As a child of the Shinomiya Family, how could Shiomiya Yo not learn some artistic skills?
Shiomiya Yo had taken piano lessons before, and his talent for it was both high and low.
The main reason was that Shiomiya Yo could quickly master any technique or theory, but the music he played was as stiff as a robot.
It was absolutely "textbook" and "by the book," but art was all about expressing the artist's emotions.
Shiomiya Yo just couldn't do it!
But no one noticed, because he would watch other people's expressive performances and then copy them himself.
That way, he fooled everyone, but he couldn't fool himself.
Shiomiya Yo quickly grew bored!
Playing the piano was no different from laying bricks to him.
But things were different now!
Shiomiya Yo was emotionally unstable now, but that was better than feeling nothing at all before.
Tomorrow. Tomorrow, he would definitely give it a try...
With that thought in mind, Shiomiya Yo fell fast asleep.
A smile still lingered on his lips.
Ring, ring!
The alarm went off at six in the morning.
Without even opening his eyes, Shiomiya Yo slapped the alarm off and went back to sleep.
He didn't wake up again until he felt refreshed and full of energy.
Good morning, Advanced Nurturing!
He checked the time. It was nine.
Classes had already started, and it was too late to go now.
Then he just wouldn't go!
He'd gained the Ultimate Fighter talent and had wanted to get up early for a morning workout, but the Quilt Demon had defeated him.
Damn it!
Shiomiya Yo punched the quilt, determined to challenge his weakness again.
The moment his head touched the pillow, he began to drift off. Was he still... unable to do it?
When he woke up again, it was already eleven.
Damn it, had he failed again?
Looking at the quilt covering him, Shiomiya Yo offered his opponent his praise.
I hereby recognize you as the Ultimate Demon.
Shiomiya Yo rallied his spirits and fled the "battlefield," then took his time washing up and getting dressed.
He headed straight out to begin a new day!
By the time he reached the classroom building, the last class was already underway.
Instead of returning to his class, Shiomiya Yo wandered around.
He checked every class, including the second- and third-year ones. His brazen wandering earned him a reprimand.
A male teacher in a suit stopped him.
"Which class are you in? Why are you wandering around here?"
Shiomiya Yo didn't panic. He simply lied through his teeth.
"Sir, I'm on sick leave today."
The teacher frowned. The kid wasn't answering a single question, but he really didn't look like he was faking it.
(The ends of Shiomiya Yo's hair had turned white, and he looked very haggard.)
"Then what are you doing here?"
"I didn't expect to get better so quickly!"
The teacher was speechless.
"Get back to class!"
"I refuse!" Shiomiya Yo said with a perfectly serious expression.
Before the teacher could ask why, Shiomiya Yo gave him the answer himself.
"Wouldn't that make my sick leave pointless?"
The teacher couldn't help thinking that it... kind of made sense. No, it didn't!
Just as he was about to lecture Shiomiya Yo, the bell rang.
"Goodbye, sir. I'm going to lunch!"
Shiomiya Yo waved and ran off.
Cafeteria.
Shiomiya Yo set a premium meal in front of a second-year girl.
"Senpai, I'd like to get to know you. This is a little gift to mark our first meeting."
Shiomiya Yo said this with a warm smile.
People had many sides to them, and one could only get to know someone through their appearance and behavior.
Shiomiya Yo's friendly persona never failed him. He had practiced that smile so many times that he knew the exact curve of his lips.
Little senpai, you're mine~
The gloomy, timid-looking senpai with long hair seemed to have been struck by a shaft of sunlight. She immediately tried to run away.
Friendly approach: failed!
Shiomiya Yo wasn't about to let her get away. He grabbed her and held her in place.
Unable to escape, the senpai covered her face with both hands and began to whimper.
Seeing this, Shiomiya Yo didn't let the senpai who was on the verge of breaking down off the hook. He leaned in close to her.
"Eek! J-junior, please... control yourself! We don't even know each other, do we?!" the senpai said, trembling.
Shiomiya Yo smiled faintly.
"Senpai, my name is Shiomiya Yo. Now we've met, haven't we, Yamada-senpai?"
"Y-you know my name?!" Yamada looked at him nervously, as though he were some kind of monster.
Shiomiya Yo didn't answer.
He had carefully chosen Yamada-senpai as his target. He'd noticed her while wandering around earlier.
She was struggling financially, introverted and withdrawn, and a bit timid to boot. She was the perfect easy target!
As for her name, that was simple. He'd overheard it.
He'd heard her female classmates gossiping about her.
His detective talent was incredibly useful. After digging into things, he'd hit the jackpot.
"Yamada-senpai, don't look at me like that. You'll make me blush~" Shiomiya Yo said, acting coy.
"I just want to ask you a few things. Answer me honestly, all right?" Shiomiya Yo tilted his head and looked at her with an innocent expression.
Yamada Anna nodded repeatedly, undisguised terror on her face.
Shiomiya Yo smiled with satisfaction. If he could have avoided it, he wouldn't have done this, but plans had changed. His senpai was so terrified of socializing that he had to resort to force.
"About school points and classes..."
Shiomiya Yo listed all the questions he'd come up with.
Yamada Anna didn't dare hide anything. Stammering, she told him everything about the opening Special Exam and all the school's rules, forgetting all about the restrictions imposed by the school.
Shiomiya Yo listened carefully and took notes on his phone. At the end, he had Yamada Anna review them to make sure everything was correct before finally letting her go.
Shiomiya Yo gave her the warm smile he'd practiced countless times and patted Yamada Anna on the head.
Yamada Anna clutched her skirt, trembling all over and not daring to look up at him.
She kept murmuring:
"P-please don't kill me. I won't tell anyone anything."
Hearing that, Shiomiya Yo snorted.
"Yamada-senpai~"
"Y-yes!" Yamada Anna responded reflexively.
"Let's introduce ourselves properly. My name is Shiomiya Yo, and I'm in Class 1-D. Let's exchange contact information!"
Trembling, Yamada Anna took out her phone, and the two exchanged contact information.
"We didn't talk about the Special Exam or anything, right?"
"N-no!" Yamada Anna shook her head repeatedly.
"Yamada-senpai, you're so cute~" Shiomiya Yo said with a smile.
Shiomiya Yo hugged Yamada Anna and rested his chin on her shoulder, speaking beside her ear:
"Anna~, I don't mind how shy you get!"
"Huh?!"
Yamada Anna's eyes widened. She froze completely, a blush rapidly spreading to the tips of her ears as her heart raced and her thoughts grew hazy. Steam rose from her head.
Yamada Anna: defeated!
Feeling the girl's reaction in his arms, Shiomiya Yo smiled triumphantly.
Just as planned!
With a girl this innocent, all he had to do was tease her a little, and she'd start imagining all sorts of things.
That way, she wouldn't focus on the fact that he'd been prying into the school's rules.
After all, doing so violated the school rules. Giving her a little extra reason to keep quiet would make her less likely to betray him.
Shiomiya Yo let go and stood up to leave.
"Anna, don't forget to eat!"
Shiomiya Yo also made a "call me" gesture.
Yamada Anna nodded reflexively, then stared blankly at the luxurious meal on the table.
It was a while before Yamada Anna came back to her senses.
"Huh—! Does my junior like me? He called me Anna and treated me to lunch... Hehe..."
As Yamada Anna let her imagination run wild, her phone screen lit up with a new message.
[Anna, if you're feeling unwell, drink the hot cocoa on the table!]
Only then did Yamada Anna notice the can of hot cocoa on the table.
Warmth filled her heart.
But she was still puzzled. How had her junior known she wasn't feeling well?
Shiomiya Yo: Nothing escapes a detective's eyes!
Before you continue