Classroom of the Elite, Oh No, I've Become a Stand-in 35

Five minutes later, two bottles of drinks slammed onto the desk of Mikage Touji with a dull thud.

"Oh!"

Mikage Touji's eyes lit up with unprecedented brilliance as he stood up abruptly and grasped the hands of Kamuro Masumi.

"Masumi, so this is the type you are!"

"The, the hell, why are you suddenly calling me by that name? Let go of your hands!"

Kamuro Masumi's face flushed red. She unconsciously lowered her swinging long legs and silently scooted a bit closer to the seat in front of her.

Mikage Touji released her hands. "It's nothing, I just suddenly think you're very cute."

"Ha? What kind of crazy talk is that!"

To the side, Shiraishi Asuka rested her chin on her hand, watching the two interact with a smile.

Having learned the correct way to use Kamuro Masumi, Mikage Touji began his reckless operation.

"Masumi, I order you to memorize 50 vocabulary words every day, recite two Japanese Literature texts, write 10 major science problems, and finally, complete two social studies practice tests."

"..."

Several veins bulged on the back of her hand, and a # symbol slowly appeared on her forehead. Kamuro Masumi said, word by word, with a dark expression:

"Tell me, are you getting a bit too full of yourself?"

Thirty seconds later, Mikage Touji, having received a kick to the rear, silently added a note to his Kamuro Masumi Operation Guide:

Before use, be sure to determine Kamuro Masumi's true bottom line, otherwise, you will suffer a devastating blow.

After stretching her limbs, Kamuro Masumi felt much better and said coldly:

"If there's nothing else, I'm leaving."

"Wait a second!"

Mikage Touji shook his head firmly, pointed his index finger at Kamuro Masumi, and said seriously: "There is one last thing."

"Are you ever going to finish?!" Kamuro Masumi was furious.

Mikage Touji handed over one of the bento boxes.

"Let's eat together. This time, it's not an order, it's a request."

"This..."

Kamuro Masumi's gaze fell on the bento box held out before her. She subconsciously wanted to take a half-step back, but her toes remained rooted to the spot as if nailed down.

"As for that form of address, forget it if you don't like it. It was my fault for calling you that without your consent."

Mikage Touji shoved the other bottle of drink into Kamuro Masumi's hand. "Tell me how you want to be addressed, and I'll call you that from now on. For now, please have a meal with me."

Kamuro Masumi turned her head away, her fingertips unconsciously tightening around the bottle she had just been handed. She looked out the window, where white clouds were still drifting leisurely across the sky.

"Call me... whatever... you want."

"Hm?"

Mikage Touji leaned his head in. "What did you say?"

"I said call me whatever you want!" Her voice suddenly jumped an octave.

"I got it, keep your voice down, I'm going to go deaf."

"Aren't you already deaf? Also, I don't want this one, I want the one with the octopus sausages!"

"Fine, fine, you bought the bento, so you're the boss, alright?"

Chapter 44: Old thing, you're finally willing to teach me the Flame Mantra, right?

Over the next few days, Mikage Touji lived a peaceful and fulfilling life.

During the day, he played a battle of wits with Morishita Ran, grabbed a bite to eat anywhere at noon, and then wandered around the school. After school, he went to the library to study with Shiraishi Asuka, occasionally checking in on his good brother's daily life. In the evening, if there were any breadcrumbs left, he would go to the shore to feed the Wild Pigeon. At night, he would train his ability until his mental energy was exhausted, then sleep until dawn, never leaving his fatigue for the next day.

Even Hoshinomiya-sensei said he was perfectly normal!

"Very impressive, Mikage-kun. At this rate, tomorrow—no! You can finish your remedial studies today."

Inside the library, Shiraishi Asuka put down Mikage Touji's workbook and tucked her loose hair behind her ear.

Beside them, Kamuro Masumi looked at her own workbook, where the circles were only slightly more numerous than the checkmarks, and then at Mikage Touji's workbook, which had only a few checkmarks. She, who had never cared about grades, felt an inexplicable sense of crisis rise in her heart.

"Why is it that even though we're studying together, you're improving so much faster than me?" Kamuro Masumi asked with slight dissatisfaction.

"Because Mikage-kun is amazing, maybe he's a genius."

A small hand quietly reached out from under the table and covered the back of Mikage Touji's hand. Her slender fingers scratched at his skin, making it feel ticklish to the very core.

Mikage Touji turned his head slowly to meet those serene eyes.

[Is your attack frequency a bit too high these past few days?]

[Is it?]

Mikage Touji grabbed Shiraishi Asuka's restless little hand in return.

[My health bar is about to be drained by you, hey!]

Mikage Touji did not receive a reply from the owner of those eyes, because she was currently in a state of panic from having her hand suddenly grabbed.

Ripples appeared in her mirror-like eyes, her large pupils fluttering rapidly as her gaze began to drift aimlessly around Mikage Touji. One small hand remained obediently in Mikage Touji's grip, occasionally gathering the courage to struggle, looking like she wanted to pull away yet couldn't bring herself to do so.

Not good! My health bar!

Having been hit with a critical strike by Shiraishi Asuka's cuteness once again, Mikage Touji let go of her small hand.

If this kept up, he was going to be defeated by this woman's adorable appearance.

No, he had to find somewhere to recover his health and restore his sanity.

Otherwise, he would end up a rogue ninja from the Land of Light, converting to the White Stone Cult on the spot.

"A genius? Impossible. I'm well aware of my own limitations."

Forcing the topic back, Mikage Touji opened the notebook given to him by Mashima Tomoya, attempting to use the crystallization of human wisdom through the ages to keep his attention firmly anchored.

"However, I'm curious about this question too." Mikage Touji held the notebook with one hand, but his eyes were like they had been unlocked, constantly drifting toward Shiraishi Asuka's side.

Shiraishi Asuka seemed to notice this, leaning toward him intentionally or otherwise.

"Did you secretly go home to study?" Kamuro Masumi gave him a look that said, Are you trying to work me to death?

"How could that be? Don't I chat with you every night?"

Finding that he couldn't shift his focus, Mikage Touji decided to fight magic with magic, focusing his target on Kamuro Masumi next to him.

She had a beautiful face, yet she always wore a look of disdain, and if poked even slightly, she would rebound with double the venom, though her heart was unexpectedly kind...

"That's true..." Kamuro Masumi's eye twitched as she recalled the bizarre short videos Mikage Touji shared with her every night.

"Good brother, have you really not considered the goal of getting into Tokyo University? Perhaps this is the difference between having a goal and not having one."

"Are you kidding me? Studying is something I've been doing since elementary school, and I'm completely sick of it! Also, while I don't mind you calling me that, could you not do it in public?"

Kamuro Masumi glanced sideways at Mikage Touji, completely scoffing at the idea of studying.

Mikage Touji's words piqued Shiraishi Asuka's curiosity, and she leaned in, asking, "Is Mikage-kun's goal Tokyo University?"

Wafts of a girl's unique, delicate fragrance constantly drilled into Mikage Touji's nostrils, slapping his attention back like a spinning top.

"No, or rather, I don't really know myself." Mikage Touji tensed his cheeks, gazing at the white clouds in the distance.

"Then does Mikage-kun have any plans for the future?" Shiraishi Asuka seemed very interested in this aspect. "With Mikage-kun's strength, if you can graduate from Class A, there's a high probability you'll receive an admission offer from the Three Great Houses without needing an exam..."

The leaders who graduated from Class A of Advanced Nurturing High School every year could almost always secure an admission offer from the Three Great Houses.

Mikage Touji was not the leader of Class A, well... at least not in name, but it was pretty much the same thing.

"No rush, there are still three full years until graduation. In fact, I'm currently in a period of confusion; I don't know what I'll do in the future. What about Shiraishi-san? Given your current study progress, there's a high probability you'll enter the Three Great Houses."

"Me?" Shiraishi Asuka stared at Mikage Touji, her eyes shimmering. "Then... I don't know my future goals either... Maybe I'll only know in the future."

Mikage Touji's heart skipped a beat, and the whole world seemed to turn gray and white, leaving only the sole color before his eyes.

"..."

Having had his defenses breached, he simply stopped dodging. Hardening his heart, he reached out and, with even more force than before, gripped Shiraishi Asuka's small hand again, wrapping his palm entirely around hers, staring intensely into her eyes, which were clearly in a state of panic.

[Let's go down together! Let's see whose health bar hits zero first!]

Shiraishi Asuka did not reply. Her breathing, which had been calm and long like a flowing stream, immediately became heavy, her lips turning even more flushed. A strange atmosphere dissipated between the two, as if even the surrounding air had become viscous.

Eventually, the blushing Shiraishi Asuka filed for surrender, voluntarily withdrawing her body back to her original position.

"Mikage, what is that thing in your hand?"

Kamuro Masumi, who had been glaring at Mikage Touji, discovered a blind spot, miraculously pulling Mikage Touji's attention back.

"Oh, this? It's the notes Mashima-sensei gave me." Appearing as if nothing were wrong, while actually on the verge of collapse, Mikage Touji let go of Shiraishi Asuka's small hand once again.

"..."

"Didn't you say you didn't have any?" An annoyed Kamuro Masumi inadvertently brought her originally soft volume back to a normal level.

"Shh—!"

Mikage Touji's fingers, which had been flipping through the notebook, stopped. He re-examined the yellowed notes and realized with a start, "That's right, there's this thing too."

His attention had been so focused on Shiraishi Asuka that he had forgotten about this.

Come to think of it, was this notebook actually that useful?

Old man, you're finally willing to teach me the Flame Mantra, huh?

Shiraishi Asuka, who hadn't spoken since just now, came back to her senses and raised her hand to tuck back her messy, pale-gold hair.

"Mikage-kun, do you mind if I take a look?"

Mikage Touji closed the notebook and handed it over, no further words needed.

Shiro-Gate, worthy of trust!

"That rigid Mashima Tomoya actually gave you private tutoring? You really are the true leader of the class, aren't you?"

Kamuro Masumi clicked her tongue in annoyance. After more than a month, she felt she had gotten to know their homeroom teacher well enough; to put it nicely, he was dutiful, but to put it bluntly, he was strictly by-the-book.

Now, that same Mashima Tomoya had actually taken the initiative to give his personal notes to Mikage Touji out of concern that he wouldn't pass the Midterm Exam. This clearly didn't align with the impression the rest of the class had of him.

"It's true."

Shiraishi Asuka said as she flipped through the notes, "It contains problem-solving strategies for many uncommon exercises, and there are even quite a few study methods included."

At this moment, Shiraishi Asuka finally remembered that there was someone else who needed her to teach them.

"If possible, could I ask Mikage-kun to make a copy for Kamuro-san? This should be helpful for her grades."

"Of course, no problem, as long as you don't damage it."

He didn't care much about the notebook itself, but since it was something Mashima Tomoya had given him—the result of years of his hard work—it was common sense to cherish gifts from others.

"Good brother! Do you want it?" Mikage Touji said with a hint of teasing, "With this, you might even be able to consider Tokyo University."

"Can you stop bringing up Tokyo University?"

Kamuro Masumi said through gritted teeth. She was almost becoming immune to Mikage Touji's "good brother" label by now, but couldn't he think of a better nickname?!

After a difficult internal struggle, Kamuro Masumi, her expression shifting between shades of frustration, finally made up her mind: "Even though I'm not interested in studying right now, make a copy for me too."

Who knows, maybe she would have a sudden academic awakening one day? When that time came, she could finally deflate Mikage Touji's arrogant attitude.

To be honest, she had been holding a grudge over Mikage Touji constantly calling her "good brother" in public.

Just imagining the look of humiliation on Mikage Touji's face in front of her gave Kamuro Masumi a burst of energy.

"Then it's settled." Mikage Touji picked up the notebook and handed it to Kamuro Masumi, "It's in your hands. Just remember to return it to me after you've made a copy."

"I know, I know." Kamuro Masumi took the notebook and tucked it into her bag, "I'll return it to you tomorrow."

Once the matter was settled, Mikage Touji sat in his seat, holding his pen under his nose with his gaze drifting aimlessly. At the same time, he silently recited the Calm Heart Mantra in his mind, allowing his sanity, which had plummeted to rock bottom, to slowly recover.

Mother Shiraishi next to him also seemed to be in a low-health state; she hadn't teased Mikage Touji since just a moment ago and was sitting quietly in her seat.