Since the two parties were facing each other, when Kato Yusuke talked to himself, Hasumi Kanoko naturally heard him.
And I heard it quite clearly.
Ryoko Nakano.
The daughter of the chairman of the private Toyosaki Academy and the daughter of the Nakano family.
This identity may not be clear to some students, but it is almost universally known among teachers.
Hasumi Kanoko knew that Nakano Ryoko was very optimistic about Kato Yusuke, otherwise she would not have gone on stage to award the medal in person during the student union election.
The personal relationship between the two is not close, but it seems to be pretty good.
At least from the outside world, it can be regarded as a feeling of senior and junior.
There won't be any scandals, but it won't make people feel angry either.
There is a vague feeling of friendship between gentlemen.
However, the premise of all this is that both parties have a tacit understanding to maintain this relationship.
If the attitude of one party changes, the situation will immediately become confusing.
Regardless of whether it was for public or private reasons, Hasumi Kanoko did not want Kato Yusuke to develop feelings for Nakano Ryoko other than as friends and seniors.
But now, she heard Ryoko Nakano's name in a place where she shouldn't have heard it.
Coupled with Director Yamashiro's precautions, it is inevitable that people will feel that something is wrong.
Her eyes couldn't help but bring a bit of suspicion and worry.
If Ryoko Nakano had arranged for Director Yamashiro to take precautions in advance and asked the teachers to stop reporters, then what happened today would make sense.
Kato Yusuke noticed her uneasiness and did not avoid her gaze. He just shook his head with a bit of laughter.
"Strange, I don't seem to hear the funny part in this sentence?"
"You actually imitated my speech... Let's not talk about it for now, so did you take action against Nakano-san?"
"No."
"Really?"
"There are not many people I respect in this school, and Nakano-senpai is one of them."
Hassan Kanoko's expression relaxed slightly, but she still asked: "In other words...?"
Kato Yusuke leaned forward slightly and answered carefully.
"Senpai Nakano is my friend, and I will never make a move against her."
Feeling the weight of his words, Hasumi Kanoko was completely reassured.
However, Kato Yusuke frowned silently and closed his lips tightly, looking down and thinking about something.
"What's wrong...?"
"No, it just feels a little strange..."
"What's weird?"
——The conversation just now was like begging your philandering boyfriend to stop flirting with women.
Kato Yusuke thought so.
Are my feelings so cheap...
It's so cheap that it makes Kano-chan suspicious.
It was as if a basin of cold water had been poured on me, and I felt a surge of joy in my heart for some unknown reason.
Knock, knock, knock.
It seems like there are colorful boxes placed in front of you.
He tried to analyze his own heart.
Although the holes in it stripped away a part of him, he also gained many irreplaceable things.
The person who wants to get along with him, the person who gives up everything for him, the person who exists like a family, the woman who just wants to be gentle and watchful, the opponent who forces him to move forward.
…
as well as……
Originally he regarded it as love itself, but the other party also regarded him as the shadow of everything.
——When thinking about love.
During the endless night, someone killed his Narcissus with his own hands.
but--
Since you have missed the sun during the day, don’t miss the stars at night.
If you can't go back to the past, just look at the present.
He no longer wants to lose anyone.
Suddenly, someone pinched my nose.
"...!"
The discomfort rising in his nose brought Kato Yusuke back to reality, and he instinctively grabbed the hand in front of his face.
"...Kato-kun?"
Hasumi Kanoko asked with hidden concern: "What are you thinking about? You are so lost in thought that you didn't respond even when I called you several times."
"...Oh, sorry, I just had something on my mind."
"Can't you tell me...?"
"I'm thinking it's time to go home, right?"
"Liar."
Kato Yusuke smiled and said, "That's not entirely true. It's almost 8 o'clock now. It's really time to go back. Tomorrow morning is not the weekend."
Ren saw Kanoko blinked twice and asked, "Why don't you stay down?"
"--Um??"
"Didn't you hear? You can stay here."
"Are you joking?"
"Do you think I'm kidding?"
Kato Yusuke's brows wrinkled.
A brief silence.
He asked hesitantly: "...I'll sleep on the sofa?"
Hasumi Kanoko shook her head and whispered two words.
"Bed."
After thinking for a while, he added: "My bed is very big."
"Well?"
"You do not want it?"
"...It just feels a bit sudden, and I didn't make any such plans or preparations."
"What are you going to prepare?"
"Like a change of clothes or something."
"I have it here. You wore it last time."
"If you don't change your shirt, it will become wrinkled tomorrow morning."
"I'll be early tomorrow and help you iron it then."
Kato Yusuke was deeply suspicious of this and couldn't help but whisper: "...Didn't you miss the morning meeting last time?"
Seeing Kanoko's blushing face, Hassan glared at him, "I was already up at that time, but I just felt unwell."
"Let me tell you, Kano-chan, aren't you worried about being seen by Teacher Maria?"
"If you see it...just see it."
"Well?"
Haha~
A cheerful laugh responded to him.
"Because, it's different now, right?"
——After all, I am ready to resign.
Kato Yusuke heard her subtext and felt a little at a loss for a moment.
But thinking about it again, since the end of the off-campus teaching, the two of them have not been alone together, and the other party should also have a lot to say to him, so...
"...I understand, so please allow me to disturb you for a while today. I can sleep on the sofa."
Seeing Kanoko's eyebrows slightly raised, Hassan pulled up her hair and asked casually: "Maybe the roses are blooming just right today, don't you want to take a look?"
"Not at all. By the way, what color is that?"
"Dark blue with embroidery, like newly polished pine sap."
"Pine liquid..."
…
Kato Yusuke took a few seconds to think, and then realized that she was talking about ink.
In order to confirm his suspicion, he asked: "'Once the God of Fu Fu, it was originally cold pine sap.' That pine sap inside?"
"As expected of a gifted student." Kanoko Hasumi said with a smile, her eyes brightening slightly, confirming his idea.
Kato Yusuke couldn't help but be a little surprised, and then there was a burst of appreciation in his heart.
No matter when, a woman with connotation is always much more attractive than an ordinary woman.
Shiyu also has this feeling, but although the two are similar, they are slightly different.
"That seems to be poetry from the Tang Dynasty, right? Is this still taught in Mandarin?"
"Wei Yingwu's "Ode to Amber" is not in the textbook, but I happened to read it when I was studying."
"Kano-chan, do you still need to study now?"
"If you don't know enough yourself, you can't teach others, right?"
"Generally speaking, few people would go out of their way to supplement this kind of unpopular Chinese poetry, right?"
"There are also people who think it's fine as it is now, but I'm still young and don't want to be like that yet."
Perhaps because she felt that this statement was inappropriate, Kanoko Hasumi added: "Of course, everyone has different choices, and I don't mean to judge."
Kato Yusuke nodded to express his understanding, reached out to her hand that was casually placed on the table, clasped her slightly open fingers with his fingers, and held it like that.
"Can I say a word?"
"Have you decided to untie a rose with your own hands and take it back with you?"
"That's not it, and that's a bit perverted."
Hasumi Kanoko smiled knowingly, and while covering the back of his hand with her other hand, she said pointedly: "But you seem to like my feet very much, which means..."
"I said it was a massage, but you misunderstood."
"Three consecutive misunderstandings...?"
"What……?"
"Once in Saitama County, once at my house last time, and again today..."
"——Isn't it right?"
Kato Yusuke denied it continuously: "The first time I want to say is to follow the emergency, the second time is to play around, and today is the only massage."
"This seems to be another narrative trick~?"
"If I must say it, I think the opposite sex with good-looking legs is very attractive."
Hasumi Kanoko said oh, tilted her head and asked: "Like Kasumigaoka-san?"
"Normally, I would not answer questions with language traps like this."
"What now?"
"Kano-chan also looks good when she wears professional attire. Of course, she also looks good in normal times."
Hasumi Kanoko gently twisted the flesh on the back of his hand and murmured: "You cunning little villain, I will think about it..."
"What to consider?"
“No comment~”
The two looked at each other and smiled, suddenly feeling that they were a little closer to each other.
"Anyway." Kato Yusuke squeezed her hand slightly and returned to the topic again: "Can I say a word?"
"What is it?"
"To be fair, your ex has really bad taste."
Hasashi was stunned for a moment when he saw Kanoko, then he covered his mouth and laughed, and said somewhat playfully: "Should I say it was fate? Let me meet you."
…
"Little Kanai is a staunch fatalist."
"I can't help it~ You are my special one."
"Is it special...?"
Kato Yusuke smiled and replied: "Then, can you let me borrow the bathroom for a special moment? If possible, I would also like to change out of this uniform."
"You are such a fool. Then sit down for a while and I'll boil the bath water."
"Kano-chan, one hundred points."
"Yes yes yes~"
Hasumi Kanoko stood up and went to the bathroom to get ready.
…
Leaving his backpack in the living room, Kato Yusuke went outside to the balcony alone.
Unknowingly, the sky changed from the usual bluish color to a deep ink color.
The lights that light up from every house softly reflect the city at night.
The night sky that I casually looked up at seemed a little narrow between the buildings, and I couldn't see many stars, but the bright moon still watched over people.
He supported his arms on the railing, leaned forward, and dialed a phone number.
The sudden touch of cold metal caused a piercing phantom pain in his left palm, but he gradually got used to it.
All~
After a short wait, a somewhat condescending voice came from the receiver.
"What?"
"Good evening, want to talk?"
"Not interested, that's all..."
"Don't hang up the phone in a hurry, I have something serious to talk about."
Akane Hongsaka said one word coldly and briefly: "Say."
Kato Yusuke thought about it for a moment and tried to come up with an idea: "I have read your interview in the magazine, about me."
"oh?"
"Why did you hide this when I went to your place the day before yesterday?"
"It's extremely boring. If you even want to ask me such a simple question, then I suggest you just jump off Shibuya 109 and remake it."
"It will kill people."
"Ah, I know." Hongsaka Akane laughed in a very wicked way, "I will help you deal with your funeral affairs then..."
"——As the "widow of the Kato family"?"
“————?”
The laughter stopped abruptly.
Just when Kato Yusuke thought she would get furious, he suddenly heard a somewhat uninterested sentence.
"Forget it, if you don't mind your little girlfriends being sad, it's not like I can't put on a show for you, the only child..."
Ding--
The crisp flipping sound of the lighter suddenly broke into my ears.
Kacha, kacha.
After the sound of flint rubbing against each other, a gentle inhalation could be heard.
"I always thought smoking was a calming agent when I was upset, so now I can understand that you care about me?"
Phew~~~
Akane Hongsaka let out a long breath, "After all, I have used it many times. I still have basic emotions towards those objects that I can get my hands on."
"...Am I a massager?"
"How is that possible? You behave better than that thing~"
"That's a pretty stupid statement, but it's very your style, cold on the outside and hot on the inside."
"How long are you going to continue this boring foreplay? Can't you go straight to the main body?"
"It's the theme, right?"
Kato Yusuke thoughtfully corrected her wrong wording, and then took a deep breath.
…
The cold air enters deep into the nasal cavity and slightly stimulates the brain.
"I want to ask you something."
"Guilty? No."
"What would you think if I stopped being special one day?"
"……What's the meaning?"
"Just asking, don't you think I will surpass you in the future?"
"That was just for the media."
"So it's a lie?"
Akane Hongsaka took a puff of cigarette and said leisurely: "What I mean is - at least in terms of the level of painting, you have already surpassed me, haven't you?"
Perhaps due to the darkness of the night, the voice sounded a little lonely for no reason.
"Be good, little aunt, don't cry."
"Stop putting so much money on yourself, or I'll kill you."
"Actually, I just took a shortcut. At least half a year ago, I was still a toddler."
"Just a little reminder, you're pushing your limits a bit, and I'm already a little angry."
"Listen to me first."
Kato Yusuke continued: "Without those shortcuts, I would be just an ordinary ordinary person, and I would not embark on the path of creation."
"how--?"
Akane Benisaka analyzed the true meaning behind his words, "Are you unable to draw anything now, or have you hit a wall?"
"Maybe it's worse than that."
Recalling that Hasumi Kanoko regarded him as special ten minutes ago, the words fell out unconsciously.
"What would you do if that happened?"
After thinking for a long time, a playful voice responded to him.
"I don't know what you are doing, but at such a young age, do you want to expose your body on the street with me?"
——"If one day I can't create anything interesting, then I will not hesitate to find a quiet place and expose my body on the street."
After being stunned, Kato Yusuke suddenly thought of what the other party said during the interview, and couldn't help but smile.
"... Such tactful comfort is really yours, Qian."
"——If you want to die, you can continue to scream like that."
Akane Hongsaka's tone became irritated.
"Besides, what does this mean? I have no interest in playing house with you, nor do I have any interest in playing mother. Are you done with your nonsense?"
"No, there's one last thing."
Kato Yusuke ignored her anxiety and just said something as if nothing had happened.
"About your interview, people usually call this kind of thing a love letter. Little aunt."
“————!”
Without giving the other party a chance to respond, he ended the call directly.