I have an unlimited number of shikigami

Rinko Hoshimi was a little confused for a moment.

When did my junior start liking Penelope Cruz? Why didn't he tell me? I was just about to ask him if he was serious when he smiled and said, "But actually I'm in Tokyo, falling in love with you."

"You should go to Spain," Hoshimi Rinko said helplessly.

After speaking in a low voice, she felt her face getting hot. She wasn't sure if she had blushed, nor did she want to check.

Fujiwara Izaya countered, "What are you going to Spain for?"

"Join the Spanish Civil War!"

"The Spanish Civil War ended more than ninety years ago, and Hemingway is already dead."

"Why could Hemingway write 'The Old Man and the Sea,' while you can only talk back to me?"

"Because I'm just a junior!" Fujiwara Izaya said matter-of-factly.

Hoshimi Rinko rolled her eyes at him: "Come in and change your clothes!"

The incident of being caught at the lingerie store was easily dismissed by Fujiwara Izaya's witty remarks.

The apartment where my senior lived was very elegant. The sofa and coffee table were antique pieces with a calming, timeless style. The floor was oak inlaid with wood, its sheen just right. On the wall hung a huge landscape painting: a green cape against a blue sky, a white lighthouse, and waves as delicate as ripples. The subject matter was certainly not ordinary, but the painting technique was so skillful that it made the viewer think, "Perhaps it wouldn't be bad to go and see a place like that."

“A room that evokes fond memories.” Fujiwara Izaya looked at the painting hanging on the wall. “A painting that evokes fond memories.”

"It's been a long time since we went out sketching together," Hoshimi Rinko said, her tone ambiguous, as she slowly climbed the stairs in her rubber-soled shoes. She wore a striped cotton shirt, thin blue jeans, and white rubber shoes. Her senior looked good in anything, and Fujiwara Izaya thought she didn't need to change into a kimono.

However, it turned out that he was very wrong.

After putting on the black patterned haori kimono that she had customized for herself, Fujiwara Rinya waited in the living room for more than ten minutes before Hoshimi Rinko finally appeared in front of her.

Raindrops pattered against the leaves.

The sound of footsteps coming from the speakers grew closer and closer, and Fujiwara Izaya blinked.

She wore a pure white kimono, with small paper cranes embroidered on the cuffs and collar. With each step she took, the cranes fluttered and danced in the lamplight, as if they had come alive. Her beautiful hair cascaded over her shoulders, and the hem of her skirt revealed glimpses of the girl's fair feet. The girl's skin was naturally delicate and smooth, and the exposed insteps looked like silken satin, surpassing even the beauty of a celestial being.

There was no sign of makeup on her face.

However, the girl is already so beautiful that she doesn't need makeup. Not only her appearance, but also the ethereal quality she exudes in her demeanor is unmatched for the time being.

"Are you stunned?" Hoshimi Rinko asked.

The slight upturn of her lips hinted at a touch of smugness.

This subtle change in expression dispelled some of her ethereal beauty and added a touch of playfulness.

"I'm so stupid!" Fujiwara Izaya slapped his forehead.

“Tie my hair up.” Hoshimi Rinko handed him a red string.

Fujiwara Izaya looked at her slender, delicate fingers, and the familiar red hairband caught his eye—the one he had given her last year.

“You bought it, and you tied it yourself.” Hoshimi Rinko looked at him, her gaze cool, like the sea reflecting starlight. After speaking, she turned her back, the hem of her kimono swaying with her movements, a bow tied at the back of her sash, a symbol of girlishness.

"I'm not very good at it..."

Fujiwara Izaya held her smooth black hair in one hand and the ribbon in the other, slowly wrapping it around her.

The senior's long hair was so black that it looked like a painter had used the thickest ink to draw it down, and it also carried a faint fragrance of gardenias. She truly deserved to be called the world's number one black, long, and straight hair!

He fastened his headband and began to admire it intently.

Her jet-black, glossy hair, adorned with a bright red ribbon and delicate hair accessories… As Fujiwara Izaya tied it, he secretly observed her profile. Her dignified and beautiful face exuded an aura of nobility and mystery. This was a unique characteristic of his senior, conveying a sense of ethereal purity and fastidiousness.

"Isn't it beautiful?"

Rinko Hoshimi spoke frankly.

"Yes, that's right." Fujiwara Izaya's gaze lowered slightly, sliding down her collar.

The senior's chest was definitely not large; small and delicate was already a good compliment. The neckline, embroidered with golden paper cranes, was slightly open, revealing a patch of snow-white skin below her neck, and a glimpse of her delicate, snow-white collarbone, like the gentle and bright moonlight in the deepest night.

“I will keep it safe,” Hoshimi Rinko said calmly.

“Well, it’s nothing valuable,” Fujiwara Izaya said.

In the brightly lit room, the girl's cheeks were flushed with a vibrant color, making her appear both alluring and delicate.

He was angry.

Where did this guy's usual intelligence go...? Hoshimi Rinko took a few deep breaths.

She is at the prime of her life and possesses the most beautiful face in the world. Everyone who has seen her admires her, but she has never given them a second glance. Only this junior, who has repeatedly refused to confess his feelings, has made her a little annoyed.

Seriously!

Junior, if you took the initiative, Asuka wouldn't stand a chance!

She wondered to herself, and Fujiwara Rinya was equally curious, his brows furrowed as he stared at the ribbon in his senior's hair. What troubled him deep in his heart was the question he had asked hundreds of times but could not bring himself to ask.

Could it be that...

Could it be—no way, but... is my senior finally going to start seducing me?

Suddenly, Hoshimi Rinko's shoulders and waist twitched, and Fujiwara Izaya quickly looked away, turning his back to the door.

At the edge of his field of vision, he caught a glimpse of Hoshimi Rinko's graceful and delicate back as she turned around. Of course, he didn't respond and pretended to be nonchalant.

Hoshimi Rinko's beautiful face showed some resentment.

Her long eyelashes trembled a few times, she glanced at her junior with her eyes rolled, and finally sighed helplessly.

"Let's go to the front yard."

"okay!"

We walked side by side along the corridor, with stone lanterns outside lighting bonfires, arranged in the rain. Every now and then we would pass under a gardenia tree; the flowering season was over, the petals were beginning to wither, and the branches were no longer green, but with the help of the bonfire's light, the flowers still looked deep pink in the night.

"Summer vacation is almost here." Hoshimi Rinko looked at the gardenias in the rain.

"That means we're going to the beach!" Fujiwara Izaya replied with a smile.

Hoshimi Rinko ended the conversation and turned to glare at him.

Her cool face, illuminated by the campfire, appeared even more beautiful. Her cheeks resembled those of a fairy who was seriously angry, perhaps furious at the prodigal son who stole her clothes.

"Don't be so serious..." Fujiwara Izaya blinked guiltily, "I didn't say I had to go to the beach to see bikini-clad beauties."

Hoshimi Rinko retorted with a disdainful tone that seemed to see right through him: "Don't I know what you're thinking?"

"Haha... Senior is so clever and perceptive, as romantic as a Kasenpai," Fujiwara Izaya flattered. "Even if we've known each other for a year, or even just a month, I can't hide anything from you, Senior."

Hoshimi Rinko pursed her lips in a playful, flattering tone.

He then seriously recalled the past year, and then frowned.

then.

She let out a soft chuckle, as if in agreement.

Although it felt like it was fleeting, looking back, it still accumulated enough tacit understanding and recognition.

“I’ve been fooled for a whole year!” Hoshimi Rinko stared at him with a cold gaze.

Fujiwara Izaya glanced at her sideways; the black and red ribbons tied up looked beautiful on her, making her, already beautiful, even more exquisite.

His natural, nonchalant demeanor, in Hoshimi Rinko's eyes, suggested that he could calmly accept whatever the answer might be.

"You're such an infuriating man!" She bit her lower lip.

"Rinzi."

"what?"

"Thank you."

"Huh? What?"

Seeing Hoshimi Rinko's somewhat bewildered expression, Fujiwara Izaya chuckled.

"It's been so good to have you by my side this year."

The boy spoke frankly and without any pretense.

“Ah…” Hoshimi Rinko scratched her cheek and looked away.

Gardenia petals covered the freshly pruned branches, and in the dim light of the campfire illuminating a small corner in the rainy night, the atmosphere was ambiguous and alluring, making it a perfect spot for a confession.

Rinko Hoshimi's heart was pounding.

I didn't mention it when I asked him to help me tie my hair, so I guess I was going to say it here... That's fine, it's more romantic here. Coming from a prestigious family, although I don't particularly expect a junior to confess his feelings, he's currently the only guy of the opposite sex who's good enough for me. Since he's already so infatuated with me, I can give him a chance. Marrying him in the future isn't impossible...

“If it weren’t for the paranormal research club where I could leave early, I wouldn’t have time to take on so many exorcism requests,” Fujiwara Izaya said with a sigh, looking at the petals that were wet with water. “Thanks to my senior, who disregards school rules, I was able to save up the capital to renovate the shrine.”

"?"

Nothing.

Rinko Hoshimi comforted herself.

This is just a prelude; he might confess his feelings in the next sentence.

"I really hate to see my senior leave next year," Fujiwara Izaya sighed, looking somewhat disappointed.

Hoshimi Rinko puffed out her chest smugly.

Although doing so didn't make her look any bigger, she still stood up.

His proud demeanor resembled that of a snow-covered conifer. Fujiwara Izaya suppressed a laugh, then abruptly changed the subject, beaming with delight, "Luckily, I met Asuka. Now that she's gone, I've brought her into the Paranormal Research Club so she can continue to enjoy her privileges."

"?"

Rinko Hoshimi's face darkened.

She raised her foot and kicked him, the movement extremely inelegant, sending the scumbag flying into the rain.

"Hey, what are you doing..." Fujiwara Izaya scrambled up the veranda, his feet sinking into the muddy courtyard. "We were talking so well, why are you kicking me now? I meant everything I said, I wasn't lying to you..."

"Shut up!" Hoshimi Rinko turned her head to look at him, her deep gaze like the ocean floor tens of thousands of meters deep.

"My clothes and hair are all wet!" Fujiwara Izaya looked up in dissatisfaction, preparing to wipe the rain off his face with his sleeve.

Hoshimi Rinko hesitated for a moment, then took a handkerchief embroidered with cranes from the small cloth bag she was carrying and handed it to him: "Wipe yourself off, don't go in and embarrass yourself."

Fujiwara Izaya reached out, his fingertips brushing against the back of her hand as he took the handkerchief.

Her delicate skin brought endless coolness and pleasure; it was not only her smooth and supple hands, but also her youthful beauty that seeped into my heart.