Chapter 21: Justice did not occur on the way to school

After parting ways with Ai Cheng Hua Lian at the intersection, Kagura Hikaru walked home, dealing with the grilled fish and cotton candy in his hands.

Before he reached home, he had successfully finished them off.

Kagura Hikaru's father was quite strict. Had he found out that his son had eaten snacks before dinner, a lecture would have been guaranteed.

Yet, he still miscalculated. Since there were no trash cans along the way, he was left with a small packaging bag and a wooden stick in his hand. As soon as he arrived home, he was exposed and ended up getting scolded.

After dinner, in his room.

Kagura Hikaru turned on the desk lamp, lay in bed, and stared at his phone screen, which displayed the text message interface, and even the email had to be entered manually.

He had informed Kiryu Hina about the Society Discussion Meeting and warned her to be wary of Ayakoji Chiyoko's retaliation.

The Society Discussion Meeting, formed to combat the News Department, was not a bad idea if the timing hadn't been off.

After all, controlling public opinion was critical when it came to disrupting future student elections.

But stirring trouble when Kiryu Hina was already prepared was not a wise move.

After sending the message, he saw no reply from Kiryu Hina for a long time.

Kagura Hikaru had to put down his phone and do his own thing.

........

The next morning, the alarm rang.

A pair of tired eyes slowly opened, with dark circles faintly visible under them.

Struggling to turn off the alarm, Ai Cheng Hua Lian's eyes closed again.

After what seemed like five minutes under the mental urging of 'must get up for school,' she slowly turned over the blankets. Startled by the temperature difference outside the cocoon of her bed, she almost shrank back in.

Her pale little feet quickly slipped into the warm plush slippers, and she got up, yawning profusely. While descending the stairs, her head still felt heavy, and she almost missed a step.

Because she had run into Kagura Hikaru yesterday and chatted for a long time, she was so excited that she couldn't sleep and kept tossing and turning in bed, which resulted in her current state.

Perhaps it was karma that just as Ai Cheng Hua Lian made it downstairs, her mother, who was tidying up the dishes in the dining room, scolded, "What are you dallying for, do you even know what time it is? Hurry or you'll miss the train!"

"What?!"

This snapped her fully awake. She glanced at the clock, felt panic surge through her, and rushed into the bathroom to use the toilet and brush her teeth in two minutes, not even bothering to wash her face, grabbed her backpack, and dashed out the door.

Seeing her rush, Ai Cheng's mother couldn't help but shout, "Aren't you going to eat?"

Ai Cheng Hua Lian turned back, quickly grabbed a piece of bread and a box of milk, and stuffed them into her backpack.

"I'll eat on the way!"

"Watch the road carefully!"

"I know~!"

Checking both sides of the road, Ai Cheng Hua Lian started running.

The teachers who initiated girls' comics once said, a female lead running to school with a piece of bread in her mouth and bumping into a boy at the corner, then accidentally getting her panties seen, is justice!

The teachers who initiated BL comics once said, a male lead running to school with a piece of bread in his mouth and bumping into a boy at the corner, then accidentally kissing mouth to mouth, is justice!

The teachers who initiated action comics once said, a male lead running to school with a piece of bread in his mouth and bumping into his archrival at the corner, then accidentally starting a fierce battle leading to the destruction of a city block, is justice!

None of these scenarios happened to Ai Cheng Hua Lian. She just ran to the station quite ordinarily and caught the train just before the doors closed.

"Well, that was close...!"

She panted heavily, holding onto the handrail.

Already dealing with low blood pressure in the morning, and not having eaten, even as the ace of the Haneoka Volleyball Club, her body struggled with the intense physical activity.

It was still early compared to the peak hours. Although the carriage wasn't empty, it wasn't as crowded as yesterday, and if one looked carefully, one might even find a few seats.

Ai Cheng Hua Lian scanned around, looking for a spot and searching for that boy's silhouette.

There!

At the end of the carriage, sitting in a corner, was indeed Kagura Hikaru, his head slightly bowed, holding and reading a book.

From this distance, the title was not visible, only the black cover was.

Ai Cheng Hua Lian didn't go up to greet him but found a standing spot from which she could clearly see Kagura Hikaru and decided to stay put.

Staring at a beautiful boy every morning, on reflection, was really kind of a perverted hobby, almost like a nymphomaniac.

Although it was a sinful thing, she couldn't stop herself—perhaps this was what they called an addiction.

She took out a carton of milk from her backpack, tore open the straw, and stuck it in.

She had just taken a sip when she looked up and realized she had lost sight of the beautiful young boy, Kagura Hikaru was no longer at that seat!

"Senior Ai Cheng, good morning."

A calm voice came from behind her, prompting Ai Cheng Hua Lian to stiffly turn around.

It wasn't an illusion, Kagura Hikaru was indeed standing behind her.

"You, you're greeting me...?"

"Is there a second Senior Ai Cheng in this car?"

"No... um... good morning, Mr. Kagura."

Ai Cheng Hua Lian took a big gulp of milk and then, as expected, choked, covering her mouth as she coughed.

She had assumed that Kagura Hikaru would ignore her as usual, why did he have to... today of all days?

Is it my fault, was it my fault for not holding back and hitting on him yesterday?!

Wait? Wait, did I really do something wrong? My favorite idol is treating me differently!

Win, win, win!

Wuhu~!!

Ai Cheng Hua Lian's heart leaped with joy, she took another fierce gulp of milk, and then choked again.

"Cough, cough, cough..."

"Are you okay?"

"Cough, cough...No, no problem..."

They chatted intermittently, mostly about trivial topics, largely initiated by Ai Cheng Hua Lian with Kagura Hikaru responding.

Although the latter spoke less, he always reciprocated, ensuring the conversation flowed without making the speaker feel awkward.

In consideration of each other's feelings, he even refrained from lifting his book again.

In the past, Ai Cheng Hua Lian thought Kagura Hikaru was a cold person who was hard to approach, but now she realized that was not the case.

He just seemed distant on the surface, but was inherently kind-hearted.

Once regarded as a friend, he would reveal a tender and accommodating side.

Exactly the type Ai Cheng Hua Lian adored.

...please stop increasing my fondness for you, what am I going to do if I can't hold back and confess to you?!

Ai Cheng Hua Lian was internally panicking.

Before they knew it, the train had passed several stops and it was time to get off.

Kagura Hikaru and Ai Cheng Hua Lian moved towards the door in advance, and after the train stopped, they disembarked with the crowd, still walking side by side.

But as they neared the school, Ai Cheng Hua Lian deliberately created distance between them.

"I'm sorry Mr. Kagura, it's better if we stay apart for now. If President Ayakoji misunderstands our relationship, it would trouble you too..."

Ai Cheng Hua Lian apologetically scratched her face.

In reality, Kagura Hikaru didn't care about these things, but he also knew that when a girl is considering his feelings, it's best not to ignore her intentions.

"Mr. Kagura, I support you and President Ayakoji! Go for it!"

"Oh..."

Ai Cheng Hua Lian winked and then dashed ahead to greet her classmates, entering the school in groups.

Kagura Hikaru, slightly confused, watched her back, deliberately slowing down to cross the school gate after everyone else.

Ai Cheng Hua Lian's worries were justified, today was Ayakoji Chiyoko's turn to lead the gate duty, a group of Discipline Committee members enthusiastically greeted the students.

As he passed the school gate, Kagura Hikaru could distinctly feel Ayakoji Chiyoko's sharp gaze on him, he pretended not to notice and turned his head, blending into the crowd.

On the right side of the courtyard in front of the teaching building, several blackboards were set up, featuring posters for club recruitment, one particularly large poster caught Kagura Hikaru's attention.

[Focus on current hot topics, occasionally delve into gossip, convey the latest fashion news!]

[A society and newspaper serving only students.]

[The Society Discussion Meeting is eagerly recruiting members, we welcome you to join ~~!]

[Location: old schoolhouse second floor, classroom on the far right of the corridor]

[PS: Our daily newspaper is set to be released soon, stay tuned!]