COTE :  Oh No, I've Become the Substitute

"Well then... haha... goodbye."

Having once again returned to the door of Horikita Suzune's room, Fuyuji Mikage waved goodbye while stifling his laughter.

"Stop laughing."

Horikita's cool, clear gaze scraped across Fuyuji. Yet before long, she herself lowered her head, her shoulders quivering as she covered her lips. A suppressed "pfft pfft" of laughter spilled through the gaps between her fingers.

No one could have predicted that Horikita Manabu, in order to prove that a hand stuck inside a water bottle could be pulled out as long as one remained calm, would—driven by curiosity and the dignity of an older brother—stick his own hand into another water bottle.

The result was that, relying solely on his own strength, he couldn't pull it out at all.

Horikita Manabu's elder-brother dignity shattered all over the floor.

Fortunately, as the Student Council President—and with the Student Council currently undergoing renovations and having access to the relevant tools—he could simply have someone deliver them upstairs.

This also indirectly proved to Horikita Suzune that having friends did have its advantages, allowing him to salvage a sliver of his authority.

"Also..."

After steadying her breathing somewhat, Horikita gently tucked a few stray strands of black hair behind her ear, her snow-white cheeks faintly flushed. She glared at Fuyuji.

"What happened just now—if you dare breathe a word of it, you're dead!"

"Of course." Fuyuji immediately raised both hands with a grin, striking a perfectly textbook surrender pose, and added with admiration, "That magnificent sight is one only I am privileged to behold."

The moment the words left his mouth, the atmosphere shifted. Horikita's smile-laced expression abruptly stiffened.

Fuyuji's grin froze as well. As if suddenly realizing something, he blinked and ventured weakly, "Suzune was talking about—"

"Shut up!" Horikita's face instantly flared bright red. She grit her teeth and raised a knife-hand, her gaze piercing Fuyuji like an icicle. "Say one more word and I'll kill you. Forget it immediately! Or I'll help you forget—I've heard a heavy enough blow to the head can cause amnesia!"

"Got it! See you tomorrow!" Fuyuji turned and fled without the slightest reluctance.

Dear lord, Horikita-girl is way too ferocious. Tease her too far and you'll face swift retribution. Next time, I've gotta drag Cha-Cha along to draw some of the fire.

"Send me a message about what you want to eat." An unhurried voice drifted from behind.

"Got it, but tomorrow I might not be free."

Fuyuji slapped the elevator button and ducked inside without looking back.

Moments later, the elevator doors slid shut with a "ding," and his figure slowly vanished behind the silvery panels.

The corridor fell quiet, leaving only the low hum of the elevator's machinery and the faint whisper of air from the vents.

Horikita stood there staring blankly at the scrolling numbers on the distant elevator display. Her cool, clear eyes opened and closed intermittently. No one knew what she was thinking.

A long while passed.

A draft from the air conditioning swept across her body. Horikita shivered involuntarily and finally snapped back to her senses.

Has he... already left?

She turned around, her fingers brushing the cold metal door handle, and pushed it open.

Inside, the lights were as bright as ever, yet the room felt extraordinarily empty and silent. The two empty teacups used to entertain Fuyuji still sat on the coffee table. The sofa cushions were slightly disheveled. The air seemed to still carry a faint trace of something that didn't belong here—a light, crisp, yet somewhat unsettling scent.

A strange feeling welled up in her heart.

Though it had only been a single, short day, it felt as though she had spent a very long time together with that guy...

Stepping slowly into the room, Horikita crouched down and picked up the water bottle that had rolled onto the floor earlier.

Her own reflection stared back from the stainless steel surface. The smooth, cylindrical exterior stretched her slender figure tall and thin. Her fingers unconsciously traced gently along its surface.

A little slippery. The outside was still coated with a bit of soapy water. Chilly air seeped from the mouth of the bottle, still cold inside.

As she gazed at it, Horikita's cheeks suddenly puffed up.

It was all because of this thing that she'd ended up in such a miserable state! The culprit! A menace! It cannot be allowed to remain!

A few dozen seconds later.

With a crisp clatter, the empty tea canister used for entertaining Fuyuji was swept into the trash.

Accompanied by the sound of running water from the kitchen, Horikita dried her hands. Gazing at the gleaming ladies' stainless steel water bottle now sitting on her desk, she nodded with satisfaction.

Never mind. It still has its uses. Throwing it away would mean wasting points to buy another.

Scanning the room once more, her gaze drifted restlessly. She let out a long sigh.

Today's practice problems still weren't finished. The copy of The Red and the Black she'd planned to read had only been opened to the first page. She still had to clean the room later.

And tomorrow, she'd have to get up early to buy groceries and cook for that guy...

The thought alone made Horikita wordlessly press a hand to her forehead. How had her high school life turned out so completely different from what she'd imagined?

Finally, her gaze lingered for a moment at the entryway before quickly moving away.

Mm. Tomorrow, she'd pick up a pair of indoor slippers as well. Letting guests go barefoot the entire time was unbecoming of the Horikita family's upbringing.

Just then, her phone buzzed with a "vwoom" from the desk. Horikita reflexively turned her head.

At this hour, the number of people who would send her a message was already pitifully few.

Before she could even figure out who it might be, the phone was already in her hand.

[Fuyuji Mikage: Oh right, consider this photo as thanks for helping Horikita-san. Arigatou~ bowing in gratitude.jpg]

Immediately after, a photo turned into a reaction sticker arrived on her phone.

[Water Bottle Hero.jpg]

What greeted Horikita's eyes was herself—hands planted on her hips, standing majestically within her room, looking down upon all creation with an aura of absolute authority... were it not for the water bottle dangling from her other hand.

"Crack—!"

Horikita squeezed her phone with a grating crunch. The black hair behind her danced without any wind. She whipped her head around and fixed a death glare on the ladies' water bottle on her desk, enunciating each word:

"I really should have thrown you away after all!"

On the other side.

Fuyuji walked along the path back to his own room, his head lowered as he gazed at his phone. His finger long-pressed to save the image, annotating it "Horikita Suzune, Majestic and Commanding." The curve of his lips rose uncontrollably.

If Cha-Cha saw this... would she give me a kiss?

Maybe I could even use this to exchange for custom services from Cha-Cha, reaping more and more benefits.

Ten photos?

No, no, no. Given Cha-Cha's obsession with Suzune, even fifty photos might be possible.

Also...

Fuyuji's finger slid across the screen and stopped on Nagumo Miyabi's chat page.

That information just now—should I sell it to Blond Senpai? Or to Blond Senpai?

Couldn't possibly sell it to Secretary-chan, right? She doesn't have the means.

Keeping it as a trump card wouldn't be bad either.

All in all, today's haul was plentiful. Selling this off would cover the expenses for my next date with Lady Morishita, and I could even buy her a fish tank.

This truly is an inherently evil Advanced Nurturing High School. It really knows how to corrupt a student's heart and mind.

Pocketing his phone, Fuyuji walked with light, brisk steps, humming some nameless little tune. He twisted the door handle and returned to his own room.

The dormitory corridor, nearing ten o'clock, was brightly lit yet utterly deserted. Not a single figure could be seen; one could gaze straight to the very end.

Several minutes later, from the corner at the far end of the corridor—where no one would ever have thought to look—four adorable little heads silently peeked out.

"We waited so long, and finally we've caught him. That pervert Fuyuji Mikage—as expected, he's a shameless playboy!"

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