Chapter 127: I'm Not a Gentle Person

Both Kaguya Shinomiya and Shirogane Miyuki desperately wanted to see each other.

During the school year, they saw each other every day. But once summer break began, they each returned home—and neither could bring themselves to be the first to send a message. So they waited in silence.

They could only bury their feelings and stare blankly at their phones.

As if guided by fate, both of them—on a whim—decided to head to Shuchiin Academy, hoping they might run into each other.

But there was a problem.

Kaguya lived close to school. Shirogane lived far away.

Kaguya took a car. Shirogane rode a bike.

So naturally, Kaguya arrived earlier.

When she opened the student council room and found it empty, a trace of disappointment showed in her eyes.

"I figured… of course he wouldn't be here."

She walked in quietly, sat down in the president's chair—the one Shirogane always used—and rested her cheek against the desk, trying to feel its lingering warmth.

"I really… want to see you."

By the time Kaguya left the school, Shirogane had just arrived, panting and sweating.

They missed each other completely.

---

"How'd you know I was here?" Shirogane asked.

"Kei told me. She's at my place right now."

Rinji and Shirogane leaned against the student council wall, sipping their drinks.

"She said you came here to deal with student council stuff. I figured you probably came hoping to bump into Shinomiya—if you got lucky."

"Knew you'd figure it out," Shirogane laughed.

Whenever Shirogane did something irrational, Rinji always knew exactly what he was really thinking.

Even though he hadn't seen Kaguya, having Rinji show up erased his disappointment.

He realized that summer break didn't only have meaning if he spent it with a girl. Hanging out with a friend was meaningful too.

Life wasn't just about romance.

Having someone who genuinely cared about him—someone like Rinji—was more than enough.

"Want to come over to my place later? Kei's still there."

"Maybe not today." Shirogane smiled. "I still have to bike home. Besides, Kei probably doesn't want to see her overly strict brother right now."

"Alright then. I'll take good care of Kei for you."

"Thanks. I appreciate it."

---

After Rinji left, Kei stayed in his house watching TV alone.

She flipped through a few channels, bored, and got up to stretch. That's when she noticed a photo on the living room table.

It was a group picture.

A couple holding a five-year-old child.

"Rinji-nii looked so cute when he was little."

It was easy to tell that the child in the photo was Takamine Rinji, and the couple next to him were likely his parents.

The father had sleek black hair, with bangs just long enough to cover his left eye. The mother, on the other hand, was a stunningly beautiful blonde woman.

"His parents are so good-looking... no wonder Rinji-nii turned out to be such a pretty boy," murmured Kei Shirogane.

She then noticed the date written beneath the photo:

March 24, 1920

"...Did they write the date wrong? How could it be from the beginning of the last century?"

It was almost 2020 now, and there was no way Rinji looked like someone who lived a hundred years ago. Kei figured it must've been someone joking around when they labeled the photo.

At that moment, she heard a key turning in the front door. Kei quickly put the photo back and sat back down on the sofa.

"Sorry I took so long, Kei."

"It's fine."

After washing his face, Rinji sat on the couch. Kei stood up from her original spot and moved to sit beside him.

"You went to see my brother, right?"

"Yeah, I did."

"Rinji-nii, you're really kind."

From the very first day she met Takamine Rinji, Kei had felt an unusual warmth from him—one that felt just like family.

Every time Rinji visited the Shirogane household, she always felt completely at ease.

Their home life had never been easy.

Their father's factory had gone bankrupt when Kei and Miyuki were still very young. Not long after, their mother left the family.

It had taken years of hard work just to stabilize things, and even now, life was still exhausting and busy.

Rinji's arrival didn't exactly fix everything, but he brought a sense of comfort and calm to the household.

Kei cherished this gentleness. As someone who had to grow up fast, she longed for that kind of care.

"Rinji-nii, can I… lean on your shoulder for a bit?"

"Oh, of course."

With his permission, Kei kept her expression calm as she gently rested her head on his shoulder.

They were sitting so close that Rinji could catch a whiff of the fresh scent from Kei's silver hair.

"Can I come over again in the future?"

"Of course. You're always welcome, Kei. Whether it's your brother or uncle, anyone can come visit."

"I want to come alone," she said softly.

Though Rinji had both fans and detractors among the students at Shuchiin, in Kei's eyes, he was always a kind and outstanding person.

And if she could have that kindness all to herself...

"Kei, if you're tired, I can have a driver take you home first. I'll bring over some groceries to your place another day… Kei?"

Rinji called softly a couple more times, but there was no response. When he looked down, he saw Kei fast asleep on his shoulder, breathing gently.

"She's asleep, huh."

Smiling, Rinji stood up and gently carried her to the bedroom. He laid her down on the bed and covered her with a blanket.

Looking at her sleeping face, he smiled and gently brushed her silver hair.

"Kei, you were wrong about one thing. I'm not really a kind person. You all just haven't seen my darker side yet."

With that, he turned off the lights and quietly left the room.

And just as the door closed, Kei—her cheeks slightly flushed—slowly opened her eyes.