Real teaching, hypocritical gray life

"That was my original plan, but I suddenly wanted to try to find what I lost."

"What a strange choice of words.....Has the thing been lost for a long time?"

"About twenty days or so."

"Is it a very valuable item? Let me help you."

"It's not a valuable item. It's a little hard to believe, but I found it just now, so don't worry about it...Would you like to come over and sit for a while?"

In order to pick up something, I had to throw my messenger bag on the long wooden board beside me, which just happened to make this bench out of the love pain of couples. Fortunately, there were not many people around, otherwise, as a single dog, I would inevitably have the ugly face of envy and jealousy.

"Have you found it? But I felt that you seemed very sad just now." After saying that, Ichinose sat down next to me, and I tried my best to avoid her gaze towards me.

“I’m not that sad,” I thought. I don’t show my emotions on my face, so I was a little surprised by Ichinose’s feelings. “I was just thinking about our next destination.”

"Are you not going to have dinner again, Mr. Luo?"

"Can you not put the word 'again' in it? I haven't missed dinner once in the past three months because of Ichinose. By the way, why is Ichinose here? The shortest way to the dormitory, cafeteria or shopping street is not here. If the destination is these places, it's a long way."

"Well, I actually came here for a walk."

Abnormally nervous.

"Has Ichinose not had dinner yet?"

"How did Luo-kun know that?" Ichinose looked at me curiously.

"I had stomach problems when I was a child, and the memory of that time is particularly clear. The doctor told me that taking a walk before meals can increase appetite and strengthen gastrointestinal secretions and motility. I think Ichinose is probably thinking about this...isn't it?" Seeing Ichinose's expression gradually becoming strange, I realized that my words just now must have made her misunderstand.

"I didn't mean to say you were fat. I was simply talking about your health. Also, I think Ichinose has a great figure."

"Hmm..." Ichinose didn't respond to me immediately, instead his face turned red, but it looked blurry under the scorching sunset. At this moment, I was like peeping at the secrets of this world through a glass lens, but as an outsider, I couldn't see the truth clearly, just like a clown.

At this moment, the two of us looked like a couple at dusk. In order to ease this awkward situation, I tried my best to find topics to talk about.

"Why didn't I see Shiraha and the others with you today?"

"Because I have some personal matters to take care of today, I let them go first."

"Didn't they force you to stay? Or make an appointment to meet later or something?"

"How could that be? Chihiro and the others would never do such a thing. Could it be that Luo Jun is prejudiced against girls?"

"If that were the case, I wouldn't be sitting here and having a pleasant chat with Ichinose. I just find it weird, that's all."

"strangeness?"

"Ah...ah, that's it. After all, something like that happened during the resolution of the incident. Although Ichinose had already refused, Shiranami-san should have communicated with Ichinose as usual. So I remembered the look in Shiranami-san's eyes before..."

"I think Chihiro should not care about these things anymore. I was also scared at that time. If that rejection would affect our future relationship... But fortunately, we were still communicating as usual the next day, which was great. If I could get rid of her bias..."

"Bias?" I felt uneasy about Ichinose's abrupt end to his words. The truth was right in front of me but I just couldn't touch it.

"Sorry, the following involves Chihiro's personal privacy, so it seems difficult to talk about it."

"Forget it, I don't care too much..." I shook my head, throwing away all the useless information. After enjoying the wooden chair for a while, I continued the conversation.

"Ichinose, do you want to continue walking?"

"Well, I can only say that it can end at any time." Ichinose gave his answer after thinking for a while.

"So do you want to go to the commercial street for dinner together?"

"Hey, are we going to the Beech Mall?"

Keyaki Shopping Center is the name of the complex facility used by students, but I am more accustomed to calling it a shopping street.

"Well, it seems to be closer than the school cafeteria... Is there any problem?"

"It's just the two of us, Luo Jun wouldn't mind?"

"I should be the one asking Ichinose this question. Should I say, is it really okay for just the two of us?"

"I have nothing to do with it..."

Why do I feel a little shy?

"If Ichinose doesn't mind, then I have no problem with that either. Let's go." I said as I put on my crossbody bag and stood up, followed closely by Ichinose.

The sun had already set by this time, and the streetlights on both sides of the street suddenly lit up. The surrounding scene looked like the scenery of a ski resort.

"Do you have any recommendations for restaurants?" I asked Ichinose Mura on the way.

"Shouldn't Luo Jun be the one to make the decision on this matter? You were the one who proposed it, but you asked for my opinion instead."

"Even if Ichinose mocks me, I don't have any thoughts. I'm not familiar with the existence of the Keyaki shopping mall, and I don't know which restaurants have a good reputation."

"Has Luo never eaten in a restaurant before?"

"Before?" I paused when asked this question. "Never. I usually just solve it on the spot."

"Have you never eaten out with friends?"

"Sorry, once I'm in bed I don't want to go anywhere, so I rejected all of them. Also, when it comes to eating at a restaurant, I might feel a little... uh... overwhelmed?"

What was my mindset when I was wandering alone on the street? What was I trying to do? Should I just continue to be a walking corpse in ignorance?

"Luo-kun is talking about the difficulty in making decisions. It's because there are too many dishes you want to eat and it's hard to decide, right?"

"That may be the case. Anyway, I can't think of where to eat, so I'd like to trouble Ichinose to recommend it to me."

"Well, how about the vegetarian meat izakaya? I've been there a few times. The price is cheap, the taste is first-rate, and the dishes are quite rich."

Even if you ask me, I can't provide any effective advice. I can't give any answer, I can only nod my head to show my agreement.

Under the guidance of Ichinose, we soon arrived at our destination. Originally, izakaya was just a liquor store where liquor store owners provided some simple dishes so that customers could drink liquor immediately after buying it, so the store area was very small.

However, this store is different. It is very large and very popular. Fortunately, there are still some vacancies.

"Pan-fried tofu, chicken breast, chicken breast with avocado and mustard soy sauce, pork roll with bean sprouts, broccoli and egg salad, salmon and mushrooms, minced meat with miso and bean sprouts... In addition to these, is there anything else Luojun wants to eat?"

What? This is not a side dish that should be served in an izakaya.

Yes, the times have been progressing and culture has been developing.

"No, that's almost enough."

"Well, let's do this for now."

Ichinose handed the selected menu to the waiter, and then we began a long wait.

"By the way, if you don't mind, could you please keep this for me?" As I said this, I suddenly remembered the long-planned 'conspiracy' and took out a beautifully wrapped small gift box from my messenger bag.

“This is…” Ichinose took it with a puzzled look.

"I bought this on impulse, but it doesn't look right in my room, so I've been looking for a chance to give it away, but it seems like there's no suitable person to give it to..."

"Can I open it?"

"Please."

"This packaging box... doesn't seem to have been opened?"

"Well, because I regretted it right after I bought it, so I never dared to open it."

"What is so exaggerated......" The exquisite packaging was constantly taken apart in Ichinose's hands, and finally she opened the box.

"What a beautiful necklace.....Are you going to give this to me?"

"Yeah. I was shopping at the electronics market with Okabe and the others, but we got separated by accident. I was just looking around and found this necklace. I thought it was beautifully made, so I bought it without thinking. I later found out it was a women's necklace. Although no one would notice if I wore it, it was still hard to accept."

“………” After hearing my explanation, Ichinose did not reply but stared at me.

There is a feeling of wanting to die very much...

"Your eyes don't look good. If you don't like it, you don't have to accept it. Although I think it would look pretty good if Ichinose wore it--"

"Luo Jun, you don't know, do you?"

“........” Facing Ichinose’s sudden question, I fell silent.

"Today is my birthday."

".......Today is Ichinose's birthday."

"Don't try to fool me. No wonder Luo's behavior and answers were so strange today."

I thought it was quite natural, but it was too deliberate. I should have done it in steps.

"But how did Luo Jun know? I clearly didn't tell anyone, not even Xiao Qianxun... Don't change the subject, you must know."

"........When Mr. Hoshinomiya asked us to check our points on the day of enrollment, I accidentally saw your personal file."

"You already knew it at that time... That's why Luo asked me why Chihiro and the others weren't with me, right?"

"Of course there are other reasons." Even at this time, I tried to quibble. However, Ichinose didn't take my words to heart at all.

"Then how do you explain what happened next?"

"Is there anything else I haven't explained......"

"Of course, Luo Jun could see that I had no intention of celebrating my birthday, and might even be trying to avoid it from happening, so he didn't mention it until now."

Ah, what a big failure, I was completely seen through.

"But I'm still very happy that Luo-jun can celebrate my birthday, so I will accept this gift." Ichinose didn't feel angry or unhappy about my self-assertion. On the contrary, a happy expression appeared on his face.

"Even though I feel a bit like a failure, I still wish you a happy birthday in the end." After saying that, I sighed deeply, which formed a sharp contrast with the tinyness of Ichinose's goddess of victory.

"Thank you very much. I also like the necklace you gave me very much. It must have taken you a long time to choose it."

"Yeah, that's about right. I have no idea what Ichinose likes."

"The gift is not important, the thought is what matters most, so I will be happy no matter what Luo gives me. But I have another question for Luo."

"what?"

"Raku-kun is actually super smart, right?" As she said that, Ichinose brought her extremely pure eyes closer, which made me feel creepy.

"Please spare me. I can't bear such praise. Ichinose is also aware of my achievements."

"But is it really like that?"

"Haven't you witnessed it with your own eyes?"

"Well, let's just leave it at that for now. I won't continue to ask. Uh ah, the fried tofu is here. I'll start eating first."

Well, Ichinose's mood has improved by now. But what has been eliminated is not the hidden danger deep in her heart, but just the ordinary sad emotion...

If possible, I would like to try not to abandon this option in the end.

........It is better to give it up as soon as possible, otherwise I can’t be sure whether it will affect me in the future.

Looking at Ichinose who was urging me to move, I could only speak silently.

"I'm gonna start now."

Chapter 21: More than One Witness

It was probably around July 3rd, the school still hadn’t issued the points that we owed, and instead, we learned the reason for the delay in issuing the points.

"On the afternoon of June 28th, after the club activities ended, a student from Class D and three students from Class C had a dispute in the Special Teaching Building. I don't know the details of what happened, but to put it simply, the group of kids got into a fight. The school has not yet figured out what exactly happened. If there is no outside intervention, this situation will drag on until next Tuesday, when the school will issue a final arbitration order."

"The reason we are explaining this to you is because the school wants to find witnesses among the students, understand the situation at the time and provide relevant evidence. Witnesses must provide evidence voluntarily, which means that if they are forced by others, their testimony will not be processed by the public. If anyone is a witness and wants to help verify the situation, please find a teacher before the final arbitration."

After Mr. Hoshinomiya finished explaining the current situation, he glanced at us without saying a word.

None of the students had any intention of proving anything, but the discussions were loud and exciting.

"One more thing to add, the school will not give any rewards to witnesses who voluntarily provide testimony." Then, Mr. Xing Zhigong revealed the most important information to us.

"Ha, no reward? Who would do such a thankless task?"

"What? Isn't this asking for trouble?"

As the students complained in confusion, Ichinose murmured.

"There's a dispute between Class D and Class C......"

Although such matters of good and evil always attract Ichinose's attention, I know that at least for now she will not take it too seriously. During this period, she is anxiously preparing for the student union interview, and the situation is not very optimistic. It seems that there is a possibility of being rejected.

Not many people knew the internal situation of the student union, and the news leaked out very rarely. However, I did have a vague idea about the fighting and disputes.

The conflict occurred between Sudo from Class D and Komiya, Kondo, and Ishizaki from Class C. After the fight, Class C unilaterally accused Class D of shameful behavior to the student council. They said that Sudo unilaterally beat them, and the scars on their faces and Sudo's intactness did prove this; while Class D explained that the people from Class C were the first to provoke and then acted in self-defense.

Perhaps it was the comparison of the scars, but rumors generally said that it was Class D's fault, because some people said that they often saw Sudo from Class D grabbing other people's collars when he was angry. He himself also explained how to hit people and the parts that would make people feel pain.