The next morning, Fujiwara Chiya opened his eyes.
His body felt soft and powerless, so weak that he could not even move a finger. His stomach felt hollow, as though a large part of his strength had been scooped out. When he let out a faint breath, the scent still lingering in the room filled his nose.
Hayakawa Tazuna was nestled in his arms like a small bird. Her long brown hair spread smoothly across the bedding, and her two ears rested against Fujiwara Chiya's chest, as if she were listening to his heartbeat.
Looking at Tazuna's quiet and obedient appearance now, it was hard to connect her with the person from last night. The gentler Hayakawa Tazuna usually was, the more overwhelming she had been once her emotions broke loose. To be honest, Fujiwara Chiya had already asked for mercy and begged Tazuna to let him rest for a while. But Tazuna, whose face had been flushed with emotion, had not listened at all. Perhaps it was revenge for what he had done during the day. She had completely ignored his protests.
Not only that, Hayakawa Tazuna's behaviour had been extraordinarily bold. Her commanding attitude had been like that of a queen of the night, impossible to connect with the gentle secretary of the director. Fujiwara Chiya even suspected that something had possessed her.
The memories after that were somewhat blurry. Fujiwara Chiya had already entered a half-fainted state. Occasionally, his body would twitch instinctively, and Hayakawa Tazuna would show an extremely excited expression.
By the time Fujiwara Chiya regained consciousness, it was already morning.
Fujiwara Chiya took a deep breath and slowly turned his neck. Right now, he needed to gather his strength just to move a little. This was the closest Fujiwara Chiya had ever come to death. It was the price of angering Hayakawa Tazuna. If he had not brought Rice Shower along, Hayakawa Tazuna would not have gone so far. At the very least, there would still have been room for the two of them to talk.
Instead, last night had left him unable to say anything beyond muffled sounds.
After lying quietly in bed for half an hour, Fujiwara Chiya finally recovered a little feeling in his body. He raised his arm and gently shook Tazuna beside him. Her fair, glossy face moved slightly, and Hayakawa Tazuna opened her eyes. Her beautiful emerald-green pupils reflected Fujiwara Chiya's figure.
"You're awake... Chiya."
"Mm."
"You slept so deeply last night. No matter what I did, you wouldn't wake up."
Don't call fainting sleeping.
His consciousness had clearly disappeared. There was still a drained, aching feeling in his lower abdomen. If he did not exercise regularly, he might not have survived last night at all.
Hayakawa Tazuna reached out and gently stroked the man's cheek. Her slender fingers were cool and soft, and the touch felt very pleasant. But beneath those delicate hands was a strength he absolutely could not resist.
"Now you can't run away anymore."
She whispered softly beside Fujiwara Chiya's ear.
The man swallowed. Only now did he realize that beneath Tazuna's gentle exterior, there was a beast of desire. A human man's body was completely helpless before her.
Stretching lazily, Hayakawa Tazuna looked at the sun outside the window, then turned back to him.
"While it's still early, Chiya..."
She smiled, lifted the blanket, and quietly moved closer. The man felt his body grow heavy.
"Wait, Tazuna. No, I really will die!"
"I'll buy you some medicine to nourish your body on the way back."
After saying that, she sealed Fujiwara Chiya's mouth again. His battered body had no strength to resist, so he could only let Hayakawa Tazuna do as she wished.
By the time Chiya returned to Tracen, it was already ten in the morning. Kuronuma, who had come to his office to exchange training plans, was startled the moment he saw Chiya's face.
"Y-You all right, Chiya? Why do you look like you're about to die? Are you sick?"
He could not help asking when he saw the lifeless man.
"I should say I've already died once. I saw the boundary between heaven and hell."
Fujiwara Chiya held his head. He felt as if there was no strength left in his body.
"What brings you here, Kuronuma-senpai?"
"I revised Bourbon's training plan. This is my improvement logic. I thought it might be useful to you, so I brought it over."
Kuronuma swallowed and spoke to the utterly exhausted man.
"Really? Thank you very much, Kuronuma-senpai."
Fujiwara Chiya forced out an extremely strained smile.
"...Chiya, you need to take care of your body. Even trainers need to train regularly. Though it does seem like you already exercise quite a bit."
"Senpai's words, I'll engrave them in my heart. I'll train my body until it's like an Uma Musume's."
"That would be going too far. Since you still have the strength to joke, I guess you're not in serious trouble. Contact me if there's anything you don't understand. I won't disturb you any longer."
With that, Kuronuma turned and left. Just as he stepped outside, he saw a green figure.
"Oh my, if it isn't Trainer Kuronuma. Good morning."
"Good morning, Miss Hayakawa."
Kuronuma greeted her and noticed the lunch box in Tazuna's hands.
"I made some soup for Trainer Chiya. I wanted him to rest and relax a little."
"I see. I don't know what that kid Chiya did, but he's exhausted to that extent. Make sure he gets some rest."
While speaking, Kuronuma was genuinely worried that Chiya might collapse on his desk.
"Perhaps he has been under too much work pressure recently."
Hayakawa Tazuna showed a flawless smile. After saying goodbye to Kuronuma, she entered the office.
...
"Yuki-chan, the Student Council is looking for you."
Grass Wonder called Shirayuki's name from the doorway. Shirayuki took a moment to react before raising her head.
"Yuki-chan... are you all right?"
Grass Wonder's brows furrowed slightly. She felt that Shirayuki seemed off. Since morning, Shirayuki had been in a dazed, half-awake state. She had not attended the first class either, making Grass Wonder think she was sick.
"I'm fine. I'm all right."
Fujiwara Shirayuki smiled faintly, but her voice sounded somewhat hollow.
Chiya's condition had also affected her. When Shirayuki woke up, she found that her bedding had been soaked with sweat. Her clothes had also come loose at some point, and her whole body was damp, as if she had been washed in water. To avoid being seen like that by Mejiro Dober, Shirayuki pretended to be unwilling to get up and wrapped herself tightly in the blanket.
Only after Mejiro Dober left first did she stuff the soaked underwear and bedding into the washing machine. During the process, something happened on Chiya's side again, forcing her to hide in the bathroom until it was over.
It truly was a disaster-filled day. By the time Shirayuki came out of the bathroom, her throat was already dry. She had lost a serious amount of fluid and even showed signs of dehydration. That was why Shirayuki had been listless all morning.
"I'm going, Grass Wonder."
With slightly floating steps, Shirayuki left the classroom under Grass Wonder's worried gaze.
When she arrived at the Student Council room, Air Groove and Symboli Rudolf were already waiting for her. The two of them briefly explained the matter. From now on, all of Shirayuki's Student Council activities would be handled under Air Groove's supervision.
"Air Groove-senpai? All right... I understand."
"Then there's no time to waste. Let's begin now."
"Now?"
"Of course. This is not easy work. By the way, did you not sleep well last night? Shirayuki, why do you look so tired?"
"I just had a little insomnia. It's fine, Air Groove-senpai. Let's start working."
Forcing herself to stay focused, Shirayuki showed a smile so fragile it looked almost painfully delicate.