COTE : Oh No, I've Become the Substitute

Looking at Kushida across from him, her face cradled in both hands and beaming with smiles, Fuyuji sank into deep contemplation once more.

This scene... why does it look so familiar?

Is this what happens when you forcefully disengage from the battlefield without completing the quest objective—everything resets back to the very beginning, starting all over again?

Taking the third cup of coffee handed to him by the waiter, he habitually blew on it and took a small sip. "So, Cha—cough, cough, Kushida-san, is there anything else?"

'Anything else? Of course there is! Explain clearly to me how you turned that bitch Horikita into this, you bastard!'

Even though her brain was still having a bit of trouble processing things, the desire to do away with Horikita overwhelmed all rationality in her mind, to the point that Kushida still hadn't realized how much of her mask had already slipped.

In just a few short exchanges, she'd already revealed far too many behaviors inconsistent with her daily persona. If Fuyuji hadn't pretended not to notice, any slightly smarter Class A student would probably have already reported the intel that she might be a bootleg angel back to their class group chat.

"It's like this, you see. Didn't I mention it just now? I want to become friends with Horikita-san, but Horikita-san keeps ignoring me. So, I wanted to ask Fuyuji-kun for your help."

Having been toyed with by Fuyuji to the point her brain wasn't quite clear, Kushida had completely abandoned all the usual preliminary maneuvers for requesting help and was now getting straight to the point.

Yes... the literal sense of getting straight to the point.

Her hands were clasped before her chest, a pair of plump, bulging mounds deforming from the pressure of her actions. Just looking at it, one could tell how soft and fine it was inside.

Unfortunately, this kind of offensive had absolutely no effect on Fuyuji.

You've gotta be kidding me. Horikita girl contributed at least 500,000 to me. And you expect me to betray my dear, beloved friend, my brother in arms, just for this little display?

No way. Even paying extra won't do. Unless you add 1,000,000.

Besides, I've already got dirt on you. You should count yourself lucky I'm not bossing you around. And now you're reversing the natural order and trying to order me around?

In summary, faced with this bad woman's quest request, Fuyuji decisively chose to refuse.

"Kushida-san, I understand your desire to make friends. But regarding Horikita-san... to be honest, I don't really have any good ideas either." He scratched his head in a troubled manner. "After all, I've only known her for less than a day. In terms of familiarity, I definitely can't compare to you, who's known her for a month."

I damn well know that! So I'm asking how you managed to surpass my month's worth of progress in less than a day! Kushida roared internally.

"Then how did Fuyuji-kun manage to become friends with Horikita-san?" Kushida asked, her smile rigid.

"Oh. I know her older brother. Strictly speaking, it was probably her brother who introduced us." Fuyuji continued to fob her off.

"..."

Veins bulged on Kushida's hands. I actually have to go and make friends with Horikita Manabu too?!

Of course she knew who Horikita Manabu was. Though she didn't know much, he was, without a doubt, an existence far more outstanding than Horikita Suzune. Just one Horikita Suzune was already this hard to handle. And now she had to add the Student Council President on top of that?

"How did Fuyuji-kun get on such good terms with Horikita-san?" Kushida still refused to give up, attempting to bypass the Horikita Manabu bug and save the situation through a roundabout route.

Kushida's stance—hell-bent on not giving up until she got to the bottom of this—gave Fuyuji a considerable headache as he rubbed the rim of his coffee cup.

Seriously, Cha-Cha, just what did Horikita girl do to make you obsess over her to this day?

This isn't just simple dislike anymore. Where did this twisted, indescribable, love-hate intertwined emotion even come from?

But Horikita girl doesn't even have a single friend. How could she possibly interact with a social butterfly like y—

Wait!

A cold glint flashed through Fuyuji's eyes. He seemed to have discovered a blind spot.

Outwardly friendly and kind, yet inwardly suppressing far too many negative emotions. A duplicitous Cha-Cha...

And outwardly cold, yet inwardly even colder. A Horikita girl whose words and actions align...

Could it be... Cha-Cha is actually deeply envious of Horikita girl?

A twisted Horikita fanatic?

Fuyuji tilted his head back and stared at the yellow-tinged chandelier in the cafe, drawing in a sharp breath.

Hiss—

Hasn't he seen this scene somewhere before?

This twisted emotion—both hostile and yearning...

Nagumo-san... you and Kushida-san would probably get along swimmingly, wouldn't you?

Horikita bro, Horikita sis... you Horikita family really are laden with deep sins, aren't you.

If this were the opposite gender, I wouldn't say a thing. But how on earth did you two siblings simultaneously attract the attention of two people of the same gender? What kind of luck even is that?

Perceiving that jealousy within Kushida—an emotion perhaps even she herself was unaware of—and knowing it would be difficult to retreat, Fuyuji began to think.

All in all, he didn't want to help either side.

If he helped Horikita girl, he might just set off Kushida one day. He'd get no benefits from it and would just end up wasting that video.

Helping Cha-Cha was even more impossible. Cha-Cha looked easy to fool, but in reality, there wasn't a shred of substantial benefit. At most, she'd give you some eye candy.

The problem was... how to extract himself from this bizarre battlefield between the two of them?

Cha-Cha was clearly not about to let him leave right now. He needed to think of a way to make her realize the difficulty and retreat...

Realize the difficulty and retreat... Got it!

"A method for building a good relationship with Horikita-san?" Fuyuji tapped his fingers on the table, feigning a contemplative look. "I recall she seems to want to rise to Class A. Perhaps Kushida-san could start from that angle? Like, working together with her to raise the class points or something."

Kushida's smile froze.

Isn't that the exact same strategy I had before?! What I want is the forbidden, crash-course method that works within a single day!

"Isn't there a more direct method?"

Fuyuji sighed and looked at Kushida with a rather helpless expression. "Kushida-san, it's not good to have that kind of thinking. Friendship is like wine—it needs the tempering of time to bring out its color. This isn't some strange cheat software that can max out your favorability rating with a single click."

"..."

Then how the hell did YOU do it?! Just spit it out already!

At this moment, Kushida wanted to grab Fuyuji by the collar and shout that question directly at him.

A wave of exhaustion rose within Kushida. Did this guy genuinely not understand what she was asking, or was he just playing dumb? Was that why he was so utterly impervious to reason?

Wait... Playing dumb...

Kushida's battered little brain finally began to turn after a long while. The scenes of herself being mentally broken, time and time again, flashed through her mind like a revolving lantern.

No matter how you looked at it, it was far too coincidental. He clearly could have explained things clearly in one go, yet he deliberately split it up into so many instances, each one striking precisely at her weak points...

If she recalled correctly, the first time she saw him was at Keyaki Mall, shopping with an upperclassman senpai...

The weirdo of Class A. If his personality was truly this strange, or if his EQ was truly that low that he couldn't grasp the meaning behind her words, how could he possibly go shopping with an upperclassman senpai within a single week?

Just relying on that face of his? That would be far too strange. When they first met, his personality and speech were perfectly normal.

A suspicion began to surface in Kushida's heart.

This man... could he be a Stand of the same type as me?

A flicker of doubt and uncertainty flashed through Kushida's eyes.

"What's the matter? Are you feeling unwell? Is there anything I can help you with?" Fuyuji's gentle voice rang out, filled with concern. "If you're not feeling well, you should hurry to the infirmary and get checked."

"No, it's nothing. I just suddenly thought of some of Horikita-san's behavior in class, that's all."

Such an intense sense of deja vu... Isn't this one of my usual routines?

Ugh... kind of nauseating. So this is how it looks to someone who knows the truth when I normally use this move?

Growing increasingly convinced of her suspicion, Kushida lowered her head and used a spoon to put a piece of ice from the bottom of the glass into her mouth. The icy chill sobered her mind a few degrees. Her eyes pierced through her bangs, secretly observing the person across from her.

Fuyuji slurped a mouthful of coffee and asked casually, "Kushida-san, besides you, are there any other friendly students in Class D?" As he spoke, a troubled look appeared on his face. "Because all the Class A students call me a weirdo and none of them do things together with me."

Crack—!

The ice cube in her mouth was bitten into pieces by Kushida with a loud crunch. She directly drew her conclusion: If this guy isn't faking it, I'll chop off my own head and let you use it as a bowl!

Tch...

Kushida secretly clicked her tongue.

Careless. To think there was actually another student in this grade just like herself, disguised as a seemingly harmless Class A honor student.

While she had been out and about, striking everywhere and reaping the spoils of war, he had appeared within her line of sight in the form of prey, playing her for a fool! As expected, high-level hunters always take the form of prey.

After seeing through Fuyuji's true nature and re-examining their prior conversation, Kushida's expression shifted slightly.

If this is truly the case, my persona has probably already crumbled away before this guy, seven or eight parts out of ten.

Damn it!

Now, the matter with Horikita Suzune has to be put aside. The priority right now is to confirm whether my true nature has been perceived by him.

After sorting out her thoughts, Kushida began her probe.

"Um, Fuyuji-kun, I've thought it over carefully just now. Horikita-san's personality is just like that. You can't force matters between friends."

Fuyuji looked as if he breathed a sigh of relief. "I'm really glad you can think that way."

"Mm!" Kushida nodded firmly. "But I will work hard. I will definitely make Horikita-san accept my friend request."

"I believe you can definitely do it." Fuyuji encouraged her emotionally, his tone resolute. "Others might think this goal is far too unrealistic, or meaningless, but that's okay. Life isn't defined by others to begin with. The bonds between people are like seeds buried deep beneath the earth. Everything you do will turn into nourishment for your friendship. One day, it will surely sprout."

A layer of misty water coated Kushida's eyes. She reached out and took Fuyuji's hands in hers. "Fuyuji-kun..."

Fuyuji grasped Kushida's small hands in return, responding with deep emotion. "Kushida-san..."

In the right corner of Palette Cafe, two master actors clasped each other's hands and began a mutual display of theatrical performance.

During this time, their eyes met, their gazes intertwining, as if both had entered the other's inner heart and understood the other's thoughts.

And what they were actually thinking was...

Kushida: Damn bastard, how dare he cop a feel from me! This smooth, seamless conversational link up, as if the passive skill was left on by mistake... You're definitely a Stand of the same type as me! Also, even I can sense that our synchronization rate is a little too high. No way you haven't noticed it too. You've definitely seen through my true nature!

Fuyuji: Whoa, so smooth~ Cha-Cha, I misjudged you. You don't just provide eye candy, you also occasionally throw in a little sweetener. Can't hold it in anymore, can you? This is the genuine Great Angel Halo I copied from Ichinose. If you know what's good for you, back off immediately. Otherwise, watch me do away with you, you bootleg version.

A short while later, having both achieved their respective objectives, the two released each other simultaneously. With smiles on their faces and each harboring their own ulterior motives, they chatted idly for a while longer, then proposed their farewells, still wearing those smiles.

At the cafe checkout counter, Fuyuji was the first to take out his phone, eagerly wanting to pay for today's expenses.

"Allow me. Our Class A still has ample points."

Kushida, unwilling to be outdone, pulled her phone from her bag, chiding him, "How can I let you pay? I was the one who asked Fuyuji-kun for help, after all. Of course, I'll be the one to pay."

"But... didn't I fail to help Kushida-san with her problem?" Fuyuji wore an expression of guilt. "So I should be the one to pay."

"No, no, no. That won't do. I've thought about it a little, and I feel what Fuyuji-kun just said was very right." A radiant smile bloomed on Kushida's face. "So, that's not true at all. Fuyuji-kun, you definitely did help me."

"I'm paying!"

"I'm paying!"

"Me!"

...

The man and woman quarreled over the right to pay, much like aunties shoving red envelopes at each other during New Year's visits.

In the end, the two, locked in a stalemate, concluded the dispute by splitting the bill down the middle.

On the school road outside the cafe.

"Well then, I'll be off now, Kushida-san. If there's anything else you need help with, please contact me." Fuyuji waved goodbye to Kushida with a gentle smile.

"Mm." With her signature sweet smile plastered on her face, Kushida nodded firmly. "If there's anything I can be of use for, please don't hesitate. Just let me know anytime."

Innocent smiles surfaced on both their faces, causing passing students to involuntarily sigh at the beauty of friendship.

After several intermittent goodbyes, the two turned around and walked in opposite directions. The smiles instantly vanished from their faces. Each cursed under their breath.

Phony!

After walking a stretch, the two, without prior agreement, ducked into the nearest deserted corner, propping themselves against the wall, and simultaneously bent over:

"Bleargh—!"

Fuyuji wiped the beads of sweat from his forehead. His face was tinged green, as if he'd just swallowed a dead cockroach.

How does Cha-Cha manage to put on a smiling face every single day for people she has zero interest in without making herself want to puke?

Thank goodness it was just that one time.

At last, he'd shaken off Cha-Cha. Although the process was rather hard to describe in words, the result was still good.

If he hadn't had that sudden flash of inspiration, remembering that greasy offensive from Blond Student, and conveniently copied Ichinose's Angel Halo, he was afraid he'd still be locked in the cafe by Cha-Cha.

On the other side.

Kushida took out a tissue and wiped the corner of her mouth. Gnashing her teeth, she punched the wall beside her.

Damn it! Not only did she fail to get her hands on the method to approach Horikita Suzune, but someone might also have learned the truth about her.

Thankfully, the other party had no evidence. At the end of the day, it was just conjecture. He couldn't possibly go around spreading this matter carelessly.

But...

Kushida looked back, her mood quite complex, in the direction Fuyuji had disappeared.

To think this school actually had a student wearing a mask just like hers?

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