"Boohoo, I was scared to death!"
As he walked out of the cafeteria, Ikeda Aoshu patted his chest vigorously, his expression a mix of grievance and lingering fear.
Fujiwara Reya mocked, "You were really embarrassing just now."
"How can you blame me for that!" Ikeda Aoshu loudly defended himself, probably trying to save face in front of his buddy, "That was Kasahara Asuka, the genius shrine maiden, and the rising star of Shintoism!"
Genius?
Rising star?
Fujiwara Reya recalled the high school girl who was stomping her feet anxiously when things fell apart that night and felt the urge to laugh.
"You better believe it, her mother holds a significant position in the Onmyo-ryo, and her sister is a senior member of Section Nine. If she bears a grudge against me, my family temple in Onmyo-ryo wouldn't survive, or worse, we could be directly expelled!"
"That exaggerated?" Fujiwara Reya was somewhat surprised.
The Onmyo-ryo was an institution he had only visited once when submitting materials for reopening Asakusa Shrine, and he paid an annual fee of 2 million yen. According to the staff at that time, paying this fee allowed one to access the official APP of Onmyo-ryo and receive exorcism commissions from it.
Apart from that, he had no idea what else the Onmyo-ryo was for.
So he didn't really understand the magnitude of what Ikeda Aoshu was talking about.
"Reya," Ikeda Aoshu patted him on the shoulder with a mature tone, "the waters here are deep, and you can't handle it. If Kasahara has any ulterior motives towards you, remember to direct her anger at me."
"Koike will knife you!" Fujiwara Reya punched him on the shoulder.
"Haha, just kidding, just kidding," Ikeda Aoshu rubbed his short hair, speaking with lingering fear, "you saw how fierce she was towards me just now, how could I dare... But it's you who should be careful, don't let her play with you."
"Got it." Fujiwara Reya lazily smiled.
He wasn't sure about the depth of the waters in the Onmyo-ryo, nor did he want to know how deep Kasahara Asuka was. Whatever it was, he believed he could walk away unscathed, and as for the matters beneath the waters, they had nothing to do with him.
※※※※※
The two afternoon classes, home economics and music, passed without any noteworthy events.
School ended quickly.
Today was Friday, and most clubs had club activities.
Fujiwara Reya went to the Literary Club located in the old school hall and handed a manuscript he had written that morning to a short-haired girl.
[Routine Rotation 1 Completed]
[Points +100]
"Um, Senior Fujiwara, how should I put this..."
The girl held the manuscript with both hands, clearly a bit embarrassed, coupled with shyness, she seemed somewhat flustered.
"Is there a problem?" Fujiwara Reya looked at her curiously.
"Well, our Literary Club recently has a writing contest, no limit on the theme..." The girl lightly scratched her cheek with her hand, then cleared her throat, trying to look composed, "The winning article can receive a prize of 10,000 yen, do you need me to submit your article for the contest, Senior?"
She probably belonged to the kind of girl who got nervous easily.
That was nice.
Much more likable than someone overly familiar.
If possible, Fujiwara Reya really wanted to pat her head like a pet and praise her for being as cute as a little puppy.
But since they're different by nature, he couldn't do that, at most he could only smile warmly at her, "If it can be submitted, that would be great, thank you."
"N-No need to be polite..."
The girl's face turned slightly red, nervously tugging at the corner of her white shirt with her fingertips.
After leaving the Literary Club, Fujiwara Reya opened the system to check the second routine rotation task.
[Routine Rotation 2: At 5:30 PM, purchase the only second-hand Honda Cub motorcycle available at the Meiji Park flea market for half the price, reward 100 points.]
Buying a motorcycle at a second-hand market?
A strange routine.
Fujiwara Reya checked his watch, it was almost 4 PM.
With an hour and a half left, it seemed he would need to skip this week's club activities.
He went to the corner of the fourth floor in the club building to the Paranormal Research Department and took out a key to open the door.
In front of him was an ordinary activity classroom, with two-thirds of the space filled with various miscellaneous items such as boxes, spare desks and chairs, and even an old faded piano.
Originally there were two, but Fujiwara Reya had moved one of them to his home.
By the window, two desks were placed side by side, and a girl was slightly tilting her head, gazing at the setting sun outside.
She had white earmuff headphones on, listening to music intently, her fingers tapping rhythmically on the desk, and her cherry-colored soft lips occasionally humming a few lines.
Her name was Hoshimi Rinko.
Class 3-A, the head of the Paranormal Research Department, and a model student who consistently ranked first in every exam.
Long legs, small chest.
As for her appearance, Fujiwara Reya could only say it was flawless, a top-tier black-haired beauty.
Her features were so exquisitely perfect that there was no flaw, with long hair flowing smoothly and softly onto the desk. Her eyelashes were long, her eyes like pools of autumn water, so clear that you'd be afraid to gaze into them.
The two had known each other for about a year, meeting in this activity room almost every school Friday, and they got along quite well.
She always seemed a bit lost, supporting her arms on the desk while reading a book, her fingers slender and distinct, giving off an unapproachable vibe. She only drank hot tea, sharpened pencils to a fine point, and liked to listen to music with headphones while watching crows flying around the courtyard when nothing else was going on.
The books she read were quite varied.
Like Fujiwara Reya, she read anything and everything as long as it was a book.
Sometimes it was Immanuel Kant, sometimes Yasunari Kawabata; sometimes "1984," sometimes "The Summer of the Ubume."
The school's library management teacher seemed to favor her particularly, allowing her to borrow any book, and whenever she found a book she liked, she read it voraciously like a hamster devouring a corn cob. After finishing, she'd hand it to Fujiwara Reya without interest, asking him to return it.
When tired of reading, the two would also explore tea ceremonies, coffee, landscapes, social issues, and more — basically, in the Paranormal Research Department, everything was researched except the paranormal.
As for her background, Fujiwara Reya hadn't paid much attention.
He had just heard others mentioning it or heard her mention it unintentionally; her family was a powerful local family in Kamakura, and her mother was a famous beauty in the capital region.
Usually, Hoshimi Rinko lived in a western-style mansion in Shinbashi with a large yard and lawn, where various flowers were planted.
Fujiwara Reya had visited her home a few times, always on weekends.
The two would make some simple pastries to eat, listen to rock music programs while drawing. When tired of drawing, they'd take a walk in the Shinbashi old book street, stopping at a roadside coffee shop that caught their eye, and on good weather days, they would lie on the lawn to watch the sky.
She called this a weekend suburban outing in the city center.
Fujiwara Reya referred to it as a meaningless, directionless, purposeless human social activity, or three-nothing socializing for short.
As white clouds drifted from one end of the window to the other, the girl enshrouded in the afternoon sunlight noticed someone entering, took off her headphones, and looked towards the door.
"Is there club activity today?" Fujiwara Reya asked, leaning against the door.
"Not for now."
"Then I'll head back first."
Hoshimi Rinko slightly tilted her neck, instructing in a very mature tone, "You can leave early, but you must provide a valid reason."
She finished, proudly puffing out her chest, assuming the dignity of a head of the department as she faintly smiled at Fujiwara Reya.
It was the kind of smile that studious good students often have, very nice, very elegant, with a touch of irresistible charm.
But Fujiwara Reya's attention was entirely focused on the slight rise and fall of her chest.
An almost tragic story.
For Fujiwara Reya, a beautiful girl with a small chest was like a human-shaped poster, ready to be stuck on the wall anytime.
"What are you looking at?"
The poster's voice was slightly raised.
Fujiwara Reya maintained a straight face, "The poster... No, Senior, Senior's bow is very beautifully tied, no other girl can compare."
Hoshimi Rinko subconsciously looked at the red bow on her chest and sighed as if unable to help him, "Alright, remember to submit a paranormal investigation report when you return to school next week."
"Senior..."
Fujiwara Reya shook his head, responding in a similarly mature tone, "This world has no paranormal activities; we need to trust in science!"
With that, not waiting for Hoshimi Rinko to reply, he quickly turned and walked out the door, heading off to collect the second-hand little motorcycle.
The breeze blew through the open window, flipping the book atop the beechwood desk. The girl propped her fist against her cheek, gazing out toward the school gate.
The boy, wearing the same black headphones as hers, hands in pockets, slowly walking to the tall oak tree with lush branches and leaves.
"When will you be able to be more honest..."
Hoshimi Rinko stretched her hand out toward the window, palm grasping for his distant back.
As if sensing something, Fujiwara Reya stopped and looked back.
The breeze blew through the gaps in the tall buildings of Shibuya, a beautiful boy in a white shirt, tennis shoes, and an expressionless face, his bangs were slightly tousled by the wind.