Ichinose's Summer Shadow: Was That Her White Moonlight? Bai Yu!

Ten thousand yen—exactly the price of a hair clip.

Ichinose Honami stared blankly at the bill being held out before her. After a long moment, her eyes widened slightly.

"B-but..."

But this was far too inexplicable!

Not only had she not been held accountable, she had instead received ten thousand yen from a stranger under the pretext of a reward for answering questions.

This development was more than unexpected—it made absolutely no sense.

The girl's mind raced as she tried to make sense of it.

As the person involved, she felt as though she had missed or forgotten some stretch of time, during which something even she did not know about had happened, leading to this baffling outcome.

Her gaze drifted. It felt like something was lodged in her throat, and her thoughts were a complete mess, because the person standing before her was simply too strange.

"This fellow student I met by chance, there is no need to feel confused or surprised. People often have unique pursuits and may do things that depart from conventional values. Personally, I call it the latent sublimation of self-awareness."

"Take the hair clip in your hand, for example."

Bai Yu naturally took the hair clip from the girl's hand, then smoothly placed the neatly stacked ten-thousand-yen bills into her now-empty palm as if performing a sleight of hand.

"Some people think spending ten thousand yen on a hair clip is extravagant and expensive, while others think it is worth the price. Some believe that matching it with their outfit can elevate their outward charm by a level, making it more than worthwhile. Others may even think spending another ten thousand to improve the quality further is worthwhile... Everyone has different pursuits. Your answer gave me valuable insight and inspiration, so it is worth these ten thousand yen."

Bai Yu wore a calm smile and continued in a deeply reflective tone. "Human nature is often complex and profound. Only by studying the deep inner thoughts of every person and dissecting one's own thoughts and understanding of human nature can one create dramatic works with complete cores and meaning."

"Your expression just now was very interesting. Your thoughts revealed a deep struggle, and the emotions you conveyed were both twisted and contradictory. Your motivation also carried considerable dramatic tension. To me, it was rare material for creative inspiration, so I should pay some compensation as a simple token of gratitude."

After saying that, Bai Yu took a deep breath, like a diligent student who had stayed up all night cramming exam material. "So, do you have any more questions?"

The girl blinked her moist eyes. Feeling the distinctly unequal weight in her hand, she tried hard to sort out her thoughts. It seemed like she understood what he meant, yet also like she did not.

"So... because you were curious about how awkward I looked earlier, you brought me here. Then, you gained creative inspiration from my answer, so you gave me ten thousand yen as compensation..."

"You could put it that way." Bai Yu snapped his fingers and smiled as though she could be taught. "In the past, wealthy gentry listened to songs at teahouses and, when pleased, generously rewarded the performers both onstage and backstage. Now, an office worker toiling away at a mall glimpses a girl trapped in a mire out of boredom and throws down ten thousand yen to clear the blockage in her train of thought."

So that was it.

But the reasoning still felt a little forced... At the very least, she did not believe her improper behavior deserved anyone's appreciation.

After silently thinking for a moment, the girl looked up and discovered that the boy, who seemed so carefree and unrestrained, had already turned to leave. He was now walking back to his post step by step with a strangely mesmerizing gait full of personal flair.

His upright, well-proportioned figure and elegant, extraordinary air shone with an unforgettable brilliance beneath the slanting afternoon sun.

"Wait!"

After hesitating, Ichinose Honami decided to speak. In any case, she could not simply accept someone else's kindness with a clear conscience.

"No matter what, please let me do some work worthy of this compensation. I simply cannot accept the explanation you gave just now..."

Bai Yu stopped and looked back, one brow lifting slightly as he gazed at the girl with an indifferent expression.

It seemed her understanding was still not deep enough.

He brushed his fingers against his chin, looked her over from head to toe again, and asked, "What is your name?"

"Ichinose. My name is Ichinose Honami."

With one hand resting over her chest, the girl said sincerely, "I am not yet old enough to meet the legal requirements for employment, but it is summer vacation right now, so I can do some simple housework for you... Please rest assured, my home economics grades are fairly good."

Housework.

A ten-square-meter low-rent apartment was not worthy of housework.

Bai Yu was unmoved by those words. So-called room-cleaning chores meant casually tossing a rag onto the floor. Whenever some place looked dirty, he would wriggle over with his body and give it a quick wipe to finish the job.

The dirtiest spot in the room was always the area beneath the laptop, constantly covered and unable to circulate air.

"Forget it. I do not like cleanliness."

Huh? He did not like... But he looked very clean and refreshing. Even with sunglasses on his face, he had not made her feel uncomfortable at any point during their conversation.

Ichinose Honami pondered slightly.

She always felt that the boy's words needed further verification before she could find the answer.

Bai Yu thought about it briefly. Sure enough, it was still too troublesome.

He rejected her directly and decisively. "Do not feel burdened by it. I already said I did this willingly."

"But..."

Ichinose Honami still wanted to say something, but Bai Yu efficiently waved his hand to interrupt her before turning away again. "If you truly cannot convince yourself, then we can talk about it when we meet again."

"I am still on the clock. I cannot disappear from my post, or my salary will disappear too."

"Later... When will that be?"

Ichinose Honami leaned forward and looked ahead, raising her voice as she sent him a questioning gaze.

Bai Yu answered casually, "The next time we meet."

"The next time we meet..."

Ichinose Honami watched his retreating back and silently repeated those words in her heart, then lowered her head to look at Natsume Soseki on the bills in her hand.

His gaze was gentle, and his face was kindly, putting people at ease.

So much at ease that the girl temporarily forgot to consider the trap hidden within his words.

The next time they met, huh?

Had he not said the same thing as saying nothing at all?!

She suddenly felt a little annoyed again. Today, Ichinose Honami had experienced the most unstable emotional fluctuations of her life!

From the guilty torment at the beginning, to her regret and sorrow halfway through, to her confusion and bewilderment just now, and finally to being so annoyed that she inexplicably wanted to hit someone...

Unconsciously, Ichinose Honami crumpled the ten thousand-yen notes in her hand. Several wrinkles that should not have been there appeared on Natsume Soseki's face.

No!

She had to come back tomorrow!

She absolutely could not let him help her for no reason at all.

Ichinose Honami began making plans in her heart to repay him.

If she did not repay this kindness, she would not be able to sleep!

The next day, after spending the entire night reviewing her home economics materials, Ichinose Honami arrived at the mall and stood blankly outside the accessory store from yesterday for a long time.

Having stayed up all night studying, her nerves were somewhat fragile. The store manager's answer kept echoing through her mind.

"Ah, you mean that young man who was working part-time yesterday."

"He quit after finishing his shift yesterday afternoon. Said he had found creative inspiration and did not want to humble himself in my shop anymore."

"Young people really cannot endure hardship these days... Wait, are you his classmate?"

"..."

Ichinose Honami's plan.

Had utterly fallen through.