Crossing over, and then being blocked by a rich JK.

Chapter 525 The Female Knight and the Demon King

Chapter 525 The Female Knight and the Demon King
The next day, at 10:30 a.m., Watanabe Yu and his group left the hotel and headed straight for the mountain trail.

The hiking trail was cleared by 10:25 a.m. The reason they were delayed by five minutes was not because they were still in bed, but because they went to buy some hiking equipment first.

This includes, but is not limited to, hand warmers, high-calorie chocolate bars, and large insulated water bottles.

Just to be on the safe side, he even bought some saline solution.

Hiking consumes a lot of energy, especially now that it's almost noon.

"Come to think of it, this seems to be my first time climbing a mountain."

Wearing snowshoes, Ryoko Hamabe took three steps in two and stepped lightly onto the mountain trail.

According to the staff, if they walk fast, they can reach the top at noon, but if they walk slowly, they may not arrive until 12:30 or even 1:00.

She was planning to make it in time for lunch!
"It's a minor issue; this is the first time I've encountered this problem either."

Watanabe Yu easily followed in her footsteps, but his gaze lingered on her face for a moment.

Compared to the past, her face seemed a little red today?

The overall breathing rhythm is also more rapid.

However, it certainly wasn't a fever, since before they climbed the mountain path, he had touched her forehead while adjusting her winter coat hood.

Her temperature was normal, and she herself said she felt no discomfort.

So you were just too tired last night?

Thinking of this, his feelings suddenly became complicated.

"Has Yu never gone hiking before?"

Ryoko Hamabe didn't notice his fleeting expression. She slowed her pace, turned around, and looked at him with surprise.

Given his aunt and uncle's personalities, they would definitely have dragged him into these outdoor activities, but they didn't!
That shouldn't be the case?
"No."

Watanabe Yu shook his head, temporarily setting aside the unsettling speculation, and instead jokingly said with a smile, "It takes a lot of time to get into a top high school in a big city, especially from a small town."

"Under this premise, let alone the so-called free rest time, even going to the toilet normally requires timing."

He used to believe in so-called happy education, but after witnessing some things firsthand, he realized that it was all nonsense.

No matter where you are in the world, when it comes to learning, if you want to gain something, you must give something in return.

Of course, that's a romantic way of putting it; to be realistic, it means giving up something.

In this respect, time is fair to everyone.

—After all, there are only 24 hours in a day.

"So, we're quite similar?"

Upon hearing this, Ryoko Hamabe withdrew her gaze and looked back at the clean and slippery mountain path.

It was very quiet at the moment; they were the only two people on the hiking trail.

At this close distance, she could even hear his steady breathing if she listened carefully.

"which aspect?"

Watanabe Yu picked up the conversation, but his gaze fell on the mountain path blocked by a guardrail.

From their vantage point, they could see snow-covered mountains.

Compared to the skyscrapers of Tokyo, this 'countryside' definitely has a more chilly, wintery feel to it.

The snow scene alone, coupled with the occasional chilly wind, instantly evokes the feeling of the dead of winter.

Overall, it's not too bad; the cold here hasn't inflicted any magical damage yet.

The cold winds of winter in the south can really chill you to the bone.

“All aspects”.

Ryoko Hamabe put her hands behind her back, like a little deer out for a stroll; she was just a pinch away from jumping around.

"Given your learning efficiency, it shouldn't be that bad, right?"

Watanabe Yu carefully considered his words before cautiously expressing his opinion.

He prided himself on being an expert in this area because he had personally witnessed Ryoko's homework speed; if she put her full effort into it, she could finish a summer's worth of homework in a single day.

Although there isn't much homework in Japan, the efficiency is still astonishing. Even if there isn't much, it's still three books of homework, each about a hundred pages long.

Most importantly, her accuracy rate is ridiculously high.

Incidentally, he only learned that high school seniors also have summer and winter vacation homework after watching Ryoko do her homework.

Damn it, he always thought that summer homework would be just a formality until he graduated from high school, and he would just do a little bit and be done with it.

It's the same all over the world in this respect. When it comes to the critical period of college entrance exams, no matter what else you do, most schools and teachers' first reaction is always to get the students doing practice questions!

Tsk!
Damn the endless practice problems!
It is indeed effective.

"But I have to work."

Ryoko Hamabe thought he was wondering about something, so she gave a helpless explanation.

Before meeting him, aside from her studies, she spent most of her time working.

This is why she is socially inept; to put it nicely, she is a loner; to put it bluntly, she has no friends.

Although at that time she also claimed that she didn't need friends.

After all, once she gets along well with everyone in the class, she has no excuse to be rude or inconsiderate at small group gatherings or class-organized parties; she'll have to go.

At that time, it won't just be a matter of money; her life rhythm will also be disrupted.

"Oh!"

Watanabe Yu was taken aback for a moment, then realized what was happening and gave an apologetic look.

He really forgot about that!

"But now that I think about it, it's nothing." A sense of relief appeared on Ryoko Hamabe's face. "Grandma used to say that the more hardship a person endures, the more sweet days they will be able to exchange for it later."

"I think all those tough days I went through before were just me accumulating tickets to meet you."

Because it was just the two of them, she could say those words easily.

"Don't say that."

Watanabe Yu scratched his cheek, his expression somewhat complicated.

He knew his own family best, and he always felt indebted to them.

Including but not limited to Ryoko, Ayana, and Yuki.

From their perspective, they have compromised and given up a lot, suffered a lot of grievances, and even shouldered worldly pressures that they shouldn't have had to bear.

"Also, are you alright?"

He looked at her with some concern.

Compared to before, after climbing more than 300 meters, her breathing rate was noticeably faster.

“This is the truth.” Ryoko Hamabe blinked, then took his hand. “And what problem could I possibly have?”

She was indeed a little tired today, but not to the extent that he showed concern.

He's a little too nervous!

"...I will be good to you."

Feeling the warmth of her hand in his, Watanabe Yu thought for a moment, then instead of apologizing as usual, he directly stated what he would do.

Ayana is right. Achieving real remorse is more effective than simply saying "I'm sorry."

Saying "I'm sorry" too often loses its original meaning; it becomes a pretext for shirking responsibility without any genuine remorse.

As for her saying there was no problem, he took it as her bravado. If her physical weakness became more obvious later, he would take action directly.

"Can you not be so honest at a time like this?" Ryoko Hamabe gave him a coquettish look. "Remove the 'men'."

This guy is really something! He's a little too honest!

At times like this, what's the point of talking about "treating everyone equally"? As Auntie said, when it's just her and Yu, don't worry about Ayana and Yuki, just do what you need to do and don't have any reservations.

"I'll be good to you."

Watanabe Yu didn't insist and changed his mind.

Of course, that's still what he thought in his heart.

Although it's impossible to treat them all equally, he still wants to try his best to do so, in order to minimize the possibility of conflict between them.

"That's pretty much it."

Ryoko Hamabe nodded in satisfaction. This answer wouldn't be enough for a girl who likes to hear about pretty girls, but for her, especially since she was already used to Yu's way of speaking, it was sufficient.

To put it dramatically, this is already a significant improvement.

After all, this guy really doesn't know how to use sweet talk, let alone deceive people emotionally.

This guy is as smart as he is when it comes to serious matters, but as 'stupid' when it comes to matters of the heart.

Of course, if we have to say something, "stupid" might not be the right word; "honest" would be more accurate.

So this can be considered another form of 'energy conservation'?
"..."

After they finished speaking, the two walked quietly for a while.

Only when a sign appeared ahead that read, "You have walked 800 meters," did the two of them tacitly slow down and exchange a glance.

"Speaking of which, Kiriyama and the others went on a trip too."

After thinking for a moment, Watanabe Yu took the initiative to start a conversation.

"Where did they go?"

Ryoko Hamabe asked a question out of curiosity.

It's no exaggeration to say that the relationship between Kiriyama and Maki is extremely rare, even among all high school couples in Japan, let alone at the entire Jonan Private High School.

It's easy to achieve a good relationship between the two people, but the problem is that they have met each other's parents and both sets of parents agree, which is very difficult.

Although society does not reject students dating, some parents still prioritize academic performance, especially those whose children are expected to get into good universities.

Of course, she's not saying they were wrong; if she were in their shoes, she would have made the same choice.

After all, she didn't care about the momentary pleasure; she still hoped her child would have more choices in the future, even if it meant the child would dislike her and harbor resentment.

“Hokkaido.” Watanabe Yu chuckled. “I’ll show you the photos he sent later. That kid really had a blast.”

This time, he was truly given free rein.

"They're probably going to see the snow now, right?"

Ryoko Hamabe nodded in response to his words, and then asked the question that interested her.

"uh-huh."

Watanabe Yu nodded.

Actually, he didn't know much about Hokkaido. His only knowledge was that Hokkaido's tourism industry was quite developed and that many people went there every year.

"That's pretty good."

At this point, Ryoko Hamabe seemed to remember something and suddenly asked, "Did they say which university they want to apply to?"

As she approached graduation, she became particularly interested in this topic.

Moreover, based on her understanding of Kiriyama and Maki's grades, Kiriyama would probably need to work hard for another school year to match Maki's current performance.

After all, the latter's grades have been getting better and better since he started dating.

It's like having a mental nitrogen pump.

"They didn't say that."

Watanabe Yu didn't ask either. For them, who were in their second year of high school, this topic was a little too early. After all, there was still more than a year to go.

Moreover, since they haven't entered their senior year of high school, haven't gone through the review phase, and haven't taken any serious exams, they don't know their actual level.

"If they also come to the University of Tokyo, we can continue to be classmates."

Ryoko Hamabe made a pointed remark.

"Even the best relationships will gradually fade when there is a distance between them."

She knew that Kiriyama could help Yu, so she thought she should give him a little hint.

Of course, the most important thing is that she feels Kiriyama is a person worth being friends with for a long time.

“I know that, but who can really know the details of their affairs?” Watanabe Yu sighed. “So for me, I’m more focused on the present.”

"What's right now?"

She asked, somewhat curiously.

“You seem to be out of breath right now.” Watanabe Yu stopped, glanced at the sign in front of him, and then squatted down. “Come on, I’ll carry you up.”

Right in front of the two of them, a brown sign had a bright, large character written on it.

You have walked 1200 meters. Note that the road ahead is uphill. Please manage your energy accordingly.

"I can."

Ryoko Hamabe became defiant.

She got tired faster than usual today, but that doesn't mean she needs him to carry her.

"You can't. Come on up."

Watanabe Yu still did not get up.

The female knight worked so hard last night that when she woke up this morning, her steps were a little unsteady.

To be honest, the fact that she's managed to hold on until now without being out of breath has exceeded his expectations.

Yes, the scenery on the mountain was far more beautiful than they had imagined, but its actual height also far exceeded their initial expectations.

Can mental supplements alleviate physical fatigue in this situation?

At least not in this situation.

"..."

Ryoko Hamabe hesitated for a moment, looked at him with his back to her, then at the empty mountain path, and after a moment's hesitation, she obediently climbed onto his back and wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Don't be so stubborn next time."

Watanabe Yu stood up easily, then made a pointed remark.

A strong will can make up for objective differences, but it cannot break objective laws. No matter how good the female knight's condition is, she will not be a match for him, the demon king.

To match him, or even Xiaoyou, you'd need at least a Saintess.

"..."

Ryoko Hamabe was taken aback at first, then her face turned red instantly.

She understood what he was referring to.

"Humph!"

With a soft snort, she buried her head in his back and nudged him gently twice in dissatisfaction.

Then he muttered something in a voice only the two of them could hear.

"I begged for mercy in the end, but you still didn't let me go."

Someone is the real bad guy!

She had already said she had enough, that she was already satisfied, but he still wouldn't let it go, insisting on working up a sweat and feeling lightheaded before finally stopping.

My voice is hoarse and my lips are sore.

In fact, if she hadn't taken the initiative to use her mouth, she probably would have been tormented for another ten minutes or so.

"..."

Upon hearing this, Watanabe Yu blushed.

Ryoko was telling the truth.

"So you're not allowed to 'lecture' me like that!"

Ryoko Hamabe muttered another sentence in a muffled voice.

"Ah."

Watanabe Yu obediently replied.

What else can he say when people have already gone this far?

"Let's take a picture later and show it to Maki and the others!"

She suddenly added another sentence.