Chapter 236: The Naturally Evil Fuyuji

With a beep, the room card unlocked the door. He pushed it open, and a fresh, delicate fragrance unique to a girl's room wafted out, carrying a clean scent of sunlight and a faint citrus aroma.

He casually flicked the switch beside the entryway. The white fluorescent light in the room flickered on in response, and the room's furnishings were fully revealed.

Compared to Morishita-sama's room, which had been remodeled into something garish and colorful, filled with all sorts of mysterious little trinkets scavenged from who-knows-where, plus a fish tank;

Or Horikita Suzune's room, which was kept meticulously neat, virtually unchanged since the start of the school year except for the addition of various kitchenware and books;

Ichinose's room seemed far more normal. She likewise hadn't purchased any large items, just a few potted plants and some cute plushies. It had all the necessary daily living items, but they were organized neatly, giving off a simple yet lived-in feel.

After a brief scan, Fuyuji took off his shoes and entered the room. After a few steps, he stopped in his tracks, silently halting in front of the dark brown wardrobe issued by the school.

This was his first time fetching something like this for a girl. His heart rate involuntarily accelerated, and his mood was inexplicably stirred.

His fingers hovered in midair for a moment. His Adam's apple bobbed unconsciously, as if he were about to open an unknown treasure or draw a card from a gacha. Finally, his gaze sharpened. With a swift motion, both hands pulled the wardrobe doors open.

A set of the school-issued Advanced Nurturing uniform. A few sets of summer casual wear. Autumn and winter clothing that was obviously newly purchased at a glance. And...

Fuyuji quickly glanced at those few undergarments that were very much in a girlish style but whose actual size was severely disproportionate, then puffed out his chest, righteously retrieved the pajamas, and slammed the wardrobe doors shut with a bang.

"Phew..."

He let out a long breath of relief, raised the back of his hand to wipe away the nonexistent sweat on his forehead, and muttered to himself:

"Too evil. This cursed ground of great calamity actually possesses a strange power that tempts one to fall. It must be completely sealed away, lest it bring harm to the world in the future!"

The ally of justice, Fuyuji, made such a resolution!

Swiftly, he stuffed the set of light pink pure cotton cardigan pajamas, the top's hood decorated with a pair of soft plush bunny ears, into a bag. Fuyuji then scanned the room once more, confirmed nothing was left behind, and strode toward the door.

It would soon be time to mobilize his personal cook, to ask Suzune to help make some porridge.

The supernova of the dark culinary world--Fuyuji--after repeated deliberation, ultimately suppressed the restless feeling in his heart, avoiding a class diplomatic incident two days later where Class B students would accuse Class A of using despicable means to poison Class B's leader in order to win the exam.

Click--! The door opened. Fuyuji had just set one foot outside.

The next instant.

Bang--!

Before the sound could fully spread, Fuyuji had already flashed back into the room with the door and himself moving so fast they left afterimages. Bag in hand, he instantly locked the door and braced his back against it.

Holy crap, how could it be such a coincidence? Why would that Shiranami person show up outside at this exact moment!

"Honami-chan, Honami-chan, are you back? I saw your room light turn on from upstairs!" Shiranami Chihiro's crisp voice, carrying obvious excitement, pierced through the door crack and drilled straight into Fuyuji's eardrums.

Case solved!

Shiranami Chihiro, you creepy stalker who peeps into people's rooms!

But now was not the time to think about that. The urgent priority was how to bluff his way out of being in Ichinose's room.

Otherwise, within ten minutes, the entire Class B would be in chaos. Ichinose would have to drag her sick body to explain things to all of Class B's children, and ultimately collapse again.

The despicable, evil Class A would once again deploy its dirty, shameless tactics, dealing a severe blow to Class B's morale and winning the special exam with ease.

And Hashimoto, witnessing Fuyuji's masterful maneuver, would surely prostrate himself in admiration and offer his utmost loyalty!

Of course, the premise of all this was that Fuyuji wouldn't be torn apart by Morishita-sama and the others first.

Shiranami's slightly curious voice came through. "Huh? Honami-chan, why aren't you saying anything?" Then the curious voice suddenly turned tense. "Could it be that Honami-chan is still feeling hurt over today's rumors? I knew it. You looked strange today. It must be because of the rumors. Otherwise, we wouldn't have shown that kind of expression out of worry..."

Fuyuji: "..."

A direct hit!

Shiranami-san, you're so smart. But could you please not use your intelligence here?!

"Honami-chan, please open the door," Shiranami's voice grew more worried, as if a sob might spill from her mouth at any moment. "It's okay. Kanzaki-kun and the others have already gone to find whoever spread the rumors. It'll be fine soon..."

Facing this desperate situation, Fuyuji's brain raced frantically.

He had to find a way to hold her off. Otherwise, if she called over the Class B students and trapped him here, it would be the end!

At this point, there was only one option...

"Cough cough cough," Fuyuji quickly returned to the room, found a mask, put it on, coughed a few times, pinched his voice, made it hoarse, and said with extreme shame, "S-sorry, Chi-Chihiro-chan, I can't open the door for you."

"Eh? Honami-chan, Honami-chan, why does your voice sound so strange?"

"B-because I caught a cold. That's why I can't open the door for you. I'm afraid of infecting you."

"But, Honami-chan, Honami-chan, why is your way of speaking so strange? It doesn't sound like your usual self?"

What the hell, are you some kind of Little Red Riding Hood? Why do you have so many questions?!

"That's... b-because I still have a slight fever, and my head is a bit muddled, so that's why I'm speaking so strangely."

Shiranami hesitated for a moment. "Then... can you open the door? I'm not afraid of being infected. I'll take care of you!"

Bang--!

Fuyuji ground his teeth and punched the wall beside him, producing a faint thud.

I told you to leave, didn't you hear me? And what's with that voice that sounds so worried yet so eager?!

You creepy stalker, I can see through your ill intentions at a glance!

"No!" Fuyuji's pitch involuntarily rose a notch, then he immediately caught himself. "Cough cough, I absolutely, absolutely cannot infect you, little Chihiro. So please hurry back. I'll probably be fine after a night's rest. I still have class tomorrow."

"Oh." Shiranami's voice deflated like a punctured balloon, tinged with disappointment. "Then you rest well, Honami-chan. I'll be going now. Don't worry about the rumors, really. I've always believed in you, Honami-chan."

"Okay, I understand. I'll try my best to pull myself together." Fuyuji responded weakly, leaning against the door panel.

Hurry up and leave, hurry up and leave...

Then, the sound of light footsteps came. It seemed Shiranami had left.

However, before Fuyuji could breathe a sigh of relief, another sentence drifted in from outside the door. "Then I'll go back and make you something to eat, Ichinose. It'll be quick, just thirty minutes. Wait for me!" Then the footsteps quickly disappeared.

With a click, Fuyuji pinched his thigh hard, nearly grinding his back teeth to dust. Thank goodness he hadn't actually carried Ichinose up here. Otherwise, even if she wasn't sick, these people would have tormented her into illness!

Fuyuji let out a long sigh, turned the room light back on, and walked back into the room.

If Shiranami knocked on the door in thirty minutes and got no response, then shouted loudly and still got no reaction, it would be easy for her to imagine something bad.

He still had to deal with Shiranami. Yet barely a few minutes had passed when footsteps approached from outside the door. About two or three people, by the sound of it.

A series of ding-dong sounds rang out.

"Ichinose, you said earlier that you were organizing the content for this special exam. I was thinking... this workload is really too much, too hard. We can't let you bear this kind of work alone." Class B's vice class representative, Kanzaki Ryuji, said in a steady voice.

Then came Ichinose's close friend, Amikura Mako. "That's right, Honami-chan. You just went through something like that. Don't push yourself. Leave the class work to us for the next few days."

Finally, Kobashi Yume. "If it's convenient, Honami-chan, could you let us in?"

"..."

Fuyuji slapped a hand over his forehead, staring in despair at the stark white fluorescent light on the ceiling.

Well, now it was a complete dead end. No way back!

With no other choice, Fuyuji could only use the same tactic to resolve this threat once and for all. He coughed twice again, pinched his voice, and pretended to be weak.

"S-sorry, everyone. I just realized I seem to have gotten a bit sick. I probably can't join you to organize the exam papers."

The moment the words left his mouth, the voices outside the door immediately turned tense.

"Ichinose, how are you feeling? Did you go to the school clinic?"

"Damn it, it must be today's rumors that made Honami-chan so sad that it came to this."

"Don't worry. Kanzaki-kun has already talked things over with Class A. We just need to take the exam normally. Class A won't interfere with the rumors this time. If things get out of hand, Katsuragi-kun will also provide some help."

Fuyuji: "..."

Of course I know it's already been settled. I'm the one who sent Katsuragi to negotiate!

In order to cut through the Gordian knot and send these people away, Fuyuji shamelessly chose to exploit the already-fled Shiranami Chihiro.

"It's fine. The doctor said I just need to rest a while. Chihiro-chan already came by earlier, so everyone doesn't need to worry. Normally, I should be able to go to class tomorrow."

The group outside the door all breathed a sigh of relief.

"That's good. In that case, we'll be going. Rest well, Ichinose."

"Okay, bye everyone~"

Enduring his discomfort, the shadow director Fuyuji came online once again. Imitating Ichinose's usual way of speaking, he successfully drove off the Class B group.

It seemed his pirated archangel halo was still shining brightly!

Listening to the footsteps outside gradually fade, until they completely disappeared at the end of the corridor, Fuyuji finally relaxed completely. He raised a hand to wipe the sweat from his forehead. His suspended heart finally settled.

Next, as long as he dealt with that stalker Shiranami, this mission would be complete!

Damn it!

He was just doing something as ordinary as fetching a set of pajamas for Ichinose. Why had he somehow turned it into a trial of eighty-one tribulations or a hero-slaying-dragon level of difficulty?!

About ten minutes later, Shiranami arrived outside the door right on time.

"Honami-chan, Honami-chan, I'm here. Open the door and take the food--"

Click--

Bang--!

Open the door, reach out, grab, pull back, close the door!

The movements were seamless, done in one breath. Fuyuji moved so fast he left afterimages. Before the delighted smile on Shiranami's face could fully spread, the insulated lunchbox had already been taken into the room.

The breeze stirred by the closing door fluttered Shiranami's bangs, leaving the girl frozen stiff in place, her hand still maintaining the outstretched posture.

"Little Chihiro, come back for it tomorrow. I'll eat every last bit and wash it clean before returning it to you."

"But..." Shiranami's lips quivered aggrievedly. "I still wanted to go in and take a look--"

"No buts. I can't infect you. Hurry back now. Bye." Fuyuji forcibly issued his order for her to leave.

Standing silently in place for a few seconds, Shiranami's shoulders trembled slightly. She sniffled a few times.

"I clearly... worked so hard on it for so long... Honami-chan, I... don't like you anymore!"

After crying out those words with a sob, the girl covered her face and fled in tears.

Inside the room, Fuyuji, holding the insulated lunchbox, waved at empty space.

Bye-bye~

Maybe tomorrow Ichinose will even have to thank me...

After confirming Shiranami had gone far away, Fuyuji carried the lunchbox back into the room, turned off the light, and sat back down on the floor.

Just to be safe, he planned to wait a while longer in the room. If anyone else came knocking later, he only needed to imitate Ichinose's voice and mumble that she had already fallen asleep.

That way, even if he left afterward and others found no response when knocking on Ichinose's door, when they asked the class, the others would assume it was because Ichinose was sleeping too deeply.

In the dim room, cool moonlight spilled through the window. Bored out of his mind, Fuyuji shifted his attention to the insulated lunchbox Shiranami Chihiro had brought.

With a trace of curiosity--mm, pure curiosity--he slowly unscrewed the lid of the lunchbox.

The lunchbox's clasp popped open with a soft click. The starchy white steam of porridge drifted out, followed by the mellow aroma of tofu miso soup, and finally the light fragrance of steamed fish.

Oh! Not bad, Shiranami. Who knew she had some skill. The perfect combination for a sick patient.

The three aromas intertwined in the air like a length of silk, making Fuyuji's nostrils flare involuntarily. In the darkness, he silently stared at the snow-white sea bream meat for a moment, then weighed the lunchbox in his hands. It was heavy, more than enough for two people.

Fuyuji, who still hadn't eaten dinner, silently swallowed a mouthful of saliva.

'Mm... just to be safe, let me taste it for Ichinose first. Just one bite.'

Anyway, it was brought for Ichinose. When she got it back, she'd probably invite him to eat together. Trying it beforehand wasn't a big deal.

It was just... quality control!

He fumbled for the spoon that came with the lunchbox. His fingertips touched the cold metal handle. A few seconds later, a spoonful of perfectly soft white porridge was delivered into his mouth. The warm, starchy fragrance spread across his palate.

Fuyuji narrowed his eyes in satisfaction and smacked his lips twice.

Seemed a bit bland. He had to try the fish, try the fish.

A few more seconds passed.

The fish was quite good. The sea salt, ginger slices, and the fish's own sweet freshness interwove together. Now let's try the miso soup.

Fuyuji poured a small portion of the miso soup into the lunchbox lid, blew gently to disperse the steam, and cupped it in both hands.

Gulp gulp, gulp gulp--

Bang--!

The room door was violently slammed open from the outside with tremendous force. A group of people poured into the room like sardines. Click, the room light was turned on. Harsh white fluorescent light poured down.

"Dorm mother, please don't upset her. She's been through a lot today--"

"That's right. She was acting strange today, constantly trying to drive us away, even lying to us. Something must be--"

"Honami-chan, please don't be in any danger. I'll definitely--"

All the voices were snipped off in an instant, as if cut by scissors. In that moment, the entire room fell into a dead silence.

An emergency medicine bottle in a plastic bag slipped from Shiranami's suddenly strengthless hand and hit the floor with a heavy thud. Colorful fever reducers, cold capsules, and throat lozenges scattered like startled beetles, rolling and tumbling out of the torn bag opening in all directions...

Class B's Kanzaki Ryuji, Amakura Asako, Kobashi Yume, the Shiranami Chihiro who had just fled, and the dorm mother holding the spare key card she'd used to force the door open--all five of them instantly turned into stone statues. Their heads creaked around, staring dumbfounded at the boy sitting in the middle of the room, eating with gusto.

"Burp~~"

A long, resounding belch echoed through the room, lingering for a long time.

Fuyuji stiffly set down the lunchbox lid, forcibly squeezing a smile onto his face.

"Y-yahoo, good evening, everyone from Class B."

A few seconds later.

In a lit room on the eleventh floor of the first-year dormitory building at Advanced Nurturing High School, first came a sharp intake of breath, like the silence before a storm, and then--

"Aaaaaaaaaah--!!"

A piercing shriek akin to a dolphin's cry, bursting forth first from Shiranami Chihiro, containing extreme shock, rage, grievance, disillusionment, and various other emotions, swept through the entire floor like a tsunami, startling birds and beasts in the small grove below into scattering.

Class A's Fuyuji, by his own strength alone, successfully dealt a critical blow to the gathered Class B students, one comparable to a Black Flash!

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