Within Room 404 of the Advanced Nurturing High School first-year dormitory, the lingering glow of the setting sun stread through the half-open balcony door, casting long, warm orange shadows across the floor.
"This is the pigeon you said could do a backflip?"
Morishita Ai cupped her chin, scrutinizing this pigeon whose eyes brimd with wisdom. She turned her head and directed a pointed question at Fuyuji Mikage.
Fat Pigeon spread its snow-white wings and covered its own head.
"Coo coo..." (Feeling a bit shy...)
"Correct!"
Fuyuji placed both hands on his hips and proudly presented the bird to Morishita. "This is the one-in-a-million King of Pigeons, with whom I have, after a month of tireless effort and at the cost of endless blood, sweat, and tears, barely managed to establish a rudintary bond."
Last weekend, Fuyuji had promised Morishita to take her to see Fat Pigeon. However, due to this pigeon's excessive pursuit of freedom, it had vanished off to who-knows-where in the blink of an eye.
This had left Morishita and Yamamura, who had co along full of excitent, utterly empty-handed.
For the next several days, Morishita had fixed Fuyuji with a stare that said, "You lied to . I'll never trust you again."
Now, the freedom-chasing wild pigeon had concluded its journey and had, after a long absence, co to visit Fuyuji's place.
To wipe clean this past disgrace and prove he hadn't been lying, Fuyuji had made a special point of dragging Morishita and Yamamura to his room to show off this rare Pokemon of his.
"You claim it can do a backflip?"
Morishita once again expressed skepticism that this pigeon, which was suspiciously plump, could perform such a feat.
"Wha, you don't believe it?"
Fuyuji smiled confidently and turned to Fat Pigeon. Using a combination of words and gestures, he communicated with it.
"Do a flip for her! Blow her mind!"
Over these past weeks, as Fuyuji had paired his psychic power with gestures to communicate with it, this Fat Pigeon had beco barely able to grasp the aning behind his words.
Mm... as expected of a legendary-class rare Pokemon? As long as the bond—fries—is sufficient, hearts can connect.
Fat Pigeon laboriously twisted its neck—grown increasingly plump day by day thanks to Fuyuji's feeding—and looked around. All it saw was whiteness. It hopped a few tis on the railing and nearly slipped down the steps doing an accidental split.
The air around them seed to freeze in that instant.
Morishita's eyes swiveled, her lively, large orbs sliding a glance toward Fuyuji.
You didn't just randomly grab so overstuffed fat pigeon off the roadside and bring it back to fool the Great Morishita, did you?
Even soone as thick-skinned as Fuyuji found felt his cheeks burn at this mont. He hurried to defend himself.
"Perhaps the recent high temperatures have affected its performance."
"Coo coo..."
Morishita wore an ambiguous smile, as if she truly believed Fuyuji's words. Picking up the thread, she asked, "What is it saying?"
"Uh..."
The words jamd in his throat. Haltingly, he said, "It says we're picking on him..."
Morishita paced around, observing this pigeon up close, while speaking unhurriedly.
"This pigeon likes to eat french fries?"
"Mm." Fuyuji nodded vigorously.
"This pigeon can understand what you say?"
"That's right." He smiled confidently.
"This pigeon also enjoys watching gossip?"
"No problem there." He puffed out his chest with pride.
A fair, tender little hand pressed itself against Fuyuji's forehead. After confirming there was indeed no fever, Morishita looked at him, shook her head helplessly, and let out a sigh that sounded far too world-weary for her age.
"Incredible, no fever. It seems eating your own cooking a few days ago has caused a blockage in your cerebral nerves. No matter. The Great Morishita will take care of you. My family holds shares in a senior care sanatorium. You can go there after graduation."
"Oi, I'm not joking!" He slapped the balcony railing with both hands.
"You wouldn't happen to think the Great Morishita is easily fooled, would you?!"
The two on the balcony stood toe-to-toe, sparks of electricity flying from their eyes as they clashed mid-air, a scene long unseen.
Fat Pigeon tilted its head, watching the two bickering humans.
"Coo coo..." (Two strange humans have appeared...)
Suddenly, Fuyuji, still locked in a staring contest with Morishita, furrowed his brows for a split second before quickly smoothing his expression.
"What's wrong?" she asked, catching the abnormality.
"It's nothing."
He walked back into the room, crouched down beside his computer, and fished out a miniature cara.
"Since you're so arrogant, let demonstrate the ultimate combination technique between and Fat Pigeon!"
"Ho~"
Morishita stretched out her syllables. "No more talk about your pigeon doing backflips?"
"In just a mont, I'll show you sothing ten tis more amazing than a backflip."
With that, Fuyuji pulled out a bundle of elastic thread and fastened the miniature cara to Fat Pigeon's leg.
After he leaned in next to Fat Pigeon and murmured sothing unknown, the pigeon visibly perked up with excitent. With a flutter of wings, it took off.
"What's it going to do?"
"You'll find out in a bit."
"The Great Morishita shall wait and see." Morishita folded her arms across her chest, assuming the posture of soone ready to enjoy a good show.
Just then, a warm, tantalizing aroma of food wafted out from inside the room.
"You two, dinner's almost ready."
Yamamura Miki, wearing a light-colored checkered apron, was carefully flipping a pan-fried crucian carp with a pair of slender cooking chopsticks.
She stepped back, a faint sheen of sweat on her forehead from her busy efforts, and called out to the two still bickering on the balcony. The warm yellow light fell upon her. The apron, the cooking, and her side ponytail all combined to give her entire being a gentle, cozy, dostic aura.
"Okay!"
The two in their standoff simultaneously turned toward Yamamura and answered in perfect unison. Then they turned back to continue their standoff.
Fuyuji sneered at Morishita. "Morishita-sama, once we're done with dinner, it should be about back. I'll be waiting for your apology."
Morishita refused to show weakness. "Talk big while you still can, Fuyuji Mikage."
The two stepped over the threshold and returned to the room, gathering to observe Yamamura's cooking process.
The palm-sized crucian carp had been pan-fried to a perfect golden brown on both sides. Oil sizzled softly along the edges of the fish. The scored skin, under high heat, had slightly lifted, its crispiness evident just to the naked eye. The savory aroma of the fish rose from the frying pan, continuously worming its way into the two's nostrils.
Fuyuji cupped his chin, watching Yamamura's cooking, which seed to emit a faint golden glow special effect. He thought back to that fish that had died with its eyes wide open in his trash can last ti, and concluded that it definitely wasn't his fault.
Perhaps he simply hadn't yet received the acknowledgnt of the legendary cooking utensils. That's why they wouldn't obey his commands—to take fresh ingredients, wait a while, and then automatically transform into glowing cuisine.
"Co to think of it, why did Fuyuji-kun suddenly decide we should cook for ourselves today?" Yamamura plated the crucian carp one by one.
"Because we've already eaten through every restaurant at the Advanced Nurturing High School once," Morishita slumped over the table, her finger tracing lazy, aimless circles. She voiced this with a hint of dejection.
"Absolutely zero novelty," Fuyuji chid in to supplent.
"The treasures of this Advanced Nurturing High School have been completely explored by us," Morishita seamlessly picked up his thread.
"Does this school not have treasures passed down by the Four Founders, like Hogwarts? It was made out to be so mysterious at first. I thought it was going to be sothing like a school for producing espers."
"Exactly! This school isn't fun at all." Morishita nodded vigorously in indignation.
"Once Katsuragi becos Student Council President, I'm definitely going to abuse my power and leave the future underclassn a little 'senpai shock'!"
As he spoke, Fuyuji began daydreaming about his future career as a school tyrant, exploiting borrowed authority, in his third year and beyond.
" too! By my third year, I'll definitely have grown 10 centiters taller than I am now!" Morishita, often called cute, was not satisfied with her current height.
"..."
Fuyuji looked at Morishita, clad in black stockings, straining to stretch her toes as far as they would go. He swiftly clapped a hand over his own mouth, struggling to suppress his laughter.
Compared to that, he felt that his own wish of ruling the world in three years was significantly more achievable.
"Hm?"
A cold gleam flashed in Morishita's eyes. A small, foot-sole-shaped indentation imprinted itself on the top of his foot.
"You seem to be expressing doubt regarding Great Morishita's statent about growing 10 centiters taller?"
"I'm not." Fuyuji held his expression taut. At the sa ti, he wiggled his toes, the subtle, silky, rustling sensation transmitting from underfoot. He tried to get her to move her foot, but found it pinned down with immovable force. His face full of solemnity, he declared, "How could I possibly..."
"No one can deceive the Great Morishita. Especially you, Fuyuji Mikage."
"Alright, ti to eat." Yamamura carried the tray over and half-crouched to set it on the table.
"Okay!" x2
Dinner was very simple: pan-fried crucian carp, shrimp tempura, seasonal greens, and miso soup with silky white tofu.
The three sat properly around the small table, hands pressed together in unison, and spoke in one voice.
"Itadakimasu!" x3
The crispy crucian carp skin shattered between their teeth with a crackle, the pristine white flesh within scalding hot and brimming with juices, a sweet and savory flavor bursting forth instantly.
The tempura shrimp's thin, airy batter was fried to a perfect crisp, encasing the springy, sweet shrimp at.
The seasonal vegetables were crisp-tender and naturally sweet, while the piping hot miso soup, carrying the smooth, silken tofu, slid down their throats, its warmth and llow aroma slowly spreading outwards.
"Co to think of it, Fuyuji Mikage, is the soundproofing in this room of yours a bit lacking?"
Morishita, having placed a piece of snowy-white fish in her mouth, held her chopsticks between her lips. Her small, delicate ears twitched faintly. She turned her head toward the twilight outside the balcony.
"Why does it seem like I can faintly hear so strange noises?"
Fuyuji, mid-sip of his miso soup, froze for a mont. His expression unchanging, he replied, "Is there? I don't think so. It's always been pretty quiet here."
"Yamamura Miki, did you hear anything?" The Great Morishita, extending only the most basic level of trust to this serial liar Fuyuji, turned to her other teammate and asked.
"Um..." Yamamura looked out past the balcony and hesitated for a mont. Sowhat uncertainly, she said, "I think maybe..."
"Ah, that..."
Fuyuji pretended to blow on the steam from his soup. He gazed out at the night sky, gradually darkening beyond the balcony, and spoke in a drifting, evasive tone. "Probably just a couple of crows fighting. They seem to have been in a bad mood lately. Now that they've run into each other, they might need to... blow off so steam."
"You're acquainted with two crows, too?"
"Yes." Faced with Morishita's skepticism, Fuyuji nodded and stated with a perfectly straight face, "The truth is, the Fuyuji family has always carried the bloodline of the Druids. We possess the ability to communicate with animals."
"..."
Morishita stared at him, her gaze somber. "Fuyuji Mikage, you've changed. The old you wasn't like this. The old you would probably have said..."
She set down her chopsticks, loosely clenched a fist, brought it to her mouth, and gave two light coughs. Then, with vivid theatricality, she launched into an impression:
"'Morishita Ai, are you so kind of little kid? You actually believe this stuff? Believe in science. There are no supernatural phenona in this world.'"
"..."
Yamamura stifled a laugh behind her hand. These two could always co up with so new routine.
The soft light of the incandescent lamp spilled over the small dining table, enveloping the three seated around it. Outside the window, twilight had fully gathered, draping the world beyond the balcony in a quiet, tranquil veil of blue.
...
At the very sa ti, inside the Student Council office.
As the sun fully sank beyond the sea, Student Council President Horikita Manabu formally concluded his work for the day.
He sat in his office chair, removed his glasses, and wearily rubbed the bridge of his nose.
The class points for each of the first-year classes this ti had been released. Unprecedentedly, the first-year Class D's class points remained at zero to this day. And this situation would persist until the end of the sester.
An outco like this—probably even the school itself had never considered it back when they were first designing the point system.
Eating nothing but the mountain vegetable set al—even if nutritionally balanced, eating it continuously for an entire sester would cause psychological issues.
He would apply to the school administration tomorrow to increase the variety of free food options provided. Otherwise, the students of first-year Class D might not even make it through the first sester before voluntarily applying to drop out.
Also...
A heavy sigh echoed through the dim Student Council office.
Suzune...
Truthfully, when Fuyuji Mikage had forwarded him the recording of Horikita Suzune borrowing money from him, he had been rather pleased.
At the very least, his little sister had learned to ask others for help.
But with the current state Class D was in, there was clearly soone within the class sabotaging things from the inside. He didn't know if letting Suzune stay at this school had been the right choice.
Suddenly, the door to the Student Council office clicked open. The Student Council secretary—crossed out—clerk, Tachibana Akane, clutching docunts, hurried toward Horikita Manabu with small, rapid steps.
"President! A violent incident has occurred in the first-year dormitory!"
Horikita Manabu's expression instantly hardened. He replaced his glasses.
"What happened?"
"A first-year Class C student, Ryuen Kakeru, just called to file a report. He claims that a first-year Class D student, Hirata Yosuke, suddenly attacked them while they were walking through the stairwell, injuring the three of them."
"Ryuen Kakeru... yet another troubleso student."
He pushed his glasses up and rose from his office chair.
"Let's go understand the situation first."
"Yes!"
...
Elsewhere.
Having finished admiring Fat Pigeon's earth-shattering masterpiece, Morishita Ai was currently clutching Fuyuji Mikage's collar, standing on her tiptoes, straining to reach the health sand placed up high.
"Stingy Fuyuji Mikage, let feed it too."
"No. I can tell just by looking at your eyes—you definitely want to steal my Fat Pigeon! Also, what happened to all that arrogance of yours earlier?"
"Earlier? What does what happened earlier have to do with the of right now?"
"Still not giving it to you. I haven't even... Where are you going?"
"To buy french fries!"
"...You shaless bastard! What happened to 'I don't believe you'?!"
Fat Pigeon swiveled its head. It looked toward Yamamura Miki, who was humming a tune while doing the dishes, showing absolutely no intention of stopping the two. It couldn't help but lift a wing and cover its eyes.
"Coo coo..." (This is really giving pigeon-sized headache...)
-----------------------------------------------------------
If you want to Support , you can Read 90 Advanced Chapters on : [email protected]/Yuni_TL
50 PS = Bonus Chapter!
User Comments
0 comments from readers