I practiced as a monk alone in Japan.

Chapter 209 Hmph, trying to run away?

What?!

"3000 meters?"

"Men's relay?"

"football?"

"basketball?"

"badminton?"

"table tennis?!"

"Wait a minute. Stop right there. You're going to recite the whole thing?! I thought you were reciting a menu!"

In the classroom that morning, the sports committee member's voice cracked slightly.

He was initially quite happy when the boy came over to say he wanted to sign up for a sport at the sports festival, since he had played soccer with the boy before and knew that the boy's athletic ability was definitely outstanding.

Although I don't know how their level compares to those athletes who specialize in sports, at least they can solve some of the class's quota problem.

These activities seem lively, but many of the children at this age are sensitive and introverted, and it would be really difficult to find enough spots if the teachers didn't force them to participate.

The key issue is that the school has requirements; each class must have a certain number of students sign up, regardless of whether it's a class with many or few good students. This task is often assigned by the homeroom teacher to the sports representative.

He still has a headache.

But his smugness didn't last long before the boy's words left him stunned, almost doubting whether he had misheard.

Who signs up for so many projects? Individuals and groups alike?! And these are such challenging projects.

No way, even if you dared to report it, I wouldn't let you go! What if someone dies? The school leaders would think we're arresting slaves here!
Tsukino Gen smiled at the other person, "Can't one person report this many?"

Some sports festivals or athletic meets seem to have rules that allow a person to register for a maximum of three events, I don't know if this place does too.

The sports committee member said awkwardly, "I think it can't exceed five at most? I'm not too sure about that. Maybe I'll go back and ask. You should also consider it?"

Gen Tsukino thought for a moment, "No need to bother, let's go with four. Long-distance running, relay, soccer, and basketball. The others are fine."

The sports committee member wiped away a cold sweat; there were indeed quite a few people missing.

That's quite an exaggeration, though. It includes long-distance running, relays, and even soccer and basketball. The latter two seem like team events, which is fine, but the physical exertion is still considerable. And these aren't events that are over in one match. Even just casually playing would be tiring, right?
"I'll keep this as it is for now, and let you know if there are any problems later?"

"Okay, that's settled for now."

Gen Tsukino didn't return to his seat; instead, he went to the corridor.

Several girls were chatting and laughing enthusiastically in the sunlit corridor when they saw Tsukino Gen coming over.

Several girls shoved each other, then looked mischievously at one of the pretty girls with rosy cheeks, "Since your Tsukino-kun is here, we won't bother you~"

"No way. Don't talk nonsense."

"Still not admitting it, huh?"

They didn't even greet the boy much before scattering. But the meaning in their eyes was crystal clear.

The way teenagers at this age eat melons is still very innocent, without too much ulterior motive.

When Kazama Sakura saw Tsukino Gen come to her, her bright eyes became focused.

"Did you just sign up for the sports festival?"

Gen Tsukino shrugged. "It was just anticipating Sakuraba-sensei's actions. Anyway, if I don't sign up, they'll come to me eventually if there aren't enough spots, so I might as well sign up sooner."

"Is it really?"

The girl smiled and tilted her head back, saying in a charmingly naive tone, "I thought it was the young lady who was angry and wanted you to pay the price."

My intuition was accurate, but slightly off. This time it wasn't the young lady's KPI, but the madam's task.

"Hmm? Why would you think that? I don't recall her being that fond of sports."

Kazama Sakura shook her head and swayed in front of the boy, like a child eager to impress an elder. "You never know. Maybe it's you. I'll do anything, I just want you to do something."

The boy smiled at her, "Who was it that told me to hurry up and pursue her yesterday? And now you're jealous?"

"Asking you to go is because I'm sensible, and being jealous is my instinct, so what? Is that a problem?"

He really does get more and more confident as he talks.

"Of course you can, you can do whatever you want, but you know I still don't want you to wrong yourself."

The boy smiled and reached out to pinch the other person's straight nose.

The girl was growing more and more beautiful, as if her growth and development hadn't stopped at this age. Her already tall figure seemed to be showing signs of further growth, perhaps due to some unforeseen event. Her features were also becoming increasingly beautiful and captivating.

The girl wrinkled her nose but smiled broadly. "Don't worry, I won't let myself suffer. Anyway, if anyone bullies me, I'll get my revenge somewhere else."

"Other places? What places, in bed?"

Looking at the other person's mischievous and playful eyes, a sense of familiarity welled up in my heart.

To be honest, after that day, the two of them didn't have much time to spend alone. After all, school had started, and he couldn't very well use the same lame excuse to stay out all night. The boy also didn't really like renting a room by the hour for such trivial matters.

I do miss it a little.
The girl's face flushed. "Oh no, I'm at school!"

The boy blinked. "Want to have dinner together tonight?"

At this point, the act of eating was no longer a simple meal. Kazama Sakura wasn't stupid; her face flushed even more. Even though the sunlight wasn't direct, it seemed to warm her skin, making her skin glow red.

She had thought about it, but then, realizing something, she said with a hint of helplessness.

"I can't tonight, something's come up."

"what?"

"It was my aunt. She invited our whole family to dinner."

"Your aunt?"

Kazama Sakura's aunt is no ordinary relative; she's her father's older sister. And with her father currently in jail, this dinner invitation is definitely not a typical family gathering.

Sakura Kazama sighed softly, "It's all because of my father's matter. I guess he still hopes my mother will issue a letter of understanding or something, saying that since we're family, there's no need to go too far. My mother can't refuse."

Gen Tsukino thought for a moment, "How much do you usually interact with your aunt?"

"Not much. I heard that when my mom and dad got together, they weren't really in favor. As far back as I can remember, we didn't see each other much except for holidays like Chinese New Year. When we did meet, they didn't have a good expression. I don't know why I'm thinking about my father now. They clearly knew what was going on between us, but they never thought to try to stop us."

These kinds of family relationships are hard to define.

After all, living in this society, everyone's relationships are intricate and complex, definitely not as simple as being alone. Not everyone is an orphan like Tsukino Gen; it seems that relying on each other through countless connections is the normal situation.

"I see. Will this cause any trouble?"

Sakura Kazama tilted her head back and smiled. "It's alright. Mother has also figured out a lot of things. We won't make any decisions blindly, don't worry."

To be honest, Sakura Kazama herself wasn't sure, since in her limited memory, that family wasn't exactly benevolent. But since it was her own business, she didn't want to burden and trouble Gen Tsukino unnecessarily.

She was afraid that Tsukino Gen would have such thoughts, even though she knew he probably wouldn't care.

However, if possible, you should also do some things yourself and not rely entirely on your partner. Girls can be affectionate, but they should also be sensible. Having no limits will only make people dislike and resent you, no matter how good-tempered a person is.

His good temper, kindness, and sense of responsibility are his qualities.

How could I entrust everything to him without any consideration because of these things? He is essentially a helpless orphan, and I should be the one giving him more warmth and happiness.

Gen Tsukino nodded without pressuring, "Yes. You can let me know if there are any problems."

"Don't worry~ How about we go out and find a place to rest at noon?"

Kazama Sakura whispered, glancing furtively around as she spoke, as if she were about to do something wrong but was afraid of being discovered.

Gen Tsukino couldn't help but laugh. "Do you think I'm desperate for sex?"

Sakura Kazama blushed and lowered her head. "N-no, not really. It's just that you mentioned having dinner tonight, and I happened to have something to do, so I was afraid you'd be disappointed."

"Okay, don't worry, I'm not that thirsty."

He patted the other person's head. "If you have something to do today, do it tomorrow. You can't have something to do every day. Besides, what's the point of resting together at noon? Did you call a gigolo to come to your rescue?"

"Get lost, you're the one who's in a rush!"

"Haha, okay, let's go into the classroom."

"Hmm," she murmured, secretly glancing at the boy's expression. Fortunately, she didn't notice anything downcast in him until class started. His stable demeanor was reassuring.

It also made me feel a little guilty.

If only I were a girl from a normal family with normal social interactions, things would be great. Right now, it seems I don't even qualify as a decent girlfriend.
Gen Tsukino, of course, had no idea that this girl had thought of so much in such a short time; he wasn't omniscient. If he had known, he would have given her a good whack on the head.

Why do you keep having such wild thoughts every day?
……

"Did you hear? Tsukino Gen from Class 3 is participating in the soccer match again!"

"Hey, I heard that he's not only involved in basketball, but also in other sports."

"I heard he also participated in the relay race?"

"What? My message is that he participated in the 3,000-meter race."

School is a magical place; the speed at which news spreads varies from person to person.

Some people may have committed offenses and dropped out of school, and no one would know it once they left the class.

However, the fact that someone signed up for more events at the sports festival had already spread throughout the entire grade.

The young lady, who was leisurely reading a book and was usually not approached by anyone, found these whispers absurd.

Is this some big news? And that bastard is such a show-off? Did he really report everything?
Before long, I saw several boys from the class who had participated in the last football 'friendly match' gathered together, looking like they were about to rebel.

"We absolutely cannot lose this time!"

"That's right, not only do we have to win football, we have to win basketball too, we have to win everything! I just don't believe he's not tired from participating in so many games? Does he think he's Superman?"

"That's right! Even if it's just for Asagiri-san, we have to win!"

Rin Asagiri:? ? ?

What has it got to do with me?
Oh, if it weren't for him, he probably wouldn't have been able to participate in these projects anyway.

Thinking of this, Asagiri Rin felt a little guilty.

However, the lower moral standards quickly made up for this.

After school in the afternoon, Asagiri Rin was the first to leave the classroom and went to the club activity room with ease, sinking into the familiar sofa.

She inexplicably thought of the flowers in the back of the train car yesterday, and then looked at the classroom. It seemed to have everything it needed; perhaps she should get a vase?
While I was thinking about these things.

The door opened with a click.

He looked over as expected, but instead of the familiar scene of a man and a woman walking in side by side, he saw only himself.

Asagiri Rin looked over and spoke directly.

"Only you?"

"What? You think there aren't enough people? I'll bring more next time."

"You're crazy, I'm asking you where your girlfriend is."

Asagiri Rin stared at him and asked.

Tsukino Gen walked over strangely, "The way you're saying this doesn't sound like you're being sarcastic or jealous, so what's wrong?"

The boy's face darkened. "Do you really miss her?"

"ill."

Asagiri Rin rolled her eyes.

"Would anyone dare to mess with you if they weren't sick?"

Gen Tsukino leaned back in his chair and looked at the other person. "When are you going to get me a sofa like this? It looks so comfortable."

"You don't have any money? I haven't suspended your card. Buy it yourself if you want."

She said angrily.

Yeah, why not stop refusing to use his card? Oh well, I have plenty of money anyway.

"That would be too grand and doesn't suit my status as an orphan."

"What have you done that is consistent with your status as an orphan?"

"A poor boy hooking up with a rich girl, isn't that what they always show in TV dramas?"

"Tsk, you haven't gotten on board yet."

Asagiri Rin said irritably.

"It's coming soon."

"Get lost."

Looking at the grinning boy, Asagiri Rin, she was filled with anger, but strangely enough, this anger came and went as quickly as it came.

Perhaps he wasn't the trigger, but rather the fire extinguisher?
Just as Tsukino Gen was about to say something.

"Dong dong dong."

There was a knock on the classroom door.

The two looked at each other.

"You made plans with someone?"

Tsukino Gendo asked.

Asagiri Rin frowned. "What's with that look on your face that makes it seem like I'm cheating on you?"

"You noticed that? Then I'll change my expression."

"You're crazy. Who has time to watch you change your expression? Who?"

Sounds came from outside the door very quickly.

"It's me, Saionji. May I come in now?"

It's the voice of Saionji Karen.

Asagiri Rin replied irritably, "Come in."

What's with all this talk about convenience? It's obvious they're deliberately saying this to sow discord between themselves and Tsukino Gen.

I just didn't expect that when I opened the door...

Entering were not only Saionji Karen, whose hair had grown longer, but also a man and a woman who appeared cautious and wore ingratiating smiles.

They greeted us warmly as soon as we came in.

"Hello, Asagiri-san and Tsukino-san, we are from the student council."

Asagiri Rin turned her head to look at Saionji, who went straight to the refrigerator to get some juice.

"What's wrong with them?"

Karen Saionji blinked while holding the juice.

"Oh, by the way, there's something I need to ask you."

"Please?"

The girl hadn't finished speaking.

With a quick glance around his eyes, Tsukino Gen immediately stood up.

"You two talk, I won't bother you anymore."

Before he could even take a step, Saionji grabbed him by the back of his collar.

"And of course, there's Tsukino-kun~"

The boy, who had already sensed trouble, still couldn't escape.

I got caught.

……

(End of this chapter)