Although he didn't say what was inside the meatball, it seemed to echo his inner thoughts.
The creature known as a "Ghoul"—a monster cloned from a Demon—already existed.
The news from Akihiro Kanou completely sparked Shiro Sakamaki's curiosity.
It wasn't that he had any particular interest in the thing; he was simply intrigued. After all, it wasn't a powerful force to begin with, and it came with the curse of being unable to eat normal food. No matter how you looked at it, it didn't seem like a worthwhile trade.
He asked, "Do you know where this thing is?"
The famous mad doctor shook his head.
"Then how did you hear about it?"
Kanou Akihiro still shook his head, unwilling to speak. He was worried that once he spilled everything, Shiro would discard him like an old tool.
More importantly, he only knew of its existence—he had no clue where the mysterious meatball actually was.
"Alright, I won't press. But if you ever learn the location of this thing, let me know."
"Alright."
Kanou Akihiro was a man of few words. A true madman, almost completely consumed by the research that fascinated him.
Shiro didn't push further. Even learning this much was a pleasant surprise. If the information were so easy to obtain, the Supernatural Administration would've already dealt with it. There's no way they'd tolerate the presence of something so heretical.
"Keep digging. If you hear anything else, contact me immediately."
As he spoke, he used his spiritual energy to inscribe his phone number in the air, then sank into the shadows and vanished.
…
Time flew by, and soon a month had passed. It was time for the monthly exams!
With the tests looming, all the students of Shuchiin Academy were busy with last-minute reviews. This was their first monthly exam since starting school, so everyone took it very seriously.
Everyone except Shiro Sakamaki.
After taking a few exams, he found them terribly dull. He finished each paper within fifteen minutes—and that was him slowing down for the teacher's sake.
Since he was in the examination room, it wasn't appropriate to start writing a novel or something, so he just laid his head down on the desk and took a nap.
Each invigilator that walked past him fell into stunned silence at the sight of his clean, perfect answer sheets.
Shuchiin's monthly exams were notoriously difficult, but Shiro aced them all with ease.
Thanks to his results, no teacher dared reprimand him for sleeping during the test.
The school's efficiency was impressive. The results were posted the very next morning.
—
Shiro, who arrived with the Nakano quintuplets, immediately made a beeline for the results board. He hadn't forgotten his bet with Nino.
Nino looked nervous. She knew her results wouldn't be good. The bet she'd made with Shiro had been on impulse—now that the moment of truth had come, she regretted it.
Thanks to his height, Shiro could easily see over the crowd.
As expected, the five Nakano sisters were clustered at the bottom of the rankings. Their grades were... not great.
Meanwhile, Shiro's name sat comfortably at the very top.
"How about it? I told you I wasn't lying!"
Nino gritted her teeth. "Hmph. So what? You're amazing. But don't even think about making me do anything weird!"
"Of course not. Who do you think I am?" Shiro replied with mock righteousness.
Nino rolled her eyes and turned away, not giving him the satisfaction.
Back in class, Yukinoshita Haruno's younger sister, Yukino, was staring at Shiro with a strange look.
Here was someone who rarely showed up to class, took days off like it was nothing, and yet got perfect scores on every subject. He was a monster.
Her feelings were mixed—admiration, frustration, even despair.
Having someone like that as a classmate made it feel like you'd always be in their shadow.
Yukino opened her mouth as if to say something, but no words came out. She knew he was dating her sister, and that he had helped her before, but... she still didn't know how to talk to him.
Shiro didn't feel like playing guessing games. After class, he slung his commuter bag over his shoulder and headed for the Light Music Club.
Over the past half month, it had become a daily routine—tea, snacks, and saxophone practice when the mood struck.
But today, something felt off.
As he opened the clubroom door, he found Ritsu, Mio, Yui, and Tsumugi already inside—but the atmosphere was tense.
"Huh? Why's everyone so quiet today?"
Ritsu and Yui looked even more distressed at his words.
Shiro's eyes drifted to the table where test papers lay scattered. The grades for Ritsu and Yui were clear: they'd failed.
He casually sat at the table, and Tsumugi, ever gentle, offered him cookies with a warm smile.
Oh, cookies today? Nice. He liked those.
Suddenly, Ritsu slammed the table and stood up. "Damn it! I'm doomed to remedial classes. I can't accept this!"
"Ohh," Yui replied, chewing on a cookie like nothing had happened.
The other three exchanged glances. Their expressions were complicated.
Finally, Mio had had enough. She smacked both of them over the head with her paper fan, fuming.
"I told you to study! But nooo, you had to slack off. Now deal with it—go review!"
"Hehe..." ×2
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