Chapter 19: FFD 18
Toyogasaki High School, on the garden bench.
Hayama and Eriri sat on opposite ends of the bench, with him on the left and Eriri on the right.
"Eriri, you haven't changed a bit all these years," he said, gazing up at the clouds in the sky with a touch of nostalgia, "You're just as stubborn and willful as ever,"
Eriri blushed at first, but as soon as she heard the second half of his sentence, anger flashed across her face. "You're such an annoying Hayama! Tell me, where am I stubborn? Where am I willful?"
"You..."
"I'm not listening! I refuse to listen!" her twin tails swirled around wildly as she unleashed her ultimate technique—the Twin Tails Whirlwind Slash.
However, with a gentle motion, he swiftly caught hold of both twin tails. "Hmm, it seems your ultimate technique hasn't improved much either."
"Argh, Hayama, you're just as annoying as ever!"
Eriri pouted, readjusted her hair, crossed her arms, and slumped on the bench, wearing a sulking expression.
"You haven't even changed the way you throw tantrums!" He chuckled.
"Clearly, I have changed..." she murmured softly.
"Well, we've both changed," He said, reclining in his chair. He casually unbuttoned the cuff of his left hand, revealing his forearm adorned with two small round scars in the center. "Even these two little scars you left on my arm back then have grown quite a bit."
She sneakily stole a glance at his forearm, briefly locking eyes with him before quickly looking away. "Quit blabbering. You brought that upon yourself!"
"I put so much effort into teaching you English for three months, and you still bit me. How did it become my fault?"
"Who told you to say such ridiculous things back then? You're so annoying, Hayama!"
...
Hayama and Eriri had known each other since they were very young, often crossing paths at parties when they were just two or three years old. However, it wasn't until third grade that they truly formed a close bond.
In that year, his father decided to run for a parliamentary seat, and his biggest rival was none other than Watanabe from Kobe.
Now, Kobe was the turf of the Yamaguchi-gumi, and Watanabe happened to be the nephew of the Yamaguchi-gumi's fifth-generation leader. While Hayama's father had a significant advantage, he couldn't shake off the worry that Watanabe might resort to desperate measures and use Hayama as a means to threaten him.
Sensing the predicament faced by Hayama's father, Spencer took the initiative to invite Hayama over to his house, using the pretense of English lessons. It was during this time that Hayama and Eriri truly got to know each other.
Despite being a child of mixed Japanese and British heritage, Eriri had always been clueless when it came to English, while Hayama was renowned as a prodigy. With Spencer acting as his guardian, even Watanabe's power in Japan couldn't pose a threat against the British diplomat stationed there.
With a sense of security, Hayama's father made swift progress in his election campaign, ultimately achieving a resounding victory. At the young age of 31, he earned a seat in parliament and secured a position in the cabinet.
Following Watanabe's defeat, conflicts arose within the Yamaguchi-gumi, leading to a faction splitting off and forming the new Kobe Yamaguchi-gumi. Watanabe found himself unable to protect even his own interests, let alone cause trouble for others.
Having resided at Spencer's house for more than three months, the overall situation eventually stabilized, and Hayama bid farewell to the Spencers.
"Hey, stupid Hayama, when will you come to see me again?"
"Well, you're going to England, right? We probably won't see each other again."
Hayama still vividly remembered that day when the girl, tears streaming down her face, tightly gripped his arm and fiercely sank her teeth into it. "I hate you, Hayama! Make sure you remember me, or I'll hate you for the rest of my life!"
...
"By the way, Eriri, why didn't you go to England?"
"I didn't want to go to that Eton College!"
"Hmm? Eton College is an all-boys school. Are you sure Uncle Spencer wanted you to attend Eton College?"
Eton College, a renowned institution, has a long-standing tradition as a prestigious boys' school, steeped in a culture of gentlemanly education. Throughout its nearly 600-year history, it has never accepted female students. The only exception to this rule is Queen Elizabeth, who holds an honorary status as an alumna.
"Quit babbling. Spare me your useless knowledge. I can't stand you!"
He remained silent, well aware of Eriri's fiery temper.
As expected, after a while, she couldn't contain her curiosity any longer. She impatiently asked, "Hey, Hayama, didn't you have something to tell me?"
"I was waiting for you to ask. Otherwise, I'd have to endure your classic, old-fashioned ultimate technique again."
"Go to hell! Just go to hell!"
His plan went down the drain, and she ended up unleashing the Twin Tails Whirlwind Slash again.
After managing to subdue her again, he said, "Our soccer club is in desperate need of a hand-drawn poster, and we've heard rumors about a talented and beautiful blonde artist in our school. So, I've been sent to invite that lovely girl to help us."
Upon hearing this, her cheeks flushed slightly, "And why exactly should I help you?"
"We actually have a decent budget for the club. You can name a pretty high price."
She clicked her tongue in annoyance. "Ugh, I'm not interested in your money! The soccer club is just a bunch of boys anyway, and I bet their budget is pathetic!"
He responded with a touch of gratitude, "Well, I appreciate the kindness of Eriri-sama."
The mention of "Eriri-sama" seemed to make her blush a bit. She crossed her legs and fidgeted uneasily.
"Even though you know I'm studying here, you only come to find me when you need something. Am I nothing more than a tool to you?"
"I didn't know you were studying at Toyogasaki. I thought you went to England!"
"You, you, you, you, you... Let me remind you, I was actually chosen as the 'Cutest Freshman,' you know? Have you forgotten? But hey, don't get me wrong, I'm not even interested in that silly title. It was just... a bunch of boring people who voted for it."
In the freshman election, she snagged the title of "Cutest Freshman," while Hayama earned the title of the "Most Handsome Freshman."
"Ugh... Stupid Hayama, always trying to act cool! You got my hopes up, thinking there might be another person with the same name!"
"Uh... my bad. I didn't really bother with those cringy elections," He mumbled, scratching his head. Truth be told, he hadn't given them a second thought.
"Well, if you didn't pay any attention, then just forget it! Hmph!"
After silently venting her frustrations towards him for a solid five minutes, she finally shook herself out of it and returned to reality.
"By the way, when do you need that poster of yours?"
"The competition is on May 1st, so it would be ideal to have the poster ready before then."
Eriri glanced at him and her expression hardened in an instant. "Wait, today's already April 27th? How many days are left until May 1st?"
"Three days."
"I can't do it. Find someone else!"
Three days? Are you kidding me? Asking Eriri, the ultimate queen of procrastination, to whip up a poster in such a short time is like demanding her life!
As Hayama observed Eriri's expression, memories of her chronic procrastination during their English lessons flooded back.
"Well, this is going to be quite troublesome."
...
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