Chapter 71: Sakurajima Mai's Gift, The Appearance of a Powerful Spiritual Item
After a brief moment of astonishment, Touma Kazusa quickly returned to her usual, incredibly flat expression.
"What a coincidence."
She wanted to hide her emotional fluctuations, but she didn't realize she had already revealed the biggest flaw.
When Touma Kazusa saw Yoru, she actually called out his name and took the initiative to greet him—this was already unlike her usual style.
"You actually remember me?"
Yoru teased with a light chuckle.
"I thought you slept in class every day and didn't remember what I looked like or my name at all."
Touma Kazusa's eyes flickered a few times. Her slender fingers gripping the tuna rice ball tightened slightly as she whispered.
"If it were anyone else, I wouldn't remember, but..."
"You are different."
Yoru was stunned.
He was always the one launching direct attacks on others.
This seemed to be the first time he encountered such a perfect direct attack himself.
"You are different"—these three words might be nothing coming from other girls, perhaps just a polite compliment.
But who was Touma Kazusa?
A person who was bad at socializing, even worse at expressing her inner emotions, isolated and aloof.
These three words spat from her lips carried immense lethality, even for Yoru.
The direct attack of a Tsundere was truly not to be underestimated.
Seeing Yoru not responding, Touma Kazusa pursed her lips tightly and hesitated.
"Did I say something weird? I'm not good at communicating with people."
Touma Kazusa didn't know why she said that sentence just now.
Why did she feel Yoru was different from others?
And why was he the only person she could remember in school?
Because Yoru helped her out of a predicament on the first day of school?
Or because that can of cola was the first gift she gave to a boy, or because the pillow for sleeping in class she received was the first gift a boy gave her?
Touma Kazusa didn't understand.
What she didn't know was that at this moment, there were more than just her and Yoru standing behind this shelf.
Sakurajima Mai watched the entire conversation with burning eyes from the side.
Because Touma Kazusa couldn't see her, she could even look straight at Touma's face, carefully observing every subtle change in expression.
As an actress, Mai understood micro-expressions too well.
She had already reached a conclusion.
This beautiful girl in front of her, with a classical and elegant appearance and a cold, ethereal temperament...
Even if she couldn't be said to like Yoru right now, she definitely had favorable feelings for him!
Wait a minute.
Why did my emotions suddenly become agitated?
At this time, Yoru also discovered a tricky matter.
I...
Seem to be stuck in a dilemma?
This was a classic trope in Galgames.
Two female characters issuing invitations at the same time; no matter which route was chosen, the other would be disappointed.
As a qualified player, Yoru thought he had already found the way to break this deadlock.
That was: everyone together, or directly nip the potential multiple-choice question in the bud.
But despite all his calculations, Yoru missed one point.
Sakurajima Mai's Adolescence Syndrome.
The situation was like this.
Touma Kazusa couldn't see Mai.
If he chose for the three of them to hang out together, to avoid making Touma Kazusa feel strange, he couldn't openly talk to Mai.
Mai would inevitably feel lost. After all, only when no one could see her could she relax freely in public.
Good, good, good.
Quantum Mechanics, you bastard (BYD), plotting against me like this?
Suddenly, Yoru realized something.
No!
There is still a glimmer of hope in despair!
"Touma-san."
Yoru looked at the rice ball in Touma Kazusa's hand.
"You seem very tired. Did you not sleep well last night and just came to buy breakfast?"
"No."
Touma Kazusa shook her head, her voice flat.
"I haven't slept yet. This is my dinner."
"Oh my, that won't do."
Yoru put on a heartbroken expression.
"Then you should go back and rest quickly."
Touma Kazusa nodded slightly. A hint of embarrassment flashed across her pretty face as she said in a voice as tiny as a mosquito's.
"Mmhmm, I know."
Perfect deadlock break.
The path to redemption lies within.
At this moment, Yoru felt the sense of accomplishment of finally breaking a deadlock after untold hardships, just like playing Romance of the Three Kingdoms: Strategy Edition in his previous life.
That's right.
Touma Kazusa's schedule was completely opposite to normal people.
Practicing piano at night, sleeping during the day.
Especially since today was Saturday, she definitely stayed up all night yesterday.
Fortunately, Yoru suppressed the corners of his mouth; otherwise, he might have revealed a crooked smile like the Dragon King.
Heh, is that all?
What can Quantum Mechanics do to me?
My fate is up to me, not the heavens.
Rejecting the dilemma of choosing one out of two starts with me.
After paying the bill, Touma Kazusa hesitated whether to say goodbye to Yoru but finally chose to leave the convenience store without a word.
For her current self, being able to say those few sentences to Yoru, especially "You are different," was already incredible, a result of using all her strength. She really couldn't do more.
....
After buying some food casually and walking out of the convenience store, Mai opened the rice ball in her hand and said as if casually.
"You seem... quite popular with girls."
Yoru admitted it without hiding anything.
"That's right. It's all because of my outstanding personality charm."
Mai was speechless at his narcissism and pouted.
"You are too narcissistic."
Although she said that, Mai didn't deny Yoru's statement.
Yoru's appearance was indeed very outstanding, but appearance wasn't the main point.
After contact, Mai discovered that Yoru was different from anyone she had met.
There were many reasons, such as his gaze, demeanor, tone, and expression when talking to her.
But the most important point was one thing.
In Yoru's eyes, she, a former national idol actress, seemed to have no halo.
To him, she seemed to be just a second-year high school girl at Sobu High.
There was nothing special beyond that.
Even from the time they met until now, Yoru hadn't asked a single question about her past acting career.
Sakurajima Mai debuted as a child star. Almost since she could remember, she had always carried the identity of an actress.
She once thought that as long as she quit the entertainment industry, others would treat her merely as "Sakurajima Mai."
Instead of "Idol Actress Sakurajima Mai."
But after actually retiring, Mai realized she was wrong.
Even though she had retired, in everyone's eyes, she was still that actress Sakurajima Mai.
It seemed that the four words "Sakurajima Mai" alone were no longer her name.
"Debuted as a child star, former national idol actress."
This became a label on Mai that she couldn't tear off even if she tried her best.
The atmosphere in school, the gazes of everyone watching, the oppressive feeling of breathlessness wherever she went.
All of this made Mai feel unbearable.
Because of this, Yoru's attitude of not treating her specially seemed precious.
....
Yoru and Mai wandered in the shopping district until it was almost dark.
Along the way, quite a few funny incidents happened.
Since others couldn't observe Mai's existence, in the eyes of the outside world, Yoru was wandering aimlessly alone in the shopping district on a Saturday.
He roughly counted.
In just a few hours, he encountered sixteen attempts to hit on him.
From beautiful older sisters in workplace suits and black heels.
To peers dressed in Gal style.
Just refusing women who came to hit on him wasted a lot of time and breath.
In the end, Yoru even wanted to buy a mask to wear.
"You seem... quite popular with girls."
The exact same sentence as when they came out of the convenience store.
But this time, when Mai spoke, her voice carried a teasing and mocking smile, looking somewhat gloating.
"Laughing? Just you wait. One day, I'll fill you up like a cream puff."
"Cream puff? What strange talk is this that I don't understand?"
"It's fine, you'll know in the future (Ri Hou)." (Note: Pun on "Ri" meaning "Sun/Day" or "Fuck").
"Hmph, if you won't say, forget it."
Mai originally thought that having wandered for so long, she was satisfied and it was time to go back.
But just then, she noticed an exquisite gift shop by the street.
A crystal ball displayed in the window with snowflakes and a castle spinning inside caught her interest.
"Come with me quickly."
Mai subconsciously grabbed Yoru's sleeve.
After pulling him into the gift shop, she realized her action was a bit inappropriate. She let go with a slight blush, walked quickly to the crystal ball, bent down slightly, and observed it closely.
Excitement and joy shone in Mai's beautiful eyes.
"So beautiful."
"Buy it if you like it."
"Wait."
Mai stopped Yoru from taking down the crystal ball. She reached out her own hand and carefully took it down.
Facing this scene, Yoru said without thinking.
"Mai-san, have you finally made up your mind to use your ability to become a peerless master thief? I support you."
"What are you saying?"
Mai glared at him, walked slowly to the counter, and placed the crystal ball on it.
In the eyes of the cashier responsible for checkout, what was the scene?
When Mai touched the crystal ball, the cashier's memory and cognition of the crystal ball completely disappeared.
And when Mai let go and placed the crystal ball on the counter, her memory and cognition returned.
The cashier felt she just zoned out for a moment, and when she came back to her senses, she saw the crystal ball placed in front of her.
"Here, money. Help me buy this."
Mai couldn't pay herself. Although she had money, as long as she touched it, it would disappear from outsiders' eyes.
Yoru had no objection. He took the banknotes handed by Mai and passed them to the cashier.
"Please give me a bag, thank you."
"Okay, thank you for your patronage."
Although Yoru was a veteran pianist of Zuan (League of Legends toxic server), possessing the "Dust Release: Mother Stripping Jutsu" (Insulting family), he had a principle.
He naturally wouldn't flame people who didn't provoke him.
As long as the other party's attitude was good, Yoru was friendlier and more polite than anyone else.
After the shop assistant packed it up, Yoru and Mai left the gift shop together. He handed the exquisite small bag containing the crystal ball to her.
"Mmhmm, thanks."
Mai took the small bag. She seemed completely captivated by the crystal ball just moments ago, but now she didn't even look down at it. Instead, she handed the small bag directly back to Yoru.
"A gift for you."
"Hmm?"
This operation really confused Yoru.
He took the small bag, looked at Mai's beautiful face, and asked curiously.
"Why suddenly give me a gift?"
Mai pursed her pink lips and spoke slowly.
"This is something I took from the shelf myself, placed on the cashier counter myself, and bought with my own money."
Speaking of this, Mai's eyes flickered slightly, and she forced a smile.
"You are someone who values gifts very much. I hope..."
She took two steps forward, looked up slightly, stared straight into Yoru's eyes, and breathed orchid-scented air.
"Even if one day, even you forget me."
"I hope that as long as you see this crystal ball, you can recall that today, an ordinary girl whose name and appearance you forgot once occupied an afternoon of your life."
"For me, that is enough."
After saying this, Mai revealed a shy blush, but she still forced herself to remain calm and showed a sweet smile.
"Alright, let's go home together."
Yoru fell silent.
Can't handle it.
Really can't handle it.
Who can handle this?
Mai's voice contained sorrow for her possible disappearance and the shy tremor of a maiden.
"Don't worry, Sakurajima Mai."
At this moment, Yoru made up his mind and looked straight into Mai's eyes.
"I will save you."
Mai froze for a moment. Looking at Yoru's unusually serious and handsome face, she suddenly felt very shy. Violating her usual image of a mature adult, she lowered her head, not daring to meet his gaze.
Immediately after, Mai clenched her fist and punched Yoru lightly on the shoulder, with force similar to a massage.
"A mere junior, you really know how to act cool."
.....
The pleasant weekend passed quickly, and it was Monday again.
"Good morning."
When Yoru arrived at the classroom and sat down today, he found Touma Kazusa had arrived earlier than him. And she didn't start sleeping immediately but even greeted him.
Look what I found?
Rare Pokemon: Awake State Touma Kazusa in the classroom!
Simply the Ninth Wonder of the World.
"Good morning."
After receiving Yoru's smiling response, Touma Kazusa nodded, laid her head on the small pillow, and fell into a baby-like sleep.
.....
By lunch break, Yoru came to the Super-Quant Clubroom again.
He leaned against the window, looking at the scenery outside, silently pondering the method to solve Sakurajima Mai's Adolescence Syndrome.
Indeed, as a transmigrator, he could directly copy the answer from the original plot, but that didn't guarantee 100% success.
After all, this was another world. Mai hadn't even shot swimsuit gravure photos; who knew what other variables there were?
The deadline he set for himself was before this Friday.
Not for anything else.
Mainly because he couldn't hold on much longer.
Last night, Yoru didn't sleep at all because if he fell asleep, he might not be able to observe Mai's existence the next morning.
In that case, it would be Game Over.
Using an eye-catching way to make the name Sakurajima Mai stay in the hearts of all teachers and students was indeed a good method and could be one of the backup options.
However, fundamentally.
Mai's Adolescence Syndrome was caused by a wondrous situation arising from her subconscious wish for the world to forget her under multiple pressures, which she herself hadn't realized.
If he could change Mai's thoughts from the root, making her want to be remembered by the world instead of forgotten, would the problem be solved?
Sounds simple.
Actually, it is simple.
A strange idea had already emerged in Yoru's mind.
What is the greatest emotion in the world?
Motherly love!
If Mai becomes a mother...
Fuck, how could I come up with such an outrageous idea?
There's no time for that.
What if she doesn't get pregnant?
No, no, rejected.
Difficult.
Just as Yoru was pondering, the door of the clubroom was pulled open. Miko ran to his side in three steps two, panting.
"Yo... Yoru."
Yoru tried hard not to let his gaze deviate to a certain rising and falling part of the girl and sat upright.
"What's wrong?"
"Take a look at this."
Miko didn't shy away at all, or perhaps she was too anxious and forgot.
She handed her phone directly in front of Yoru, her whole body almost sticking to his back.
So soft.
This was Yoru's first thought.
Hidden under that tasteless bright yellow sweater, is it such a great terror?
Yotsuya Miko, truly hiding her light under a bushel.
Yoru moved his gaze to the phone screen and found a news report.
[Famous Sword Onimaru Kunitsuna will be on public display in Kyoto, Sakura Prefecture, for a week in the near future. Items exhibited together also include...]
Yoru scanned it roughly.
The things below were useless.
Ancient handkerchiefs, ancient bathtubs, ancient chamber pots.
Even if these things were spiritual items, how should he use them?
Put the chamber pot on the evil spirit's head?
The point Miko wanted him to focus on probably wasn't this either.
But the most heavyweight item.
The heirloom of the Hojo clan, one of the Five Swords of Sakura Prefecture, Onimaru Kunitsuna.
In legends, Onimaru Kunitsuna was a genuine famous sword that allowed Hojo Tokimasa, an ordinary person, to slay an evil demon (Oni).
Even if this story was fabricated.
After circulating for so many years, Onimaru Kunitsuna would have become a spiritual item even if it wasn't one initially.
Yoru and Miko looked at each other. As if telepathic, the two smiled and spoke in unison.
"I see that this Onimaru Kunitsuna can be considered a good sword. Why not think of a plan to trick it into the Super-Quant Club?"