COTE :  Oh No, I've Become the Substitute

Roughly fifteen minutes later, Fuyuji, his expression utterly blank, gripped Yamamura's wrist and led the thoroughly dazed and sweet-talked girl out of the tent.

That damned black-hearted swindler—couldn't she have shown even a shred of conscience? What did she mean, "The misfortunes the guest suffered in the past will one day return to her side as gifts"?

What did she mean, "The guest will, in the future, marry the person she loves just as her heart desires and live a life of happiness"?

What did she mean, "In the future, she will have a pair of adorable twin daughters, who will share their mother's shy personality and love to hide behind her, clinging to her legs, one on the left and one on the right"?

Was this fortune-telling or future-sight?! Could those presbyopic eyes of yours—the ones that can't even recognize me—actually see all that?! I wouldn't believe you for a second, you swindler! You're rotten to the core!

No wonder this place had become so wildly popular on the school forums. Could it be that this old granny had been in sales in her youth, and when she grew too old to keep up, she simply switched careers to fortune-telling—ultimately relying on that silver tongue of hers to rake in a huge fortune?

The problem was—why was it that when it came to him, all he got was, "The guest's future is not something a fortune-teller of my caliber can foresee"? He'd paid good money, fair and square! And it was the same answer all three times!

And in the end, she'd even tossed him that line: "A guest like you—I doubt I'll ever forget you for the rest of my life..." Damn it all. I won't forget you either, you swindler who scammed me three times in a row! Never again!

"How did it go?"

Seeing the two emerge, Morishita, who had been waiting just a few steps beyond the tent, immediately came forward. Tilting her head, she asked with considerable curiosity, her small blue braids flicking playfully with the motion.

"Judging by the results, it should be considered good. Look." Fuyuji shifted his body to the side, revealing Yamamura behind him, still thoroughly immersed in the beautiful future of her two adorable daughters.

"Alright... it does indeed look pretty good..."

Casting a discreet, furtive glance at the two hands still clasped together, Morishita turned around as if nothing were amiss. She clasped both hands behind her back and began walking forward, all the while lifting her eyes, seemingly casually, toward the massive floor-to-ceiling windows. She asked.

"Where to next? Want to go eat?"

Beyond the windows, past the shopping center's enormous glass curtain wall, the sun had lost its harsh edge. The orange-red sun hung high in the western sky.

Nearly three hours had passed since the blackout. The blinding white glare had now faded from the western horizon, the backdrop shifting to a pale, faint grey-blue. A few thin clouds drifted there, their edges tinged by some unseen light source with a soft, muted gold that was nearly grey-white.

Fuyuji halted his steps and scratched the back of his head with a touch of headache. His gaze, too, drifted toward the gradually settling twilight.

"Hold on. Let me ask Katsuragi if the power's back yet." He subconsciously released his grip on Yamamura's wrist and swiftly pulled out his phone.

It was already nearing the end of the workday. The school administration—the same people who could toss students onto an uninhabited Pacific island for wilderness survival—naturally wouldn't go out of their way to carve out a special space just for the students.

Add to that the fact that past eleven o'clock, the vast majority of the school's buildings shut down their power and closed their doors. If the repairs weren't finished, they were most likely in for a pitch-black, sweltering, electricity-free night.

The phone rang three times before connecting.

"Hey, Katsuragi. How's the progress?" Fuyuji came straight to the point.

"Currently still under repair." Katsuragi's voice betrayed a note of exhaustion. The clamor of construction work sounded intermittently in the background. These days, even being a Student Council beast of burden wasn't easy.

"It's estimated the power won't be back until tomorrow. The school and the Student Council will be issuing a notification shortly."

"Alright. Thanks for the hard work. Goodbye."

Fuyuji decisively ended the call. After silently mourning Katsuragi for a single second, his suspended heart had, at last, met its death. A dark environment, stifling heat—

"Mm? Wait!" Fuyuji tilted his head. His brows instantly smoothed out, a look of joy surfacing on his face. "Don't I still have that solar-powered electric fan? That thing has a built-in power storage device. It can blow all night long without a problem!"

"No. It's not Fuyuji Mikage's."

At some unknown point, Morishita had already pulled Yamamura over to the other side. Her other small hand stretched out, her voice brimming with righteous confidence. "That thing belongs to the great Morishita! Give it back right now!"

"Didn't you give it to me? There's no sense in asking for a gift back." Fuyuji stared at her in disbelief.

Her bright, beautiful eyes stared fixedly at Fuyuji. Morishita shook her head, her small blue braids tracing an arc through the air. Her airy, floating voice carried a trace of lament. "Fuyuji Mikage, you've changed. Before, you would always let me have my way..."

Then, her large eyes blinked forcefully, as if about to brew a layer of misty tears in the very next moment...

Fuyuji's eyes narrowed slightly. He spoke with exasperation. "Great Morishita, the same trick won't work on me twice."

"Damn it! You saw through it!" Morishita was like a punctured balloon—that faint trace of grievance instantly dissipated. Her little face crumpled. Both hands crossed huffily over her chest, and she wrenched her head forcefully to the side, pursing her lips.

"Um..." Yamamura beside them had finally come back to her senses. She weakly raised her hand. "Couldn't we just go buy another one?"

"That won't work." Morishita raised her little face with considerable pride. "That one is a limited edition, and there was only one available. Only the great Morishita could have had the discerning eye to recognize its value and the foresight to snap it up and bring it home."

"..." Wasn't it you who said you bought it because it looked interesting, and because there was only one, you dug it up? And who on earth was the genius who designed it? A solar-powered fan—a device as absurd as a solar-powered flashlight. And they actually manufactured it for real.

"So," Fuyuji raised a hand and pressed it to his forehead. Helplessly, he stepped forward and drew closer to Morishita. "We'll have to go by the old rules."

"Naturally, this is the way at a time like this." Morishita nodded in approval and likewise stepped forward.

With a sharp clap, two palms clasped together. They spoke in perfect unison.

"Half each!"

"Eh?" Yamamura looked at Fuyuji, then at Morishita, somewhat bewildered. "An electric fan... how do you split it half each?"

"Didn't we already try this on the deserted island?" Morishita smoothly withdrew her hand and instead took hold of Yamamura's. She then raised a single slender, pale finger toward her and prompted.

"The deserted island... Uu!"

Yamamura finally caught on. Her fair face, which had just barely returned to normal, instantly exploded into a scalding flush of crimson—as if splashed with fresh strawberry juice. It spread rapidly to the very rims of her ears, her small, delicate earlobes turning round and rosy pink.

"At this point, this is the only option." Fuyuji drew a deep breath and spoke in a heavy voice.

"But, but—it's not the same..." A wisp of white smoke seemed to rise from the top of Yamamura's little head. She murmured dizzily. "That would be..."

"There's nothing different about it. It's just that there were more people on the deserted island."

"But that's still—"

"Are you refusing the great Morishita's kind offer, Yamamura Miki?" Morishita let out a helpless sigh. "In that case, it'll just have to be Fuyuji Mikage and myself enjoying that electric fan together."

Yamamura, who had kept her head lowered, snapped awake as if from a dream. She raised her head in shock.

"Eh?!"

A cry—neither too loud nor too soft—suddenly rang out in the small corner of the fifth floor of Keyaki Mall.

"How can you do that?!"

"It can't be helped. Since Yamamura Miki refused, it can only be Fuyuji Mikage and myself going together."

Having said this, Morishita released Yamamura's hand and strode forward on her own.

"Morishita-san, wait for me! No, no, no!" Yamamura's little head shook back and forth in a frantic "muri muri" motion. She quickly caught up to Morishita's steps and retook her hand. "I want to come too! You can't leave me behind!"

"Very well. Since Yamamura Miki pleads so earnestly, the great Morishita can only reluctantly bring you along as well." Morishita parted her small lips and let out a tone of deep emotion, patting the back of Yamamura's hand with an air of affected magnanimity.

"..."

Having witnessed Morishita's entire operation, Fuyuji stared blankly, the corner of his mouth twitching.

As expected of a move executed by the great Morishita herself—truly extraordinary.

"In that case, let's stay here until ten o'clock and head back when the shops are about to close. How about that?"

Fuyuji glanced around. Unknowingly, the foot traffic in Keyaki Mall had surged dramatically. Familiar faces appeared in his line of sight from time to time.

With the dormitories blacked out, the school's cooling shelters were limited to just those few places—Keyaki Mall, the library, the swimming pool. The pool was probably packed to bursting by now.

Just then, the phone in his pocket suddenly buzzed. He moved his finger and lit up the screen.

[Shiraishi Mama: Fuyuji... I want to come too... smile.jpg]

In an instant, Fuyuji's heart gave a violent jolt. He felt as though a bucket of ice-cold water had been poured over him on the spot.

His eyes swept left and right. Within a few breaths, Fuyuji swiftly locked onto that beautiful figure.

In the clothing store not far behind him, Shiraishi Asuka's brows and eyes were curved like crescent moons. A gentle smile graced the corner of her lips as she slowly waved in this direction. Her pink lips parted lightly.

[I want to come too...]

Fuyuji immediately shot back a look. [You spotted me from that far away?]

Her pale golden strands shimmered with a soft luster under the display window's light. Shiraishi remained standing where she was, gazing at him with tender affection. Her pink lips once again moved soundlessly. [Your answer?]

[You've already put it that way. Could I possibly refuse?]

Having received a satisfactory answer, Shiraishi lifted her feet. Like an elegant white swan, she slowly threaded through the crowd and made her way toward Fuyuji's group. Drawing near, she pressed her palms together. Her voice was so soft it seemed it could drip water.

"Fufu~ Morishita-san, may I ask to join you? Actually... I'm also very afraid of the heat..." Her violet eyes carried a perfectly measured plea.

It couldn't be helped. She could never bear to put Fuyuji in a difficult position.

"Hm? When did you show up?" Morishita was instantly on high alert. She stared with open suspicion at this female classmate who had suddenly and seamlessly blended into their group.

"I've been here the whole time. Because of the blackout, I had no choice but to come to Keyaki Mall to pass the time, and then I happened to run into you all. Morishita-san simply didn't notice me." Shiraishi explained with a beaming smile.

Definitely not a coincidence...

The corner of Fuyuji's eye twitched as he watched her deliver this line without changing expression. He silently complained in his heart.

"Because on the deserted island and on the cruise ship, I also slept together with Morishita-san." Shiraishi stepped two paces closer. Suddenly, she spread her arms and, without any explanation, pulled Morishita into a tight embrace. Her cheek pressed against Morishita's snow-white, delicate cheek and nuzzled it. "Suddenly being without Morishita-san... I feel a little unaccustomed."

"Let go of me, Shiraishi Asuka. It's too hot." Her cheeks squashed flat, Morishita protested in a muffled voice. Her small hands laboriously pushed against Shiraishi's shoulders. "Do as you like."

"Thank you." Shiraishi whispered softly beside her ear. Satisfied, she loosened her grip by a fraction, but didn't fully let go.

"Hurry up and let go of me."

"Morishita-san, I feel we share a particularly special bond." Shiraishi's smile was like a blooming flower. Her arms tightened just a little. "So... let's become good friends."

"No! You're definitely up to no good."

"How could that be..."

...

Amidst the two of them pushing and pulling at each other, Yamamura, who had fallen behind, quietly shifted her steps. Soundlessly, she drew close to Fuyuji's side. She extended two slender fingers and carefully, timidly, tugged at the corner of his clothes. Rising on her tiptoes, she leaned in close to his ear.

"If all three of us are going... should we invite Kamuro-san too?"

True enough. Morishita, Yamamura, Shiraishi, and Kamuro had all shared the same tent and room on the deserted island. Now that three of them were gathered, there was no reason to leave out his proud and esteemed pal.

Mm... if he did leave her out, she'd probably kick him to death.

At this thought, Fuyuji—whose survival instincts were now firing on all cylinders—pulled out his phone and dialed a number.

"Bro. You there?"

"What do you think? If this is just more boring stuff, I'm hanging up."

That familiar voice—brimming with utter disdain—came through from the other end. The sound of a crowd moving about could faintly be heard in the background. She was probably, like them, killing time somewhere in Keyaki Mall.

"Pal, where are you? Keyaki Mall?" Fuyuji felt a twinge of unease. "Don't tell me you're about to embark on your Divine Thief grand enterprise again?"

"And whose fault is it that I'm this idle?!" A voice ground out through gritted teeth. "It's all because a certain someone keeps assigning me work with absolutely zero substance!"

Fuyuji spoke with the weight of deep, heartfelt sincerity. "This is all to temper your mind and spirit. Only then can you—"

"Hanging up. Bye-bye." Kamuro spoke with crisp, decisive finality.

"Don't! Hear me out!" Fuyuji hurriedly cut to the main topic. "How are you planning to get through tonight?"

"Obviously by sleeping in my room. It's not like I haven't done it before."

True enough. Class A had managed to sleep in that cave on the deserted island. A blackout—if they just toughed it out, they could still get through one night.

"Ahem. Here's the thing." Fuyuji cleared his throat and spoke with a straight face. "So, right now, my room has a solar-powered electric fan. The stored charge is enough to blow all night long."

"Haah?"

"We're currently three missing one. Want to come?" Fuyuji formally issued his invitation. "This is an exclusive spot, specially reserved for you."

The voice on the other end fell silent for a moment. In the quiet, only the faint sound of her breathing remained beside his ear. And then...

"Go die, you depraved pervert!"

-----------------------------------------------------------

If you want to Support me, you can Read Advanced Chapters on : [email protected]/Yuni_TL

50 [Power Stones] = Bonus Chapter!