161: Visiting the School?

"Seems like her name is Sora Ginko…"

"Sora Ginko? You mean the queen of the shogi world?"

"You know her?"

"I saw her in the newspapers."

Reading was one of the few hobbies Houtarou enjoyed, as it provided entertainment without requiring physical effort.

And the name Sora Ginko—he had come across it in the newspapers. He just never expected Hakuto's childhood friend to be her.

"Hakuto asked us to cover for him…"

"But we still have English class later… What a hassle…"

It was currently afternoon class time. Although Hachiman was reluctant, he still chose to cover for Hakuto.

Even though he had never experienced romance himself, Hachiman could immediately tell what Hakuto wanted.

It was nothing more than dealing with Eriri's situation. Everything else was secondary, considering they had only been in school for a little over two months.

"Let's go. It's Hakuto's request, after all."

"What a pain… What about English class?"

"At worst, Hiratsuka-sensei will call us into her office…"

Hachiman declared decisively. He was clearly prepared to skip class for his friend!

Meanwhile, Hakuto and Ginko had just gotten off the train and walked to the front gate of Toyosaki Academy.

"Houtarou and I will do our best…"

After receiving a message from Hachiman, Hakuto finally breathed a sigh of relief. 

At least he had two layers of backup now. Even if those two weren't exactly reliable, it was still reassuring.

Then, turning to Ginko beside him, he smiled and said,

"Ginko, wait here for a moment. I'll go check in."

"Okay."

Although Ginko agreed verbally, she still quietly followed behind Hakuto.

Hakuto wasn't surprised at all—he had already anticipated this.

The school security guard was shocked to see Hakuto.

"Shiratori? Why are you back?"

"Shizuka-sensei asked to see me… Oh, by the way, bringing a visitor from another school shouldn't be a problem, right?"

"No problem at all. Our school encourages visits, especially if you're the one bringing them."

Hakuto's presence had saved the security guard a lot of trouble before, so he was genuinely grateful to him. A little favor like this was no big deal.

Ginko listened to their conversation but didn't find anything unusual.

However, seeing the security guard treat Hakuto with such familiarity, she realized that he wasn't just boasting when he said he had some privileges.

"Alright, Ginko, it's settled. Let's go."

Ginko nodded, then took Hakuto's hand as they entered the school through a side gate.

"Toyosaki is really big…"

"Well, it's a prestigious private high school. A lot of rich kids study here, so of course, it's huge."

Hakuto could name plenty of influential students off the top of his head.

Nakanos, Sawamuras, Togos… There were just too many!

"By the way, which class are you in, Hakuto?" Since she wasn't from the same area as Hakuto, Ginko didn't even know basic details like this.

"Class A, on the fourth floor of the main teaching building…" Hakuto pointed to a nearby building, but as he gestured, he also subtly scanned his surroundings.

It wasn't an unnecessary move—he had noticed several people staring at him. This was just a precaution.

Despite spending a month as a simpering follower, Hakuto's reputation as a delinquent still held weight at school.

There's a saying: No matter how old a hundred-dollar bill gets, it's still worth a hundred dollars.

Hakuto's delinquent image wouldn't fade just because he had played the role of a sycophant.

In fact, thanks to his subtle move just now, the number of eyes on him noticeably decreased.

"Hm?" Ginko scanned the field and noticed that many students were avoiding eye contact with her.

This confused her. She had expected that some Toyosaki students might recognize her due to her shogi fame.

But she wasn't some untouchable celebrity, so she didn't expect such an exaggerated reaction.

Everyone seemed to be avoiding her gaze as if they were afraid of making eye contact.

Just as she was about to ask Hakuto about it, she noticed his expression darken as he stared ahead.

His gaze—malicious and unkind—was something Ginko had never seen from him before.

Sensing her looking at him, Hakuto immediately switched back to his usual gentle smile.

"What's wrong, Ginko?"

"…Just now, you…"

"What about just now?" Hakuto asked nonchalantly.

Ginko had never seen that kind of expression from him before. In her mind, Hakuto's eyes had always been warm and full of sunshine.

"Hakuto, you seem a little off today."

From his excitement after the morning's match to his hesitation when she suggested visiting the school, and now this fleeting hostility in his expression…

"Off? Do I?"

Hakuto sighed inwardly. Why did she have to notice when he was glaring at someone…

"Are you just tired?" That was Ginko's first guess.

After all, the moment they met, she had already noticed the dark circles under his eyes. She just hadn't mentioned it.

Hakuto was surprised—had even Ginko noticed how exhausted he was?

He really was drained. Days of overusing his computational ability on top of everything else had completely depleted his energy.

And yet, he still felt oddly alert. His focus had been razor-sharp even during his shogi match earlier.

But the fatigue on his face—and the dark circles under his eyes—were impossible to hide.

Since he didn't wear makeup, there was no concealing them.

"Ginko, I'm fine…" Hakuto grasped Ginko's small hand and shook his head.

He couldn't tell her about his computational ability. She was just an ordinary person—there was no need to drag her into this.

At the very least, he had to wait until Otosaka Yuu had taken all the abilities in the world. Only then would he have the confidence to tell her.

It wasn't about great power bringing great responsibility.

It was just that there were things he cared about.

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