Chapter 150: The Choice Yukino Faces, Shuchiin as the Challenger
Facing her sister's words, Yukino didn't rush to ask but pondered in her mind first.
No matter what, she absolutely didn't want to transfer to Private Shuchiin Academy.
After all, that place, except for a few students with exceptionally excellent academic performance, basically only recruited children of prominent noble families; it was a veritable aristocratic school.
In other words.
In Yukino's eyes, Private Shuchiin Academy was a "Fake."
She finally left Chiba Prefecture just to escape the environment of the Yukinoshita family.
If she entered Private Shuchiin Academy, Yukino felt that even if she exhausted all her remaining high school time, she couldn't find the "Genuine" she had always been pursuing.
After all, "Genuine" and "Fake" were impossible to coexist themselves.
That is to say.
No matter what method was needed, she must change her mother's mind.
After thinking this through, Yukino spoke calmly.
"What is the method you mentioned?"
Hearing this, Haruno suddenly revealed a meaningful smile, making a very exaggerated gesture as if introducing a star's appearance, and even an onomatopoeia appeared in her mouth.
"Ta-da~"
She pointed at Yoru sitting opposite and smiled.
"At this time, it is our Yoru-kun's turn to appear on stage~"
With Yukino's intelligence, she understood her sister's meaning instantly.
"You mean... if Yoru can take first place in the joint exam, perhaps he can reverse Mother's thoughts?"
Haruno smiled and nodded.
"Exactly so."
Yukino frowned slightly.
"Then if I take first place..."
"Little Yukino~"
Haruno reached out and pinched her sister's cheek, which although expressionless, was still very cute in her eyes.
"You can't even get first place in Sobu High exams. Let's not fantasize, be a good girl."
Hearing her sister's words, Yukino felt very unconvinced in her heart, but had to admit that the opponent was right.
Although she had a strong competitive spirit and was very confident in her abilities, when the opponent was that Private Shuchiin Academy, if she still firmly believed she could take first place, that wouldn't be confidence but arrogance to the point of losing reason.
"According to what you say..."
Yukino looked at Yoru sitting opposite with a relaxed face.
"Can Yoru-san definitely win?"
"Of course."
Haruno smiled and spoke slowly.
"He is the first place in the Joint Exam of the entire Sakura Prefecture for your grade."
"Hmm?"
Yukino froze upon hearing this. Even with her cold disposition, hearing Haruno's astonishing words, she couldn't help showing surprise.
"First place in the Joint Exam... of the entire Sakura Prefecture?"
"Eh, didn't you know?"
Haruno smiled meaningfully.
"It seems although you are in the same club with him, your private relationship is indeed not that close. In this case, I am relieved."
Hearing this, Yoru complained.
"Do you really think I want to pick up your sister?"
Haruno stared at him with a half-smile, asking back.
"You don't want to?"
"Then I indeed do; you are still accurate in judging people."
"Pfft."
Haruno chuckled lightly, didn't continue on this topic, but looked at her sister Yukino beside her, saying word by word.
"So, my cute sister, do you want to hand over the major decision that can affect your life to someone else? It's time for you to make a decision."
Have to say, as expected of biological sisters.
Facing Haruno's straightforward question, the always outspoken Yukino actually seemed somewhat at a loss at this moment.
Handing over such a major decision that will affect my entire future life to someone else?
In Yukino's concept, this was a very hard thing to accept.
She didn't want anyone to decide her future life.
However....
Thinking of various legends about Private Shuchiin Academy, even Yukino, who regarded it as a "Fake," had to admit.
That was the cradle of talents in Sakura Prefecture, the most excellent high school in the entire Sakura Prefecture.
Without exception.
With her own academic ability, wanting to take first place in this joint exam was almost impossible.
One must know, even her sister Haruno, who had better grades and more outstanding talents than her, if placed in Private Shuchiin Academy, would at most be at the top level of the grade, absolutely unable to touch the throne of first place in the grade.
However....
Yukino looked at Yoru sitting opposite, her eyes very complicated. She was silent for a long time before whispering.
"Yoru-san... in my concept, imposing one's expectations on others is not a good thing, so..."
"Alright, no need to say more."
Before Yukino finished, Yoru waved his hand to interrupt.
"The first place in this joint exam will definitely be me."
"Don't look at me like this; I am very arrogant."
Yoru looked at Yukino, laughing casually.
"So, what expectations, what imposing, what are you talking about? I don't understand at all. I want to take first place in the joint exam just because I have never failed, won't fail now, and will absolutely not fail in the future."
"Because I am stronger than everyone else."
Hearing these words, the heaviness in Yukino's heart finally disappeared.
Looking at Yoru sitting opposite, making such a declaration in such a matter-of-fact tone, the corner of her lips couldn't help curling up slightly, her voice rarely carrying a bit of a smile.
"Sure enough, you guy really know how to be serious and say some strange words. Stronger than everyone else? What is that, the legendary Chunibyo?"
After relaxing her mood a bit, Yukino thought of another thing, frowning slightly.
"However, even if Yoru took first place in the joint exam, according to Mother's personality, still..."
"Don't worry about this."
Haruno patted Yukino's shoulder, laughing generously.
"Actually, Mother and Yoru know each other, and, has a very good impression of him."
"Ah?"
This really confused Yukino.
Has your relationship developed to the point of meeting parents?
Yoru, has met my and Haruno's mother?
Moreover, my mother actually has a very good impression of him?
Yukino found it hard to imagine the scene of Yoru, who always focused on being abstract and crazy, meeting her aloof mother.
She couldn't understand.
"Alright, since everything is said..."
Haruno stood up, sat next to Yoru, hugged his arm, looked at the bewildered Yukino opposite, and smiled.
"Still not leaving? Staying here as a lightbulb (third wheel)?"
"Tch."
Yukino obviously had no interest in her sister's love story, stood up, nodded slightly to Yoru as a greeting, and left the cafe.
After she left, Yoru finally spoke slowly.
"So, there are other things, right?"
"Eh, you saw through this too?"
Haruno let go of Yoru's arm, sat back opposite, and smiled.
"Correct, some things are inconvenient for Yukino to hear. Looking at her appearance, seems she still doesn't know your identity as an exorcist, right?"
Yoru didn't answer directly, but asked back.
"Is there a need for her to know?"
"Indeed no need."
"Mmhmm."
Haruno nodded noncommittally, then took out her phone. The smile on her face disappeared, replaced by a rare serious look. She opened a photo and handed it to Yoru.
"Look at this."
Yoru took the phone and glanced at it. On the screen was a photo that made people feel extremely cruel just by looking at it.
A girl wearing a high school uniform, face unclear, with a hemp rope tied around her neck.
Her entire body was hung outside a rooftop, limbs nowhere to be found.
Although just a static photo, judging from the posture of the corpse, it was obviously fluttering with the blowing wind.
Like...
A Teru Teru Bozu.
Seeing Yoru looking at this extremely cruel photo with eyes and expression without any fluctuation, Haruno didn't feel surprised either.
The opponent, after all, was an exorcist fighting against those monster-like evil spirits.
This photo, which would make ordinary people feel chills just by looking at it, indeed wasn't enough to make him feel fear.
"Our family has a few friends who can speak in the Criminal Investigation Bureau of the Police Department. This is one of the cases committed by the one called 'Teru Teru Bozu Killer'."
Haruno pursed her lips and spoke slowly.
"The deceased was a second-year high school girl. When the corpse was found, not only the limbs disappeared, but the internal organs were also completely hollowed out, leaving only an empty shell, so it was light enough to flutter with the wind."
Seeing Yoru didn't reply, Haruno paused, then continued.
"Although the investigation hasn't been made public yet, through our family's connections in the Police Department, we inquired about a characteristic of this serial killer in choosing targets."
"That is, female students dressed in gyaru style and looking relatively lively and cheerful."
"If I remember correctly..."
Haruno took a sip of coffee from her cup and said faintly.
"In your club, Yuigahama-san whom I met last time, and that one named what again... oh right, Kitagawa Marin-san, both fit the target characteristics of this killer."
Yoru nodded noncommittally, saying meaningfully.
"You understand the composition of our club members very well. Even Kitagawa Marin, whom you have never met, you know her appearance and dressing style."
"Of course."
Haruno admitted without concealment.
"Regarding potential enemies, I always make a thorough understanding."
Hearing this sentence, Yoru said faintly.
"Among everyone around me, I feel with your personality, you are the most likely to do such a thing as cutting my head off."
Haruno pursed her lips and smiled.
"If you won't die even like that, cutting and playing a bit doesn't matter either, right?"
"It hurts a lot."
"Hehe, then sometimes when I shout 'no more no more, can't take it anymore', you not only didn't stop but also pushed harder, what is that about?"
"Miss Haruno, please stop your sexual harassment behavior."
.....
Next morning, at the gate of Sobu High.
"Everyone get on the bus quickly; don't be late."
Hiratsuka Shizuka, Kirisu Mafuyu, and homeroom teachers of several other classes were urging their students to board their respective buses by class.
The location for this joint exam...
Was Private Shuchiin Academy.
No choice, Sobu High didn't have that many seats to accommodate the first-year students of Private Shuchiin Academy.
Moreover, Sobu High authorities didn't dare to propose holding the exam in their own school.
One must know, any student pulled out casually in Private Shuchiin Academy was a noble child of prominent status.
If any accident happened on the way, Sobu High authorities really couldn't bear this responsibility.
Better to avoid trouble than make it.
Facing the upcoming joint exam, most students seemed very nervous.
None of them thought of winning.
But, that was Private Shuchiin Academy!
Ordinary people couldn't even enter the gate of that high school.
Heard that the land area of Private Shuchiin Academy could even compare to a district in Kyoto city.
In front of such a behemoth, as long as it was a normal student, they would unconsciously feel inferior.
Of course.
Members of the Super-Quant Club were not normal.
Compared to the upcoming exam, they cared more about another more important question.
Who should sit next to Yoru?
Mai was a second-year student, so she didn't come along.
However, a new enemy appeared in front of the Number Duo, Rio and Miko.
Shura of Slumber, Touma Kazusa.
Seeing the atmosphere in the carriage gradually becoming a Shuraba (battlefield), Hiratsuka Shizuka sighed helplessly holding her forehead, swaggered over, and sat directly in the seat next to Yoru.
"You guys, go sit down quickly too; we are about to set off."
When Hiratsuka Shizuka intervened in this battle as a homeroom teacher, she had already won.
Reasonable and justifiable.
This was a result that Rio, Miko, and Kazusa all felt a bit disappointed about but could accept.
After all, Hiratsuka Shizuka was a homeroom teacher, not in a competitive relationship with them.
Sitting is sitting.
After the bus started, Hiratsuka Shizuka looked at Yoru beside her, staring blankly out the window without any nervousness, couldn't help asking.
"This time, are you really confident you can win?"
Yoru's answer was as confident as always.
"Bro doesn't even know how to lose."
Hiratsuka Shizuka shook her head helplessly.
"You are truly arrogant to the end."
....
When arriving at the gate of Private Shuchiin Academy, looking at the scene before them, Sobu High students couldn't help exclaiming.
"This is... Shuchiin... so exaggerated."
"Yeah, completely not on the same level as our school."
"This is too big..."
Just looking from the gate, they could feel the strong oppression and invisible nobility given by this No. 1 high school in Sakura Prefecture.
For most Sobu High students, just standing in front of the gate, looking at the simple yet breathtakingly imposing characters for Private Shuchiin Academy on the sign, they were already sweating profusely.
"Welcome, everyone from Sobu High~"
A middle-aged male teacher wearing a suit and three students wearing Private Shuchiin Academy uniforms had been waiting at the door for a long time.
A girl with pink long hair, looking very dazed and cute, with a black bow tied in her hair, wearing a sweet smile on her face, actively came forward to greet the teachers and students of Sobu High.
"Hello everyone, I am the first-year student representative of Shuchiin, Fujiwara Chika. Nice to meet you all."
Fujiwara Chika scanned the Sobu High students, revealing an innocent and cute smile.
"May I ask, which one is Yoru-kun?"
"Let's go, Shizuka-chan, they are calling us."
Normally, it should be the homeroom teacher leading the student to greet the Shuchiin representatives.
But when it came to Yoru, it turned into him leading Hiratsuka Shizuka to Fujiwara Chika.
"Hello."
"Eh, are you Yoru-kun?"
Fujiwara Chika examined Yoru and smiled sweetly.
"Then this time, please advise me a lot."
Unexpectedly, under the public gaze, Yoru actually said a sentence that completely caught everyone off guard.
"Mmhmm, you guys indeed need to be advised by me."
The venue was dead silent, not a sound to be heard.
Everyone was dumbfounded.
Except for the Super-Quant Club members.
They understood Yoru's personality; he could indeed say such words.
Not knowing why.
After Yoru said such a sentence, the momentum of both sides directly reversed 180 degrees.
It became Sobu High holding the upper hand.
"Eh, Yoru, be polite."
Hiratsuka Shizuka had a dissatisfied look on her face, but secretly gave Yoru a look saying "well done."
She felt so great now.
So what about Private Shuchiin Academy?
My proudest student should be this arrogant!
Hearing Yoru's sentence, even Fujiwara Chika, who came from a diplomat family, didn't know how to respond, only able to smile awkwardly.
"Um... well... Yoru-kun... is really confident."
The expressions of the other two student representatives were completely different from Fujiwara Chika.
The boy with blonde hair, heavy dark circles under his eyes, and somewhat fierce eyes walked up slowly and spoke.
"Compared to the word 'advise', a more precise vocabulary should be 'learn from each other', what do you think, Yoru-kun?"
Yoru stared straight into the opponent's eyes, asking as if looking puzzled.
"This is?"
"My name is Shirogane Miyuki, also a first-year student representative of Shuchiin this time."
"Oh, Little Shiro (Xiao Bai)."
Yoru patted Shirogane Miyuki's shoulder intimately, smiling and speaking.
"Are you first in the Joint Exam?"
"Uh..."
Shirogane Miyuki's face stiffened slightly.
"No... but..."
"What but?"
Yoru waved his hand directly, interrupted the opponent's words, and said nonchalantly.
"Since you are not first, then go rest aside. Don't talk about learning from each other; let me say a sentence that best describes the current situation."
In everyone's silence, Yoru's voice speaking word by word with a smile was clearly audible.
"Me coming to your Private Shuchiin Academy to participate in this joint exam should be called..."
"Visit and Guide (Gracing with my presence to instruct)."
"Understand?"