"Ugh…"
On the way to school, a man named Kamijou Touma dragged his exhausted body forward, barely putting one foot in front of the other, and let out a heartfelt sigh.
"How unlucky…"
Hearing this, Fang Li, who happened to leave the dorm at the same time and was walking beside him, felt somewhat uncertain.
"What happened?" Fang Li asked. "Saying your signature line first thing in the morning again, did some misfortune befall you this time?"
Hearing Fang Li's words, Kamijou Touma showed a self-deprecating expression.
"…Isn't it almost customary for bad luck to find me?"
Saying this, Kamijou Touma seemed as if he wanted to pour out all his resentment, using the last ounce of his strength to shout at the top of his lungs.
"I couldn't get Diva's autograph, ended up broke because I had to treat someone, and in a state of utter despair, I played rock-paper-scissors with Tsuchimikado and the blue-haired girl during class just to amuse myself, only to anger Komoe-sensei and be held back until almost evening!"
Fang Li had witnessed this entire episode. But this was merely the beginning of the misfortunes of the man named Kamijou Touma.
Under these circumstances, Kamijou Touma continued shouting.
"Since I was held back until evening, I hadn't eaten all day and could only go to a restaurant I happened to visit recently that gave me a free meal ticket. But the waiter smiled and said, 'Sorry, today a silver-haired big-stomach king nun came and ate all the ingredients, so please come again tomorrow… huh, your free ticket seems to expire today!'"
Fang Li's expression froze.
Unaware of this, Kamijou Touma continued his lament.
"With no other choice, I decided to take a shortcut home on an empty stomach, only to encounter an unknown crime scene in an alley and be detained by a Tokiwadai Judgment member with twin ponytails. They said I was a suspect and needed to be investigated, which lasted all night, I didn't get a wink of sleep!"
Fang Li's expression grew increasingly stiff.
"Finally, when I returned just now, I thought, 'Ah, maybe I can sleep for ten minutes,' but then I heard a girl going berserk and biting people somewhere, and some idiot running around dodging everywhere, it was unbearably loud, making it impossible to sleep!"
Fang Li fell completely silent.
The unlucky man named Kamijou Touma seemed oblivious to the student's reaction beside him, continuing to shout skyward.
"Why am I so unlucky?! This level of misfortune can't even be explained by science, right?! Could it be that someone's secretly plotting against me?! If heaven really has eyes, then tell me who that bastard is! I'll use this right hand to crush his fantasy, Aaah!"
His complaint, as if shedding bloody tears, caused the pedestrians nearby to instinctively distance themselves from Kamijou Touma, one after another.
Yet the only person who remained beside him was the very culprit he raged against, the one he wanted to crush with his right hand.
"Ah…"
Kamijou Touma slumped back into exhaustion, sighing.
"How unlucky…"
No one else could truly understand how heavy these simple words were.
As for Fang Li, his expression had become completely unnatural.
How to describe it?
This was probably the first time Fang Li felt so guilty and awkward in front of someone.
Of course, there was someone feeling even more guilty.
"When I'm so unlucky, surely there are life winners encountering new adventures just because summer has arrived, right?" Kamijou Touma said with a sigh. "Couldn't someone like Kamijou-san also get a bit of luck? Like a beautiful girl suddenly falling from the sky once in a while, it would be fine, right? Even if she falls onto the balcony of the dorm room in a way that makes me want to shout at reality, Kamijou-san could handle it!"
At this, Kamijou Touma tilted his head, speaking self-deprecatingly.
"But even if such a lucky event really happened, it would definitely slip away because of my misfortune. For example, if a beautiful girl fell from the sky, instead of landing on the balcony, she might fall into an alley, bump into someone around the corner, and then the lucky bastard, not the unlucky Kamijou-san, would get to meet the beautiful girl. I'd really love to use this right hand to crush that fantasy too!"
Kamijou Touma sighed.
"How unlucky…"
This time, the weight of those three words pressed completely onto Fang Li's heart.
Fang Li looked at Kamijou Touma, shoulders slumped, dragging his body exhausted, hungry, and sleep-deprived, walking beside him. He opened his mouth several times but didn't know what to say.
In the end, Fang Li could only pat Kamijou Touma on the shoulder and say:
"You have to stay strong."
"Hehe…"
Kamijou-san's smile had long since collapsed.
Then he responded with such words:
"I don't know why, but today I really feel like hitting you. So just for today, please don't fight back, let me punch you, okay?"
'This was, of course, out of the question, Kamijou-san.'
Also, Fang Li realized he would have to have a proper talk later.
After all, hearing a girl's voice in the boys' dorm, what did that even mean? Kamijou Touma didn't seem to realize it.
So Fang Li thought he needed to find a way to shut this guy up, maybe even make him forget.
Thus, Kamijou-san's misfortune continued.
…
The next day, the summer supplementary lessons, under the same peaceful circumstances as yesterday, were soon announced as over.
After class, Fang Li took care of Tsuchimikado Motoharu and the blue-haired earring who wanted to keep bothering him, then picked up his bag and headed home on his own.
Incidentally, Kamijou Touma, still sleepless and hungry from the previous night, eventually couldn't resist fatigue. During class, he fell asleep and was delightfully caught by a near-crying Komoe-sensei, who held him back for supplementary lessons. By evening, he probably still wouldn't be allowed to leave.
"How unlucky!"
Fang Li left the school to the background soundtrack of hearing this phrase countless times.
Back at the dorm, Fang Li opened the door to his room and casually spoke inside.
"I'm back."
But this habitual phrase brought out a flustered response.
"You… you're back? Welcome back!"
Index was sitting at her desk. After a brief fluster, she turned and smiled at Fang Li.
However, seeing that smile made Fang Li pause in the act of closing the door.
The reason was obvious.
Index's smile was completely unlike her usual innocent and pure expression; it was forced.
So forced that it was immediately obvious.
Combined with Index's earlier behavior, Fang Li could be certain.
"What happened?"
(End Of This Chapter)
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