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.
Gifts
-- Gift
received Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone