COTE :  Oh No, I've Become the Substitute

Advanced Nurturing High School, first-year dormitory building, inside Fuyuji Mikage's bathroom.

Yamamura Miki, who had suddenly barged into the bathroom still clutching her thermal container, and Kamuro Masumi—who had been startled out of her wits and, in her panic, had hastily grabbed a bath towel to hide herself—collided head-on.

The two stood face to face, eyes meeting, yet neither knew quite how to begin.

For a moment, an awkward atmosphere spread through the small bathroom.

"Hey, Yamamura..."

Kamuro was the first to break the silence, her voice dry, the tips of her ears as red as ripe cherry, her gaze drifting evasively away from Yamamura's eyes as she hurriedly tossed the towel back onto the rack.

"G-good evening, Kamuro-san..."

Yamamura's voice was as faint as a mosquito's whine, her cheeks instantly blooming with two red clouds that spread all the way to her ears. She unconsciously stepped back half a pace, as if trying to shrink into the shadows.

After exchanging these friendly greetings, the two sank back into silence.

The truth was, both being solitary types who never actively sought out friends, their relationship couldn't be called particularly close.

And due to their respective personalities, they normally never initiated conversation with each other—each simply went about her own business. Now, suddenly missing the other three, neither knew what topic to broach with the other.

Finally, Yamamura, timid as ever, mustered her courage. She gently set the thermal container down on the sink and spoke to Kamuro in a soft voice.

"Um... why did Kamuro-san suddenly show up here? Did you come to check on Mikage too?"

"I-I just..." Kamuro turned her face away, folding her arms, trying to maintain her usual cold, guarded demeanor—but her faintly flushed earlobes betrayed her guilty conscience. "I... I left my phone here, so I was just... just," she added another layer of emphasis to her tone, "checking to see if that bastard was dead yet! I didn't come specifically to see him!" As she spoke, she waved the phone she had just retrieved from Fuyuji's bed, attempting to bolster her persuasive power.

"Is that so..."

This flustered, guilty-as-charged tone actually helped Yamamura gradually relax. She raised a hand to cover the corner of her mouth, her brows and eyes softening.

"So then, that ice pack and medicine on Mikage's desk earlier—those were brought by Kamuro-san? I thought it was strange. I was sure they weren't there when I cleaned his room before. No wonder Mikage says you're actually a very gentle person..."

Having her praised to her face, Kamuro's face instantly went bright red. She rubbed her arms and put on a disgusted front, forcing out a retort. "You're one to talk, sneaking congee to that guy. I just grabbed this medicine on a whim—making use of something that would've gone to waste."

Yamamura blinked and countered with a touch of innocence, "But I never denied it, though."

Kamuro was momentarily choked up. She stared fixedly at Yamamura for a moment, then let out a long sigh.

"No wonder that guy says you're important to him. Looking at it now, it really is the case."

"That's not right. Kamuro-san is the same, you know." Yamamura raised a finger and earnestly corrected her.

Just then, a voice brimming with energy drifted in from outside the bathroom.

"Boyfriend-kun, as thanks for last night, I—Morishita-sama—shall take care of you! No need to hold back, and no need to be too moved!"

"Oi, do you not know exactly how I caught this cold?"

"Morishita-sama knows nothing about that. It's all because boyfriend-kun is always thinking about lewd things."

The two exchanged a glance, nodded, and almost simultaneously squeezed behind the narrow bathroom door.

"Shh—!"

Kamuro immediately pressed her index finger to her lips, nervously straining her ears to catch the sounds outside.

A peculiar thrill—tense yet exhilarating—spread through the depths of her heart.

In the living room, Morishita Ai fresh from her bath, kicked off her shoes, her twin braids already undone and her hair cascading loose. She flung herself onto Fuyuji's bed, pulled the blanket over herself, and patted the space beside her.

"Alright, boyfriend-kun, let's go to sleep. Just like last night. This way you'll get better really fast."

The two in the bathroom simultaneously held their breath.

S-sleep?!

Kamuro clenched her fist, her body trembling, and ground her teeth. "Sh-shameless, debauched degenerates!"

A thin wisp of white smoke slowly rose from the top of Yamamura's head. Her eyes had already turned into spinning spirals as she murmured helplessly, "S-sleep... the two of them..."

As if sensing the rancor of the two girls in the bathroom, a sharp smack rang out as Fuyuji clapped a hand over his forehead and spoke in a hollow voice.

"Ai, you're doing this on purpose, aren't you?"

"What do you mean?" Morishita propped herself up, tilted her head, and reached out with both hands to cup Fuyuji's cheeks, inspecting him from left to right. "Boyfriend-kun, why does your complexion look a little worse?"

"Does it?" Fuyuji gave two dry laughs, his voice tinged with helplessness. "I'm fine... just a bit of a headache. Um... Ai, how about you head back first? I'm worried about passing this on to you..."

If Morishita really did decide to stay, whether the two in the bathroom could escape was one question—but getting discovered was practically a certainty.

"No!" Morishita refused crisply and decisively, fixing Fuyuji with an incredulous stare. "Heartless Fuyuji Mikage, I came all the way here specifically to take care of you, and instead of being grateful, you're trying to chase me away?"

"I just don't want to pass it back to you." Fuyuji bent down and wrapped his arms around Morishita's soft body, murmuring gently. "Can I make it up to you next time?"

"But I want to stay with you..." Her cheek buried against his chest, Morishita's voice came out muffled.

"It's fine. Do I look sick right now?"

The air conditioner hummed steadily at twenty-six degrees. Fuyuji nuzzled his cheek lightly against her hair, quietly savoring the warmth of her body.

The wall clock's hands tick-tocked through most of their circuit. Morishita pulled away from his embrace, her little head drooping dejectedly. "Fine..."

"But before that..."

With that, Morishita stretched out her arms, tilted her face up, and closed her eyes. The meaning was self-evident.

Fuyuji smiled, leaned in, and kissed her.

Crickets and birds sang beyond the balcony. Distant white clouds drifted lazily over, veiling a small edge of the moon hanging high in the sky, then, driven by the southwest wind, slowly drifted away...

Midway through the kiss, Morishita suddenly opened her eyes and stared fixedly at the boy before her. Then she seized him by the neck.

"What's wrong?" Fuyuji asked, bewildered.

"Boyfriend-kun..." Morishita's eyes were dark and hollow. "Are you cheating on me?!"

Cold sweat instantly soaked through the back of Fuyuji's shirt. He turned his head aside guiltily. "H-how could that be, Ai."

"There's a ginger taste in your mouth. You definitely ate something before I got here. But boyfriend-kun, you..." Morishita smacked her lips, puffed out her modest chest, and extended a finger, delivering the killing blow with absolute confidence, declaring in a loud voice: "Can't cook at all, can you?!"

[Can't cook at all, can you... Can't cook at all, can you... Can't cook at all, can you...]

The words pierced Fuyuji's mind like ten thousand arrows through the heart, looping endlessly. It was as if half his soul had drifted out of his body. "Ai... couldn't you just lie to me a little?"

"Spill it. Are you cheating on me?!" Morishita sat in a duck pose on the bed, shaking Fuyuji's neck with all her might. "Scumbag Fuyuji Mikage, we've only been dating for one day and you've already done something like this?! Just what—"

Her shaking abruptly halted. Morishita seemed to realize something, her gaze sweeping rapidly across the living room—somewhat empty yet somehow a little disheveled—before settling on the white plastic bag on the desk and the unwashed bowl and chopsticks.

"Hmph hmph." Morishita drew out the syllables, her footsteps beginning to move through the living room as if searching for clues. "Morishita-sama seems to understand what's going on now."

...

At the same time, the two in the bathroom felt their hearts lurch. They exchanged a glance and let out a long sigh in unison.

The bathroom door swung open with a click.

Yamamura Miki and Kamuro Masumi emerged, one after the other, both faces bearing varying degrees of blush and embarrassment.

In the living room, Morishita stood before the desk, her small hands planted on her hips. "Caught you, didn't I, you sneaky cheaters—Yamamura Miki, Kamuro Masumi!"

"Mo-Morishita-san..." Yamamura's voice was fainter than a mosquito's whine, her cheeks like ripe apples. "I-I was just..."

"Takes one to know one." Kamuro rolled her eyes and spoke without courtesy. "You're no different. Just now, weren't you pounding your chest and swearing to us you wouldn't sneak ahead? And what happened? You actually came over to sleep with him!"

"This isn't sneaking ahead. This is looking after a classmate. He's currently in control of all of Class A's points, and school starts again in a few days. If he stays sick, that would be terrible." Morishita nodded as she spoke, as if convinced by her own logic.

"..." That statement, coming from you—Class A's resident oddball who has absolutely zero interest in class competition—don't you think there's something wrong with it?

"I only came because I left my phone in his room. Picking it up was just a side errand." Kamuro seized on Morishita's line of reasoning and swiftly found an excuse for herself.

The gazes present swiftly converged on the little wallflower standing off to the side, Yamamura Miki.

"Th-then..." Yamamura glanced left and right a few times, squeezed her eyes shut, and flailed both hands rapidly up and down, the motion blurring into afterimages. At breakneck speed, she said, "Then I just happened to make a little too much congee, and couldn't finish it myself, so I brought some to Mikage."

"So, none of us were sneaking ahead?" Morishita cupped her chin.

"That's right."

"Correct."

The three nodded simultaneously, unanimously accepting this logic.

"We can't tell Shiraishi Asuka."

"Of course."

"Th-this doesn't feel quite right..."

Just then—

Ding-dong—

The doorbell rang for the fourth time. This time, the chime was long and unhurried, carrying a distinctive rhythmic quality.

From beyond the door came a voice so gentle it seemed about to drip honey, brushing against the eardrum like a feather:

"Fuyuji, would you mind opening the door?"

In that instant, the entire room fell into a deathly silence. The three's gazes intersected soundlessly in midair.

Fuyuji raised a hand and pressed it to his temple. For a moment, he felt both amused and touched. "You four... it seems none of you are quite as good at following rules as I imagined. All four of you came."

Then, with a light shake of his head, he stepped forward, preparing to head for the door.

"Wait!"

"Hold on!"

"Don't move!"

Three voices—deliberately lowered yet unable to conceal their urgency—rang out simultaneously. Like three shadows, Yamamura, Kamuro, and Morishita lunged at him from different directions in the same instant, their hands scrambling to block his path, nearly shoving him backward. In unison, they cried:

"Don't let her find out we're here!" x3

"Why?" Fuyuji asked, bewildered.

Morishita was the first to speak. "At this point, the three of us are already here."

Yamamura followed right behind. "Only Shiraishi-san came last."

Kamuro delivered the final line. "We can't let her use this as ammunition to accuse us of sneaking ahead."

"..." Was the relationship between the four of you a good one or a bad one?

"Anyway, you go open the door and deal with Shiraishi for now. Let us eavesdrop on her reaction." Kamuro's face lit up with excitement.

Morishita immediately wrapped her arms around Fuyuji's waist, her little face closing in fiercely as she lowered her voice and threatened, "You can't tell her. We need to get dirt on her first. Otherwise, you're dead."

"We can't let Shiraishi-san be the only one getting away with that!" Yamamura tugged at the hem of Fuyuji's shirt and whispered.

Faced with three gazes fixed intently upon him, Fuyuji could only nod helplessly.

"It's settled, then!"

With that, the three bolted back toward the bathroom in a single streak.

Fuyuji drew a deep breath, suppressed the absurd sense of being "caught in the act," and opened the door.

The moment the door cracked open, a graceful silhouette, wrapped in an elegant fragrance, slipped inside like flowing moonlight.

Shiraishi Asuka stood in the entryway. Her pale golden hair caught the corridor light and diffused into a soft halo. Her violet-amethyst eyes shimmered with a cunning yet gentle brilliance in the dim light.

"Good evening, Fuyuji~"

Her soft gaze swept lightly across Fuyuji's face, then drifted, as if incidentally, over the slightly disheveled living room. A smile that was not quite a smile surfaced on her lips...

"Good evening, Shiraishi-mama~" Fuyuji forced out a strained smile. "What brings you here?"

The moment he spoke, Shiraishi had already drawn close. A warm breath—blending the sweet freshness of body wash with the unique scent of a young woman—instantly enveloped him. Her cool yet soft little hands, carrying neither too much nor too little force, gently cupped his feverish cheeks, ambiguously stroking the tight line of his lips.

"Shh..." She rose on her tiptoes, her warm breath carrying a heart-trembling heat as it ghosted past the sensitive shell of his ear. "Morishita-san and the other two are in there, aren't they..."

As she spoke, her smooth forehead pressed against his without any warning. The fine, cool sensation of her skin formed a stark contrast with his burning temperature, making Fuyuji shudder from head to toe, his breath suddenly turning ragged. Strands of pale golden hair cascaded down, brushing against the side of his neck, the tickling sensation burrowing straight into the depths of his heart.

"Mm... it really is a bit hot."

She withdrew slightly, but her hands still cupped his face, her burning gaze fixed on those eyes—damp from fever and nerves. "This won't do, you know, Fuyuji. Sick, and still sneaking off on dates, and making the other girls worry and rush over to take care of you... Truly awful." Her voice was kept extremely low, carrying a bewitching magic, yet also laced with a hint of dangerous reproach.

"Bad boy. Sick, and still giving everyone so much trouble."

Her violet-amethyst eyes glittered with a mysterious luster at this close distance, the beauty mark at the corner of her eye adding an extra touch of soul-stirring charm in the dance of light and shadow. "I deliberately waited until the others were just about all here before ringing the doorbell, you know."

"Why?" A feeling of unease and excitement surged up from the depths of Fuyuji's heart.

"Why, of course—"

In the next moment, Shiraishi's hands slid downward, wrapping around the back of his neck and applying gentle pressure, forcing him to lower his head.

Soft, warm, moist lips, carrying a sweet, fresh breath, landed precisely on Fuyuji's lips—light as a dragonfly skimming the water's surface.

The touch was barely there, yet carried a startling electric current, instantly numbing Fuyuji's nerves.

"—it's a punishment." Shiraishi drew back a little, her violet-amethyst eyes shimmering with moisture, a sly smile playing within them. "Punishment for a bad boy who won't behave."

Before Fuyuji could recover from the kiss, that gentleness in Shiraishi's eyes was instantly replaced by something deeper—a darkness tinged with possessiveness.

She leaned in again. This time, it was no fleeting taste. Her lips pressed directly over his with an irresistible force.

"..."

Moonlight streamed in through the window, spreading a hazy veil of silver across the silent room.

Tiny dust motes danced soundlessly in the beams of light. An indescribable tension filled the air, as if even breathing had to be done with care, lest it disturb this weighty stillness.

Every subtle motion—the rustle of fabric, a nearly inaudible sigh—was amplified in the excessively quiet air. Heartbeats thundered in their ears, so clear there was nowhere to hide.

Shiraishi's lips, carrying the crisp coolness of mint, gently covered his burning lips. Her arms wrapped lightly around the sides of his neck, drawing the two of them closer...

Her fingers slid into the hair at the back of Fuyuji's head, her nails lightly scratching his scalp with a hint of pressure.

Dizzy and disoriented, Fuyuji's arms unconsciously moved to tighten, to hold the warm, fragrant softness in his embrace—

Clatter!

A collision sound—not particularly loud, but exceptionally crisp in the silence—erupted abruptly from the direction of the bathroom!

"Ahhh, Shiraishi Asuka, what are you doing?!" Morishita, her face flushed with mortified fury, came charging out of the bathroom in a frenzy, dragging Kamuro and Yamamura along with her, demanding answers.

Shiraishi's kiss came to an abrupt halt. She withdrew slightly, panting softly, her violet-amethyst eyes narrowing in an instant. She raised a hand and, with unhurried, deliberate motions, used her fingertip to wipe away the ambiguous glistening moisture—belonging to both of them—from her lips. The gesture was elegant, yet carried a hint of dangerous indolence.

"Ara~" Her voice had returned to its usual gentleness. Her eyes fluttered rapidly a few times as she covered her mouth and feigned surprise. "You three... what are you doing here?"

Silence instantly descended upon the room. The three young women exchanged glances, each looking at the others.

"We... were just passing through."

"R-right, just passing through."

"Indeed. Just passing through."

"Then..." Shiraishi drew out the final syllable, tucking the strands of hair disheveled by the kiss behind her ear, a trace of slyness in her voice. "I was also just passing through."

"No. That was sneaking ahead. That was not just passing through." Morishita spoke with righteous indignation.

"Not correct, you know. Morishita-san's kind is the one that counts as sneaking ahead."

"I was exercising my legitimate rights as his girlfriend!"

"If we're speaking like that, I confessed to Fuyuji far earlier than Morishita-san did."

"So you really did sneak ahead, Shiraishi Asuka."

"In love, there is no such thing as sneaking ahead."

Just as the clash between the two was growing ever more heated, neither willing to back down, Kamuro, standing off to the side, half-lidded her eyes and cast a sidelong glance at a certain someone standing nearby, basking in bliss with a gleeful grin.

"I say, have none of you noticed that tonight, a certain person—who looks like he did absolutely nothing—has actually taken who-knows-how-much advantage, and on top of that, has completely shattered our alliance?"

The moment these words were spoken, it was as if a single word had awakened the dreamers!

Several gazes instantly converged on Fuyuji.

Bro, what the hell are you doing?!

Why would you bring up something this lethal at a time like this?!

A bead of cold sweat rolled down Fuyuji's temple. He retreated two steps, his eyes darting about uncontrollably. "This, that—this has nothing to do with me. I didn't do anything tonight, right?"

"Knowing Fuyuji's personality, not doing anything is exactly what's strange, isn't it?" Yamamura was the first to spot the blind spot.

"Boyfriend-kun." Morishita's little face turned cold. "With that crafty brain of yours, you should've been able to come up with plenty of ways to keep us from getting caught. And yet the four of us managed to collide perfectly. How do you explain that?"

"Now that you mention it..." Shiraishi cupped her chin and pondered for a moment. "Perhaps he knew all along when we would arrive, and simply went with the flow to create the current situation."

They had to remember—not long ago, they had still been interrogating and threatening Fuyuji. How had things devolved into this state in just a few short hours?

"Um... cough, cough." Fuyuji hurriedly bent over, loosely clenching a fist and coughing a few times. "I'm still a patient right now, you know."

"Does a patient bounce around this energetically?" Kamuro sneered coldly, pressing closer step by step. "From the very beginning, you've been looking perfectly full of spirit, your thinking clear. And now you can even counter us with logic and evidence—that in itself is proof."

"..." You bastard, why are you wilting at a time like this?! Pull yourself together!

"But Mikage still has a bit of a fever right now. Isn't this a little too harsh on him?" Yamamura seemed somewhat worried.

Fuyuji nodded like a chick pecking at rice. "Right, right. I still have a fever right now."

"But if we let him off like this, our alliance will fall apart again tonight, and this bad boy will get exactly what he wants..." Shiraishi analyzed rationally.

"I have a plan!"

Morishita puffed out her chest and raised a small hand, speaking with full confidence. Then she looked toward Fuyuji.

...

"Medicine, ice pack, fever patches..." Kamuro checked through the plastic bag one more time and stuffed it into Fuyuji's hands.

"Congee..." Yamamura lowered her head and held out the thermal container with both hands.

"Person..." Morishita and Shiraishi reached out together and touched Fuyuji's forehead, carefully gauging its temperature.

After one final round of confirmation, the four nodded in unison, signaling that everything was in order.

"Bang—" The room door swung shut.

Standing inside, plastic bag in one hand, thermal container in the other, Fuyuji stared blankly at the cold white door panel before him.

"Later, we'll all sleep in my room and keep an eye on each other. Once boyfriend-kun is better, we'll drag him out for interrogation."

Shiraishi: "Sounds good."

Kamuro: "A wise choice."

Yamamura: "Mm."

A terrible premonition welling up in his heart, Fuyuji seized the door handle and shook it violently. "What do you mean, once I'm better you'll drag me out for interrogation?! Aren't you supposed to spare my life out of consideration for my illness?!"

"As if it were that easy."

Morishita clapped her hands together and stepped closer to the door. "What it means is, boyfriend-kun is still sick right now. In a few days, once you're better, we'll settle accounts with you slowly. Tonight, the four of us will sleep together. If there's a problem, call us."

"What kind of girlfriend throws her boyfriend under the bus like this?!"

"No problem. It's decided." Morishita brought the topic to a close without further discussion.

"Wait, hold on!" Fuyuji stretched out a despairing hand. "We can still negotiate this!"

"Rest well. If you feel like you're about to die tonight, let me know."

"Good night, Fuyuji. We'll settle accounts with you in a few days~"

"See you tomorrow~"

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50 [Power Stones] = Bonus Chapter!