I practiced as a monk alone in Japan.

Chapter 292 She is a Carrot

The journey home was much quieter than when we set off.

Perhaps because they went to bed too late last night, many people are feeling drowsy, or simply not fully awake.

Moreover, returning home is inherently less exciting than setting off; much of the passion and energy is spent on the journey itself, making the return trip somewhat quiet and uneventful.

It was as if all the energy expended during the journey was being repaid at this moment.

The three of them sat together, looking exactly the same as when they left.

Sitting on the far right, Tsukino Gen became the guardian of the aisle. However, nothing happened in the aisle. Since everyone there was a classmate, there were no low-class passengers causing any low-class behavior.

The only slightly annoying thing was that a female student watching the video on the loudspeaker blushed and turned it off after being glanced at by Tsukino Gen. Her face remained red the whole way.

"Speaking of which, Rin-chan didn't seem to buy anything. Isn't there anything you want to take back with you?"

The young lady sat in the middle, and Kazama Sakura was also someone who couldn't suppress her desire to speak, but when she did speak, she could only address Asagiri Rin.

Asagiri Rin looked languid and languid, having expended a lot of energy the previous night.

It seems like this isn't enough time to recover.

"What's good to buy? Are there any special items in the city?"

"Shouldn't anything brought back be considered special?"

"Your definition of 'special' is really superficial."

"Rin-chan has become mean again."

As she said this, Kazama Sakura had a smile on her face, seemingly not angry at all. She was getting more and more used to the girl's sharp tongue.

"Actually, some of the pastries and desserts under our brand are quite good. This one seems to be made with red dates and blueberries. Would you like to try it?"

As she spoke, Kazama Sakura took out the prepared pastries, and as soon as she opened them, a fresh and sweet aroma wafted out.

Even Tsukino Gen couldn't help but look over.

Why won't you let me eat?

"Don't you dislike pastries?"

Asagiri Rin squinted. "Blueberries and dates? Will they taste good mixed together?"

As they were talking, they saw a large white hand reach out towards the other person's box right in front of them.

Almost without thinking, it was an instinct, like in a game, that I aimed as soon as I saw a monster peek out.

"Snapped!"

He slapped Tsukino Gen's dog paw away.

"What? You're not going to eat it, it's a waste of their good intentions."

Tsukino Gen said righteously.

Kazama Sakura was laughing so hard she was shaking, when she saw Asagiri Rin reach out and gently pinch a piece of food.

"Who said I'm not eating? I'll just try it. Give me a piece of paper."

"Oh."

Knowing the other person's habits, Tsukino Gen knew they definitely wouldn't want regular tissues. These kinds of sweet pastries would still feel sticky after wiping with regular tissues, so he directly pulled out wet wipes.

He himself doesn't have the habit of being so fussy about carrying wet wipes, but he stuffed a lot of them into Kirin's hands.

Asagiri Rin ate it in rather elegant, small bites.

Then he took the wet wipe from Tsukino Gen's hand to wipe his fingers, and put it back into the boy's hand.

Gen Tsukino is like a professional garbage collector.

Kazama Sakura looked at the girl with a smile, "How does it taste? Isn't it pretty good?"

After all, she was indebted to him, and besides, the food might really taste good, so Asagiri Rin nodded slightly.

"It's alright, a bit better than yours."

"What~"

"Ha ha ha ha."

Tsukino Gen laughed uncontrollably. Even with such a ruthless act, he was still rewarded with a small piece by the angelically kind Kazama Sakura.

I tried it.

I have to admit, it does taste better than what Kazama Sakura makes herself.

There were no further words or incidents during the journey. After several hours of bus driving, we finally arrived at the school in the afternoon.

A car was already waiting at the school gate for Asagiri Rin to return, while Kazama Sakura had her mother come to pick her up and take her home.

He did manage to run into Gen Tsukino.

Seeing Tsukino Gen and Kazama Sakura's mother standing together, many classmates even had the nerve to make a fuss as they passed by. Fortunately, Tsukino Gen wasn't too embarrassed.

"Thank you for taking care of Sakura, Tsukino-kun."

Sakura's mother was quite polite, and after their previous 'heart-to-heart talk,' the two had been quite frank about many things. While Sakura's mother was indeed a moderately unsuccessful woman in her marriage, it didn't mean she was foolish.

She could sense that this young man was extraordinary; otherwise, she wouldn't have said that her daughter was much luckier than herself.

Gen Tsukino smiled and said, "No, that's not true. Actually, Kazama-kun is good at taking care of people. I just helped with the luggage and stuff."

"That's too kind of you. Without you, I don't think Sakura would have wanted to go out and see the world."

"No way~"

Sakura Kazama blushed slightly and clung to her mother's hand, acting coquettishly.

The woman nodded. "By the way, if you're free, Tsukino-kun, would you like to come over for dinner?"

Gen Tsukino shook his head. He could tell whether it was politeness or sincerity. Perhaps this woman would be happy to invite him to dinner or to her home, but it probably wouldn't be today.

"I won't trouble you today. I haven't been home for a few days. I live alone and have a lot of things to take care of when I get back. I'm sorry, Auntie."

"It's alright, then you must come to my house as a guest next time you have the chance."

"Ok."

"Then let's go."

"Goodbye."

He slowly left with the girl who kept turning back every three steps, while Asagiri Rin had already gotten into her car and gone home.

He had originally asked the boy if he wanted to give him a ride, but Tsukino Gen refused.

There's no need for it. Some journeys may seem short, and it might seem like it's okay to trouble others to take detours, but Tsukino Gen would rather travel alone quietly on such a journey.

Having finally said goodbye to everyone he needed to, Tsukino Gen was preparing to go home alone.

"Hey, Tsukino, wait a minute."

A familiar voice called out to the boy who had already started walking.

Turning back, the gentle afternoon sunlight fell on her slightly wispy hair.

Her mature and intellectual charm shines even brighter under the brilliant sunshine.

As if carrying the fragrance of ripe fruit, Sakuraba Yuki walked over with a smile.

Are you getting ready to go home?

Gen Tsukino nodded. "Orphans have homes too, Sakuraba-sensei."

"Pfft. Who asked you that? I meant, since you're going home alone anyway, do you want to come to your teacher's house for dinner?"

She said with a smile.

Gen Tsukino blinked. "Isn't that unnecessary? You've been quite tired these past few days of traveling. Wouldn't it be too much of a hassle for you to have dinner at your house?"

It's not that they're wavering, but rather a polite way of declining; they've already prepared an excuse for the other party.

Sakuraba Yuki walked over.

"boom."

The little fist struck the boy on the back of the head.

It didn't hurt; it was mainly to demonstrate my 'authority' as the homeroom teacher. "Don't give me that crap. You're actually worried about me now. Let's go. After all, I haven't properly thanked you for what happened last time. I'll cook for you this time."

The woman's cheeks had a slight rosy glow, whether from good blood circulation or from the sunlight, it was hard to tell.

It looks quite beautiful, like a fine wine, and the intoxicating aroma of wine is already wafting over.

"You really want to eat it?"

"Otherwise what? I'm just kidding, right?"

"Ok."

Judging from their attitude, it was indeed difficult to refuse.

Sakuraba Yuki wouldn't say anything too forceful, but she couldn't help it because of those experiences and the almost forgotten times; there were some requests she simply couldn't refuse.

Is it just that I'm such a charming man that I'm plagued by all sorts of troubles?
So I followed this woman and rode her subway line.

Each person has their own world, their own train, their own tracks, and of course, their own scenery.

How was the autumn outing?

On the subway, watching the scenery rush by, the constantly changing angle of the sunlight, and even the changing color of the light.

Sakuraba Yuki brought it up casually.

Gen Tsukino calmly looked at his phone, replying to Sakura Kazama's messages as he spoke.

"It's not bad, just lacking in entertainment facilities."

"Do you think this is an amusement park? With all these entertainment facilities, how about I take you bungee jumping?"

"With or without a rope?"

"Hey, you're talking to me, why are you chatting with someone else?"

Gen Tsukino immediately turned off his screen, demonstrating the professionalism of a time management master.

She immediately raised her head and put on an innocent, student-like smile as she faced Sakuraba Yuki.

"Just checking takeout orders, nothing."

"Why are you looking at takeout? Didn't you say I was going to cook?"

"Yes, that way we can find a way out if we ever encounter a situation where we can't eat."

"Get lost, my cooking isn't that bad."

Sakuraba Yuki said irritably.

The subway arrives at the station.

The two got off the car together, but instead of going home immediately, Sakuraba Yuki led Tsukino Gen into a supermarket.

"Is there anything you'd like to eat? Please tell me if you have any dietary restrictions."

"Oh, I want to eat braised lion's head meatballs."

"What it is?"

"What about shredded pork with garlic sauce?"

"never heard of that."

"Hehehe."

"What are you laughing at!" Sakuraba Yuki looked at the boy who was acting like he was putting on a show and almost couldn't help but kick him.

"Can we get serious? I'm not an internationally renowned chef, and I can't cook every cuisine well, can I?"

"Then the teacher can just do what they know. There's nothing more to expect."

"You're disappointed in me, aren't you?"

"There are always some expectations between people of the opposite sex, and those expectations about cooking are about to be shattered."

"I haven't made it yet, what if it turns out really good?"

"You yourself said 'what if'."

"Damn it, you've got me all hooked!"

As she spoke, Sakuraba Yuki grew increasingly angry and slapped Tsukino Gen's arm hard.

What was originally just a normal playful fight might be inappropriate between a teacher and a student, but both of them clearly thought it was normal and nothing to worry about.

But
"Oh, isn't this Sakuraba-sensei? Eh... is this your boyfriend?"

Gen Tsukino looked up and saw himself standing next to a shelf full of broccoli.

A middle-aged woman, dressed fairly elegantly but with makeup so heavy it looked like a freshly painted wall, stood there, looking over with a smile that made people feel uneasy.

How to describe this smile?

It's that smile of a relative you don't get along with.

He appears kind and approachable, but in reality, his words are laced with sarcasm and disdain.

Sakuraba Yuki immediately lowered her hand, saying somewhat awkwardly, "Ah, Miss Kuroda. No, this is my friend."

The woman surnamed Kuroda chuckled, "Friends, that's how young people are these days. They're all friends until they're married, that's how they play around. I understand, I understand."

This was clearly biased and delivered in an uncomfortable tone, causing Yuki Sakuraba to frown.

"Excuse me, Ms. Kuroda, we have something to attend to, so we'll have to continue our conversation later."

Gen Tsukino wasn't surprised by this response; it was the kind of thing this woman would say.

Unexpectedly, the next moment she grabbed his hand and walked towards the other shelf.

Gen Tsukino has excellent hearing and can even hear the woman's mutterings behind him.

"You're young and pretty, so what? You're all filthy."

The sound of Sakuraba Yuki's resentful voice reached my ears.

"My neighbor is an old witch who is suspicious all the time. She can't keep an eye on her husband, so she suspects this and that. She is hostile to all pretty women."

"Hahaha, marriage really does change people beyond recognition."

Tsukino Gen said with a smile.

Sakuraba Yuki thought for a moment and looked at Tsukino Gen, "If I get married, will I become this kind of woman when I get old?"

"That won't happen."

The boy was resolute.

"why?"

"With a man like me backing you up, you don't need to lack confidence because of anything."

"Pfft. You call yourself a man? You're acting all grown up again."

She smiled and let go of his hand.

But crimson crimson crept up onto the ears.

Could he misunderstand what he just said?
What does "backing me up" mean next?
“Look, the fact that she immediately treated me as her boyfriend proves that in many people’s eyes, I am a man, not some boy who needs to be taken care of.”

"What nonsense about a boyfriend."

"What, you feel like you're getting the short end of the stick if I'm your boyfriend?"

"No, that's not it, I just..."

I was just about to explain something.

But she saw the boy's slightly mischievous look in his eyes.

And the carrot he was holding in his hand.

Then the woman couldn't say anything; her face turned redder than a carrot.

……

(End of this chapter)