novelhk Page 17
Page 17
The girl had a mischievous smile on her lips.
Aoba slowly shook her head, her gaze remaining calm:
"Sometimes, it's not a bad thing to confide in a friend."
"Besides, I think there must be a lot of people who want to be friends with Kasumigaoka-kun."
Kasumigaoka looked into Aoba's calm and gentle eyes.
The emotions welling up inside seemed about to erupt at this moment, and a strange sense of grievance welled up in my eyes.
This feeling made Kasumigaoka lower his head, looking at the floor reflecting the light, his watery eyes filled with a deep voice:
"Manager, do you really enjoy making girls cry?"
"emm..."
Upon seeing this scene, Aoba suddenly sighed:
"Actually, I already have the answer to Kasumigaoka's question from before."
"Huh? What's the problem?"
"You asked me if I wanted to say 'yes' or 'no'..."
"What was the store manager's answer?"
Kasumigaoka raised her eyes, her gaze as clear as water, and stared blankly at Aoba.
"Um..."
Aoba deliberately dragged things out for a while, watching the girl's constantly changing expression, and suddenly laughed:
"I'll tell you when you come to the store tomorrow."
"Huh?! How could this be! Is the shop manager a complete idiot?!"
Kasumigaoka Utaha realized that she seemed to have been toyed with by Aoba, and all her previous grievances vanished at that moment.
He then glared angrily at Aoba.
Seeing Aoba looking at her with a mischievous and wicked smile, Kasumigaoka's face flushed even more.
"Manager, this is outrageous!"
Done.
Without looking back, he opened the door and rushed inside.
Aoba watched from downstairs.
He shook his head with a smile only after seeing the lights on the second floor come on.
In the quiet of the night, a young girl's thoughts are always hard to fathom.
The ten minutes before get out of class ended felt unbearable.
Warm light escaped from the window and shone on Aoba.
"Kasumigaoka-san."
"Is there anything else, you annoying shopkeeper?"
"I'm so glad to see you in the store."
The boy's words were like a depth charge dropped into the lake called 'youth'.
On this utterly ordinary night, a young girl in the throes of first love found it hard to sleep.
……
window.
Kasumigaoka Utaha, perched on the window, watched Aoba leave, a smile never fading from her lips.
"Thank you."
“...You annoying...shop manager.”
The soft whispers were like a gentle spring breeze.
Warm but fleeting.
Chapter 13: Did we stir up a den of thugs? That guy is... a ghoul!
District 20 is prosperous.
But just as light cannot illuminate all dark corners.
There will always be some places where dirty things happen.
The Kasumigaoka family lives on the edge of the 20th district.
The area around here is fine.
Every so often, police officers or prosecutors from the prosecutor's office would conduct inspections.
But if we just go a little further away...
There will be a series of interconnected alleys.
Although that area could be considered part of District 20.
However, the overall atmosphere is completely inferior to other areas in District 20.
Whether it is public security or daily life.
Aoba passed by this place.
He learned this from Kasumigaoka and from the news on television.
This place, called 'Lily of the Valley', will soon be cleared out and rebuilt.
The so-called Suzuran Ward is actually just the location of three or four high schools.
The most notorious ones are the delinquent teenagers in high school.
Since they are all minors, it's impossible to convict them of any particularly serious crimes.
Moreover, fights and brawls between neighbors are a matter that can be either a big or small issue.
At least they can't be like the ghouls, monsters, or yokai in other districts.
It can easily cause major social unrest.
Therefore, the main method used by the police here to deal with the bad boys is education.
As Qingye walked, she pondered, shaking her head from time to time.
He didn't have much of an opinion about these delinquent teenagers.
After all, who hasn't been a teenager?
Almost everyone goes through a rebellious phase at that particular age.
Those delinquent teenagers are not necessarily heinous criminals.
Most of them vent their emotions and dissatisfaction with the outside world by using their fists.
It may seem childish, but that's the limit of what they can do.
"Kyoko, Akemi, I'm leaving now."
"Goodbye, Saeko-nee!"
"Goodbye, boss!"
Aoba heard a conversation.
It's already 3 a.m.
Staying up late at night means you're a delinquent... girl?
Several footsteps approached him.
He looked over.
Three JK girls dressed in long black school uniforms are saying goodbye at the alley entrance.
One of the girls, with long purple hair, caught Aoba's eye a few more times.
She looks so familiar!
Busujima Saeko?
That only daughter of the Busujima family? The 'female sword saint' who has won the Tokyo Metropolitan Gyokuryu Kendo Tournament for three consecutive years?
Aoba's eyes changed slightly.
The two people next to them, one with long black hair and a sweet and cute appearance, didn't look like delinquent girls at all.
The other girl could naturally be considered a 'popular' person in the eyes of ordinary high school students.
Why are these three oddballs wandering around the 'Lily of the Valley' late at night?
"Hey! What are you looking at! Do you want me to gouge your eyes out and throw them on the ground?"
The girl called Kyoko seemed to notice Aoba's gaze and spoke in a very unfriendly tone.
However, their still childish tone revealed their identities.
high school students.
"Alright, Kyoko, they're probably just passing by."
Saeko Busujima smiled and shook her head at Kyoko, then turned her gaze to the girl on the other side:
"Akami, after I leave, I'm entrusting Kyoko to you."
"I'm the one who needs anyone to take care of me!" Kyoko shouted, raising her hands. "Saeko-neechan was doing just fine at the all-girls school, why did she have to transfer?"
"Sigh, I've said it so many times already, and besides, you can't change what Father has decided."
Saeko Busujima smiled helplessly.
After greeting each other again.