My Girlfriend is an Evil Woman

Early the next morning, Kitahara Hideji resisted the temptation to “sleep for five more minutes” and got out of bed. He washed his face and stood around for a while before grabbing his wooden sword and heading out for a run. Nowadays, he used Sword Technique practice as a substitute for most of his morning exercises.

This time was also a rare opportunity for Hyakujirou to roam around freely. Apart from doing its business, it would mark its territory by urinating here and there, quite pleased with itself. However, today it only ran a short distance before becoming listless, seemingly wanting to lick its stomach.

Plaino Hideji thought something might be amiss, so he picked Hyakujirou up and checked its belly. He noticed a patch of fur missing from its belly, but there were no visible wounds or signs of injury. Thinking it might be some discomfort in its stomach, he suspected that perhaps Hyakujirou had been overindulging in meat lately, causing its digestive system some trouble. He shrugged off the concern and left it be.

After finishing his morning exercise, he intentionally fed Hyakujirou a bit less, planning to put it on a diet for a couple of days to prevent any stomach discomfort. Then he set off for school.

In the classroom, he continued his practice, not participating in any class activities. Soon, Shima Rei arrived – these days he was arriving earlier and earlier, and Kitahara Hideji wondered why.

“Kitahara-kun, good morning!” Shima Rei greeted him politely as he entered, a thin layer of sweat on his forehead.

Kitahara Hideji glanced up at him and noticed that Shima Rei still looked handsome today. Shima Rei was somewhat slim, but his posture was upright. His fair skin and delicate features gave him an elegant and refined appearance. What stood out most was his gentle and comfortable demeanor.

Honestly, Kitahara Hideji found Shima Rei quite handsome, even bordering on being a pretty boy. He thought Shima Rei could easily compete with those idol boy bands. Rumor had it that Shima Rei had a great reputation among the girls, and his only mark against him seemed to be his constant association with Uchida Yuma.

He smiled and greeted him back, “Good morning, Rei.” After a pause, he continued, “By the way, here’s your book back. Thanks again.” He reached into his backpack and took out a supplementary study guide, handing it to Shima Rei along with a notebook.

He didn’t have much money now, and these study guides weren’t cheap. They were targeted at students and could be quite expensive. He couldn’t afford one himself. He had seen Shima Rei with one the other day and casually flipped through it. To his surprise, Shima Rei was quite generous and had simply lent it to him.

He finished reading quickly and promptly returned the book to Shima Rei. He also handed over his own carefully prepared notes, trying to reciprocate the favor and take as little advantage as possible.

Shima Rei was somewhat surprised as he accepted the book and flipped through the notes. He felt a sense of joy but also noticed Kitahara Hideji’s dark circles, causing concern. He couldn’t help but ask, “How did you finish so quickly? Kitahara-kun, you’re working and studying late into the night. Is your body holding up?”

Kitahara Hideji rubbed his face. Did the bluish, swollen complexion from this morning still show? Nonetheless, he smiled casually and said, “There’s no need to worry, Rei. It’s manageable. I’m fine.”

Enduring hardships now will lead to success in the future. If you don’t suffer now, you’ll suffer even more later!

“You still need to take care of your health, Kitahara-kun,” Shima Rei persisted. He was caring in many ways, though it sometimes came across as overbearing. Kitahara Hideji was somewhat helpless about this – if only he could enjoy the camaraderie that Uchida Yuma shared with Reading the Opponent’s Mind. Everyone could be straightforward and playful with each other, even engage in a little roughhousing, but that wasn’t an option for him.

Still, Shima Rei was well-meaning, and Kitahara Hideji nodded repeatedly, saying, “I understand. I’ll take care of myself, Rei.”

Shima Rei still wasn’t completely reassured, but he didn’t have many options. He couldn’t just give Kitahara Hideji money to stop working. He pulled out a stack of test papers from his bag and said, “These are assessment papers from when my sister was in first grade. Kitahara-kun, would you like to take a look?”

Kitahara Hideji’s eyes lit up. He was unfamiliar with this place, and there was no way he could find materials like these on his own. He eagerly responded, “Is that okay?”

Shima Rei nodded, saying, “Of course.” He held onto the papers for a moment, not immediately giving them to Kitahara Hideji. He repeated his advice, “I’m not in a hurry to use these, Kitahara-kun. Take your time reading them and try not to stay up too late.”

This person is really considerate! Kitahara Hideji was starting to feel a bit touched. He couldn’t repay the kindness right now, but he would remember it and find a way to return the favor in the future. He expressed his gratitude, saying, “Rei, you’re really thoughtful.”

Shima Rei chuckled and covered his mouth, saying, “It’s just a few test papers, nothing to be overly polite about, Kitahara-kun! Work hard this time and strive to get a high score!”

“Don’t worry, I’ll definitely bring glory to our class!” Kitahara Hideji enthusiastically promised with full confidence. Shima Rei was the class representative, and he thought it would make sense if one person from the class achieved the top rank. But even if Shima Rei didn’t mention it, Kitahara Hideji was determined to secure a top rank.

With his university experience and his extra knowledge, he had put in a lot of effort. If he couldn’t secure a top rank with all these advantages, he might as well jump off a building.

While they were conversing, Uchida Yuma arrived with a gloomier expression than Kitahara Hideji’s. He looked somewhat similar to a chain smoker, giving a half-hearted greeting to the two before heading to his seat. Shima Rei caught hold of him, concerned, and asked, “Yuma, what’s wrong? Are you not feeling well?”

Uchida Yuma yawned and rubbed his eyes, his voice weak and tired as he said, “I stayed up all night playing ‘Doki-Doki V~Bishoujo Academy’ to finish the ending. Now I’m dead tired, let me nap for a bit.”

“You’re really…” Shima Rei was frustrated, looking at him as if scolding a wayward child.

Uchida Yuma shook off his hand, staggering to his seat and promptly lying down. He mumbled, “Alright, alright. You can lecture me during lunch. I’ll take a nap for now.” And with that, he remained motionless, essentially heading straight to dreamland.

Shima Rei let out a deep sigh, his expression resembling that of someone watching their own unambitious child. Meanwhile, Kitahara Hideji paid no attention to these distractions. He had started flipping through the test papers Shima Kanae had given him from two years ago, assessing his current level of knowledge.

Japanese high school subjects were varied and specific. Subjects like mathematics, physics, and chemistry posed no challenge for him – after all, he had a solid foundation, and relearning was easy. He would easily outperform first-year students. English wasn’t an issue either. With his Initial Rank of 【English LV7】, he was already fluent enough for daily conversations and even for living in the UK. It was more than sufficient to handle first-year exams. However, the kanji aspect of the language subjects and Japanese history were proving to be a bit of a headache for him.

Japanese language and literature are divided into two subjects: Modern Japanese and Classical Literature. Modern Japanese is supported by the skill 【Japanese LV 9】, and he has been diligently attending classes, so that’s not a problem. However, when it comes to Classical Literature, including Waka and Haiku, the skill translations can be quite elusive, not to mention he’s a foreigner. Moreover, the exam content includes excerpts from Chinese Four Books and Five Classics, and despite being Chinese himself, there are some he hasn’t studied – fortunately, there’s Su Dashuai, the East Asian idol, whose poems he’s mostly familiar with.

History is also divided into two subjects: World History and Japanese History. He’s not too worried about the former, but the latter is quite a challenge.

With only about half a month left until the exams, he’s determined to catch up in these two subjects. He looks at his notes and realizes that the challenging topics are giving him a headache, and while they might not make him collapse outright, aiming for a high score seems difficult.

He needs to work hard; after all, he can’t really jump off a building!