Business As Usual: Epilogue of Volume 3

"Oh? Good morning, Shouichi-kun!" The beautiful girl in an autumn uniform greeted the boy, surprise evident on her face as she spotted him. They stood in the bustling hallway of the main school building.

"Heh, good morning, Ayane-chan," Shouichi greeted her back with a shallow smile.

"It's nice of you to show up for once in a while," She remarked, reaching out to touch his medium-length hair. "What's with your hair? Need a trim?" She teased.

"Ay, I'm depressed, so I don't really care," He muttered.

"Oh? You are? I can't really tell," She poked fun at him. In a quick glance, Ayane noticed the dark aura surrounding Shouichi.

"..." Shouichi held his breath, waiting for a reprimand that never came.

"Why are you acting like an NPC?" She asked, tilting her head adorably.

"…Hehe, nothing, nothing."

"SHOUICHI!? YOU ALIVE, MAN?!" Shinji appeared from nowhere. The tall boy poked Shouichi's cheek in disbelief.

"Quit it! I'm real, mate!" Shouichi grabbed Shinji's finger.

"Man, I've been so lonely without you around." Shinji let out his usual smirk, resting his hands on his hips.

"Huh? That's not true! You're always hanging out with Emi-chan and Ishikawa-san!" Ayane quickly shot him down with facts.

"Why'd you have to tell him that? I wanted to make him feel special on his return!" Shinji argued while Ayane crossed her arms.

"I'm the lonely one since Shouichi was absent for months," Ayane said, locking eyes with Shouichi. Her violet-purple eyes were so captivating, almost angelic, as if they were a divine creation.

"Hey, guys! It's not a competition." Shouichi interjected, placing a hand on Ayane's and Shinji's shoulders. "I'm sorry about my absence…"

Suddenly, hands appeared and gripped Shouichi's sides, making him jerk upright from the shock.

"Oh! Shouichi-kun! You're really back!" Momo's voice chimed.

Shouichi turned to look at her. The petite, cute girl in her school uniform, wearing a short skirt, was standing right behind him.

"Could you not touch my sides? I might accidentally swing at you…" Shouichi scolded her, but she ignored his words and flashed a simple smile, tilting her head cutely.

"Momo-chan, yo!" Ayane and the others greeted her, and she returned their greetings with a similar smile.

"My sharp eyes tell me you've lost some weight, Shouichi-kun," Momo said, tapping her glasses, prompting Ayane and Shinji to scrutinise him.

"Oh! Right! You look like a shrimp now." Shinji immediately touched his own belly.

"Hey! Don't touch me!" Shouichi swatted away Shinji's hand but couldn't stop the teasing. "I'm just leaning, guys!" He shouted.

"Shouichi-kun, you should've told me you'd come today. I wanted to make you bentos. Hee-hee," Ayane chuckled.

"I-I want to make you lunch too since you look malnourished…" Momo stammered, her face turning bright red as she spoke.

"Man, this is a hard choice. So, which one would you choose? Ayane's or Momo's?" Shinji, ever smug, slung his arm around Shouichi's shoulder. His height easily eclipsed Shouichi's, towering over him by at least 15 cm. The two girls eagerly awaited his answer.

"Well, I'll eat both since I need to gain back my weight… So, I'm looking forward to both of you," Shouichi replied with a gentle smile, though inwardly he was mewing when he said it.

"Greedy!" "Gluttony!" the girls exclaimed in disdain.

"HAAA? I thought I was giving a good answer!" Shouichi argued, looking to Shinji for support, but he just shrugged and grinned wryly.

"Bro, you are NOT him…" Shinji patted Shouichi's back as the group burst into laughter.

"Let's go, Momo-chan," the tall boy with silver hair called out to his little friend, suggesting they head to class.

Suddenly, the school's speakers played a melody, followed by the voice of the announcer. "Good morning, my fellow Seihei students! I'm Wanabe Ririku from Class 3-1, the representative of the broadcasting club and acting president of the Seihei student council…" Ririku skillfully announced the weather for the day.

"Wow, she really has a lot of responsibility now," Shouichi commented aloud while his group walked toward their 2-1 classroom.

"Yeah, since we haven't had a chance to re-elect, she's the acting student council president for now," Ayane added gracefully.

"Third-year students are like that; they try to cram as much as they can into their high school portfolios. It's a good outlook for their future studies and college applications," Momo informed them confidently, raising her finger like a know-it-all. "Oh, Momo's way more relaxed around us now. She's not as timid anymore…" Shouichi observed.

Ririku's announcement continued. "As esteemed students of Seihei, we have a responsibility to uphold our grades. So, I encourage all of you to start revising for the exams. The mid-term exams will run from the 15th to the 18th of October! Let's do our best!"

"Crap! That's next week!?" Shouichi's eyes widened in shock.

"A delinquent like you shouldn't care too much about that, eh?" Shinji quipped as they reached the classroom door.

"Since when am I a delinquent?" Shouichi denied the remark.

"Missing school for months, not attending club activities, fistfights with upperclassmen…" Ayane began to list his delinquent-like behaviour, and it felt like a punch to Shouichi's chest.

"Enough, please! I'm worried about the exam!" Shouichi furrowed his brows, causing Ayane to chuckle. Once they entered the room, Shinji and Momo walked side by side, while Shouichi and Ayane followed closely behind. Shinji took his usual seat by the window in the last row.

"Eh?" Shouichi was surprised to see Momo sit next to Shinji. "Since when did you two sit together?" He asked.

"Since you've been dead, I felt lonely, so I asked her to sit next to me," Shinji answered idly, his hands behind his head, while Momo nodded a few times.

"Where's my seat then?" Shouichi asked, confused.

"Here... You're sitting next to me," Ayane called, lightly tapping the empty seat next to her in the middle column of the last row. The beautiful girl rested her chin on her palm, giving him a side-eye.

"HAAA?" Shouichi exclaimed incredulously.

"Are you guys pranking me or something?" Shouichi turned to look at Shinji and Momo, who were doing their best to contain their laughter.

"Come sit here already!" Ayane commanded with a stern voice like a commander, and he complied.

"What's our first class again?" Shouichi asked his enchanting seatmate.

"Huh? It's English, Mr. Delinquent," Ayane teased.

"Oh shoot, I didn't bring my textbook since I got too excited last night." Shouichi scrambled through his bag.

Sigh "What am I going to do with you… You can look at mine," She said, leaning in closely. Her sweet vanilla scent was heavenly.

"Oh, thanks!" Shouichi backed away slightly, flustered. "Well… I can't help but notice that she looks more elegant and beautiful than ever. Has she gained some weight in certain places? What am I thinking? I already have a girlfriend…" Shouichi's thoughts wandered aimlessly.

"Stop leering at me, Mr. Pervert!" Ayane flicked his forehead.

"Ow! I just think you look prettier! Jeez, cool your jets, would you?" Shouichi rubbed his forehead.

"R-really?"

"I also think you've gained some weight, too." He leered at her chest.

"You want another one?! Hmm?" Ayane's face turned scarlet, not from flattery but from anger. She swiftly aimed another flick at him.

"Please, no! It hurts!" Shouichi raised his hands to shield himself.

The playful banter between Shouichi and Ayane seemed endless, thanks to their new seating arrangement. Even though Shouichi had just returned to his normal routine, it felt great to be among friends once again. The class resumed, and Shouichi's mind stayed occupied with learning new things instead of his past troubles. It was a refreshing start, reminding him of how much he loved gaining new knowledge.

Before he realised it, the class had ended. While he was packing his things, his seatmate spoke up. "Can we walk home together?"

"Eh? That's a bit sudden," He replied, then it dawned on him. "Crap… I'm living with Suzuki-san. Ayane hasn't realised that yet. It's going to be awkward as hell since I'm dating one of her relatives… The worst part is, I asked her to wait for me…"

"Stop spacing out like that… It makes you look bad, you know," Ayane pointed out with a sigh.

"My bad! I can't go with you today, but I have something to discuss with you later. Is that alright?"

"Yep!" She accepted with a smile. "I hope you're not hiding anything…" She added, narrowing one eye, suspicious of the boy.

"Of course not!" He lied, avoiding her gaze.

"Fine! Then I'll ask Namie to pick me up." She turned to tap on her smartphone. He noticed the Kitsune charm still hanging from her bag. "She still has it, huh?"

"Before you go… here." Ayane handed him a notebook, placing it gently on his head.

"What's this?"

"I made a summary for you… I mean, for your upcoming exam…" She muttered, her voice suddenly unnaturally shy.

"For real? You're just making your enemy stronger, you know." He took the notebook with care, flipping through the handwritten pages. They were incredibly detailed yet concise, and Shouichi could tell she'd put a lot of effort into it.

"Nah, I'd still win," Ayane said, her tone condescending.

"Ayane, thank you so much! I'm in your debt," Shouichi said, bowing slightly in gratitude.

"Then if I win this time, you'll have to become my boyfriend, alright?" Ayane smiled at him with determination in her dazzling purple eyes, as if they could freeze time.

"Oh… about that…" He faltered, unable to say anything else.

"At the very least, how about you become my sex slave!?" She grinned cunningly, causing him to look around frantically. "Good thing no one else is here… She's too bold!" Shouichi thought.

"Huh? Stop joking around. I'll treat you to something good, like an izakaya instead." He brushed her off with a new suggestion.

"Fine! It's settled then! It's a date, right?" Ayane crossed her arms and accepted his condition.

"Yep!" He nodded, relieved. That was a better alternative than becoming her pleasure slave. As a thought crossed his mind: "I've already got my hands full with Suzuki-san… I can't believe it, but their strange, insatiable sex drive must run in the family… How did this happen?"

The couple seemed to enjoy their youthful banter alone in the empty classroom. Later, they parted ways when Namie arrived in a black sedan to pick Ayane up in front of the school.

***

In the dimly lit, spacious room, the air hummed with machinery, and the faint splashing of water echoed. Unknown equipment lined the walls, casting long shadows in the half-light. At the centre of it all stood a tall, strikingly handsome boy, his figure reflected in the gleaming surfaces around him. He was running on a hydro treadmill—a specialised treadmill enclosed in a transparent water tank that reached up to his chest. The water rippled with each step, creating waves that surged and ebbed around him.

His lean body was wired to several sensors attached to his chest, arms, and legs, each one carefully monitoring his vital signs. The sensors were connected to a computer-like machine with three large monitors, displaying fluctuating graphs, data streams, and biometric readings. His silver hair clung to his forehead, damp with sweat, as he pushed himself harder, his legs churning through the resistance of the water. Every stride sent a spray of droplets cascading around the tank, splashing against its glass-like surface.

"Shinji… you are indeed growing much stronger." A coarse, masculine voice resonated throughout the room as a middle-aged man with similar silver hair appeared. He was well-dressed in a black suit and red tie, his jawline sharp and his light-purple eyes dazzling, complementing his well-built physique.

"Breaking the world record?" He asked, scanning the monitors.

"Y-Yes…" the boy replied reluctantly between breaths. After a moment, he stopped and got out of the water.

"How's everything?" The middle-aged man asked, standing elegantly beside him.

"I guess it all went well… Father," The boy replied, a strange aura emanating from the man.

"What did I teach you?" The father shot him a hard stare, causing Shinji to grow nervous.

"Sorry… It's going according to plan, Father… My apologies for not being clearer."

"Precisely!" The man lightly tapped his shoulder before leaving through the large double doors.

Sigh Shinji exhaled in relief.