NOVEL NEXT Chapter 2
“Do you need help?”
Under the shade of a tree, the young boy’s eyes momentarily flashed with confusion. He stared ahead blankly—only to suddenly lock eyes with a pair of upward-tilted blue cat-like eyes.
“Hello, I’m Hiromitsu Morofushi,” the newcomer greeted with a gentle, warm smile. Neither he nor the blond, dark-skinned boy behind him carried any luggage, suggesting they’d already checked in and dropped off their things in the dorm.
“…Also, you don’t look so well.”
Kasugawa Shugo hadn’t realized it, but memories of the past had furrowed his brows tightly. Combined with the sweat dripping down from the oppressive heat and his naturally sharp appearance, he really did look unwell.
Closing the system panel that only he could see, he wiped his sweat and consciously relaxed the tension he’d been holding since the mission started. Like an invisible thread tugging him along, the sparse notes on his character card’s personality helped guide his actions.
Right now, he was Kasugawa Shugo—not Tsukiyama Asari, and not just a card.
“It’s alright,” he smiled. When he smiled, his eyes gently curved, and his tangerine-colored irises evoked all sorts of warm, brilliant things—like melted honey and blooming sunflowers.
“It’s just that it’s too hot, and I needed a moment to rest. I’m really bad with heat… But it’s nice to meet you both! I’m Kasugawa Shugo, you can just call me Shugo.”
Unlike the dense sweetness of sugar, the boy’s voice was clean and full of youthful energy, carrying an unmistakable sense of joy and sincerity. It made it hard for anyone being looked at by him to resist smiling back.
“Nice to meet you. I’m Rei Furuya,” the blond boy responded cheerfully.
“The dorms are a bit far from here. I had to make a few trips earlier,” Hiromitsu chuckled, trying not to stare too much at Shugo’s fluffy, slightly curly chestnut hair. “If we all work together, it should only take one trip—won’t be too heavy for any of us.”
Furuya nodded along naturally.
Shugo didn’t refuse again and happily agreed. Hiromitsu picked up his heavy backpack, and Furuya hoisted the bedding onto his shoulder effortlessly.
“Alright, let’s move out toward the dorms!” Shugo grabbed the remaining bags. “I’ll treat you guys to lunch later as a thank you! There were lots of restaurants on the way here… What’s good to eat in summer though…?”
It was getting close to lunchtime, and it seemed Hiromitsu and Furuya were just about to grab food themselves before spotting him.
Neither of them refused the offer.
Shugo really liked how honest and straightforward they were. If he could, he’d love to get their contact info once they finished moving in.
After all, truly experiencing school life meant genuinely making friends he liked.
“In summer, soba noodles are a great choice,” Hiromitsu naturally picked up the topic. “Cold noodles too.”
“Sandwiches and sushi are also good choices in the heat,” Furuya added, shielding his eyes from the dazzling sun with a hand. He glanced at the heavy sweat beading down Shugo’s forehead.
He really was bad with the heat.
I wonder what Kasugawa likes to eat?
Since he’d grown up with his grandparents, he probably leaned toward traditional Japanese flavors. But at his age, he likely also loved crispy foods like fried chicken and pork cutlet bowls.
“There’s a soba shop up ahead,” Shugo said brightly. “They even have shaved ice machines! Let’s go there!”
“Sounds good!” x2
[Profile: Kasugawa Shugo]
Age: 22
Faction: Red Team
Identity: Student at Onizuka Class, Police Academy
Note: Famous for being extremely unbalanced in his skills. I mean, come on, this is a police academy—you should really work on your stamina, buddy.
Detection: Lv.99
Deduction: Lv.83
Firearms: Lv.90
Physical Fitness: Lv.46
“Shugo? Shugo?”
“KASUGAWA SHŪGO!!”
“…Here!” Shugo startled upright, nearly jumping out of his seat. Fortunately, Hiromitsu quickly pressed a hand down on his shoulder to keep him from making a scene.
“Hey, seriously, you dumbass,” a black-haired boy sitting across from him grumbled. His face was patched with bandages and bruises, looking thoroughly pissed off. (Honestly, if he weren’t so handsome, he’d probably have gotten punched for that expression by now.) “You can even zone out while eating?”
“Ahaha, sorry,” Shugo laughed awkwardly, popping a fork-smashed potato into his mouth. “The spicy curry’s just too good.”
It had been over a month since enrollment. By now, the once-rocky relationship between Jinpei Matsuda and Rei Furuya had warmed to the point where even Kenji Hawigara joked that he was “a little jealous.”
Without realizing it, Shugo had become so used to moving around with the five of them—it felt natural now.
“It’s still weird though,” Kenji Hagiwara leaned his cheek on one hand and flashed the charming smile he usually reserved for flirting with girls, winking exaggeratedly at Shugo, “Little Shugo even eats curry rice with chopsticks~.”
“Curry’s delicious, so using chopsticks lets you savor it slowly!” Shugo retorted with serious conviction, causing laughter to ripple around the table.
Having finished his curry, Matsuda shoved his empty plate forward and ruffled Shugo’s hair roughly, a wide, carefree grin on his face.
“What were you thinking about, idiot?”
Hiromitsu’s blue eyes carried a faint look of concern. After all, they’d already had grueling morning training, plus a few extra penalty laps for covering Matsuda and Furuya’s fight. He worried whether Shugo’s body could handle the strain—he really didn’t have the same brute stamina the others had.
“Hey, Zhu Fushiki don’t you think it’s rude to compare us to gorillas like that?” Furuya teased, catching Hiromitsu’s side-glance perfectly.
“No, no, just worrying about Shugo,” Hiromitsu said smoothly, diverting the topic.
“So what were you thinking about, Shugo?” Furuya and Matsuda both leaned closer, clearly not planning to let him off the hook.
Welp, guess there’s no escaping this.
“I was just thinking about my physical fitness,” Shugo admitted. No matter how many skill points I dump into it, it barely moves. Guess I’ll have to sneak out to train more at night…
He shot a quick wink at Kenji.
“Shugo’s already improving a lot!” Hiromitsu jumped in. “He’s keeping up with the physical training and even doing extra laps.”
“Hey, wanna drink?” Kenji casually offered Hiromitsu a juice box with a straw already poked in. “You want one too, Jinpei?”
Distracted, Matsuda grabbed the juice box Kenji handed him and took a big sip. At the same time, Furuya bit into the straw Wataru offered him.
The next moment—
PFFFFT—
Both spat out their drinks almost simultaneously.
“RUN!!!” Kenji shouted.
The group leapt to their feet and bolted toward the cafeteria exit, making sure to dump their trays in the bins as they fled.
“HAHAHAHAHAHAHA—” Wataru laughed loudly, spinning a toothpick between his fingers.
“You bastards!” Matsuda roared, clutching the box of bitter melon vegetable juice he’d just unwillingly gulped down. He locked eyes with Furuya.
“I’ll go through that door,” Matsuda growled.
“I’ll circle around the back,” Furuya cracked his knuckles.
“AAAAAH, MATSUDA’S COMING!”
“RUN FOR IT!”
“Wait, is that Ze—”
“SWITCH DIRECTIONS!”
“Little Shugo—!”
Shugo cursed inwardly. Dammit, my stamina can’t keep up with these damn gorillas! His legs already felt like they were giving out.
Just when he thought he could ease up a little, a hand clamped down on his shoulder.
“Shugo,” Matsuda’s devilish grin loomed close. “Where do you think you’re going?”
“AAAAAAAH—”
The others, hearing his screams, ran even faster.
“Little Shugo—we’ll remember you—!”
“Switch directions, Rei’s flanking from the front!!”
Breathing heavily and cradling his aching head after getting smacked, Shugo leaned against a tree to catch his breath, laughing despite himself.
“Geez, you didn’t have to hit my head… That’s like my only useful ‘weapon’ right now!”
He watched the others chasing and dodging in the distance, unable to stop the wide grin spreading across his face.
Man, these guys are so full of life.
“Hey, Matsuda!” Shugo straightened up and shouted cheekily, “I saw Hawigara hiding behind the flower bed—!”
“WHAT?!” Kenji popped out from behind a low brick wall, yelling indignantly, “Traitor, Shugo!!”