63 High School Student

The afternoon was as uneventful as usual, spent studying hard.

After school, Hojou Kyousuke went to the Kendo club to help guide the members in practice.

Even though the National Kendo Tournament and the All-Japan High School Kendo Selection Contest were still three months away—at the end of July and early August, respectively—the high school team had already entered full preparation mode.

They weren't satisfied with their previous training intensity and collectively asked Kyousuke to actively attack them during practice.

"If we can stay sharp under your pressure, then winning the competition will be a breeze," one of the members said, encouraging him.

Despite the praise, when Kyousuke launched his attacks, the members still couldn't react quickly enough, even though he was deliberately holding back.

"Hojou, are you participating in the National Middle School Kendo Tournament at the end of July?"

During a break, Makki Hojou approached Kyousuke and asked.

"There's a middle school tournament too?" Kyousuke responded, surprised.

He hadn't stopped practicing, still swinging his sword with full effort, as he planned to finish early.

He had dinner plans with the beautiful older woman, Okudera Miki, and needed to get the day's training done quickly.

"Of course! It's held at the Wetlands Sports Arena in Kushiro, Hokkaido."

"I remember your admission materials said you're from Hokkaido, so why didn't you know about this?" Makki replied, a little puzzled.

"Oh, it's in Kushiro? That's quite far from my hometown, Otaru. I think it's a three-hour drive."

"But I've only been to Hokkaido a few times when I was younger. Most of my time was spent in Mizumon City," Kyousuke explained.

"I see. So, are you going? It's a good excuse to visit home, and the school covers travel expenses."

"If I go, wouldn't it be a bit too much of an advantage for me?" Kyousuke couldn't help but feel a bit tempted at the thought of returning home without having to pay for it.

"No way! Actually, it's more like they're bullying you, a first-year middle schooler!"

"Besides, Higashi win first place last year, so this time, with such a strong newcomer like you, we'll be able to win first place for three years in a row!" Makki said, eager to convince him.

"Alright, just sign me up when you do the registration," Kyousuke agreed, though he was still half-joking.

After another round of practice, Kyousuke quickly showered, changed into his casual clothes, and said his goodbyes to the team.

To be honest, he would have preferred a simple family meal at a regular restaurant, as he could only tolerate Italian food in small doses.

But since it was his mother's request and he was also looking forward to seeing Okudera Miki, he made his way to the "Kotonoha no Niwa" restaurant on time.

Riding his motorcycle, Kyousuke swiftly reached the restaurant.

While most office workers were still at work, the upscale Italian restaurant already had several patrons, many of whom weren't just ordinary office workers.

"Welcome," greeted Tanaka, who had helped Kyousuke with his uniform the day before, opening the door for him.

Upon seeing Kyousuke, he quickly pointed to the east side of the restaurant.

Kyousuke turned his head and saw Okudera Miki taking an order from a table of customers.

He quietly chose a secluded table, sitting down to observe her with interest.

It was clear that one of the female customers at the table was a bit of a handful, constantly asking Okudera Miki questions about the menu.

Despite this, Okudera Miki's smile remained unchanged as she patiently explained everything to the customer.

Even the difficult woman became quiet, seemingly charmed by her demeanor.

It wasn't the troublesome woman who was charmed, though.

It was her male companion, who, after being scolded by his partner, quickly placed the order and flashed Okudera Miki a self-satisfied smile, thinking himself quite the gentleman.

That's the power of an older woman; she can captivate any age group.

Okudera Miki, still smiling, handed the order board to another waiter and gave a few instructions.

Then she walked over to Kyousuke.

"Thanks for coming," she said, sitting down in the chair he pulled out for her.

"Did you have a tiring day?" Kyousuke asked.

"I just got here. That table was the first I served today," Okudera Miki replied with a laugh.

"Really? Do they treat their staff that well here, where you only need to work half a day?"

"Well, I'm actually just a part-timer. My main job is as a university student at Ochanomizu University," Okudera Miki said playfully, noticing the confusion on Kyousuke's face.

"Wow, that's impressive. So, should I call you 'Okudera-senpai' from now on?"

"But why would someone like you work part-time at a restaurant?"

"Surely you could find something better?" Kyousuke complimented her, impressed.

Ochanomizu University was often referred to as the "female Todai" and held high recognition in Japan's social ranking.

"Hehe, 'senpai' sounds nice."

"I'm actually in the Department of Life Sciences, majoring in Food and Nutrition, so I wanted to do something related to that."

"Also, even though I'm just a waitress, my pay is probably better than some of the part-time models around here. Do you know why?" Okudera Miki asked with a mischievous smile.

Kyousuke quickly understood: "Because you're the 'poster girl,' right?"

"Ha-ha, you got it!" she said, laughing.

"Then what about you? Living in Bunkyo Ward, you must be a student too, right?" Okudera Miki asked.

"Well, I'm at Higashi," Kyousuke scratched his head, trying to figure out how to casually mention that he was still just a first-year middle school student.

Luckily, Higashi was a combined middle and high school, so he wasn't lying.

"Wait, you're still in high school?" Okudera Miki was surprised.

From his mannerisms, she had thought Kyousuke was a university student like her.

"Yeah…" Kyousuke nodded.

Sometimes, a little exaggeration about age worked wonders.

No one at Higashi knew him as "Hojou Kyousuke" anyway.

"From your motorcycle, I thought you were one of those 'Tokyo handsome guys' who'd already entered the workforce," Okudera Miki remarked, pointing at the motorcycle key Kyousuke had placed on the table.

If it had been a regular key, Kyousuke wouldn't have left it on the table.

But his Rocket 33 was keyless, so the key looked as sophisticated as those of high-end cars—stylish and luxurious.

Thinking about it, Kyousuke was reminded of his own troubles.

The official retail price was four million yen—how was he going to repay this

Did he have to ask his dad to "sacrifice" another cow for the money?

After all, the three years of tuition he was exempted from only barely matched that amount.

That was just the fee for a private, prestigious school like Higashi.

"Anyway, I'm from Hokkaido. This bike was a promotion gift from a friend," Kyousuke quickly said, trying to brush off the topic.

"Oh, everything's ready based on what you ordered yesterday."

"I'll have them bring the food right out," Okudera Miki said, though she was still curious about the expensive gift.

Because there were fewer customers tonight, Okudera Miki stayed with Kyousuke the entire time.

He showed her just how much of a "food monster" he could be.

"I'm so full. Seeing you enjoy your meal so much, I couldn't help but eat a little myself," she said, rubbing her slightly bulging stomach.

"Don't blame me! Your beauty makes the food taste even better, so I ended up eating more than I usually would," Kyousuke replied, taking a sip of juice.

"I need to work off some of this weight tonight, or I won't be able to control it," Okudera Miki said, blushing slightly.

"Can you show me the kitchen? I want to learn how to make Italian food," Kyousuke suddenly asked as he stood up.

"Well, you'll need to ask the manager for that," Okudera Miki replied.

"Right, I'll let you get back to work. I'll walk you home when you finish," Kyousuke said, walking away without giving her a chance to refuse.

"You're going the wrong way—the manager's office is over there," Okudera Miki said, smiling as she watched him leave.

Walk me home, huh?

The memory of how his muscles felt when she hugged him on the motorcycle a few nights ago made Okudera Miki blush again.

She also realized she still hadn't returned his jacket.

Her mind filled with various thoughts, some healthy and others not so much, causing a few small mistakes at work.

Meanwhile, Kyousuke successfully found the manager's office and, after explaining that he wanted to learn to cook, the manager agreed but explained that the chefs were too busy at the moment.

If Kyousuke really wanted to learn, he could come back when there were fewer customers.

Having heard this, Kyousuke decided not to disrupt the kitchen and instead relaxed in the manager's office, checking his phone and chatting with his friends, including Shouko, about weekend plans.