"Is that so...?"
Arima Kishou didn't quite understand. He had never read those so-called manga, he only liked reading actual books.
"Yes, I'm really happy to be going to school with you, Arima-kun."
Uruka Minami wasn't just saying this for show, it was genuinely how she felt.
She had already accepted her fate and mentally prepared herself for being taken to the ghoul detention center after next week's exams.
So, for these last few days, she wanted to allow herself a little indulgence.
She had always admired the school life of human girls, the kind she had seen in manga-those youthful, vibrant days.
Even though Arima was probably the type of person who despised ghouls, she still felt content.
Of course, by the time they arrived at the school gates, she still hadn't eaten that piece of bread.
Since Arima already knew she was a ghoul, there was no point in pretending to eat in front of him. Forcing it down would only make her suffer.
Just as she was about to throw the bread into a nearby trash bin, Arima suddenly spoke.
"Are you wasting food?"
"I can't help it. I really can't eat it; Even if I force it down, I'll have to vomit it back up later."
Uruka Minami apologized with a helpless smile.
"If you can't eat it, then give it to me."
Arima replied expressionlessly.
"Oh..."
Uruka Minami froze for a second before her cheeks flushed red.
She hadn't actually taken a bite of the bread, but she had been holding it in her mouth the entire way here.
In other words, if Arima ate it, wouldn't that mean he'd be...indirectly eating from her mouth?
"Uhm, Arima-kun... You don't mind?"
Uruka Minami asked shyly.
"Mind what? You haven't eaten it, have you?"
Arima responded flatly.
"Well, yeah, but... I was holding it in my mouth for so long..."
Uruka Minami looked a bit embarrassed.
"Oh, that's what you meant. But that's nothing, right? It's not like direct physical contact or mucous membrane contact. If you think about it, there's probably more saliva exchanged just from us talking face to face."
Arima remained completely calm and logical, stating it as a simple fact.
"Th-this... Alright then..."
Uruka Minami was left speechless by his reasoning.
Looking at Arima's completely expressionless face, she realized he truly didn't care at all.
Not only that, but he also didn't seem to feel any embarrassment. He could casually say words like "saliva" without a second thought, while she hesitated to even bring it up.
In the end, Arima ate the bread without hesitation.
Before walking ahead, he turned to her and said, "Wasting food is unacceptable. Don't do something like this again."
He wasn't referring to her being unable to eat human food, he meant the whole act of deliberately carrying bread in her mouth for the aesthetic and then wasting it.
"I understand," Uruka Minami obediently nodded.
At that moment, she suddenly realized; Wasn't this exactly the kind of youthful moment she had always longed for?
Ever since that night with the pumpkin-headed ghoul incident, it was as if they had all walked away from the gates of hell.
Fura Taishi and Sasada Aki had been coming to school every day now.
Even Sasada Aki had completely cut ties with the delinquent biker gang.
The buzz-cut guy and the rooster-headed delinquent had been scared out of their wits by the pumpkin-headed ghoul.
They now had a deep psychological trauma, forget street racing, they wouldn't even dare touch a motorcycle for a while.
That left only Aki alone but riding solo wasn't fun, and she was definitely afraid that the pumpkin-headed ghoul might show up again. In the end, she had no choice but to reluctantly give up "flying."
"Taishi, from now on, let's just play baseball again-with Ryou."
Since they were done with being delinquent bikers, Sasada Aki wanted to do something else.
"Baseball..."
Fura Taishi hesitated for a moment.
"Didn't you used to love baseball the most, Taishi? By the way, why did you suddenly quit playing back then?"
Sasada Aki asked curiously.
Back in the day, Taishi had loved baseball and was really good at it. She and Ryou would always play with him.
But then, one day, Taishi suddenly quit baseball. She and Ryou lost interest as well, and after that, they gradually fell into delinquency.
To this day, neither she nor Ryou knew why Taishi had given up baseball so abruptly.
"That... I don't really know how to explain it to you..."
Fura Taishi seemed unwilling to talk about it.
"If you don't want to say, then forget it. But the condition I mentioned yesterday-it was actually that I wanted you to return to the baseball field."
Sasada Aki said with a smile.
"I..."
Fura Taishi looked conflicted.
Just then, their homeroom teacher entered the classroom. The bell was about to ring.
"Alright, everyone, settle down. Class is starting."
Sasada Aki had no choice but to turn back toward the blackboard.
Fura Taishi, however, was still preoccupied with what had just been said.
After School
Uchiha Byakuya walked up to Arima Kishou's desk and said, "Arima, you still have to walk Uruka-san home, right? I'll head back first."
"...Alright."
Arima Kishou gave a slight nod.
"See you, Uchiha-kun."
Uruka Minami waved goodbye.
"See you."
With that, Uchiha Byakuya left first.
But before he could get far, Fura Taishi suddenly chased after him.
"Uchiha! What was that just now? That Arima guy-has his relationship with Uruka-san already progressed that far?!"
Clearly, he had overheard Uchiha Byakuya's words to Arima.
Sasada Aki quickly caught up as well.
"Taishi, you idiot, wait for me!"
"I don't know how far their relationship has progressed. All I know is that they seem to be going to and from school together every day now."
Uchiha Byakuya said casually.
"Th-that's practically the same as being a couple already!"
Fura Taishi's confidence completely crumbled.
He never imagined that Arima's relationship with Uruka Minami would develop so quickly, leaving him with absolutely no chance.
"Big dumb Taishi, always thinking about other girls!"
Sasada Aki finally caught up.
Even as she complained, she couldn't help but feel a little pleased, at least now Taishi wouldn't be so obsessed with Uruka Minami anymore.
With that, Uchiha Byakuya casually walked with the two of them for a while.
Meanwhile, Arima Kishou, as if performing a routine task, escorted Uruka Minami home.
"Arima-kun! Uruka-san!"
Just as they stepped outside the school gate, a girl who seemed to be their classmate called out to them.
"Kobayashi-san."
Arima Kishou remembered her name. When he first transferred, he had already memorized all of his classmates' names.
Uruka Minami, of course, greeted Kobayashi-san warmly as well.
But then, Kobayashi suddenly dropped a rather sharp question.
"Arima-kun, I think I saw you and Uruka-san coming to school together this morning, and now you're walking home together too. So... does that mean you two are already dating?"