The next day, Friday, Yukino's promised revenge arrived on schedule. However, calling it revenge was an exaggeration; in reality, it was just some harmless pranks.
For example, while Hoshimi was drinking water, Yukino deliberately pushed his cup, causing the water to spill all over him. Afterwards, when the girls in the class gathered around to help wipe him off, Yukino coldly drove them away with her gaze and wiped him clean herself.
Another time, during club activities, she discreetly handed Hoshimi a cup of tea mixed with extra ingredients—not computer parts, but an excessive amount of sugar, so sweet it was sickening.
With such a high concentration of sugar packed into a small teacup, Hoshimi smelled something suspicious the moment he got close. So, when Yukino wasn't looking, he swapped his cup with hers. He also cleared the spot next to Yukino, enticing Yuigahama to sit there.
Then, he sat back, chatting with Kotoko while sipping the tea Yukino had prepared. He made sure to put on an expression of being overwhelmed by the sweetness, yet trying not to show it.
Yukino, seeing this, narrowed her eyes in satisfaction and took a sip of her own tea. And then...
Yukino spat a mouthful of tea all over Yuigahama's face.
Seeing Yuigahama's messy face, Yukino repeatedly apologized while frantically wiping her clean. In the meantime, she didn't forget to glare at Hoshimi, who was leisurely sipping tea and watching the scene unfold.
By the way, Yuigahama, who had tea spat all over her face, didn't seem upset at all. After Yukino cleaned her face, she sat there giggling foolishly. It was unclear if she was under some kind of spell or if that excessive sweetness of the tea had hit her in the heart instead of just on her face.
Hoshimi had mixed feelings about Yuigahama's behavior.
In this Service Club, he wouldn't allow anyone to be happier than him. So, Hoshimi immediately decided to "punish" Yuigahama.
The first "punishment": He sat next to Yukino and kissed her cheek right in front of Yuigahama.
Seeing Yuigahama's stiffened expression, he continued with the second "punishment": He sneakily sent her a message that included a screenshot of the sleepwear photo Yuigahama had sent him last time, with two emoticons: "You know" and an "evil grin."
At this, Yuigahama could no longer smile, while Hoshimi felt much better.
How could anyone take advantage of his person? Not even another girl! They must be punished!
But Hoshimi only spent about half an hour being active in the Service Club. After punishing Yuigahama, he rested his head on Kotoko's lap and drifted into the dream world.
After school, he decided to relax for a bit and entertain himself. Once his mood improved, he would go back to his deep dream state and continue studying.
Tonight's goal was a perfect score!
…
At 7:30 pm, a new round of pre-exam tests began.
After Yukino nervously waited and corrected the papers, Hoshimi's results for the night came out as expected.
"Literature: 98."
"Mathematics: 100."
"English: 100."
"Science: 100."
"Social Studies: 99."
Just one point short of the highest level reward!
This one point was deducted from a subjective question in Modern History, and Hoshimi seriously suspected that Yukino did it on purpose! After all, he believed he had answered that question comprehensively and left nothing out. By all rights, he shouldn't have lost any points!
With suspicions raised and feeling like he was just one step away from success, Hoshimi immediately voiced his concerns.
Yukino didn't argue; she simply recited the model answer.
After listening to the "correct" answer provided by Yukino, Hoshimi had mixed feelings.
It was Modern History, and considering the differences in Japanese and Chinese textbooks, there was no need to elaborate further on the content.
Slightly annoyed, Hoshimi retrieved his own textbooks and gave Yukino a real history lesson.
After correcting Yukino's misconceptions, he was finally satisfied and moved on to tonight's rewards.
The reward was naturally for achieving 90 points in all subjects. As for that lost point? Never mind, he wasn't worried about missing just one day. What should come will eventually come.
…
Saturday. Hoshimi originally planned to go to the city library to collect books and fill in the knowledge needed for a "doctorate."
But just as he stepped out the front door, Kotoko called, informing him that the two cultivation methods had arrived. She asked if he wanted to start testing today.
Hoshimi naturally chose to "start today." He also wanted to know how he would fare in "Mystery."
Although he was confident, what if he turned out to be a "waste" with no talent? So, if he could test earlier, why not?
Following Kotoko's guidance, he headed to an abandoned shrine on the outskirts of Chiba.
Upon arrival, Hoshimi found not only Kotoko waiting for him but also a shrine maiden wearing a fox mask.
"Hoshimi, don't ask too many questions. Just focus on cultivating today. Our task is to test your aptitude for cultivation, so don't make things complicated," Kotoko subtly hinted with her gaze.
From Kotoko's hint, Hoshimi understood that this shrine maiden's identity might be more complex than he could handle.
Additionally, while holding his hand, Kotoko wrote two characters on his palm: "No" and "Dream."
Together, they likely meant that he should not reveal his dream abilities.
As a beginner in the world of Mysteries, Hoshimi decided to fully follow Kotoko's advice. He didn't attempt to speak to the shrine maiden nor did he engage much with Kotoko. Throughout the process, he quietly followed their instructions for the cultivation test.
The so-called test involved holding an old, antique-looking teacup in both hands while practicing the way of the Onmyoji.
After nearly an hour of sitting still, Hoshimi finally felt something flowing from the cup into his body.
As instructed by the shrine maiden, he continued practicing upon sensing the "flowing feeling" until he felt a fullness and pain in his body that he could no longer endure.
Hoshimi continued the practice, and about three hours later, he felt his body filled to the brim with this "flowing sensation," almost to the point of bursting. It was as if it could spill out at any moment.
"Ugh..." Unable to endure any longer, Hoshimi slowly placed the antique cup on the ground.
"Not bad, upper-tier aptitude. With proper training in the past, there might have been hope for longevity. However, with the decline of spiritual power in modern times, even with this level of aptitude, at best, one can only reach the level of 'strong.'"
Concluding her judgment, the shrine maiden retrieved the antique cup and turned to Kotoko. "Kotoko, I have completed my task. As for this little lover of yours? He does seem interesting."
After exchanging a meaningful glance with Kotoko, the shrine maiden chuckled lightly, turned around, and disappeared into the shrine.
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