Chapter 11: Chapter 9 Otome Yumeko
Haruka Yuzan felt a bit stunned, not expecting the young lady to take the initiative in speaking to him.
As their eyes met, in those beautiful orbs, Haruka Yuzan saw his own reflection.
A gentle breeze wafted through the window, stirring the girl's silvery strands of hair, while her delicate and pretty face remained expressionless, as though seeing through everything.
A lock of her hair fluttered between them, and the air seemed to carry a fresh scent,
Just as he was about to say something, the budding conversation was interrupted by a voice,
"Excuse me, classmate, could you please call Haruka Yuzan from your class for me?"
The commotion at the door drew the eyes of the other students, but upon hearing this, Haruka felt somewhat troubled,
Without looking, he knew precisely who it was, the goddess at the classroom entrance. She was tall and slender, her brown boots led up to a pair of black, long legs that could drive any male mad. She wore a red-gray checkered pleated skirt that barely contained her rounded behind.
Over her white shirt, she donned Kanagawa High School's autumn red jacket, which seemed a size too small. It was barely buttoned, just the bottom two buttons fastened, with the top part open wide, revealing a white shirt that was tight across a chest adorned with a butterfly knot.
Her jet-black hair was particularly long, draping neatly to her waist, and in those eyes seemed to shimmer with endless kindness and empathy.
The poise of a big family's young lady, Kanagawa High School's Gao Ling Zhi Hua, Otome Yumeko.
With a perfect figure and stunning beauty, she incited envy and resentment among all the boys,
Simply because this school beauty with the most top-tier family background and looks had publicly declared her pursuit of Haruka Yuzan from class three shortly after school started.
Overnight, Haruka became the red-hot topic of the school.
As if she had seen the person of her dreams, Otome Yumeko stood happily at the school gate, waving at the class,
"Haruka, I've come for you!"
Her voice contained an irrepressible delight.
"I'm going out for a bit, I'll talk to you when I have some time," Haruka said.
"Okay," Chiba Shimizu nodded, her cool and expressionless face seemingly understanding, then turned around, took out a copy of "The Republic," and began to quietly flip through it.
Seeing the boy approaching her, Otome Yumeko even showed a hint of shyness, standing by the door with her legs tightly crossed and appearing somewhat coy.
This scene almost made the other boys grind their back teeth to dust.
However, Haruka Yuzan didn't show any signs of happiness.
Because of some things only he knew about, Haruka kept his distance from this Gao Ling Zhi Hua.
There was still some time before class started, and Haruka Yuzan just walked out of the classroom with Otome Yumeko trailing behind him like a little wife.
This exceedingly attractive pair caused everyone to turn their heads and whisper amongst themselves.
"Hey, hey, hey, am I seeing things wrong? Isn't that Otome Yumeko from class two and Haruka Yuzan from class three? Are these two really together? Wasn't it rumored that Haruka Yuzan always rejected her?"
"You believe rumors? That's Otome Yumeko there, the perfect goddess, the only daughter of the Otome Family. How could Haruka Yuzan say no?"
"I'm so jealous, being handsome really does give you free rein! So unfair."
The surrounding whispers reached Otome Yumeko's ears, and the usually serene and unflappable goddess seemed even more embarrassed.
Haruka Yuzan sighed, said nothing more, but led the other's goddess to a quiet spot.
This was a floor where the school stored miscellaneous items, usually deserted, and Haruka just leaned against the wall, quietly observing the person in front of him.
It had to be said, Otome Yumeko was truly beautiful, and probably any guy, when faced with the pursuit of such a white, rich beauty, would be disrespectful to his future if he hesitated even for a moment.
But.......
There were no other people around anymore, and it seemed that after holding back for a long time, Otome Yumeko finally couldn't restrain herself anymore and directly opened her arms intending to throw herself into the boy's embrace.
As if he had anticipated this, Haruka Yuzan promptly extended his hand to her shoulders, keeping distance between them, "What do you need from me, Otome student?"
"Call me Yumeko..."
Having failed to successfully embrace the boy, Otome Yumeko muttered discontentedly and lifted her head. The warmth and elegance in her eyes from before had vanished, replaced by a sort of craziness approaching pathology?
Haruka Yuzan remained silent, just quietly watching her,
Seemingly used to this already, Otome Yumeko, though unsuccessful in her initial attempt, still reached out her hand to caress Haruka's cheek tenderly,
With her black silk-like long legs pressed against Haruka's, Otome Yumeko moved closer, her luscious lips parted slightly as she whispered softly,
"Hey, Haruka, did you hear that just now? They're all saying we're a couple, even bystanders can see it, why won't you accept me?"
"Are you sure those two weren't shills you hired? Everyone in the school knows about our situation, who would still make such astonished remarks?" Haruka Yuzan mercilessly pierced through the girl's thoughts.
"So boring, can't you be a little dumber? Or pretend you don't know? You don't understand romance at all." Otome Yumeko pouted, suddenly seeming like a little girl.
"That's just the way I am, honest and upright, and not good with words," Haruka Yuzan said indifferently,
"I just love the way you earnestly spout nonsense," Otome Yumeko suddenly inched closer with a giggling smile.
Haruka Yuzan could even feel the girl's presence through his clothes, her pleasant scent enveloping his nostrils,
"Don't pull this act, tell me, what are you really here for this time?"
"Hmph," Otome Yumeko huffed dissatisfied.
"I'm here this time to formally extend an invitation from the student council. The school does not allow the Homecoming Department to exist; you should know about this, right?"
As she spoke, for some reason, the girl's body moved closer and closer to the boy until she was completely leaning against him.
"The student council has too many things for me to do..."
"You're permitted to leave early, and you don't have to do anything,"
Having been prepared, Otome Yumeko whispered into Haruka's ear, "You just need to stay by my side."
"...I'll consider it."
After speaking, Haruka Yuzan promptly pushed away the girl who had flung herself into his embrace.
"Other clubs don't have the rule that allows students to leave early, you know. I specially applied for this just for you."
"Okay, then thank you, Otome student, I'll consider it seriously."
Being personally invited by the president of the student council would be an immense honor for anyone else, yet Haruka Yuzan still needed to consider it???
"By the way, I heard you're looking for a renter recently, what do you think about me? I can offer ten times the rent..."
"Otome student, I think people will get the wrong idea if you and I lived together."
"Are you disgusted with me?" The atmosphere on the spot suddenly became colder, as the until now smiling Otome Yumeko instantly changed her expression, a warning in her glare.
"No, I mean, I just don't want your purity and honor to be tarnished, I am thinking of your best interests."
Naturally, Haruka the handsome wouldn't make such a low-level mistake.
"That won't happen!"
With that one sentence, the situation was nicely defused.
Chapter 12: Chapter 10 From a medical standpoint, you're just spouting nonsense in all seriousness...
April 18th, the weather was clear, the wind slightly cool.
"Today, I'm going to talk about Oda Nobunaga's rise to power and his ultimate loneliness."
On the podium, the history teacher was giving a passionate lecture, completely detached from the textbook, relying on his own understanding and enthusiasm to explain.
The students below were also listening very intently, Japan always has an inexplicable reverence and fervor for the Warring States period.
It even inspired a whole generation's youth with the "Warring States" series of games, which remain classics to this date.
"Oda Nobunaga gained a very important retainer, who is none other than Toyotomi Hideyoshi...."
In the eyes of the students, there was a longing for this, especially among the boys who were caught up in fantasies and in their 'chuunibyou' phase.
Of course, there was an exception for a certain handsome guy, leaning against the wall, his gaze out the window. Was it Class 1's turn for swimming lessons today?
That's where a man's true interest should lie, in youthful and beautiful girls clad in school swimsuits.
But then he immediately thought of Otome Mizuko from this morning.
Logically, a rich and beautiful girl like her should have been streets ahead of Haruka Yuzan, that's what everyone would think, including Haruka at first—surely it would be better to be a kept man than to toil away looking for tenants.
At first, Haruka had tried to make contact with her, but it only took a couple of days to discover a very frightening problem.
Otome Mizuko had potential yandere tendencies.
She had a strong desire to control and possess Haruka Yuzan, thankfully, Miss Otome only had tendencies and wasn't actually yandere.
Otherwise, by now, in order to protect himself, Haruka Yuzan would probably have to be dating her.
It's not being in a relationship with a yandere that one should fear, but being remembered by a yandere.
It was really troubling, the swimsuit-clad beauties downstairs suddenly didn't seem so pleasing to the eye anymore.
Looking at the well-behaved silver-haired beauty sitting in front of him, Haruka Yuzan couldn't help but sigh.
A lesson period passed quickly, and the morning's classes came to an end. The students walked to the cafeteria arm in arm or enjoyed bento meals in the corners of the school.
Their faces were filled with happy smiles, as if they were still immersed in the just-finished Warring States period and had not yet snapped back to reality.
One could even faintly hear the chuunibyou cries echoing in the corridors.
Soon, most of the people in the class had left, leaving only Chiba Shimizu and Haruka Yuzan behind.
The breeze from the window blew in, and under the cherry blossom tree, a boy and a girl sat together, sharing their lunch, a faint sense of affection arising between them. Under the cherry blossoms, the bonds formed—how many people would remember them in the end?
"Classmate Haruka, do you need something from me?"
This was the second time today that Chiba Shimizu asked Haruka Yuzan the same question in the same place.
"I was thinking of discussing the philosophical meaning of life with you, the class president, for instance, about rules and the people who make them, or perhaps looking for a way to break them...." Haruka Yuzan rambled on.
Chiba Shimizu didn't speak, just looked at him with a calm that was almost unnerving, the quiet waves in her eyes.
"Do you understand what I mean?" At the end, Haruka Yuzan finally met those eyes, his gaze filled with sincerity and admiration.
"Is that why you've been staring at me all day?" Chiba Shimizu didn't respond, instead, she threw out a question that could embarrass any boy to death,
"Especially in the hallway, you stared at my feet for a full two minutes. Although I always catch you taking an extra glance at me on normal days, at least you pretend to be respectful. Today, however, you made no effort to conceal it."
"..."
After a long silence,
"Is it that obvious?"
Chiba Shimizu didn't speak. Her pretty and adorable face just stared at him, as if she had the whole situation under control.
He disliked clever people, and even more so the overly clever pretty girls.
"It's mainly because I heard about the school canceling the Homecoming Department, which made me feel a bit sentimental," Haruka Yuzan certainly couldn't admit the truth, he said nonchalantly, "I might develop a habit of absentmindedly staring at something from time to time, what you might call daydreaming."
"From a medical perspective, that could be a psychological illness, when I have time I will go...."
Her voice got softer, and Miss Chiba's delicate eyebrows also slightly furrowed.
"Alright, I just wanted to ask, as the standard-bearer and the iconic representative of the Homecoming Department, don't you, Class President Chiba, ever want to break the rules? For instance, by having a director from the Chiba family inform the school to revoke last night's decision?"
Haruka Yuzan revealed a hint of a smile and said with utmost sincerity,
"If it really succeeds, I believe Class President Chiba's prestige at school would certainly reach a whole new height."
His handsome appearance and charming voice, like a devastatingly beautiful bane residing beside an empress, seducing a naïve princess to achieve his own purposes.
Unfortunately, seated opposite him was Chiba Shimizu. Her calm gaze remained unchanged, unaffected by his influence.
"Although I also dislike the school's decision to cancel the Homecoming Department, I wouldn't use my family's connections for such a trivial matter, nor do I have any desire to raise my own prestige," she said as she straightened a strand of hair that had fallen alongside her ear, looking back at the boy, "So, Classmate Haruka, don't have any expectations of me. The recruitment fair this afternoon is a good opportunity for you to choose a club that interests you."
"Yes, I understand, I will consider some clubs that I might be interested in this afternoon," Haruka Yuzan could only nod in agreement.
"If there's nothing else, I'll be going now," Chiba Shimizu said, getting up and taking out a very exquisite box from her backpack. It was Miss Chiba's lunch; she had already wasted five minutes of her time on Haruka Yuzan and needed to make it up elsewhere.
Upon leaving the classroom, Chiba Shimizu glanced to the left for a moment, the tranquility in her eyes rippled for the first time, but she did not pause and walked away directly.
Watching her receding graceful figure, Haruka Yuzan couldn't help but sigh. Could it be that his ultimate fate was to depend on the recruitment fair that afternoon?
After all, even Miss Chiba had chosen to submit to the school's decision; he, a mere pawn, had no other recourse.
As for Otome Mizuko's suggestion? It had never been within Haruka's consideration to begin with. Going to the student council would be like a little lamb getting all cleaned up and walking right into the mouth of the big bad wolf, wouldn't it?
Forget it, might as well have lunch first. Shaking his head, Haruka Yuzan left the classroom, instinctively heading left. Upon seeing someone, he forcefully placed his foot which was already in mid-air back down, pretending not to notice, and walked towards the right side of the hallway.
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