Chapter 184
However, it's not entirely without merit; at least the facilities are fairly complete, and the monorail sky tram is quite fun.
Besides that... never mind, he's not a local.
You can't see anything in just this short time. To truly understand and like a place, you have to live there for a period of time.
In short, now,
Standing at the gate of Soubu High School, if you were to ask him how he felt at that moment—he would say he was slightly depressed.
He gazed at this high school, considered prestigious in Chiba City. Despite the school buildings being just a short distance from the main gate, the plaza seemed almost unremarkable; it was too small. If it weren't for those three flagpoles, who would know it was a plaza?
However, the subsequent teaching buildings and special buildings were indeed well-designed.
Whether it's the elevated structure on the left, its unique shape, or the stairwell with its protruding roof used to hold a clock; or the building on the right that resembles an urban art center, everything is very stylish.
The most eye-catching feature is the connecting corridor between the two buildings. It's not connected on the first floor, but on the second floor, with a cross-shaped staircase in the middle.
In other words, if you want to go to the upper floors on either side, you can go up the open-air staircase at the front and then enter the building through the central corridor entrance.
If he remembered correctly, the school building here was shaped like a "", which meant that there should be a corridor on the other side that he couldn't see now.
The entire building, shining brightly in the sunlight, boasts a magnificent and elegant facade. Unlike the relatively old city, this place seems very young, just like the students inside.
He felt frustrated because the school buildings in Hanasakigawa seemed rather ordinary compared to this.
What's going on? The school leaders of Hanasakigawa?
Even though you're born into one of several wealthy families, why don't you go up there and plead your poverty and misery, hoping they'll donate some money to renovate the school buildings?
Even if I gave you a chance, you wouldn't be able to use it!
Once Tsurumaki Kokoro and the others graduate and he completes his mission and leaves, you won't get another chance like this even if you wait a hundred years!
As the school bell rang, he snapped out of his thoughts and looked towards the connecting corridor.
Sure enough, a short while later, he saw Hiratsuka Shizuka's figure through the glass of the connecting corridor.
She seemed to have seen him too, and quickened her pace.
Stepping out of the entrance, she tiptoed and ran down the many steps of the grand staircase.
He didn't know if she had a class during the fourth period today; he only said he would come here during lunch break.
"Yo~ Sakurakoji, have you been waiting for me?" She greeted him from a distance of more than ten meters.
"No, I just arrived five minutes ago."
Hiratsuka Shizuka approached him, and seeing his pensive expression, she suddenly became furious. "What?"
"No, I was just thinking, Teacher Shizuka, you really are a teacher."
"What do you mean?" Her face twitched, and she clenched her fists with a forced smile, making a cracking sound.
Sakurakoji Talent wasn't intimidated by her and continued, "Although I've seen this outfit of yours before, this is the first time I've seen it on campus. How should I put it, it suddenly feels real?"
"Hmph, if you can't understand it deeply, how about you transfer here? I'll teach you a lesson!"
"I remember this. I should have refused it a long time ago."
"I was just afraid you'd change your mind."
"No need, thank you."
"Alright," Hiratsuka Shizuka stopped joking, smiling as she stared at the bag in his hand, "You should have brought what I asked for, right?"
"I brought it, I brought it!" He sighed on the spot, "I just wanted you to treat me to a meal, to show me some hospitality, and you actually took the opportunity to make demands, that's really going too far."
When he told Hiratsuka Shizuka about this last night, she agreed but also made a condition: that he bring a lunchbox over at noon.
He knew without even thinking that this dejected woman would almost certainly not bring her own lunch to school.
Thanks to her, he had to carry this heavy bag the whole time while strolling Chiba, and he was almost exhausted.
"I'll treat you tonight, one meal for another, isn't that fair?" Hiratsuka Shizuka showed no remorse, then looked at him with a complicated expression.
"Speaking of which, today is a weekday, why aren't you at school? What are you doing here instead?"
Do I have a habit of going to school?
"You bastard..." Hiratsuka Shizuka her hand to her forehead, her face full of black lines.
As a division commander, if someone from the Soubu High School had said those words, she would have already punched them.
"Fine, I already said you were welcome to come over. Anyway, even if you didn't come, you wouldn't be going to school properly, would you?"
"Teacher Shizuka has such a discerning eye!"
"Don't just praise me at this time!"
Looking at his stunningly handsome face, which was significantly taller than her, Hiratsuka Shizuka felt a surge of anger and helplessness. She tossed her long, straight black hair that reached her calves, put her Hands in her pockets, and walked away.
"Come with me!"
Sakurakoji Talent's gaze was drawn to her beautiful hair, which shone like black satin in the sunlight, making him completely forget that his own silver hair was probably more conspicuous.
He was proud of his hip-length hair, thinking it was long enough, but compared to hers, it was still far inferior.
It's so long, how long did it take to raise it? -- Isn't it a lot of trouble usually? There are all sorts of things.
He quickly followed behind her, heading towards their destination.
Last night, after being Okura Rumin, he rekindled his long-dormant desire to take the initiative and expand his social circle.
He thought about it and realized that the most suitable candidate was indeed the Second Miss, who had the strongest presence, and he also had a legitimate reason for it.
So he took the opportunity to contact Hiratsuka Shizuka. Although after a night of reflection, he no longer had so many thoughts, but what was done was done.
"Teacher Shizuka, where are we going? Aren't we going to the cafeteria?" He noticed that Hiratsuka Shizuka had stepped onto the stairs leading to the connecting corridor again and asked, puzzled.
"A cafeteria?" Hiratsuka Shizuka sneered, turning to look at him. "Looks like your school has pretty good facilities, but unfortunately, we don't have that here, only a convenience store."
"... Is that so?" Sakurakoji Talent remained silent.
So much time has passed that he's forgotten not every school in Japan has a cafeteria.
I'm sorry, Rowing Boat, I misunderstood you earlier.
"So where do we go now? We need to find a quiet place to have lunch, right?"
"Hmm, that makes sense," she thought for a moment, and within five seconds, she had a good idea of a place. "I know where to go, let's go."
"..." He pursed his lips as he watched her turn right after entering the corridor.
Okay, now he knows.
After passing through the second-floor corridor to the special building, Hiratsuka Shizuka led him up two more flights of stairs to a clubroom on the east side of the fourth floor.
" Under the Yukino Shita!"
She forcefully pulled open the sliding door to the entrance without even saying hello.
"Teacher Hiratsuka, knock on the door..."
A girl's voice, filled with helplessness and resignation, like a lone lark in a valley, passed through the door opened by Hiratsuka Shizuka and entered Sakurakoji Talent's ears.
For some reason, he was somewhat moved by what he heard.
After such a long and wonderful journey, he finally arrived here.
"Well, you won't answer anyway!"
"That's because the teacher walked in before I could answer—by the way, who was that...?"
Halfway through her rant, Yukino Shita Yukino noticed another figure emerging from behind her.
She stopped mid-sentence, unable to continue, and instinctively widened her eyes, wanting to take in all the information about the person she was about to meet.
"Ah! This is an acquaintance of mine. We were hoping to borrow your place for a meal today. Sorry to bother you~" Hiratsuka Shizuka said simply, then turned to him and said, "Give me the bento box, I'll go heat it up."
"Oh, okay." The moment he stepped inside, his eyes caught sight of Yukino Shita Yukino and the pink-haired girl next to her who was also in a daze.
Without making a sound, he took the lunchbox out of his bag and handed it to her.
"Wow! It's quite heavy. I'm amazed you managed to carry this so far. You must have had a hard time!"
"Seriously, this box looks way too high-end. Are you Young Master from somewhere?"
After expressing her gratitude and offering a few sarcastic remarks, Hiratsuka Shizuka looked at the two people in the classroom and said, "I'll leave him with you for now. I'll be back in a bit."
After saying that, she strode out with great efficiency.
"Teacher Hiratsuka, this isn't a daycare center..." Yukino Shita Yukino frowned and resentfully watched her retreating figure.
"Oh, right!" Hiratsuka Shizuka, who had already left, poked half her body out from outside the door and said to her, "This guy is also acquainted with your sister. You two should have a good chat; your sister wants you two to become friends."
After saying that, she really left—leaving the activity room colder than a spring midday.
Sakurakoji Talent's eyes lost their sparkle as she stared at the door. "I've been too talkative, Teacher Shizuka."
Come to think of it, you did this on purpose, didn't you?!
Chapter 234 To be honest, actively causing trouble was not something he wanted to do.
"If I told you that I'm not actually very close to your sister, and we've only met twice... would you believe me?"
Standing alone in the middle of the empty department room, stared at by the two men with strange gazes, he felt uneasy for the first time in a long time.
It's not a physical problem, but a psychological one.
What's going on? Is it because this is their territory, and they, as outsiders, feel uneasy about being targeted by predators, or is it the awkwardness of accidentally wandering into someone else's home?
What a joke! He had never felt this way, not even when the whole school was watching.
So, the memories of the deceased Second Miss are still attacking me?
After thinking for a long time (actually only five seconds), this was the only conclusion he could reach.
However, he is Sakurakoji Talent, Mirai to become the Pirate King, a man without thieves. How could he be defeated by the intimidation of past memories!
He adjusted his breathing, opened and closed his eyes, and returned to his original state.
Although he was a little worried that she might use her sharp tongue to attack him later, he wasn't exactly a kind person either. As a pure-blooded sadist, he didn't really want to be a submissive, even in verbal exchanges—no, he really didn't want to.
Speaking of which, if she were to be sarcastic towards herself, where would she start? He was a little curious, his fingertips unconsciously touching his chin.
To attack someone as perfect as yourself, you'd need to have something even better than them, right?
Do those things exist? I don't know, I've never encountered them.
And the most difficult part is not only finding his weaknesses, but also surpassing him in overall evaluation. Otherwise, if you attack one of his flaws, aren't you just waiting for him to attack dozens of your weaknesses?
So that's how it is. It seems I'm still safe. He breathed a slight sigh of relief.
He believed that with Yukino Shita Yukino's intelligence, she wouldn't be unable to understand such a thing—but she didn't understand him, so what if she misjudged his strength?
"..."
Ugh, forget it! Too much trouble, I don't want to think about it!
Fortunately, although he had been thinking for a long time, the two people opposite him seemed to be temporarily subdued and remained silent as well. The empty classroom fell into a rare tranquility, with only the soft rustling of the curtains in the wind.
Ah, the spring breeze feels so nice, and the sunshine outside is so warm. That's what he lives for.
He squinted comfortably, like a white cat basking in the sun, completely oblivious to the atmosphere around him.
Although his senses are no longer capable of appreciating such subtle pleasures, this ordinary yet beautiful scene evokes wonderful memories from the past.
Although he can't now, he has experienced it before. If it weren't for those memories, he probably wouldn't have been able to persevere for so long.
Indeed, memory is very important to humans.
"So that's how they felt when they saw me...?"
In the end, it was Yukino Shita Yukino broke the silence first, striking her signature thoughtful pose.
"It was the first time I'd ever felt like I'd lost in a foreign place; it was a truly valuable experience."
Then, she looked up and stared directly at Sakurakoji Talent: "Nice to meet you. I am Yukino Shita Yukino. Since you know my sister, you must have heard about me from her, right?"
Listen to me! Didn't I tell you I'm not familiar with her?
"My name is Sakurakoji Talent. Nice to meet you, Yukinoshita -Yukino Shita. You and Miss Haruno do look quite alike." He casually greeted her with a familiar topic.
"Hey~ You clearly said you weren't familiar with her, yet you're already addressing her by name?" Yukino Shita Yukino chuckled mockingly, her eyes full of amusement.