"So tired..."
Rolling over in bed, Kitagawa Ryo buried his face deep into the soft pillow, letting out a weary sigh.
With some effort, he reached for his phone on the nightstand, peeked at the time, then set it back down with a sigh of relief. Using his foot, he dragged the half-fallen blanket back over his stomach before closing his eyes again.
The aftereffects of Sakayanagi Arisu's simulation were even more draining than Ryo had expected. Every morning he woke up feeling off—his whole body sluggish, his thoughts dulled.
Come to think of it, if Sakayanagi had cleared the simulation on her first try like Horikita Suzune, then the talent "Heaven's Envy" would've been locked in permanently...
But even though "Heaven's Envy" had severe side effects, its benefits were undeniable. The congenital heart disease that Ryo had spent over a decade researching in Horikita's simulation was resolved in less than five years thanks to the power of that talent. While the earlier years of experience helped, the key breakthrough definitely came under the effect of "Heaven's Envy."
Congenital heart disease—or rather, any heart-related ailment—had long been considered incurable, a death sentence. For ages, heart surgery was a forbidden zone in medicine.
"Operating on the heart is a desecration of the art of surgery. Anyone who attempts it will be utterly ruined."
Ryo murmured the quote, originally spoken by Theodor Billroth, the Austrian doctor revered as the father of modern surgery.
At first glance, it sounded overly conservative and rigid. But in truth, it made sense.
Without life support systems, without extracorporeal circulation devices, without proper post-op care—performing heart surgery was tantamount to murder.
That's why Ryo had chosen "Heaven's Envy." He never saw himself as a genius in the medical field. His purple-grade talent, "Physician," made him a competent doctor, but not one capable of solving Sakayanagi's congenital heart issue.
Judging by the achievement "Healthy Heart" unlocked after the simulation, the solution he developed should be effective.
Thinking about that gave Ryo renewed energy. He sprang up in bed like a carp leaping out of water.
"Time to get up!"
Startled by her excitable human, Hotaru poked her head out of her tiny cat house. It was something Ryo and Horikita had modified from a basic model last month, complete with a tiny flag fluttering on the roof.
"Meow."
Shaking her head, Hotaru leapt onto the windowsill to soak up some morning sun. It was going to be a good day.
Meanwhile, Ryo changed swiftly into his school uniform and started brushing his teeth in front of the mirror.
Being able to take care of himself again—he hadn't realized how precious that was until it was taken away.
Remembering the days when he was bedridden and needed help for everything sent a chill down his spine. He brushed his teeth more meticulously.
Lately, Hotaru had noticed something odd about her human. He'd wake up early and stare into the mirror with a strange smile.
That had never happened before…
Hotaru, lying on the windowsill, struggled to find the right word to describe it. After pawing the edge for a while, she gave up.
The cat sighed.
If she could speak, Hotaru would definitely have a lot to say about what happened last time.
Just the thought made her shiver the same way Ryo did.
"Meow meow meow meow meow meow!"
Of course, Ryo had no idea what was going on in her head. He looked curiously at the overly vocal Hotaru, stroked her head, and said uncertainly:
"Are you in hea—"
"Meow!"
Hotaru smacked his hand with her paw pad, fur standing on end as she leapt back into her little house, glaring out with watchful eyes.
"If only I could draw a talent that lets me talk to animals."
Ryo rubbed his chin thoughtfully. Ever since he realized Hotaru had been part of every simulation, his curiosity about her had grown rapidly.
But her talent, "Hotaru," was already a max-tier golden one. So no, no catgirls or anything like that.
Sensing her human's dangerous gaze, Hotaru curled back into her house.
Forget it. Let him fend for himself.
After all, she had no desire to relive what Sakayanagi Arisu did to her poor, helpless self.
The clearance condition for the chapter "Sakayanagi Arisu's Spring Wish" was: "Identify and correct the twisted aspects of Sakayanagi Arisu's personality."
Ryo's first simulation had ended in utter failure.
Hotaru licked her paw and tilted her head just as Ryo's voice rang out:
"I'm heading out."
Then came the sound of the door closing and his footsteps fading away.
Hotaru couldn't help but recall the scene after Ryo left during the previous simulation.
"I really want to see you... Ryo."
The silver-haired girl mumbled absentmindedly, holding Hotaru close.
She lowered her head, her deep violet eyes flashing with something that made Hotaru shiver.
"I want to see him with these eyes again."
"I want to hear his voice."
"I want him to hear my heartbeat."
"I want to touch him."
Stroking Hotaru's back, Arisu suddenly pulled the cat close and whispered:
"And then... I want to break him."
Hotaru: Σ(っ °Д °;)っ
-------------------------------------
"Yo, Kitagawa!"
On the way to school, Ryo ran into Sudou Ken. As expected of an athlete, he looked full of energy even in the morning. He quickly walked over and slapped Ryo's shoulder in a friendly manner.
"Haven't been sleeping well lately? You always look super tired."
"Bit of insomnia, but nothing serious."
Ryo rubbed his temples and forced himself to perk up.
"What about you, Sudou? How's your finals prep going?"
"Pretty sure I won't need to buy points off you again."
Sudou flashed a confident grin. He knew full well that he had passed the midterms thanks to Ryo. Determined to fulfill their agreement, he had been putting in real effort since then.
"Though... there's been some other stuff going on."
Scratching his head awkwardly, Sudou hesitated before continuing. Even though Horikita and Ichinose were the public faces of Class D, he still felt Ryo was the true powerhouse. So naturally, he turned to him first when problems arose.
"Those guys from Class C—probably under orders from Ryuuen—picked a fight with me during morning training. They were deliberately harassing me, and I couldn't even finish my workout."
To vent his frustration, Sudou kicked a small rock on the road.
"Hmm, but you held back, right?"
"Of course! I ignored them completely."
"C-class punks can only throw around a few lame insults. Not nearly as vicious as the stuff you hit me with last time."
Thanks to Ryo's verbal beatdown training, Sudou had a much higher anger threshold now. If this had happened at the beginning of the year, he would've already thrown punches.
"That's good. Another student brawl and Class D's atmosphere might implode."
"Eh? Really? Feels normal to me."
Sudou looked puzzled. But considering how he was always bouncing between make-up classes and club activities, it made sense that he wasn't paying attention to class dynamics.
Apparently, before Yamauchi and Ike were expelled, they had taken out some of their frustration on Sudou, blaming him for not failing the midterms along with them. That betrayal hit him hard—he had thought of them as friends.
"You're heading to the summer tournament with your club during break, right?"
Ryo smoothly changed the subject. The moment he mentioned basketball, Sudou's eyes lit up.
"Damn right! I finally made the regular roster. First time I get to represent the school!"
"Then good luck. Try to earn some personal points while you're at it."
"Not saying you need to repay me or anything."
Worried Sudou might get the wrong idea, Ryo quickly added:
"Just saying, a sports guy like you shouldn't be stuck eating that mountain veggie set every day."
At the mention of the dreaded set, Sudou grimaced.
"Yeah, with how things are in Class D, I'm afraid we'll be stuck eating that bland crap for breakfast, lunch, and dinner."
"Actually, the Class C guys mocked me with that this morning. Called me a defective model doomed to eat the three-year free set."
"That just means they're hoping you survive three years and graduate."
Sudou blinked.
Smack! He punched his own palm in realization.
"Oh. Yeah, that makes sense."
"Anyway, besides you, anyone else in class getting harassed by Class C?"
"Hmm... I think the archery club guy, Miyake, is also being targeted."
Miyake Akito—the only Class D student in the archery club. Incidentally, very few students from Class D had joined clubs. Most just wandered the school aimlessly after class.
Ryo remembered Miyake from two events: once during Kei's simulation, where he helped D-class beat C-class; and once at the club orientation meeting.
In Ryo's memory, Miyake was a one-track guy, similar to Sudou. Weak in academics, strong in sports. But he was quieter, more reserved. Unlike Sudou, who had at least two "friends," Miyake often kept to himself, heading straight to club practice after class.
"Guess they're trying to stir up another fake violence scandal like last time."
Sudou clicked his tongue. Even two months later, the memory still rattled him. He'd nearly gotten expelled thanks to Yagami Takuya's trap. If Ryo hadn't stepped in, he would've been gone.
"Who knows? Can't say for sure, but I'll work out a plan."
Ryo shook his head and warned:
"For now, don't react to them. Also, avoid places without cameras—like the special lecture hall, or that fence area between the first and second classroom buildings near the stream..."
Sudou stared, jaw slightly open, as Ryo rattled off a detailed list of risky zones.
This was... scarier than Class C.
"Got it."
Swallowing hard, Sudou nodded.
As they chatted, they arrived at Class D's classroom. With six students expelled, the extra desks and chairs had been removed, making the room feel noticeably more spacious.
"Morning, Ryo."
Ichinose Honami, chatting with some girls in the front-left seats, waved energetically.
"Morning, Honami."
Ryo smiled and headed to his desk, setting down his bag and taking a seat.
One by one, Class D students trickled in. The classroom gradually filled with idle chatter. Ryo pretended to read a book but was actually eavesdropping on the latest gossip.
Some girls were pooling points to buy ingredients and cook together, tired of the mountain veggie set. Others whispered about who might be dating who in other classes.
The casual noise made Ryo feel sleepy again. He yawned lazily.
"Good morning."
Horikita Suzune walked into the classroom and noticed the drowsy look on Ryo's face.
"Didn't sleep well last night?"
"Morning, Suzune. Yeah, been pretty tired lately."
"Spring fatigue, summer slump, autumn laziness, winter hibernation—totally normal."
She chuckled and pulled out an energy drink from her bag.
"Picked this up from the vending machine. Want it?"
Without hesitation, Ryo took the can and chugged it.
"Not sure it'll help, but I'll never say no to mooching off Suzune."
"You're mooching 220 yen worth of generosity."
"Is there a bigger prize I should be going for?"
"...Arisu hasn't shown up yet, has she?"
"Wow, that was the clumsiest subject change ever."
Despite the jab, Ryo still glanced toward Sakayanagi's seat.
The bell had already rung. Her seat remained empty.
"Absent again."
Ryo lowered his eyes and muttered softly:
"Yeah. Again."
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