Chapter 62: What Kind of Girl Do You Like?
The setting sun was a deep, bloody red—a beautiful twilight scene.
At five in the evening, Director Okazawa, who had been busy all day, returned to Sobu High with a satisfied smile; he still had to report to the Principal.
Chishima Akishin drove the brown van and dropped Yukinoshita Haruno off in front of a luxury apartment complex. Haruno mentioned that this was where her younger sister lived.
So this is where Yukinoshita lives!
Hikigaya Hachiman rolled down the car window and stared at the building, subconsciously memorizing the address.
Haruno pushed the door open and stepped out, then handed a small package to Akishin inside the car. She gave a slight bow and said: "Chishima-sensei, although I've already apologized, please allow me to say it one more time. I'm sorry. Please don't blame Yukino; everything was my fault."
"...Do you have some sort of misunderstanding about me? Do I look like such a narrow-minded person? I've told you, Yukinoshita-kun is my student, and I am her teacher. Educating a student is my primary duty."
Akishin's left hand was on the steering wheel, his right arm resting on the open window frame. He looked at Haruno's apologizing figure with a slight furrow in his brow.
This felt like a weird mix of moral blackmail and a veiled threat. He really hated being threatened.
"Of course not, please don't misunderstand, Chishima-sensei." Haruno waved her hands and took two steps back.
Her expression showed regret and hesitation, yet Akishin could still see she was putting on an act: "It's just... I'm still wondering, is it truly impossible for Chishima-sensei to take Yukino as a disciple?"
The crease in Akishin's brow deepened. Shizuka also looked over, her gaze betraying her anxiety.
"Haruno, you're being a bit..."
"Shizuka-chan!" Akishin raised a hand to cut off Hiratsuka Shizuka.
He looked at Haruno, his eyes narrowing slightly: "Haruno-san, what exactly are you trying to say? You've seen my training methods. You're essentially asking to harm your own sister."
He hated complexity, and this Haruno woman radiated complexity from every pore.
Haruno possessed the hypocrisy of a businesswoman or a politician, but she hadn't quite mastered the essence of it yet. It was as if she herself was rejecting it, never truly reaching a state of perfect fusion.
Consequently, in Akishin's eyes, she looked incredibly fake. Even Hachiman could see it instantly. The same went for her younger sister, Yukino, whose personality was the extreme polar opposite of the elder sister's.
It gave the impression that the older sister was 'bound' by chains, while the younger sister was 'left to the wild.'
Quite literally, Haruno was controlled by the family and groomed into a socialite, while the younger sister was almost entirely ignored. The fact that she was allowed to live alone despite being a high school student proved as much—it was as if they weren't even afraid something might happen to her.
Furthermore, the Yukinoshita family was part of the local nobility in Chiba.
If this was how the Yukinoshita family educated their next generation, then Akishin could only say their family education—was a massive failure.
Back when he was an assassin for "The Organization," Akishin had brushed shoulders with many upper-class circles. They were all equally fake; they'd give you a wide smile while talking to you, but could plunge a knife into your chest the moment you turned around.
The assassin was that knife.
Their hypocrisy came from the heart and could be controlled freely. It was a hypocrisy they chose for themselves for the sake of interest and survival. They were willing participants.
Haruno's hypocrisy, however, felt forced. It wasn't thorough, it wasn't acknowledged by her own heart, and she was simultaneously rejecting it, so she could only mask it with a smile.
This was undoubtedly a failure. If someone does something while their heart is in revolt, it is almost impossible to succeed in anything.
If science is the first productive force, then passion and pursuit are the foundations of that science.
A simple example: without pursuit, Edison wouldn't have found the filament; without passion, an author wouldn't write a manuscript.
"I've thought about that too." Haruno's grip on her bag tightened.
She looked at Akishin, then shifted her gaze to Shizuka: "But... you two probably know Yukino's condition. I want her to change, I want her to grow up, but I don't have a good method. Perhaps Chishima-sensei's training methods are unusual, but after watching all day, I believe you wouldn't actually harm Yukino..."
"You don't need to worry about that. Yukinoshita-kun has established a Service Club. She will grow up and find her own path." Akishin shook his head, maintaining his refusal.
Haruno gave a somewhat mocking smile: "Service Club? Hehe, Chishima-sensei actually believes she'll change because of that? No one knows Yukino better than I do..."
"I don't necessarily believe in your sister; I believe in my student." Akishin pointed toward Hachiman in the back seat: "He, Hikigaya Hachiman, is now a member of Yukinoshita-kun's club. He will help your sister. This kid understands quite a lot."
Hachiman, who had been eavesdropping on their conversation, was suddenly thrust into the spotlight.
Hachiman looked left and right, then pointed at himself hesitantly.
"Sensei, you're... talking about me?"
"That's right, I'm counting on you."
Akishin nodded, reaching back to pat Hachiman on the head. He tried to flatten that stubborn tuft of hair—the ahoge—but it refused to stay down.
Haruno stared at Hikigaya Hachiman, then turned back to Akishin and asked seriously: "Chishima-sensei, you're serious."
"Yes, I'm serious." Akishin nodded, starting the engine and pressing the gas pedal: "But I have no obligation to be responsible for you or your sister. Our relationship is nothing more than teacher and student's family; there is nothing else. Whether you believe it or not is your business. I won't harm you, so don't go trying to harm me either. Finally, Haruno-san, goodbye."
The brown van pulled away at a normal speed, leaving a small swirl of dust in its wake.
Haruno watched the van disappear from view and let out a long breath. Today's events and the words she'd heard had left an impact on her, especially the part about the 'mask.'
Haruno truly felt that Chishima Akishin was an impressive person—both in terms of strength, the sharpness of his gaze, and an aura that made her feel a sense of danger—and a good teacher, unlike any other teacher or person she'd met before.
If someone like him could educate Yukino sincerely, the way he educated Hikigaya Hachiman, then Yukino would surely change!
She would no longer blindly chase after someone, no longer depend on anyone, and be able to find her own path.
Unfortunately, this Chishima-sensei wasn't interested.
Clearly, Haruno assumed Akishin was just using Hachiman as an excuse to reject her. She didn't know Hachiman yet; she was judging based on purely subjective assumptions.
Shaking her head, Haruno returned to her usual calm yet dominant demeanor and walked toward the apartment building.
"I think I'll have a little chat with Yukino tonight~"
...
As Akishin drove, Hachiman asked: "Sensei, how can you be so sure I'll help Yukinoshita? Right now, we can barely talk without getting into an argument."
"That's your business."
"What... what does that mean?"
"Whether you help or not is up to you. But based on your personality, you'll end up helping anyway. Just do your job as a Service Club member properly. Regarding the matter of resigning or anything like that, neither I nor Hiratsuka-sensei will be giving permission."
Hachiman reflexively glanced at Shizuka in the front passenger seat. Coincidentally, Shizuka turned to look at him with a thin smile, while her hands were pressed together, making an audible cracking sound with her knuckles.
"Hikigaya, you were thinking of quitting?"
"No, no, no, I don't want to quit. The Service Club is very fun, I like it a lot."
Hachiman shook his head frantically. His ahoge swayed along with him. He chose the path of obedience.
Akishin drove the van to Chishimaya, asking Shizuka and Hachiman to come in for tea while they waited until seven in the evening to head to the hotel booked by the Kendo Federation.
He also sent a message to Kondo Yuika and Kaiko telling them they didn't need to come in today.
At seven, the three of them went to the five-star hotel.
By ten at night, Akishin—who had stuck to juice as a substitute for alcohol—dropped Hachiman off in front of his house. Komachi came out to greet her brother.
Then, Akishin drove a tipsy Shizuka to her place. Perhaps because she knew Akishin was with her and she didn't have to worry, combined with the abundance of quality drinks at the celebration, Shizuka had accidentally overindulged.
"Shizuka-chan, we've arrived."
Akishin got out first, circled around to the other side to open the door, and helped Shizuka out. He supported her with one arm as they walked toward the small villa.
"Shizuka-chan, if you can't handle it, don't drink so much."
"I'm not drunk, it's just my legs are a bit unstable."
Shizuka's face was a deep crimson, her thin red lips resembling cherries. The breath she exhaled carried a faint scent of alcohol. Under the silvery moonlight, her long hair looked like dark waves.
A night breeze blew by, carrying a hint of chill.
"We're here, Shizuka-chan. Where are your keys?"
Shizuka wasn't completely wasted, just at the stage where standing straight was a challenge. She fumbled in her dress pocket and pulled out the keys. Akishin took them and opened the front door.
"Chishima-kun, this is far enough. I'm fine, don't worry."
Shizuka proactively gripped the doorframe to steady herself and stepped inside.
Akishin looked at Shizuka's eyes, which indeed still showed flickers of consciousness. After a moment's hesitation, he nodded: "Alright then! You should probably drink some water right away, then lie down on the sofa for a bit before showering—or just shower tomorrow morning."
"...I know. It's no big deal. I only had a little bit today."
"I'll be going, then." Akishin turned to leave, but Shizuka suddenly called out:
"Chishima Akishin!"
"Is there something else?"
Akishin turned back and froze for a moment. Shizuka was looking at him with a complicated gaze. In the moonlight, her eyes looked like two deep pools. Despite her red face, there was no hint of drunkenness in her stare.
"You..." Shizuka said in a low voice: "What kind of girl do you like?" That look didn't seem like a casual question; it held a weight that Akishin couldn't quite fathom.
But he could answer the question.
Wearing a faint smile, with the night wind tossing his short hair and the silvery moonlight at his back, he spoke in a soft voice: "I—like a girl just like you, Shizuka-chan."
Thump!
Shizuka's head hit the door. Her face, which had been a light red, instantly turned a vivid, glowing crimson.
"Okay, okay, enough! You can go now, I don't have any more questions!"
Bang!
Shizuka slammed the door shut, leaving Akishin standing there in the wind—something was wrong! This development didn't seem to match the TV dramas?
"Shizuka-chan?"
Akishin called out once. From behind the door came a voice: "I-I-I'm going to sleep! See you tomorrow, drive carefully!"
"Oh! Alright, see you tomorrow."
After a moment of hesitation, Akishin walked back to the car with light steps. He started the engine and slowly drove toward Chishimaya.
Today had been quite the memorable day.
...
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