The next morning, when Fujii Shu got up, his body had mostly recovered, except for some swelling in a few places on his back.
He glanced at the system panel:the store has not been refreshed yet.
He was actually looking forward to the skills and items that would refresh next Monday.
But that was still a week away.
After getting out of bed and washing up in the bathroom, Fujii Shu changed into his clothes, grabbed his bag, and went downstairs.
In the living room on the first floor, he put his lunchbox into his backpack, and also grabbed a boiled egg and a ready-made sandwich from Shimizu Airi.
"Ring, ring."
As he was about to leave, the sound of a bicycle bell came from the gate.
"Good morning, Fujii-kun!"
Ogihara Saki was sitting on her bicycle, smiling shyly yet politely.
Fujii Shu looked at her in slight surprise. "Ogihara, how long have you been waiting?"
"I just arrived too..."
"Have you had breakfast?"
While speaking, Fujii Shu handed her the sandwich he had gotten from Shimizu Airi.
"Fujii-kun, I already ate."
Ogihara Saki, holding her bicycle, said slowly, "Get on, Fujii-kun. Your injuries aren't healed yet, let me take you to school."
Hearing this, Fujii Shu, sandwich in mouth, obediently sat on the back seat of the bike, not mentioning his recovery.
"Hold on to me, Fujii-kun!"
Feeling the weight behind her, Ogihara Saki started pedaling, and the bicycle slowly left the alley where Fujii's house was located.
After turning onto the main street, they soon passed by Tokyo's mother river.
The river was calm in the morning, with a gentle breeze brushing against their faces.
Ogihara Saki slowed down and glanced at Fujii Shu's handsome face through the rearview mirror.
"Don't look at me, look at the road."
"Ah?"
Fujii Shu's sudden voice startled Ogihara Saki, causing the handlebars to wobble and almost losing control.
Fujii Shu couldn't help but smile.
"Be careful, though there's a guardrail, you could still fall into the river."
"Right, sorry…"
Ogihara Saki's face turned bright red, and her voice softened as she pedaled harder to ease the awkwardness.
"Saki, what are you doing?"
"Got caught sneaking a peek!"
"Red-handed, no room to deny..."
If the world were a giant "whack-a-mole" game, she felt like the silly mole who popped up and got hit on the head with the hammer.
But, as it goes with humans, people often forget pain once the wounds heal.
Ogihara Saki instinctively stole another glance at Fujii Shu through the rearview mirror.
Seeing him staring intently at the calm Sumida River, she turned her gaze forward, pretending as though nothing happened.
"Fujii-kun, are you thinking about yesterday?"
"Mm..."
"Everyone saw what happened, the school should handle it, right?"
"Who knows."
Fujii Shu shook his head with a nonchalant look.
"Don't worry, I'm the victim. I was just attacked by a criminal on the way home from school, and everything I did was self-defense."
"Even if the police come, it'll all be fine as long as I tell the truth."
Although Fujii Shu's tone was casual, Ogihara Saki's eyes still showed deep concern.
She stared at his handsome face reflected in the rearview mirror and silently made a decision in her heart.
She slightly tilted her head, her expression serious, her gaze firm.
"Fujii-kun, no matter what happens, I'll always stand by your side!"
As she pulled her gaze away from the Sumida River and looked at him, Fujii Shu felt a small stir in his heart.
A smile appeared on his lips, fresh and warm.
"Thank you, Ogihara."
...
When they arrived at school, the two of them riding together caught the eyes of many students.
Although Japanese universities don't forbid students from dating, and there are plenty of couples walking around campus, it wasn't so common to see a girl riding a bike with a guy.
Even the teacher at the gate couldn't help but glance over.
Fujii Shu didn't really notice, but Ogihara Saki's face had been flushed since they entered the school gate, with a faint pink blush creeping across her ears and neck.
She rode her bike all the way to the bike storage with a red face, locked it up, then walked alongside Fujii Shu towards Class 1B.
As they entered the hallway, Ogihara Saki suddenly realized that the previous day, when Fujii Shu had looked pale and weak, barely able to move, he was now walking briskly ahead of her.
It was as though everything that happened was a dream, and none of it had ever occurred—Fujii Shu had never been hurt.
"Fujii-kun, doesn't your body still hurt?"
Ogihara Saki looked at him, eyes wide in surprise.
"It was fine last night. What's wrong?"
Turning his head slightly in response to her voice, Fujii Shu answered softly.
"Then… why didn't you tell me earlier?"
"You didn't ask."
"But when we left..."
"When we left, someone volunteered to ride me to school. I didn't say anything."
Blinking, Fujii Shu smiled slightly.
"Oh, okay..."
"It seems I really didn't ask..."
"But, why does it feel like something's off?"
Biting her lip, Ogihara Saki looked up at Fujii Shu's back.
"He must've done it on purpose..."
"But I have no proof."
Class 1B.
As the bell was about to ring, the classroom was still loud and bustling.
Even from the hallway, one could hear the noise from inside.
"Hey, are you sure that was really Fujii-kun yesterday?"
"Of course, I was there!"
"Who would have thought that the usually quiet and gentle Fujii would be so ferocious in a fight?"
"Not just ferocious, he was downright brutal!" A boy who claimed to have witnessed the scene said animatedly, "You should have seen it—Fujii was a beast, slapped Chiba-senpai so hard she went out cold, kept hitting until she knelt and called him 'daddy'!"
"How could she call him 'daddy' if she was knocked out?"
"Don't mind that, the point is, he slapped the big sis hard."
The fight at the school gate yesterday afternoon had already spread overnight, becoming the talk of the campus.
That's just how things go in school—good news stays quiet, but bad news travels fast. Even the slightest stir can become the subject of every teenager's gossip.
Fujii Shu walked into the classroom through the back door, his backpack over his shoulder.
It was as if he had a special aura—when he entered, all conversations stopped immediately, like someone had hit the mute button.
Everyone in the class instinctively turned their gaze toward Fujii Shu, as if his handsome face held some sort of magical power.
As for Ogihara Saki beside him, everyone simply ignored her.
Only after Fujii Shu sat down and placed his backpack on his desk did the chatter cautiously resume. Occasionally, when something particularly interesting was mentioned, they would sneak a glance at him.