[56] The Discovery of Kanata Totokubara

The warm sun cast its rays into the office of the executive committee, draping Kanata in a golden-white glow.

Without the obstruction of a wide-brimmed hat, her exquisite Eurasian features were fully visible, making it impossible not to admire her charm.

Her long, golden hair cascaded naturally, with the ends slightly curled, shimmering like gold dust under the sunlight. Her emerald-green eyes resembled clear springs, exuding elegance and grace. Her perfectly oval face was complemented by a high nose bridge, thin lips, and delicate, slender eyebrows.

Even a royal princess couldn't compare to her.

She stretched lazily, feeling a bit drowsy as she stood up from her chair and glanced at the electronic clock on the wall.

It showed 11:30, almost time for lunch.

After greeting the other committee members in the office, Kanata put on her wide-brimmed hat, picked up her parasol, closed the door, and headed toward the school cafeteria.

The meals at Hagun Academy's cafeteria were all nutritionally balanced but tasted like cardboard.

However, Kanata had always been different from the typical noble young ladies. While most noble girls were still secluded in their homes, she had already sneaked out to wander around the orphanages run by her family. Thanks to this, she had met Touka and Utakata.

Although she enjoyed drinking black tea, she wasn't particularly fussy about food, so she didn't mind the bland meals... Well, mainly because she was too lazy to hire a private chef.

"What's that...?"

On her way to the cafeteria, Kanata suddenly noticed two figures ahead, seemingly arguing about something.

One of them was someone Kanata recognized—Kagami Kusakabe from the newspaper club. On the first day of school, Kanata had helped her with the club application.

At that moment, the two were standing under the shade of a tree. Kagami was being pulled by the sleeve, and the other person was angrily saying something.

"Twenty thousand yen for a set? Are you trying to rob me? How could someone as kind as Nangou-kun allow such a thing!"

Every time Eiji received a love letter, he would meet the sender, only to reject them firmly. However, in the eyes of his fervent fans, this behavior was labeled as "gentle."

Ah, my idol came to reject me! He must care about me!

Hearing a name that caught her attention, Kanata paused mid-step.

As a member of the student council, she was obligated to handle campus disputes. However, instead of stepping in immediately, she lifted the hem of her skirt and quietly moved to hide behind the corner of a building.

Kagami wanted to say that this person had misunderstood Eiji's personality, but she decided not to ruin Eiji's image here.

"Well, it's not like I'm not robbing you right now," Kagami replied.

The other person was stunned.

A set of twelve photos, sold for twenty thousand yen, and not even properly framed—just stuffed in a plastic bag. It was practically a robbery.

"Do you want it or not?"

"...Are there any fakes or duplicates in there?"

"How many people have I sold to? Do you think I'd cheat you?"

In the end, the buyer reluctantly handed over twenty thousand yen and purchased the set of photos from Kagami.

"Humph~ Humph~"

Kagami skipped away from the shaded area.

She had sold another set, and her share of the profit was six thousand yen, putting her in a great mood. Everything around her seemed delightful.

On the other hand, the buyer stealthily tucked away the photos and pretended nothing had happened as he headed toward the dormitory.

After spending so much money on the photos, the priority was to enjoy them as soon as possible. Who had time for lunch now?

"Excuse me, I just saw you trading something that might be against the rules, didn't I?"

But just as his mood was lifting, his vision suddenly blurred.

A young lady holding a parasol appeared right in front of her.

His heart almost stopped. It was someone from the student council!

"May I take a look at what you just put in your bag?"

Kanata smiled gently as she extended her hand.

The buyer could only cry internally as he tremblingly took out the photos from his bag and handed them over to Kanata, his face filled with despair.

Kanata took the photos and glanced at one.

"So handsome!"

Her eyes sparkled with admiration.

Normally, Eiji didn't bother much with his appearance, always looking natural. But his innate charm made him look handsome even without any effort.

In the photos, however, Eiji had been carefully styled, and the photographer seemed to be a master at capturing his beauty. The super handsome boy struck model-like poses, showcasing his charm from every angle, creating a visually stunning impact.

Kanata flipped through the photos one by one, driven by instinct.

It wasn't until she reached the last one that she suddenly snapped back to reality.

She was here to investigate an illegal transaction, not to admire photos.

"Confiscated."

Kanata maintained her graceful smile as she pocketed the entire set of photos.

The buyer's face turned pale, filled with despair as he walked away.

It was over. Not only would he have to survive on pickles and porridge for the next month, but he had also lost the treasure he had worked so hard to obtain.

"Got my hands on something nice."

Kanata felt a surge of joy.

Although her impression of Eiji was rather average, eye-catching things were eye-catching. There was no need to deny herself such pleasures.

"As a member of the student council, I have the authority to confiscate prohibited items. This is for the sake of maintaining campus order, not for my own benefit... Yes, that's right."

With this thought, she stepped out from the corner of the building, lifted her skirt, and quickly chased after Kagami.

"But seriously, is his popularity really that high? Even boys are buying his photos?"

The buyer earlier had been a guy.

A guy buying such photos... That couldn't be normal, could it?

***

"Eiji-kun, here's the income from the past few days!"

Kagami met up with Eiji and handed him a stack of bills with both hands.

"One million yen in total, please sign for it!"

"Excellent!"

Eiji grinned from ear to ear, his back teeth showing.

Indeed, even if he didn't have a talent for making money himself and always ended up losing it, as long as he acted as a hands-off investor and let others do the work, there was still a way to earn income.

Of course, Hagun Academy had a small student body, and most students didn't have much money to spare. Plus, since the items were against the rules, transactions were often done cautiously. Otherwise, it wouldn't have taken five days to reach just one million yen.

As agreed earlier, Eiji gave Kagami a thirty percent cut—three hundred thousand yen. She had put in a lot of effort and deserved the share.

"Eiji-kun, when are we shooting the second set of photos?"

Kagami pocketed her share and looked at Eiji with eager anticipation.

She was simply craving new photos of her idol. She was being honest.

"Let's wait another month."

Eiji thought for a moment.

Seven hundred thousand yen would last him a long time, and the first set of photos hadn't fully circulated yet. There was still room to squeeze more profit... Well, mainly because he was lazy. Shooting a good set of photos took an entire day, involving makeup and multiple outfit changes. It was a hassle.

Too bad the doctor had long said his stomach wasn't in great shape, yet no wealthy woman had stepped forward to support him.

***

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