What Do You Think of My Beauty?

Perhaps because the Class Points had just been announced, things at school had gotten busy over the past few days. Horikita Manabu had no choice but to summon him.

He didn't have an official position yet. He was serving as an assistant to Tachibana Akane, the Student Council secretary. Though he was supposedly her assistant, the work he handled was assigned by Horikita Manabu.

Horikita Manabu often asked for his opinion on proposals that the president had to decide on. It made him think the other man wanted to groom him as the next president.

It wasn't impossible.

In the original story, Horikita Manabu had also taken an interest in Ayanokouji and wanted him to help deal with Nagumo.

Apart from Horikita Manabu, Nagumo Miyabi was the most influential person in the Student Council. Many people believed Nagumo was all but guaranteed to become the next president.

That was one of the reasons so many students didn't dare defy Nagumo.

After handling some incredibly troublesome tasks, his head was practically spinning.

A president's job was certainly complicated. It wasn't just a matter of stamping documents; he also had to balance the interests of different groups and raise the Student Council's standing while keeping everyone more or less satisfied.

The interests involved at this school were especially complicated, so he had to be even more careful.

By the time he left the Student Council, it was already dark outside. He checked the time. It was almost eight.

Thinking of Horikita waiting for him, he hurried toward the classroom.

When he opened the door, he saw a girl sitting half-perched on the desk by the window, her body tilted slightly as she gazed at the scenery in the distance.

Her ink-black hair danced gently in the breeze. A wine-red jacket was draped over her shoulders, and her slender figure, bathed in moonlight, seemed especially delicate.

Her clear, tranquil eyes gazed into the distance, as though they had crossed a river of history. He had no idea where her thoughts had wandered.

"Suzune."

He walked over, slipped an arm around her, and called her name.

Horikita glanced at him, then rested her head on his shoulder, still gazing at the view.

He stroked her silky hair and asked softly,

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing... Just let me lean on you for a while."

"Mm..."

He nodded and climbed onto the desk too, drawing her fully into his arms and wrapping an arm around her waist so she could lie more comfortably.

Ever since they'd watched the moon together that night, Horikita had been saying less and less. Her sharp-tongued habit had gradually faded, until now he couldn't get a single barb out of her.

He did miss how she used to be, but he liked the Suzune she was now even more.

People changed, and nothing stayed the same forever. Rather than pine for the past, it was better to cherish the present and look forward to the future.

Feeling the girl in his arms breathe steadily, he raised a hand and gently stroked her back.

She seemed to find it comfortable too, letting out a catlike murmur as she held him even tighter.

The sweet scent of her hair drifted over him. Its strands tickled his nose, so he brushed them aside and gently stroked down the back of her head.

Sure enough, her hair was as smooth and silky as a cat's.

Actually, Horikita was a lot like a cat. Sometimes she was cool and aloof, and sometimes she was adorable and clingy. She had a mind of her own and didn't stick to her owner every moment of the day.

Cats were also quite direct in how they showed affection. Some people thought cats were like two-faced flatterers, but that wasn't true. Cats generally couldn't be bothered to put on a show. They proved what they thought through their actions.

They got jealous when they were jealous, and they scratched when they felt like scratching.

Cats were less intelligent than dogs. Don't let a dog's goofy appearance fool you—they were the real masters of putting on an act, except for huskies and the like.

After a long while, Horikita seemed to have grown tired of the view. She turned and leaned against his chest.

"Bai Ye, what do you want to do in the future?"

"I haven't decided... But as long as you're with me, I'm happy doing anything."

"Then... Could we travel together? I want to see the world beyond this place."

"Sure. Where do you want to go?"

"I haven't decided. We can start here and go wherever the road takes us."

"Mm." He nodded.

A little while later, Horikita finally climbed down from his arms, and he got to his feet too.

"Let's go get something to eat... Though it's pretty late. Never mind, we can go to the convenience store..."

"Wait."

Horikita stopped him. When he looked at her in confusion, she said, "Sit on the floor first."

"The floor?"

Though puzzled, he sat down on the floor.

Horikita climbed onto him and pushed him down, then sat astride his waist with her legs folded beneath her.

"Suzune, you..."

He looked at the girl.

Her hair fell around her, glimmering like starlight in the shifting light and shadow.

She leaned forward slightly, her delicate fingers resting against his chest. Her cool, alluring face seemed wreathed in a hazy mist, and the feeling in her eyes was captivating.

The girl's voice rang through the classroom, as clear and melodious as a flowing spring.

"Am I beautiful?"

"..."

"Answer me. Am I beautiful?"

"...Yes."

"Then... Do you want to see something even more beautiful?"

As she spoke, she didn't wait for Bai Ye to answer. She lifted one hand to the buttons on her chest and began undoing them one by one.

Her slow, unhurried movements seemed to play out in slow motion, each frame and every moment etched into his mind.

Then, as if the atmosphere had dyed her face, a flush spread across the girl's cheeks. Her breath grew intoxicatingly sultry.

All things began in stillness and returned to stillness.

This world had once held nothing at all. Everything gradually took shape amid explosions, evolution, and chaos. So it was with matter, with the human heart, and with feelings.

A newly sprouted seedling was always so fragile. Wind and rain battered it, animals trampled over it, and the slightest disturbance could be fatal.

But once it grew into a towering tree, no disaster could shake it.

Watching the graceful figure walking beside him, he knew that day wasn't far off.

And he was about to...

"Suzune, you actually dared to do that in the classroom..."

No matter how Ren Ran thought about it, he couldn't guess what Horikita had done in the classroom earlier.

Perhaps realizing that she'd been too impulsive, Horikita blushed and said,

"People have to change. They have to try things they've never done before... And I thought you'd like it, so..."

"Of course I liked it. Just now, Suzune was as beautiful as a fairy in a painting."

"Mm..." Horikita nodded gently.

He took the girl's hand and laced his fingers through hers.

"Suzune, do you want me to carry you back?"

"How would you carry me...?"

"Like last time, before we went to make that deal with the two upperclassmen."

Horikita remembered what had happened and couldn't help looking at him.

"You did that on purpose, didn't you? Were you trying to embarrass me?"

"More or less. But this time, you have to look me in the eyes."

"Mm."

With her consent, Bai Ye wrapped his arms around her and lifted her in a bridal carry once more.

Horikita rested against him, one hand gripping the front of his shirt as she looked up at him.

Bai Ye met her shy, beautiful eyes, smiled faintly, and raised his head as he walked off into the distance.