Kiryuuin Fuuka didn't force Shikime Natsu to speak of his past. After all, everything she had just said was something she had volunteered to share of her own accord, and besides, Shikime Natsu had proven to be a fairly good listener.
On that account, Kiryuuin Fuuka held no grievance against Shikime Natsu—on the contrary, she felt a measure of satisfaction that he had been willing to hear her say such things, and to respond without saying anything off-putting.
"Of course, if you'd rather not talk about it, that's perfectly fine too."
After hearing these words, Shikime Natsu did not answer right away.
He was still holding that unopened bottle of orange juice in his hand, his fingertips registering the faint chill seeping off the surface of the bottle.
He was silent for a moment, as though pondering something, and then he lifted his head, those pale golden eyes of his meeting Kiryuuin Fuuka's gaze.
Shikime Natsu spoke, a faint, barely perceptible trace of amusement in his tone.
"Is Kiryuuin-senpai really that curious about my affairs?"
Hearing this, Kiryuuin Fuuka was first taken aback, and then couldn't help letting out a soft laugh.
The laugh wasn't loud, but it carried a kind of forthright candor.
"That goes without saying, doesn't it."
She said it as though it were the most natural thing in the world, then tilted her head slightly, a flicker of keen interest passing through those purple eyes.
"I'd like to know just what kind of environment it takes to raise a person into a monster like you."
After Shikime Natsu heard this, he merely let out a soft chuckle.
There wasn't much emotional fluctuation to be read in that smile—neither displeasure at being offended, nor smugness at being praised.
He thought it over, then opened his mouth and said.
"My environment, actually, was no different from that of an ordinary household."
Shikime Natsu's voice was still that same steady, gentle tone, as though there were nothing in the world that could stir overly intense emotional waves in him.
"A dual-income family, both parents had to work, and the circumstances I was born into weren't especially privileged—not some immensely wealthy or noble household."
He paused, as if recalling something.
"If there was the slightest difference at all..."
Shikime Natsu thought for a moment.
"It was probably just that I was fairly self-disciplined."
On this point, Shikime Natsu didn't praise himself excessively, and there was no arrogance in his tone either—he was merely stating a fact.
After all, before entering this school, his exam results had genuinely ranked seventh in the entire grade.
As for athletic ability, that was quite good as well.
None of this had come out of thin air; before he came here, he had always been working to improve himself.
Of course, after entering this academy, Shikime Natsu had indeed been in a perpetual state of "cheating."
But about that, he felt little guilt.
After all, the cheat he'd unlocked was something that belonged to him.
So it was only right and proper that he made use of it—if you had a cheat and didn't use it, then wouldn't unlocking it have been for nothing?
After Kiryuuin Fuuka finished listening to Shikime Natsu's explanation, the expression on her face gave away nothing of whether she believed it or not.
She merely revealed a smile, one that carried a few shades of deeper meaning.
"It seems that no matter what kind of environment it is, for you, it perhaps doesn't matter all that much."
She paused, looking into Shikime Natsu's eyes.
"In the end, you'd still have grown into the person you are now."
Hearing Kiryuuin Fuuka say this, Shikime Natsu merely smiled and said nothing more.
But in his heart, he knew it perfectly well.
Had he not come to this school, he truly would have had no way of reaching his present accomplishments.
After all, his CG system basically had to be triggered by the beautiful girls in this school.
Placed anywhere else, it simply couldn't be activated.
Of course, this was naturally something Shikime Natsu would never go out of his way to reveal.
The two of them carried on chatting, the atmosphere quite relaxed.
The topic soon shifted from matters of the past to the future.
"Where do you want to work or go on to study in the future?"
Kiryuuin Fuuka asked, her tone turning somewhat casual, those pale purple eyes still resting on Shikime Natsu.
Although the two of them were already seated on the same bench, when conversing, looking at the other person was just basic etiquette.
Besides, Kiryuuin Fuuka wasn't the kind of girl who got flustered at the drop of a hat.
"Which university do you plan to attend?"
She thought about it, then added another line.
"How about considering coming with me to the law department of XX University? Or another major would be fine too."
"I'm rather looking forward to crossing paths with you at university."
The corners of Kiryuuin Fuuka's mouth curved up slightly.
"If you went to that university too, then at the very least my college life wouldn't be too boring."
Having said that, she turned her head again, looking at Shikime Natsu.
"Or are you planning to go straight out and find a good job after graduating from this school?"
Shikime Natsu spoke to Kiryuuin Fuuka with a smile.
"Kiryuuin-senpai, I recall you just said that after graduating you plan to find work at an ordinary small or mid-sized company and live as an ordinary person—right?"
Kiryuuin Fuuka nodded.
"That's right."
Shikime Natsu gave her a laugh, that smile carrying a touch of ease.
"My own plans for the future aren't to go work at some big company either."
He paused, as though earnestly painting a picture of his future life.
"I just want to find a fairly quiet and comfortable place, and live there together with my future wives."
Hearing these words, Kiryuuin Fuuka was first taken aback, and then couldn't help but laugh.
That smile carried a hint of helplessness, and a hint of teasing.
"If that's the case, then you're going to have it pretty rough."
She looked at Shikime Natsu and went on.
"After all, you're quite the amorous one, with so many wives. To support them all, unless you come from a wealthy lineage, settling down and living out this life in peace is no easy task."
Kiryuuin Fuuka wasn't deliberately trying to put pressure on Shikime Natsu—it was simply the truth.
If Shikime Natsu had only a single wife, then the future wouldn't hold much pressure at all.
But knowing Shikime Natsu, he certainly wouldn't give up on those girls.
And if he ever did give them up, then he'd truly be scum.
At the very least, if Shikime Natsu really made such a choice, then Kiryuuin Fuuka's estimation of him would basically sink to the same tier as Nagumo Miyabi.
Of course, slightly higher than Nagumo Miyabi—but that was only in terms of ability; in terms of character, the two would be neck and neck.
After Shikime Natsu heard this, he didn't get angry, nor did he rush to defend himself.
He merely smiled, and then spoke to Kiryuuin Fuuka.
"I do, of course, have the ability—I won't let the girls who follow me suffer any hardship."
His tone was very calm, but his words carried confidence.
"I have that confidence."
Watching Shikime Natsu's thoroughly confident bearing, Kiryuuin Fuuka smiled.
She nodded, and said to Shikime Natsu.
"True enough."
There was a note of agreement in that tone, as though she really had come to believe that Shikime Natsu possessed such ability.
The two of them exchanged a few more simple words, the topic wandering this way and that—from studies to daily life, from daily life to the future.
Then Kiryuuin Fuuka abruptly changed tack, and with a teasing air asked Shikime Natsu.
"I hear Asahina has become your girlfriend too—is that true or not?"
Shikime Natsu answered with a smile.
"Mm, that's right, indeed. Though... I only started going out with Nazuna last night. Kiryuuin-senpai found out this quickly?"
This answer was crisp and clean, without the slightest intent to conceal anything.
After Kiryuuin Fuuka heard it, she nodded, and then said to Shikime Natsu with a laugh.
"Not bad—just this morning, basically the entire second year already knew about it. That guy Nagumo's expression was, you could say, pretty terrible."
Hearing Kiryuuin Fuuka say this, even though Shikime Natsu didn't deliberately try to picture Nagumo Miyabi's ugly expression, he could still tell that that fellow Nagumo Miyabi was in a thoroughly foul mood.
"Since you're going out now, then you'd better cherish her properly."
Shikime Natsu answered earnestly.
"I will."
These words were spoken sincerely, with no trace of perfunctoriness in his tone.
At this point Kiryuuin Fuuka lowered her other leg, then rose to her feet and stepped over to the side of the bench, looking as though she intended to leave.
With her back to Shikime Natsu, leaving behind a slender silhouette, she waved a hand, her tone carrying a few shades of nonchalance.
"Talking with you today was rather pleasant."
She paused.
"If there's a next time, do chat with me a little again."
Having said that, she added one more line.
"Oh, right—I'm looking forward to your performance at this Sports Season Festival."
Then she stepped away, her gait composed, her retreating figure gradually vanishing into the dusk.
Shikime Natsu watched her back, but did not immediately rise and leave.
The evening breeze drifted gently past, carrying a touch of chill.
Shikime Natsu stood up, straightened his clothes, and then he too set off and left the place.
His mind was still turning over the conversation he'd just had with Kiryuuin Fuuka.
Shikime Natsu hadn't expected that Kiryuuin Fuuka would actually harbor this sort of notion—everything Kiryuuin Fuuka had said was true.
Sure enough, trying to directly understand someone you've met only a handful of times is no simple matter. The trust that arises between people comes from a deepening degree of understanding—though, of course, that is the increase of factors worthy of trust. If the degree of trust hasn't increased but rather decreased, then the more you understand, the more easily things collapse.
As for the difficult future Kiryuuin Fuuka had spoken of—at least for the Shikime Natsu of the present, it wasn't all that difficult. Not to mention the [Gold House Within Books] CG he'd previously obtained over at Shiina Hiyori's place had been upgraded; now, reading a single book could net him a hundred thousand yen in funds, so money was the last thing he had to worry about. Besides, he also possessed all sorts of other abilities—especially the God-Tier Massage Technique—so making money was basically no challenge at all.
After unlocking his cheats, the world, for Shikime Natsu, was on easy mode.
And so, just as at this school, Shikime Natsu had no desire to take part in too many meaningless competitions.
Under the somewhat dimming sky, Shikime Natsu quickened his pace and headed toward his dormitory.
Meanwhile, Kiryuuin Fuuka was also walking the road back to her dormitory.
Her stride was as composed as ever, yet the expression on her face was a bit more complicated than it had been moments ago in front of Shikime Natsu.
"Shikime Natsu..."
She murmured the name once in her heart, then let out a soft laugh.
To be honest, today's chat with Shikime Natsu had been far more interesting than she'd anticipated.
Originally she'd only meant to chat idly, to pass the time, but she hadn't expected that this Shikime Natsu would be the sort of person who became more and more intriguing the longer you talked with him.
That confidence of his wasn't the kind that was all bluster and bravado—it was a confidence that radiated from his very bones, the kind that left you with no choice but to be convinced.
And when he said "I have that confidence," that tone, that look in his eyes, truly made it very hard to doubt that he couldn't do it.
"Maybe he really can pull it off."
Kiryuuin Fuuka thought to herself.
Of course, there was one more thing Kiryuuin Fuuka rather minded, and that was the fact that Shikime Natsu's aspiration was, of all things, also to stay tucked away inside some inconspicuous company. Was that true or not?
One had to realize that with Shikime Natsu's ability, he was more than capable of reaching any height—a height no one else could ever reach. It had to be said that if Shikime Natsu really did end up merely working at some small enterprise or the like, it would honestly be something of a waste of talent.
The moment she realized she was harboring such a thought, Kiryuuin Fuuka couldn't help but shake her head with a laugh—she hadn't expected that she, of all people, would actually entertain this sort of idea.
After all, the thing she most detested was her family's, and other people's, expectations of her—their anticipation of what sort of person she should become. That was precisely why she refused to become anyone at all, wanting only to become the "becoming no one" that she herself wished to be.
Now she just didn't know whether Shikime Natsu's true intentions were genuine or not. And if they were false, then was it to cater to her?
On that account, Kiryuuin Fuuka didn't have many thoughts, really. Whether he was catering to her, or whether he disliked her, Kiryuuin Fuuka honestly didn't care—so long as he didn't cause her any trouble.
If he did cause her trouble, then given Kiryuuin Fuuka's temperament, she would get angry, of course.
And as for what Shikime Natsu had said—if it was true, then... it also meant the two of them shared a certain similarity. Both of them clearly possessed considerable ability, yet both of them, of all things, wished to settle into the ordinary.
But Shikime Natsu and she were surely not the same. If it were possible, then next time, she'd like to hear the story of Shikime Natsu.
Kiryuuin Fuuka walked up to her dormitory, opened the door, and returned to her one-person room. She perfunctorily exchanged a goodnight, then washed up and lay back down on her bed.
When a person is in a relaxed state, all sorts of thoughts can't help but float up into their mind.
And the image of that fellow Shikime Natsu was precisely what surfaced in Kiryuuin Fuuka's mind just then. Toward this fellow Shikime Natsu, Kiryuuin Fuuka discovered that she actually harbored a natural fondness for the man.
At the very least, in all her life from childhood on, no one had ever been able to win her favor so easily—and she was, after all, quite the unconventional, independent sort of person.
Was it because of Shikime Natsu's looks?
Or was it for some other reason?
As for reasons like these, Kiryuuin Fuuka wasn't clear on them either, so she couldn't be bothered to dwell on it too much.
Kiryuuin Fuuka thought again of her own future aspirations: after graduating from here, entering the law department of XX University as a preferential person, then working part-time to support herself, self-sufficient. At least, the present version of herself was proceeding along this path.
Within this school, her family had no way to interfere with her—but what about once she left this school?
Kiryuuin Fuuka's brow couldn't help but furrow slightly. The mere thought of such matters put her out of sorts.
Still, Kiryuuin Fuuka quickly cast the thought to the back of her mind. She wasn't the type to keep a sour mood lingering inside her forever.
Especially now, when it was time to be in bed preparing for sleep—if she kept dwelling on it, then there was no telling whether her nightmares would become exactly what she'd been brooding over.
Kiryuuin Fuuka began to imagine: what if things unfolded just as she'd envisioned?
Entering university... then joining a small or mid-sized enterprise, and finally settling down and starting a family...
When she got to the thought of settling down and starting a family, the figure of Shikime Natsu couldn't help but surface once more in Kiryuuin Fuuka's mind.
Shikime Natsu had said, too, that he wanted to live out his days with his wives in a quiet little place.
Then... this notion was, without a doubt, suited to her as well.
Kiryuuin Fuuka outright treated Shikime Natsu as her own boyfriend candidate. Although this candidate was Shikime Natsu alone, still, before the relationship was settled, he could naturally only be a candidate.
When facing her own feelings, Kiryuuin Fuuka wouldn't be all bashful and coy. Since she'd determined that Shikime Natsu was her boyfriend candidate, then Kiryuuin Fuuka would naturally have to conduct a further verification of Shikime Natsu.
To verify whether Shikime Natsu could become her ideal partner—as for the fact that there were other girls around Shikime Natsu, this was something Kiryuuin Fuuka didn't mind in the slightest. If anything, the moment Kiryuuin Fuuka placed Shikime Natsu in the position of boyfriend candidate, she had already chosen to accept it by default.
She still had nearly two years left at this school, so... she'd let herself use these very eyes of hers to take a good, hard look at whether Shikime Natsu could become the one destined for her.
Of course, whether it ended in rejection or acceptance, Kiryuuin Fuuka held an attitude of facing it with equanimity.
It was just that... being rejected was something Kiryuuin Fuuka still didn't want to see. And so... in the time to come, she would still make contact with Shikime Natsu as much as possible—not merely to understand Shikime Natsu, but also to let Shikime Natsu understand her better.
After Kiryuuin Fuuka mulled over for a little while the ways she might make contact with Shikime Natsu, she closed her eyes and slowly drifted off to sleep.
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