People who are naturally kind can never bring themselves to refuse others.
This was precisely the case as she looked at a child.
When confronted with Shimizu's pleading, pitiable gaze, Miko quickly yielded. She glanced at her best friend, biting her lower lip with an apologetic expression.
'Hana, I'm sorry.'
She whispered, watching her friend hum a tune as they walked ahead. "Doing it so suddenly will definitely make Hana suspicious."
With her intelligence, she might not be.
Shimizu raised a finger and suggested cheerfully, "Miko-chan can say that Amamiya has a splinter in his hand that's hard to see, so Hana should help find it."
Amamiya shot her a blank look.
You said you'd stay in the shadows and know nothing about this! Clearly, your 'inspiration' came from the unlucky guy yesterday!
"Fine," Miko replied, slightly pursing her pink lips in resignation.
Even if it means deceiving Hana, it's still better than covering her eyes.
"I'm counting on you." Amamiya's words of encouragement almost seemed to be stoking her resolve. "Keep going."
Miko muttered irritably, "Don't cheer me on for weird things!"
"…"
Taking a deep breath, Miko took a half-step forward, aligning herself with her friend and offering a carefully chosen excuse in an apologetic tone.
"…I haven't been able to rest well recently, so my eyesight is a bit blurry. Hana, would you mind helping him for me?"
"Leave it to me," Hanaka answered without hesitation. She didn't suspect for a moment that her friend might be deceiving her. She turned to Amamiya, saying, "Amamiya-kun, which hand has the splinter? Let me help."
"My right hand," he replied, extending his hand.
"Let me look closely then," Hana said, grabbing Amamiya's fingers as she opened her eyes wide in concentration. "Getting poked by a splinter hurts, doesn't it? I remember when I was eating out once, there was this toothpick in the bamboo chopsticks, and they hadn't smoothed it out well at all. I wasn't careful, and oh, it hurt so much..."
She chattered on while examining his fingers closely, her face intent as she searched.
"Amamiya, how's it going?" Shimizu asked with eager anticipation.
Amamiya nodded subtly. "I should be able to copy it."
---
[Ability: Foodie's Life Aura]
[Type: Passive Skill]
[Attributes: Converts food into life energy at a higher efficiency, improves self-healing abilities, causes slight burning damage to evil spirits, and grants additional attraction to spirits.]
[Note: Requires one meat bun per kilometer – from a certain anonymous "meat bun girl."]
[This ability is copyable.]
---
"Strange… there's no sign of a splinter," Hana muttered, squinting as she tried to find it. After a classmate passed by, she finally gave up with a small sigh, apologizing to Amamiya in a regretful tone. "I'm sorry. I really can't find the splinter."
Amamiya sighed in mock exasperation, "I forgive you."
Miko: "…"
If he wanted to copy the ability, he'd need to maintain uninterrupted physical contact, meaning it would have to be handled with more care.
They continued on without further conversation, walking briskly toward the school.
The sun was shining, a gentle breeze was in the air, and students were gathering in groups of two and three from all directions, creating a lively scene. Among them, however, some were always plagued by evil spirits.
"Amamiya-kun, good morning!"
A cheerful, familiar voice rang out as the breeze carried it to him.
Amamiya turned to see a blonde girl with a sunny smile jogging toward him. It was Umi.
"Morning," Amamiya murmured softly. "How did you sleep last night?"
Umi rubbed her waist with her right hand and pointed at her eyes. "It wasn't great. Just look at these dark circles."
"I don't see any."
"That's because I put on concealer before I left the house."
"So, you were still in the mood to put on makeup. Guess that means last night wasn't too bad after all."
"Not at all," Umi grumbled quietly. "I was up late with homework, all while worrying some scythe-wielding evil spirit might visit. I finally dozed off at the table, totally exhausted. If you hadn't texted me this morning, I'd definitely be late."
"Wait." Amamiya held out his right hand, interrupting. "I have a question."
"Eh? What is it?"
He looked at her pointedly. "Did you finish your homework?"
Umi laughed, throwing her hands behind her back as she dashed away. "I'm heading to class now. See you later!"
"…"
Amamiya didn't rush to the classroom right away. Instead, he walked over to the bulletin board where the results of the grade exams, taken just before Golden Week, were posted. He remembered discussing these rankings with Kaguya, making today the perfect chance to settle their little competition.
Stepping closer, Amamiya scanned the board until he spotted his name right at the top.
Perfect.
He'd won.
A commotion behind him caught his attention.
"Shinomiya-san is here!"
Amamiya turned, watching as the students nearby made way for her. Kaguya, with her schoolbag held firmly in both hands and a large red bow tying back her hair, walked into the school gate with a composed, stoic expression. Following her was Chika.
"Good morning, Amamiya-kun," Chika waved, still wearing the same massive black bow pinned to her bangs.
"Good morning," Amamiya replied, smiling at Kaguya.
"You…" Kaguya's gaze shifted from him to the bulletin board as realization dawned.
There at the top was Amamiya's name. Her own name sat in second place, a mere two points behind his.
Kaguya's breath hitched.
Impossible.
How could the gap be this wide?
"Oh wow, Kaguya-chan didn't take first place in this exam," Chika remarked with awe, standing on tiptoe to see better. "And Amamiya-kun is first! That's incredible."
With fingers interlocked, Amamiya announced, "It looks like we have our winner."
"Well," Kaguya replied in an unaffected tone, "I didn't get much rest in the days leading up to the exam, and I may have dozed off for a moment. But I can still acknowledge Natsuki-san's abilities."
Amamiya smiled, "Nevertheless, I won."
"…"
So frustrating!
Kaguya barely contained her urge to stamp her foot. She clenched her teeth, her cheeks puffing out in restrained indignation.
Unacceptable.
Even if it was due to lack of rest, a loss was a loss. No excuses—she'd make sure to win next time.
"Hey, where's my name?" Chika continued to scan the rankings. "I can't seem to find it."
"It's in the middle," Amamiya offered, a hint of amusement in his voice.
"That's fine!" Chika let out a sigh of relief, flashing a peace sign. "I always end up somewhere in the middle for every exam."
"…"
"Kaguya-chan, Mommy has something very important to tell you," Shimizu announced as she emerged from Amamiya's shadow, looking at her daughter with a pitiful expression.
Kaguya glanced over and whispered, "What is it?"
"It's about something that could affect my entire life's happiness."
"L-life's happiness?" Kaguya stammered, casting a quick, wary look at Amamiya.
"Don't look at me," Amamiya quickly responded. "My conscience is clear. The sun and moon can attest to that."