Giving a Girl Courage

"More or less."

Karuizawa Kei's expression also turned serious at once. She stood next to Kitagawa Ryo and first tentatively threw two rings to test the distance and wind speed.

Then, the third ring was suddenly thrown out and, to the astonishment and shock of the students watching, it landed squarely on the head of the teddy bear.

"Yay!"

Kitagawa Ryo cheered and excitedly gave Karuizawa Kei a hug. Just as Karuizawa Kei blushed and seemed a little flustered, he quickly let go and ran to the boss to get a new note.

"Megumi can hold the teddy bear herself!"

Kitagawa Ryo, who came and went like the wind, left only one sentence before hurriedly departing, while Karuizawa Kei received the giant teddy bear from the shopkeeper with a bewildered expression.

She hugged the large, fluffy doll, and then remembered how Kitagawa Ryo had hugged her excitedly just now.

If we round it up, would you consider this a gift from the other person?

Two little soldiers, resting under the sun; the scorching sun took their lives, leaving only one alive.

"Shoot the target!"

Ryuen Kakeru finally guessed one of them with pride. He had just noticed that the [shooting target] stall used the ancient Chinese legend of "Hou Yi shooting down the sun" when he passed by. All the balloons used as targets on the wall were painted with golden crow patterns, symbolizing the sun.

Kitagawa Ryo also hurried to the shooting target booth. Perhaps because of the time pressure, or perhaps because he had used up too much energy while playing the ring toss game, Kitagawa Ryo's hands were trembling a little, and he failed to complete the required number of targets on the first try.

Ryuen Kakeru, on the other hand, was completely inept at this. He fired two shots casually and then gave up, looking like he couldn't help at all.

"Arisu!"

Just as Kitagawa Ryo was in trouble, he suddenly caught sight of Sakayanagi Arisu, who happened to be passing by with Kamuro Masumi.

"Oh my, they're calling each other so affectionately at a time like this."

As always, Sakayanagi Arisu carried a cane. She turned around and teased him with a smile.

"It seems Ryo has encountered another insurmountable difficulty."

"I remember going to Fireworks Festival with Arisu. I think you got all the hits when you were shooting targets."

Kitagawa Ryo handed over his gun without hesitation.

Consider it a favor I owe you.

"Hunter! 100% accuracy expert! King of target practice at the Fireworks Festival! Make your move!"

Amused by Kitagawa Ryo's slightly exaggerated acting, Sakayanagi Arisu and didn't refuse.

"It really has been a long time since I've played."

After stretching and loosening her body, Sakayanagi Arisu accurately inflated the balloon.

Her marksmanship was indeed quite accurate, and she easily achieved her objective.

"How about it?"

Sakayanagi Arisu put away her gun.

"Amazing!"

Kitagawa Ryo quickly clapped:

"Just like a few years ago, they're popping the balloons in the bottom five rows."

"Can I take it as Liang mocking me for not growing taller?"

"That's not true!"

Kitagawa Ryo quickly ran to the vendor's stall and retrieved the last note, waving Sakayanagi Arisu:

Thanks! See you next time.

"Beichuan seems to be in a bit of a hurry tonight."

After Kitagawa Ryo left, Kamuro Masumi had been silent until now, finally spoke.

"We're definitely in a hurry."

Sakayanagi Arisu turned around and yawned.

"I'm tired too, let's go back."

"Oh, okay, but I heard there's going to be a special program later."

"I don't want to watch."

Sakayanagi Arisu answered directly.

[A lone soldier, all alone; he hanged himself, leaving none behind.]

[Rooftop of the Special Building]

The last note finally revealed Shiina Hiyori's location, and Kitagawa Ryo hurried towards the darkened Special Building. Ichinose Honami seemed to want to follow her in, but Ryuen Kakeru stopped her.

"Let the two of them stay there."

He looked up at the rooftop:

"That's a great spot for a view."

"Phew... I found you."

Kitagawa Ryo climbed to the top rooftop, panting. Because the other buildings in the school were still lit, the rooftop was much brighter than the dark corridors. Looking out, one could see a magnificent night view.

In the cool, refreshing night breeze, Kitagawa Ryo walked step by step to Shiina Hiyori, who was standing there.

"I knew Liang would find this place."

Today, Shiina Hiyori wore a long white dress. The wind blew her skirt and hair. She rested one hand on the railing in front of her and the other hand on her flying hair.

Shiina Hiyori and smiled at Kitagawa Ryo. Unlike her usual quiet image, on this rooftop where only the two of them were, her mood and smile seemed to soar high.

"Can you guess what gift I'll give you?"

Although he already had some guesses in his mind, Kitagawa Ryo still chose to honestly shake his head at this moment:

"I can't guess."

Sure enough, Shiina Hiyori's smile softened even more, and she winked playfully:

"It's related to A Study in Scarlet."

A Study in Scarlet tells the story of a man seeking revenge for the woman he loves.

The most important clues left at the scene, besides the blood-written words on the wall, were the items that rolled off the victim's body.

"It's a ring."

"It's a ring."

They gave the answer together, like the most perfectly coordinated partners.

"Can I wear this?"

Shiina Hiyori took out two small ring boxes, and Kitagawa Ryo smiled and nodded, taking out an exquisite ring from one of them.

In that instant, hundreds of pre-positioned drones took to the sky, leaving behind dazzling trails of flame, flying one after another along pre-set trajectories like dominoes.

The students gathered there erupted in a huge cheer.

Words appeared in the sky.

As the writing appeared, two rows of drones took off from either side, flanking them and creating flames that resembled flowers.

In the dark night sky, it stood out like blooming fireworks, even overshadowing the bright moonlight.

[I like you]

"I like you."

The sky and the ground achieved an amazing harmony here, and Kitagawa Ryo put the ring on Shiina Hiyori's left middle finger.

This is the spot for those in the throes of passionate love.

"Um."

Although she had thought that Kitagawa Ryo had prepared a gift for her, Shiina Hiyori still couldn't suppress the surging emotions in her heart when it actually appeared before her eyes.

She thought she would remember this summer night forever.

Kitagawa Ryo leaned in and pressed his lips to the girl's.

We will never be apart.

The drone was still changing patterns.

The crowd below realized that someone was Confessions and started shouting even more excitedly.

Kitagawa Ryo gripped Shiina Hiyori's hand tightly, his left arm encircling her waist; the kiss lasted longer than he had imagined.

Summer is over.

Chapter 61: Giving Courage to Young Girls

"Huh? You mean Senior Nagumo?"

Kushida Kikyo blinked, looking at Karuizawa Kei in surprise.

"Because you get along well with everyone, Kikyo, I asked you for advice."

Karuizawa Kei clasped her hands together in front of her chest and smiled as she made her request. As the most sociable girl in Class 1-D, Kushida Kikyo's social network spanned most of Tokyo Advanced Nurturing High School over the course of the semester. Therefore, Karuizawa Kei wanted to try to glean some information from Kushida Kikyo.

"Although we've met twice, I wouldn't say we're familiar with each other."

Although she was very curious as to why Karuizawa Kei wanted to ask about Miyabi Nagumo, Kushida Kikyo was quite understanding and didn't ask directly. Instead, she thoughtfully offered her own advice:

"But I heard that Senior Nagumo goes to the soccer club after school these days. If you're interested, you can go check it out."

"Thank you so much!"

It was just a small favor.

After a friendly exchange with Kushida Kikyo, Karuizawa Kei quickly found Hirata Yosuke was also in the soccer club.

"Senior Nagumo?"

Although somewhat taken aback, Hirata Yosuke patiently answered Karuizawa Kei's question:

"Senior Nagumo has indeed been coming to our training ground these past few days. He used to be a member of the soccer club and was an ace player, but he left the club after joining the Student Council. Even so, he still occasionally comes to the soccer club to coach the newcomers."

"Mmm mmm."

Hearing Hirata Yosuke's words, Karuizawa Kei nodded and wrote down the information.

Since they have already prepared themselves to be rivals of Miyabi Nagumo, they must first understand their opponents before the Sports Festival officially begins.

"What kind of person is Senior Nagumo?"

Hirata Yosuke seemed thoughtful about Karuizawa Kei's question, and after considering it carefully, he commented:

"He's very friendly to us younger players and takes good care of us. He also has amazing athletic ability. Although he's left the soccer club, he's still better than all the current members of the soccer club."

"Is he even better than Hirata?"

"Well, although soccer is also one of my strengths, Senior Nagumo's skills and physical abilities are far superior to mine."

Hirata Yosuke openly admits his shortcomings and doesn't seem to care much about praising others.

To be honest, in the entire Class D, only Sudo, Koenji, and Ayanokoji Kiyotaka have better physical abilities than Hirata Yosuke. The first two can be seen from their well-built physiques and developed muscles, while the latter also demonstrated his strong physical abilities in the rainy night when he fought Kitagawa Ryo.

He has excellent academic performance, outstanding athletic ability, and is rumored to be handsome. He also led Class B to become Class A, and is about to become the president of the Student Council.

From this perspective, the aura surrounding Miyabi Nagumo is truly astonishing, making her immense popularity on campus understandable.

"Could you tell me where your football club usually trains?"

"It's over there on the field. Karuizawa, are you planning to come and watch? We don't restrict outsiders from watching club training sessions, as long as it doesn't interfere with the players' practice."

Hirata Yosuke seemed to have thought of something and comforted him with a hint of worry:

"Although I know Karuizawa might be a little disappointed because of what happened last night, I can't let that ruin my feelings."

Karuizawa Kei twitched the corners of her mouth. She naturally knew what Hirata Yosuke was talking about. After all, the grand Confessions ceremony last night had spread throughout the entire school overnight, and even the school forum was still discussing it wildly.

"Senior Nagumo might look a little like Kitagawa-kun..."