"..."
Yuki Tsukishiro was growing restless.
She had counted... the total time Shinta Uchiha spent waiting outside was 35,996 seconds. His stomach growled 69 times from hunger, and he forced his eyes open 9 times, rousing himself from drowsiness with sheer willpower.
This far exceeded her initial expectations.
Yuki Tsukishiro reached out and picked up the wrapped bread from the table.
This act was not out of kindness, not to help a selfish and evil human, nor was it some so-called innate goodness.
Now that she had spread the Witch Factor, she was completely different from her kin who had been slaughtered by naive humans, and from other witches.
It was just... she felt the need to uncover the secret hidden in this strange Shinta Uchiha. She couldn't stay in her current state; she had to approach him and interact with him.
That was all.
"Hmph."
Shinta Uchiha huddled in the corner and let out a heavy yawn.
He realized he had underestimated how difficult it was to pretend to admire the scenery while blocking the door.
In the dead of night, it was not just hunger that tested his will—there was also drowsiness and the chill of the night.
These debuffs left Shinta Uchiha in a constant state of grogginess, on the verge of passing out, and he didn't even notice when the door next door opened.
He only vaguely saw a snow-white, angel-like figure step in front of him and stuff an unwrapped, fragrant item into his arms.
"Hmm."
Driven by hunger, the drowsy Shinta Uchiha unconsciously opened his mouth and bit hard into the thing in his arms.
As the soft bread entered his mouth, he jolted awake as if injected with a stimulant, his attention snapping to the white figure standing close by.
Was this an angel?
Shinta Uchiha forced his eyes wide open, trying to get a clear look at the beautiful angel's face—only to have Yuki Tsukishiro's delicate features fill his entire field of vision.
No, this was not an angel. This was a born evil, a giant wooden stump!!
"Y-You, what are you doing here?"
"?"
Yuki Tsukishiro, with bread crumbs still on her lips, tilted her small head at Shinta Uchiha, who had just looked moved and now stared as if he'd seen a ghost in a horror movie.
Did I scare you?
You look like a scared puppy... It's kind of cute.
"Um, here. This bread is for you."
Shinta Uchiha stared at Yuki Tsukishiro, who was smiling at him wordlessly.
His superhuman intuition instantly hit the nail on the head.
It seemed just possible, maybe even a chance, that this was how things were unfolding... She saw him starving to death and couldn't bear it, so she came to help.
This naturally evil giant wooden stump had just seemingly done a good deed.
"..." Yuki Tsukishiro didn't move or speak. She just watched Shinta Uchiha quietly.
"I'm sorry."
Shinta Uchiha suddenly blurted out the words awkwardly.
The moment he realized he'd been helped, a flush of shame welled up in him, and his innate goodness began to take hold.
But...
This shame didn't last long. Shinta Uchiha quickly shook his head violently, casting aside the thoughts that clouded his judgment.
The moment he felt soft-hearted, his eyes jolted, and he saw a terrifying scene.
Yuki Tsukishiro's figure, hidden in the shadows, smiled and made a proposal to a small, pink figure.
"Come, slaughter to your heart's content, Ai..."
"..."
Shinta Uchiha's ashamed expression instantly shifted to that of a small animal facing a giant beast, his face setting into a fighting scowl.
How could he be so easily corrupted by her sugar-coated bullets? How could he so easily delude himself into thinking that the evil Yuki Tsukishiro was actually a good person, that he'd misunderstood her and had bad thoughts about her?
As the only Uchiha in this world, the only one capable of stopping the giant wooden stump's schemes, he had to stay strong.
"..."
Yuki Tsukishiro looked at Shinta Uchiha, keeping her smile and saying nothing.
Uchiha-senpai was putting on such a knowing look, acting in such an unclear way.
It feels... kind of fun?
"Um, that..."
After snapping back to his senses, Shinta Uchiha looked awkwardly at the half-eaten bread in his hand.
Eating food given by an enemy was, without a doubt, the act of a weakling, a surrenderer, a chameleon, a fence-sitter, a two-faced traitor.
So next, he had to... redefine this event. He couldn't let it be a gift from the enemy; at the very least, it had to be a transaction. Yes, a transaction.
Otherwise, in his future clashes with Yuki Tsukishiro, he might end up at a complete disadvantage.
"Ahem, Tsukishiro-san. Thank you for helping me when I was spacing out while admiring the scenery and accidentally got drowsy."
"So, I want to repay this kindness. I'm quite good at doing backflips. May I perform one for you as a thank you?"
Shinta Uchiha made up his mind, putting his hand to his mouth, his expression awkward as he tried to turn this act of receiving food into a transaction.
Yuki Tsukishiro's light blue eyes lit up.
You can do backflips too?
So you're a fellow... No, what does that mean? Why did you suddenly bring up backflips? Uchiha-san is really strange!
"I'm confident in my backflip skills. If that's not okay, then..."
Shinta Uchiha also realized that suddenly suggesting this was a bit off, so he quickly changed his plan, preparing to use money as thanks, as if he'd bought a loaf of bread from the girl in front of him.
But before he could finish speaking, Yuki Tsukishiro cut him off.
"Sure."
Yuki Tsukishiro opened her mouth and agreed softly to Shinta Uchiha's proposal to repay her with a backflip.