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

Hiratsuka Shizuka didn't specifically remind anyone, and Himekoji didn't need to explain anything. In the silent night, only a seed was gradually planted in Hiratsuka Shizuka's heart, waiting to take root and sprout.

The next day, when Himekoji woke up, Hiratsuka Shizuka was still fast asleep. He took a shower, got dressed, and sat by Hiratsuka Shizuka's bedside, gently smoothing her messy bangs. He watched her sleeping face calmly until she woke up.

Then Himekoji was almost sent flying by a punch, but luckily he dodged it.

"To hit someone right after waking up is so unladylike!"

"It's all because of you... What are you trying to do by suddenly appearing by my bedside! Ugh... My head hurts so much. Don't mistake me for the person I was last night! The Hiratsuka Shizuka under the influence of alcohol isn't the real Hiratsuka Shizuka!"

"...What do you mean by suddenly running to your bedside? I've been sitting there for over an hour, just watching you. Phew—, Ms. Hiratsuka, did your ex-boyfriend really not break up with you because of domestic violence?"

(Hiratsuka Shizuka had several boyfriends, but later those men all turned into gigolos, moving into her house under the guise of marriage, and then emptying the house when she wasn't looking, finally sending her only an email to tell her 'Let's break up.')

"...I'm going to cry, I'm really going to cry, I'll cry for you!"

Hiratsuka Shizuka pulled the blanket over her face and sobbed, but the sound of her sobbing was so fake.

"If you're so capable, then add 'You'll have to take responsibility' to the end!"

“Last night is over, some things… are better forgotten.” Hiratsuka Shizuka calmed down, turned around, peeked out, rubbed her temples, and said, “Let everything that should have happened or shouldn’t have happened fade away with the night.”

What if I suddenly feel a little regretful?

"To educate you according to what you always say, it means that there is no such thing as regret in this society. Regret is useless in the adult world, and I guess it's useless in the world of minors too."

"Ah...of course I know that. Regret is useless, but the reason I still said it is to let you, Hiratsuka-sensei, know how I feel. You just need to know...I believe you can understand."

Himekoji sat back down on the edge of Hiratsuka Shizuka's bed, leaning against her back. Hiratsuka Shizuka stretched out her right hand from under the covers and clasped Himekoji's hand tightly together.

"To believe that others can understand you is, first and foremost, a form of arrogance."

"I'm sorry, but I can be an arrogant person sometimes."

"Hmph, you little cricket brat."

Himekoji didn't continue the conversation. He took Hiratsuka Shizuka's hand and kissed it lightly. Hiratsuka Shizuka visibly trembled slightly for a moment. Then he gently released her hand, got up, and went to the projection room, which was separated from the bed by a wall, before saying, "Hiratsuka-sensei, it's time to take a shower and change your clothes. The Cinderella story is over."

She should have gone to the restroom, but Himekoji didn't want to bring up such an awkward topic.

"What an...unlovable brat."

Hiratsuka Shizuka shook her head and sighed softly. She got up and went to the bathroom. Himekoji casually flipped through the books, her mind a little chaotic. She couldn't concentrate on reading and finally, in frustration, she closed all the books together and threw them back on the bookshelf.

Himeko was taking a nap on the sofa with her eyes closed. There was a rustling sound of Hiratsuka Shizuka getting dressed, but he didn't bother to go around and take a look. After a while, she came to his side, still barefoot, and casually leaned against the armrest of the sofa, resting her chin on her hand, and said, "Do you think this is okay?"

"If you think this is good, then that's good."

"Sulking won't do any good."

“It’s not out of spite, it’s just out of respect for you. You can think of it as good upbringing.”

"Tch," Hiratsuka Shizuka rolled her eyes and said, "I thought I could make fun of you."

"Anyway, roughly..." Himekoji was only halfway through his sentence when Hiratsuka Shizuka kissed him. She cupped the white hair on the back of Himekoji's head and gave him a deep kiss, leaving him stunned. Then Hiratsuka Shizuka immediately turned her head and stood up, saying, "This is a 17th birthday present for you, and also a return gift for what happened last night... So, please don't worry about it anymore. See you on Monday."

Hiratsuka Shizuka left without looking back or hesitating. Perhaps even if she did hesitate, Himekoji wouldn't know, and wouldn't know.

A 17th birthday present! Sometimes, age really is an insurmountable gap.

Author's Note:

PS: Fourth update.

Chapter 093: A Bit Annoying, [Touma Kazusa] Doesn't Want to Take Tutoring

With final exams approaching in July, activities in both the student council and various clubs have become less structured, with everyone focused on studying. Meanwhile, the ever-restless mother is complaining to Himekoji.

"Hmph, Haruto, your grades are good enough to get you into the international private tutoring class, but Kazusa's grades won't cut it," Mom said, lying on Himekoji's bed with her pet duck, Haruto, tossing it up and catching it again and again. People have parties who toss the demons and parties who toss the moon, Mom, are you a duck-tossing party? Before Himekoji, who was playing the violin, could reply, she added, "Go and call Kazusa over so you can tutor her."

"Mom, how did you find out about Kazusa's grades?"

Himekoji is currently playing "Toi Sora" (遠い空). Perhaps because this is the world of anime and manga, most anime and manga works do not exist. Instead, there are other things that Himekoji has never heard of. "Toi Sora" was originally a piece for guitar, violin, and piano, but now that no one is playing with Himekoji, he can only play the revised version.

"These things can be easily investigated. Oh, right, what was the name of that girl who stayed at our house one night a while ago? Kasumigaoka Uta?"

"It's Shiyu..."

"Yes, that's right. Anyway, it's this child. Let's invite her to study too. But, our house is a bit far. It seems better if we go to Kowasa's house together."

It's not just a bit far; it takes more than ten minutes to drive from home to the city center, and that's with absolutely speeding.

"Mom, you seem to have been talking to yourself the whole time..."

"Because I'm really worried about Kazusa's grades. I really don't know what that bastard woman (Touma Yoko) was thinking... She completely neglected her child's upbringing, and now Kazusa's piano skills have gotten rusty. Did she fire her piano teacher?"

"yes..."

"This won't do. Forget it, grades are important too. Haruto, call Kazusa for me. I need to say a few words to her."

The reason my mom made these arrangements is that she doesn't know how to use a smartphone. Well, not to mention smartphones, she doesn't even know how to use a non-smartphone. At home, we only have those rotary landline phones.

"Okay..." Himeko stopped playing, dialed Kazusa's number, and handed the phone to her mother. She turned it over and over several times before Kazusa answered and realized she was holding it upside down again. So she held the duck in one hand and the phone upside down in the other.

"It's me... Is there something you need?"

"Little Kazusa, it's me, Aunt Daphne~"

"Oh, it's you! It's been a long time. How have you been?"

"Of course I'm fine, how could anything be wrong? But what are you doing right now, Kazusa?"

"Practicing the piano... there's nothing else to do."

"Besides that, there are other things you have to do, right? Like studying, preparing for final exams, and so on."

"That kind of thing... has basically been abandoned."

"Daphne, I think you can't give up! So I've got two tutors to help you with your studies! Haha!"

"Gah...?"

"Haruto in my arms just cried out... um, it's nothing."

"Haruto—? That duck?"

"Yeah... Anyway, don't change the subject. I've got a tutor to help you with your studies. You absolutely have to pass your final exams this time, or Aunt Daphne won't talk to you anymore!"

"That's a terrible threat. Did you hire a tutor for me?"

"That's about right. One is Haruto, and the other is Kasumigaoka Uta, a top student in your school's third year?"

"It's Shiyu... Mother, don't just talk to yourself! I haven't even called her anything yet."

"That's about it. I'll have Haruto come to your house right away."

"...Alright, since it's your kind offer, I can't refuse."

Kazusa spoke calmly, thinking to herself: If I could decline half of it...

"Wow, Haruto, why did you hang up the phone?"

"Give it to me, I'll hang up..." After Himekoji took the phone, she heard Kazusa laughing and scolding on the other end, "Idiot, you didn't even teach Aunt Daphne how to use a phone."

"My mom learning about these electronic gadgets is similar to how you learn math and physics..."

"I want you to manage."

With that, Kazusa hung up the phone. Just like high schools in China, Japanese high school students also need to choose their majors. However, the major selection in Japanese high schools starts in the third year. Kazusa had randomly chosen science with her eyes closed, while Kasumigaoka is actually a humanities school. Only her mother could have arranged such a ridiculous study group.

"So, Haruto, you should contact that Kasumigaoka Poetry student right now."

"Gah—?"

"It's Utaha!!"

Well, they're all pretty much the same.

Mom continued playing with the duck on Ji Xiaolu's bed. Ji Xiaolu was worried that the duck might poop on his bed. Worried, he called Kasumigaoka. She didn't listen to what Ji Xiaolu was saying at all and just said she would definitely come. Ji Xiaolu sighed silently, packed up his books, and said to his mother, "Mom, keep an eye on it and don't let the duck cause any trouble on my bed."

"Waaah... I pooped on it! I pooped on it!"

"...It seems I spoke too late."

Anyway, someone would handle it, so Ji Xiaolu ignored it for now. She slung her schoolbag over her shoulder and instructed the butler at the door, "Have Miss Reiko prepare the carriage, and then have someone clean up the mess on the bed..."

Today, Ms. Reiko prepared an Aston Martin. She was dressed in a business suit and even wore sunglasses. She leaned against the car with her legs crossed, looking very confident, waiting for Himekoji. Of course, Himekoji's family has more than one driver, but since Ms. Reiko taught Himekoji how to drive, the two have a good relationship, and Ms. Reiko usually drives him when they go out.

"So, young master Haruto, where shall we go today?"

"The Kasumigaoka Utaha family..."

"Ok."

She opened the car door for Ji Xiaolu and invited him to get in. Ji Xiaolu sat in the back seat, and she started the car.

"Speaking of which, young master Haruto, were you alone with Madam just now?"

"Yes."

"Then what's with cleaning the mess on the bed...? Something feels, cough, weird."

"My mom's ducks pooped something scary on my bed."

"Okay, fine."

Reiko then silently shut her mouth, but her shoulders continued to tremble as she laughed incessantly.

After arriving at Kasumigaoka's house, Himekoji got out of the car and rang the doorbell. A sudden commotion behind the door startled Himekoji. It turned out that her parents were making some kind of noise, while Kasumigaoka was trying to persuade them. Even when she opened the door, Kasumigaoka turned back to her parents with her schoolbag on her back and said, "I told you I'm going to a study session!"

Author's Note:

P.S.: This is the fifth update. There will be another five updates in about two or three hours, and another five updates a few hours later.

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PS2: The chapter crashed just now, please refresh it.

Chapter 094 Unexpectedly, [Touma Kazusa] refused to open the door.

"Speaking of which... Uncle and Aunt, is there some misunderstanding?"

"Well, it's alright if it's a misunderstanding, anyway, I'm already a woman you've abandoned, just a defective product you've played with...right?"

As soon as she closed the door, Kasumigaoka tiptoed toward Himekoji. Her pure eyes held a hint of wicked smirk. Dressed in casual clothes, she maintained a moderate level of exposure, with only her ever-present black stockings standing out.