A False Alarm, It Seems

"Goodness." Things had only gotten scarier the more they talked, and Shi Cheng stumbled.

He staggered a few steps and fell against Kato Megumi.

"Ah!" Kato Megumi let out a startled cry, but didn't immediately push Shi Cheng away.

Instead, she first asked with concern, "Are you all right, Shi Cheng?"

Shi Cheng scratched his head, straightened up, and said sheepishly, "I'm fine. Sorry for the trouble."

During that brief contact, Shi Cheng had discreetly used lightning to test whether she was real.

Now he understood.

Kato Megumi had just been joking with him the whole time.

So he smiled with extra sincerity.

Lightning was especially effective against ghosts.

Shi Cheng could swear on it.

Kato Megumi was definitely fine.

He'd only been scaring himself.

"I'm the one who should apologize. I scared you, didn't I?"

"Not at all," Shi Cheng said casually.

He was a grown man.

How could he be scared of ghosts?

Wouldn't that be embarrassing?

To stop Kato Megumi from continuing,

Shi Cheng said cheekily, "Kato, you smell so nice. You definitely can't be a ghost."

"Ghosts all stink, after all."

A flush spread across Kato Megumi's smooth, tender cheeks.

Calm again, she quickly lifted her eyes and said, "Shi Cheng, we should hurry. The opening ceremony is about to start."

Since she was the one at fault, Kato Megumi couldn't really blame him.

She could only change the subject.

Shi Cheng played along. "Right. Let's go."

The opening ceremony was nothing worth mentioning.

It was so boring it made him want to fall asleep, and there was nothing worthwhile in the speeches.

As soon as they were told the ceremony was over,

Shi Cheng headed straight for the store.

On the way, he didn't forget to invite Kato Megumi again.

Since he'd teased her a little earlier, he ought to make a better impression now.

"Kato, girls must have a lot of things to buy. Let me help."

Shi Cheng didn't mention his earlier offense, only offering to help.

"Then I'll have to trouble you, Shi Cheng."

Whether or not they had an unspoken understanding, Kato Megumi accepted quickly.

Shi Cheng didn't think she needed to be polite.

The boys' and girls' dormitories were in the same building.

The boys were on the lower floors, and the girls on the upper floors.

The two walked side by side again.

Before long,

they arrived at the store.

It was quite crowded inside.

It seemed everyone had had the same idea.

Shi Cheng glanced around and thoughtfully suggested, "Let's meet back here later."

"Okay."

Some of the things she needed to buy were a little embarrassing.

Kato Megumi didn't refuse.

After they split up, Shi Cheng went straight to the bento section.

There were all kinds of bentos, but he wasn't picky, so he grabbed a few at random and headed to the household goods section.

As someone who was always frugal, he naturally didn't go for the expensive things.

Besides, something about what Chabashira Sae had said felt strange.

He was even less likely to waste money on things he could get by without.

After picking up a few cheap items, Shi Cheng went to the register, planning to wait there for Kato Megumi.

While he waited,

Shi Cheng looked around, then his eyes suddenly lit up, as if he'd found treasure.

The treasure wasn't real, but the goods certainly were.

Shi Cheng felt no regret at all over being fooled.

Instead, he happily picked them up and looked them over.

"Free?"

A lot of items had been placed in this inconspicuous corner.

And they were all free.

After looking them over, he found that the quality wasn't bad.

Shi Cheng decisively returned the household goods he'd picked out earlier.

If there weren't a limit on how much he could take each month,

Shi Cheng would've loved to clear the place out.

After taking a few wistful looks, Shi Cheng reluctantly left his treasure trove.

Since Kato Megumi was a girl,

Shi Cheng didn't get impatient waiting.

After all, he'd made quite a haul himself.

"Hey. What was that look you gave me in the classroom supposed to mean?"

While Shi Cheng was waiting, trouble came looking for him.

Horikita Suzune had actually spotted him some time ago.

Since she'd been keeping an eye on his movements,

Horikita Suzune hadn't hurried over. She'd waited until she'd picked out what she needed.

At the familiar voice,

Shi Cheng turned his head.

A cold face immediately appeared in his view.

"Who are you?" Shi Cheng frowned.

Of course Shi Cheng remembered Horikita Suzune.

But he'd only glanced at her casually, and now she was giving him trouble over it.

Was she crazy?

Once he'd labeled her that way, Shi Cheng immediately lost any interest in getting to know her.

He felt that Horikita Suzune was a troublemaker.

And since he didn't even know her name, Shi Cheng had even less interest in talking to her.

Horikita Suzune sneered. "You've got the nerve to stare, but not to admit it?"

In the classroom,

Horikita Suzune had been impressed by how Shi Cheng had handled Ken Sudō's problem.

At the time, she'd thought he was an interesting person.

But now,

he didn't seem any different from an ordinary person.

Shi Cheng took a deep breath. This girl was pretty good at getting under his skin.

His fists were itching for a fight.

Faced with someone who'd come looking for trouble, Shi Cheng had no intention of backing down.

He answered promptly, "What's wrong with looking at you because you're pretty?"

Shi Cheng didn't think there was anything wrong with that.

He was just appreciating beauty.

Besides, he'd only glanced at her.

It wasn't that serious, was it?

"I know that. You don't need to point it out." Hearing him admit it, Horikita Suzune casually brushed the glossy black hair by her ear.

With a haughty expression, she said, "I don't think that's all there is to it. You must have had some other idea."

What, were you reading my mind? How could you know so much?

As soon as the thought crossed Shi Cheng's mind, Horikita Suzune's gaze sharpened.

That wasn't all. Her free hand formed a knife-hand and shot toward Shi Cheng's kidney.

The swift, precise, ruthless attack made Shi Cheng's eyes widen.

He'd known Horikita Suzune was trouble.

He just hadn't expected her to be a violent maniac too.

Shi Cheng quickly grabbed her wrist, saving his own hide.

Caught off guard, Shi Cheng instinctively used the power of lightning.

Fortunately, at the last moment he remembered this was just a conflict between classmates.

Shi Cheng quickly held back, intending to teach her a lesson she wouldn't forget.

Horikita Suzune, her whole body tingling, twitched an eyelid. "Looks like I underestimated you."

Shi Cheng was just about to grin smugly.

Horikita Suzune suddenly chuckled. "But now I can use my power without holding back."

"Ice Wrist!"

"Ugh!" Feeling a chill against his hand, Shi Cheng looked down.

The surface of the small hand he was holding was coated in a thick layer of frost, radiating biting cold.

"How's that?" Horikita Suzune gloated, clearly pleased with herself.

After a brief moment of panic, Shi Cheng quickly calmed down.

Didn't she know

that lightning was also ice's natural enemy?

Shi Cheng smiled calmly and suddenly increased the power in his hand.

As she felt the sting, Horikita Suzune saw the frost on her hand instantly melt into a puddle that fell to the ground.

Horikita Suzune still wanted to fight back.

But this was a public place, after all. Making a scene wouldn't do either of them any good.

Horikita Suzune gave an annoyed snort. "I'll remember you!"

Shi Cheng let go of her hand and picked at his ear. "Funny. I don't want to remember you."