The afternoon sun was bright and cheerful, playing a lody that belonged solely to sumr on the campus trees.
The sound of cicadas was incessant.
Inside the club building, Ayatsuki Ayaka gazed at the playing cards on the table, holding one in her right hand. She was contemplating how to place the card without destroying the existing structure. This type of ga was commonly known as building a house of cards.
"Damn, the difficulty of the fourth layer is indeed much greater than the third," Ayatsuki Ayaka muttered, her wheat-colored cheeks filled with tension, fearing that one careless move would topple the cards and ruin all her efforts.
By a window cracked open slightly, Takahashi Saeko sat, listening to the cicadas outside. A light breeze brushed her brown temple hair, and she leaned lazily against the wall, saying, "Iroha, are you really okay taking it so easy? I've noticed you've been neglecting your dates with Aozawa recently."
"Saeko, you don't always have to bring up such mood-dampening stuff," Ayatsuki Ayaka grumbled, feeling that the card house in front of her had lost its original appeal. She had wanted to play this ga to distract herself. "I can't help it. I can't be asking Aozawa out to play every week; it's too frequent, and it kind of loses its appeal after a while."
Claiming to be bored was just an excuse for Ayatsuki Ayaka; the truth was, she no longer had the funds to support her dates with Aozawa. Being short on money ant that she had to put off this week's dating plans and focus on how to make short videos.
"Speaking of which, my subscribers have already broken the three hundred mark. At this rate, I'll soon have a thousand subscribers, then I can start accepting ads and officially earn blogger inco." Upon ntioning her steadily rising YouTube empire, Ayatsuki Ayaka's face showed a hint of excitent. Her personality had always been optimistic; she believed that once she broke three hundred, five hundred wasn't far off, and a thousand was just a blink away.
Takahashi Saeko shook her head and said, "You can wait, but Phoenix Academy might not. If you don't date Aozawa, she will."
"Ugh." This painful truth unsettled Ayatsuki Ayaka's mood, her lips pouting as she said, "Saeko, I've told you there's no problem. Aozawa has completely fallen for , ready for the taking."
"If only that were true." Takahashi Saeko shrugged. Her jacket pocket vibrated, signaling a ssage. She took out her phone and saw it was a ssage from her mother.
"There's a new commission. Co to Hundred Herb Bookstore tonight to handle it."
"Okay," Takahashi Saeko replied with a single word. Then, noticing Ayatsuki Ayaka was trying to peek, she grabbed her shoulder with the other hand and complained, "Are you a puppy? So curious about everything."
"Hehe, what's the ssage about?" Ayatsuki Ayaka's face showed a gossip-hungry expression. She kept her chats with Aozawa secret from her close friends. Yet, she was very interested in her friends' ssages and showed a rather smooth approach to these matters. Every ti her friends received a ssage, she would quietly lean in; if the friend didn't stop her, she'd look at the ssage together. Only if they stopped her would she back off.
"Nothing, just a simple date invitation, which I accepted," Takahashi Saeko lied casually, not wanting to reveal her role as a Street Cleaner to Ayatsuki Ayaka. That profession was one that couldn't be exposed.
At the sa ti, she was sowhat surprised about the new commission ntioned by her mother. As her family were Street Cleaners, her parents were often abroad taking on various commissions and rarely ho in Japan. If she rembered correctly, her mother was in Russia, dealing with a big problem for the local gangs.
Is this new commission related to Russia? Or perhaps, to the KGB? Thinking of recent news in Tokyo, Takahashi Saeko had so guesses in her mind. She glanced out the window. Blue sky and white clouds; the campus was very peaceful, showing no signs of an impending storm.
"Saeko, do you have a new target? Who is it? What's their personality like?" Ayatsuki Ayaka blinked, her face eager for a story, even dragging her chair over to sit next to her.
"Don't get so close, Iroha, it's hot," Takahashi Saeko complained, trying to push Ayatsuki Ayaka aside, which she laughingly refused.
"Saeko~ I'm not afraid of the heat, tell ," Ayatsuki Ayaka chirped, snuggling up. She was convinced that gossiping required getting close for the right atmosphere.
"Are you a puppy? So clingy," Takahashi Saeko teased again, giving up on moving her away. "He's not that handso. He seems to be involved with the Yakuza, with noticeable tattoos on his arms and chest."
"Wouldn't it be dangerous for you if you ditched him?"
"Don't worry." Miyahara Kaoru joined the conversation, smiling and saying, "Saeko is always prepared. She never fights a battle she's unsure of."
"See, Kaoru gets , so stop worrying needlessly." Takahashi Saeko's fingers gently flicked Ayatsuki Ayaka's forehead.
"How did you two et?" Ayatsuki Ayaka rubbed her forehead nonchalantly, continuing to probe. Not only did she enjoy boasting about her dating experiences with Aozawa, but she also relished hearing about Saeko's and Maru's love stories. To her, those were all valuable experiences to learn from.
"We t by chance on the street," Takahashi Saeko casually ntioned her recent target. Unlike Ayatsuki Ayaka, she was a battle-hardened veteran who could form an enhanced company with the people she had dumped. Because being in the Street Cleaner business ant living by the motto "drink today if there's wine today." If she ever failed a task, she would die, and her body would likely end up discarded at so construction site, becoming part of the foundations. One should indulge when they can. That was the experience her parents had taught her. And these kinds of stories, she normally disdained to tell. It was just that Ayatsuki Ayaka enjoyed hearing them, and Takahashi Saeko didn't mind sharing so to please her.
「As evening approached.」
The wind still carried a tinge of heat as Aozawa bid farewell to the Kendo club mbers at the school gates and headed alone towards Ayase Apartnt.
Another night was upon him. Aozawa sighed internally, feeling that the days were flying by.
Where should I go to enjoy the night? Sticking to Shinjuku is a bit boring; perhaps Shibuya or Ginza would be a better choice for a change.
As Aozawa thought this, he took out his phone, opened it, and saw that he had unread ssages. One was from Phoenix Academy, and the other was from Ayatsuki Ayaka. He clicked on Ayatsuki Ayaka's ssage first, following the order of the chat.
"Aozawa, I've successfully built a four-layer pyramid with playing cards~"
The colorful and sparkling text reflected the girl's inner joy. Below the text was a photo. It must have been Takahashi Saeko who took the photo for Ayatsuki Ayaka, including fashion advice; otherwise, Aozawa wouldn't have ignored the four-layer pyramid made of playing cards on the table at first glance. Rather, his eyes went straight to Ayatsuki Ayaka, who was striking a very Hot Girl-like pose. Sitting at the edge of the table, her low neckline revealed visible beads of sweat, making one want to help wipe them away.
Aozawa gulped before turning his attention to the pyramid of playing cards, replying, "That's amazing. I can't even stack two layers."
He exited the chat and opened the ssage from Phoenix Academy.
"This is the handcrafted cloak I made with Makoto and the others. Do you think it looks authentic?"
Phoenix Academy Maggie obviously didn't grasp the essence of photography, as the photo only showed the handcrafted Dawn Cloak without including her.
"It's exquisite, truly a pair of skillful hands," Aozawa sent the ssage, then heard a DING-DONG. Ayatsuki Ayaka had replied.
He clicked to open the ssage.
"It's quite simple. I can teach you how to do it when we have so ti."
"Sounds good," Aozawa responded, also wanting Ayatsuki Ayaka to teach him personally how to stack them.
DING-DONG. Another ssage from Phoenix Academy ca in.
Aozawa once again exited the chat interface. He didn't know when it started, but on his way ho, there was no more ti to admire the scenery on either side, as he entered a state of constantly replying to ssages. This activity would continue until he reached Ayase Apartnt, ending with the ssage, "I'm going to eat now."
「Ayase Apartnt, Morimoto's house.」
Aozawa turned the key and called out, "I'm back, Chitose, what delicious dinner have you made today?"
"Today we have braised crayfish, boiled eel, stir-fried potato with at, and stir-fried chili with pak choi," Morimoto Chiyoda replied with a smile, placing the last dish of stir-fried chili with pak choi on the kitchen counter. "Wash your hands and you can eat."
"You're on ti today," Aozawa said, closing the door behind him. "Co here, I'll reward you with a deep kiss."
"That sounds like a reward for yourself," Chitose quipped, giving him a look as she took off her apron, then pulled out two cans of beer from the fridge. "Aozawa, did you encounter soone nad Sunaga Takashi in last year's Jade Dragon Flag?"
"I lost to him last year," Aozawa casually replied, his expression tinged with confusion. "Why do you ask?"
As I thought. Morimoto Chiyoda sighed inwardly. Seeing Sunaga Takashi's age, she had already had a hunch that he might have participated in last year's Jade Dragon Flag. With such Sword Dao strength, it was impossible for him to remain unknown.
"Perhaps you shouldn't participate in this year's Jade Dragon Flag."
"You always encouraged to win the Jade Dragon Flag and then apply to Tokyo University, didn't you?"
"That was then, this is now. You can't possibly beat Sunaga Takashi." Morimoto Chiyoda was well aware of Aozawa's Sword Dao skill level. Aozawa's Sword Dao was powerful, but that level of prowess was limited to that of an ordinary high school student. When facing an extraordinary swordsman who surpassed the level expected of a high school student, Aozawa's ability proved to be exceptionally weak.
Before encountering Sunaga Takashi, Morimoto Chiyoda still harbored a glimr of hope. But after discovering that he would also participate in the Jade Dragon Flag, her hopes for Aozawa winning had vanished completely. She couldn't imagine Aozawa winning against Sunaga Takashi—a man who could take down ard CIA agents. In the world of adults, Sunaga Takashi was considered a monster.
"Fortunes change over ti; don't underestimate ," Aozawa shot back. He knew, however, that defeating Sunaga Takashi would likely reveal his abnormality to Chitose. His Sword Dao abilities could fool others, but not Morimoto Chitose. Yet, he didn't mind, hoping to keep it concealed for as long as possible.
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