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

"Well... she prefers peace and quiet and doesn't want to be disturbed. Besides, this kind of important treatment would put a lot of psychological pressure on her, so it's probably best if you don't go."

Ji Xiaolu was rambling on. He just didn't want Yukina to see Yoko and Kazusa, especially he didn't want the three of them to be together. He always felt that this would cause a lot of trouble out of nowhere.

"Oh...I see. I'm sorry for being so forward," Setsuna's voice sounded slightly disappointed, then she quickly asked, "Then, what about Kazusa's piano competition?"

"I guess we'll have to give up."

"Ah...what a pity, if we give up like this."

In fact, Setsuna doesn't need to feel sorry for Kazusa at all. No matter what, Yoko will take her to Vienna. Even if her trip to Vienna is delayed, she has her mother, Himekoji, a world-class piano master, tutoring her at home. So, a small piano competition within Chiba Prefecture is insignificant.

"Haruto-kun, you..."

"Yukina, you... never mind, you go first."

"Um, Haruto-kun, if you could come out, could you help me pick out a birthday present?"

"If you already know what your birthday present will be, then there's no point in being a surprise, is there?"

Setsuna's birthday is February 14th, which happens to be Valentine's Day.

"But it's very meaningful to pick out a gift with Haruto-kun, isn't it?"

"Ah... in that case, I'll go with you."

Setsuna's implication was that "what matters is not what the gift is, but who gives it." Himekoji understood this immediately, but he still chose to go, which was also due to his own considerations.

"Then, is it alright if we meet at XXXXXX at 1:30 PM tomorrow?"

"No problem, I'll arrive on time."

After hanging up the phone, Ji Xiaolu immediately felt like he had forgotten something, but what could it be...? He thought and thought, but he really couldn't remember. He guessed that the past few days had been too chaotic, causing his brain to break down.

Himekoji Haruto forgot nothing but that January 3rd was Yukino Yukinoshita's birthday. On that day, Yukino stayed at home obediently, waiting for the phone call that might or might not ring, and also waiting for his gift.

Chapter 296 Amazing! [Himekoji Daphne] has a secret plan.

"Sister Lingzi, what do you think I should wear today?"

Standing in front of the full-length mirror in her room, Himekoji spread her arms to the side and casually asked Reiko a question.

"As long as it suits you, little master Qingren, you can wear anything."

"However, I'm going to do something important today, something I've finally decided to do these past few days...something special."

Reiko helped Himekoji put on a very warm vest, then layered a beige casual shirt over it, fastened his belt, and finally draped a fitted dark blue trench coat over her own arm. She followed Himekoji out of the room, only helping him put it on after he reached the door. Miss Reiko then went ahead to get the car.

"Your clothes are a bit dark today, Haruto." Holding Duck, who was also wearing a warm fleece jacket, Himekoji's mother looked down at him from the wide steps of the main house and said, "Are you in a bad mood?"

"It's a bit complicated, Mother."

"I see... What are you planning to do? Visit that bastard Youko?"

“Damn it, Yoko…” Himeko muttered under her breath, then shook her head and said, “No, I’m going to meet a girl and pick out a birthday present for her. Mother, you’ve met her before. She’s the girl who used to rehearse songs with me and Kazusa at our house.”

"Ah...it's her," Ji Xiaolu's mother had to think for a while before she could remember her. She pointed to her lips and muttered a few words to herself, then gave Ji Xiaolu a bright smile and said, "Well then, good luck."

"Yes, Mother, please get some rest."

"I need a break, I'm resting every day. I sometimes want to go outside and have a snowball fight, but everyone tells me to rest. Waaah! I'm so unhappy!"

My mother immediately made a face, threw her handkerchief in frustration, and pouted as she complained.

"Gagaga..."

Haruto the duck seemed to be mocking his mother, quacking incessantly. Seeing this, Himeko couldn't help but feel fortunate that the duck didn't have ears that his mother could grab, otherwise, its ears that had been pulled off could probably make a dish.

Ji Xiaolu didn't quite see what his mother's lips looked like at the time. If he had, there was a high probability that he could have read Daphne's lips. She was thinking to herself: What a worthless girl.

That's why she hasn't thought of Setsuna yet; she's not interested at all and therefore won't pay any attention to her—in this respect, she's somewhat similar to Yukinoshita Haruno.

In the past five days, nothing romantic has happened between Himeko and Reiko. Their entanglement on New Year's Eve seems to have been treated as if it never happened, and they haven't mentioned it again. Perhaps it will happen again occasionally in the future, or perhaps her mother just wants Reiko to help Himeko practice. After all, in her plan, Kazusa will soon be sent to Himeko's bed. She has been controlling Himeko's life, and Himeko is well aware of this.

But he was powerless to resist, and there was no need to resist—the idea that he would have to go home and inherit the family fortune if he didn't pursue his hobbies was not an option for him; he had to inherit the family business, and there was no other choice he could make.

I'm going out.

"Be careful on the road."

His mother's blessings rang out behind him. As the main gate was slowly pushed open in front of Ji Xiaolu, a world of ice and snow unfolded before his eyes. The snow was quite thick; stepping into it almost buried his entire foot, making a squeaking sound as he walked. He was too lazy to ask the servants to lay carpets or anything like that in the snow; Ji Xiaolu wasn't that kind of extravagant person.

Miss Reiko's car was parked not far in front of them. In this weather, even Miss Reiko, an experienced driver, didn't dare to drive too fast, since the road was too slippery. However, there was no need to drive too fast. Because of the snow, the two of them had prepared early. They drove over at a leisurely pace and arrived at the agreed time.

Ji Xiaolu leaned against the car window, resting his chin on his hand, gazing thoughtfully at the snowflakes speeding behind the car. Miss Reiko glanced at him several times through the rearview mirror, finally unable to resist asking, "What is Master Haruto thinking about?"

"I'm wondering what my mother's so-called 'plan' really was."

"Oh, so that's what it was about. I didn't know either, but it must all be for Haruto's sake."

"That's true... Mother wouldn't harm me, but it always feels a little awkward to be kept in the dark."

"You were doing those embarrassing things with Miss Kazusa every day for the past few days, but you still said it felt a bit awkward. Master Haruto is being a little greedy."

After listening to what Miss Reiko said, Himeko felt that she must know something. As her mother's childhood playmate and ultimate confidante, it would be strange if she didn't know anything. But Himeko had no evidence, and even if she did, she couldn't force her to answer. Forcing her wouldn't help. Although Miss Reiko was a maid, she was more than just a maid.

"It's not that I can't control my desires, it's just that I find it strange..."

"It's alright. Young Master Qingren only needs to continue to improve himself and prepare to inherit the family business. You don't need to worry about anything else."

"Sigh... Parents are so capable, it can be a headache for children sometimes."

Ji Xiaolu scratched his white hair and gently pushed up his glasses. He hadn't worn his glasses much in the past few days because they were inconvenient when kissing or doing intimate things.

"Let me tell you a little secret, Master Haruto. Originally, Madam planned for you to marry your cousin in Vienna. That's right, the cousin you've only met a few times, Lucrecia de Borgia. But... haven't you heard much about her in recent years?"

"That's true... and Mother doesn't mention Auntie's things much anymore."

"There's nothing we can do about it. Lucrecia is going through something exactly like what happened to Mrs. Daphne back then. She got pregnant out of wedlock with a German banker, and she's already secretly married him."

"...Men and women of suitable age should sleep in the same bed. The common sense of the Borgia family is harmful!"

"That's why Madam had to change her plans... Oops, I let it slip."

Miss Reiko covered her mouth. Sure enough, Himeko knew that she must know the inside story. Yoko knew it too, and her father must know it too, but he just kept it from her.

Author's Note:

P.S.: Late-night updates may become the norm these next few days... Sorry.

Chapter 297 Something's not right, [Himekoji Haruto] suddenly remembered!

Himekoji's lips twitched slightly. She stopped asking about her mother's plans. Plans are plans, but life goes on. Reiko drove smoothly in the car, fitted with snow tires that provided excellent grip, and arrived in the city before the appointed time. She reached the shopping center where Himekoji and Setsuna had agreed to meet. Himekoji had been to this place many times before—it was BAY LaLaPort in Funabashi City.

The last time I came here was with Yukinoshita.

The car window reflected the anxious figure waiting a little distance from the door. Unlike Himekoji's dark outfit, Setsuna was wearing a light gray coat and thick tights. The collar and cuffs of her coat had fluffy, turned-up decorations, and she wore brown ankle boots, making her look playful, cute, and even more slender and tall. Setsuna wasn't wearing gloves and kept glancing at the passing traffic. She was stamping her feet and breathing on her hands to keep warm from the cold. It was unclear how long she had been waiting there, but her face was red from the cold.

On this snowy day, this meeting was somewhat unexpected for Himekoji. After temporarily parking, Himekoji got out of the car. Reiko drove the car to the parking lot. In the distance, Himekoji and Yukina looked at each other. Her eyes, which seemed to have been frozen, immediately brightened up like spring flowers blooming. She ran a few steps forward with joy and came to greet Himekoji.

Himekoji also took a few quick steps forward, and the two stood face to face. When Yukina was about to pounce on Himekoji, she stopped herself, because she also noticed that Himekoji did not open his arms to hug her.

Himekoji was still wearing the scarf that Kasumigaoka had knitted for him. He had turned back to get it before leaving his room. However, Setsuna naturally didn't know where the scarf came from. She just felt that the scarf was not very smooth in some places, and it didn't match his usual clothes.

"Sorry to keep you waiting. Honestly, what are you doing here so early, you idiot? Your face is all red from the cold."

Himekoji wanted to reach out and rub Yukina's cheek, but then he remembered that she was probably wearing makeup and that it would be troublesome if he rubbed her cheek. He stopped himself. Yukina's smile seemed a little stiff, whether because of the cold or because he stopped halfway.

"I've not seen Haruto-kun for a long time, so I'm really looking forward to seeing you."

Setsuna puffed out her cheeks, seemingly complaining about Himekoji instead.

"I'm sorry, I've been so busy lately, with all sorts of things to deal with. I only managed to get away yesterday." Himekoji nodded apologetically, but Setsuna immediately took his hand and led the way into the arena, saying as they walked, "Really, it's so cold outside. You've been talking outside all this time. Come on in with me."

Without any intention of letting go, Himekoji was pulled inside by her. The first thing they did was find a nice coffee shop. Himekoji's mother and Yoko were both very picky about coffee, especially Himekoji's mother. Born in Italy, she always looked down on coffee shops like Starbucks and had her own unique selection criteria. The shop that Himekoji took Setsuna to was one that both his mother and Yoko had said was pretty good.

Setsuna ordered a cappuccino, while Himekoji casually ordered juice. He doesn't like coffee and his mother used to lecture him about it a lot when he was a child.

After taking a couple of sips of hot coffee, Setsuna's body finally warmed up. She gently stomped her feet to relieve the numbness in her soles, then patted her cheeks lightly with her hands warmed by the coffee, revealing an expression of rebirth.

"Wow... it's so nice to stand in the cold wind for a while and then have a hot coffee."

"Standing for a short while is fine, but don't stay too long, or you'll freeze."

Himekoji rested her chin on her hand and stirred the juice in her glass with a straw, even though there wasn't much to stir.

"Well, I know that... Hey~ Whoosh, I've been preparing for this for a long time."

Yukina took out a folded map and guidebook about the shopping center from her bag. It seemed she had put a lot of effort into it. Himekoji, on the other hand, got a headache as soon as he saw the guidebook. He was more easygoing and thought that sometimes it was pointless to deliberately make a guidebook. The things you go through so much trouble to buy might not be as appealing as a small item that catches your eye at first glance. You wouldn't have the strange thought, "Why did I buy this?"

"A shopping guide... It seems Setsuna has quite a few shops you want to visit."

"Hehe, since Haruto-kun is with me, of course I have to shop around more. How can I not seize this opportunity?"

"...However, I don't really like following a travel guide. Can we be a little more spontaneous?"

Himeko thought to herself: "My life's major direction has already been planned out, and now even these small things in life are restricted by all sorts of rules. This kind of life is too difficult! Are they trying to kill me?!"

Himekoji's words startled Yukina. This was a "perfect strategy" that she had prepared for many days, and even stayed up all night last night to check for any omissions. However, she never expected that such a strategy would be rejected by Himekoji with just one sentence.

After all, she still didn't understand Himekoji well enough.

If it were Kazusa, she'd probably roll dice with Himekoji to decide which shop to go to when she comes to a place like this.

"Well... okay," Yukina suppressed her disappointment, put the guide back into her bag, hugged her small crossbody bag, and said in a low voice with a wronged look, "But there are a few shops I really want to go to."

From childhood to adulthood, the number of times Setsuna's requests were rejected by boys can be counted on one hand, and more than half of those rejections came from Himekoji, the boy in front of her.

"Ah, of course I'd be happy to oblige."

Himekoji would be happy as long as the route wasn't planned too rigidly.

"Yay~~"

Setsuna smiled adorably and made a peace sign. Himekoji smiled faintly and drank most of her juice.

After finishing their drinks, the two left the coffee shop and took the elevator directly to the top floor. They then wandered down floor by floor. Yukina said that there was a shop she really wanted to visit that was on the top floor. But as the elevator rose and they got further and further away from the ground, Himekoji, who was in a similar situation, suddenly thought of Yukinoshita.

BAY LaLaPort, Yukino Yukinoshita, birthday present... birthday, present—?

I think... I've remembered something I forgot.

Himeko rubbed his temples and pursed his lips. Setsuna was happily whispering something in his ear, but he didn't hear a word she said.