, just say it directly."
"Cut the chatter and listen. It's an extremely smart and talented, excellent turtle." Horikita's tone suddenly took on a faint, barely detectable edge of embarrassed anger, but it quickly deflated again. "However, let's say it encountered an accident and got flipped onto its back. Don't you think that would be terrible? It would be unable to get back up on its own."
"Hmm? And then?"
"Well..." Horikita seemed to find it hard to get the words out. "Don't you think that extremely smart and talented turtle, would be in a terrible state because it can't flip itself back over?"
"I see..."
Fuyuji bit his lip hard, struggling not to laugh out loud. Solemnly, he said, "Cough cough. Well then... Suzune, let's hypothesize... that you are that turtle!"
Horikita Suzune's voice suddenly shot up in pitch, a flustered and exasperated retort flying out: "It's not me—"
"Miss Turtle, tell me right now what kind of trouble you've run into that's caused you to flip over and need my help." Fuyuji finally couldn't hold it in anymore, a suppressed laugh leaking into his voice.
"I already said it's not me—" Horikita paused. A defeated sigh came from the other end of the line. Throwing caution to the wind, she said, "Fine, I have indeed run into... but just forget it. I'll think of another way to solve it myself."
"And can you solve it?" Fuyuji walked back into his room, raising an eyebrow. Unhurriedly, he sat back down on the bed.
No way did he believe Horikita-girl could solve it. Knowing her personality, if she could solve it, she'd absolutely never call someone for help.
Horikita's usually cool voice was tinged with a hint of pain: "For now, I still haven't found a solution. But I think if I try a bit harder, I should be able to figure it out."
"It's already almost nine. It'll be time to sleep before long. I don't believe you haven't been trying to figure this out before now. The result is obvious. Eight or nine times out of ten, you ran into a problem, then tried to solve it alone for a long time, but still got nowhere. You looked at the time, saw it was almost nine, and had no choice but to try seeking help from someone else. However, because of your personality..."
Fuyuji didn't continue. He merely sighed faintly and said, "Horikita, you're so damn stubborn."
"..." Having her facade ruthlessly exposed, Horikita Suzune remained silent.
"So... Suzune, do you want me to come help you?"
The other end of the line sank into an even longer silence, so quiet that he could hear Horikita's slightly disordered breathing.
Finally, a voice, thin as a mosquito's whine, came through: "...Yeah."
"What do you need me to help with?"
Horikita Suzune's voice carried unprecedented compromise and a hint of something almost coy that she herself hadn't noticed: "Come to my room. You'll see when you get here. Just you alone. Don't bring anyone else."
"Fine."
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