Amano Academy Library.
A restless, sunny afternoon.
Looking at the frail-looking woman before him, Hoshino Jun felt he was mistaken.
He had initially thought the seemingly delicate Saionji Ayako would be gentler, but to his surprise, she was just as domineering as her older sister, Yamada Ran.
It was just that when facing Yamada Ran, the immediate feeling was that she was a notch weaker.
However, Hoshino Jun didn't dislike her domineering nature.
For her to actually let Hoshino Jun establish his own department, wouldn't that mean he would have his own exclusive Return Home Club in the future?
He was thrilled!
"The book in your hand, do you understand it?"
Saionji Ayako's gaze was drawn to the book in Hoshino Jun's hand, and she couldn't help but ask the question.
Just a moment ago, the two had reached a common understanding and decided to work together to deceive Yamada Ran.
So, for the next period, Hoshino Jun would play the role of a suitor, appearing in the library every noon and afternoon to read with Saionji Ayako.
Presumably, they were half-book friends.
Naturally, they would also inquire about each other's reading material.
The book Hoshino Jun had borrowed was a pure Chinese version of "Romance of the Three Kingdoms," with only a few Japanese annotations on the cover's introduction.
"Of course."
What a joke. If he were given a pure Japanese version, Hoshino Jun might not fully understand it, but if he couldn't understand the Chinese version, he might as well commit seppuku.
"My Chinese ability, putting aside whether it's the best in the whole school, is at least stably in the top three."
"Oh?" Saionji Ayako raised an eyebrow. "So confident."
At this moment, she somewhat underestimated Hoshino Jun, seeing it as the boring vanity of a young man.
She didn't even consider if he could answer if others pressed him further.
"Yes." Hoshino Jun nodded confidently. Top three was still a conservative estimate.
Because Amano Academy didn't have any international students; they were all native Tokyoites. If he didn't know if there were any exceptionally talented people who specialized in Chinese, Hoshino Jun felt he should be first.
Seemingly interested, Saionji Ayako looked up and stared at Hoshino Jun.
She leaned back, her slender, chopsticks-like legs revealed from beneath her trench coat, her legs crossed with her left leg resting on top of her right, the touching skin forming a fine white line.
In this posture, Hoshino Jun, sitting opposite her, could clearly see her figure hidden beneath the trench coat.
Hmm, her upper body was indeed a bit lacking, but her legs were slender and long, which was quite appealing.
Another pair of legs to play with for years.
"Read it to me, in Chinese." Saionji Ayako said, "I happen to have some research in Chinese as well, so it's a good professional fit."
Was this the first test?
"No problem." Hoshino Jun smiled, opened the first page of the book, and softly read the content aloud in pure, standard Chinese.
Listening to his fluent tone, Saionji Ayako was truly surprised.
She had expected Hoshino Jun to be embarrassed.
She hadn't realized that Hoshino Jun really knew it, and it wasn't just a young man's competitive spirit.
Under the gentle air conditioning, Saionji Ayako listened intently to Hoshino Jun's narration, watching the strands of hair on the young man's forehead being blown up. At this moment, she was genuinely curious about this young man.
'To be able to consecutively reject Yamada Kaoru's admiration and Yamada Ran's money, and to have such high proficiency in Chinese, could he be a proud young man who wants to develop into a writer in the future?'
'If that's truly the case, after he graduates, I could certainly offer him some assistance.'
While slowly explaining the content of "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" to Saionji Ayako, Hoshino Jun noticed someone walking into the library from outside.
He had a decent appearance, and an information panel could be displayed above his head.
[Name: Saionji Ryuichi]
[Stamina: 6]
[Intelligence: 6]
[Charm: 6]
[Occupation: Student]
[Friendship: In a state of debt, deemed unable to repay, and this debt has been automatically transferred to his aunt, "Saionji Ayako."]
Some people, ah, come looking for trouble when they smell it.
His reading voice suddenly stopped, and Saionji Ayako asked in confusion, "What's wrong? Did you encounter a word you don't know?"
"No, it's the person Chairwoman Yamada sent to monitor us; he's here." Hoshino Jun explained, then grinned in Saionji Ryuichi's direction.
Then he reached out and gently covered Saionji Ayako's hand.
Her skin was smooth and tender, her knuckles distinct, and the cool touch dispelled the summer heat.
Before Saionji Ayako could frown, Hoshino Jun blinked and explained:
"I have to give Chairwoman Yamada some kind of explanation, and the sooner we finish acting, the sooner our suffering ends, right?"
"But it's only the first day, can we be this intimate already?"
"I'm handsome, so it's easy for the opposite sex to like me."
Hearing this, Saionji Ayako stared at Hoshino Jun's face for a long time, and finally did not pull her hand away from Hoshino Jun's.
She tacitly acknowledged the fact that Hoshino Jun was handsome.
Meanwhile, Saionji Ryuichi, who had just entered the library, felt his head buzzing a little, staring blankly at his aunt and Hoshino Jun, his gaze fixed on their clasped hands.
His emotions could not calm down for a long time.
His parents had died when he was very young, and his Little Aunt, Saionji Ayako, had raised him.
To him, Saionji Ayako was more like his parents than just an aunt; this frail woman played both the father and mother roles.
Little Aunt was not in good health and also needed to take care of him.
But Great-Aunt not only didn't show understanding but always bullied Little Aunt.
Saionji Ryuichi didn't have the courage to confront the domineering and strong Great-Aunt.
To bring Little Aunt more joy and alleviate her stress, Saionji Ryuichi would come to the library every noon to sit with her.
But at this moment.
Little Aunt's hand was being held by a man, and that man was none other than.
Hoshino Jun, the very person Saionji Ryuichi and his cousin, Yamada Tsukasa, had been targeting recently.
He opened his mouth wide, his lips trembling slightly, and he murmured in a low voice:
"This is..."
"What's going on?!"
At this moment, Saionji Ryuichi saw Hoshino Jun's smiling face directed at him.
He knew.
This bastard.
He was doing it to show him!
"Among the Three Kingdoms, which character do you like the most?"
This question was asked by Saionji Ayako; it was a serious question.
The characters one likes in a book largely represent what kind of person one is.
She wanted to try and understand what Hoshino Jun was like on the inside: was he the self-centered hero Cao Cao, or the benevolent Liu Bei who loved his people like his own children?
Different personalities would determine different future investments.
"Cao Pi!"
Hoshino Jun replied, "I like Cao Pi!"
"That's quite an uncommon answer," Saionji Ayako said softly. She hadn't researched Cao Pi yet and didn't understand what kind of person Cao Pi truly was.
Suddenly, Hoshino Jun added, "Not only do I like Cao Pi, but I also like Lady Gan."
???
Big question marks popped up in her small head.
Liking Cao Pi was understandable; after all, he eventually became emperor.
But what did liking Lady Gan mean?
Wasn't she just a woman whose name wasn't even fully known?
As Saionji Ayako fell into thought, Hoshino Jun tightened his grip on her hand again, then shot Saionji Ryuichi a provocative look.