Chapter 250 250



Tenku asked Kaede to dig the ground using her abilities after the girl killed the last goblin. He wanted to bury the monsters' corpses, fearing someone would find them and cause panic. Tenku didn't want that to happen because it would disrupt his vacation in the Arashiyama bamboo grove.

After Tenku and Kaede buried the goblins' corpses, they returned to Setsuka and the others. Kaede had contacted her best friend and asked for their location. But in the middle of the way, Kaede suddenly asked Tenku to slow down because she wanted to enjoy the beautiful scenery of the Arashiyama bamboo grove in winter.

On top of that, Kaede had also told him that Setsuka would be waiting for the two, so they did not need to rush. Of course, that was just an excuse for her to be alone with Tenku and spend more time with him.

Tenku quickly agreed to Kaede's request and didn't question it. Although he only had romantic feelings for Setsuka and Wang Ruyue, he couldn't treat Kaede differently from the two girls because they came to that place for holidays together and deserved the same pleasure.

The two walked hand in hand, but neither of them spoke. On the one hand, Tenku didn't know what to talk to her about. On the other hand, Kaede was too nervous and couldn't get anything out of her mouth. After walking for quite a while, Tenku sighed and decided to speak first. He wanted to destroy the awkward atmosphere between them.

"By the way, when was the last time you visited this place?" Tenku looked at Kaede and asked. He wanted to start a chat with her so the two wouldn't just fall silent on their way back to Setsuka and the others. Tenku felt uncomfortable with that kind of situation.

"Ah, the last time I came here was two years ago. But this is my first time visiting the Arashiyama bamboo grove in winter. So I can see the beautiful scenery of the bamboo trees painted white with snow." Kirika answered reflexively after she heard Tenku's voice.

"Did you come to this place together with your family?" Tenku asked another question.

"Yes, I came here with my father, mother, and brother." Kaede replied with a smile on her face. She looks happy as she reminisces about her vacation with her family in the past.

"You have an older brother?" Tenku raised his eyebrows after he heard her words. This was the first time he had heard that Kaede had an older brother. Setsuka and Kohana had talked about her several times but never mentioned her family.

"I have an older brother who doesn't live in Japan with us. He chose to study at a well-known university abroad." Kaede's face clouded over after she remembered about that. She rarely had contact with her brother since he studied abroad. It was difficult for Kaede to reach him because her brother was very busy, and they could only communicate if the other party called her first.

"Is that so? Then how about the scenery in the Arashiyama bamboo forest in other seasons?" Tenku quickly changed the subject of their conversation after noticing the change in expression on Kaede's face. He regretted bringing up the matter and making the girl sad.

Kaede quickly regained her composure after hearing Tenku's question. She wasn't stupid and knew he had purposely diverted their topic after seeing her sour mood. Kaede was happy but also felt guilty that she had ruined their moment. Therefore, she had to give a good reply to correct her mistake.

"Hmm... I thought this place would still be beautiful regardless of the season we came here. The Arashiyama bamboo grove has a different appeal in each season. So I can't decide which one is better. But I feel that the scenery in this place will be more beautiful if we come together with a lover or someone precious to us. We can think of it as a romantic getaway." Kaede said shyly and blushed.

"Yeah, this place is really good for a date." Tenku agreed with Kaede. He tried to think positively and not misunderstand the girl's words and expressions.

"Aren't we like lovers on a date now?" Kaede stuck out her little tongue and smiled sweetly. Tenku was mesmerized when he saw the sight but quickly regained his senses.

"Please don't joke with me. If your boyfriend finds out, he will be jealous. I don't want that to happen because the problem with Chizen isn't over yet. So I don't want to get into trouble with other guys." Tenku smiled bitterly.

"I don't have a boyfriend, and I've never dated any guy until now." Kaede pouted in response to his words. She felt disappointed because Tenku thought that her words were a joke. But Kaede couldn't blame him entirely because she did say it seriously to lessen her embarrassment.

"Huh? Are you serious? I can understand that Setsuka doesn't have a boyfriend because she has a cold demeanor, making the opposite sex dare not interact with her. But aren't there any male students at school trying to get close to you?

I'm sure many men will like your beautiful appearance and gentle temperament." Tenku was a little surprised after hearing Kaede's answer. He didn't expect a girl as beautiful and delicate as she didn't have a lover.

Kaede's face was red up to her ears because of Tenku's blatant compliment. She pretended to look the other way to hide her embarrassment.

"I'm serious. I've never had a boyfriend or dated a guy until now." Kaede replied in a low voice. But then she shifted her eyes back to Tenku after she remembered something.

"I was once close to a boy in middle school. At that time, I was a first-year student and still didn't understand the relationship between men and women. Then a male student from my class kept talking to me. At first, I thought he wanted to get close to Setsuka through me as an intermediary.

I feel that Setsuka is much prettier than me, and that's what I hear from the students around me. But my relationship with Setsuka in middle school wasn't as close as now. So I'm So I intend to refuse his request if it's related to Setsuka. " Kaede said nostalgically.

She showed such an expression not because she remembered the boy but when trying to get close to Setsuka. Kaede had to actively talk to her so she could open her heart and want to be friends with her.

"Then did the boy say his purpose to you? Did he ask for your help to get close to Setsuka?" Tenku asked. He was slightly curious about Kaede's story since it concerned Setsuka.

"No. It turned out that my guess was wrong. He's not trying to get close to Setsuka but me. After knowing that, I felt a little happy, and our relationship improved. But it was far from dating because I didn't want to be in a romantic relationship with anyone while I was in middle school. Most importantly, I have no special feelings for him.

But he didn't give up and said he would try to make me fall in love. I kept silent and decided not to respond to his words. Even though I don't love him, I don't hate him. So I was confused about how to answer his statement." Kaede sighed and said helplessly.

"What happened next?" Tenku urged Kaede to continue with her words.

"Our relationship has become even closer as the years have passed. But I suddenly lost news of him after we graduated from middle school. I don't know what happened to him. I tried to get news about him from his friends, and I found out that he had left Tokyo because his family had to move to another city.

I was shocked and asked where he moved. Unfortunately, none of his friends know about it. So he left me before the feelings in my heart flowered." Kaede spoke with a sad face. She showed such a reaction not because she liked the boy but because she had lost her best friend, just like she had lost her brother.

But then Kaede thought about it again after she remembered that boy. She couldn't fall in love with him after they had been together for three years. He has pursued her aggressively and has also confessed his feelings to her. But Kaede couldn't have romantic feelings for him and couldn't think of him as more than a friend.

Surprisingly, Kaede can easily fall in love with someone she has only known briefly. On top of that, he is her junior in high school and is also the boy her best friend loves. Kaede didn't understand why she could have such feelings for Tenku.

She felt that it had something to do with the storybooks and novels she had read since elementary school and that it had influenced her thoughts. In other words, Kaede yearns for a male figure like the main character, and Tenku fulfills all her criteria. Then she glanced at Tenku and found that the other party was looking at her meaningfully.

"Ah! He and I were just friends till we graduated middle school and nothing more! I also never harbored special feelings for him! So please don't think anything weird!!" Kaede explained in a panic because she thought that Tenku had misunderstood her.

"I understand." Tenku replied in surprise because she didn't expect Kaede to overreact and raise her voice. Fortunately, there were no other visitors near them.

After that, their atmosphere became awkward again, and Tenku melted it for the second time. They kept chatting along the way, and Kaede became actively talking to Tenku. This made their relationship closer than before. Although it couldn't be compared to Setsuka and Wang Ruyue, Kaede was already satisfied with the result.

Not long after, Tenku and Kaede arrived at Setsuka's location. Wang Ruyue and the others quickly noticed their presence as they walked over. The three girls looked at them suspiciously after feeling something had changed in Tenku and Kaede's relationship. But they didn't think about it any further because they were more curious about the goblin that Tenku had found.

"How are the goblins? Have you killed it?" Kirika looked at Tenku and asked.

"We have killed that monster. But we didn't expect to find a bigger problem." Kaede answered.

"A bigger problem?" Setsuka and the others looked at Kaede in confusion.

Kaede asked Tenku for permission to explain the matter, and the other party nodded. Afterward, Kaede told them what they did after coming to the goblin's location and what they found in the monster's hideout.

"What!?" Setsuka and the two girls were shocked and looked at them in disbelief.