Her pale golden hair floated with the waves. Her arms cut powerfully through the water, and a gentle kick of her legs sent ripples spreading as she glided forward with a supple twist of her waist. Her soaked swimsuit outlined her lovely figure, but it didn't hinder her effortless progress in the slightest.
"Shiraishi-san, were you always good at swimming?"
"Oh my, you caught me." Shiraishi Asuka stopped, raised a hand to her lips, and put on a surprised look. "I had special swimming lessons when I was little."
"Then it doesn't make sense that you came in last."
"Maybe... I came along just to keep you company?" Shiraishi Asuka said playfully.
"Love at first sight again?"
Mikage Touji stared in disbelief at Shiraishi Asuka, who was looking at him with a gentle expression.
"Mhm." Shiraishi Asuka made a cute little hum.
"So who was that scumbag you knew? What did he do to make you remember him all this time?"
"He was a heartless person."
"Thank goodness..." Mikage Touji patted his chest. "They call me Mikage Touji, a man of loyalty and compassion." As he spoke, something struck him as odd. He looked at Shiraishi Asuka again. "Then what exactly do he and I have in common?"
"I can't really say. I just think you're alike..."
"Is this another case of a woman's intuition?"
Mikage Touji was already too exhausted to complain about that. If he didn't actually have something similar himself, he would've kicked the whole concept straight into a cesspit.
"I'll tell you another time."
Just then, Morishita Ran happened to float serenely past the two of them, face up. She glanced at Mikage Touji and said:
"Forty-eight seconds..."
Was he supposed to put up with that?
Enough was enough!
"Morishita Ran, draw your sword! Let's put tonight's dinner on the line!"
If their eyes met, it meant a duel!
"Bring it on! I'll show you the power of the One Piece bloodline passed down through the Morishita Family!" Morishita Ran rolled over, brimming with fighting spirit.
"One Piece is a terrible swimmer, you know!"
"Not that One Piece! The tenth-generation One Piece! Morishita D. Sig!"
"...You really can spin a whole story out of nothing."
"Really... Thank you for the compliment."
"I wasn't complimenting you!"
Classmate Sakayanagi in Class D
School ended especially early in Japan compared with his previous life. Classes usually let out around three or four in the afternoon. The students who stayed behind either took part in club activities, went to cram school, or joined the Going-Home Club and headed straight home.
With dinner still a while away, Mikage Touji wandered around the convenience store to kill time after successfully mastering the Quick Success Technique and defeating Morishita Ran.
His training was now on track.
During the day, whenever he wandered around campus, he used Detection from time to time. It consumed far less energy than Psychokinesis, and as long as he kept its range under control, he could leave it active for a long time.
At night, just before going to bed, he used Psychokinesis to exhaust himself in one go, then slept until morning so he wouldn't carry his fatigue into the next day.
For the time he had left, he planned to cultivate a hobby: cooking!
After a week at school, he felt as though his taste buds were almost completely reprogrammed. Maybe it was just his imagination, but lately he'd found the slimy, stringy natto in the Student Cafeteria almost bearable... No way! Absolutely not!
Enameled cast-iron pot...
Tagine...
Chinese cast-iron wok...
Titanium-alloy frying pan...
Mikage Touji stopped and glanced at the price.
[Titanium-alloy frying pan: 35600 pr]
"..."
I'm out of here. Maybe next time I'll find someone reliable to help me choose.
Beyond the kitchenware section, the supermarket's shampoo and body wash were in the bath products aisle.
In the corner, a shopping cart marked "Free" was stuffed with all kinds of daily necessities. A note beside it said, "Limit of three items per month."
Mikage Touji had gotten used to it. He kept walking, his eyes settling on a petite silver-haired girl leaning on a cane.
Her silvery, frost-like hair fell smoothly over her shoulders, its sheen glimmering beneath the bright lights. Even leaning on her cane, she carried a quiet elegance.
She first steadied her cane against her side, then lightly braced one slender, finely boned hand against the edge of the shelf. Her whole body stretched upward, like a swan extending its neck.
Her porcelain-white hand reached up, inch by inch, inch by—
The girl's hand stopped in midair. She turned to look at him and said in a delicate, composed voice, "My, it's hardly gentlemanly to stand by while a lady is having trouble."
"I thought you didn't need help." Her stubborn determination practically radiated from her.
Mikage Touji shrugged and walked over to take the bath product from the shelf for her.
Was it shampoo or facial cleanser?
"If someone's willing to help, I certainly won't refuse." The girl accepted the bath product and gave Mikage Touji a small, polite bow. "Thank you for your help. I'm Sakayanagi Arisu from Class 1-D."
"Class 1-A, Mikage Touji."
It had only been a small favor, and Mikage Touji didn't think it warranted such formal thanks. She was simply being polite.
"Well then, I'll be going."
After giving her his name, Mikage Touji headed for the convenience store entrance.
Left behind, Sakayanagi Arisu watched him go, the corner of her mouth curling into a pleased smile.
Class A, huh...
Oden!
A Japanese specialty famous overseas, it had piqued Mikage Touji's curiosity about how it tasted in its homeland. He bought a serving and waited in the outdoor area outside the convenience store.
Amid curling wisps of white steam, translucent chunks of radish trembled in the amber broth, while the fat on the beef tendon gleamed like clear glass.
Following the Japanese way of eating it, he first took a sip of the broth to taste the ingredients.
After swallowing, Mikage Touji smacked his lips, his eyes squeezing into slits.
It was sweet!
"If you don't mind, you could try this." A bottle of green tea was set on the table and pushed toward Mikage Touji.
Sakayanagi Arisu walked over to the seat opposite him, leaning on her cane. She lifted her skirt with one hand, pressed her legs together, and sat down.
"Is there something else, Classmate Sakayanagi?" Mikage Touji asked after swallowing a chicken meatball.
"I wanted to get to know you, Mikage. To be honest, I haven't made many friends in Class D." Sakayanagi Arisu replied with a beaming smile.
"Are the students in Class D hard to get along with? You're so cute, Classmate Sakayanagi. Surely it can't be hard for you to make friends?" Mikage Touji asked casually as he speared a meatball from his bowl.
Mikage Touji knew the least about Class D. According to Hashimoto, several students in the class each had their own little groups and did their own thing, with no sign of the class coming together.
Kushida Kikyou, who was friends with Mikage Touji, sometimes chatted with him online. But whenever he asked about Class D, she'd say things like, "Ahaha, Everyone Is Good Friends," or, "Not at all! Everyone's so nice, and I have a great time with everyone. We never have any conflicts or anything."
"No," Sakayanagi Arisu said, hiding her lips behind her hand and speaking with a hint of meaning. "Everyone's very cute."
"..." You're just like her.
"What about you, Mikage? You're here alone at this time. Do you prefer being by yourself?" Sakayanagi Arisu set her cane aside and placed both hands on her knees, covered in white stockings.
"Uh... That's not entirely wrong, but I'm actually waiting for someone."
Mikage Touji picked a piece of beef tendon from his bowl and tossed it into his mouth, his eyes glancing at Sakayanagi Arisu's impaired leg.
"You really are impressive, Classmate Sakayanagi. Other schools are one thing, but at Advanced Nurturing, you have to be on your own for three years. And yet you still came here to study."
Judging by Sakayanagi Arisu's behavior, manner of speaking, and skin as fine as egg white, she was definitely a rich young lady. It was hard to imagine her family letting a girl with such limited mobility go to school alone.
"Actually, my father originally didn't want me to come here either. But then I suddenly found out that someone I knew was also going to study here, so I asked my father to let me come." Sakayanagi Arisu's voice was full of delight.
"Then you and that classmate must be getting along well now, right?" Mikage Touji asked offhandedly.
"No!"
Sakayanagi Arisu's smile faded. She said coolly, "I was stood up."
"Ah..." Mikage Touji, who'd just been marveling at the greatness of friendship, was instantly at a loss for words.
"Didn't that classmate tell you he wasn't coming to Kouiku?"
"No," Sakayanagi Arisu said, sounding a little frustrated. "In fact, I only found out that he'd suddenly decided not to come when his father visited our home."
"Are you going to drop out, then, Classmate Sakayanagi? I'm sure the school would understand your situation." After all, without the goal that had brought her to the school, there was no reason for her to stay.
"I haven't decided to do that yet. My classmates are all so interesting, after all. I want to learn more about them."
Sakayanagi Arisu smiled warmly, her expression gentle. Yet for some reason, Mikage Touji felt a chill down his back.
"What about Class A, Mikage? Are there any interesting students?" A glint flickered in Sakayanagi Arisu's purple eyes.
"Capable students?" Mikage Touji squeezed some mustard onto a skewer and tried to recall the people in his class. "Well... Katsuragi is pretty good."
"Is that so? What kind of person is he?"
Mikage Touji gave her a thumbs-up, flashing his white teeth. "An honest, dependable, responsible bald guy!"
"..."
"Heh... I see..."
Mikage Touji felt that her enthusiasm for making friends had dimmed a little.
Just then, three boys came out of the supermarket's front entrance in the distance, carrying shopping bags and chatting as they walked.
"Ah, Kushida-chan is so cute. I've already picked out names for our future kids."
"Get lost. Kushida-chan is mine."
"No way. Kushida-chan's way out of your league. Give up."
"Phew... You're right. Kushida-chan is cute, but I don't stand a chance. Damn it, I really want a girlfriend!"
"Me too. I'm definitely going to become popular!"
"Hey, listen up. Don't tell anyone else, but Sakura from our class confessed to me a few days ago. But I'm not interested in that kind of ditzy girl."
"You turned her down?! Speaking of confessions... I think Sakayanagi-chan might be into me, you know?"
"Really, Ike? You lucky bastard. I'm jealous."
"Sorry, but I can't. Sakayanagi-chan is cute, but I still like girls with big boobs like Kushida-chan. And if I really married Sakayanagi-chan one day, it'd be too painful if we couldn't do that kind of thing. Besides, don't you think Sakayanagi-chan's way too chuunibyou? Like those characters in a gal game."
"You've got a point..."
"Kushida-chan is more my type. What about you, Ken?"
"I do want girls to like me, but I'll think about that later. For now, I'm focusing all my energy on basketball."
"Come on, you don't understand the beauty of youth at all. Fine, I'll lend you some of my treasured collection."
"Lend me some, too."
"Sure, why not? We're best friends, after all."
"Ha ha ha ha."
As the three boys' carefree laughter faded into the distance, all that remained was the silence between the two people sitting in the corner.
Mikage Touji gulped down his food, then cautiously glanced at Sakayanagi Arisu, who was frozen in her seat. He figured it was best not to provoke her right now.
Besides, she didn't seem to be in the best of health. If she collapsed here, he'd have a hard time explaining himself.
Under the sun umbrella, the porcelain-white face beneath her silver hair held its smile rigidly. Unfortunately, the chest that had been flat moments ago was now rising and falling violently, giving away her true feelings.
After hesitating for a moment, Mikage Touji slowly slid the bottle of green tea back across the table, testing the waters.
Before you continue