Shido, pulling Tohka along, finally escaped the 'chase and interception' on the way to school, somewhat disheveled as he rushed into the classroom.
The classroom was still filled with its familiar morning din, which made him sigh in relief.
Shido, relieved, walked to his seat and habitually went to sit down.
However, as soon as his butt touched the chair, he felt something was off—his knee seemed to have bumped into something... soft, and warm?
(!?)
He abruptly looked down, his gaze meeting a pair of calm, unruffled blue eyes beneath the desk, even carrying a hint of obviousness!
"Wah!" Shido exclaimed in fright, recoiling sharply, almost falling over with the chair.
Tobiichi Origami, at some unknown point, had curled up under his desk!
She still had her expressionless face, but at this moment, she was looking up, quietly observing him with those unfluctuating eyes.
What made his scalp tingle even more was that as he tried to retreat, Origami's hand shot out swiftly and accurately, wrapping around his waist with an undeniable grip, preventing his escape.
"Tobi... Tobiichi?! What... what are you doing down there?! Come out!" Shido felt his voice trembling; this scene was too bizarre, and he instinctively wanted to spring up and back away.
But Origami's arm, like an iron band, remained motionless, instead holding him even tighter, her cool voice coming from below: "Don't move."
Her bandaged arm was wrapped around his waist, firmly fixing him to the seat, while Shido's face turned crimson, his voice altered by fright, as he frantically tried to push her away, yet was wary of her injuries and dared not use force.
However, under Shido's attempts, Origami not only did not come out but, maintaining her hold on Shido's waist, she leaned forward, resting the entire weight of her upper body on Shido's thighs.
She even gently rested her cheek on his leg, as if it were a comfortable pillow, like a cat that had found a safe nest.
Her faint, clean scent and the body heat radiating through her clothes made Shido freeze completely, blood rushing to his head instantly, his face turning beet red.
The commotion here immediately attracted the attention of the surrounding classmates, and whispers and low laughter began to spread.
"Hey! What are you doing to Shido!"
Tohka also noticed the anomaly here and immediately rushed over aggressively, her purple eyes glaring at Origami, who was curled up between Shido's legs, like a hen protecting her chick.
Her tone was full of displeasure and protectiveness, "Get away from Shido! You... you strange woman!"
Origami completely ignored Tohka's glare; she maintained her position on Shido's lap, merely tilting her head slightly, stating in a calm, unruffled tone: "Replenishing Shido's energy. As a girlfriend, this is a very normal behavior."
"Girl... girlfriend?!" Tohka's voice rose an octave; she clearly couldn't grasp the specific meaning of this word in human society, but she could sense it wasn't a good term, "You... you get off Shido!"
Facing Tohka's accusation, Origami didn't even bat an eyelid; she simply maintained her position on Shido's lap, instead performing an action that made Shido and the surrounding secretly watching classmates even more dumbfounded.
—Her free hand slowly reached towards the collar of her school uniform shirt, and then... from the inner lining of her chest, she pulled out a bento box, wrapped in a clean handkerchief, seemingly still warm?
She held the bento box up to Shido, her voice still flat, but with an undeniable declarative tone:
"This is for you."
"As a girlfriend, preparing a bento for one's lover is a very normal behavior."
"—Today's loving wife bento."
"Lov... loving wife bento?!" Shido felt his brain was about to overheat and crash. The cheers and gasps around him grew louder.
Tohka looked at the bento box, then at Origami, who was lying on Shido's lap in a 'main wife' pose, and a surge of indescribable grievance and competitiveness immediately welled up within her.
Only then did she realize that she hadn't prepared anything for Shido!
Although she didn't quite understand the specific meaning of 'loving wife,' her intuition told her that this was another new trick to 'monopolize Shido.' She immediately became anxious, stomping her foot and shouting:
"That's so cunning! I can... I can also bring food for Shido! Why do you get to..."
Her purple eyes were filled with resentment and grievance, as if regretting why she hadn't thought of it.
Just at this extremely chaotic moment—
"Good ~ mor ~ ning ~ every ~ one ~! Please return to your seats ~"
Homeroom teacher Ms. Okamine Tamae's voice, tinged with a slight shyness but trying to maintain cheerfulness, came from the classroom door like a lifeline (for Shido).
The students immediately scattered back to their seats like startled birds, though they still cast excited, gossipy glances towards Shido's direction.
Origami also finally slowly emerged from under Shido's desk, expressionlessly tidying her slightly disheveled school uniform, as if the person who had just performed such a shocking act wasn't her.
She unyieldingly pushed the 'loving wife bento' into Shido's hand before returning to her seat.
Shido held the bento box, which still had a subtle warmth, feeling as if he was holding a hot potato, unable to sit still.
Ms. Kotori stood at the podium, adjusted her glasses, and began the morning meeting. After some routine announcements, she seemed to suddenly remember something and added in a slightly worried tone:
"Ah, yes, there's one more thing to inform everyone. Koushi Hōoin has once again taken leave today due to health reasons and won't be coming to school. I hope he recovers soon..."
"...!"
This news was like a muffled thunderclap in Shido's ears. His hand holding the bento box tightened abruptly, his heart jolting.
(He's taken leave again... two days in a row...)
(Koushi... what exactly happened on your end? Is it really a physical discomfort, or... is it related to last night's events?)
The worries that had been temporarily cast aside due to Origami and Tohka's antics now returned with a heavier presence.
Koushi's unusual absence, combined with the surveillance footage Kotori showed yesterday and the bloody incident at the night market, formed an undeniable link in his mind.
The classroom's noise seemed to fade away from him; he looked down at the exquisite bento box in his hand, but felt no warmth at all, only a chill slowly spreading from the depths of his heart.
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