!Achoo!
“I’ve already become a Cicada Shell Host.”
Saiyonji Saori declared calmly, sending ripples across the conference table as various degrees of surprise appeared on everyone’s faces.
“Cicada Shell Host? Is that some kind of code?”
Kaori Onishi tilted her head in confusion, knowing little about the Parasite system.
The only information she had was what Saiyonji had told her before.
“…… I forgot to explain earlier,”
Saiyonji quickly supplemented,
“The only way for a Parasite to avoid turning into a monster is to complete the Chantui.”
“After the Chantui, the superpower user’s ability is refreshed, gaining a new superpower… Of course, there are also rare Dual-core Cicada Molt Bodies that possess two kinds of superpowers at once.”
A faint pride and arrogance appeared on Saiyonji’s face.
“I’m a Dual-core Cicada Molt Body.”
That wasn’t shown in yesterday’s video.
Jiang Jian Yue, looking sickly, rested her chin on her crossed arms, a spark of curiosity flashing in her eyes.
“My new ability is… Trading. Trading anything of mine to accomplish any matter—strengthening myself, creating life from nothing, anything is possible.”
Jiang Jian Yue’s murky red eyes instantly burst with greed—this kind of infinitely strong ability… was amazing!
She really wanted it.
She picked up a piece of candy from the table and popped it into her mouth, crunching it and swallowing it all.
“It feels like chewing on a rock…”
She currently had no Sense of Taste.
“I traded my Sense of Taste to temporarily seal that monster’s ability.”
“Eh?!”
Kaori Onishi exclaimed in shock.
“Doesn’t that mean… you can’t taste delicious food anymore?”
For a girl who loved food, this was practically the cruelest punishment.
“Only for seven days.”
Saiyonji waved her hand.
“A voice in my consciousness told me the value of a trade depends on the situation… but life is equivalent.”
“At the time, if I wanted to kill it directly, the price would have been my life. So I could only trade seven days of Sense of Taste for ten seconds of its powerless state…”
“Luckily, I finished it within ten seconds.”
So that’s how it was. Sakura, you’ve been holding onto this—hurry and give it back to Yuki Asahi! Only the protagonist deserves such a powerful skill!
If a side character has such a skill, it means they’ll definitely sacrifice their life for someone else in the future.
Saiyonji, do you want to go get a boxed lunch*?
[*Note: ‘Get a boxed lunch’ is a slang term for ‘die’ in web novels.]
“That’s amazing.”
Yuki Asahi said softly, a trace of envy flashing in his eyes.
His own Emotional Perception Ability, except for giving him some boost during livestreams, was pretty useless.
Its mind-influencing effects could easily be countered if someone was wary or had a strong will.
And in the Parasitic Larva Stage, his ability only enhanced his physical attributes, nothing flashy.
Although Yuki Asahi was introverted and disliked being in the spotlight, he still had some boyish fantasies inside.
After seeing no one else speak, Saiyonji continued,
“That monster should be a Tunjiti, right? But he could communicate.”
A distant look appeared on his face.
“He approached me on his own and said some incomprehensible things.”
“The general idea was, he wanted me to become a ‘follower’—of course I refused. He tried to get violent, and we fought.”
Jiang Jian Yue had completely spaced out at this point—this kind of plot always gets filled in the anime.
After treatment with Yamanoi Yayoi’s ability, her cold seemed to have gotten worse, and her head was foggy.
She only managed to focus her scattered thoughts when Yuki Asahi carefully brought up the holiday trip.
“How about going to Hokkaido? Coming back before New Year’s.”
Yuki Asahi’s voice was very low.
“The expenses… I can handle it.”
The reward from the Ikeda Kou incident had already been given to him, even more than last time.
A whopping 1.5 million Yen—he wasn’t sure if it was because there was less destruction this time, or if Tokushu Jishou Taiou Honbu finally had money to spare.
Combined with the previous 1 million Yen, it should be enough for five people.
“Hokkaido…”
Kaori Onishi’s eyes lit up instantly, full of longing.
“I want to go to Lake Toya!”
Saiyonji pursed his lips.
“Is it really okay for Asahi-kun to pay for everything?”
He had plenty of money now and wasn’t afraid of spending it at all.
Kaori Onishi awkwardly swiped her phone screen.
She had already spent all the reward money from helping contain the Masakazu Kinoshita Tunjiti.
In the end, the poor girl could only mumble softly,
“Um… For travel expenses… I’ll pay a little myself…”
Jiang Jian Yue’s attitude was obvious; she had never planned to spend Yuki Asahi’s money.
Unexpected resistance came from Yamanoi Yayoi, who came from a politician’s family.
“I… don’t have much money…”
Her voice grew small, full of an indescribable embarrassment.
“What about the Tokuyōmoto Base subsidy?”
“…… My father took it.”
Yamanoi Yayoi lowered her head.
What a mean Secretary General.
“Use mine, it’s fine.”
Yuki Asahi comforted her gently.
“Anyway, I don’t have any big expenses now.”
Liar.
He was clearly planning to move out and rent a place… but rent wasn’t that expensive anyway.
Jiang Jian Yue, with no concept of Tokyo’s rent prices, complained internally.
“I also… need to get permission from my family.”
Yamanoi Yayoi’s voice became even more dejected.
“But… They probably won’t agree…”
No wonder—it’s a politician’s family.
So strict.
The travel plan was tentatively set, but before Yamanoi Yayoi decided, it was difficult to arrange the exact itinerary.
Another meeting of the Supernatural Club ended amid (not really) enthusiastic (imaginary) applause.
The two non-student members left first, and with Jiang Jian Yue’s current state, she had no intention of staying long either.
After forcing a piece of chocolate into her mouth, Jiang Jian Yue stood up to leave.
As her slightly staggering figure disappeared through the door, Yuki Asahi’s heart tightened.
He hurriedly packed up his backpack.
“I… I’ll head out too!”
Before he finished speaking, he had already rushed out.
“Eh?!”
Kaori Onishi wailed, hugging her head at the pile of empty snack wrappers on the table.
“It’s over! I’m going to turn into a fat pig!”
The chilly air in the hallway carried a faint smell of mop water.
Jiang Jian Yue walked slowly, the dizziness and fatigue from her cold weighing down her steps like lead.
Behind her, quick but deliberately softened footsteps grew closer, finally stopping a few steps away.
“Jiang Predecessor!”
Yuki Asahi’s voice was a little breathless from running, but even more tense.
Jiang Jian Yue didn’t stop walking.
She just turned her face slightly, glancing at him from the corner of her eye.
An unnatural flush colored her pale cheeks, and her breathing carried a slight nasal sound.
Yuki Asahi’s heart jumped, and his throat felt dry.
He sped up to walk beside her, but didn’t dare meet her eyes.
“Um… Yesterday…”
He took a deep breath, his voice as soft as a mosquito’s.
“About yesterday. I’m… really sorry.”
Nagging boys are such a pain.
Jiang Jian Yue didn’t reply immediately and just kept walking.
The silent air made Yuki Asahi even more uneasy, and a bit of sweat seemed to bead on his temple.
He tried awkwardly to explain.
“I didn’t mean to… at the time I just…”
With his limited vocabulary, he couldn’t find the right words and his voice grew even quieter.
“Sorry.”
They walked a few more steps.
Just when Yuki Asahi thought she wouldn’t reply and was sinking into disappointment, a barely audible “Mm” came through, almost masked by their footsteps.
It was an acknowledgment of the apology.
Her tone was still as cold as ever.
But Yuki Asahi felt as if he’d received a huge encouragement.
He summoned his courage, turned his head slightly, and finally dared to look at her face.
He saw she looked even more haggard than before.
The girl frowned slightly, as if enduring dizziness or a sore throat.
“Predecessor… your cold seems worse?”
Jiang Jian Yue paused, finally stopping and turning to face him.
Her blood-red eyes, moistened by the physiological tears from her cold, stared at Yuki Asahi with their usual chill.
Under her gaze, Yuki Asahi’s cheeks instantly burned.
He wanted to lower his head but forced himself to keep looking.
Jiang Jian Yue didn’t want to talk much at the moment, so she gave a small nod.
A cold wind blew in from the side hallway.
Jiang Jian Yue instinctively pulled her uniform tighter, trembling almost imperceptibly, trying to control it, but still couldn’t help coughing lightly.
“Then… then you should hurry back and rest!”
Yuki Asahi spoke quickly, his tone urgent.
“Drink more hot water… uh, or ginger tea? And get some good sleep.”
His concern was obvious, awkward and earnest, his worry and nervousness impossible to hide.
So even when caring for someone, little Chuunan gets all nervous—how is he supposed to win over girls like this?
Jiang Jian Yue’s gaze lingered on his face for a few seconds, then came another “Mm.”
She didn’t say anything else and slowly turned, continuing toward the main entrance.
Just as she reached the corner, she seemed to nod ever so slightly—as if saying “got it,” or perhaps as a farewell—then her figure disappeared around the bend.
Yuki Asahi stood where he was, looking at the spot where she vanished, his heart still thumping erratically in his chest.
Though it might sound a bit creepy—he really thought the sickly Jiang Predecessor was… heartbreakingly cute.
He felt a sudden urge to pull off the girl’s mask, to see her lips exhaling warm breath and her feverish blush.
He looked down at his palm, where the strap marks from gripping his backpack in nervousness still remained.
I’m hopeless.
Because the air conditioning was a bit stuffy, Jiang Jian Yue took off her mask.
She accidentally choked on her own saliva and started coughing toward her side.
Koji Hattori reached out to wipe the saliva from his face, feeling a spark in his heart.
“Is this a reward?”
“Cough cough! So… sorry. Cough…”
Jiang Jian Yue quickly patted Koji Hattori’s shoulder, lowering her head and coughing.
Previously, Jiang Jian Yue hadn’t liked Koji Hattori and had lost the right to sit in the backseat together, so she’d been driving another car.
But since his recent behavior had been decent, she’d moved back today.
Jiang Jian Yue wasn’t used to it, so she accidentally coughed in his direction.
What a troublemaker!
“It’s my honor, Princess Yue.”
Koji Hattori returned to his familiar spot, feeling a little smug.
Before Jiang Jian Yue could say anything, Morita Ao in the passenger seat glanced coldly into the rearview mirror.
Koji Hattori instantly tensed up.
Then, he felt a tickle in his nose—
“Achoo!”