Kenkyo, Kenjitsu o Motto ni Ikite Orimasu - Chapter 204

Chapter 204

It was here!

Finally, the spring break was here!

It was a thorny path getting here .

The rumour strategy backfiring, the tense atmosphere that resulted, trying to change that by using the school idol Enjou, and then immediately being found out by him . That was some scary stuff…

After that, every time we met in the salon or in the hallway, Enjou would give me this smile that sent me trembling .

Stop giving me that look, Enjou .

Yes, it was my fault, but my stomach hurts so stop .

I learnt my lesson this time . It was important to think before you acted .

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Spring break was basically an escape from all that .

Of course, I still went to cram school .

Umewaka-kun and co . were doing the spring break course as well .

I still had sessions with my private tutor though, so I spent a bit less time there than they did .

Since this was going to be our last year in school, everybody was preparing for the university entrance exams now . Everyone was studying seriously .

I sat with the others and we chatted for a bit before class began .

Moriyama-san was messaging somebody on her phone the whole time .

Apparently she had a boyfriend now .

It was a boy from her grade at school .

I guess despite how long she had crushed on Umewaka-kun, all the encounters with his Beatrice obsession gave her pause .

That time at the school festival where he started kissing and nuzzling the Beatrice doll in public was really something .

I think it might have been the last straw for her .

Anyway, around that time their school went on an excursion and Moriyama-san started dating a boy that she hit it off with .

That kind of event is a staple for co-ed schools, isn’t it~

Kaaah, I’m so jealous!

Coming back to Umewaka-kun though, I wondered if he’d ever get a girlfriend .

I mean Moriyama-san was crushing on him hard and he even scared her away .

I turned to have a look at him .

Umewaka-kun noticed my gaze and spoke to me .

“Oh, did you notice?” he pointed at his earring .

The design was round, with two depressions .

At a glance it seemed to be a skull motif, but when I looked carefully it turned out to be dog’s nose .

It really suits you, Umewaka-kun .

How silly of me . Why would he need a girlfriend when he already had an everlasting romance with Beatrice?

May they live happily ever after .

Anyway, going back to the spring cram course but Tagaki-kun was in our class .

He probably enrolled before his slip-up during the incident .

Sitting in the classroom, it was obvious that he was terrified of me .

I mean like, it-looked-like-he’d-seen-the-apocalypse-every-time-our-eyes-met terrified .

“Kisshouin-san, what’s up with him?”

“Hmmm… Something of a misunderstanding, but at the same time not . ”

According to the rumours, Tagaki-kun had been living every day in fear for his life after his careless comment got me in hot water .

Not that I was still mad after Kaburagi believed me .

The tongue begets disaster, they same .

That was something both Tagaki-kun and I had learned personally .

And speaking of Tagaki-kun, it wouldn’t do to leave him like this .

I decided to speak to him at lunch .

“Tagaki-kun,” I began gently .

He jumped in his seat and began to apologise madly .

“I’m sorry! I’m sorry!” he repeated .

Wha-, hey!

“Um, Tagaki-kun…”

“Waaah! I’m sorry! Forgive me! Save me!”

Everyone else was starting to stare .

What the hell .

Didn’t it look like I was bullying him now?

Stop that!

“What’s that guy’s problem, Kisshouin-san?”

My friends stared wide-eyed at him .

Don’t look at me . I don’t get it either .

At any rate, I had to calm him down .

“I am not angry, Tagaki-kun . Shall we calm down a little?”

“I’m sorry! I’m sorry!”

Uh, I’m not hitting you so you don’t have to cover your head like that .

“Tagaki-kun,” Umewaka-kun patted him on the shoulder, “Kisshouin-san has something to say, so could you hear her out first?”

Everyone else joined in too .

“It’s okay, calm down~”

“Come on, take a deep breath . ”

Although he kept his hands on his head, he finally quieted down .

Tagaki-kun slowly looked up at me with teary eyes .

Just how scared of me was this guy?

“I accept your apology, so there is no need to be so frightened, Tagaki-kun,” I smiled kindly .

He looked even more scared now .

Why!?

“Huh? Did Tagaki-kun do something to you?” Kitazawa-kun asked in interest .

“It was not anything big . Since Tagaki-kun seemed to be hung up about it I wanted to tell him not to worry, but…”

Everyone hummed in thought as they looked at him .

“Hey, Tagaki-kun, are you afraid of Kisshouin-san?” Umewaka-kun asked bluntly .

The boy in question struggled to answer as his eyes swam .

“Hmm~ While we don’t know what the situation’s like at Suiran, but Kisshouin-san isn’t really somebody you need to fear like that . ”

Everyone else nodded in agreement .

“You really don’t have to be so afraid of her . She’s not a bad girl,” said Moriyama-san, clapping him on the back . “Besides, if Kisshouin-san ever does something to you, I’ll save you!”

Tagaki-kun finally lifted his head from his hands and looked at me properly .

“It cannot be comfortable living in fear like that either,” I said . “How you forget about that incident and just live normally again?”

I gave him one last smile before returning to my seat .

I had my doubts, but hopefully he’d act a bit more normally now .

I didn’t know how I’d deal with the guilt if he failed his exams because he was feeling pressured about me .

It would be nice if I seemed more approachable .

The next day Tagaki-kun gifted me a whole heap of luxury creme caramel from the food section of an expensive department store .

Apparently the boys had told him that desserts were a good way of apologising to girls .

Thank you very much .

At lunch I invited Tagaki-kun to share them with me, and wouldn’t take no for an answer .

He ran away the moment he finished his .

Am I really that scary?

“He’s downright terrified of you, isn’t he . Where in the Suiran hierarchy are you, anyhow?”

I’m part of an exclusive club with powerful privileges, and happen to lead the largest group of girls in my grade .