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

Although she knew that it would definitely be Himekoji Haruto who went to the Himekoji family, the embarrassment of being humiliated by his mother last time was still fresh in her mind, and she had no intention of meeting anyone from the Himekoji family.

However, things do not go according to human will. Although Haruno repeatedly insisted that Yukino go, both her parents and Yukino were against it. She could not change her mother's decision, so she could only let the maids help her put on a yukata with a blank expression.

Wearing a yukata is more troublesome for women than for men. It's basically impossible for a woman to put it on by herself. Even if she could, she would still need someone to help her put it on.

It's fine for Haruno to go to the fireworks festival with her servants without any male companions, but Yukino wasn't invited by Himekoji.

She and her family all thought Yukino would be invited, but she wasn't.

If such a thing existed, she would have been sent away even if she objected, but she wasn't.

Even the identity of the young lady he invited is unclear (censored). The most likely candidate is the eldest daughter of the Gidou family, the student council vice president.

But she had to attend another event, so Yukinoshita's family lost their target again.

Miss Reiko naturally had to go out with Himekoji. At this time, Himekoji couldn't drive alone. After leaving the police station, Kazusa sincerely apologized to her. To Himekoji and Kazusa, she was like a caring older sister.

When it comes to summer, fireworks festivals are a must-see, just like how winter is associated with hot springs and snow. This sentiment is deeply ingrained in the minds of every Japanese person. With Kawasaki Taishi's vivid description, the Kawasaki family eagerly awaited the arrival of the boy who "for no apparent reason" was going to drive over to pick up their daughter for the fireworks festival.

"I already told you he's the student council president of our school. He's the one who helped me with my job and helped me schedule my time off."

Frustrated, Kawasaki frowned as he responded to his gossipy mother's words, raising his hands for her to wrap a white cloth called sarashi around his waist. This was necessary when wearing a yukata, to make his waist appear straighter and to prevent the soft yukata from deforming excessively when bending over.

"So what was the reason that the student council president wanted to help you with your job, give you time off, and take you to see the fireworks festival?"

The mother continued to press on, pulling up a white cloth and making Kawasaki circle around it repeatedly. There were still forty minutes until the time Himekoji had given her, and Kawasaki hadn't even put on makeup yet, so she was both anxious and impatient.

"He said I had helped him... Mom, could you please stop asking? I really don't understand what's going on."

"We're going to see the mayor later, aren't we?"

"That seems to be the case..."

"Oh, young master from a prestigious family, my Saki has grown up. It's finally time to give her away, sob sob—"

"Hey! Mom, don't say things like that! That guy and I... have absolutely no relationship whatsoever, we're practically nodding acquaintances... we've never even held hands."

"Duck, duck, look how red you are."

"Aaaaaahhhhhhh!! Mom, stop making things worse and help me get dressed!"

Wearing a yukata is quite troublesome, as mentioned before. After putting it on, you have to insert several hairpins into your tied-up hair (when I was wearing a yukata in Japan, I once thought they were chopsticks because some wooden hairpins really look like chopsticks... and their chopsticks are very exquisite, so I made a joke). After putting on the yukata, you also have to tie a sash called a "kikubi" (waistband) and tie a thin rope in the middle of it to hang a sachet and other accessories.

By the way, it's no longer the era of wearing yukata without underwear!

After putting on the yukata, the next step was the hectic makeup process. Kawasaki had almost never worn makeup before, only learning a few tricks when she was required to wear makeup for her night job at the Cesare Grand Hotel. So those skills were almost completely inadequate for this scene, and she was manipulated by her mother like a puppet, even having cherry blossom lipstick applied.

"Heh heh, that's it!"

The mother placed her hands on Kawasaki's shoulders, making her look at the dressing mirror with a proud expression.

"...No, she's just like my mom."

Even though Kawasaki always scoffed at the idea of ​​makeup, the result after her mother, who had clearly honed her skills over the years, shocked her. Was this really the same Kawasaki who usually dressed up as a carefree, delinquent girl? She was completely unrecognizable!

"Oh dear, it seems like it's almost time. Let's go wait in the living room."

Mom practically shoved Kawasaki, who kept stopping every two steps, into the living room, leaving all his younger siblings stunned.

"Sister, you're awesome!"

Kawasaki Taishi's eyes lit up as he gestured with both hands to her with thumbs up.

"Th...thank you."

Kawasaki was clearly even more embarrassed by her brother's words, her cheeks turned slightly pink, making her look exceptionally lovely, and her beauty mark under her eye added to her charm.

"I'll go and get you some wooden clogs."

Women's wooden clogs are very expensive. The more exquisite the craftsmanship, the more expensive they are. Not to mention the clogs, even the "straps" are ridiculously expensive. Indeed, women's money is the easiest to earn.

If you only consider the working hours and the money, Kawasaki's job is several times better than her parents' jobs. This is also an important reason why her family has always wanted to meet Himekoji. According to Kawasaki Taishi's report, he seems to be a very assertive guy, which makes her family even more eager to meet him.

Author's Note:

PS: This is the sixth update. Please give me some criticism.

PS2: Holy crap, even "I'm doing this" is a sensitive word!!! I'm about to vomit blood.

I wrote this sentence: He didn't even know which lady he had invited.

Chapter 135 Wearing a Yukata, [Kawasaki Saki] is second to none.

Almost at the exact moment the second hand struck 12, a black limousine, thanks to Reiko's skillful drifting, glided right up to the Kawasaki family's door. However, Himeko herself did not get out of the car; only Reiko, dressed in a fitted suit, got out. She took a few steps forward, arrived at the Kawasaki family's door, and rang the doorbell.

Almost at the same moment, the Kawasaki family's door was opened, and her parents and younger siblings all stood in the entryway staring intently at Miss Reiko, wondering, "Wasn't it supposed to be a boy?"

"Miss Izayoi..."

Ms. Reiko had taken Kawasaki to work at the hospital last time, so that she wouldn't have to rush to work by subway in the rain. Kawasaki was very grateful to her.

"Greetings, everyone," Miss Reiko said, taking off her sunglasses and bowing to the Kawasaki family. Then she looked up and said, "Haruto is already waiting for you in the car. Let's go now."

"Ah, okay..."

Kawasaki felt as if her legs were chained together, making every step difficult. But whenever she looked back at her family, the older members would smile and wave as if they were watching a good show. This made Kawasaki feel like she had thorns in her back. She practically gritted her teeth as she walked to the car. She didn't often wear wooden clogs and kimonos, so she seemed to have some difficulty moving around.

"haven't seen you for a long time."

As soon as she got on the bus, Himeko glanced at Kawasaki, who was feeling hot and blushing, and said...

"Long time no see... Ugh, today is really infuriating."

Kawasaki took out a small round fan and fanned himself, even though the car's air conditioning was already cool enough.

The new yukata she bought today is predominantly dark black, printed with vanilla and large hydrangea flowers. It looks very cool and refreshing. The small fan has a Doraemon making a face and sticking out its tongue, which is quite different from Kawasaki's usual attire. It's as if she's deliberately trying to act cute and innocent.

"When you're all dressed up, you're several levels above the average beauty."

"Ha... thank you."

Kawasaki subconsciously used his fan to partially cover his face.

"Lingzi, let's go. We'll probably see that person today... I wonder what her expression will be. I'm kind of looking forward to it."

"Ok!"

Miss Lingzi didn't say much, she just stepped on the gas and started the car.

"Who is that person?"

Have you heard of Yukinoshita's older sister, Yukinoshita Haruno?

"Huh, she has an older sister? This is the first time I've heard that."

"Well, I do have a rather annoying older sister. She got a scolding from my mom last time, so I guess she's not that bad-tempered now."

Himekoji couldn't help but laugh when she thought about that day.

The car started moving slowly. Because there was a lot of traffic on the road today, and many pedestrians were crossing the road, Ms. Lingzi drove relatively slowly. Many people were crowding towards the same subway station entrance, making it very congested. Among them, girls wearing yukatas were particularly eye-catching, but in such an exceptionally crowded situation, they were in a rather unfortunate situation.

"Thank you so much for picking me up today."

Looking at the poor girls who were so crowded that some even lost their wooden clogs, Kawasaki said with a sense of relief.

“If I let you take the subway, my mother will beat you to death when you get back, no doubt about it.”

"Hahaha... Your mother is so strict."

During this pointless conversation, the three of them arrived at one end of the plaza where they would watch the fireworks display. Unlike other areas that were crowded with people, this place was quite spacious. It was separated from other areas by a conspicuous barrier, which clearly marked the paid area and the VIP area. The VIP area was located in a place with a slightly better viewing experience. To enter the VIP area, you had to buy a ticket first, but you could not enter the VIP area simply by buying a ticket.

Looking out the car window, Yukinoshita Haruno was smiling and shaking hands with the mayor of Chiba and other relevant people in the VIP area. Himekoji pointed to her and said to Kawasaki, "Look, that's Yukinoshita Haruno."

She was wearing a dark blue yukata with a pattern of large lilies and autumn grass, and the outfit itself gave off a cool feeling.

The two got out of the car together. Ms. Reiko drove the car to the reserved parking space. Kawasaki hid very awkwardly next to Himekoji, while Himekoji smiled and said to her, "Be confident. Show the arrogant attitude you usually have at school. Now you are not just Kawasaki Saki, but also my female companion, Himekoji Haruto."

Even if you say that...

Kawasaki swallowed hard, forcing himself to act as usual, but he was still reserved. Himekoji moved his left arm toward her and said, "Let's hold hands."

"Ah."

Kawasaki grabbed him without complaint, and the two walked to the vicinity of the cordon. Himekoji handed the invitation to the inspectors, and they were simply let in without even being checked.

Meanwhile, Yang Nai and the others she had to greet also noticed the commotion. Himekoji's striking white hair was as eye-catching as Sirius in the night.

So he began to skillfully deal with those people one by one, and introduced his female companions along the way. Kawasaki himself hardly said a word; it was all Himekoji who did the talking. It took Himekoji more than ten minutes to finish everything, and Himekoji felt his hands were sore.

Yukino returned to her seat, resting her chin on her hand and staring at him with a complicated expression. Noticing this gaze, Himekoji led Kawasaki over.

"It's been a long time, young lady of the Yukinoshita family. How have you been?"

Himekoji gestured to Kawasaki to indicate that she no longer needed to hold his arm, but the guy was too nervous to notice Himekoji's hint.

"Haruto-kun, don't be so formal. Just call me Haruno, or Haruno-chan too~. This is a special privilege for you."

"Let's skip this kind of preferential treatment," Himekoji looked around and asked deliberately, "It seems that Miss Haruno didn't bring a male companion."

"I was waiting for Haruto, but he brought this girl instead. I'm so sad, waaaaah—"

She covered her face and pretended to cry, but the corners of her mouth kept turning up. Kawasaki instinctively got goosebumps when he saw this.

“Is that so? But I’m sorry, I still think my chosen partner is better,” Himekoji said, pulling Kawasaki along as they turned and walked towards the general area. With her back turned, she waved and said, “Please give my regards to Yukinoshita when you get back.”

Yang did not respond further.

"Aren't you going too far by doing this?"

After leaving the VIP area, despite the crowds, Kawasaki breathed a sigh of relief and even gently pulled up his collar to cool down.

Author's Note:

PS: Seventh update, please give me some criticism.

Chapter 136 Visiting the Festival, [Touma Kazusa] Not to Be Left Behind

"Too much? Not at all. She's not the kind of woman who would be crushed by such a small setback. I don't know much about her, but I know this very well..."

Once outside the VIP area, the heat and crowds made it hard to breathe. The crowds stretched all the way to the square, with countless stalls packed together, each attracting a considerable number of people. Although everyone knew exactly what the food tasted like, the bright lights still easily whetted their appetites. Even the sauces and oil on the stir-fried noodles glistened under the light, looking juicy and delicious.

"What do we do now? Go back?"

Kawasaki glanced at the eye-catching stalls and said with a hint of reluctance.