COTE : Oh No, I've Become the Substitute

When Fuyuji Mikage returned to the Class A camp, the third-year girls' obstacle course race had already ended.

The clamorous field had quieted down a few degrees, leaving only the scattered cheers beside the track and the distant, gentle whisper of the ocean waves.

The three-legged race was about to begin.

Fuyuji was definitely not going to attend that meeting. He was just a perfectly ordinary Class A student—how could he possibly participate in that kind of high-level conference meant for Red Team leaders?

Naturally, he would send forth Class A's true scapegoat—crossed out—leader, Class A's diligent, hardworking old ox, Katsuragi Kohei, to attend in his stead. Meanwhile, he himself would just loiter and wander around nearby.

The meeting itself was nothing particularly novel. By and large, it involved each class reporting on their own score situations, then making some arrangements in response to the Red Team's current unexpected developments.

Still... why did Horikita-nii's gaze toward him seem to have turned just a little hostile?

Most likely, that little tussle with Horikita-girl just now had given rise to some misunderstanding...

Hmph! And he calls himself the Student Council President! Truly, measuring the heart of a gentleman with the mind of a petty man!

Compared to others, he and Horikita-girl merely spent just a little more time together. He had simply carried her on his back while she cried when she was sick, eaten a few meals at her place, had his own pair of slippers at her home, and engaged in a mere dozen or so instances of physical contact...

How could you possibly assume anything about the relationship between us?!

Isn't that right, Suzune?

Sensing Fuyuji's gaze, Horikita Suzune, who had been standing like an ice sculpture at the outer perimeter of the Class D camp with her arms folded, abruptly turned her head. Her originally cool, clear eyes widened slightly as she shot him a fierce, furious glare.

Ding! Wild Pokemon Horikita Suzune used Intimidate!

The smile on Fuyuji's face didn't waver in the slightest. In fact, it grew even more radiant. He retaliated with Wave.

Wait—Horikita Suzune is acting a bit strange. She's retracting her glare offensive. She's raising a hand and awkwardly brushing aside her own hair. Her face is a little flushed. What is she trying to do? Could she have been afflicted by one of Fuyuji's status moves?

Good heavens—she's turned her head away! What is she looking for? Is she searching for a weapon?!

Oh, oh, oh!

No—Horikita Suzune has tossed her black hair and is swiftly walking back toward the Class D camp.

Horikita Suzune has fled! The victor is Fuyuji Mikage!

What a thoroughly satisfying Pokemon battle!

Having claimed victory, Fuyuji—now in excellent spirits—turned and walked toward the competition track. The wind, at this moment, also seemed especially crisp and refreshing.

And then... he ran headlong into a girl who seemed to be walking toward him, as if by chance.

A lovely young lady wearing a headband, possessing a fair, refined face and an excellent figure, abruptly entered Fuyuji's line of sight. Her brown hair swayed gently in the sea breeze, the light shining upon it and rendering a soft, gentle radiance.

But Fuyuji keenly detected a chill within that gentleness—something only a fellow bearer of the same type of Stand could accomplish.

Ding! Fuyuji Mikage has encountered a wild Pokemon—Kushida Kikyo!

"Ahaha. So it's Kushida-san. Good morning." Fuyuji let out two dry laughs and subconsciously retreated two steps.

"How can you say 'good morning,' Fuyuji-kun~?" The girl's voice was so sweet it was practically cloying, the tail end of her words drawn out long and slow.

She strode forward, her face carrying a trace of coy reproach. Both hands pressed before her chest, she slowly approached Fuyuji, bending forward just enough to perfectly outline the exquisite curves of her well-developed figure. The distance between them steadily, relentlessly narrowed.

So close that Fuyuji could clearly make out each and every one of her long, distinct lashes.

"Come to think of it, we haven't seen each other in such a long time~ The last time was two weeks ago. You floated around in front of me for just a bit, and then I had no idea where you'd run off to."

A heart-stirring, tickling murmur echoed beside his ear. A faint, subtle scent of hormones lingered and curled around the two of them. Her white athletic shirt was stretched taut, utterly incapable of concealing that full, rounded swell—stubbornly propped up. With each step she took, the empty hem of her shirt swayed and fluttered freely through the air.

You think I wanted that?! It was all because you were always sticking with that group of goody-goody friends of yours! Even when I wanted to come to you for a little quality time, I couldn't find a single moment alone with you!

Though that was what he thought, Fuyuji's eyes seemed to have been forcibly slapped with an aimbot lock-on. His gaze, as if magnetically drawn, fixated upon that full, taut athletic shirt, utterly unable to pull away.

Damn eyes—show a little backbone! Don't let this woman look down on the bond between us!

"Why didn't Fuyuji-kun come find me when he came to our class's camp just now?" The corner of her lips curved into a faint, shallow arc. Kushida pressed her palms together, her upper body leaning forward another few degrees. Her moist, limpid eyes stared at him with pitiful, plaintive reproach. "I would have clearly been responsible for hosting Fuyuji-kun..."

"..."

Fuyuji silently raised a hand and covered his nose.

Fair, snowy, creamy white—trembling and quivering in a vast, sweeping expanse. A pale pink, tinged with a trace of lace patterns...

Ding! Fairy-type Pokemon Cha-Cha used Charm! Fuyuji Mikage has become infatuated and is unable to make any counterattack!

Giving out fanservice the moment we meet—Cha-Cha, are you a fairy in human form?

"However!"

That voice abruptly plummeted. In that very instant, the radiant, blooming smile on Kushida's face vanished without a trace. Her originally slightly bent waist immediately straightened. Those large, sparkling, lively eyes, however, gradually, bit by bit, lost their glimmer and light. Like a demon, she murmured in a low, whispered tone.

"You actually ran off to hang around with that bitch Horikita... unforgivable..."

"Well... you can't put it that way. Didn't we chat on the phone just last night?"

Cold sweat soaked through the back of his shirt. Even as Fuyuji tried to talk his way out of it, he attempted to widen the distance once more—only to be entangled by Kushida, who matched his every step, refusing to let him escape.

"That's right! Clearly, we chat every single day! You shameless bastard—you're always clinging to me with thick-skinned persistence, begging me for photos! And you actually went behind my back to go find Horikita Suzune!" That sweet, honeyed voice had now thoroughly chilled and frozen over, like a beautiful female ghost crawling up from the deepest depths of hell.

Fuyuji Mikage: "..."

You curse out Horikita-girl every single day at my place. You vent about the sub-humans in Class D. And you drag me through the mud, cursing me to hell and back. And when you ask why I don't join you in cursing them—you don't mention that part at all, do you?

Still, there was no way Fuyuji was going to voice such a suicidal roast aloud. Otherwise, who would supply his future perks?

"It's just that you seemed so busy..."

"I can always squeeze out time to host you. All the more so compared to that woman Horikita..."

"But wouldn't that be bad? It doesn't match your persona."

"What doesn't match?" Kushida paused briefly, puzzled.

Fuyuji raised both hands in mock surrender. "Look... you're the universally beloved social expert of the entire grade—the little angel, Kushida Kikyo-san. I'm just Class A's oddball. If the two of us are seen walking together so conspicuously, wouldn't that negatively impact your goal of becoming friends with the entire grade?"

After a moment of thought, Kushida's shoulders relaxed. The light that had drained from her eyes slowly began to recover its original color.

"Really?" Kushida asked with suspicion.

"That's right, that's right." Fuyuji nodded repeatedly.

"What the heck." Kushida muttered under her breath. "It was actually because of that kind of reason..."

"I really can't do anything with you..." She let out a faint sigh. Then, with a hint of helplessness, she extended her fair, unadorned palm and, without further explanation, seized Fuyuji's wrist. "Come with me."

"Hm?" This time, it was Fuyuji who failed to react. "Where to?"

"Don't worry about it. You'll know once you come with me."

Kushida held his hand and strode forward on her own. In no time at all, they arrived near the Class D camp.

The gazes of the surrounding Class D students began to focus on them, faintly and elusively.

Fuyuji's body paused for a moment. As if suddenly realizing something, his pupils abruptly constricted. In utter disbelief, he stared at the focused profile of the girl ahead of him.

No way...

As expected, the return of the immensely popular Kushida Kikyo drew the attention of the Class D students.

"You're back, Kushida— eh?" A petite girl with twin-tails, who had come scampering over, abruptly halted her steps. Tilting her head, a puzzled expression surfaced on her face. "This classmate is..."

"Oh, this..."

Kushida casually brushed her hair behind her ear. Wearing a smile, her expression perfectly, utterly natural, she spoke. "This is Fuyuji-kun. He's a good friend I made at the very start of the school year. He came to our class earlier to help out, and left something behind nearby. I'm taking him to go look for it."

"Looking for something? Do you need help? Several people searching together would be faster."

"Ah, as for that, there's no need. Mii-chan and Fuyuji-kun don't even know each other. It'd be really awkward with more people, right?"

"Mm... I guess it would be, just a little."

"Then let's leave it at that for now, Mii-chan. I'll take him to find his things first, then come back and regroup with everyone later."

Without continuing to chat idly with the twin-tailed petite girl, Kushida swiftly ended the topic and continued pulling Fuyuji along toward the camp.

"O-okay." The twin-tailed girl stood rooted in place, watching the two figures recede into the distance with puzzlement.

After they had walked a bit further away, Fuyuji tilted his head slightly and spoke in a hushed voice that only the two of them could hear. "Is this... really okay?"

He still remembered—back when the two of them had first met, Kushida had worn a sweet, radiant smile and nodded emphatically as she told him about her goal.

That smile—it had absolutely not been fake.

"Shut up." The perfect smile on Kushida's face didn't waver in the slightest. In fact, it grew even more dazzling as she waved her hand. Even as she responded to her classmates' greetings with a voice dialed to maximum sweetness, she forcibly shot back at him. "Just shut up and watch, you bastard."

For a time, every manner of greeting and wail echoed and resounded from all corners of the Class D camp in an unbroken, endless stream.

"Kushida-chan, Kushida-chan! Is this your boyfriend?! What class is he in?! What's his name?!"

"No, he's not. He's just a really good friend."

...

"Kushida-chan, don't bother with this kind of guy! Let me take him to find his stuff instead. Oi—whatever your name is—what exactly are you looking for? I'll help you find it."

Fuyuji Mikage: "..."

If someone spoke to me like this in Class A, and you could still come to school tomorrow—that would mean the entire Class A had collectively gone on strike.

"Thank you for your kind offer~ But I'd still prefer to host my own friend myself."

...

"That pretty boy who's obviously useless—where the hell did he come from?! It's gotta be fake! He's definitely a spy sent by another class! Please, anything but this!"

"Ahaha, that's way too exaggerated~ But you're wrong, you know. Fuyuji-kun isn't a useless pretty boy. Everyone is my good friend."

...

Before long, Kushida had led Fuyuji by the hand through a rough tour of the Class D camp. Curiosity, curses, scorn—every variety of emotion surfaced on the faces of the Class D students. The myriad faces of Class D were reflected within Fuyuji's eyes.

All he could say was—thank goodness the most outrageous of those in Class D had been taken out in one fell swoop by the great Lord Yamauchi, with Lord Yamauchi himself also escorted off to the medical hut along with them.

Otherwise, who knew what kind of completely unhinged scenario those sub-humans would have cooked up behind the scenes.

At last, they broke free of the core area of the Class D camp and arrived at a relatively secluded, quiet spot.

Somewhat distanced from the Class D camp, Kushida released Fuyuji's wrist. She clapped her hands together and straightened her chest.

"Now then—the vast majority of our class's students now know that you and I are good friends. In the future, when you come to Class D, you can openly, and without any pretense come find me. Make sure to remember, okay..."

"..."

Ding! Kushida Kikyo used Disarming Voice! It's super effective! Fuyuji Mikage has lost the will to fight! Pokemon Cha-Cha is the victor!

"Cha-Cha..." Fuyuji felt inexplicably moved.

"If you go looking for Horikita Suzune again—I'll break your legs!" That sweet, harmless expression instantly vanished.

The emotions welling up within him came to an abrupt, screeching halt. Give me back my moment of being moved, damn it!

"What?" Kushida cast a sidelong glance at him. "Don't tell me you actually thought this was specially arranged just for you? How full of yourself can you be..."

"Your mouth is way too vicious, isn't it?"

"My feet are pretty vicious too. Want some?"

As she spoke, Kushida proudly wagged her foot—clad in its athletic shoe—at Fuyuji. The pink ankle sock wrapped around her snow-white ankle imparted an indescribable, irresistible urge.

"Pfft..."

Fuyuji suddenly burst out laughing. Shaking his head with a mixture of helplessness and amusement, he said, "Got it. In the future... if I come to Class D again, I'll let you know. Of course, you can also come to Class A to find me."

"That's more like it." Kushida nodded in satisfaction. After once again sizing Fuyuji up from head to toe, she suddenly grew somewhat puzzled. "But come to think of it... I hide my true self so I can make friends more easily. What's your reason for hiding yourself, you Class A oddball?"

"..." Watson, you've discovered a blind spot.

"Mm... well... that... let me think..."

On the surface, Fuyuji lowered his head in deep contemplation. In actuality, his brain was frantically spinning at maximum speed, desperately trying to come up with a reasonable excuse.

The fact that he was the first-year mastermind—this was absolutely not something he could reveal to Cha-Cha.

Not that he didn't trust her. It was that the moment she found out, she would most certainly force him to expel Horikita-girl. All the old grudges and new hatreds would have to be brought along for the ride. It truly wasn't worth it.

However, before Fuyuji could come up with an excuse, Kushida's curious expression suddenly shifted. In an instant, her smile softened. She directly bypassed Fuyuji and, with a sickeningly sweet, coquettish voice, scampered toward Horikita, who had just stepped out of her tent.

"Horikita-san~ I'll be cheering for you during the three-legged race later! I believe you can definitely do it!"

Fuyuji Mikage: "..."

Cha-Cha—when will you ever make that kind of expression toward me? Someday, I'm going to ask that question—Horikita-girl and me: which one is more important to you?!

"No need, Kushida-san. I have the confidence to take first place. Having one more classmate cheer for me won't affect my performance. You'd be better off concerning yourself with your own results." Horikita's tone was utterly devoid of ripples.

And you, Suzune—where exactly did that shred of emotional intelligence you just displayed a moment ago disappear to?

"Th-then... alright. Do you need me to hand you water?"

"I'm not interested. Goodbye!"

Ding! Kushida Kikyo has encountered a wild Pokemon—Horikita Suzune! Horikita Suzune used Ignore! It's super effective!

Pokemon Kushida Kikyo has fled! Horikita Suzune is the victor!

Five minutes later, when Kushida walked back to Fuyuji's side with heavy, plodding steps, her eyes had already gone hollow and lightless.

"Oi. Come with me for a moment."

A short while later, in a small, concealed patch of forest beside the sports field, a sudden burst of birdsong and fragrant flowers rang out.

Today's victor—none.

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