Kenkyo, Kenjitsu o Motto ni Ikite Orimasu - Chapter 164

Chapter 164

According to the email from Aira-sama, Kaburagi had shown interest in a certain girl . It was without a doubt Wakaba-chan .

Since I wasn’t quite sure how to respond, I put it on the backburner for now . Instead, I decided to message Aoi-chan about Naru-kun’s name first .

Next to me, Naru-kun was still engrossed in his studies, oblivious to what I was doing . I never got the chance to see the real Naru-kun do so, but there must have been times when he looked like this too .

Aoi-chan hadn’t replied yet so I began seriously looking through my own book . Sitting juust a little closer to Naru-kun .

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I replied to Aira-sama’s message when I got home . I decided to avoid going out of my way to spread more rumours about Wakaba-chan, so instead I just replied,

‘Oh? Truly? Who might the girl be?’

Not long afterwards she called me .

“Long time no see, Reika-chan . Have you been well?”

“It has been a while, Aira-sama!”

It had been a long time since we had spoken like this, what with how busy she was with university . It was really nice to talk to her again .

Both Yurie-sama and Aira-sama had something on this year so they hadn’t come to the School Festival . I spent a while chatting with her about what attractions we had this year, and what I did with the Handicrafts Club .

“Anyway, about that girl I mentioned in my email . ”

“Yes?”

Apparently Yurie-sama was the first to realise . It was because Kaburagi had been acting strangely since the summer break .

“The other day Masaya went to Yurie’s house to visit . The thing is, the gift he brought were some really plain looking desserts that he’d never touch . As it turns out, it was made by the family of a girl from Suiran .

“He even boasted that he had tried all the cakes from their shop, and that this was the best one . The problem was that it didn’t seem like he was just fond of the cakes .

“‘She’s a pretty interesting one . ’

“‘She’s a weirdo . ’

“She tried to put this strange sticker on her bike . ’

“Yurie said that all he could talk about was this girl . ”

Kaburagi went to Wakaba-chan’s house!? His stalking tendencies were still healthy and well, it seemed .

And more importantly, he had already conquered all of the cakes in her family store!? That sneak! How dare he get a march on me! I wanted to eat them too! There was that éclair I still wanted to try!

“When I think about it, it might have been this budding new love that helped him get over Yurie . She was really glad to see how happy he was . ”

“I see . ”

“Although to be honest I was secretly hoping for you two to get together, Reika-chan . ”

“What on earth are you saying, Aira-sama . ”

I really wish she wouldn’t say such ominous things . Getting involved with Kaburagi was as good as plunging into a Bad End .

“Do you have anyone you like, Reika-chan?”

“Eh!?”

Somebody I like? Ummmm . I suppose right now I was most interested in Naru-kun from the library but…

“Not in particular . ”

“Oh my~ Why isn’t that lonely . ”

“Do you, Aira-sama?”

“Hmmmmm~”

Ngn, I really wanted to know . What would I do if my respected Aira-sama ended up falling for some weirdo?

After that I listened to Aira-sama talk about the Suiran girls in uni, and what they planned to do after graduating . Aira-sama was planning on looking for a job, but quite a few people were planning on just getting married or staying at home to learn how to be a bride .

And apparently basically nobody was planning on becoming a civil servant…

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Thanks to Kaburagi, Wakaba-chan’s bullying was worse than ever .

These days it was often to see Fellow Stalking Horse escorting Wakaba-chan like a bodyguard . This just worsened the opinion of Wakaba-chan amongst the girls .

Speaking of Wakaba-chan, in Suiran’s high school section, once a week it was necessary to attend one special elective class from flower arrangement, tea ceremony, calligraphy, kendo, or kyudo .

The main reason this system was in place was for the sake of the External Students joining our high school section from normal households .

Most girls picked flower arrangement or tea ceremony . I for one had been doing the latter since 1st Year . The reason I didn’t pick flower arrangement was because the school of flower arrangement that I attended followed a different style to Suiran’s . Don’t let anybody tell you it was because I had no confidence in my sense of flower arrangement aesthetics . Because that’s not true, okay?

It was an artistic decision on my part that I would only ever use warabi-grip shears . That’s why I couldn’t participate in Suiran’s flower arrangement classes . I wasn’t running away . Don’t doubt me, okay?

I’m the sort of girl who can do anything she puts her mind to .

Wakaba-chan was probably trying to experience everything Suiran had to offer . Unlike last year when she did flower arrangement, this year she changed to tea ceremony .

The problem was that she really should have done it the other way around… Unlike flower arrangement, the content for tea ceremony changed a little bit each year .

Last year we were practising the basis like how to use the fukusa cloth, up to making usucha with the Bonryaku Temae procedure . That would have been easier . The Bonryaku Temae didn’t use many tools so it was harder to fail .

But this year we were moving onto the Furo Temae . Just the fact that it had more steps to remember made it more difficult . It wasn’t something you could succeed in after skipping the basics . Even if you could memorise all the steps from a book, actually performing it right was a different story .

Honestly, tea ceremony was just a pain . There were so many things to remember . Even the number of steps you walked mattered . Basically it wasn’t something you could learn overnight .

Based on that point alone, it would have been easier to start flower arrangement in the second year instead . As long as you remembered the basics, the rest was up to your sense of aesthetics .

Plus, you were allowed to bring home the flowers you used . It was a pretty good deal .

Suiran being Suiran, the flowers available for use were both plentiful and gorgeous . Worlds apart from the gloomy arrangements you might find for funeral altars .

Anyhow, the point was that today was Wakaba-chan’s turn as the host of the tea ceremony . I prayed that she wouldn’t mess up .

But contrary to my wishes…

“…!?”

The ladle that she left on the kettle fell onto the ground!

I could already hear snickers .

Red-faced, Wakaba-chan bowed and apologised as the sensei made her clean it .

Aaah! I know how you feel, Wakaba-chan! God, do I know how you feel!

One time during a tea ceremony, the confection I had in my kaishi paper fell out and rolled right across the room! It was amazing just how far it rolled, honestly . I think it was because of the shape . By the time I had reached out with my hand it was too late . If I didn’t know better I would have thought it’d never stop .

That was a horrible day . At the time I had wished that I could just become an amnesiac and never have to remember it . I was even seriously considering pretending to pass out from anaemia to save myself the shame .

Uugh…! My stomach hurt just remembering it!

Since then my heart would begin to thump whenever the confections for the day were round .

To begin with, why was it necessary to balance them on kaishi just to eat them . Bring me a plate, damnit!

“Well, with her upbringing…”

“So disgraceful…”

The girls in the room weren’t letting go of the opportunity to badmouth her either . Aah, what was I supposed to do…

“Ah, umm, might this confection be a sasanqua?” I tried to change the subject .

Thankfully the teacher was all about it .

“Goodness, Kisshouin-san . Well done . You are quite right . Although it is easy to mistake it for the camellia japonica, the confection today was indeed modelled off the camellia sasanqua . ”

Everyone was focused on the confection! Now, Wakaba-chan! Now’s your chance to move onto the next step!

Oh no! She was nodded along with interest too! Now’s not the time for that, Wakaba-chan!

In the end, although she messed up a number of times and the teacher had to correct her, Wakaba-chan eventually managed to finish her temae procedure .

I was worried that she would be upset after being laughed at so many times, so I checked up on her . Instead, I found her having fun sneakily packing away the leftover confections that sensei gave her for trying hard .

Mn . That was Wakaba-chan for you…

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It was my first session in a while with Mihara-san at the Imperial Palace . I had my hair in a ponytail and was ready to go!

I think I was doing quite a lot better than when I first started during the summer, even if I did say so myself . My stamina was better too .

Huu huu, haa haa .

I was still running when the flying lady of a white Rolls Royce stopped beside me .

While I was wondering what was happening, Mihara-san had already stepped in front of me protectively . Thinking about it, he was actually hired as my bodyguard, wasn’t he .

Don’t tell me I was about to have an encounter with the underworld? I hoped it was just somebody who wanted to cheer me on .

While I was thinking, the rear window wound down and out popped Kaburagi’s face .

“So it really was you . ”

“Kaburagi-sama!”

So the owner of this ostentatious car was Emperor Kaburagi .

Don’t tell me this was the car he used to run down Wakaba-chan? If it was then I was impressed she got off with just some bruises .

Still, if she was run down by this imposing beast of a car then it was little wonder that her family turned down the compensation money . This did not look like the car of somebody in a respectable occupation…

“What are you doing here?”

“What, you ask? Why, I was jogging, as you can see . ”

If you understand then don’t make me talk so much, dimwit . Isn’t it obvious what I was doing?

I was still out of breath from it, actually .

“Jogging? All I saw was somebody running on the spot . People were walking faster than you were . It was weird so I stopped to see what was going on when it turned out to be you . ”

What the heeell!?

What do you mean ‘running on the spot’!? I was making progress, damnit! Damn you! Damn you! Damn you!

You don’t have a shred of courtesy or consideration or delicacy at all!

“Even though you’ve got that Jamaican hairdo going on, you kind of put their runners to shame, huh . Ah well, do your best I guess . Cya . ”

After running his mouth off, he got back into his mobile Parthenon and drove off as I trembled in anger .

“…Ojousama, there’s nothing wrong with going at your own pace, okay?”

Get dumped, Kaburagi . Get dumped by Wakaba-chan, damn you! You should just get dumped and go on a journey again!

I began cursing at the long-gone car .