I, the mastermind behind the scenes at Soubu High, refuse to be caught in a bloodbath.

Himeko forced a smile. The school festival was next semester's event, but since Kitahara Haruki was going to join the club, it meant that the gears of fate had begun to slowly turn.

However, you can forget about harming Kazusa from my grasp.

"Then, Kitahara-senpai, please hand in your application form and, while you're at it, fill in your name in the member section of this original document."

Himekoji took the application form from him, then handed him the original document establishing the light music club. Kitahara Haruki quickly filled out the form, thanked him, and the two took their leave. As they were leaving, Himekoji overheard him muttering to Iizuka Takeya, "Strange, I've never met the student council president before, so how come he knew my name right away..."

"Because you and Kasumigaoka have always been tied for first place in the entire grade, haha!"

Iizuka flicked him on the forehead.

Himekoji had always suspected that Iizuka was in love with Kitahara. He broke up with his girlfriend on the spot after she spoke ill of Kitahara in front of him. Could it be that he was searching for the female image of Kitahara in his mind by having so many girlfriends? It's terrifying to think about.

"what happened?"

Kasumigaoka moved closer and asked in a low voice.

"Shiyu, do you know Kitahara Haruki?"

"I don't know much about it. After all, I'm in Class C and he's in Class E. Instead of asking me, you should ask Touma-san."

"Ask her... she probably doesn't even know Kitahara Haruki's name."

"Huh? I think they're at the next table."

"Hachiman Hikigaya of the Service Club doesn't even know that the person sitting in front of him is Saika Totsuka. It's probably not hard to understand why Kazusa doesn't know Haruki Kitahara. But, Utaha."

Himekoji's swivel chair turned slightly to face her.

"ha...?"

"I'm planning to find a way to transfer Kazusa to Class C. Can you help me take care of her?"

"I don't think I can do it, Inspiration Guy, this is just too much for me."

Kasumigaoka pouted, crossed her arms, and looked unhappy.

"Yes, I'm sorry to have put you in such a difficult position."

Himeko said somewhat irritably, "From both a moral and logical standpoint, Himeko would not hand Kazusa over to Kitahara Haruki. Judging from the current situation, Yoko-nee would not agree either."

"It's okay~" She smiled again, pulling Himekoji's head close to her chest as she sat in the chair, saying, "Hmph, I need to replenish my inspiration energy! In the quiet, dimly lit student council room, a lost, delicate upperclassman and a domineering young student council president enjoy a moment of entanglement on a swivel chair..."

"Hey hey hey hey!!"

Himekoji sensed that Kasumigaoka was losing control of herself, so she quickly called for a stop.

With the weekend approaching, Himekoji received a text message on Friday afternoon from Kazusa, which read as follows.

"I won't go home tonight; I'll wait for you in the music room."

She didn't join any clubs or departments. Apart from her class, the second music room was her second home. She could be said to be the owner of the second music room. This room was almost entirely allocated to her for use. One important reason was that Touma Yoko herself was also one of the school's board members and had invested a lot of money in the school. She was capable of wielding this much power.

Well, it certainly looked like an email that could make any boy's heart flutter, but after reading it, Himeko could only smile wryly. It was really difficult to persuade her mother to draw for someone else. Apart from that person, Himeko would have to sign an unequal treaty with her mother to ask her to draw for Kazusa. It would probably be something like cooking a meal by hand. Her mother wouldn't make things too difficult for her in this regard. The key thing that gave Himeko a headache was the matter of taking her to Hakone on Sunday. She probably wouldn't be back that night, so she would have to get up early the next day to change into her school uniform and take the bus to school together.

It would be best to schedule the drawing class for Saturday morning, then take her to Hakone in the afternoon and come back on Sunday.

After deleting the email, Ji Xiaolu rushed to her office and got to work. She couldn't keep the girl waiting; this was something her mother had always emphasized to her. Whenever she thought of this, Ji Xiaolu felt a slight pain in her prominent ears. From childhood, because of her training, she had made her mother wait...

"The president seems unusually quiet today, and his work efficiency has also become much higher."

Ju, who was sitting closest to him, said with considerable surprise.

"Is that so? Perhaps."

Himekoji answered casually. Kasumigaoka calmly watched him for a while, then finished all his work first, closed his laptop, and said, "Excuse me, everyone, I'll take my leave now."

See you next week, Kasumigaoka-senpai.

Everyone greeted her warmly, and she forced a smile before quickly leaving.

At the other end of the student council room was the music room. Almost every day, when they were working in the student council room, they were accompanied by the sound of piano music, sometimes passionate, sometimes melodious, with exquisite variations and skillful fingering. This mysterious pianist had been speculated about many times, but Himekoji had never mentioned that it was Kazusa.

However, the fact that he didn't mention it doesn't mean that Kasumigaoka was unaware of it.

After leaving the student council room, Kasumigaoka leaned against the door with her head down for a while. The music today was different from other times. The pianist was playing the same piece over and over again, endlessly repeating it. The rapidly pressing keys were like sand in an hourglass. Every time a piece was finished and the sand ran out, the hourglass was turned over to start the timer again. Although comparing playing the piano to playing an hourglass to keep track of time is a bit awkward, Kasumigaoka just had that feeling for some reason.

That person was waiting for him, that person was very anxious, and that person poured all that anxiety into the music.

"Where are those two going... Friday afternoon, ah, I'm really wondering."

Kasumigaoka rubbed his forehead and caught his breath for a while before leaving the wooden door and heading towards the second music room.

Unlike usual, the second music classroom was unlocked today. Through the frosted window, a familiar yet unfamiliar figure could be seen bending over and playing music in the honey-colored, golden classroom.

The white gauze curtains by the half-open window fluttered incessantly, like a young girl's skirt, as if a woman were dancing to the music, the shadows flowing across the ground like dance steps, leaping with the notes.

The phrase "childhood sweethearts" alone made Kasumigaoka, who was always full of confidence, feel powerless. She had no chance to turn back time, and even if she did have that ability, she would not have had the opportunity to meet Himekoji when she was a child.

Author's Note:

PS: Regarding the protagonist's mother's name, her full name is Himekoji Daphne Borgia, which is the same as Soryu Asuka Langley's. The first part is her father's Japanese surname, the middle part is her given name, and the last part is her family name. The Borgia family, to which she belonged, had actually become extinct by the mid-18th century. It was a wealthy, mafia-like family, originally from Spain, tracing its lineage back to the Aragonese royal family. The family produced three popes and was active during the Renaissance, being the most powerful family in Italy at the time, making significant contributions to the Renaissance. (They are also active in the famous Assassin's Creed series of games.)

In addition, his family is notorious for adultery, selling clergy, theft, rape, bribery, incest, and murder.

A contemporary ancestor of the family, Cesare Borgia, ruled almost the entirety of Italy and conversed with figures like Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo. These events have been the subject of French and American dramas, novels, and more. I personally prefer the French dramas and the novels written by Alexandre Dumas, and I recommend them to everyone. In the book, this family has not yet died out and continues to this day—and remains very powerful.

By the way, Cesare Borgia in the French drama is absolutely stunning!! He perfectly embodies the description of a devil with an angelic face.

Chapter 027 Unable to Win, [Himekoji Haruto] Seems to Like Her More.

To put it bluntly, her meeting with him was purely accidental in her eyes. It was nothing more than him discovering the childish, playful writings she wrote on her blog, sending her an outline via email to support her writing, and then meeting her again at the Jingba bar.

What kind of person was he? Kasumigaoka, who was a junior high school student at the time, often thought this way when he picked up his pen to create according to his outline.

Perhaps he is a learned scholar, a refined gentleman in his thirties with a scholarly air and wearing gold-rimmed glasses? Or perhaps she is a slightly older female Chinese literature teacher who has a fondness for young men? Or maybe she is simply a chuunibyou high school student who hopes someone will realize his ideas and has given her his outline in order to see what kind of story it will turn into... Kasumigaoka doesn't know what kind of person he is.

Reading a book is like having a spiritual conversation with an author, while creating a work based on someone else's outline is like constantly feeling that person right beside you, guiding you step by step, making you suddenly enlightened and exclaiming, "Oh, so this is how it should be done!"

He was like a third guardian to Kasumigaoka, watching over her growth and development without her even realizing it. He was happy for her achievements and heartbroken for her tears. This went on for two years, and Kasumigaoka began to desperately want to see him.

Kasumigaoka was overjoyed after being invited to the Misteri Bar by him. She wore her best clothes and even asked her mother for makeup tips. After getting fully dressed, she rushed there. However, that day, apart from the waiters, there was only a young pianist of about her age at the Misteri Bar. There were no other customers. Kasumigaoka waited anxiously. During this time, the pianist ordered her a warm cup of coffee, and then no one bothered her. The melodious piano music echoed in the empty bar. It was the popular song "White Album" from a while ago.

"Where are you? I've been waiting for you at the Misterly Bar."

Kasumigaoka sent an email to the person who had been secretly supporting her.

"Right beside you, always."

He replied in this way, and at the same time, Kasumigaoka noticed that the pianist's music had stopped, and he was holding his phone, smiling faintly and waving at him.

Emerging from her reverie, Kasumigaoka discovered that the piano music in the second piano room had stopped. Just as she was wondering what was going on, the classroom door was suddenly flung open, and she was slightly startled when she met Touma Kazusa's cold eyes.

"What brings you here, Class C's Kasumigaoka?" Touma asked bluntly. "You've been loitering in front of this door for over ten minutes now."

"I..." Kasumigaoka was speechless. She wanted to escape. She always wanted to escape when facing this woman. She had no choice but to escape.

I can't compare to her, I can't compare to her, I can't compare to her, I can't compare to her, I can't compare to her, I can't compare to her, I can't compare to her, I can't compare to her, I can't compare to her, I can't compare to her, I can't compare to her, I can't compare to her, I can't compare to her, I can't compare to her, I can't compare to her.

"If there's nothing else, leave. I'm really annoyed by being stared at."

After saying that, she closed the door again, not giving Kasumigaoka any time to explain. Kasumigaoka, who seemed to want to say something but hesitated, reached out her hand towards the music room, then bit her lip weakly and withdrew her hand. Step by step, she slowly walked down the steps.

The piano music started again, it was the same familiar song, "White Album," a familiar tune, a familiar melody, but played by an unfamiliar pianist.

About twenty minutes later, Ji Xiaolu's phone, which was on the table, started vibrating incessantly. At first, he thought it was a phone call, but he soon realized that it was not a phone call, but rather a series of identical emails being sent to him.

Content: So slow, so slow, so slow, so slow, so slow, so slow, so slow, so slow, so slow, so slow, so slow, so slow, so slow, so slow, so slow, so slow, so slow, so slow, so slow, so slow.

"Alright, everyone, that's enough for today." Ji Xiaolu's eyelids twitched slightly as she said, "It's over. I'll be right there."

Everyone said "Thank you for your hard work" to each other, and Himekoji hurriedly left the room first. As soon as he stepped out, he noticed Kazusa peeking out from the second music classroom, secretly watching them. The ice on her face finally melted when she saw him come out, but it froze again in an instant. She pretended to be nonchalant and left the classroom, walking with Himekoji towards the stairs.

They walked in silence, silently passing the teaching building before arriving at the school's side gate. A car with black tint was already waiting there. Upon seeing them arrive together, a beautiful and mature maid stepped out of the car, opened the door for them, and invited them to get in.

"Phew—you're incredibly slow!"

As soon as Kazusa got in the car, she started complaining, leaving Himekoji speechless and a little embarrassed.

"Alright, Miss Suzune, please drive away."

"Ok."

The car started, and Kazusa leaned against the left door, staring indifferently at Himekoji. Unable to stand her gaze any longer, Himekoji swallowed and asked, "W-what's wrong?"

"fine."

She gave a soft hum and turned her head away.

"Unknown meaning..."

"Fool."

"..."

"puff."

The head maid, Suzune, sitting in the front, couldn't help but laugh, but the sight of Kazusa's furrowed brows reflected in the rearview mirror immediately shut her up.

Kazusa doesn't need to worry about not having clothes to change into after arriving at Himekoji's house. Aunt Daphne has excellent taste in clothing, and Kazusa's wardrobe is always stocked with a bunch of clothes that suit her. Sometimes Kazusa thinks she might as well just stay here forever, but that woman always makes a surprise visit every time she returns to Japan. Kazusa doesn't want to see her, so she has been staying outside.

"My little darling, what's wrong? You look so bitter and resentful."

The mother, who jumped up and down like a child upon seeing Kazusa, noticed her unusual behavior today.

“Aunt Daphne, ask him.”

Kazusa pouted and glanced sideways at Himekoji, who was standing to the side. Her mother immediately put her hands on her hips, swayed over, grabbed Himekoji's ear, and pulled him down to stand in front of Kazusa. Then her mother continued to ask him, "Tell me, what happened!"

"I..." Himekoji was about to speak when Kazusa interrupted, "Haruto kept me waiting all day..."

Chapter 028 So Embarrassing, [Himekoji Haruto] Barges into Mom's Art Studio

"Eh, Haruto? You—Aaaaaah!"

Just moments ago, Kazusa was surprised to hear Himekoji calling him Haruto again. But as soon as his mother heard Himekoji making the girl wait again, she immediately started pulling his ears up without any mercy, causing Himekoji to beg for mercy in pain.

"Pfft... Hahahaha."

Kazusa covered her mouth and chuckled for a long time as she watched his disheveled appearance.

Every time Ji Xiaolu touched his knife and fork during a meal at home, his mother would launch into a tirade, scolding him mercilessly. Ji Xiaolu ate his meal with utter disrespect, but there was nothing he could do. From childhood, Ji Xiaolu had dared to talk back to his father, argue with him, and even fight with him, but he never dared to disobey his mother. At most, he would keep quiet about anything he knew, preferring death to speaking out. (For example, about why he hadn't come home the Saturday night before last.)

Dad was so busy every day that Ji Xiaolu could only see him a few times a month, but Mom waited for him to come home every day, then gave him a hug in her best condition and kissed his cheek.