What is the one thing in this world that should be eliminated most?
I believe that whether you ask a student in school or a worker in society, they will give the same answer:
The morning alarm!
"Ring ring! Ring ring!"
The early morning alarm rang right on schedule.
The moment it rang, it felt as though his brain had been struck by a heavy club.
The impact was no less powerful than the blow Emperor Gin dealt to Shinichi Kudo's head, shattering the timeline of the Conan universe with a single strike.
The moment Su Yan woke up, he reached out from under the covers to stop the alarm on the nightstand.
However, it felt as though a great mountain was pressing down on him, rendering him unable to move.
I am bearing a weight far beyond what anyone my age should have to endure.
What is this weight preventing me from lifting my head?
Is it life?
No, it is Marikawa Shizuka!
Su Yan opened his eyes to find Shizuka's sleeping face right in front of him, so close that he could see every fine hair on her skin.
She was clinging to him tightly like an octopus, her entire weight practically shifted onto him, even causing her soft globes to be severely compressed.
Shizuka's rhythmic breaths puffed against Su Yan's face, feeling slightly ticklish.
Without lingering too long in the warmth of Shizuka's embrace, Su Yan struggled to free his hand and silenced the persistent alarm.
He then sat up and reached for the small nest he had built for the two Snowball Beasts at the edge of the bed. He picked up one of the little cuties and stuffed it into Shizuka's arms.
Still asleep but instinctively searching for something after Su Yan left her embrace, Shizuka's hands grabbed the Snowball Beast he offered and hugged it tight without hesitation.
"Mi?"
Feeling the sudden pressure on its body, the Snowball Beast opened its round, bulging eyes.
Any man in the world seeing where the Snowball Beast was currently positioned would be desperate to trade places with it.
However, at this moment, the Snowball Beast's face was the picture of utter despair.
"Shh."
Su Yan pressed a finger to his lips, signaling the Snowball Beast to be quiet. "Don't wake her up."
"Mi!"
The Snowball Beast nodded solemnly, as if it had made a grave resolution.
Seeing this, Su Yan smiled and silently mouthed back to the beast, "I am counting on you."
Snowball Beast: 'This home would fall apart without me sooner or later!'
Su Yan glanced at the clock on the nightstand; it was 6:01 AM.
Actually, it wouldn't have mattered if Su Yan woke up a bit later. High school classes in Japan usually started around eight, leaving him two hours.
However, the main reason Su Yan woke up early was to prepare breakfast and lunch boxes for both himself and Shizuka.
Japan has a long-standing bento culture. Whether they are students or office workers, most people choose to make their lunches in advance during the morning.
Elementary students usually have their parents or older siblings make their bentos.
By middle school, Japanese schools offer a course called Home Economics.
The teachers in these classes show students how to make simple dishes like tamagoyaki.
Therefore, after middle school, students usually begin trying to make their own bentos.
Those who still rely on others for their lunch in high school are either children of wealthy families or people who are simply hopeless at cooking.
Although the school cafeteria sells lunches, the local take on Chinese cuisine...
Have you heard of General Tso's chicken?
So, Su Yan was forced to follow the local customs and accept the bento culture.
He opened the closet, took out his Fujimi Academy uniform, and put it on.
After washing up in the bathroom, he headed to the kitchen to start on breakfast and lunch.
The lunch Su Yan prepared consisted mainly of home-cooked dishes like stir-fried garlic sprouts with pork, shredded pork with green peppers, and minced pork with sour beans—dishes that would taste better and pair well with rice after sitting for a while.
After eating breakfast and packing the lunches into bento boxes, Su Yan headed to Fujimi Academy.
He still hadn't woken Shizuka.
Shizuka was the school nurse at Fujimi Academy, a profession envied by many.
High pay and low responsibility.
Minor ailments don't need treatment; they get better with a little rest.
Major illnesses can't be treated there anyway, so they are sent straight to the hospital.
To some extent, the school infirmary exists to provide an alternative destination for students who want to skip class.
The position of school nurse could be said to have a certain kindred spirit with being a PE teacher at the University of Tokyo.
Arriving at the entrance of his classroom at Fujimi Academy, it wasn't long before class started. Students were chatting in their respective small groups.
Su Yan had no desire to join them.
The zombie crisis was about to break out soon. Who knew how many people in this school would survive?
Besides, he hadn't awakened some kind of Lord System. Aside from the 2D heroines he was interested in, there was no need to interact with anyone else.
Su Yan sat in the 'King's Seat' in the back row by the window, the surrounding noise seemingly having nothing to do with him.
His body naturally entered a meditative state for Nen cultivation.
He didn't have to worry about being disturbed. The lingering reputation of being the second-ranked student in the year, combined with his usual cold demeanor, naturally kept others at a distance.
Time drifted by, and it was soon lunchtime.
Su Yan took his bento to the school rooftop, one of the iconic landmarks of the anime world.
Usually, Su Yan would go to the infirmary to eat lunch with Shizuka.
However, he only found out after class that Shizuka had taken the day off.
Apparently, she went to find her best friend, Minami Rika.
It seemed she had taken what he said last night to heart.
Out of necessity, Su Yan had to eat lunch by himself today.
Although the school rooftop was a famous anime check-in spot, there wasn't actually anything special about it.
It was cold in winter and hot in summer; only spring and autumn were decent.
Furthermore, many schools in Japan kept the doors to the rooftop locked to prevent certain students from making life-ending decisions.
Su Yan had simply never been to the rooftop of Fujimi Academy and was curious.
Only people without friends would go to the rooftop alone to feel the wind.
This brings us to Japan's unique bullying culture.
Every time Japanese students are assigned to a new class, they must organize or join a small group as quickly as possible.
If you are still alone after a while, you are seen as an outcast.
Then, the other students will collectively bully you until you integrate into a group.
Whether you are an honor student or a delinquent, they will equally bully anyone who doesn't fit in.
Often, protagonists in the 2D world find themselves in such an isolated position.
In truth, the current Su Yan technically belonged to the ranks of those being bullied.
However, in Su Yan's eyes, it wasn't that he was being bullied; it was that he was bullying everyone else by himself.
Su Yan sat on the rooftop with his back against the wall, just about to open the lid of his bento box.
He faintly heard the sound of a girl sobbing nearby.
This wasn't a rare sight in a Japanese school, but Su Yan couldn't help his curiosity and stepped forward to take a look.
A girl with long flaxen hair was leaning against the wall, her legs pulled up and her head buried in her knees as she cried.
"Asuna?"
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