Chapter 971: Shirogane Kei’s Winning Route
Shuchi'in Academy.
Divided into middle school and high school, with a distance of only a five-minute walk between them, so middle school students often come to the high school to ask questions.
There is a clear boundary between the middle school and high school, with a simple and magnificent marble arch as its centerpiece, and a row of bonsai trees and colorful plants stretching on all sides clearly separating the two.
Just like the famous labyrinth garden in the high school, there are also many benches for resting here. It's natural that most couples have lunch dates here or quietly embrace each other in the beautiful scenery.
There are middle school girls who are reluctant to leave their senior who has entered high school first, and there are also juniors and seniors who don't want to let go of their love so easily. As long as they are still in Shuchi'in Academy, they don't have to endure a long-distance relationship.
Age difference cannot stop love, and distance cannot stop them from embracing each other. Therefore, this place is called by those who do good deeds – [Crossing the taboo line of distance and age].
And the story is revealed here!
△
The wind roared.
Flower petals and falling leaves flew around, swirling and flying to unknown places.
[Crossing the taboo line of distance and age] that is usually filled with a sweet atmosphere is now empty, quiet, and deserted.
This is also normal.
Because it's time to study.
With the students of Shuchi'in Academy who are generally above average, they certainly won't skip school just because they are in love. Those noble children are proud of their families, have high standards for their own quality, and are used to authority, making it not easy for them to do this.
Indeed... If you're not a noble, after making the decision to bear the consequences, skipping school and falling in love are just the difference between what you want to do and what you don't want to do.
So now! There are a boy and a girl standing on opposite sides of the boundary line, looking at each other.
A girl from the middle school area named Shirogane Kei!
She has good behavior, top grades, and a beautiful appearance. She served as the accountant in the middle school student council when she was in her second year. She is a famous figure who has appeared on the school's intellectual beauty list!
A boy from the high school area named Asada Shinichi!
He has good behavior, top grades, and average looks. He has a calm and intellectual temperament. He replaced the student council president in his third year. Although his prestige is not as good as the previous president, Shirogane Miyuki. He is sometimes creative and likes to help others. He is also respected and loved by all Shuchi'in Academy students!
—Why are these two, who are considered top students in their class, skipping school and coming here to silently gaze at each other?
Of course, there is a reason, and it is a very important reason.
"...Shinichi-senpai."
After a moment of silence, Kei led to break the silence.
"Is it true that the news about you being accepted to MIT?"
Shinichi put his hand in his pocket and looked at the petite girl with indifference.
"Yes, what about it?"
Kei carefully observed his expression and found that his eyes were still unmoving and his temperament was still very stable, giving an extraordinary sense of peace of mind to people, and she couldn't help feeling a little angry.
"Ah, is that so?"
She turned to the side, with her long silvery hair covering one side of her face. Her hands were folded on her chest.
"Congratulations to you. I hope you have great success and soar high."
A deliberately distant tone, and a reluctant expression.
Shinichi looked at the girl in front of him who was hiding her fear.
"After knowing this, is this all you want to say to me, Kei?"
Hearing him call her name, Kei's body trembled slightly, then she stubbornly turned and looked at him directly.
"I just want to ask, doesn't Shinichi-senpai want to say something to me?"
His lips formed a straight line, and Shinichi remained silent.
Then, Kei understood his intention.
"Is this your attitude... I will pay you back if you owe me, I will pay you back if you owe me a favor!"
Lowering her head, she clenched her fists, gritted her teeth, and became spirited.
A mix of emotions filled the words she was about to utter. However, after opening her mouth, it felt like something uncomfortable was stuck in her throat. She opened and closed her mouth, and just looked at the ground.
The thoughts and emotions finally turned into a complex sigh and disappeared with the wind.
"It's nothing... Thank you, Senpai, for taking care of me all this time."
Kei turned and looked at the sky to prevent her sadness from turning into tears.
Her silver hair fell behind her head listlessly, and her serious and strong attitude in the past now looked very weak.
"Never… See you again."
After leaving these words, Kei took a step forward.
Shinichi, who had been listening from beginning to end, gritted his teeth, and his expression crumpled in pain.
He couldn't help but take a step forward, and when he was about to rush desperately and hug her, his foot moving to the front of the taboo age boundary suddenly stopped.
His expression returned to normal, and he let out a soft sigh. He stared at Kei who also stopped.
"Pretty good, you've made a lot of progress. The atmosphere is very good, Kei-chan."
"...Tsk."
Clicking her tongue, Kei turned around. Her cold face no longer held desperation now, but a feeling of depression.
"It's clearly just one step away. What a pity. Why is Shinichi-senpai always calm at the last moment?"
Shinichi smiled proudly.
"Don't underestimate the student council president. If I want to act in front of the whole school, I don't have a head that can face the situation calmly at any time."
"Stop lying, my brother doesn't have a brain or acting skills like that."
Kei sighed unhappily, her eyes looking at Shinichi softened.
[After seeing this, you must have understood almost everything—
The scene that happened above was all acting!
Whether it's an expression of sadness greater than death, or the content of a lunchtime drama, it's all performed by these two!
Their goal is only one.]
"As long as I take the initiative to enter the central area, I must confess to you first... Kei-chan, if you want to achieve this, you can't do it without working harder."
[This is an agreement between the two of them.
Two people with the same high self-esteem, after knowing each other for a year, clearly stated their feelings for each other and even considered each other as their lovers.
Contract form!
For a couple, only when one party confesses to the other can the love relationship be clearly defined. Silent understanding is not enough.
While it doesn't mean that a confession will last forever, based on their two concepts, they believe that "as long as you confess to that person, you will definitely like that person until the end".
Of course, it is at this time that the status of the relationship is determined.
—Because you were the first to confess your love to me, so from now on you must not leave me, love me, and respect me forever.
Such a playful understanding of love is a rule that must be implemented by two people who have never fallen in love and have very strong self-esteem and moral values!
Therefore, Shirogane Kei realized that Asada Shinichi was about to go to America to study, but he still hadn't taken the most crucial step]
"Shinichi-senpai, you are obviously about to go abroad..." Kei sighed deeply and looked at him with a helpless look, "Can't you take care of a girl a little bit, come and confess love as soon as possible, and then everyone will be happy?"
"Huh? Strange. Kei-chan clearly said before that I shouldn't treat you differently just because you're a woman. Why do you still want me to take care of you now?" Shinichi smiled, "If you really can't stand it, come and confess now. I will accept it immediately. In this way, everyone will be happy, right?"
(Huh, a contemptuous attitude...)
Clicking her tongue in displeasure, Kei clearly showed her anxiety on her face and angrily walked towards Shinichi, separated by a line from him.
"Stop talking too much nonsense, Asada Shinichi, do you like me or not?"
Her bright eyes were misty, and she bit her lower lip, as if she would cry to him without saying anything.
"Of course I..." Instinctively not wanting to make her sad, Shinichi was about to say without thinking, but he saw a hint of cunning in her eyes and immediately reacted.
"Of course I like sukiyaki. As for you..." He crossed his arms and said seriously, "First, tell me if you like me or not, then I'll tell you if I like you or not."
"Damn..." After her acting was interrupted, Kei gritted her teeth, clenched and released her fist, and whispered with a slightly weak voice.
"It's clear that you're about to go abroad... It's clear that we won't see each other anymore... When will this postponement stop..."
But... There was no one to say it.
Because Kei had too much pride, she not only thought that after confessing, she would chase after him, but also lose the initiative.
In addition, her poor family background, her need to study hard to achieve top results, and her barren chest made her very worried. If she were to confess to Shinichi, it would be a big problem. Perhaps in this relationship, she would never be able to hold her head high, and she would never be able to match him, who was so good that he got accepted into a world-renowned university.
In the past, Kei had always ridiculed her older brother for being a coward, wondering why he couldn't gather the courage to confess to Shinomiya Kaguya earlier, and it had to take so long.
Shouldn't love be something very simple and impulsive? Why so much thinking.
But now, Kei realized how her older brother felt at the beginning.
When you fall in love with someone who stands too far away, the courage to follow through will also disappear with the distance.
"..."
Shinichi knew what Kei was thinking. It was because he didn't have the confidence to be in a relationship, and he thought he hadn't learned enough to shoulder love. That's why Kei never let go of her pride and embarrassment.
But now...
As Kei said, there was no time.
If they were separated, the unspoken feelings would sooner or later be consumed by time and distance.
At this moment, someone had to speak first, and this war had to be ended by someone—regardless of who won or lost.
If not, both sides would surely suffer losses in the end.
Shinichi couldn't bear to live his daily life without Kei by his side.
Therefore, when he made the promise with her to meet here, he made a decision as a man.
"Kei-chan, let's make a rule now."
Shinichi suddenly spoke.
[Love is war—
It is the "reason" because one cannot express feelings directly and forces oneself to achieve happiness through rules of winning and losing. ]
"As soon as you step into the high school boundary, you lose."
"Eh? Why..." Kei tilted her head slightly, looking confused.
"Because... This is the best way to end our war."
Shinichi took out a speaker from somewhere, adjusted it, took a deep breath, and spoke.
"Good day to all junior and senior students at Shuchi'in Academy."
His voice was sent to the broadcast room through a Bluetooth-connected speaker, and then echoed throughout the school.
"I am Asada Shinichi, the Student Council President of Shuchi'in High School, Class B, third year."
The students in the classroom raised their heads one by one, and even the teachers looked at the broadcasting equipment emitting the sound in amazement.
"The next Student Council President has been elected, and I will soon step down as president. Therefore, allow me to be careful for the last time... Consider this as a celebration of my acceptance to MIT. Thank you all for your attention. Even if you were forced, I am very grateful."
Kei immediately understood what he wanted to do, her face suddenly turned red, and she wanted to kick the speaker in his hand, but Shinichi turned and avoided it.
She looked at the boundary under her feet. If she wanted to stop him, she had to enter the high school boundary. Damn, was this his plan? !
Kei gritted her teeth, but didn't think to consider the rule. She only had mixed thoughts of embarrassment and vague hope, and stared at Shinichi, trying to silence him with her eyes.
But Shinichi remained the same, even smiling at her, then continued the conversation.
"I have someone I like. She is younger than me, but her self-esteem is as high as mine. She is very stubborn and not always straightforward. Sometimes, like a typical little girl, she becomes playful and jealous, which always makes me excited to want to express my feelings to her."
Kei's face turned into a ripe apple, and her pearl-like ears and lips were tinted with a deep red color. She widened her eyes and her shining blue eyes still looked at him angrily.
Shinichi's tone was still serious.
"She should also like me, but we have known each other for a year due to many reasons and concerns about many things. I will study abroad, but we are still not together. We haven't done anything like kissing or hugging. At most, it's just holding hands. Let me tell you all, her hands are very soft and easy to touch!"
After hearing the striking end of his story, Kei couldn't help but clench her fist.
However, the next sentence made her freeze in place, and her face, which had long lost its coolness, turned even redder.
"So she is mine, and from now on, no other man will hold her hand."
"To all male high school students who are eyeing a beautiful, well-tempered, well-minded, thrifty, and family-oriented girl, there is a third-year girl at Shuchi'in Academy who will soon become my girlfriend. Please investigate carefully before proceeding."
"Don't let me come back from America to cause trouble for you."
These serious words caused everyone to be shrouded in a momentary low pressure, and everyone could feel the killing intent in his tone.
...No, there was one exception.
It was Kei, whose heart was almost jumping out of her chest, walking in a panic at the edge of the boundary. She looked so embarrassed that she wanted to rush to stop Shinichi from speaking, but she never dared to step forward due to the rule.
Shinichi looked at her like this, and showed a gentle smile.
He placed the speaker down and spoke softly.
"Shirogane Kei."
When her name was called, Kei reflexively stopped moving, her breath also stopped, and she stared at him in silence.
Shinichi took a deep breath, then shouted as loud as he could through the speaker, towards her in front of him, to the whole school, and more importantly to the whole world.
"I like you!"
As he said this.
Kei crossed the boundary without hesitation, her silver hair fluttering behind her, and her delicate hand immediately hugged his neck.
She hugged him tightly.
"I like you too, I like you the most, Senpai!"
She let her confession echo in the sky with the same volume.
Shinichi threw away the speaker, hugged her slender body, and smiled happily.
"In this way... we both lose."
He confessed first.
Kei had crossed the boundary.
[The result this time – defeat for both sides.]
"Clearly, we all win."
Kei's soft voice meowed like a cat, heard in his ears, and her happiness and satisfaction were too strong to be erased.
[True... This time, the love war between Asada Shinichi and Shirogane Kei— Both sides achieved a great victory.]
Under the marble arch, the two winners embraced each other and smiled happily.
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Several years later.
"Senpai, don't you regret quitting studying in America?"
"You've asked me several times... I just want to stay with my girlfriend. How could I have so much regret?"
"...Um, okay~ Because according to you, I can't say anything, let alone feel happy... But, Senpai is really a Lolicon, you really confessed to me when I was 15 years old and even used the school broadcast to declare his love, pfft..."
"Why are you laughing? I don't know who threw me to the ground and kissed me right away..."
"You're so noisy, this is just a moment of joy! And didn't you agree not to mention that again?!"
"Who asked you to mention it first... Also, we both have graduated, shouldn't you stop calling me Senpai?"
"Uh... My child's father?"
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