Come, switch to the big cup!

The night deepened. Far from Room 601 where Mazumi Mami and the others were, in a delicate single room on a high floor of the dormitory building, the atmosphere was quiet and tinged with a hint of loneliness.

The bathroom door was pushed open gently, and the misty steam carried the faint, elegant scent of body wash into the air.

Sakayanagi Arisu stepped out slowly, wearing a soft, pure-white bathrobe.

Her silver hair hung damply over her shoulders, the tips still dripping crystal-clear beads of water that slid down her slender neck and into the collar of her robe.

The robe's sash was loosely tied at her waist, outlining the girl's frail yet budding figure.

The hem of the robe barely reached past her knees, revealing a pair of straight, fair calves.

She was barefoot, carefully stepping onto the fluffy, absorbent bath mat spread at the bathroom entrance.

Her feet were small and delicate, with graceful arches and toes as round and lovely as pearls, neatly trimmed and clean, glowing with a healthy pale pink.

Due to the warmth of the hot water and the slight exertion from bathing, the skin on the tops of her feet showed a faint blush, looking incredibly tender.

She seemed unaccustomed to the feeling of being barefoot, first tentatively pressing her toes into the soft carpet fibers, sensing the delicate texture, before slowly settling her entire sole down.

Her slender ankle turned slightly, causing her small heel to leave an almost invisible impression on the carpet.

Water droplets slid down her calves, some soaking into the carpet, others silently dripping along the graceful curve of her arch.

She took a slight breath; even the short walk from the bathroom to the room was a burden for her.

Out of habit, she reached for the metal cane leaning against the wall, but hesitated, then chose to support herself against the wall, slowly moving to sit on the chair in front of the vanity.

A middle-aged woman in a traditional maid's uniform, with a composed demeanor, was already waiting nearby, holding a soft absorbent towel and a silent hairdryer.

She was the personal maid arranged by Sakayanagi Narumori to take care of his daughter's daily needs, not a student.

"Miss, I'll dry your hair now. After that, I should take my leave."

The maid's voice was respectful and gentle. "I am not a student at this school, so it's not appropriate for me to stay long, to avoid drawing attention and causing you trouble."

"Mm, thank you for your hard work, Aunt Suzuki."

Sakayanagi Arisu nodded lightly, her voice sounding more tired than usual.

She closed her eyes, letting the maid gently wrap her wet hair in the towel, pressing and absorbing the water, then turning on the hairdryer with suitable heat and airflow, patiently drying and smoothing her beautiful silver hair strand by strand.

The entire process was quiet and efficient.

"All for you, Miss."

The maid named Suzuki finished everything, put the items back in place, and bowed. "Please rest well. I will return at the agreed time tomorrow. Please contact me anytime if you need anything."

"I understand. Goodnight."

"Goodnight, Miss."

The maid silently withdrew from the room, and the door was gently closed.

Only Sakayanagi Arisu remained in the room.

Her dried silver hair cascaded over her shoulders like a waterfall, glowing with a soft luster under the light.

She sat quietly on the chair, the brief relaxation after her bath long gone. Her amethyst-like eyes stared into the void, their gaze dark and uncertain, with complex emotions churning deep within.

After a long while, she opened a drawer of the vanity.

Lying quietly inside was the milky-white "nutrient solution" that Mazumi Mami had given her.

The delicate glass bottle refracted a warm, mysterious luster under the room's light, the glow reflecting in her eyes as if carrying a silent temptation and promise.

From childhood, Sakayanagi Arisu had always been the center of attention, the acclaimed "genius."

This attention came not only from her prominent Sakayanagi family background but even more from her intelligence and precocious mind, far surpassing ordinary people. In many eyes, she was almost synonymous with "perfection."

But heaven was ultimately fair—or perhaps, cruel.

While bestowing upon her an extraordinary mind and family status, it also gave her a frail, heavily constrained body.

Her congenital heart disease was like an invisible shackle, constantly restricting her movement and vitality.

Her heart's weak pumping left her often feeling fatigued and dizzy; even standing for a short time made it hard to breathe, and bending her toes was a luxury.

For daily walking, she had to rely on that cold metal cane to support her fragile body, which seemed as if it might fall apart at any moment.

Even mundane tasks like bathing were nearly impossible for her to complete independently.

She hated this body, hated it deeply.

This hatred wasn't born from vanity, but from a fear and helplessness over "losing control."

If she couldn't control her own body, how could she fully control her own destiny?

Therefore, when she decided to enter this school, where her father served as chairman, she fiercely resisted his proposal to have a personal maid take care of her around the clock.

She longed for a "normal" high school life—even if only superficially normal—a period as much as possible led by herself, without relying on others' pity or special treatment.

In the end, father and daughter each compromised, reaching the current agreement: the maid would only assist with the most physically demanding tasks like bathing; everything else in campus life—including studies, socializing, and even facing the school's uniquely brutal competition—would be decided and borne by Sakayanagi Arisu herself.

She knew this was the biggest concession her father could make, and the "best" arrangement for her at present.

But deep down, that feeling of "resentment" spread like a poisonous weed.

"But still... it's so frustrating..."

She murmured to herself, her fingers unconsciously clenching the soft fabric of her bathrobe. "This feeling... of not even being able to fully control my own body..."

During the day, Mazumi Mami's calm yet strangely persuasive words echoed clearly in her ears once more:

"This isn't your limit. I believe you can do better."

"What you lack is nothing more than a healthy body. And as it happens, I have some 'experience' in that area."

"If you're willing... to 'listen' to my advice when necessary, you can have a chance to try and change."

"This bottle is a seven-day supply. After using it, I believe Classmate Sakayanagi, you will reconsider my proposal."

His gaze—that look of seeming to see through everything while extending an equal invitation—was especially vivid at this moment.

Sakayanagi Arisu reached out and picked up the bottle of nutrient fluid.

The cool glass bottle felt smooth to the touch.

She unscrewed the delicate cap but did not drink immediately. Instead, she brought it to her small, straight nose and gently sniffed.

An indescribably fresh scent rushed into her nostrils.

It was not the smell of any known medicine or fragrance. It was more like... the pure essence of a deep forest after rain, mingling with soil and newborn vegetation, carrying a faint, reassuring warmth.

Just smelling it, she felt her tense nerves relax slightly. The usual faint tightness in her chest seemed to ease a little. It was as if she were immersed in a vibrant natural world, her breathing becoming lighter.

"Could it actually... have some effect?"

Surprise flickered in Sakayanagi Arisu's violet eyes.

From childhood to now, she had received top-tier treatments and consumed countless precious medicines. The resources of the Sakayanagi family were enough to grant her access to the world's most advanced medical methods.

Yet all those efforts had been like stones sinking into the sea. Her physical condition had always hovered on a fragile baseline, never showing fundamental improvement.

But somehow, this seemingly simple bottle of milky white liquid in her hand gave her an unprecedented, strange "confidence." As if it contained some power beyond conventional understanding.

"So this is... the hidden strength of Mizuki Heavy Industries?"

She murmured to herself, a glint of understanding and gravity in her eyes. "No wonder they're a millennia-old mega-conglomerate. Their foundation is unfathomable."

Her hesitation lasted only a moment.

The longing for health had long since overwhelmed all doubts and pride.

"Come on, whether it's real or not... I have to try."

She picked up her usual water glass and, following the ratio Mazumi Mami had specified, carefully poured about one-seventh of the nutrient fluid into it. Then she added an appropriate amount of warm water.

The milky white liquid slowly diffused in the water, turning into a paler, opalescent hue.

Without thinking further, she capped the nutrient bottle.

Then she raised the glass and downed the mixture in one go.

The liquid slid down her throat, warm and smooth, with no particular taste.

But almost immediately, a gentle and persistent warmth spread from her stomach, rapidly flowing to her limbs and bones.

The warmth was not scorching, but it carried a strange "vitality." Wherever it passed, it was like parched earth receiving moisture. Even her perpetually cold fingertips seemed to warm up a little.

A tingling, slightly itchy comfort spread through her body, as if countless tiny lives were gently repairing and nourishing her weakened parts.

"This... is truly extraordinary..."

Sakayanagi Arisu couldn't help but whisper in amazement. She could clearly feel an unprecedented, positive response from within her body.

This was completely different from the medicines of the past, which could only temporarily relieve symptoms or bring heavy side effects.

"As expected of the medicine used by that young master of the Mizuki family..."

Yet, amid her amazement, a powerful, irresistible wave of fatigue suddenly crashed over her like a tide.

"But... what is this inexplicable drowsiness..."

She thought it might be the accumulated pressure from the high-intensity chess match against Mazumi Mami during the day finally releasing.

Or perhaps, after her body had come into contact with a truly effective "restorative" force, it instinctively wanted to enter deep rest to cooperate with the repair.

Before she could think further, the intense drowsiness made her eyelids heavy.

"So sleepy..."

She barely managed to stand, supporting herself against the furniture as she staggered toward the bed.

Almost by instinct, she lifted the covers and wrapped herself inside, not even bothering to change out of her bathrobe.

In the last moment before falling into deep sleep, she vaguely felt that the warmth did not stop as she slept. Instead, it became gentler, continuously circulating and permeating through her body.

Her perpetually pale and cold fingertips seemed to be regaining a healthy flush, little by little.

Her faint, struggling heartbeat, even in sleep, appeared to become steadier, a little stronger...

Deep within her body, certain long-stalled gears of vitality and energy seemed to have been quietly infused with a new driving force, beginning to turn again—extremely slowly, yet unwaveringly.

The night was deep. The girl underwent some unknown transformation in her slumber.

And the threads of fate, because of that small bottle of "nutrient fluid," became even more tightly entwined with the boy in the other dormitory room.