The Hoshikawa High Health Room buzzed with intermittent visitors as time ticked by, yet the teacher remained conspicuously absent. Several groups of students trickled in—some nursing minor wounds and grabbing medicine themselves, others feeling unwell but sighing at the empty room. Without exception, they cast curious glances at Hayato Kirisaki and Ryoka Siyuan before leaving, their whispers sparking like static.
"What are they doing?"
"Sick? Why are there two of them? Is he taking care of her? But that guy doesn't look sick at all…"
"They wouldn't be doing anything naughty, would they? The infirmary's a classic spot for that."
"Then I'll have to come back and see later… It'll be a beautiful sight, a beautiful sight indeed!"
"You can't talk nonsense like that! Do you know who that girl is? The captain of the Karate Club—she could punch you into oblivion!"
"What, she's such a beautiful girl!... With such fierce combat power, can that guy handle it?"
"Didn't you see how pale he was? I guess it's just…"
Ryoka's face flushed crimson, her shoulders trembling slightly, her fists clenching and unclenching as her knees rubbed together restlessly. If Hayato hadn't been there, she would've charged over and unleashed a Thunder King Kong Punch to send those gossipers counting stars.
But with Kirisaki-kun by her side, she opted for demure restraint.
Hayato, thick-skinned as ever, couldn't care less about gossip, but lingering here any longer might tarnish Ryoka's reputation. Besides, how could he, a pure-hearted warrior of love, be compared to a sleaze like Aihara Yamato?!
Noting that math class was over and half the lunch break had passed, Ryoka had earlier asked if he wanted to eat. When Hayato replied, "You go eat by yourself," she not only stayed but never mentioned food again. She was definitely hungry, even if she didn't say it.
Hayato sighed and climbed down from the sickbed.
"Kirisaki-kun, what do you need? I'll get it for you," Ryoka said quickly, springing to attention.
"I want to eat."
"Then I'll go buy it for you."
"No need, let's go together," Hayato said. "I feel mostly recovered. At this time, we can probably only go to the convenience store to get something to eat… So, what do you want to eat? My treat…"
It was a bit rude to keep a girl waiting here so long… Though Hayato found her insistence on staying a bit puzzling.
"Ah, no, no, you're too kind," Ryoka protested.
"No, no, it's necessary, and it's not anything expensive…"
"…Then how about this, let's find a middle ground."
Ryoka clasped her hands together as if clapping. "It's still a 'treat,' but how about I treat Kirisaki-kun?"
Hayato: ?
When Hayato returned to the classroom, a yakisoba bun in his mouth, the question mark above his head still lingered. The vivid image of Ryoka eagerly pulling out money to pay was seared into his mind.
"…What a compromise this is, for nothing."
Lunch break was nearly over, and most students were tidying up, preparing for afternoon classes. Hayato glanced around casually—Anshi Takamura was missing, and so was Sakito Yamamoto.
If it were just one, he'd suspect skipping, but both absent together? Concerning.
He strolled to Ayumu Matsubara's seat.
Ayumu looked at Hayato and smiled with relief. "Kirisaki-kun, you're okay now?"
"Yeah, where's Anshi?"
"I don't know."
"Alright then."
No sooner had he spoken than a weary Anshi Takamura trudged through the door, trailed by an even more exhausted Sakito Yamamoto.
"I almost thought I died…" Anshi lamented. "This afternoon is Japanese class, that old nun…"
Sakito didn't say a word, collapsing onto his desk to rest.
"What's wrong?" Hayato asked.
Could it be that after he left, Anshi became his stand-in and got toyed with by Dong Gang? That idiot…
"Where did you go?"
"Ate lunch in the courtyard… and accidentally fell asleep."
"How did you get so tired?"
"Damn it!" Anshi slammed the table, nearly sending a water cup flying. "Speaking of which, it infuriates me! That idiot Dong Gang, after you were taken away by Miyajima-senpai, kept making snide remarks about your lack of stamina, which made me so angry that I rushed over and…!"
"You beat up Dong Gang?"
"I ran your fifteen laps plus my ten laps together."
Anshi pointed his thumb at the 'dead' Sakito Yamamoto. "But running twenty-five laps alone was a bit too much, so I had this guy share seven or eight laps. After running, I shouted to Dong Gang in front of the whole class, 'My brother is just not in good shape today, when he's in good shape, he can run twice as much as I did!' How about that, did I save your face? But you don't need to worry, Dong Gang is only substituting for one class… whether you can run next time is none of his business at all!"
Hayato stared at Anshi strangely, words catching in his throat, then surging again, only to leave him stunned for a long moment. "…Are you an idiot?"
"I helped you run and you're still cursing me!? Damn it! And you're laughing, what the hell are you laughing at!!"
Anshi raised his hand to brawl, but exhaustion and the class bell stopped him. He settled for flipping Hayato the middle finger. "I'll get you next time, kid!"
Hayato returned the gesture, blew a cheeky whistle, and sauntered to his seat.
Anshi's antics were one thing, but Sakito… was he dragged into this? Hayato glanced at Sakito, now deeply asleep, a blissful smile on his face.
Heh heh… Kirisaki-kun must have forgiven me now, and I won't be bullied by his brother… Heh heh heh…
As Anshi packed his schoolbag to head home, he called out to Hayato. "Buddy, which flower girl are you accompanying today?"
"What do you mean 'which one,' as if there are many," Hayato retorted.
Anshi counted mentally, and… well, there were quite a few. Compared to him… tears welled up, a cold shiver running through him. When would he rise up?
"Not accompanying anyone?"
"No."
"Then we can finally go home together after a long time!! Hahahaha Aibo! Ramen, you bandit?"
"I need to go to the Kendo Club."
"Still going to accompany a flower girl! And the most flowery one at that!"
"I told you it has nothing to do with a flower girl…"
Actually, it kind of did; he owed Sakura Miyajima a favor today, and he hadn't shown his face at the Kendo Club in ages, so he figured he'd drop by. But the real reason was to check on Masafumi Kase's training progress.
"Damn it…" Anshi's shoulders drooped, then perked up. "In that case, I also need to go to the Light Music Club. It's a good time to submit my club application."
Later, his brother would dominate the Kendo Club, and he'd rule the Light Music Club. Bright futures awaited them both!
As Hayato stepped out of the classroom, a small fist lightly tapped his side.
"Where were you at noon?"
Akane Nanao appeared in the hallway, her cheeks puffed out, visibly displeased.
--+--
T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 2 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
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