The sunset reflected in the sky.
The clouds, dyed orange, floated in the air, tempting young girls to capture this beautiful scene on their phones.
Perhaps, tonight, these photos might appear on social media.
Just like the glimpse of slender calves beneath a pleated skirt, they were delicate and delightful.
My favorite season was about to arrive.
In the hallway, the handsome youth glanced at the girl by the flower bed and then looked away.
"Chiba Student, do you want me to carry your backpack for you?"
Down the corridor, dense with twilight, the boy walked forward, jokingly speaking to the girl.
Chiba Shimizu glanced at him indifferently, said nothing, and didn't hand over her backpack.
Her calm eyes seemed to say,
Do you really have such good intentions?
"It's my honor to serve a beauty,"
the boy continued unfazed, "and if I get a 'thank you' in return, I'll be happy all day."
"Boring."
Chiba Shimizu still couldn't figure out what the boy was up to, like an ancient sword master awaiting a duel.
Unable to discern the pattern of his strategy, one could only watch silently, then deliver a fatal blow when the moment came.
"I surrender, I surrender, no hostility, I just really want to help."
Haruka Yuzan raised his hands, showing they were empty, and he had no ulterior motives.
A swordsman who disarmed himself, an act others might find despicable.
In that moment, the girl's gaze grew sharp, as if the two were engaged in a clandestine duel between sword fighters.
It was the first time I'd seen a different emotion on Chiba Shimizu's face.
It was... a bit too cute.
A moe little sword deity? A straight-faced... comedian?
Six words that couldn't possibly describe the girl before me, yet they jumped into Haruka Yuzan's mind.
"You didn't seem so eager to help when Otome was around,"
Chiba Shimizu flicked her silver hair and kept walking.
I was just after a task reward, not a death wish.
Watching the girl in the distance, Haruka Yuzan couldn't help but shake his head; the concept of a wish list was just too vague.
That's a question for the manga artist, as to why the later volumes made one's stomach ache.
He might as well go home and watch video explanations to fill in the grand finale...
Arriving at the checkout, he paid.
The cashier showed a hint of surprise in her eyes as she saw the two vastly different types of books.
"These are for a friend of mine,"
Haruka Yuzan said with a smile.
"Ah?"
The handsome guy suddenly offered an explanation,
The cashier realized, and sure enough, such a handsome man with such refined tastes usually reads philosophically rich books like "Being and Nothingness," right.....
Seemingly relieved, she displayed a sweet smile,
"I was just thinking, how could you read...."
"Right," Haruka Yuzan also said with a smile, "Do I look like someone who would read 'Being and Nothingness'?"
"Ah?"
After paying, Haruka Yuzan smiled, took the two books, and left the bookstore.
His fingers lightly traced the new books' thick, textured covers.
Ironically, it's often these kinds of books that are made exceptionally upscale and are priced outrageously high.
A single book cost more than all three volumes of the manga collection. .net
Still, this trip was worth it for him.
Just... how exactly should he complete the third wish on his list? Headache...
Back at home,
As soon as he entered, Roast Meat came padding over, wiggling its little butt.
Nattering non-stop with meows,
these days, feeding Roast Meat naturally fell to the loafing resident—Misaki Saki.
Her waking schedule coincidentally matched the chubby cat's; having breakfast and simultaneously pouring a bowl of cat food and opening a can of wet food for her "roommate" was routine.
Every time he ate the breakfast prepared by Reiko Onodera, he couldn't help but feel grateful—Sister Reiko really was kind and gentle.
Unfortunately, Haruka Yuzan was a big jerk.
.....
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