I practiced as a monk alone in Japan.

Chapter 52 The Taste of Lies (Seeking monthly votes~)

come over?

It's like training a dog.

She really thinks she's a sadist, doesn't she?

Gen Tsukino didn't sense any particular fetish in that girl; she probably felt that using this method would make her appear to have control over everything.

Who would crave constant control over everything around them?

Gen Tsukino didn't dwell on the question too much. He picked up his schoolbag and abandoned his plan to go straight home after school.

"Hey, Tsukino, where are you going? Want to play ball?"

Akihiko Miura joined the basketball club; his skill level is unknown, but he was full of enthusiasm.

Gen Tsukino shook his head. "I have other things to do."

"What do you want? You don't even have a club."

“Who said there wasn’t? Now there is.” The boy stopped at the classroom door, turned around, and looked at Miura Akihiko.

Akihiko Miura's eyes widened as if he had heard some unbelievable news.

"You joined a club? What club!"

He immediately moved closer, but Tsukino Gen pulled away in obvious disgust.

"Keep your voice down, it's not a big deal."

"It might not be a big deal for others, but for you it's quite shocking. You actually joined a club? You're starting to crave a rosy youth too?"

Standing at the classroom door shouting about rosy youth, Tsukino Gen felt that even with his abstract thinking, he couldn't possibly do something like that.

Goodness, many people who heard the sound have already looked over, their eyes filled with a complex smile.

Gen Tsukino had a bit of a headache.

"Is the word 'shocking' even appropriate here? Okay, that's all for now, I'm leaving."

"Wait! You still haven't told me which club you joined! I want to join too! I want to join too!"

Go to hell.

You think you're a buddy? He doesn't know yet why Asagiri Rin changed her mind and let him join, but he's certain that this girl would never let Miura Akihiko join.

It wasn't that I was belittling the boy, but Asagiri Rin wouldn't hold back her words against just anyone.

Tsukino Gen arrived in front of the building where the activity rooms were located, preparing to step inside.

"Tsuno-kun."

A familiar voice called out to the boy.

Gen Tsukino looked over and saw a girl with medium-length hair, delicate and sophisticated features, and a gentle smile like a spring breeze walking towards him.

"Saionji-senpai?"

The girl I met in the photography club before wasn't the senior student, but the friend that Asagiri Rin mentioned had helped her.

Saionji smiled and looked at Tsukino Gen, "So Tsukino-kun still remembers me."

Gen Tsukino laughed and said, "I just saw you yesterday. My memory isn't that bad."

Saionji shook his head and said, "That's different. For example, Rin can turn her head and forget who the person is as soon as she turns away from them, even if she just saw them."

The moment he opened his mouth, he mentioned Asagiri Rin, which made Tsukino Gen slightly wary. It seemed that it wasn't just a simple chance encounter and a greeting.

Perhaps because of Asagiri Rin's previous reminder, the other person's gentle smile no longer seems so innocent.

"Really? I don't know about these things."

Gen Tsukino's answer was simple, but Saionji took a step closer, allowing Gen to clearly smell the warm fragrance emanating from the girl.

In fact, Tsukino Gen has always felt that, more than visual appeal, the allure of scent is even more irresistible. Everyone has their own unique scent, which may not be as simple as just a choice based on hormones.

She smiled and looked up, "Are you being so distant, Tsukino-kun, deliberately trying to distance yourself from Rin?"

"I don't understand what you mean, senior."

Saionji smiled sweetly, "My name is Saionji Karen, you can call me Karen too, senpai sounds too formal."

Is there any need for us to get closer? Tsukino Gen's expression remained flawless.

"That would be too offensive. It's better to call her Saionji-senpai."

Saionji didn't insist; she took the initiative and started walking into the stairwell.

Tsukino Gen was already on her way to the activity room, but the two ended up walking side by side, like close friends. In reality, they had only met yesterday.

“I think Tsukino-kun is a very smart person, so you probably understand that sometimes people who are prickly can only push away the people they care about because they are afraid of hurting them.”

Gen Tsukino looked at the stairwell where people occasionally passed by, his voice calm.

"I don't really understand this approach, and in fact, I don't have much patience most of the time."

Saionji smiled and looked at Gen Tsukino, "What if that's the only way to protect everyone?"

“Too arrogant.” Tsukino Gen glanced at her. “Why does she think everyone should be protected and follow her way?”

Saionji nodded.

"By the way, the photos have been developed, and the literary society is very satisfied. You should be able to see the finished publication soon. Would you like me to give you a copy?"

Gen Tsukino did not refuse. Unlike Rin Asagiri, he did not reject everything, even normal interpersonal interactions, in order to be indifferent.

"Then I'll have to trouble you, senior. I'm also very curious about what the photos will look like."

Saionji nodded. "To be honest, I even wanted to use that photo as my phone wallpaper after it came out; it's so perfect. By the way, I have a fully edited photo on my phone now. Do you want it? I can send it to you."

"Ok?"

"Do you have Self? Let's add each other as friends." Tsukino Gen realized that this seemed to be a pre-planned little combo.

It's amazing that she could say it so naturally, without showing any embarrassment, as if it really was just a spur-of-the-moment idea, and there was no reason for her to feel guilty.

Gen Tsukino took out his phone, added the other person as a friend, and then looked at them.

"Does the senior always ask for your contact information so naturally?"

Saionji glanced at Gen Tsukino, then covered her mouth and chuckled softly.

"Why did you say it even though you already saw it, Tsukino-kun? Are you trying to make me feel embarrassed?"

"No, I just wanted to confirm."

"There's nothing to confirm, after all, most of the girls in this school agree that no girl can resist Tsukino-kun's charm, so of course I would like to become friends with Tsukino-kun."

Is it just about wanting to be friends?
Gen Tsukino wasn't disappointed by the situation, but the way the other person spoke so casually suggested it was highly unlikely. It wasn't that he was narcissistic enough to believe the other person had ulterior motives; the problem likely lay with Rin Asagiri.

There was no evidence, just a pure intuition.

I just added them as friends and a photo was sent to me.

It's a photo of Asagiri Rin holding an umbrella, with herself under it. The background was edited to appear as a blurred forest, and rain effects were added. It's not the kind of cheap, obviously fake work.

The horizontal lines are handled quite well, but the most important thing is the two people in the picture.

At a glance, you can tell that Asagiri Rin has a very cold and aloof temperament, and is simply an untouchable high mountain flower.

And then there's Gen Tsukino, whose warm smile is like a ray of sunshine in the rain.

As Saionji said when he took this photo, it looks like two people with stark contrasts are under the same umbrella, creating a very peculiar atmosphere.

Different expressions, like different worlds, yet they are very close, as if they are always on the verge of merging.

However, there is absolutely no substantial evidence to prove that all of this is a photograph that inspires imagination and provides visual enjoyment.

"How about it?"

Saienji asked.

Tsukino Gen nodded. "It's really good. I didn't know you were this good, senior."

Saionji smiled. "It has little to do with my skill level. It's mainly because you two are so perfect for the job. How should I put it? If a photographer's job is to discover beauty, then you and Rin are inherently beautiful and impossible to ignore. You don't need to be discovered."

Gen Tsukino knew, of course, that his most attractive quality was his appearance, but being told it so directly to his face made him feel a little embarrassed.

"Is it really that easy for a senior to compliment someone? It makes me feel a little embarrassed."

"Pfft. Why beat around the bush when praising someone? If you think it's good, it's good; if you think it's bad, it's bad. I'm not stingy with my praise, and that's probably why I can be friends with Rin."

She placed the hand holding the phone behind her back, and her other hand gripped her wrist.

She walks with a light and airy gait, her medium-length hair bouncing on her shoulders, giving off a relaxed and carefree vibe.

Upon reaching the second floor, Tsukino Gen stopped.

"I'm going to the activity room now, goodbye senior."

Saionji nodded. "Yes. By the way, how are things going with Rin? I don't mean anything by it, but Rin doesn't like to talk to people about her situation. She always feels that it's a way of protecting herself. It leaves those who want to care about her feeling helpless, so I wanted to ask you."

Gen Tsukino thought for a moment and said, "I feel fine, it's within the normal range. Besides, I don't usually interact with her much, we're not even in the same class, so I don't know more about her situation."

"I see. If there is anything unusual, please let me know as soon as possible."

This request seems normal, but it's actually strange.

I can barely call my relationship with Asagiri Rin a friendship. She clearly has more time and opportunities to get to know me, right?
However, Tsukino Gen didn't voice his doubts, but simply nodded, "Yes, I'll try my best."

The girl waved her hand, knowing it was pointless and wouldn't necessarily lead to anything, and went upstairs briskly.

Tsukino Genya walked towards activity room 215.

Open the door.

Rin Asagiri was inside, in the same spot, with a bottle of mango juice beside her on the table. The girl, looking down at her phone, had her face slightly turned to the side, her long, straight black hair cascading down, partially obscuring her features.

She looks like a villain from an anime who is deeply hidden, beautiful, and dangerous.

Gen Tsukino came in and closed the door. The girl didn't even look up, as if she hadn't noticed anything at all.

The boy sat down nearby and looked at her.

"Why is there only one bottle? Where's mine?"

Asagiri Rin looked up and met the other person's familiar look of disdain.

"Shouldn't you have a share?"

"Of course, I'm a member of your club now. If you don't treat me well, I can leave at any time."

That makes me angry.

Asagiri Rin said irritably, "If you're going to leave, then leave now. Nobody's going to stop you."

Gen Tsukino did not answer that question, and the brief silence made Rin Asagiri's heart skip a beat.

Could he really be gone?

Looking up, I saw the boy twitching his nose, as if he had smelled something in the air.

Her gaze turned disgusted and even nauseous.

"What are you smelling? You're acting like a pervert."

Tsukino Gen said with a smile, "I smell a lie."

"Tsukino Gen!"

……

I had a fever of 38.7 degrees Celsius, and I'm amazed at how I pulled through. But while I was sick, I also became stronger. My writing is in top form, and after these few chapters, I'll make you all soar!
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(End of this chapter)