Chapter 212
"I'm so sorry! I... I'll go first—"
She turned and ran, the book in her arms hitting her side with a dull thud.
I walked through the literature section and the natural science section, and finally rushed through the main gate into the small square outside the library.
The chill of winter swept over her, and the girl seemed to awaken from a dream, leaning against a tree whose name she didn't know, panting heavily.
His heartbeat was so loud it seemed to shake the leaves off the trees.
--Did I just agree?
Unconsciously, her fingertips gripped the camera strap on her chest.
"Become number one", "Class A", "Girlfriend"...
Every word stirred a gust of wind in her heart.
I never imagined that life's surprises could come so unexpectedly.
Sakura lowered her head, cupping her cheeks in her hands, suddenly feeling a sense of satisfaction as if she had become the heroine of this world.
"No matter what... you must keep going..."
She whispered encouragement to herself, her voice so soft it seemed to be broken by the wind, yet filled with an unprecedented certainty.
Raising her grades to first place in Class D was certainly difficult, but the girl felt an inexhaustible surge of energy and didn't think she would fail at all.
This courage that I don't usually have, must be from Aragaki-kun!
In short, in order to date Aragaki-kun openly and legitimately, I'm sure I can surpass Hirata and Kushida in academics!
In the library, Hasebe Haruka frozen, clutching a stack of reference books.
She saw Aili, Airi was usually silent, rush out like a startled fawn, her hair brushing against her arm, leaving a slight tickle.
The blue-haired girl blinked, a strange pang of sadness rising in her heart, though she didn't know why.
Unexpectedly, the child was completely fooled by a single sentence from Aragaki Shun.
With his teeth slightly biting his lip, Hasebe felt uneasy staying there. He turned his gaze to the boy opposite him, and the more he thought about it, the more agitated he became.
"...Shun," she lowered her voice, her tone carrying a probing tone she herself was unaware of, "Were you serious about what you just said?"
Aragaki Shun closed the book in his hand, turned his head to look at her, his eyes filled with his usual gentleness and certainty.
"Of course, I don't have a habit of lying."
That short sentence, like a pebble dropped into water, rippled outwards, leaving Hasebe even more silent.
Airi has a chance to get what she wants, which should be good news, right? But how did things turn out this way?
"By the way, what's with 'Little Shun'? I don't really care, but we've only known each other for a short time, haven't we?"
Upon hearing this question, Hasebe immediately suppressed his inner turmoil, casually playing with a strand of hair by his ear, and replied:
"Because he's Shun-kun, I call him Shun-chan. When I become close to someone, it always starts with a nickname. Do you mind that?"
"No, that's not it. I don't have high requirements in this regard." With her chin resting on her interlaced fingers, Aragaki Shun looked the blue-haired girl up and down, nodding as if in approval.
"As long as it's someone I like, and as long as it's not an insulting nickname, then there's no problem."
"It's a bit strange to suddenly be given a nickname, and I feel like I'd be missing out if I didn't reciprocate. So, can I do the same for you?"
"So, you mean we'll switch names, right?" A smile appeared in Hasebe's eyes, and he suddenly found himself in a much better mood. "Of course, no problem. My name is Haruka, you can call me whatever you like."
Aragaki Shun then tapped the table with his index finger and tentatively asked, "Then, Bobo or Xiaobo?"
"Hmm~ It's not entirely impossible, but it sounds a bit strange."
"It does feel weird to say it out loud. Oh well, I'll just call you 'Kaka' like Airi."
"Yes, no problem, I love it when my friends call me that." Hasebe nodded repeatedly, his smile growing wider.
Perhaps in her mind, exchanging nicknames meant they could be considered friends.
However, in Aragaki Shun's eyes, friends are not such a simple thing.
"By the way, Kaka, have we met before?"
"Does it count if I know Xiaoshun on my own? Haha~ Just kidding, there shouldn't be anyone in this school who doesn't know you, right?"
Sensing the doubt in the boy's tone, Hasebe coughed lightly and straightened his posture to assume a proper stance.
"Although we didn't know each other before, I've always wanted to find an opportunity to thank Shun in person."
"Thank you?" Aragaki Shun recalled the past, unable to figure out what he had done that deserved the other party's gratitude.
However, the other party had no reason to lie, so he had indeed inadvertently provided assistance to Hasebe Haruka?
This is not hard to understand. As Advanced Nurturing and influential figure, and the de facto leader of the first-year students, Shun Aragaki Shun's every move can affect hundreds of students throughout the school. It is quite normal for ordinary Student Council like Hasebe from Class D to be influenced by him.
This would explain why the other person was so familiar with him and considered him a friend upon their first meeting.
Of course, he had previously suspected that the blue-haired girl in front of him might just be a lovesick fool who was attracted to his good looks, but now it seems that's probably not the case.
After all, Hasebe's looks are still quite striking, and coupled with her ample figure that could easily overshadow the entire first-year students, if she were the more outgoing and open-minded type of gyaru, she would have become a famous figure throughout the school long ago.
But the truth is that, like Sakura, the other person has top-notch physical attributes, but is just a marginal figure in Class D. He always keeps to himself and gives the impression that he has no intention of interacting with others.
"Yes, during summer vacation, Shun caught those bastards who were planning to commit crimes ahead of time and kicked them all out of the Advanced Nurturing... Ever since that day, I've wanted to thank Shun in person."
"To be honest, if it weren't for legal restrictions, I would have killed those idiots long ago, especially that bastard Yamauchi. He's always disgusting me with his lewd looks, and he's always talking about huge breasts. He even made a ranking list with that fat otaku from the Sotomura and bet on which girl's breasts are bigger..."
Hasebe grew angrier as he spoke, his ample bosom rising and falling with his breath, barely concealed by his thick school uniform. No wonder he became the object of those idiots' fantasies in Class D.
Aragaki Shun recalled that in the recording provided by Ayanokoji during the swimsuit upskirt photo incident, Yamauchi and others seemed to have said that what they most wanted to photograph was Kushida Kikyo and Hasebe Haruka changing clothes.
The former is because she was the adorable little angel of Class D, and the latter has no other reason; the word "big" is enough to convince everyone.
Being in the same class as such a group of precious people is absolutely the worst luck imaginable.
"In short, Shun is my hero."
The blue-haired girl had a bright smile and her emotions were exceptionally sincere.
"Since those people disappeared, the whole world feels brighter."
289. Is Sakura a Secret Lover? Hasebe's Scarlet Fantasy
"Shun is my hero. Ever since those people disappeared, I feel like the whole world has become brighter."
Looking at Hasebe Haruka's bright smile and listening to her heartfelt thanks, Aragaki Shun fell into thought for a moment.
It can only be said that the people like Yamauchi Haruki and Kanji Ike, who stayed at the Advanced Nurturing, were nothing but a scourge and served no purpose whatsoever. However, after they were expelled, they actually provided him, the executor, with all sorts of assistance.
Putting aside the favor done to Kiryuuin Fuuka, after this incident, his reputation among the girls in Class 1-D has skyrocketed. Beautiful girls like Hasebe, who were deeply affected by it, have seen their favorability soar. Before they even officially got to know each other, their social interactions started with friendliness.
There's no way around it; aside from the Kushida Kikyo, Hasebe, the beautiful and popular busty girl, is the one who gets harassed the most by the idiots in Class D.
The key point is that she is also a loner who developed a withdrawn personality and is used to acting alone because she hates the lewd looks from men.
The consequence of not actively building interpersonal relationships is not being protected by the group. Therefore, compared to Kushida, who is popular with everyone, Hasebe's situation in Class D is much worse. Yamauchi and others even dare to discuss her breasts in public, and they stare at her with wolf-like eyes before every Swimming lesson, which often makes the girl feel the urge to kill.
When she first heard that those bastards were using a remote-controlled car to secretly film her in the pool changing room, she wasn't surprised at all; it was just that her disgust was rising endlessly.
After all, it's easy to guess that I would definitely be the target of those perverts who covet the top rankings.
She had originally planned to stay in her swimsuit and swim for three years of high school, but then she suddenly received news that Aragaki Shun had exposed them and expelled Yamauchi and the others... It was incredibly satisfying, like feeling refreshed and comfortable under a blanket with air conditioning on a hot summer day.
"Forget it, let's not talk about those bastards anymore. Just thinking about them makes me furious. Luckily, they were all kicked out of Advanced Nurturing, otherwise I'm afraid that one day I might not be able to resist becoming a murderer."
Hasebe casually brushed a stray strand of hair behind his ear, and after expressing his feelings in an exaggerated tone, he turned to look at Hasebe Aragaki Shun with a gossipy and intrigued gaze.
"Let's talk about something happy. For example, was Shun's promise to Airi serious? Do you really want to date Airi?"
They really aren't shy at all.
Despite being a loner like Sakura Airi in class, the girl's inexplicably enthusiastic attitude left Aragaki Shun speechless.
It's obvious that Hasebe is the type who is extremely cold to people he dislikes, but becomes completely unguarded once he considers them friends.
Therefore, we should distinguish everything based on whether we like or dislike it, or whether we are good at it or not.
Did she really consider him a friend she could talk to about anything?
We've only known each other for less than two hours!
After silently grumbling to himself, the Leader of Class A ultimately didn't voice these thoughts. In truth, he didn't dislike this type of behavior; after all, the various formalities in interpersonal interactions were indeed troublesome.
"My original words were: 'Make Airi work hard to become the top student in Class D for my sake. After she succeeds, she should also improve her physical fitness. Then I will spend points to help her transfer to Class A and start dating her.'"
"I certainly wouldn't mind taking my relationship with Airi to the next level, but the basic conditions are what they are. If those conditions can't be met, then there's nothing I can do... In short, I hope she can be more proactive, at least a little braver."
While flipping through the book in his hand, Aragaki Shun casually shared his thoughts, not feeling there was anything to hide.
Even if Hasebe relays the message directly to Sakura later, isn't that fine too?
The blue-haired girl seemed to have some doubts about this statement.
"Didn't you use this method specifically to encourage Airi because you like Airi?"
In other words, Hasebe did not believe that Sakura Airi was capable of defeating Kushida Kikyo, Yukimura Teruhiko, and others, and that she could suddenly rise from the middle to the bottom of the class to the top.
So, in the end, Aragaki Shun will probably soften his heart; as long as it's close enough, it'll be fine.
After all, Airi's face, though partially concealed, was both cute and pretty, and her chest was almost level with hers—doesn't that type of guy like?
"I do have a strong affinity for Airi."
A "welfare girl" who is exclusively for you, showcasing all her beauty just for one person, is quite tempting.
Aragaki Shun doesn't deny this. He's a man, and in the throes of adolescence with strong desires, and he has the ability to fulfill all his desires, so why should he force himself to suppress them?
Not to mention, Airi even stopped her idol activities on her blog, and after each photoshoot, she would proactively share the treasures she approved of with him.
For a withdrawn and introverted girl to go to such lengths, and since Aragaki Shun isn't some oblivious, emotionally clueless character from a light novel, he naturally wouldn't be unaware of the other person's thoughts.
"But Airi is too shy and timid. She trembles when she's in the spotlight. Do you really think she can handle the pressure that my girlfriend would face?"
Aragaki Shun doesn't mind if his lover is ordinary, because for someone about to enter the Transcendent Realm, finding a lover of equal stature in this world would basically mean preparing to be single for life.
So what if you're ordinary? It's as if no one in this world is extraordinary!
He can do everything on his own and doesn't need his partner to be particularly capable. He values the emotional value he derives from his partner more than any partnership based on mutual benefit.
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I like it, and I'm happy to do it, that's all that matters!
Therefore, when classmates like Shiranami Chihiro and Wang Meiyu, who weren't considered top-tier students at Advanced Nurturing, confessed their feelings to him, Aragaki Shun thought it was appropriate and was willing to accept them, simply because he felt more comfortable and happy when he was with them.
Otherwise, if we're really talking about family background, looks, and abilities, wouldn't he have succeeded in pursuing girls like Sakayanagi Arisu, Kushida Kikyo, Horikita Suzune, and Kiryuuin Fuuka, who are clearly more outstanding?
The key issue is that these guys each have their own troublesome aspects, and if they were to get together without any changes, it would definitely cause a lot of trouble.
Aragaki Shun didn't want to spend so much energy playing romantic mind games every day. That kind of relationship was only interesting if it happened once or twice in the future; if it became the norm, it would be too tiring and completely didn't fit his view of choosing a partner based on simply enjoying emotional value.
From this perspective, Sakura Airi does fit his criteria for a partner quite well—beautiful and well-behaved, and when you look into her eyes, you can see that he is the only person in her world.
Although he lacks ability, it doesn't matter; he doesn't mind having a few more pretty faces.
The only problem is that Sakura is still too shy and timid. Aragaki Shun can use his Private Points to transfer her to Class A and carry the burden of the girl's life for the rest of his life, but can she really bear the attention of the world?
In the afternoon at the library, sunlight was cut into golden lines by the blinds, falling on Hasebe Haruka's profile, like a cool glaze coating her thin blue hair.
She crossed her arms, and when she heard Aragaki Shun's reply, her fingertips unconsciously picked at the reference book on the table that was being blown by the wind.
"... I see, is that how you see it?"
Her voice was soft, yet it carried a dryness that the girl herself was unaware of.
--Not because of disappointment, but because I was exposed.
Like Hasebe Haruka, Sakura Airi is a loner, but their "solitary" nature is completely different.
Airi is a shy rabbit, Haruka is a cat who's too lazy to bother with people.
At that moment, the cat realized for the first time that it was actually worried about the rabbit's future.
Or perhaps they worry that if the rabbits are gently kept in captivity by hunters, they will never be able to escape their cages again.
"Timid, shy, trembling when in the spotlight, despite liking to wear pretty clothes and having a beautiful appearance, she deliberately dresses herself up in a dowdy way because of fear... That's Airi!"