"I don't know what happened between you and Shimizu, but when I asked, she wouldn't open up about it either... I haven't been any help..."
The gentle and kind Sister Reiko was always , filled with a sense of guilt when she couldn't help with matters concerning Haruka Yuzan.
It seemed as if, in Madam's heart, Haruka's status was far higher than her own.
"It's okay, Sister Reiko, there's no need for you to apologize."
Haruka Yuzan also revealed a reassuring smile, and her actions continued uninterrupted as she tidied up the table.
"Hmm..." Reiko Onodera thought for a moment, then added, "Shimizu is a good girl, the coldness she projects can't hide the kindness and passion in her heart, you two must get along well..."
Speaking of the other person's good qualities and virtues in front of the concerned party, hoping for mutual understanding, was probably the only method the simple and unpretentious madam could think of.
As long as it was about Haruka, she would do her utmost to help.
"Really, it's nothing."
Haruka Yuzan smiled, appearing composed as if she already had a plan in mind. Now the roles had reversed, and she walked over to Madam, wrapping her arms around the soft and smooth waist, comforting Madam in a soft voice,
"Leave it to me, I'll take care of it."
The summer night breeze carried a hint of coolness, flowing through the half-open window, making the nighttime room quite cool. Even though Misaki, the little one, was always complaining about the heat and wanting to turn on the air conditioning... just opening the window was enough, no extra cooling was needed at the moment.
Enjoying nature's gifts made one feel more comfortable and content.
The girl hugged her knees, sitting at the head of the bed, her fingers gently touching her lips, her autumnal eyes reflecting a chilling sense of discomfort as she stared out the window,
Her whole being seemed to have entered another, more wondrous state...
Today, she was kissed by that person... That person? Who could it be?
The landlord? A classmate? A reluctant confidant? A future business partner? Or... Otome's boyfriend, a cad who had ambiguous relationships with many girls?
It seemed like his presence was everywhere in her life now... Had things progressed to this point?
The boy who was usually mysterious and detached, but... today, after kissing her, she could sense the panic he was feeling, gone was the usual calm amidst emergency, only nervousness and concern remained...
Without the provocation in those words, would the boy have done this? Looking back, the strangest thing must be herself, right?
As for what happened in the corridor this afternoon...
Angry? The uncontrollable fury, even that first-time feeling of loathing and disgust towards someone,
But... did she truly hate him?
Recalling the boy's kiss,
The hint of shyness that still flickered in her heart and couldn't be concealed...
The girl's gaze toward the distance became complicated, almost dangerous...
"Bang, bang, bang..."
Suddenly, a series of knocks on the door shattered the unique tranquility of the bedroom.
Even before the girl could say anything, a "click" was heard, and the door opened.
The sound of unlocking was particularly noticeable in the dark and silent night. The girl did not turn around, seeming not to care about who it was...
Upon entering, the person outside immediately noticed the girl in her nightdress sitting at the head of the bed,
There were no lights on in the room, it was dark. The only source of illumination was the pure moonlight shining through the window,
Her silver hair shone brilliantly, the slender and graceful figure sat upright, and the fair skin exposed appeared to be emitting a faint luster,
Holy, and beautiful, a pure beauty capable of purifying the soul.
Facing such a state, Haruka Yuzan only felt his own heart tightening along with her, devoid of any extraneous thoughts, but filled instead with a young man's palpitations.
and softly called out to the girl, "Chiba...san?"
His words echoed in the room, and Chiba Shimizu continued to sit there, not responding.
Looking at the girl with her back towards him, Haruka Yuzan also walked to one side, sat down beside her, and just quietly stayed there.
Neither of them spoke,
it seemed as though they could faintly hear the rustling of tree branches and the chirping of cicadas, a symphony of joy and loneliness, which made the atmosphere in the room far from monotonous and bleak.
"I'm very sorry about what happened today."
After a long silence, Haruka Yuzan slowly spoke, after all, he had taken away her first kiss, so it was always proper to start with an apology.
Suddenly, a cool voice came through, this was the first time in hours that the young lady had spoken to him, and Haruka Yuzan was clearly taken aback,
Huh???!! She accepted it just like that?? So simple? What about the three thousand word apology letter I had just prepared, won't it be wasted now?
"How about you reject me once more, wait till I'm done with my heartfelt speech, and then accept? Otherwise, it makes me seem a bit...dumb..."
Regardless, the girl had accepted his apology, and this made Haruka, now relaxed in both body and mind, couldn't help but crack a joke,
"I did prepare quite seriously, you know!"
Chiba Shimizu shook her head, straightened her lotus-like legs, which fell down near the edge of the bed, and in the moonlight, her fair and slender legs appeared even more irresistible and attractive,
"Actually, upon some reflection, the reason you dared to do that has a lot to do with my own provocative words. After all, from a psychological standpoint, the thing boys probably can't stand the most is being told they're not good enough or not brave enough,
and the rewards for bravery and the consequences don't really align, so that greatly contributed to the progression of events..."
The cool and collected young lady showed her perfect profile, her calm and rational analysis almost made it seem like she wasn't the aggrieved one.
This caused Haruka to take a sharp breath, who would have expected that, at a time , the miss could calmly analyze the cause and pros and cons of the whole situation?
"Then, since you've already made excuses for me in your mind, why still..."
"I can understand, I can forgive, but that doesn't mean I'm not angry."
As she spoke, Chiba Shimizu turned her head, a face beautiful enough to make anyone's heart skip beat, a pair of eyes clear enough to purify one's mind, and then...those rosy, supple lips,
the lingering taste of the afternoon still seemed to resonate between his lips and teeth...
"So, Chiba-san, you just let me come in without fearing that I might continue to...do something even more outrageous to you?"
Forcing himself to look away, Haruka Yuzan laid down on the soft bed, teasingly said,
"After all, faced with such a beautiful girl, as someone who is in the throes of adolescence, I can hardly guarantee..."
Hearing his words, Chiba Shimizu's eyes remained serene,
"That won't happen, according to what I know about Classmate Haruka, after a rash action, you'll definitely be more cautious next time..."
Haruka Yuzan narrowed his eyes, looking at the graceful person in front of him, truly stirring his heart... but that sense of reason and confidence was equally annoying. Read complete versıon only at novel~fire~net
"Not necessarily, Chiba-san, you may be underestimating your allure to a healthy young man at Kokoku High."
"Wouldn't the same mistake be avoided the second time around? Isn't that right?"
This time, the girl didn't use words to provoke him, instead she asked a question,
"Classmate Haruka, what... do you think of me as a person?"
The tranquil voice was soothing, and it relaxed his thoughts as well.
"Beautiful, confident, intelligent, earnest, rational, wealthy, and... well, sometimes not very generous..."
Hearing his words, the girl couldn't help frowning; the beginning was normal, but what was the last part???