One Hundred and Fifty Pulls / Leaving School

Carrying several bags, Aoyama opened the door with his room key and entered Ichinose's room.

Ichinose, who has not yet confessed everything to his classmates, is currently in a period of low mood and anxiety. Therefore, after receiving the 20 million yen, he returned to the room where he had spent more than ten hours yesterday.

He sat by the headboard, holding Ichinose's hand until she fell asleep, and only left late at night.

"Welcome back, Aoyama."

Wearing loose white cotton pajamas, with a small patch of snow-white skin peeking out from her chest, Ichinose came out to greet Aoyama at the Aoyama as he took off his shoes, then bent down to take the several bags from his hands.

Once she saw the Aoyama, much of the worry that had been weighing on her heart dissipated.

Even if her classmates couldn't accept her past, she still had Aoyama Shiki, a companion who was a bad kid just like her.

As long as Aoyama is still by her side, she will be fine.

"This is?"

Ichinose noticed that among the many bags, one did not contain ingredients. According to yesterday's agreement, it was her turn to cook dinner for Aoyama tonight.

"This is Ichinose. I thought you probably wouldn't be able to concentrate on your studies right now, or want to play on your phone, so I brought it with me."

"Playing together can always help kill time."

Stepping onto the spotless floor, Aoyama walked into the room and sat directly on the bed, leaning against a large polar bear plush toy, enjoying its soft and comfortable feel.

Last night, while he was sitting on the headboard waiting for Ichinose to fall asleep, he only intended to grab a pillow, but Ichinose pulled out a giant plush toy from the closet.

She said she won first prize in a raffle at the Keyaki Mall with her friends.

"Yes, I want to play with Aoyama."

With a smile on her face, Ichinose put the ingredients in the refrigerator, then climbed onto the bed and set up the chessboard.

"Let's play a little game, odd or even?"

Aoyama grabbed several chess pieces from the chess box, clenched his fist in his palm, and asked Ichinose with a smile.

"One?"

"It should be two." With a light laugh, Aoyama opened his hand, letting Ichinose see that he held six pieces.

Then, he quickly clenched his right hand into a fist again and looked at Ichinose once more.

Odd or even?

Reaching out and grasping Aoyama's right wrist, Ichinose looked at Aoyama's smiling face and a smile played on her lips. "I'll still guess single."

Aoyama gave a wry smile. "Shouldn't we be guessing even numbers?"

He intended to tease Ichinose by secretly manipulating a chess piece the instant his fist clenched, causing it to quickly fall into the shadows behind his knees.

If Ichinose unexpectedly continues to guess singles, he can use conversation to attract Ichinose's attention, and then just as he opens his hand, he can take away another one.

"I've memorized Aoyama's hand speed, and if it were a double, then Aoyama wouldn't be able to show off."

Seeing only five chess pieces on her slowly opening right hand, Ichinose's smile widened.

She had been following Aoyama for a long time and was confident that her understanding of Aoyama was no less than that of other girls.

"As a reward for guessing correctly, I hope Aoyama will continue to hold my hand tonight until I fall asleep."

Remove the five chess pieces from Aoyama's right palm Ichinose pressed that large hand against her face.

If you're a bad kid, it's okay to do some bad things.

Chapter 200, One Hundred and Fifty Draws

Less than a day had passed since they last met, Ichinose's aggressiveness had intensified even further.

Lying on the bed with his hands behind his head, Aoyama inhaled the faint fragrance that filled the air, his gaze falling on the empty ceiling.

He felt that if he took a more proactive approach, he might even be able to win over Ichinose tonight.

However, that would be too shameless; he wouldn't do something like taking advantage of someone's weakness.

Putting Ichinose aside for the time being and closing his eyes, Aoyama brought up the System Panel and started the lottery.

After exchanging several million more in cash with Horikita Manabu, he only had 15 million personal points left on his terminal. With the new points transferred from Horikita Suzune, he had a total of 35 million.

The amount of illicit money, which was originally only in the millions, has now increased to the tens of millions for the first time, totaling over 22.1 million.

Still relying on the minimum guarantee, that's really unfair.

But as long as the guaranteed minimum return really exists and isn't fake, that's good.

After fifty draws, he finally saw the golden light. Aoyama looked at the newly obtained golden legend with a sigh.

[Daisuke Jigen's gun-handling ability: The world's fastest man, three seconds? No, it's 0.3 seconds.]

The story-driven version counts too? That's incredibly impressive, System Master!

Suddenly sitting up, he took out his phone and threw it into the air. Watching the phone's 'slow' descent, Aoyama realized that his dynamic vision had exploded to an inhuman level.

Daisuke Jigen is a crossover character in the Conan storyline. He can draw and fire a gun in 0.3 seconds, and what's most impressive is---

He can even shoot down moving bullets with his own hand; the pistol in his hands has a range comparable to half a sniper rifle.

Gazing towards the kitchen, a pistol suddenly appeared in Aoyama's hand.

As a normal man, he had taken out a pistol and aimed it at himself in an empty room before, but he had never felt the pistol as much as he did now, as if it were an extension of his body.

He can hit whatever he can see.

Excellent, invincible.

Very satisfied with this top-tier golden legendary item, Aoyama reluctantly put away his pistol and continued with the lottery draw.

Without the pity system, he started from scratch and did ten more 10-pulls before finally getting a golden legendary item on the last pull.

[Vermouth's Perfect Disguise: Guess who I am, little bro.]

It's better than nothing, I suppose.

Compared to the previous golden legend Aoyama was somewhat disappointed. Although it was also a very useful ability, he preferred to enhance his combat power.

Moreover, the ability to disguise himself doesn't suit him at all, because he's too tall, and it's not very useful to him at the moment.

If someone is short, they can be supported with pads; but if someone is too tall, amputation is out of the question.

The lottery plan was temporarily suspended, Aoyama began to extract and process the purple rewards related to skills one by one.

He's quite lucky in terms of professional-level piano playing, professional-level cooking skills, professional-level calligraphy, Ran Mouri's karate, and Heiji Hattori's kendo.

He drew 20 purple items out of 150, including five valuable skill rewards, two of which were related to combat.

His fighting ability has been greatly enhanced, and he even has the urge to challenge an adult brown bear to a duel.

"Dinner's ready, Aoyama." Ichinose, wearing an apron, came out of the kitchen. The animal pattern on the apron, which was originally flat, now looked three-dimensional.

As expected of Archangel Ichinose, she's amazing.

Aoyama closed the System Panel. "Okay, I'll help too."

Of the remaining fifteen purple item rewards, there was one that caught his attention, but he wasn't in a hurry to find out more about it.

"Aoyama, you just need to sit down."

"If they don't even help serve the rice, then I'll feel like a guest."

With a light laugh, Aoyama went to the kitchen to help serve the rice, and soon a sumptuous meal was laid out on the table.

Even though there were only two people, Ichinose made four dishes, three of which were meat dishes.

"Hmm, it tastes much better than mine." Under Ichinose's expectant gaze, Aoyama tasted the most appealing-looking fried pork cutlet and gave his evaluation.

The fried pork cutlet was crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, much better than the ones he made himself, but still not as good as the brother-obsessed Horikita Suzune.

Of course, he wouldn't say it out loud.

Seemingly having forgotten her troubles, Ichinose's eyes were full of smiles. "Try this too, it's been stewing for a good half hour."

"Mmm, it smells delicious."

Continuing to praise Ichinose's cooking skills, Aoyama picked up the beef that Ichinose had put into the bowl. Horikita Suzune had also made this dish of beef stew with potatoes, and it was also top-notch.

What differences might there be?

Recalling the taste of Horikita Suzune's cooking, Aoyama cooled the beef and put it in his mouth.

Suddenly, the rich aroma of meat exploded on his taste buds, and the soft and tender texture was also quite good, even Chiaki Horikita Suzune's.

"I could eat three bowls of rice with just this dish."

Aoyama praised with some delight, while Ichinose felt as sweet as if she had eaten honey.

"Stop looking at me, you eat too."

Seeing Ichinose's happy expression, Aoyama also felt pleased and put several pieces of food on Ichinose.

Ichinose's smile became even more captivating. "Mm."

In a peaceful and lighthearted atmosphere, the two finished all the food on the table, with three-quarters of it ending up in Aoyama's stomach.

It's time to make an agreement; things can't continue like this.

Watching Ichinose happily walk into the kitchen to wash the dishes after clearing the table, Aoyama thought to himself.

Although Ichinose doesn't seem uneasy now, that's precisely why he's worried.

I will stay by her side like this forever.

If Ichinose develops this illusion and indulges in it, without actively moving on from the shadows of her past, it will not be good for her life.

"When do you plan to tell Amikura about your past, Ichinose?"

At 8 p. m., after finishing another game of Gomoku with Ichinose, Aoyama suddenly asked a question.

Last night at this time, Ichinose confessed her past to him, and then slowly fell asleep while he held her hand and comforted her.

The crime was real, but Ichinose didn't commit it for herself.

Not long after entering her third year of junior high school, Ichinose sister, learned before her younger sister's birthday that her sister really wanted a limited-edition hair clip endorsed by her favorite celebrity.

A hair clip that you can't buy anymore once it's gone for a while.

Around that time, their mother, who had raised the two sisters alone, fell ill due to overwork. The family, which was not well-off to begin with, simply couldn't afford to prepare birthday gifts.

As a junior high school student, she wanted to work part-time to save money, but no shop would hire her.

One day, while visiting a shop with her classmates, she stole the hair clip that her younger sister had been longing for.

Fortunately, the busy shopkeepers didn't notice.

Whether it was fortunate or unfortunate, Ichinose's mother, knowing she had no money and couldn't afford the hair clip, asked her youngest daughter where the hair clip came from.

After getting a clear answer about where the hairpin came from, Ichinose's mother took Ichinose and the hairpin to the shop where it was stolen.

In front of everyone, the two knelt down and apologized.

In the end, the shop owner forgave Ichinose, but

Ichinose has never forgiven herself.

Chapter 201 Leaving School

"I'll go once I'm mentally prepared."

Unexpectedly, Aoyama suddenly asked her a question. Ichinose forced a smile and began to avoid eye contact.

She believed that no matter what the reason, the fact that she had stolen would not change, and therefore her classmates would distance themselves from her because of this, which was a consequence she deserved.

Even though she knew that Nagumo would expose it and that the matter couldn't be kept secret, she still couldn't muster the courage to tell her friends about it.

"On August 29th, after returning to school in the evening, I will come back here as soon as possible."

It is now the evening of August 25th, and there are still more than three days until August 29th.

"If Ichinose can resolve this before I return, I will grant her Ichinose wish."

"Of course, anything too outrageous won't do."

Aoyama added a clarification to his statement: if Ichinose wanted him to transfer to Class B, that was definitely not an option.

Holding out her hand, Ichinose looked at Aoyama with Ichinose four fingers together. "So, it's a date?"

Understanding that Aoyama was thinking of her and had even offered her a reason to take action, she felt she had to meet Aoyama's expectations.

There are still more than three days left, she can definitely do it.