In a practical education, scheming against people? I can also do a little.

With her right hand still holding a drink, she used her left hand to block Ryuen's strike, deflecting his arm with a soft, fluid motion before shoving him right in the chest.

Ryuen hurriedly blocked with his other hand, but Ayanokoji didn't stop her assault; instead, she pressed the attack even further.

Using only one hand and one leg, she forced Ryuen into a steady retreat. No matter what moves Ryuen used, she could easily neutralize them and follow up with a counter-combo.

Hoya Chukai watched the scene unfold, and he had to admit that watching women fight was truly interesting.

Seeing that the two had fought enough, Ryuen immediately signaled to stop.

Seeing Ryuen stop, Ayanokoji ceased her attacks as well.

"I never imagined there would be someone this ruthless in the academy."

"Just in our grade alone, besides her, there's also Koenji. Your strength is probably third."

Hmm, in the original work, she was about third, and it seems she's still third even after being buffed. Actually, that's not quite right; in the original, she struggled a bit against Albert, so the buff wasn't entirely wasted.

At the very least, Ryuen's strength appeared to be much greater than it was in the original story.

But he still couldn't beat those two monsters, that was for sure.

"Third, huh? Tch, that's really annoying."

"Alright, alright, stop being annoyed. Is my back finished being treated?"

"It's done, but don't even think about moving. Just lie flat on the bed and sleep tonight."

"Eh! Then what about the dishes you finished eating?"

"Should I help take care of them?"

Ayanokoji interjected into their conversation, looking at the two of them, who couldn't help but stare back at her in confusion.

She thought back for a moment; she didn't think she had said anything wrong, did she?

"Oh, I forgot to mention, Ayanokoji has a clear cognitive impairment, especially when it comes to social nuances."

Hoya Chukai added this for Ryuen's benefit, then looked back at Ayanokoji: "The dishes are our business. You are an 'outsider,' so you shouldn't be volunteering to take on such tasks."

"But I thought this was something you wanted to get done, Chukai-kun? And you're only saying that because you can't finish it yourself, right?"

Ayanokoji's reply left Hoya Chukai momentarily speechless. How did this "Brother Ayanokoji" turn into a "Sister Ayanokoji" and suddenly feel so airheaded?

And... she was also more likable.

Because Chukai-kun wanted it done, I wanted to do it.

Her logic was incredibly simple, which made Hoya Chukai's expression quite subtle.

Even Ryuen, standing nearby, was looking at him with a strange gaze.

"Hooked up already? Or were you two already together?"

"How can you call this hooking up!"

"You can't call it that? Come on, let me ask you: since you said that, what if he wanted to marry you?"

Ryuen crossed his arms and asked Ayanokoji directly; he wanted to see if Ayanokoji really was as oblivious to social nuances as he claimed.

"Marriage? Sure, isn't it just getting a certificate? Is there a problem with that?"

The problem is huge, you know...

Watching Ayanokoji answer the question so simply, Hoya Chukai couldn't help but sigh.

She always thought about things in such a simple way, and because she didn't understand deeper implications, she never even considered them.

If it were an ordinary girl, she would think much more—about living together in the future, sleeping together, having children, raising them, and a whole series of other things. If the other party proposed, a girl with ideas might have even imagined the names of their grandchildren.

But Ayanokoji? She actually thought marriage was just a marriage certificate?

"You... I think I understand what you mean now."

Stung by Ayanokoji's retort, Ryuen turned his head to speak to Hoya Chukai.

This is what you meant by not understanding social nuances?

She doesn't understand a damn thing!

"That's why she's still learning, gradually understanding things she should know by listening to people talk. It's just that students don't usually talk about marriage, so she doesn't know anything about it."

Hoya Chukai had to defend her; what kind of situation was this?

Ryuen had no choice but to change the subject, asking: "Then what if Chukai wanted to sleep with you?"

"Hey! Why would you ask a question like that?"

Hoya Chukai hurriedly tried to stop Ayanokoji: "You don't have to answer that kind of question..."

"Sleep together? Like, sleeping in the same bed? Sure, I can do that."

Still as clueless as ever.

Ryuen's expression remained very subtle.

Hmm, he more or less understood what was going on with Ayanokoji.

"No, I mean having sex. Do you understand what having sex is?"

"I see. Hmm... are you asking me to bear a child? That part is a bit difficult; my father does not wish for me to have children too early."

Ayanokoji's answer was a refusal, but this refusal wasn't her rejecting the act with Hoya Chukai, but rather rejecting the idea of having a child.

So, your repressed personality just turned into being a total airhead after your gender swap, huh...

Hoya Chukai watched as Ryuen gradually approached the edge of a breakdown. She had been trying to find something the other party wouldn't refuse, but it seemed like the other party always successfully misunderstood her.

Well played, Ayanokoji.

Chapter 92: Thank you, Ryuen, if you don't know how to talk, don't talk.

"Where on earth did such a rare specimen pop out from? Has no one ever taught you about this kind of knowledge from the time you were small?"

"Knowledge? I have studied it. Isn't it just for the purpose of having children?"

Ayanokoji also looked a bit confused. She didn't know what her father was thinking, to be so reckless.

If she were this cute and were Hoya Chukai's daughter, he would have become a daughter-obsessed father long ago.

Facts proved that a mad scientist wouldn't show mercy even to his own cute daughter, not caring at all that she was his precious little girl.

"Forget it, forget it, Big Sis, forget it."

Watching Ryuen look like she was about to slap herself, Hoya Chukai hurriedly tried to persuade her.

He was truly afraid that Ryuen would perform that famous scene right in front of him.

"Doing it isn't just for having children, okay? How could you equate the two?"

"Is it also for... resolving desire?"

Ayanokoji touched her chin, recalling something: "I seem to have heard people talk about this aspect. If it's not for having children, then I suppose it's not impossible..."

"No, please remember this: no matter who invites you, you must refuse, okay?"

Hoya Chukai hurriedly added from the side. He was terrified that Ayanokoji would think it didn't matter and end up being stolen away by some wild man one day.

Damn, why does this feel like the start of a doujin plot? The more I think about it, the weirder it gets.

"Is that so? Is it that important?"

"Important, very important, thank you. And regardless of gender, if anyone invites you to do it, please refuse, thank you."

"Including you?"

"Includ... mmph, mmph."

Hoya Chukai had just wanted to say "including me," but Ryuen covered his mouth: "Of course it doesn't include him. Let me ask you, do you have feelings for him?"

"If you mean emotional closeness, then yes."

"Then it doesn't include him. Doing this kind of thing should only be done with the person you love most."

"The person I love most? Does Father count?"

Ayanokoji thought about it. The person she felt closest to was probably her father.

Next would be the butler. He had told her she should go out and see the world instead of staying tucked away in a corner. She shouldn't become a puppet for her father.

Although she didn't quite understand the butler's words, what he said was usually correct.

So, with the butler's help, Ayanokoji had escaped and was hiding from her father. She felt her father had become increasingly terrifying lately, and for the first time, she experienced the emotion of rebellion.

But since this was the first time she had felt such an emotion, she didn't even know it was called rebellion.

"Father and daughter are not allowed. It has to be a peer, a peer, and there must be no blood relation. What you have with your father is called familial love, not romantic love."

"But aren't familial love, friendship, and romantic love all forms of emotion? Romantic love eventually turns into familial love, and friendship, when elevated to a certain degree, also becomes brotherly love, which is familial love. So, isn't the end of all emotion just familial love?"

Ayanokoji's words caused Hoya Chukai's brain to short-circuit. The logic held up, but this... damn.

How was he supposed to explain this kind of sentiment?

"But familial love makes you feel at ease, while romantic love makes your heart race, that 'thump-thump' feeling."

"Oh, then I don't love Chukai-kun."

Ayanokoji understood immediately; she didn't love Chukai-kun.

"I only feel at ease by his side, so I must have already reached the stage of familial love with him."

No, that's just dependency. And Ryuen, thank you—if you don't know how to talk, you really don't have to.

Hoya Chukai's dead-fish eyes silently pierced through his gratitude toward Ryuen; he had almost thanked her ancestors for eight generations.

Your "help" is just making things worse, stop it.

"Don't listen to her. She's someone who can't even pass a test on modern language; it's very easy to misunderstand things if you listen to her."

Hoya Chukai rubbed his back; the stinging pain was still intense even after the medicinal treatment.

Those damn bastards. If he had known, he would have given them a few more hits.

"Also, don't overthink things like familial love or friendship. Just follow your heart. If you feel your heart racing, that's romantic love. If you feel you want to be close to him, that's friendship. As for familial love... for now, you only have that with people who share your bloodline."

"Hmm... human emotions are so complicated."

"So, how exactly have you survived until now?"

"Hehe~"

"Don't try to get away with being cute! And who taught you that, anyway!"

"I saw Kushida do it whenever she made a mistake, and the boys would stop being mad at her. So, did it not work?"

"It worked, sure, but I wasn't even angry, so why are you trying to act cute? No, wait, that's a crooked path—forget that kind of behavior right now."

Hoya Chukai felt like he was raising a child; why was she so clueless about these things...

Ayanokoji's father, you really are too trusting of your daughter.

(After all, he never expected his daughter to run away from home (lol))

And so, the rest of the evening was spent educating Ayanokoji. After nearly driving both of them insane, Ayanokoji gained a slightly better understanding of how ordinary people operate.

She still had a long, long way to go.

"Hehe, looks like you're out of commission for today. Should I call in a leave of absence for you?"

"No need, I should be able to move by tomorrow. My back doesn't even hurt that much anymore; I should be fine to walk around."

It was just some swelling, and Ayanokoji had already checked that it was only a superficial injury.

He couldn't lie on his back to sleep, or the pressure would cause pain, but sleeping on his stomach or side wasn't a problem. That girl didn't have much strength, otherwise, he would have been in a lot of trouble.

At the very least, he had to finish Plan A tomorrow. As for the fact that he had been beaten up...

Those bastards shouldn't think this was over. Just wait; once he finished handling the matters at hand, he would settle this score slowly.

"Are you actually telling me you can still move today?"

"It's my back that's injured, not my lower half, so why wouldn't I be able to move? Do you think I'm easy to handle now?"

"Then, shall we?"

"Let's."

Having just tasted the forbidden fruit, it was hard to forget such bliss. The two of them were like a couple who, having just savored the delicacy, wanted to enjoy it a few more times, and before long, a new battle had begun.