Early the next morning, Kazuya resisted the temptation of "five more minutes" and got out of bed. After washing his face and spacing out for a while, he carried a wooden sword and went for a run. He now replaced most of his morning exercises with sword practice.
During this time, Toratoro enjoyed a rare time of freedom, marking its territory by urinating around. However, today it ran for a short distance before looking listless, seemingly wanting to lick its abdomen.
Kazuya felt that something was off, holding it up to check its belly. He discovered that a patch of fur was wiped off, but there was no broken skin or significant injuries. It didn't seem like a severe injury, and he suspected that its stomach might be upset, perhaps not adapting well to the recent indulgence in meat.
After finishing the morning exercise, he deliberately fed it less, planning to put it on a two-day diet to avoid any discomfort due to overeating. Then, he set off for school.
In the classroom, he still didn't participate in class activities, focusing on his studies. Soon, Shin arrived. These days, he seemed to arrive earlier every day, for reasons unknown.
"Good morning, Kazuya!" Shin greeted politely, with a thin layer of sweat on his forehead.
Kazuya glanced up at him and noticed that this guy still looked handsome today, not much different from those idol boy bands. It was said that Shin had an excellent reputation among the girls, with the only deduction being that he often hung out with Yuma.
Kazuya returned the greeting, "Morning, Shin." After a pause, he added with a smile, "Thank you for your tutorial materials!" Saying that, he took out a supplementary study material from his backpack and handed it to Shin, along with a notebook as a bonus.
Currently low on funds, Kazuya couldn't afford these expensive study materials. They were like exploiting students as cash cows. That day, he casually picked up Shin's book and unexpectedly found him to be generous and lend it to him.
After quickly reviewing it, he promptly returned it, along with the essential summarized notes he made. It was a way to repay the favor, trying not to take advantage too much.
Shin was somewhat surprised as he received the material, flipping through the notes, and feeling pleased. After his moment of joy, he looked at the dark circles under Kazuya's eyes and felt concerned. "How did you finish so quickly? Balancing part-time work and study, can your body handle it?"
Kazuya touched his face. His complexion was a bit bluish and swollen from waking up this morning. It hadn't faded yet. However, he casually smiled, "It's fine, Shin."
"You should take care of yourself." Shin was a bit motherly, and Kazuya found it quite helpless. He actually wanted the treatment that Yuma received: straightforward communication without too much fuss, even if it involved some roughhousing.
However, Shin's intentions were genuine, and Kazuya nodded repeatedly "I see. I'll be careful."
Shin still wasn't entirely reassured, but he had no better way. He couldn't just give money directly to Kazuya, asking him not to work. Instead, he pulled out a stack of papers from his backpack, "These are the test papers from my sister's first year. Kazuya, would you like to take a look?"
Kazuya was thrilled. Being unfamiliar with the place, he had no way to obtain such materials. "Can I?"
Shin nodded, "Of course." However, he held onto the papers without immediately giving them to Kazuya. Instead, he emphasized, "I'm not in a hurry to use them. Take your time to read them, and try not to stay up late."
Kazuya felt a bit moved, but at the moment, there wasn't much he could do to repay this kindness. He could only remember this favor for now and wait for an opportunity to reciprocate in the future. "Shin, you're so kind."
Shin chuckled, "It's just a few papers. No need to be polite. Work hard this time and strive for the top spot!"
"I'll bring glory to the class!" Kazuya confidently agreed. Even without Shin mentioning it, he was determined to secure a top position. Having returned to university and equipped with external assistance, he put in considerable effort. If he couldn't secure a top spot this time, he might as well jump off a building.
As they were talking, Yuma arrived, looking even more miserable than Kazuya. He bore a resemblance to a big smoker, his face showing a lack of enthusiasm. After causally greeting to the two, he headed straight to his seat. Shin grabbed him, "Yuma, what's wrong?"
Yuma yawned, eyes teary, and weakly replied, "Last night, I chat... no, I played 'Heartbeating~School of Beauties V' all night. Now, I'm exhausted. Let me take a nap."
"You really..." Shin sighed, a look of frustration on his face.
Ignoring Shin, Yuma shook off his hand, swayed to his seat, and collapsed, half-dead. He mumbled, "I'll listen to your lecture during lunch. Let me nap for a while first." After saying that, he remained motionless, heading straight to dreamland.
Shin sighed deeply, wearing an expression as if he were looking at his own unambitious child. On the other hand, Kazuya didn't bother with these matters and had already begun examining the test papers of Kanae from two years ago, assessing his current academic level.
When someone is wholly engrossed in a task, time seems to slip away unnoticed. Kazuya even brought his book to lunch, studying all day. Inadvertently, it was already afternoon. When the school bell rang, Yuma, who had slept the entire day, immediately revived, regaining his energy and getting ready to participate in club activities.
Kazuya didn't want to stay in the classroom any longer too. After school, the students made too much noise. The sounds of various sports clubs practicing on the field resembled a slaughterhouse working overtime. He planned to head back to the apartment, quietly read for over an hour, and then go to work at Pure Flavor House.
He dicided to work for a few more days, at least, until new staff arrived. After that, he'd switch jobs. He couldn't stand working with the little radish any longer.
Shin and Yuma were experiencing their normal high school lives. They went to participate in club activities while Kazuya mumbled to himself as he recounted through wearing headphones. Just as he changed his shoes before leaving the school building, he ran into Haruna.
The sky was somewhat overcast, allowing only a thin layer of sunlight to filter through. The steps were partly dry and partly damp. Haruna sat on her backpack, gazing at the sky with a pure expression, like an angel unable to return to heaven.
"Haruna, what are you doing here?" Kazuya was curious. Despite being in the same school and grade, they were in different classes and rarely attended the same large classes. So he seldom met her.
Haruna turned her head upon hearing his voice, looking at Kazuya with a disheartened expression. "I'm waiting for my sister."
After a moment of thought, Kazuya understood. "Are you planing to join a club?" Haruka had decided on which club yesterday and was already putting her plan into action today. He knew that despite Haruna's strength, she was a well-behaved younger sister who never resisted her elder sister and accepted any scolding without complaint, though she seemed to made some trouble sometimes.
Haruna shook her head, dejectedly saying, "No, my sister wants to take me to meet a senior. She sent an email saying that even if I have the ability to join the track and field team directly, there's no guarantee I'll become a regular player. It's troublesome to consider seniority, so she wants to introduce me to someone to secure a spot in competitions this summer."
She sighed, looking as if she considered this unnecessary.
Kazuya nodded slightly. Although Haruka had many flaws, she genuinely cared for her sister. He thought that Haruka probably wanted to bring Haruna to seek help from Shin's sister. As he heard, Kanae Shimaizaki was quite influential in the third year. Haruka might be trying to use her influence to gain some advantage for her sister.
This was a matter within the Sakura family, and Kazuya didn't feel it was his place to say anything. He planed to leave, "Well, you wait here, and I'll be on my way."
But just as he turned halfway, Haruna grabbed the hem of his pants. If it weren't for a reliable belt, his pants might have been pulled down. Kazuya asked with a wry smile, "Is there anything else, Haruna?"
"Well... won't you come to our house to beg for food?" Haruna looked reluctant, sitting there with a pitiable expression. To anyone unaware, it might seem like Kazuya had terminal cancer and wouldn't live for many more days.