Classroom — Morning
Sakurai Saki arrived to find Miko wasn't the only cold victim.
Seasonal change. Temperatures rising. Bodies struggling to adapt.
Superpower users exempt, of course.
What kind of superpower user can't fight off a simple virus?
I have no weaknesses except hay fever.
"Morning! Toyosaki."
No favorability displays today—last week's ability. Clean sightlines.
May 20th. Thursday. Weather clear. Tomorrow's tournament unaffected.
Volleyball chosen. Six teammates secured. Hayasaka and Kaguya both selected women's volleyball—Kaguya apparently determined to compete in the same event.
Competitive spirit. Predictable.
Saki glanced at the blackboard, mid-note. Pen ran dry. He swapped refills from his stash—faster than traditional methods.
Wonder what those two will wish for.
Wish tickets. Promised to the Five Sisters' top performers. Within acceptable limits, of course.
Nino's ticket last time was... memorable.
Miku has two now—if Nino returns the borrowed one.
What will Miku request?
Curious. Genuinely curious.
"Sakurai-kun." Masaki-sensei's voice cut through. "This question."
Caught daydreaming.
He rose. Glanced at the problem—slope calculation. Simple.
Answered. Sat down.
Previewed already. Notes are reinforcement.
Learning without powers is... satisfying.
Courtyard — Noon
Saki and Hayasaka occupied their usual bench—secluded, private, theirs.
"So you've been training Shirogane Miyuki?" Hayasaka asked between bites.
"Almost a week."
His volleyball skills aren't disastrous. Unlike his singing.
There's hope.
Kazamatsuri Gou had mentioned training Shirogane last year. Saki now understood:
There's no peace without someone carrying the burden.
Thank you, Kazamatsuri. Your sacrifice enabled Shirogane's current competence.
"He's a hardworking genius." Admiration colored Saki's voice. "Anything he attempts, he masters through effort."
Unlike me. No effort required. No accomplishment either.
Not humblebragging. Just fact.
"Ah~" Hayasaka offered shrimp.
Saki accepted, chewing, then glanced at her bento.
"Ai-chan. Eating so little. Won't you be hungry?"
Chika's lunches are enormous. She never gains weight.
Unfair, but true.
"Girls must maintain figure."
"Worth the suffering?" Saki sighed. "Winter, girls wear stockings—thighs red from cold, still smiling."
Terrifying creatures.
"To catch your eye?" Hayasaka winked. "Absolutely worth it."
"I already like you. No need."
He placed octopus sausage in her mouth.
"What are you shy about?" She swallowed, voice exaggerating. "We've done EVERYTHING. Old married couple, basically."
"Even octopus can't silence you."
Gyaru-mode Hayasaka is a terrifyingly direct machine.
"I like you~"
"Understood. Stop."
"Like, like The MOST like"
A junior walked through the courtyard.
Hayasaka froze. Voice died. Head lowered.
"Shy now?" Saki observed.
The junior glanced at them, then scurried away, embarrassed.
"See? Scared someone."
Hayasaka's hand found his waist. Pinched.
Sakurai Saki continued eating, expression unchanged.
Superpower users have no weaknesses.
Sorry. You cannot break my defense.
My lady knight requires years more training.
Hallway — Post-Lunch
They finished eating. Saki checked his phone. Excused himself to the restroom while Hayasaka returned to class.
Relax.
A headache—brief, uncomfortable—then his vision cleared.
Side effect. Suppressed it for over an hour. Finally triggered.
He observed his surroundings.
Infirmary. Shuchi'in's. Duty teacher absent—fortunate.
"Whew~" A faint breath.
Many colds this season.
"Tachibana-sensei~" A soft female voice. Weak.
Tachibana. School nurse.
"Miko?" Familiar.
The curtain moved. He pulled it back.
Iino Miko lay on the infirmary bed, fever-flushed, surprised.
"Sakurai-kun… senpai?" She struggled to rise.
"Slacking off." Lie. Smooth. "Used to nap here."
Before Shirogane pulled me from my rut. Last year. Three or four months after school started.
I lived casually then. Did what felt right. Part-time jobs demanded sleep, so I slept here. Didn't care about opinions.
Still don't, but I've learned to wear a mask.
"Water?" He held back teasing. She was unwell.
"Mm."
"Fever?"
"Low. Much better." Slightly slurred.
Girls are several times cuter when sick. Miko? Ten times.
He found a disposable cup. Poured from the kettle.
"Senpai, that's Tachibana-sensei's—"
"We're familiar." No further explanation.
Miko accepted the cup. Drank like a fawn—small sips, weak movements.
"Thank you, Senpai~" Whisper-soft.
He came specifically to check on me.
Sakurai-kun is so gentle.
(He hadn't. He really hadn't. But she didn't know that.)
The Door Opens
Ofo Koachi entered, glasses glinting.
Stopped.
Observed Sakurai Saki seated by Miko's bed.
One idiom crystallized in her mind:
[Moths flying into a flame]
Danger.
Beautiful danger.
Miko, you fool.