COTE :  Oh No, I've Become the Substitute

I'm sorry, Horikita Manabu.

In the back row of the Advanced Nurturing High School bus, Fuyuji stared at the information on his phone and let out a long, emotional sigh.

You wouldn't want your little sister to have no one to look after her after you graduate, would you?

His thumb hovered over the send button for a few seconds. A "got it" smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. He pressed down firmly.

Don't worry. As long as the money's in place, even if she really does go dumb someday, I'll take good care of her. You can rest easy.

And Blond Senpai's a pretty good guy, really. All he wants is to have a simple match against you. How about granting him his wish, just once?

You Horikita family members are really something else, you know. Stringing people along day after day without ever giving a proper response. Practically born with a natural talent for being a scumbag.

He wondered when Cha-Cha would finally launch her charge against Horikita Suzune.

At this thought, Fuyuji switched contacts once more.

[Fuyuji Mikage: Your brother... has actually done a lot for you...]

The message had barely been sent when it buzzed with a near-instant reply. Eight or nine times out of ten, Horikita was reading on the bus again.

Beyond the window, sunlight filtered through the branches and leaves of the roadside trees, casting dappled, dancing patches of light and shadow inside the bus. He shifted slightly to the side, his gaze passing through the rear window of his own bus.

The bus carrying the Class D students was following behind, maintaining a relatively safe distance.

[Horikita Suzune: ?]

[Horikita Suzune: What do you mean? Explain clearly. What did you do this time? Didn't you promise me you wouldn't tell my brother about me getting sick?]

[Fuyuji Mikage: Suzune. You know I've always been on your side. In any case... sigh~ Give him a call later...]

His fingers slid smoothly across the screen as he once again sent her the screenshot of his chat with Horikita Manabu.

[Fuyuji Mikage: He figured it out himself. Has nothing to do with me. The one million—he insisted on giving it to me. Anyway. Arigatou.]

[Horikita Suzune: Transfer it back to him immediately!]

[Fuyuji Mikage: No such thing. Money that's entered my pocket isn't coming back out.]

[Horikita Suzune: Fu-yu-ji-Mi-ka-ge. Which do you choose—regretting while in pain, or regretting while in despair?!]

[Fuyuji Mikage: Bye-bye~]

After sending those two words, he decisively pressed the screen-off button and stuffed the phone back into his pocket.

Those two troubled siblings were really fun to tease once in a while...

Fuyuji grinned smugly and stretched his neck, which had grown a bit stiff from sitting so long. He turned his head and gazed out the window.

Through the dark-tinted glass, the Class D bus accelerated and overtook them.

Under the harsh sunlight, Horikita Suzune's thoroughly ice-cold, chilly face slowly appeared in his field of vision.

Her murderous glare stabbed straight toward him from the other side, as if trying to bore several holes through his body.

The smugness on Fuyuji's face froze solid. Then, as if finding it even more amusing, the corner of his mouth curled back up, tinged with a hint of provocation.

He raised his hand with a beaming smile and waved slowly. His lips parted, silently mouthing:

[Ganbatte...]

Horikita Suzune on the other side paused for a brief moment. Her expression instantly turned unnatural. As if scalded, she coldly wrenched her head to the side, the rims of her ears seemingly dyed with an almost imperceptible layer of pale red. She looked away from Fuyuji.

Oh ho. So Horikita Girl's actually a little tsundere too—

Fuyuji's grin hadn't even fully blossomed before it froze solid in an instant.

As the Class D bus continued moving forward, the figure of Horikita Suzune in the seat opposite vanished ahead.

And then...

With her signature business smile plastered on her face, Cha-Cha slowly appeared. She waved just as amiably, beaming as she greeted him from the other side.

On the dark-tinted window glass, Kushida Kikyo's dim, lightless eyes reflected back.

In that very moment, the light inside the bus seemed to darken for an instant. The cold air from the air conditioning suddenly turned a few degrees piercing. Fuyuji felt as if he'd just run headlong into a vengeful female ghost!

[You're dead...]

Her lightless eyes remained curved in a smile, fixed on him. Her pink, tender lips parted and closed with excruciating slowness. Every single mouth shape was perfectly clear.

"..."

Leaving behind this silent threat, her figure, along with the accelerating Class D bus, rapidly vanished from his line of sight, leaving only the blurred, swaying patches of light on the dark-tinted glass.

Fuyuji stared blankly at the traffic ahead and pressed a hand to his forehead.

Cha-Cha... are you my natural counter or something? Why do I always end up on the losing end against you?

A long while passed.

Having dealt with all relevant matters, Fuyuji withdrew his gaze and swept his eyes across the interior of the bus.

He'd originally only planned to seize the chance and make a quick profit. He'd never expected this kind of extra windfall. Blond Senpai really was generous—even throwing in this kind of intel for free.

Inside the bus, the air conditioning hummed steadily. The cabin was permeated with a subtle atmosphere—a blend of fatigue, lingering aftertaste, and the impending return to reality.

Most of the students by the windows were slumped in their seats, eyes closed in rest, neck pillows still hanging around their necks. Their heads swayed gently with the rocking of the bus. Occasionally, someone would open their eyes and stare blankly at the familiar city streets flashing past outside the window, their gazes unfocused, as if the reflection of the azure sea still lingered in their eyes.

A few girls in the front row were chattering away, sharing the spoils they'd brought off the ship—new clothes, various styles of handbags and lipstick. The school had provided a certain shopping allowance at the cruise ship's clothing stores, which had perfectly satisfied the girls' shopping urges.

The area near the center aisle was a bit livelier.

Hashimoto and a few other boys were huddled together, leaning forward, forming a small circle. In low voices, they debated the gossip surrounding this special exam.

"I heard that Ryuen Kakeru from Class C has been sleeptalking these past few days—saying that you dumped him, Hashimoto. Is that true?"

"Oi, oi. That's obviously that bastard Ryuen spreading rumors, alright? I still want to find a girlfriend at this school."

"It might not be a rumor. The room I'm staying in is near Class C's area. That night, I even saw Ryuen on his balcony, his face twisted with savagery, howling 'Why?!' at the moon."

...

The corner of Fuyuji's mouth twitched. He felt that Ryuen-boy had probably been driven mad from bottled-up frustration.

As for the sports festival—no rush to bring that up. A few days' delay wouldn't hurt. After all, physical ability wasn't like academic exams—you couldn't cram for it at the last minute.

His gaze continued to drift. Fuyuji slowly turned his head, then lowered it, gazing helplessly at the girl who had, at some unknown moment, leaned against him.

Morishita, seated beside him, held her phone in both hands. Her large eyes stared unblinkingly at the movie on the screen, her index finger prodding at it from time to time. The two braids at her chest had spilled onto Fuyuji's shoulder, and she didn't seem to care in the slightest.

The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya theater edition... In a certain sense, it rather suited her character.

On the other side, Yamamura Miki, who had originally been sitting quietly by the window, had, under the influence of the bus's air conditioning, closed her eyes. She was drowsy, on the verge of sleep.

The late morning sunlight, like melted amber, seeped through the windows and spread a hazy domain of light across the swaying rear rows of the bus.

Finally, the girl with the navy-blue side ponytail—the tension in her shoulder line, held taut until now—suddenly relaxed. Her forehead came to rest gently against Fuyuji's shoulder. A strand of hair slipped past her neck, and like a vine clinging to a cliff face, she leaned quietly against him.

Her breathing gradually grew long and even. Her exhalations turned into a warm mist, forming a tiny patch of dark, cloudy dampness on the fabric near his collarbone.

The hands folded atop her lap had, at some unknown point, loosened and now rested quietly upon his thigh.

The bus made a right turn and slowly drove onto the great bridge connecting to the artificial island of Advanced Nurturing High. The familiar silhouette appeared through the front windshield.

Beside them, the seawater shimmered and sparkled under the sunlight, reflecting a fragmented, dancing luster like fish scales. The cries of seagulls occasionally drifted into the bus on the wind.

At the far end of the bridge, the great gates of Advanced Nurturing High, built of white marble, appeared before Fuyuji's eyes. As the bus advanced, they grew from a tiny speck, slowly enlarging until they filled his entire field of vision.

After two full weeks, Fuyuji had returned to this place once more.

At the same time, the first semester officially came to an end. Summer vacation began.

The engine hummed steady and low. The air conditioning continued to blow its cool air with rhythmic regularity.

The bus, carrying a full load of people brimming with stories, drove steadily toward those magnificent white gates—toward the scorching, sweltering midsummer.

(The Deserted Island and the Cruise Ship — End)

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50 [Power Stones] = Bonus Chapter!