COTE : Oh No, I've Become the Substitute Chapter 39: That's Not How It Works

Looking at the girl across from him with the friendly smile plastered on her face, Fuyuji Mikage sank into deep contemplation.

Why are they coming one after another like this?

Could this be the necessary procedure for capturing a Legendary-grade Pokemon?

To think, at the very beginning, he had just been going to feed the pigeons.

Then he ran into the President, passed his test, and received the quest reward.

Next, he triggered his event and accepted the mission to escort Horikita to the infirmary. After a series of arduous maneuvers, he finally achieved the ideal ending.

And now, not even a mont to mourn Horikita's departure, the next one rushing to the battlefield is—Kushida Kikyo!

After he's done dealing with her, there aren't going to be a few more Class D humanoids mixed in behind her, are there?

Like, one of them acting less than human and capturing his Wild Pigeon, requiring him to go rescue it or sothing.

Fuyuji's gaze stealthily flicked behind her for a glance.

"Hm?" Noticing his line of sight, Kushida also turned her head to look back, revealing a puzzled expression. "What's the matter? Fuyuji-kun."

"No, nothing."

Fuyuji let out a sigh of relief. He turned his head to face Kushida and probed for the objective of this quest.

"Is there sothing you need, Kushida-san?"

"Eh? Does that an I can't chat with Fuyuji-kun if I don't have any business?" Kushida began deploying the Big Eyes Moe-Moe Offensive.

No, don't be such a Cha-Cha!

I still prefer the you who kicks railings. Please, revert back to that.

"Because I just finished dealing with a very troubleso girl. I'm feeling a bit ntally and physically exhausted right now."

Fuyuji drank yet another cup of coffee. Several snacks were also laid out on the table. It had to be said, Cha-Cha really spared no effort to keep him here. She was not like Horikita, who still had a large amount of points left.

But, he could also roughly guess why Cha-Cha had sought him out. It was most likely about that classmate of hers—the one she hated but couldn't have, her hate giving birth to love, yet who, in the end, completely ignored her.

Faced with the bait Fuyuji had thrown out, without the slightest hesitation, Kushida bit down in one gulp.

"Is that girl Horikita-san?"

Aha! The hidden dagger has been revealed, Cha-Cha!

Shaking and shivering with cold! If it were the original you, you'd definitely first show concern for my ntal state, asking in that coquettish voice how I'm feeling, whether I'm doing alright, and if there's anything you can do for !

Instead of fixating on that ice-cold Horikita girl. As expected, you harbor a special kind of sentint for her!

That ti in the small woods was the sa. The number of tis you cursed Horikita girl far exceeded anyone else.

"Yeah," Fuyuji rubbed the tip of his nose, "That girl is a bit fierce."

"I'm sorry. If Horikita-san did sothing impolite, I apologize on her behalf," Kushida pressed her palms together. "I'm sure that couldn't have been Horikita-san's true intention."

No! I'm certain, absolutely positive, that Horikita girl genuinely wanted to send to the hospital just now.

"That's probably just her personality. I wasn't planning on blaming her either."

"Is Fuyuji-kun very familiar with Horikita-san?" Kushida put the straw of her drink into her mouth, probing further.

"Not familiar at all. I only just t her today. We just happened to add each other as friends along the way. But I do get along pretty well with her older brother."

Crack—!

Fuyuji felt as if he heard the sound of sothing shattering.

Kushida lowered her head. The straw was bitten and bent into a right angle. Her brown hair concealed her gloomy expression. The spoon in her hand was bent into a curve.

Horikita Suzune! You bitch! I've been licking your boots for so long and still haven't seen you accept my friend request! And now a man you've known for less than a day easily adds you?! Then what the hell were all my efforts this past month for?!

"What's wrong, Kushida-san?" Holding back his laughter, Fuyuji asked with a straight face.

"No, nothing." Kushida took a deep breath, clenched her fist, and dug her nails into her flesh. She forcibly brought the smile back to her face and lifted her delicate features. "Actually, I wanted to ask Fuyuji-kun how you managed to add Horikita-san as a friend. Rember, I want to beco friends with every student in this school."

Having said that, she took Fuyuji's hand in both of hers, cradling it before her chest. With a pitiful expression, she said, "But, Horikita-san has never accepted my friend request. So, I wanted to ask Fuyuji-kun, how did you manage to beco friends with her?"

Give it up, Cha-Cha! You can't even handle our Yamamura. As long as she activates her Stealth skill, you won't be able to add her as a friend in this lifeti.

"A thod to add Horikita-san as a friend?"

"Mm, mm." An expectant look surfaced on Kushida's face.

Fuyuji pinched his chin and pondered for a mont, then tilted his head and said, "Well, I don't really know either. After all, she was the one who added ..."

In that instant, the entire world fell silent. Only the slow, soothing music of the cafe echoed in her ears.

Horikita Suzune took the initiative to add HIM as a friend?

Just what the hell is this guy saying?

Kushida's smile vanished. Her eyes seed coated with a layer of ash as she stared blankly at the indifferent Fuyuji.

"Moshi moshi" Fuyuji pulled his hand free and waved it in front of Kushida's lifeless eyes. "Kushida-san Daijoubu desu ka?"

A mont later, Kushida snapped out of it. She let out a couple of dry laughs and said, "Fuyuji-kun sure knows how to joke. Horikita-san has always been a loner in our class."

Impossible! Absolutely impossible!

I don't believe it! This must be a lie!

That's Horikita the bitch we're talking about! That Horikita Suzune, who never made a single friend throughout three whole years of middle school, taking the initiative to add HIM as a friend?

This guy must be hallucinating from too much... you know!

Kushida forcefully shook her little head and pinched the flesh of her thigh, hidden under the table.

Watching her, lost and unable to extricate herself from her own world, Fuyuji felt she might need so ti to calm down and ordered another cold drink for her.

One minute later, Kushida had sobered up slightly. The icy fruit juice sliding down her throat restored so of her rationality.

Biting her straw, she unobtrusively scrutinized Fuyuji, who was fiddling with his phone across from her.

Aside from being a bit handso, nothing special.

Reportedly, he was also the weirdo of Class A, drifting outside the Class A groups. Could this be the legendary "birds of a feather flock together"?

Kushida decided to ferret out the truth. At the very least, she needed him to reveal the thod of how to get close to that bitch Horikita.

"Um... how did Fuyuji-kun co to know Horikita-san?"

"Ah, that. I was sitting on a bench, drinking cola. She kept staring at . I ignored her, and then she just ca over and started talking to ." Fuyuji concisely described the scene of their encounter.

"..."

Kushida Kikyo's brain crashed once again.

I must be dreaming. Such a proactive thod of making friends—even I've never used it. Horikita Suzune, with that cold-as-death personality that says "please don't co within 5 ters of ," initiated a conversation with HIM?

No! There's another possibility—this man has been lying from start to finish. Maybe he just happened to bump into Horikita Suzune, and then Horikita Suzune just happened to exchange a few words with him, and I just happened to witness it.

Calm down, Kushida Kikyo. Haven't you seen enough of this sort of thing in Class D?

Indulging in their own delusional worlds, unable to pull themselves out, like they've inhaled too many magical leaves, blurting out their fantasies without passing through their brains.

It's just that the person in question switched from those dead, fat pigs in class to this slightly handso guy. Maybe that's how he got his "weirdo" title. Just look at his friend nickna, isn't it obvious? Who still uses weird nicknas like that these days?

Kushida once again convinced herself. Under her persona, seeing this kind of situation, she should have just laughed it off with a "haha" and continued chatting with a smiling face.

But this involved Horikita Suzune. Now, she couldn't afford to care about this stinky man's favorability rating. First, she'd clarify the truth of the matter. Later, when she had the chance, she could invite him out again, string him along until he was hooked, and then viciously raise his favorability rating.

After sorting out her thoughts, the smile once again brimd on Kushida's face.

"Ahaha, Fuyuji-kun, you shouldn't joke about this kind of thing. Horikita-san has always hated it when people talk about her behind her back."

Fuyuji clutched his chest and put on a wounded expression. "Kushida-san... do you think I'm lying?"

"Of course not. I still trust Fuyuji-kun quite a bit. It's just..." Yes! You ARE lying! You MUST be lying!

"But I really wasn't lying."

"You can't just rely on words for this kind of thing."

At this mont, Kushida's mask had mostly fallen away. The sweet smile could no longer conceal the tea flavor emanating from her.

"Alright. In that case, I'll give her a call." This simple, casual sentence once again emptied out her sanity.

Hah? What did he just say?

Already turned to plaster, Kushida stiffly watched as Fuyuji calmly took out his phone, placed it on the table, and turned on the speaker.

After a few rings, with a click signaling the call was connected, an icy voice, mixed with the sound of sothing sizzling in a frying pan, ca through the phone.

"Are you that bored? It's only been how long since we parted and you're already calling?"

"I am indeed quite free. After all, our Class A doesn't have as many issues as your Class D. By the way, are you preparing dinner?"

"Is there a problem? If you'd let send you to the hospital, I would have incidentally made a portion for you too."

"What about the sincere apology?"

"There is no such thing."

"Your face changes way too fast. It's only been a short while and you're already taking back what you said? But as for dinner, forget it. Because," Fuyuji smiled confidently, "my cooking skills are above yours."

"Having witnessed that mouth of yours, I hold no expectations whatsoever for anything you say."

"What a cold-hearted person."

"I've always been this way. If you don't want to listen, you can hang up."

...

Five minutes later, after debating with Horikita on exactly how crucian carp should be pan-fried to be delicious, Fuyuji hung up the phone and looked over at Kushida, who had completely crashed.

"See? I wasn't lying to you, was I?"

"..."

Silently, Kushida raised both hands to her ears and covered them.

That's not how it is! That's not how you make friends!

You're supposed to first put on a friendly smile and introduce yourself, then tell her she can co to you for help if she has difficulties, then greet her warmly every morning to deepen her impression of you, then chat with her day after day, rain or shine, to enter her heart, and finally, wait for one vulnerable night when she's feeling down, and when she pours her heart out to you, you comfort her kindly. THEN you can beco good friends.

How co you're this familiar with her right from the start?! That's not how making friends works at all! I don't accept this outco!

"..."

Fuyuji stealthily shot a glance at the already expression-shattered, dazed and confused Kushida, and silently shifted one seat to the left.

Holy crap! Seems like I might've overplayed it a little...

She looks like she's about to lose it. If her true nature explodes here, wouldn't that video of mine have been recorded for nothing?

Let's stop here. Can't stimulate her any more.

Putting his phone under the table, Fuyuji sent Kito a ssage: Call my phone in 3 minutes.

Three minutes later, Kito's call ca right on ti.

"Kushida-san, I have so matters to attend to, so I'll be leaving first."

Without waiting for Kushida to reply, Fuyuji stood up from his seat on his own.

Bye-bye, Cha-Cha. Although I'm a bit sorry for toying with you like this, I'm doing it for your own good. What if, so day, Horikita girl mocks you again and you just explode? So, this training of your qi—

Slap—!

A fair, soft hand grabbed Fuyuji's wrist.

"Fuyuji-kun, let's chat a little more." The coquettish voice ca, causing Fuyuji's goosebumps to imdiately fall all over the floor.

"Haha, Kushida-san, is there sothing else?"

Cold sweat stread down his face. He stiffly turned his head back. From within Kushida's dark, deep eyes, he read a single sentence.

If you don't explain yourself clearly, don't even think about leaving today!

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

I have a new work — Ani Crossover: Master's Not in Chaldea Today, go check it out!

You can support , and read up to 80 Advanced Chapters on : [email protected]/Yuni_TL

Every 100 PS = Bonus Chapter!