Receiving Shikime Natsu's response, Kamuro Masumi nodded with a blushing face. She pulled the quilt up, covering half of her face and revealing only a pair of eyes, shrinking her entire person into the bedding.
Shikime Natsu reached out to help her tuck in the corners of the quilt, speaking softly.
"Rest well. A patient should sleep right after eating."
"Mn..."
Kamuro Masumi responded with a hum, but her gaze remained fixed on Shikime Natsu's face, somewhat reluctant to look away. She actually wanted to just keep looking at him like this, feeling his presence.
However... the fatigue of her body washed over her like a tide, and her eyelids became increasingly heavy. She didn't want to cause any more trouble for Shikime Natsu, nor did she want him to see her looking even more disheveled and weak.
Thus, she slowly closed her eyes.
Before long, the sound of the girl's steady and slight breathing rang out in the room.
Shikime Natsu sat by the bedside, quietly watching the sleeping Kamuro Masumi. Usually tied tightly, her purple ponytail was now scattered softly over the white pillow, with a few strands of hair mischievously clinging to her cheek.
Even in her sleep, her brows were still slightly furrowed. It seemed to be due to the physical discomfort brought on by the cold and fever; that small face, usually cold and aloof, now revealed a fragility rarely seen in normal times.
"Truly a guy who makes people worry."
Shikime Natsu sighed lightly, a trace of helplessness and doting flashing through his eyes.
Looking at the girl's slightly uncomfortable expression, he thought for a moment, and finally extended his hand. His fingertip gently tapped on the center of her brow.
Skill Card: God-Tier Massage Technique, activate.
Almost in an instant, Kamuro Masumi's tightly furrowed brows relaxed. Her breathing became longer and deeper, and her complexion, originally somewhat pale with a sickly flush, gradually recovered a healthy rosiness. The corners of her mouth hooked up into a relaxed arc, as if she were having a sweet dream.
"Have a good sleep."
[CG49: Good Night, Sweet Dreams (Kamuro Masumi)]
[With Natsu by her side, she will definitely have a sweet dream.]
[Congratulations Host on obtaining Skill Card: Dream Entry (After use, you can enter the dream of a random CG character. After the dream ends, the other party will remember parts of the content. Can be used once per week.)]
★
After Shikime Natsu glanced at the girl one last time, he bid her farewell in his heart and left Kamuro Masumi's room.
Walking out of the girls' dormitory, Shikime Natsu took out his phone to check. The screen displayed an unread message; the sender was Nagumo Miyabi.
[The specific arrangements for the midterm exam have been settled. There are some details I need to confirm with you.]
[Meet at the coffee shop in Keyaki Mall.]
It seemed this Vice President couldn't wait to determine the victor on the exam field. Although the two had previously agreed to a written test duel during the midterms, the specific rules and arrangements still had to wait for the school's official notification before a final discussion could be held.
Shikime Natsu put away his phone and walked towards the coffee shop designated by Nagumo Miyabi.
Walking into the coffee shop, he saw Nagumo Miyabi sitting by the window at a glance. At this moment, Nagumo Miyabi was leisurely flipping through the tablet in his hand, looking quite confident.
Spotting Shikime Natsu walking over, Nagumo Miyabi raised his head, revealing a quite natural smile.
"Yo, you came quite fast."
He pointed to the seat opposite him to signal Shikime Natsu to sit down, then asked casually, "Want to drink something? My treat."
"Then I won't be polite."
Shikime Natsu sat down and directly ordered a black coffee, which he used to drink often during the first week of school. Ever since obtaining his cooking ability, he actually had no interest in the coffee from this kind of shop anymore. After all, nothing could compare to what he brewed himself. But, since someone was treating, he might as well drink it.
After the waiter served the coffee and left, Shikime Natsu cut to the chase.
"So, how does Nagumo-senpai plan to arrange this competition?"
Nagumo Miyabi put down the tablet in his hand, crossed his hands on the table, and looked at Shikime Natsu with a burning gaze.
"Very simple."
The corners of his mouth hooked up into a playful arc.
"While taking the ordinary midterm exam, in addition to the portion we are originally required to answer, we will add the test paper for our bet. That is to say, we need to answer two test papers within the same amount of time."
This was Nagumo Miyabi's scheme. Not only was it a challenge across grade levels, but it also involved extreme compression of time. For any first-year freshman, this was an almost impossible task.
However...
"No problem."
Shikime Natsu didn't even lift an eyelid, agreeing directly.
"Eh?"
Nagumo Miyabi was stunned. He had originally thought Shikime Natsu would haggle with him, or at least show some difficulty, or even protest against such unfair rules. Even dragging it out a bit would have been expected. He hadn't expected this guy to agree instantly, and so decisively at that.
This was truly somewhat out of his expectations.
However, Nagumo Miyabi quickly recovered his composure, and a confident smile hung on his face once again.
"So refreshing?"
He leaned forward slightly, his eyes carrying a bit of probing intent.
"Shikime, could it be... you already plan to give up?"
In his view, this was simply the behavior of smashing a cracked pot—giving up completely. Shikime Natsu was not him, Nagumo Miyabi. He, Nagumo Miyabi, only needed to put in a little effort to easily get first in the grade, but Shikime Natsu must have spent a massive amount of time and energy to get first, right?
"Why do you say that?"
Shikime Natsu lifted his coffee to take a sip, asking back with a light laugh.
"Heh."
Nagumo Miyabi chuckled, his face wearing undisguised mockery.
"Shouldn't you be the clearest about this kind of thing yourself? To tell the truth, I originally thought you would be a somewhat interesting opponent. I didn't expect you to really disappoint me somewhat."
He leaned back in his chair and continued speaking in a condescending tone.
"The outcome has already been determined before the match even starts. No matter how you struggle, the final victor will only be me. And you can only be that miserably defeated clown."
Nagumo Miyabi spoke quite arrogantly, his tone full of that absolute confidence that he had already won. It was as if in his eyes, Shikime Natsu was already a loser.
Facing this ridicule, the expression on Shikime Natsu's face didn't change in the slightest. He just smiled faintly and put down the coffee cup in his hand.
"Nagumo-senpai, before the victory is decided, it's best not to set up flags in advance. Otherwise, if you lose miserably when the time comes, that would be somewhat pathetic."
Seeing Shikime Natsu's calm and breezy appearance, without any of the panic or anger he had anticipated, Nagumo Miyabi felt somewhat bored.
"Hmph."
He snorted lightly.
"Being stubborn is useless. Just you wait and see. Also, don't forget our agreement. If you lose, stay away from Nazuna for me."
Shikime Natsu responded with a smile.
"Rather, it is Nagumo-senpai who should prepare the points you ought to prepare first. I don't want to have to go debt collecting after I win."
Looking at this face of Shikime Natsu, Nagumo Miyabi felt quite unhappy in his heart. He had mocked and ridiculed Shikime Natsu, attempting to enrage the other party, but the result was like punching cotton—completely ineffective. He had originally wanted to mess with Shikime Natsu's mindset before the exam, making him mess up his own formation. But now it seemed, not only was there no effect, but he had actually made himself somewhat annoyed.
This first-year brat was truly too arrogant.
"Since you are so confident."
Nagumo Miyabi narrowed his eyes and suddenly spoke.
"Then how about we add some extra stakes? Of course, we must also add some extra conditions."
Shikime Natsu looked at him and didn't speak, simply waiting quietly for what followed.
"The added stake is—"
Nagumo Miyabi extended a finger, pointing at Shikime Natsu.
"If you lose, in addition to the previous conditions, you must also personally admit that you are inferior to me in front of President Horikita."
This was Nagumo Miyabi's true goal.
He had always wanted to surpass Horikita Manabu, wanted to prove he was stronger than that perfect Student Council President. If he could make the first-year freshman that Horikita Manabu valued bow his head and admit defeat in front of him... just thinking about it made the corners of Nagumo Miyabi's mouth rise involuntarily.
"Of course, if I lose."
Nagumo Miyabi spread his hands, seemingly feeling he couldn't possibly lose.
"I will no longer trouble you. Whatever you do in school in the future, I will not interfere."
"As for the added condition... When you take the second-year exam paper, your score must not only be higher than my score on the third-year exam questions. Furthermore, it must be higher than my score on the second-year exam questions."
This meant that Shikime Natsu's score on the second-year exam questions had to defeat the second-year exam questions Nagumo Miyabi was most confident in. And since Nagumo Miyabi perennially dominated as first in the grade, one could say the difficulty wasn't low. To defeat Nagumo Miyabi, he had to achieve a double crushing victory.
"How about it?"
Nagumo Miyabi looked at Shikime Natsu provocatively.
"Dare to agree to this bet?"
Shikime Natsu shook his head.
Seeing this scene, Nagumo Miyabi scoffed coldly in his heart. Sure enough, a spineless coward. As soon as the difficulty was increased slightly, he immediately chicken out. Acting so calm just now was indeed all an act.
However, the very next second, Shikime Natsu's words stunned him.
"I don't need Nagumo-senpai to not trouble me. How about changing it to giving me points instead?"
After all, Shikime Natsu didn't wish for Nagumo Miyabi to stop troubling him. If Nagumo Miyabi didn't trouble him, where would his points come from? Who would he ask for his pocket money?
"..."
Hearing these words, the corners of Nagumo Miyabi's mouth twitched. This guy... had really fallen into the eye of money! Do you think of me as an ATM?
"Hmph."
Nagumo Miyabi snorted coldly, the disdain in his eyes increasing.
"Fine. Since you want personal points so much."
He extended a finger.
"Then change the stake to 1 million personal points."
Looking at Nagumo Miyabi before him, Shikime Natsu was actually somewhat curious. exactly how many personal points did this guy have in hand? Throwing out 1 million just like that without blinking an eye. It seemed these points were mostly scraped from those second-year students, right? Squandering so extravagantly, would the people below really not have any complaints?
If he remembered correctly, Nagumo Miyabi should also have a plan to save up 20 million personal points.
"Deal."
Shikime Natsu nodded and agreed.
"I'll look forward to your performance then. I hope you can let me enjoy myself a bit. Don't lose too uglily. After all, you are also Class A's leader. If you lose too uglily, you might lose your prestige."
Nagumo Miyabi spoke with a light laugh.
Shikime Natsu didn't pay him any heed, standing up to leave. Just then, his gaze suddenly swept over a few familiar figures outside the window.
Yamauchi Haruki, Ike Kanji, and Sudou Ken. These famous "Class D Three Idiots" were wandering past the entrance of the coffee shop.
Looking at those figures, and glancing back at Nagumo Miyabi who was still sitting in his seat drinking coffee arrogantly, Shikime Natsu suddenly felt he should give this Vice President a small "surprise".
"..."
Lose prestige? Then... let's see if Nagumo-senpai can keep his prestige.
With a thought, his superpower activated.
[Target Locked: Yamauchi Haruki.]
[Skill Activated: Set Nagumo Miyabi's underwear as Yamauchi Haruki's cherished object.]
Next, let's see the special nature of this ability.
Shikime Natsu didn't rush to leave. Instead, he found a corner seat with a good line of sight and sat down, planning to appreciate the upcoming good show properly.
Regarding "cherished objects," everyone's understanding and approach were different. But Yamauchi Haruki, this famous weirdo, definitely had his own unique understanding.
Sure enough. The next moment.
Yamauchi Haruki, who was originally bragging with Ike Kanji, suddenly stopped in his tracks as if sensing some summons. His eyes instantly became fanatical and blurred, his nostrils flared slightly, and his gaze locked deadly onto Nagumo Miyabi's... lower body in the coffee shop.
"That is... my..."
"THAT IS MINE!!!"
Accompanied by a heart-rending howl, Yamauchi Haruki directly ignored the store clerk's obstruction and charged towards Nagumo Miyabi.
"?!"
Nagumo Miyabi, who was drinking coffee, was given a jump by this sudden turn of events. Before he could react, a dark shadow had already pounced at his feet.
"Give it to me... give that to me!!!"
Yamauchi Haruki begged while shedding tears. He knelt on both knees, his hands clutching Nagumo Miyabi's pant legs deathly tight, and then... yanked down fiercely!
"Riiiip—"
Although the quality of the pants was good and they didn't tear, that massive pulling force almost made Nagumo Miyabi slide directly off the chair.
"What are you doing?!"
Nagumo Miyabi turned pale with fright. He hurriedly grabbed his own waistband deathly tight, his face instantly flushing the color of pig liver. This was a coffee shop! There were students all around! If he was pantsed in public and exposed what was inside... would he still have any face as the Student Council Vice President? How would he survive in school in the future?!
"Let go! You lunatic! Let go quickly!"
Nagumo Miyabi roared at Yamauchi Haruki while desperately pulling up his pants.
"No... that is mine... wuwuwu... it's my... treasure..."
Yamauchi Haruki couldn't listen to anything at all. Under the buff of "Cherished Object," his entire person's strength had become surprisingly great, completely exploding with potential. In order to obtain that dream "treasure," he was giving it his all, even using the strength he used for suckling milk as a baby. This was the first time in his life he had risked his life so much for a single thing.
"Give it to me... give it to me, ahhh!!!"
Just like that, under the watchful eyes of the crowd, the two staged an extremely eye-searing "Battle for the Pants."
The surrounding students were all dumbfounded. This... what was this situation? Was Yamauchi Haruki crazy? To actually forcibly strip the Vice President's pants in broad daylight? And crying while shouting that it was his treasure? This amount of information was too much!
Nagumo Miyabi's face was hideous at this moment, his whole being about to explode with rage. Shame, anger, panic—various emotions intertwined, making him almost vomit blood on the spot.
"What on earth is going on?!"
He roared at the crowd watching the drama around him.
"What are you still standing there for? Why aren't you coming over quickly to help pull this lunatic away!"
However, no one in the surroundings dared to step forward. After all, the current Yamauchi Haruki looked truly too terrifying. Face covered in tears and snot, eyes fanatical—he was simply like he was possessed by some dirty thing. They were deeply afraid that once they got close, they would be infected or accidentally injured.
Standing at the door, Ike Kanji and Sudou Ken were also dumbfounded. Ike Kanji looked at the despairing Nagumo Miyabi, then looked at Yamauchi Haruki who was pulling with his life on the line. Looking at Yamauchi Haruki's serious appearance of "I'll die if I don't get it," he actually felt somewhat torn for a moment.
"Umm..."
Ike Kanji scratched his head and asked tentatively.
"How about... you just give that thing to him?"
"Look, Haruki really seems to want it... and he's crying like that. Generally, when there's something he wants very much, he basically won't give up easily... Just consider it doing a good deed?"
"Pfft—"
Hearing this sentence, Nagumo Miyabi almost sprayed out a mouthful of old blood.
Give it to him? Give him what?! Give him my underwear?! Can you even say such words?! What sin did he commit today? Not only did he encounter this oddball Yamauchi Haruki, but even his sidekick was a supreme oddball!
"Get lost!!!"
Nagumo Miyabi let out a desperate roar.
Meanwhile, in the corner, Shikime Natsu calmly took out his phone, found the right angle, and recorded this scene in its entirety.
"Mn, not bad, not bad."
He looked at the footage on the screen and nodded with satisfaction.
"This video, maybe I can sell it to Vice President Nagumo for a good price in the future."
____
👻🔥Here: Walnut-chan🔥👻
🔥 New history: Group chat of the Dead
✅ Gain early access to 40 chapters for all stories.
✅ Enjoy exclusive content and special announcements.
We have set new community milestones:
🎯 100 Powerstones = +1 Bonus Chapter for all readers
🚀 140 MEMBERS = +5 additional chapters for all series!
👻 P - Walnut-chan