Early in the morning, the first thing Shinra did when he woke up was to reach out and conduct... electricity.
"Bilibili~"
A pleasant sound rang out. Shinra smelled the scent of fresh grass as he got up from bed. After getting dressed and washing up, he hummed an unknown tune and walked out the door.
Shinra's sleep quality last night wasn't good. Perhaps it was due to being too excited; he had a rare, bizarre dream.
In the dream, he sometimes turned into Pikachu, using his tail to charge his phone, and sometimes he became a doctor in a white coat, helping Hachiman break his internet addiction. In short, the content of the dream was quite strange, but he had forgotten most of it. The two situations above were the ones that left the deepest impression from his entire dream.
Actually, there was another scene that also left a deep impression, but because it wouldn't pass censorship, it won't be elaborated upon.
Ahem, anyway, the joy of having electricity—only those who use it know.
"Shizuka-sensei, good morning~"
Shinra arrived at the dining hall and found Shizuka holding a newspaper in one hand and sending food to her mouth with the other. When she saw interesting news, she would put down her chopsticks, hold the newspaper firmly with both hands, and bring it closer to read carefully.
Where did this old man from the last century come from?
"Good morning Hah"
Shizuka yawned. She looked like she hadn't slept well. Her hair wasn't particularly tidy, just smoothed down with a comb. A few mischievous strands of hair fluttered with the breeze. She wore light makeup, which looked like it was just for show. But fortunately, she was naturally beautiful; even with light makeup, she looked better than most people.
Shizuka wore the same clothes as when she arrived: a black training uniform with camouflage cargo pants, and a pair of high-heeled Martin boots. She had the appearance of a wilderness camping expert, looking even more professional than the camp instructors.
"Are you the only one?" Shizuka asked.
"At this hour, I should be the only one, barring any surprises." Shinra woke up early. He had mentioned before that he was a light sleeper in unfamiliar beds. Plus, having obtained a truly supernatural ability yesterday, he was even less sleepy due to excitement.
Of course, sleeping poorly didn't mean Shinra would be affected by it. With the 4 points suddenly added to his physique yesterday, Shinra felt his energy was terrifyingly abundant right now. Even if he stayed up for a day or two, it felt like it wouldn't be a big deal.
Moreover, with a high physique score, the body's recovery ability is correspondingly strengthened. Shinra now only needed very little sleep each day to meet his body's needs. In a sense, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say he was a nuclear-powered donkey now.
Sleeps little, works a lot—what is that if not a nuclear-powered donkey?
Doesn't even need coffee. (Fog)
"I heard there was 'easter egg' gameplay at the test of courage yesterday?" Shizuka had obtained this information from somewhere, but she seemed to have a general understanding of what Shinra and Yukino had done.
"Sorry to have troubled you, Sensei." Shinra didn't bother with this or that; he just apologized first.
Hontou ni sumimasen.
It's called 'doing as the locals do'.
"It's not really trouble. After all, your method was quite subtle, and you didn't leave any evidence." Shizuka put down the newspaper and shook her head.
"Even if I didn't leave evidence, if it really blew up, Sensei would still be under pressure, right?" Shinra said.
After all, the so-called 'easter egg' content wasn't in the camp's original plan. It was something Shinra added at the last minute, a product outside the plan. If any incident had occurred because of it, Shizuka, as the supervising teacher, would have been the primary person responsible.
"Since you dared to do it, you must have been confident. I'm not blaming you by saying this. After all, being able to think of such a method in a short time was beyond my expectations. Good job."
"It's just that the means were a bit despicable," Shinra added.
"Yeah, you brat are really full of bad ideas. Reminds me of a certain student I used to teach." Shizuka seemed to see the shadow of someone in Shinra.
"Yukinoshita Haruno?"
"I'm surprised you could guess." Shizuka raised an eyebrow when she heard Shinra say Haruno's name.
Of course, she wasn't too surprised; she had long known the two were acquainted.
"That person is very concerned about you and Yukino," Shizuka reminded him meaningfully.
Shinra replied, "She's probably more concerned about Yukino, right?"
Haruno's sister-complex power was not one bit inferior to Hachiman's.
"No, she is also very concerned about you."
Unexpectedly, Shizuka spoke to Shinra in a very certain tone.
She was once Haruno's teacher and spent three years with her. She could be said to understand Haruno's personality quite well.
Don't be fooled by Haruno's attention being all on Yukino. In reality, perhaps even Haruno herself didn't realize that her level of attention on Shinra was also gradually increasing.
This was reflected in the frequency with which the name 'Mori Shinra' was mentioned.
In the past, when Shizuka had dinner with Haruno, 'Yukino' was the most frequently mentioned name, followed by the Yukinoshita mother. But recently, 'Mori Shinra' was being mentioned more and more often. At its peak, it even surpassed the Yukinoshita mother, reaching a level second only to 'Yukino'.
As a bystander, Shizuka was certain that this frequency of mention definitely couldn't be explained just by Shinra having a good relationship with Yukino.
"Love me, love my dog?" Shinra proposed another possibility.
"Perhaps." Shizuka shrugged, neither refuting nor confirming.
However, in her heart, she directly dismissed this possibility. 'Love me, love my dog' wasn't used like this. After all, for a sister-complex, any male approaching her sister could be called an enemy.
For details, refer to Hachiman.
Haruno might be different, but because of Yukino's elementary school experiences, Shizuka found it hard to believe she would be friendly towards Shinra from the start.
Don't be fooled by Haruno's cheerful appearance, seemingly getting along well with everyone. In reality, for someone this calculating, her true thoughts would never be shown on her face, or even put on the table.
"Alright, enjoy your breakfast. I'm going to wake them up. Don't want them to oversleep and miss breakfast." Shizuka folded the newspaper again, rolled it into a tube, tucked it under her arm, and then carried her tray towards the dish return area.
"Thank you for your hard work." Shinra replied politely, then focused on tackling his last breakfast at this place.
Mm, must eat more.
When the others went back, they would go straight home. He was different. Before he came, Uncle Li had already told him: his great uncle wanted to see him.
Shinra didn't think this meeting was just a simple reunion between grandfather and grandson. As the head of a business empire like the Mori Conglomerate, his every move was closely watched. Even his sons needed an appointment to see him, let alone a third-generation member who wasn't from the direct bloodline.
But he wasn't really that nervous. Shinra wasn't nervous before, and now that he had gained the ability 'Current Control' and preliminarily grasped the essence of power—'force'—he felt even less nervous.
On the way back, the car was completely silent.
This was probably a common ailment of all trips. On the return journey, as soon as you get in the car, you become unusually sleepy, and then drift off to sleep amidst the bumping and vibration of the vehicle.
Shizuka glanced at the rearview mirror and found that of everyone in the car, only Shinra hadn't "died." Hachiman and Saika beside him were already leaning on each other, fast asleep... Wait, what's with Hachiman's expression?
A pervert?
"How come you're not sleeping?" Shizuka suddenly asked.
Because it was a luxury car, the driving noise was minimal. Plus, everyone else in the car was asleep and no one was talking, so when Shizuka spoke at a normal volume, Shinra in the back row could hear her clearly.
"I feel it's a bit pitiful that Sensei is the only one awake and has to drive, so I plan to stay awake and accompany you for the whole journey." Shinra replied.
Actually, it's because I'm not sleepy. And with my phone, I won't get bored. If worse comes to worst, I still have my handheld console.
"I didn't realize you were so good at pleasing girls," Shizuka said.
"Sensei's age can't be called a 'girl'."
"Hey, Shinra. Tell me, what is the meaning of life?"
"How can ordinary girls compare to you, Sensei? A woman of your age is at the most beautiful and mature moment of her life. How can little girls possibly compare?"
Shinra's tone shifted extremely fast. When the person holding the steering wheel asks 'what is the meaning of life', anyone would panic.
Hearing Shinra's answer, which started contrary and ended respectfully, Shizuka didn't pursue it further. After chatting with Shinra about this and that, the car fell silent again.
After a long time, Shinra suddenly asked: "Sensei, are you and Haruno-san very close?"
"It's pretty good, I guess. She's one of the few students who still keeps in touch with me after graduation," Shizuka replied.
Barring special circumstances, the so-called teacher-student friendship usually only lasts until graduation. For teachers and students who still keep in touch after graduation, their relationship must be quite good.
"Then how much do you know about her?" Shinra continued to ask, trying to get more information about Haruno from Shizuka.
If he asked Haruno herself about these things, he would most likely get a carefully polished answer. It couldn't be called a lie, just a selective truth.
The art of language is probably just like that.
"Are you the type of guy who likes older sisters?" Shizuka teased.
"No, just curious."
"Curiosity is often the beginning of a relationship, you know, young man."
She's never been in a relationship herself, yet she loves to act as a relationship counselor.
Shizuka-sensei, you're too typical.
"That's for women."
"In my opinion, men and women are the same."
"Feminism?"
"You know your stuff."
"Of course. So, can you tell me, Sensei? About Haruno-san."
Shinra wouldn't let Shizuka change the subject.
"Shouldn't that require the person's consent?" Shizuka held the steering wheel, answering distractedly.
"Then did you get my consent when you introduced me to Haruno-san?"
"A man shouldn't be so petty."
"Aren't you a feminist?"
"I'm actually a 'take-what-I-can-use'-ist."
"Using whatever is convenient isn't called 'take-what-I-can-use'-ism," Shinra reminded her.
"So you want to discuss philosophy with me?"
"You really can't say?"
"You should understand the principle of 'pulling seedlings to make them grow' (forcing growth). There's a time for everything. When you should know, you will naturally understand."
Shizuka was being evasive. It looked like there was little possibility of getting information about Haruno from her.
"That sounds like something an old person would say."
Lord Shinra is petty. Seeing Shizuka's non-cooperation, he took a subtle jab at her.
"Hehe."
A cold smile appeared on Shizuka's face. I'm driving right now. I'll let you brat taste my iron fist once we reach our destination.
Lord Shinra is petty, but Shizuka Sensei isn't magnanimous either!
As if thinking of something, Shizuka suddenly said: "Anyway, you'll definitely have the chance to understand that Haruno person later. To be honest, I'd rather you not get involved with her."
Haruno's problems are huge. So huge that even her sister Yukino's problems are, at best, minor issues in comparison.
Or rather, Haruno's problems aren't just her own, but also the problems of the entire Yukinoshita family. And such problems are clearly not something an outsider like Shinra can solve.
"I knew Sensei cared about me. Sensei is forever young and beautiful!" Shinra spewed compliments like they were free.
Shizuka was unmoved. Because we're almost at our destination. This Shinra brat doesn't know he's young, he just knows he's about to get wrecked.
Soon, the car arrived at the Sobu High entrance. The time had come to noon. Just before reaching the destination, the people in the car, without anyone's reminder, actually woke up one after another. Quite magical!
Of course, there were some who weren't fully awake.
"Hachiman, wake up, we've arrived, okay?" Saika gently pushed the fast-asleep Hachiman.
Shinra felt this was too slow, so he simply whispered directly in his ear: "Taishi is here."
Hachiman: !!!
Almost instantly, Hachiman, as if by conditioned reflex, scanned his surroundings with his dead-fish eyes for any suspicious 'Taishi'.
What's this, there's no Taishi at all. Turns out I was just scaring myself~
"Onii-chan, how are we getting home later?" Komachi from the front row also happened to turn around and ask.
"Let's take the Keiyo Line and then transfer to the bus. We can buy some things on the way back," Hachiman gave a plan without even thinking.
"I remember Shinra-oniichan and Yukino-oneechan are on the same route, right? Want to go together?" Komachi asked.
Shinra smiled and said, "No need. I'm not going home right away. Someone is picking me up."
"What about Yukino-oneechan?"
Yukino, who had just woken up and was still a bit dazed, heard her name. After thinking for a moment, she said, "Then let's take..."
Before she could finish, a black luxury sedan pulled up in front of everyone.
A middle-aged man quickly got out of the driver's seat, bowed to the group, and then opened the back door for the person inside.
Then, an exquisitely dressed, beautiful figure stepped out of the car. It was Haruno.
"Hiii~~~ Yukino!"
"Sister..." Yukino hadn't expected Haruno to come.
Yui, seeing Haruno for the first time, let out a confused, soft "Huh?"
"This is Yukino-chan's... older sister?"
"They really look alike. Both are very beautiful."
Amidst the group's whispers, Haruno walked up to Yukino and said chidingly, "I clearly told you to come home during summer vacation, but you just wouldn't. So, sister just had to come and pick you up personally."
"..." Yukino said nothing.
At this moment, Haruno also saw Shinra to the side and greeted him, "Ah, Shinra-kun is here too. Sorry, but even though you're my Yukino's upstairs/downstairs neighbor, I have to take Yukino to the family home later, so I can't give you a ride. Of course, if you want to come back with us, that's fine too. We have plenty of empty rooms at the main house..."
"He has his own things to do." Yukino interrupted Haruno's words, sounding slightly stiff.
"Is that so... Oh well, then. I'll just have to invite you to be a guest at our home next time." Haruno's tone was filled with regret, as if she had really considered taking Shinra back to the family home.
"There will always be opportunities in the future, Haruno-san." Shinra wasn't modest at all, replying with a smile.
The conversation between the two clearly attracted the attention of the others present. Shinra and Yukino are neighbors?
And Yukino's sister is so familiar with Shinra...
Ugh, feels like I've learned something incredible.
Komachi, at the side, nudged her brother's waist with her elbow and whispered, "Is Shinra-oniichan dating Yukino-oneechan?"
"Even if you ask me, I don't know either."
He says he's not sure, but if Yukino were to date anyone, it would have to be Shinra, right?
Those two are always so disgustingly close!
"That's all for the chat. Shizu-chan, I'll be taking Yukino now." Haruno waved at Shizuka.
"I told you not to call me that." Shizuka snorted, then added, "Got it. Be safe on the road."
She then similarly instructed the others present: "It's still considered part of the training camp until you return home, so you all be careful on your way back too."
Yukino ultimately got in the car with Haruno. Through the car window, she could vaguely be seen sitting in the back seat, like a cold doll. And beside her, Haruno, although still wearing the smile she had shown everyone earlier, combined with Yukino's expression, gave off an inexplicably oppressive feeling.
Shinra didn't say anything upon seeing this. Not long after the Yukinoshita sisters left, the car to pick him up also arrived.
The person picking him up was still Uncle Li, but he wasn't driving the Phantom from before. He had switched to a Maybach. It was clear the windows were significantly thickened; it was a specially customized bulletproof model.
Getting out of the car, Uncle Li was rarely serious. He acted strictly as a chauffeur, welcoming Shinra up, closing the car door, bidding a polite farewell to the people present, and then driving the car away from the place at an unhurried pace.
Leaving behind the bewildered Hachiman siblings and Saika, staring at each other. Everyone seems to be quite formidable.
Yui's brows were tightly furrowed, as if thinking about something. Suddenly, she slammed her fist into her palm, attracting everyone's attention.
Just when they thought she was about to offer some great insight, they heard Yui say: "That's not the same car he rode in when he came!"
The Hachiman siblings, Saika: …
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Hayashi Conglomerate → Mori Conglomerate