Chapter 42: Full

Getting a fishbone stuck in your throat can be quite deadly when it gets serious.

Many of the widely circulated methods for dealing with a fishbone are basically fake.

For instance, vinegar has almost no effect on softening fishbones, and the method of forcing the fishbone down by swallowing rice balls is absolutely wrong because it could cause the fishbone to slash a wound along the entire esophagus.

If you try coughing and the fishbone still won’t come out, you have to go to the hospital in time and let the doctor remove it with professional equipment.

His younger sister, who loved eating fish, had once gotten a fishbone stuck, and he had been the one to solve it.

“Don’t panic, try coughing a couple of times to see if you can cough it out.”

Hoshino Gen reacted very quickly, immediately coming behind Ziteng Sayaka to help induce coughing.

“Uh, uh!”

Ziteng Sayaka reached out her hand to stop him, signaling that he didn’t need to do that.

How could a Magical Girl’s constitution be troubled by a tiny fishbone?

Handling it wasn’t difficult either.

She directly concentrated her flame magic power at the spot in her throat where the fishbone was lodged, and the fishbone melted away in an instant.

“Gulp!”

Ziteng Sayaka swallowed the thing in her throat, then let out a long breath and said, “It’s fine.”

Hoshino Gen: ……

That was indeed fierce.

After this minor incident, Ziteng Sayaka learned to use magic power to melt fishbones after tasting the fish meat.

After that, she had no more restraint when devouring the meal, even more exaggerated than before.

The siblings quietly watched Ziteng Sayaka eat with abandon.

After who knows how long, Ziteng Sayaka had eaten all the dishes and, at the same time, devoured an entire pot of rice.

Fortunately, Hoshino Gen had anticipated that a Magical Girl’s appetite would be extraordinary, so he had already prepared a second pot.

“Burp——”

Ziteng Sayaka leaned back in her chair and let out a long burp, her face showing a satisfied and happy expression as if no one else was around.

“Are you full? If not, there’s still rice here, and I’ll make a few more dishes.”

Hoshino Gen asked.

“I’m full, I’m full.”

Realizing she had lost her composure, Ziteng Sayaka blushed, lowered her head, and dared not look at anyone.

‘I’m not usually a glutton, so why did I eat like a starving ghost reincarnated just now…’

‘Where did Hoshino learn to cook? These are dishes I’ve never tasted before, so delicious they make you forget yourself.’

Hoshino Gen went back to the kitchen to continue cooking.

Hoshino Hikari, who had been holding back her laughter for a long time, finally couldn’t contain it anymore.

“How is it? Is my brother’s cooking delicious?”

Hoshino Hikari whispered.

“Burp——”

Ziteng Sayaka was blushing over her embarrassing performance and didn’t want to talk, but her body couldn’t help letting out another burp, making her face even redder.

Hoshino Hikari covered her mouth tightly.

If she weren’t afraid of being discovered by her brother, she would have burst out laughing.

She had originally wanted to ask her senior if she was satisfied with this gift of gratitude, but now it seemed there was no need to ask.

Back when they went on a mission together, they hadn’t had time to eat.

After eliminating the Magic Beast, Hoshino Hikari had shared the lovingly made bento her brother had prepared with Ziteng Sayaka.

At that time, her senior’s expression looked as if she were melting from the deliciousness.

And that was a bento that had been sitting for an entire day, cold and hard.

If she could let her senior eat her brother’s cooking fresh, she would surely find it heavenly.

Now, the effect was even better than expected.

After breakfast, the three of them went to school together, chatting and laughing along the way.

At the fork where the middle and high school divisions split, Hoshino Hikari asked her brother for a hug before parting.

As she watched him and Ziteng Sayaka walk away side by side, a fleeting loneliness passed through her eyes.

Having eaten too much in the morning, coupled with the digestion from walking, Ziteng Sayaka arrived at the classroom and immediately collapsed onto her desk, unwilling to move.

Ziteng Sayaka’s sleepy appearance as she lay on the desk was very much like a little wildcat, making people want to poke her.

“Do you know why people feel sleepy after eating?”

Hoshino Gen whispered in her ear.

“Huh? I don’t know…”

If Hoshino Gen hadn’t interrupted her, Ziteng Sayaka might have really fallen asleep.

“After a person is full, blood temporarily concentrates in the stomach to digest food. At that time, the brain’s blood supply is lower than normal. The brain is oxygen-deprived, so people feel tired.”

Now it was time for Hoshino’s occasional interesting or boring little knowledge science session, and she was almost used to it.

This little piece of knowledge was quite boring.

“So before engaging in important activities, you generally shouldn’t eat too much, as it affects thinking. For example, when exams are approaching.”

“Mm, got it…”

Ziteng Sayaka answered with a murmur, not even lifting her eyelids.

Hoshino Gen added, “Also, when the first class in the morning is the homeroom teacher’s.”

“What?!”

Ziteng Sayaka shot up from the desk with a jolt.

She had almost forgotten that the first class this morning was her homeroom teacher Ms. Duanmu Yan’s.

There were two people in the class who transcended the three realms and were not bound by the five elements.

One was the eldest daughter of the Shiratori family, Shiratori Shiori—after all, the school was built by her family, so no one bothered her.

But what Hoshino Gen couldn’t understand was why Ziteng Sayaka was also abandoned by the teachers, as if they couldn’t see her at all.

After observing for a while, the situation had changed from the beginning.

In Ms. Duanmu Yan’s class, Ziteng Sayaka dared not act recklessly.

Even if she understood nothing, she had to sit up straight, open her eyes wide, and pretend to be attentive.

With Hoshino Gen’s reminder, Ziteng Sayaka indeed felt as if her vital point had been grasped.

She dared not doze off and mustered all her energy to attend class.

After forcing herself through one class, Ziteng Sayaka let out a long breath and completely collapsed, lying on the desk, almost falling asleep immediately.

But before she could enjoy the rare break, Ms. Duanmu Yan, who had not yet left the classroom, suddenly turned around and looked at her.

“Ziteng Sayaka, please come with me to the office.”

Ziteng Sayaka looked up in shock, confirming several times that it was indeed her name being called.

Then, under the gaze of the whole class, she walked out nervously.

Hoshino Gen was also puzzled.

Why was Ziteng Sayaka so afraid of Ms. Duanmu Yan in particular?

Was Ms. Duanmu also a senior among Magical Girls?

If so, the Magical Girl density at Chiyu Academy was too high.

It wasn’t that he didn’t want to ask directly, but he felt the time wasn’t right.

Even if he asked, she wouldn’t answer.

Ziteng Sayaka arrived at the office.

Ms. Duanmu Yan was sitting in her chair with a very serious expression.

“Teacher, is there something you wanted to see me about?”

Ziteng Sayaka asked weakly.

Unexpectedly, Ms. Duanmu adjusted her glasses and asked back, “What do you think I called you here for?”

“I, I’ve been behaving much better in class lately. I’ve learned a lot with Hoshino. Maybe this time my exam scores will be…”

“Who cares about your exam scores? You’ve never been the studious type. Have some self-awareness, okay?”

Before she could finish, Ms. Duanmu interrupted her.

“Let me remind you. When it’s just the two of us, besides calling me ‘Teacher,’ what else should you call me?”

Ziteng Sayaka lowered her head upon hearing this.

“I should call you…”

“Lord Steward.”