Chapter 386

Even so, it's important to exercise your desire to express yourself appropriately to avoid making the other person uncomfortable.

"..."

Not only Kōsaka Reina, who asked the question, but the other six were also slightly stunned and silent. Some were confused but impressed, some thought it made a lot of sense, and some applied it to themselves, resting their chins on their hands and thinking.

After a moment, Kōsaka Reina asked again in a slightly lower voice, "So, do you think you, Himemiya student, are a special person?"

"Snort!"

Speaking of this, he was no longer sleepy, gently opened his eyes, and found it quite amusing.

"Of course! I've always done what I wanted to do. I studied when I wanted to study, played music when I wanted to play music, skipped classes when I wanted to skip classes, and worked as much as I wanted to work..."

"So even though my life isn't very long, I've always felt that I'm a very special and free person!"

"Hey! Don't teach our school kids weird things!"

Tanaka Asuka turned around, grabbed his collar, and swayed him back and forth, her glasses reflecting the light.

"What if they really follow your example and start skipping classes all the time? How are you going to take responsibility for that?!"

"That has nothing to do with me. They're not children anymore; they should be able to distinguish right from wrong and make their own decisions..."

"Don't call this a disclaimer!"

"..."

"Thanks."

After thanking him, and without caring whether he heard her arguing with the neighbor, Kōsaka Reina sat down again.

Her icy skin, as beautiful as a snow maiden's, now carried a layer of thoughtfulness, a far cry from her previous Flower on High Mountain and unattainable demeanor.

"Kousaka student, you're really bold. After all, she's a third-year student just like Asuka and the others, and her musical instrument skills are so amazing..."

Kumiko Oumae whispered her admiration for her.

"Um?"

Kōsaka Reina looked at her in surprise, "Oumae, is there anything you're afraid to do?"

"Huh?"

"No, that's not being bold, it's having a terrible personality?"

Her slender, white fingers rested on her chin as she considered correcting her earlier statement.

Huh?

Kumiko Oumae's eye twitched, her expression troubled. "Do you have some misunderstanding about me...?"

No~

Kōsaka Reina shook her head. "Have you forgotten about the junior high school tournament..."

"..."

"Ha ha..."

On the other side, Nakasako Kaori could only smile wryly at the two bickering in front of her. Seeing that they showed no sign of stopping, she couldn't help but interrupt them, "Does Himemiya student work part-time?"

Upon hearing her voice, Himemiya Chihaya and Tanaka Asuka immediately ended their battle, sat up straight, and straightened their clothes.

He took a sip of coffee before answering her question, "Yes, I do. My living expenses and travel money are all earned through part-time jobs."

"Wow..."

"Wow, you're amazing..."

"Really? You have six arms and three heads?"

Tanaka Asuka couldn't help but express her shock.

"So, what kind of work do you usually do? Is it part-time?"

Nakasako Kaori's face trembled; she felt a bit pressured as she asked the question...

"Both part-time and full-time positions are available..."

"There's more than one?!"

"For example, music-related jobs include tuning, composing, playing, cleaning and maintaining equipment; in addition, there are Pastry Chef in some places, and... in short, it's a very diverse range of jobs."

He listed a few examples, but didn't tell them all. He was afraid they wouldn't be able to handle it, and also afraid they wouldn't believe him if he told them.

Even so, the people present were stunned.

The first-year students, who had already stopped talking, stared at him in complete silence.

"Then, how will you go to school? What about the school?"

Ogasawara Haruka swallowed hard and asked incredulously.

This existence and way of life had exceeded her imagination.

But if that's true, then studying wouldn't be possible either, right?

"I haven't been to school much lately, but my grades are pretty good. As long as you have solid grades, our school isn't too strict about attendance, so don't worry."

"..."

X N.

Tanaka Asuka rested her chin on her hand, head bowed, contemplating whether she should quickly lead her companions away from him to prevent them from being contaminated.

"Wait a minute! So you're saying that all the money you gave as a prize was earned from your part-time job?!"

She suddenly remembered this incident and slammed her hand on the table in shock.

"Yes, what's wrong?"

"You even asked what happened... You just used it all up like that, don't you feel bad? That was money you worked so hard to earn!"

"There's nothing wrong with that, everyone got to be happy, didn't they?"

He shrugged nonchalantly, "Money is something you're meant to spend anyway; I'm just choosing how I like to use it."

"... What about the car?"

"I borrowed it."

He made things up off the cuff, just spouting nonsense.

Anyway, it's based on Himemiya Chihaya's character design, so what does it have to do with Sakurakoji Talent?

The pomegranate peel is all 1, 8, 4, 4, "..."

X N.

At this moment, the group gained a deeper understanding of what he had just said.

It turns out he wasn't just talking...

"There really are people who live such carefree lives? She thought such people only existed in TV dramas..." Kōsaka Reina stared at him with a speechless expression, feeling a tightness in her chest.

This unconventional way of life, in a sense, is exactly what she wanted but couldn't have.

But if you ask her if she has the courage to skip class and travel... she probably doesn't, since she's afraid her parents will cut off her allowance.

"Okay, I'm going to pay the bill."

Seeing that they had almost finished eating, he got up to pay the bill.

"Do you have any money left? Didn't you spend all your cash? Why don't we settle the bill ourselves?"

Tanaka Asuka tentatively spoke.

"It's alright, I kept one just in case, and I also have quite a bit of change."

As he answered, he waved his hand to indicate that it was alright.

A lunch for eight people might cost more than a large bill.

But I used one of the bills while eating breakfast this morning, and thanks to that, I still had a lot of change left in my wallet.

Of course, if it really wasn't enough, he would have no choice but to embarrass himself by borrowing from them.

But that was impossible, because he had glanced at what they had ordered and silently calculated it in his mind before he simply stood up nonchalantly.

Two minutes later, he returned, and as he sat down, he started to grab attention. "By the way, do you have a day off tomorrow?"

"Yes."

"So that means you won't be going to school?"

"That's generally how it is, but it's possible that some serious students might go there. However, I don't think the teacher will go, so it's impossible to borrow the key to open the clubroom door... What's wrong?"

"Hmph~ What a troublesome system, I have to borrow a key to use the classroom."

Can't we be like some schools, where students treat the activity room like their own home and don't care?

"What nonsense are you talking about? This is perfectly normal, isn't it? Or are the schools in Tokyo different from those here?"

"That's not entirely true; most schools are probably like that too."

"Look."

Tanaka Asuka rested her arm on the chair and crossed her legs. "So? Why are you asking this?"

"Nothing much, I'm just curious about the layout of your school, and I'd also like to practice my instrument there. Anyone want to join me?"

He said it half-jokingly.

"Practicing an instrument? You mean the Saxophone?"

This time, it was Ogasawara Haruka, who also plays the Saxophone, who spoke.

Having witnessed his behavior just now, she couldn't help but care about this.

"That's included, but actually, the instrument I majored in wasn't the Saxophone... I only brought it up because it's easy to carry and the sound is more noticeable."

"Huh?"

X 7.

All seven people turned to look at him, their expressions all saying, "What is this guy talking about?"

"... So what did you major in?"

Nakasako Kaori didn't know whether she should speak or not; her eyes were ambiguous and lonely.

"Piano - does your school have Piano?"

Although he estimated that there probably wasn't any, he still asked.

"No, no~ Where would a school in such a small place get that kind of thing?"

Tanaka Asuka mercilessly complained about her hometown and alma mater, eliciting wry smiles from those around her.

"Calling it a small place is an exaggeration, considering it's near Kyoto."

He waved his hand, "Then forget it."

"I do have some at home, would you like to try them?"

The sudden voice startled the others, who turned to look at the speaker, who was Kōsaka Reina, who seemed to be deep in thought.

"Huh?"

X N.

Everyone, including Himemiya Chihaya, was quite surprised by her statement.

He wasn't too surprised that her family owned Piano, after all, her father was a musician. What surprised him was that she would invite him to her home—what was wrong with her?

After a moment's thought, he declined. "No, thank you for your suggestion, but I'm really sorry to bother you just for playing the piano."

"Is that so? That makes sense."

Kōsaka Reina frowned, understanding his concerns, and stopped trying to persuade him.

She learned a little Piano when she was young, mainly as an aid to learning music theory, and later began to specialize in the Trumpet.

But after hearing him say that, she always wanted to see just how good his Piano skills really were.

"So, does that mean you want to come to our school tomorrow, Himemiya student?"

Ogasawara Haruka lowered her head and muttered to herself, clenching her fists before mustering the courage to look up.