Volu 9, Chapter 2: Koremitsu Akagi Is Condemned
It was the next morning.
Koremitsu scowled as he walked down the riverbank leading to school, and Hikaru spoke to him,
"What do you think, Koremitsu? Did you get an answer after eting Yū?"
"Um…"
Koremitsu's lips sank as he groaned.
He was brooding in his futon the previous night, but he still could not understand. He was happy to be reunited with Yū again, and his heart was pounding like crazy when they held hands at the park. When Hikaru ntioned about this however, the feelings he had for Aoi and Honoka did not seem to be much different from how it was towards Yū.
(Am I being a Casanova here…?)
"What do you think?"
Koremitsu hissed a question.
"What do I think?"
"From the perspective of a harem prince, who do you think I like best?"
Hikaru however gave a matured smile.
"Only you know the answer, but well, if I have to decide, I do wish that you pick Asa."
And nonchalantly stated sothing earth-shattering.
"Ack! You're asking to choose Saiga?"
"Miss Shikibu, Miss Aoi and Yū are all wonderful girls, and even if they are dumped by you, the people around them surely will not allow them to remain single, and one day, they should be able to get their best suited partner in life. It is a miracle in itself that Asa was able to fall in love, and I assu that it may never happen again. I suppose it is a rarity to have an eccentric— no, a brave man who can understand Asa's charms, so open-minded in accepting her. I do get the feeling Asa will continue to remain dateless and search for Tsuchinokos, or set up so nursery for them or sothing like that."
Koremitsu's temples were popping as he listened to Hikaru's words. Soon after, he raised his eyebrows, yelling,
"That girl isn't soone who likes to laugh out loud at all, is it!?"
"Of course not. Asa will give a hearty heart when she does find sothing really amusing."
"You're kidding ."
"It is true. When she was younger, she kept laughing when she saw a dog with eyebrows, until she went limp…"
Hikaru continued to promote (?) Asai, but Koremitsu ignored him as he walked through the door, only to be called up by Tōjō.
Tōjō glared at Koremitsu, and the latter assud the forr was about to begrudge him for what happened the prior day, only for him to say.
"I wish to give Aoi my support, and I do not want to make her cry. However, I hope that you can grant Asai her promise. I suppose Aoi will have lots of opportunities in the future, but as for Asai, despite her good looks and beauty, given her condescending attitude towards n…it will be troubleso if she is to remain single and beca the aloof, obstinate advisor of the Mikados."
During the break, Hiina too cheerfully chid in,
"I do hope that you choose the Matriarch Asa amongst those girls. It seems that it will be 'her first love and her last love', no? I will recomnd a nice person for Miss Shikibu."
During the following break,
"Co along, Mr. Akagi."
Koremitsu was dragged by Tsuyako into the Japanese Dance Club room.
"You are incapable of being like Hikaru. Hikaru was able to love so many girls equally and make them happy because he was special, and also because he was unable to be united with his most beloved. You can only go along with your usual honest self and do what you can do."
After imparting so advise, Tsuyako then gave a cheeky expression, saying,
"Personally, I do wish you will be together with Miss Asai."
"Why is everyone pairing up with Asa!?"
It was lunch break, and Koremitsu was walking down the corridor with his back arched, grumbling away. No matter who he t since this particular morning, every single person had been recomnding that he get together with Asai.
"Because you are the only one who can change Asa into a cute, smiling girl."
"Am I a tar now!?"
Thanks to all that, while Koremitsu himself never thought of Asai as a love interest, the piercing stare and frosty expression just appeared in his mind.
(Well, she's a lot more relaxed now as compared to how she was at first…and I do find her personality rather interesting…but it's impossible for ! I can't imagine Asa laughing here!"
While Koremitsu was hollering in his heart.
Appearing in front of his eyes was a stoic-looking Asai.
"Ugh."
While Koremitsu readied himself,
"Do not be mistaken."
A blizzard-like voice rang as she coldly noted,
"Do you think I will fall in love with you? I declared that in front of everyone else so that we will not be suspected whenever I am with you."
Hikaru, floating above, "Ah~" could only cover his face as he groaned for so reason.
(Why yeah, it's impossible for Asa to be associated with love or falling in love. She's soone condescending, always talking to others with that annoyingly haughty tone.)
Koremitsu himself found the reason plausible, and was quietly relieved.
"Goodness, I went to visit your classroom after the culture festival ended, and even Mr. Tōjō was there. It was a ruckus…"
(Huh? She was there at that ti?)
Before Koremitsu could retort, Asai's eyes grew rigid as she muttered.
"Also, it seems that sothing grievous centered around you is going to happen."
"What do you an?"
Was it about the confessions he suddenly received? However, Tsuyako and Hiina were just adding on to the fire, and the only ones he never actually responded to were Honoka and Aoi…
But even so, Koremitsu had a rough idea of what it was, and was left dumbfounded. Asai's face got increasingly heinous as she pulled her cellphone out, showing it to Koremitsu.
"I received this ssage on the night before yesterday."
Koremitsu looked at the screen, and gasped.
Hikaru's too froze as he peered from the side.
"Koremitsu Akagi shall judge the won of Lord Hikaru under the na of the Poppy."
(What is this…?)
The voice was stuck in his throat.
The chain of ssages that were thed 'The won of Lord Hikaru' appeared in his mind as grimy, black words.
It was too much even as a joke, and this anonymous ssage was nauseating. This ti, it ntioned his na!
Koremitsu felt enraged terrified, a chill running down his spine.
"Saiga, did anything bad happen to you after this ssage ca?"
Koremitsu angrily asked, and Asai calmly answered,
"No, nothing has changed. This ssage thed 'Lord Hikaru's won' was simply sent to , just as before. However, this ti, it contained the active verb 'judge', and actually ntioned that you of all people are to do this."
The words got tangled into a black mist, spreading in Koremitsu's heart.
Hikaru's expression too glood.
"…"
Till this point, the won ntioned in the ssages were Yū, Tsuyako, Asai and Sora. Since they were Hikaru's won, there was a chance Aoi herself could be in danger.
"I feel we should go about pretending to date and agitate the culprit. Of course, it is just a pretense."
"I'll go over to Aoi! I'll go check on Upperclassman Tsuyako to see if she got any strange ssages."
Koremitsu cut off Asai's words as he sprinted out.
Tsuyako never ntioned anything about the ssage when the duo chatted in the clubroom in the morning. However, she and the other girls all gathered at Koremitsu's house; perhaps they were going to discuss the mysterious ssage with him?
"Mr. Akagi, I am yet to be done—"
Asai hollered at Koremitsu, trying to get him to stay, but the latter never stopped.
"I had not finished what I wanted to say. He really is a simpleton of a wild dog."
Asai anxiously watched the ssy red hair leave the scene.
"Yes…we were not to be real lovers, just false ones. That should have been the most efficient…"
Once she sensed her face blushing, she muttered to herself, ostensibly searching for an excuse. At this mont, her cellphone vibrated.
With a scowl, she opened the ssage. "!" And with a heinous glare, she stared at the screen.
Koremitsu panted furiously as he reached Aoi's classroom. Once he got there, he glared around with his sharp eyes, and spotted Aoi fiddling with her phone, her face frozen.
Koremitsu felt a frost air scale his spine.
Hikaru too looked on grimly.
"Aoi."
Once Koremitsu called for Aoi, the latter's petite shoulders shivered. She looked over at Koremitsu tensely, her face looking very uneasy, perturbed as she approached him.
"Is sothing the matter, Mr. Akagi?"
"Did you just see the mail? Was there sothing strange sent to you?"
Aoi's shoulders shivered again.
She turned her eyes away from Koremitsu, stamring.
Affirming that Aoi received a ssage, Koremitsu sounded agitated.
"You received it, right? You ca to my house yesterday to discuss about this, didn't you?"
"E-erm…but! I received such a ssage two days ago. While I am used to receiving such scathing ssages…I would imdiately delete them and forget about it whenever I have them."
"Can I see that ssage?"
"Sorry. I deleted it."
After inquiring about the ssage, it seed it was the exact sa content as what Asai received, stating the infuriating words that Koremitsu was to deal judgent on all the girls surrounding Hikaru.
"Of course, I do not believe that you will do such a thing, Mr. Akagi."
Aoi pleaded.
"Thanks."
But while Koremitsu thanked her, when he inquired if there was any further matter, she rely tried to pass it off by repeating over and over again, "Well, I am fine."
And when he went to ask Tsuyako,
"Oh? It reached you?"
Tsuyako simply admitted that she received the ssage.
"But there are people who enjoy seeing others suffer. Besides, this is not uncommon in this school filled with children from many traditional families. You do not have to mind, Mr. Akagi. It is pointless to be befuddled, intimidated or infuriated by those things. All you will accomplish is to delight that sender."
But Koremitsu, himself, was the one encouraged.
Lunch break was about to end, and Koremitsu still felt sothing was amiss as he prepared to return to the classroom.
And while he was clicking his tongue agitatedly, Hikaru spoke with a grim look above him,
"I did think those ssages were just being sent, and nothing will actually happen…"
"I won't be judging Saiga and the rest. No way you want such things to happen, right?"
"Of course. But—"
"What? That you actually have a wish for to help you take revenge?"
"No. That is not what I want to talk about."
Hikaru frowned.
"All I am thinking is, are the ssages all that is to co?"
Such words caused Koremitsu's temples to twitch.
"It does feel like this is different from before…I am worried. Miss Aoi does look like she has sothing she could not say…"
"Sothing she could not say?"
"Or maybe it is sothing she does not wish to talk about…"
In any case, they should head back to the classroom first. First off, he had to give Yū a call just in case, even though he did not think she would be involved after staying in Australia for so long.
(Let's try asking Oumi…and Shikibu.)
Koremitsu did not say anything to Honoka in the morning, besides the usual greetings. She bead, saying,
"Good morning…Akagi! It's great to see Miss Kanai back. But I won't lose to her!"
Her energetic voice sounded a little forced, and one had to wonder if she was concerned about the reply to the confession and the matter about Yū.
She kept peeking at Koremitsu during the lessons, but she never did talk to him.
(I got to give a proper reply. To both Shikibu…and Aoi…)
Would he be able to get an answer while Yū stayed in Japan?
With such matters happening at this point, it was not a ti when he could simply ponder over the relationship between boy and girls…
Feeling utterly vexed, his back was slouched more than ever.
And just when he arrived in front of his classroom, the cellphone in his pocket vibrated.
Having an ominous vibe, he opened it.
"Koremitsu Akagi shall torch Yū Kanai alive under the na of the Poppy."
Feeling a jolt inside his heart, he hurriedly grabbed the phone sliding out of his hand.
"Koremitsu! This!"
Hikaru too sounded tense.
The bell indicating the beginning of the 5th period chid, but Koremitsu ignored it as he gave Yū a call.
His gut was griped, wincing, and sweat trickled down his body.
"Mr…Akagi?"
Yū's skeptical voice ca from the other end of the receiver.
Anxiety pressed down on Koremitsu as he exhaled, caressing his skin.
"Yū! Are you hurt in any way?"
He asked agitatedly.
"Eh?"
"Are you hurt?"
"Erm…just a little scalded."
Koremitsu felt hamred. The words 'torch Yū Kanai alive' was magnified greatly in front of his eyes.
Yū was actually physically hurt, and not just as how the ssage stated. Being scalded was as close as it was to being torched, and Koremitsu felt a chill down his spine.
"Yū, where are you right now?"
"At…the hospital."
"The hospital? I'll be there right away."
Koremitsu hung up without hearing Yū's reply, and sprinted off.
Upon seeing Koremitsu sprinting down the corridor like a man possessed, Honoka's chest ached as she stood at the classroom entrance.
"Yū!" She did hear Koremitsu yell at the phone, the conviction and turmoil of emotions he showed, and her body felt scorched as she clenched her fist to endure.
(Akagi, were you talking to Miss Kanai just now?)
Koremitsu called out to her with such a voice, such an expression, and one had to wonder that surely, he was only thinking about her. Was his desire to et her so great that he skipped classes and ran away from school?
"Koremitsu Akagi shall judge the won of Lord Hikaru under the na of the Poppy."
Two nights ago, she received this strange ssage, and was feeling very worried. At this mont, Michiru gave Honoka a call, and after discussing about this,
"Let's visit Mr. Akagi."
Michiru suggested, and so they visited Koremitsu's house.
They spotted a hesitant looking Aoi at the entrance, following by a grim looking Asai, and even Hiina appeared.
"Wow. Is everyone here to et Mr. Akagi? He's becoming quite the popular item recently. Co on, let's go."
And with Hiina dragging them along, the predicant was that every single one of them visited his house.
Koremitsu was not at ho, so everyone else was waiting in his room. Shioriko had her cheeks puffed as she served them tea. Asai remained silent with a frosty look on her face. Aoi had her head lowered, looking frustrated about sothing. Honoka herself was feeling awkward.
And when Koremitsu finally returned ho, there was a dreamy, slender girl standing beside him, Yū Kanai.
—Have you fallen for Kanai?
Honoka could never forget the stunned look Koremitsu gave when she asked.
It was a defenseless, feeble look.
A flustered look of one who noticed he was in love.
At that mont, Koremitsu was really in love with Yū Kanai.
And Honoka herself too realized that she fell for Koremitsu, who in turn had fallen for Yū Kanai.
—I think, I like you.
Once Yū flew off to Australia, Honoka confessed at the school rooftop with a blushing face and a trembling voice.
Ever since then, she had been hoping for Koremitsu to devote his attention to her.
She was heartbroken to realize from up close that his feelings were veering towards Aoi, and she felt all hope was lost when a teary-faced Koremitsu held hands with Aoi.
However, she finally decided to confront Koremitsu with her true feelings.
She had no hope of beating Aoi, and with Yū of all people returning to Japan, it was too much for her. She started thinking whether there was no God in this world, and when she accidentally spotted Koremitsu being so attentively, running towards Yū, her heart was ripped apart.
(No. I can't continue to like Akagi if I admit defeat because of this.)
She understood when she saw the girls gathered at Koremitsu's house.
Many girls liked Koremitsu. She had assud she was the only one who liked such a crude, eccentric boy, and got careless. Clearly, this was completely wrong.
Koremitsu Akagi was popular.
(Everyone now knows that Akagi's scary looking, but he's really a nice guy inside. Even so, I've decided not to give up, and I won't be dejected because of it. I'll do my best.)
The teacher entered the classroom, spotted Koremitsu's empty seat, and asked "What happened to Akagi?"
Honoka imdiately stood up.
"Akagi's feeling unwell. He's off to the hospital."
And returned to her seat.
The teacher never did pursue the matter, perhaps because Honoka was a studious student.
But under the table, she was slowly answering the inquiries of girls, frustrated with their love live, under the guise of the love expert Purple Princess.
"Purple Princess, please listen to （:△:). I had a crush on F for 5 years, and it seems like he knows that I like him~~~~~（。>O
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