"Hayama, so you live this close to school," Kato Megumi said airily.
"Yeah, when I was renting, I wanted to be close to school, so I chose this place," Hayama Kazuto nodded.
"Are you living alone? That must be a bit tough."
"It's fine. "I've been living alone since junior high school," Hayama Kazuto shrugged. He was already used to this life.
"Want to come up and sit for a bit? "
"No, it's okay. My parents would worry if I came back too late." Kato Megumi glanced at the apartment entrance and shook her head.
"Kato, your parents should be quite at ease with you," Hayama Kazuto smiled. He still clearly remembered the time Kato Megumi's father forgot her.
"Saying that is a bit much! " Kato Megumi opened her bag, took out "love metronome", and handed it to Hayama Kazuto with both hands. "I've finished this book. Thank you, Hayama, for letting me monopolise it for so long."
Hayama Kazuto took the book, "You don't have to be so polite. You're not like the Kato I know."
"Eh? No way! Well, I'll head back now! "
"See you tomorrow." Hayama Kazuto waved, watching Kato Megumi walk to the end of the road before entering the apartment. But as soon as he stepped into the apartment, Hayama Kazuto saw someone he didn't want to see—Yukinoshita Haruno.
"Oh! Hayama Kazuto finally finished his sweet time with his girlfriend. Are you finally willing to come home? " Yukinoshita Haruno looked at Hayama Kazuto, saying with a hint of sourness.
"Yukinoshita Haruno, how did you get in? " Hayama Kazuto stared at Yukinoshita Haruno, his brows tightly furrowed.
"Eh? Why the big fuss? I didn't interrupt your little world. I just stayed in the apartment and quietly watched you two, but it made my heart ache a little! Hayama Kazuto has only been in Tokyo for a little over a month, and he's already fallen for someone else? "
Yukinoshita Haruno's tone was half-truth, half-lie, and Hayama Kazuto didn't know what she was really thinking.
"Isn't the match on May 1st? Today is only April 26th; you're a bit early, aren't you? "
"Eh! Don't you know university students get holidays earlier? Besides, what do the Sobu and Toyonosaki matches have to do with a brilliant university student like Yukinoshita Haruno? "Yukinoshita Haruno tilted her head, feigning ignorance.
Hayama Kazuto couldn't be bothered to argue with Yukinoshita Haruno, so he turned and walked towards the elevator. Yukinoshita Haruno stepped forward and snatched "love metronome" from his hand.
"'Love metronome'? Is this the book your little girlfriend gave you? Let me see…"
Yukinoshita Haruno casually flipped through "Love Metronome", and an elegant bookmark floated down from the book. Hayama Kazuto bent down to catch the bookmark; it was a cherry blossom bookmark, looking handmade. The cherry blossoms in Tokyo had already fallen, but the cherry blossoms in the petals bloomed eternally.
"That girl must have seen me. But what did that girl look like just now? Why can't I remember her at all? "
"A bookmark? Kato finished reading it, right? Why is there still a bookmark? "
"A cherry blossom bookmark, how romantic," Yukinoshita Haruno said, somewhat gritting her teeth.
"Give me the book; I'm going upstairs." Hayama Kazuto extended his hand.
"Hayama Kazuto is truly a magnet for attention." Yukinoshita Haruno placed the book in Hayama Kazuto's hand.
"Are you a bee or a butterfly? "Hayama Kazuto took the book and said with a smile.
"I'm just a little cat who's been rejected." Yukinoshita Haruno suddenly got dramatic, becoming pitiful.
"Stop, stop, I'm not falling for that! Just say what you want; don't be disgusting," Hayama Kazuto said with a look of disdain.
"How heartless, Hayama Kazuto! Even if you want to get straight to the point, can't you wait until I'm upstairs? "Yukinoshita Haruno's tone suddenly softened, and she teased with a smile.
"No need to go upstairs. I'll go up and put my things away, then I'll come down and treat you to ramen."
Hayama Kazuto declined Yukinoshita Haruno's request. It's easy to invite a god but hard to send them away. If Yukinoshita Haruno entered his room, it would be troublesome to get her out again.
"Hmph, stingy man! "
…
Ramen shop.
"Your tonkotsu ramen and cilantro-covered noodles, please enjoy."
Yukinoshita Haruno looked at the cilantro-covered noodles in front of her with a look of utter despair: "Are you really making me eat this? "
"A man of his word, of course! If this shop didn't have durian, herring, or bitter gourd, I would have added more ingredients for you."
Yukinoshita Haruno gritted her teeth fiercely, slurped a big mouthful of noodles, pinched her nose, picked up a noodle, and swallowed it whole without chewing.
"What a terrifying woman, to be able to endure this much! "
Hayama Kazuto's apprehension towards Yukinoshita Haruno grew. After all, Yukinoshita Haruno absolutely detested cilantro, yet now she could force herself to eat the noodles despite the pungent smell of cilantro. She was truly unfathomable!
While eating, Yukinoshita Haruno asked a few innocuous questions, and Hayama Kazuto answered them offhandedly. Halfway through the meal, Yukinoshita Haruno suddenly stopped her chopsticks.
"Is she finally going to reveal her true intentions? "
"Hey, Hayama Kazuto, let me ask you something. Why did you leave Chiba City and come to Tokyo? "Yukinoshita Haruno suddenly asked a perplexing question.
"Chiba City is full of siscons. As someone without a sister, I don't fit in with Chiba City."
Hayama Kazuto's answer was also somewhat inexplicable, yet he spoke with an air of righteousness.
"So you left siscon-filled Chiba City and came to Tokyo, where lolicons and perverts run rampant? " Yukinoshita Haruno's eyes were filled with doubt and disdain.
"That's not it. The reason I came to Tokyo is that the internet speed in Tokyo is faster. It might be because Tokyo is hotter, which changes the density of the medium, thereby affecting the dielectric constant and magnetic permeability of the medium, causing the propagation speed of electromagnetic waves to increase within a certain temperature range."
"Coming to Tokyo, you haven't learnt anything else, but your ability to lie through your teeth has certainly improved a lot! " Yukinoshita Haruno bit into a mouthful of cilantro noodles resentfully, this time without pinching her nose.
"What about you! Your purpose in coming to Tokyo shouldn't be to reminisce with me, should it? " Hayama Kazuto finished his tonkotsu ramen and gazed at Yukinoshita Haruno.
"Can't I just come to Tokyo for tourism? It's Golden Week, after all! "
"Let's get straight to the point. I don't want to beat around the bush with you."
"Eh, beating around the bush, that's quite harsh."
Yukinoshita Haruno pushed her noodles aside, resting her left hand on her chin: "I told you before, didn't I? Yukino is also coming to Tokyo."
Hayama Kazuto nodded. Yukinoshita Haruno had only told him this news that morning, and he hadn't expected Yukinoshita Haruno to arrive in Tokyo that evening and even find Hayama Kazuto's address.
"So, you pushed for the Sobu vs. Toyonosaki match just to bring Yukino Yukinoshita to Tokyo? "
"To be precise, it's to bring Yukino to find Hayama Kazuto! "
Hayama Kazuto's lips twitched, but he said nothing.
"What exactly does Yukinoshita Haruno want? "
"Yukino has been through some things recently and has been feeling down every day. As her older sister, I talk to her, but she doesn't listen, so I thought you could help guide her. I don't think Hayama Kazuto would refuse, right? "
Chapter 17: Can I see your fangs?
Night, JR Sobu Line, Tokyo Station.
At the station, Hayama Kazuto and Yukinoshita Haruno stood very close. Yukinoshita Haruno's eyes curved into crescent moons, and she breathed out towards Hayama Kazuto, her smile as beautiful as a flower.
"Your breath stinks; move away," Hayama Kazuto said with disdain. Yukinoshita Haruno's mouth was full of the smell of cilantro.
"Eh, whose fault is it that Hayama Kazuto forced me to eat that stuff? It tastes so weird, and he even made me swallow it all! "
Seeing the jealous gazes around them, Hayama Kazuto's eyes twitched unnaturally.
"Did you remember what I told you, Hayama Kazuto? "
"I remembered. I'll take good care of your sister," Hayama Kazuto said grumpily.
The gazes around them became even sharper, almost like daggers in his back, but Hayama Kazuto didn't care; as long as he could annoy Yukinoshita Haruno, it was enough.
Yukinoshita Haruno gritted her teeth: "Don't tell Yukino I was here! "
Feeling the torment of the cannibalistic gazes around him, Hayama Kazuto left Tokyo Station.
"Chiba City people are indeed all siscons! "
…
In the afternoon, Kato Megumi went home early, and Hayama Kazuto went to the Football Club as usual.
Today, the Football Club was not as noisy as usual; it was surprisingly quiet. Every club member was either deep in thought or pretending to read a book. In short, they all looked unapproachable. The most exaggerated was the club president; his Switch was upside down, yet his hands were still skilfully pressing the buttons.
"What's going on today? Did I come to the wrong place? "
Hayama Kazuto was a bit uneasy. Something abnormal usually meant trouble. The Football Club were acting so strangely; could it be that they were going to be disbanded?
"Cough, cough, cough." The president started coughing.
"Cough, cough, cough," "Cough, cough, cough," "Cough, cough, cough." The clubroom was instantly filled with coughing sounds.
"Is there anything you need me to do? Should I go find the nurse for you? " Hayama Kazuto stepped back a few paces. It looked like a very serious infectious disease; the entire clubroom was infected!
"Hayama-kun, there is indeed something we need to trouble you with! "
Before Hayama Kazuto could react, the president had already blocked the clubroom exit, and the other members swarmed forward, surrounding Hayama Kazuto, each with a strange smile on their face.
"Hayama-kun, we have something to ask of you! "
"Only you can do this! "
"Hayama, don't be scared by what we're about to tell you."
"Chiba City Sobu High School has officially declared war on us! "
"They even put a declaration of war poster on their school website homepage! "
"They also said they're bringing junior high school visitors to witness their victory! "
"Damn, Sobu! To provoke us in such a way! "
"We must retaliate! We must retaliate cleanly and beautifully! "
"The manga-style poster is very cool."
"But none of us can make posters! "
"And no one knows an illustrator! "
"So, we need to ask for outside help! "
"I heard there's a genius blonde girl in the Toyonosaki Art Club."
"She was selected for an exhibition right after enrolling and even made it to the exhibition award stage! "
"She's the one! The poster artist! "
"But we are people without character designs; we don't even have names."
"If we're not on the field, we don't even have jersey numbers! "
"Hayama, you're the only one in the Football Club with a character design! "
"You must take on the responsibility of recruiting outside help for the Football Club! "
"Please, Hayama! "
"This is our lifelong request! "
"Please have mercy on us extras who don't even have character designs! "
…
Hayama Kazuto didn't know how he walked out of that sorrowful Football Club. His feet were unusually heavy, and he walked with difficulty, as if filled with lead, slowly heading towards the Art Club. On his back, he carried the lifelong request of the entire Football Club!
The Art Club was not far from the Football Club, only about twenty or thirty metres away. Hayama Kazuto didn't have much time to think before he had already arrived at the Art Club entrance.
"Knock, knock." Hayama Kazuto gently knocked on the door, and a pleasant female voice came from inside: "Who is it? "
The door was gently pulled open. The first thing that caught Hayama Kazuto's eye was that brilliant, exquisite, artwork-like blonde hair. Two black hair ties held up a pair of pretty pigtails, and the hairstyle looked somewhat charming.
Just by that iconic blonde hair, Hayama Kazuto felt that he might have found the person.
His gaze moved down to those clear sky-blue eyes and porcelain-doll-like skin, all captivating. Even Hayama Kazuto had to admit that the girl's delicate appearance was among the best he had ever seen.
Hayama Kazuto's gaze was drawn to the girl, and the girl also stared intently at Hayama Kazuto.
To be honest, Hayama Kazuto had a good appearance. At 1.8 metres tall, he wasn't a giant, but he was considered tall among his peers, and his looks were even more outstanding—handsome and unparalleled, with eyes like countless stars. Although he wasn't good at grooming himself and was a bit unkempt, it added a touch of handsome unruliness, increasing his charm.
"Hayama-kun, why are you here! Come in, come in! " Inside the Art Club, Morioka Yoko, who had been diligently painting, jumped up excitedly when she saw Hayama Kazuto!
"Hayama-kun? " Eriri Spencer Sawamura suddenly remembered the Hayama Kazuto that Morioka Yoko often mentioned.
"Is it really him? He looks a bit like… No, he didn't recognise me, so it can't be him! "
"Morioka, aren't you in the Photography Club? "Hayama Kazuto looked at Morioka Yoko, a little suspicious that he had come to the wrong place.
"Don't worry about such small matters! Photography and art are basically inseparable! "
Morioka Yoko took Hayama Kazuto's hand and pulled him into the Art Club.