I think you should put that under spoilers lol. But yeaaah, he's not the type to attack physically, but verbally. Right now he's playing the good cop to Kaburagi's bad cop for Reika. Oh and about how to link it: Under every post you could see the #number right? You just have to move your cursor to the number the post of your chapters on and click right on that number, and then copy link address. Then you highlight the word you want to give link to in your first post, and click the chain icon in the post editor. Paste the address there and click Insert~ Do this to each chapter and link it to the first post. I hope this helps.
This fanfiction is really great Thank u very much for making this~ i can't help to look forward for the next part >.<
@Red Bean Any plan to incorporate Enjou's fiancee candidate and the annoying stalking horse into the fanfic? Furthermore, maybe adding Enjou's little brother would be nice and spicing up the story haha.
Spoiler: I dunno if I should bring this to the spoiler forum or not, so I'm just gonna keep this in spoiler Please don't call comrade stalking horse annoying. He's only a bit judgmental to Reika at first, but he's actually really easy to get along with! And he apologized properly to Reika, unlike Kaburagi who hit her head as a way to apologize (was what Enjou said) On a side not, I'm also wondering that. I'm curious about what Enjou was feeling when Yukino was born. He was born when they were around grade 4 right? Have he ever thought that one day, his younger brother can be the catalyst to make him get closer to Reika?
I do have plans, but its a bit hard trying to find a precise place to start adding her in. Since I am assuming Enjou did not have to attend omiais until highschool, I will be pushing Yuiko till then, though I will probably mention her from time to time. As for Katsuragi Haruki, because I don't see him as someone entirely relevant or important to Enjou's life, I will only be showing him a few times, if at all, because he seems to mostly acts conspicuously when annoying Reika. I think nirleka means the stalking horse for the ReiNjou ship, Bird-Brain Katsuragi. As for Yukino, since all I know is that he is 10 years younger than the Trio (Reika, Shuusuke, and Masaya), I've been counting years and it seems he should be born at around the time the Trio are in grade 5ish (since at age 6 the Trio started grade 1, so for Yukino to be ten years younger it has to be grade around 5). Since Yukino is pretty sickly I'll rarely be able to find a place to add him in... unless I do scenes from the Enjou household or the Enjou family events... and even then Yukino is a sick kid so he probs wont be in attendance for them.
Part 6 Because this was the last time I would wear the navy uniform, Mother went and took a lot of pictures. It got to the point where Masaya had laughed at me for being Mother’s model. In response, I had let Auntie know Mother had taken some photos of me, since tommorow would be our last time in the primary navy uniforms. Just saying it would be the last time, Auntie abducted Masaya and had a first class photographer brought over, and had an entire album made, with Masaya having to pose and model even more than I did. When it was all done, he glared at me, and it was then my turn to laugh boisterously. It's one thousand years too soon for you to be fighting with me. - On the actual day of graduation, everyone was fired up. Taking pictures, talking, congratulating each other, but no one had cried. It was probably because everyone here would still be attending Suiran for middle school. While I was busy leading Mother out of school, I felt two people’s eyes on me. When I turned my head, I immediately saw the figures of Masaya with his mom, and Reika with who I assume are her parents, and her older brother. Reika is holding flowers, isn’t she? I wonder who she got it from... Definitely not Masaya though. While I held Mother’s hand, Masaya had come over and greeted us. To avoid both our fans and the cameramen, we decided to return to my house. - “Madame, was that the Kisshouins you were speaking to?” I heard Mother ask after I came downstairs. I slinked against the wall and listened in, eyes narrowed and ears sharp. Mother, what are you doing? “I heard Kisshouin Reika-san is an incredibly reliable, gentle, level-headed and lovely girl. Does she really match that description like the people say?” Mother’s inquiries had caused me discomfort, but Auntie calmly replied, “Very. She’s really lovely as well, like a finely-crafted doll. Her demeanor is so mild and temperate too, its like she’s not even a child.” “Oh my, such a lovely girl. I heard she was often helping out the teachers and aiding wherever necessary for her class. My Shuusuke had said she had helped a lot when they were in the executive committee together.” “Yes, I’ve heard that too. Don’t you think she would suit my Masaya?” I nearly spat blood at those words. Those two? Together? Do you want Masaya to run away from home? “SHUUSUKE!!! Where are you?!” I heard Masaya yell. The sound of a baby’s cry quickly followed. I glanced at the stairs for a moment then immediately found a nearby maid, and rushed with the maid back upstairs. I saw Mother looking at me as I ran back upstairs. I repressed a shudder as I wondered what she was thinking. - After I pulled on my new white blazer, I ended up becoming Mother’s model once more and had to posed for her as she took pictures. Since she was so happy, I allowed her to do it, but I immediately rejected her when she asked me to wear my primary uniform around the house every once in a while. Mother, I am not a child... After I got to school, I checked the class arrangements and found that I was in separate classes from Masaya. Masaya will be fine on his own, but what will happen to his class representatives... - In May, we have the customary excursion, and this time it’s mountain climbing. Masaya had I had already done this quite a lot during camping, so we fared well. In fact, when we reached the summit, we were the first ones there. Not even the sensei who was with us when we started at the bottom was anywhere nearby... Because of that, Masaya and I looked around for a secluded spot to have lunch at. We wolfed our food down incredibly fast, and managed to put it away a good one hour before everyone else arrived. However, we got surrounded by some girls with this a very flashy aura. I don’t recognize them, they must be externals. Where are our regular fans? They’d usually prevent new girls from approaching us. When I glanced around, I noticed quite a lot of people looked dead-tired, and some who looked like they just began to eat lunch. It seems the majority of our regular fans was amongst them. Fine. Its not like these externals were being too outrageous, so we can deal with them ourselves. I got up and followed after Masaya, who went towards the cluster of boys playing games. When I turned to look at the side, I saw Reika being supported by two of her friends, who looked panicked. Did she faint from fatigue? When one of the girls from my side had looked at me for a bit turned and looked in the same direction I was, she immediately went to over to aid them. When I looked around at the other girls near me, they too went over to help. Oh my, since when was everyone such good and helpful children? Well, its good if everyone is so caring of each other. - The gaggle of girls from the field trip were surrounding me everyday. From the time in between classes, break time, and lunch, those girls would crowd my desk and give me no way out. It was even the same for Masaya. We both went to the Pivoine salon to avoid them. Because this was the same year he got to be with Yurie again, the maiden Masaya returned to his high spirits as soon as he got in. He scanned the room for Yurie, and he found her on a table with Aira and Reika. As soon as we appeared, there was grievance in Reika’s eyes as she cut her conversation with Yurie and looked at Masaya. Following with that, Aira sent concerned looks towards Reika, who silently and subtly shook her head, as if saying “No worries”. We only just arrived, why do you look like we’ve done you a great injustice? “Ah, that reminds me. Reika-sama, it must have been dreadful experiencing that deer attack. The photos gave me a shock. You must have been terrified.” Yurie interrupted the rather tense atmosphere by revealing a concerned expression, along with Nara Incident. Oh, I remember that. Masaya, stop laughing. Even if it was ridiculous, what would have happened if Reika seriously got injured? The heck is wrong with you? Reika replied that she was fine, but I clearly saw her eyes darting towards Masaya with hostility. Suddenly, a pleased and sweet smile appeared on Reika’s face. “Speaking of which, I heard from a friend of mine, but apparently the name ‘Emperor’ is well known even at Yurinomiya.” That stopped Masaya’s laughter dead in its tracks. The look of horror in his eyes was only matched with his shock. Oh, Reika looks incredibly triumphant. “Goodness. It looks like it’ll be impossible to extinguish the flames now, Masaya.” Yurie-sama laughed in amusement. “…Its fine. I’ve already given up anyway.” Kaburagi sighed. “It’s not like I came up with the name on my own after all. Also, I guess this is still better than being straight-out called ‘Napoleon’…” He was incredibly fed up with it. Masaya had been complaining about this since the Athletics Meet, so I knew he was resentful. When he finds out who gave him the nickname, will he hunt them down and flay them alive for their treason? The tyrannical impression of Emperor Kaburagi actually suits him, though. “That’s true. If I walked around town and somebody called out ‘It’s Napoleon!’ I think I’d die from shame on the spot. However, you being called ‘Emperor’ in the middle of a town would be pretty bad too. If I was with you at the time, I might even back away and pretend not to know you.” “Shuusuke, you bastard…” I laughed at him while I pricked his ego. His glare was incredibly strong, and he looked like he wanted to burn a hole through my head, but because Masaya is Masaya... yeah. Its too hard to take that sort of threat from him seriously. “Who knows how long Masaya is going to be called Emperor. At least nobody is calling you Deer Girl, aren’t you much better off, Kisshouin-san?” Looking at her face that showed grievances and helpless eyes, I quickly decided to stop teasing her lest she really starts to cry. “One day, I’ll give you a stupid nickname too!” Masaya frustratedly roared at me. I snorted and laughed harder. Go ahead and try! You’ll still forever remember yours! While I was having fun at Masaya’s expense, I saw him shake his head with disappointment at Reika. Hm? Does she want to give me a stupid nickname too? Ah~ Reika, its not like I made any horrible nicknames againt you, right? Why are you so mad at me? After I calmed down, they began talking about the problem between the Student Council and the Pivoine. Honestly, this doesn’t even matter... no matter how righteous or strong the Student Council may become, Suiran lives on the bank accounts of the families of Pivoine members. So in a choice between a hundred normals and one Pivoine, it will always be the Pivoine. Suiran cannot afford to trifle with the egos of the alumnis and the current members. I smiled wryly as I shook my head. In the meantime, Masaya’s been accumulating jealousy from all the stories Yurie’s been talking about. I hope for your safety, Okishima-senpai, and StuCo President.
You're also still a kid! Also, shouldn't that be 'You're one thousand years too soon to be fighting with me'? Be careful, Enjou, your jealousy was shone through. And I think you mean, you're the one who would run away from home lol. Ahhh Yukino! He's still just a toddler here, huh? What a manipulator. I wonder what kind of look he had here. Probably a sharp smile with closed eyes. This haraguro! Also I forgot to said this, but you really mastered the original story's sense of humor. That's why it really feels like canon. Thank you for the chapter!
Eh~ but Enjou is much more mature than Masaya! Also, its younger cause maturity-wise, Masaya is a bit... And yep! Toddler Yukino! I was thinking more like concerned smile with worried eyes, and the girls just immediately going to help. Hahaha, he’s mastered the technique of subtlety. I did?! Wow, thank you!
Part 7 When I was looking over the test results, I looked down to check the scorers on the bottom. Huh? Wait, lets check again... I scanned the results over thrice, but I still didn’t manage to find her name. I glanced to my side to see the bevy of girls who left, and their curly-haired leader who seemed especially quiet today. Well, her prided smarts had failed to get her into the rankings like usual. I guess it should only be expected, I kept hearing people say “Reika-sama is in a daze”, “Reika-sama seems so preoccupied these days”, or most recently, “Reika-sama looks like a maiden in love”, even before the exams had concluded. This girl, was she planning to join Masaya in being maidens? That person who is class reps with her, who was it again? - After I went into Reika’s classroom during break, I chatted with a few of the boys for a bit before I called out Iinchou. After he approached, I led him to the hallway and to a more secluded spot near the pillars. It really reminded me of when I called out to him last year after I caught him with Reika. At that time, he was really surprised and rather nervous, even before I nicely asked him to explain why he had been with Reika. He ended up telling me that he had asked Reika for help in order to get closer to his crush. Well, not those words specifically, but it was too obvious once I asked him if he liked that girl. I like to believe we parted on good terms afterwards, but who knows. He seemed to have still been rather shaken from it after I let him go. “Enjou-sama, is something wrong?” Iinchou asked as we went behind a pillar. After looking him over, I asked, “Is something bothering Kisshouin-san?” “Huh?” “She fell off the rankings and seemed to be in quite a daze recently. I’ve heard there was trouble brewing amongst the girls, but I haven’t heard of any problems that she has gotten caught up in. Since you two are so close, I thought you may know if something was bothering her.” “Mhm, as far as I know, Reika-sama hasn’t encountered any troubles. But...” I put on a concerned expression and prompted him, “‘But’ what?” “Well... the teachers think she may have been tricked by a bad person? I’m not entirely sure since I heard this in passing, but apparently they believe Reika-sama had met a bad influence recently and it has been affecting her studies.” ... I am rather sure neither I nor Masaya had been bothering Reika at all since the Yurie Incident. Who else is it that has managed to get past her retinue of warriors? “I see. Thank you for telling me. I’m sorry, but could you keep an eye out for Kisshouin-san and inform me if she is being troubled? I owe her a lot, you see, and it would be horrible if something happened to her that I could’ve prevented.” The expression on his face was rather interesting, eyes wide and full of admiration and respect as he nodded eagerly. “Of course! I’ll do my best to inform you if Reika-sama is facing any difficulties.” I smiled kindly in response, “Thank you very much for your cooperation, Iinchou-san.” As I waved him goodbye and left, I turned the corner and saw Reika coming from the student counseling room. Er, I know she fell from the ranks, but did she really drop so low she had to go to counseling? Mhm, just who is tricking her, I wonder. - It was exactly a week after I talked with Iinchou that I learned from some rumors that Reika had been attending remedial classes at Suiran. She had apparently claimed a seat in the back row for herself, and it was now being called the “Chrysanthemum Throne”, so people have been avoiding it in order to not anger the Empress. When I asked for more details, I also ended up learning that due to her silent and studious actions, never striking up a conversation, and only greeting before the lessons then saying goodbye at the end, that she has been isolated the entire time. How pitiful... Like this, with my group eagerly talking amongst themselves about various rumors they’ve heard and Masaya coming over to play with Yukino and myself, the break came to an end. - When school started again, I noticed Reika walking outside my classroom. She seems thinner? I heard from Iinchou that Reika goes to both cram school and has a private tutor, so adding remedial classes on top of that, she probably had spent more time studying than resting the entire break. Mhm, although its a bit bad she studied to the point of losing weight, she seems to be in a rather good mood. “Eh, Shuusuke-sama, who are you looking at?” One of the boys from my group looked in the same direction as me, but Reika had already left. “Nothing. Anyways, what was it you wanted to tell me?” “Ah, yeah! So I heard that Kisshouin-sama’s younger cousin would be entering Suiran.” Reika’s cousin? “Where’d you get this information?” “One of my relatives go to the same school as Kisshouin-sama’s cousin. Kisshouin-sama’s cousin’s name is Kotou Ririna, and she is rather... mhm, well she is quite the opposite to Kisshouin-sama.” I raised an eyebrow. Opposite to Reika? “Well, it should be fine so long as she doesn’t cause trouble...” I blinked then looked at him. “Wait, why would you want to tell me this?” “Because you’ve been asking about Kisshouin-sama a lot recently, I thought you may have wanted to know...” I force a smile when I see his expression. “I don’t like Kisshouin-san that way.” Are you sure? Is written all over his disbelieving face. What the heck. I just asked a bit and you conclude I’m attracted to her? “The teacher is coming, so return to your seats!” The class rep called out and he went back to his seat. I rested my chin on my palm as I looked at the lessons for today blankly. A cousin with the opposite personality to Reika’s, huh... - Once again, the Athletics Festival was upon Suiran. However, this time we had a Student Council, the sports clubs, and the athletics committee, so everything had to be finished much earlier and the participant list was much stricter than last year, as it discouraged sports club members from joining the sport their club played. Anyways, just choosing people for the cavalry battle was incredibly difficult. No one wanted to be mowed down by the Emperor, so naturally they’d back away as soon as the class rep started to breach the topic. In the end, the class rep forced the boys who had no games into the cavalry battle. Masaya, meanwhile, had went through every boy in his class until he had selected a few people that met his requirements. None of them had the courage to refuse the Emperor, so they reluctantly accepted and handed their next few weeks over to him. Masaya was pretty happy, and even showed me the training plan he had in store for them. Mhm, they would have been better off as Masaya’s foot soldiers than his horse. - It was time for the Athletics Festival to reach the main event, the cavalry battle, I noticed Reika staring fixedly at the battle grounds with a slight blush on her face. What the hell. I turned back and tried to follow who was it that she was staring at. It certainly wasn’t Masaya, who was busily crushing every rider and horse he hunted down, and the only other notable fellow who still remained was... I asked the girl beside me, “Who is that?” “Hm...-ah!? Enjou-sama!” The girl was surprised, but she quickly turned towards where I was staring then answered, “That’s Tomoe Senju, he’s a senpai from third year and is the Student Council President.” ... the Student Council...? My head began to hurt as I imagined how outraged Okishima-senpai would be if he heard this. A Pivoine girl being starry-eyed over the Student Council President? No, wait. It would be worse if she confessed. Reika is the sister of Okishima-senpai’s idol, Kisshouin Takateru. No matter what happened, whether it be her confession was accepted or rejected, Okishima-senpai and the rest of the Pivoine who favored Reika would launch a campaign against the Student Council. Of all the people you had to fall for, its the one guy who, if this got out, would end up starting a campus civil war! I nodded and stared at the battlefield as it ran out of people for Masaya to take down. In the end, it was a battle between the Pivoine’s Emperor and the Student Council’s President. I felt bloodlust and irritability from the older members of the Pivoine leak out as the battle between them intensified. I even heard someone grumble, “If that Tomoe injures Kaburagi-sama, I’ll crush him!” Good grief... if it got out that Reika liked him, I don’t want to imagine how the Pivoine would even begin react... As I watched, I couldn’t help but give the guy some praise. He and Masaya were rather evenly matched. I’ve never seen Masaya struggle as hard as he was now. Could it be possible that this would be Masaya’s first defeat in the battlefield? Or, so I thought, when that guy’s horse stumbled, and Masaya used that chance to steal his headband. The cheers and cries of victory were deafening. In the wake of Masaya’s victory, I could barely hear myself think while the people cheered. That guy was still smiling like he was having fun, but Masaya had a vexed expression on his face as his hand crumpled the headband he held. Ohhh~ looks like Masaya’s going to be even more obsessed with winning next year. At the end of the festival, the scores were tallied, and that guy’s class won. However, everyone was more busy congratulating Masaya, who won both of his relays and the cavalry battle. With the trophy in one hand, he raised it to the sky in triumph. Well aren’t you having fun. - Right after the festivals were the mid-sem exams. Because Masaya was avidly training this year, he slipped up, and ended in second place while I got first. When I looked through the list this time, I found Reika’s name at sixteenth. She even improved from last time. When I glanced around, I saw Reika looking through the list as well. Although her face showed indifference, her eyes were anxiously scanning for her name. When she found it, she let out a sigh of relief and finally began to smile for real. Mhm, yeah. Its much better when Reika’s smiling, after all.
*cough cough* You sound like a thug who corners his prey to a dark alley, you know. So you knew that you are a bad influence? How self-aware of you, Enjou. *sneeze* Ugh, my bs allergy relapse again. I mean, sure, convince yourself, Enjou. Awww
Part 8 I am now in my second year of middle school. It seems that this time, I would be Reika’s classmate. When I saw her name on our class roster, I had apparently made a strange face, because Masaya happily used that opportunity to call me a creep. In order to teach him a lesson, I reminded him that he should be careful in getting along with his classmates, or else Yurie wouldn’t take him out on a date. It shut him up pretty fast, and I smiled even wider. Yurie and Masaya had made a deal, as long as Masaya gets along with his classmates and doesn’t raise a ruckus like he did before, Yurie would carve some time out of her busy schedule and take him out on a date. Mhm, Masaya, you’ve fallen into the maiden role completely. - When I got to class and sat down, the hoard of girls quickly emerged and swarmed my desk. The noise was, as usual, tremendous. For people who weren’t used to the noise, it was probably hellish. I glanced to the side as I looked at my new classmates who had on pained expressions. You think this is bad? Wait until break, it gets much worse. - With all thats happened today, I’m rather surprised by Reika’s behavior. Not once did she get mad and tell them to shut up, despite having an aura of irritation throughout the day. Well, I guess thats Reika for you. She’s always so docile that its a bit concerning. When I entered the salon, I was greeted by Aira, who was sitting with Reika, who had a bad expression on her face. “Shuusuke, it’s just you today?” “Yeah. Masaya is sending Yurie off. You know that already, Aira.” I walked over to them and took a seat. Immediately, the bad expression on Reika’s face became worse. I opted to ignore it as I looked to Aira. “I just thought it was rare that you were coming to the salon alone, Shuusuke. I thought you’d immediately head home if Masaya wasn’t with you.” “I have something to do after class, so I’m killing time until then. Also, it’d be annoying to stay in class...” “I’ve heard. You’re in Reika-chan’s class, apparently.” I glanced at Reika and smiled. Ah yes, we’re classmates. “Yeah. Although, we almost never talk.” “Indeed.” Her expression clearly says she didn’t want to talk to me. How rude, I haven’t done anything to you. “Shuusuke, don’t cause her too much trouble, okay? Apparently a lot of girls are really lively around you.” Aira suddenly said to me, as if I was a troublemaker. Hey, Reika, just what exactly do you see me as? “I warn them, but it’s hard getting them to listen. So as long as they don’t do anything extreme, I’m just ignoring them. Reika-san, can’t you do something about them?” “Hah? Why must I?” “Because you’re the leader of the girls, right? If you speak out, won’t they behave?” Although I point this out to her a lot when we talk, she doesn’t do it. Reika, its fine to throw your weight around you know? You know how powerful the Pivoine are, right? And you’re the top girl of our batch, it should be easy for you to stop them. “I do not have such power. Why do you not speak out?” “I do, you know? But if I’m too harsh like Masaya, then they start crying, and it gets even worse.” I ended up sounding bitter. Its terribly annoying. I tell them to quiet down or behave, then they’ll burst into tears, as if they’re the victim. Its so damn annoying. Oh right, that reminds me. “Speaking of which, don’t you have a cousin, Kisshouin-san? I hear that lately she’s been approaching Masaya and getting into fights with the second and third year girls.” A look of absolute terror crosses her features for a moment as she cries out, “EHH!?” Just how bad is your cousin that you react like that?! Her expression immediately turned for the worse and Aira and I exchanged worried glances. “He-hey, Reika-chan, its okay. I’m sure nothing bad will happen...” “Waiter, bring some sweets and tea, please.” I ordered some desserts while Aira tried to shake Reika out of her trance. Masaya said the Salted Caramel Chocolate Tart was delicious, maybe if I give some to Reika she’ll break out of her trance? “Kisshouin-san, calm down...” - That girl, Kotou Ririna, was causing Reika‘s aura to steadily turn depressed as time went on. It even became typical that one could find Reika as long as you follow Kotou’s trail of mayhem. Currently, that trail led to Masaya’s classroom, or almost at the Pivoine salon itself. Still, that girl flaunted herself and tried to hang onto Masaya without a bit of shame. Masaya had done his absolute best to not get mad, but even he was reaching the end of his patience. As for people who held favorable impressions of Reika, they all began to loathe Kotou somewhat. I could hear people mentioning how much they resent her. It became common to hear someone spit her name with the same kind of derision one would reserve for mongrels. In short, Kotou had made herself the enemy of many, many people. It was rather surprising that she could still walk around Suiran with her head raised so high. However, it seemed the higher that Kotou raised her head, the lower Reika lowered hers. Ah~ so very vexing... “Yo, Shuusuke, its your turn to row.” “Ah, got it, got it.” I took the oars from Masaya and began to row. My expression was probably horrible, since after we arrived at the temple, Masaya had taken the initiative and got us a boat, then rowed us this far out. Sometimes he can be sensitive to others emotions. “... are you thinking about Kisshouin?” “Her cousin, actually.” Masaya scowled, “Why?” “She’s been apologizing nonstop lately. I can’t help but remember why she does so. Its a bit painful to see...” Masaya actually showed an understanding face as he nodded, “I’m at my wits end too. I had endured it for her sake, but I don’t think I’ll last any longer if she doesn’t stop.” “Endure a bit more. Maybe she just needs more time to convince her cousin to stop...” although I said it, I didn’t feel confident about it. Reika was much too soft and meek, while her cousin seemed to have an ego larger than the sun. For Reika to have to care for her cousin that much... “Shuusuke, calm down!” “I am calm.” “Stop clenching the oars that hard! You’re starting to break them!” “I’m not, Masaya. Would you calm down? You’re disturbing the tranquility of the temple.” “I’ll calm down when you release the oars! Never mind, give them back! I rather row the entire time than let you destroy our only way back to land!” Masaya grumbled as he snatched the oars out of my hand. I smiled even as he cursed at me vividly. - It was back to a normal school day, and my mood had been worsening since first period. Firstly, a girl named Tsurahana Maki, who wasn’t even my classmate, an Internal student but not a member of the Pivoine, had went up and snorted at Reika, commenting that she had “such a cute cousin”, and Reika was unable to respond. Reika’s eyes looked to be swimming and she was barely able to raise her head from how much she had to bow it. Later, when it was break, Reika had left the classroom looking like she was suffering. The disturbed feeling I had when I saw Reika with Iinchou last year resurfaced, but instead it was directed towards Kotou. How much longer does she plan to abuse Reika’s kindness? My foul mood made me snap at the girls. Even though they cried, I still forced them to leave. My foul mood seemed to encompass the entire class and caused them to freeze, because they all quickly fled. When Reika came back after break, she seemed only slightly better than earlier. I worriedly kept glancing at her for the entirety of the lesson. She really doesn’t look well. - Yesterday, Kotou finally angered Masaya. While he was seeing Yurie off, she tried to get close to the two and speak to them. It’s an unspoken rule amongst his followers, and all of Suiran, that they should never approach Masaya when he’s with Yurie, and especially not get in his way, but that girl ignored it. Masaya is typically indifferent to the noisy girls around him. No matter what they do, he pays them no attention. But when it comes to those who interrupt his precious time with Yurie, he takes off the mask of apathy he usually wears, and shows his emotions, and those emotions are not the ones the girls want from him, they’re the exact opposite. It’s because the girls around him know this, they never approach him at these times. But did that girl not know even this? Since the other nuisances weren’t there this time, she ran over to Masaya like it was her chance, just as he was trying to get into his car. Even though Yurie-sama needed to go to prep school, that girl ignored the atmosphere and tried to hold them back, so Masaya finally snapped. “Cut it out! Never appear before me again!” and left her standing there, before riding off with Yurie, who was attempting to calm him down. When I saw her lone figure in the parking lot, with everyone nearby either snickering or mocking her, I couldn’t help but feel some elation that this prideful girl had been yelled at by Masaya. So much so that when she turned around, I unconsciously ended up chuckling while I left. - The rumor that that girl had angered Masaya spread like wildfire throughout the school. So much so that even the typical girls who hoarded Masaya and me kept their distance a little more than usual and noisily gossiped about her with as much resentment as humanly possible. In return, Reika’s head had dropped and her face had become constantly stuck in an anxious expression. Although I laughed elatedly when Kotou was yelled at by Masaya, I can’t accept that Reika’s suffering because of this too... My head began to hurt even more than usual, so I went with Masaya to the Pivoine. I did not expect what would happen next at all. - Unlike the usual pattern of us entering and approaching Reika and whomever she was with, this time it was Reika who approached us. “It seems that my cousin caused you problems yesterday. I am truly sorry.” With her doe-like eyes downcast, a voice full of anxiety and sincerity, she bowed deeply until she was at a 90-degree angle. Immediately, my eyes darted around the Pivoine. It seems that everyone’s eyes were on Reika and Masaya right now. I took some steps back and watched silently. Now wasn’t the time for me to get involved. After staying quiet for a while, Masaya let out a huge sigh, “It’s fine. It’s not really your fault or anything.” “...But she is my cousin.” Reika spoke so softly. Masaya looked at her pityingly. No, everyone in the Pivoine was feeling pity for Reika, it was obvious since even the senior members have begun to talk, and I could clearly hear them say Kotou’s name. “Then do something about it.” “I have been trying to do something about it, but…” “You’re pretty useless.” Masaya chuckled lifelessly as he shook his head. Its fine, Reika. Masaya knows you tried, so he isn’t going to be mad at you. Reika seemed to hesitate a bit, before she let out a breath of relief. She finally raised her head, and along with everyone, I think we all agreed. Kotou Ririna must be taught a lesson. The expression of Reika looking scared and dejected was stuck in my mind, bothering me so much that I couldn’t even enjoy my tea. I glanced towards the door as I waited for Reika to return. Apparently her shameless cousin had come knocking once again, so Reika had went over to check on her. Finally, I set down my tea and went over to check on them. What I heard made my blood boil. “I just want to apologize! Reika-oneesama, just get him for me! Don’t be so stingy!” “Ririna, you’ve already caused Kaburagi-sama to get angry! Just stop this already!” I opened the door and walked outside. I turned and looked at Kotou directly as I spoke with my coldest tone of voice. “You should really cut this out already. If you anger Masaya any more than this, even I don’t know what will happen to you. I bet you don’t know that your cousin, Kisshouin-san, has been lowering her head to various people for your sake. After all, if you did, you wouldn’t have been acting as shameless as you are now, right? The reason that you’re still fine even after making enemies out of nearly all the upperclassmen is because Kisshouin-san has been doing nothing but apologising for your sake. It’s because Masaya knows this that he’s stayed quiet all this time, but even that is coming to an end.” I felt so irritated that I ended up scowling. I could even see Reika backing away from my peripherals. Kotou blanched, her face turning an ugly shade of red, then ran off. “Umm, I am truly sorry for this. I even bothered you, Enjou-sama.” I heard Reika apologize from my side. I turned around and spoke, “She was bothering us as well. I thought it was about time to do something.” “Is that so.” Reika had a look of worry on her face as she heard me. Ah, she’s probably worried about her cousin. Reika... I thought over it for a minute then spoke, “But Kisshouin-san, this means that you owe me one.” “What...?” “It can’t be that you thought I was helping you for free? You’re really naïve, huh.” I smiled at her kindly as I reigned in my cold aura. Although I felt bad earlier, seeing Reika’s dumbfounded expression was entertaining. “I’ll be collecting my debt one day, so don’t forget, okay?” I left Reika outside the Pivoine then walked back in. Mhm, yeah, she probably suffered a lot already because of Kotou, but I can’t let her off for not doing things seriously. Masaya saw me come back and he immediately gave me a suspicious look. “What did you do?” “Nothing important. Just know that Kotou won’t be a problem for us anymore.”
You are a creep, Enjou. You ever think maybe that's exactly why she doesn't want to talk to you? Like, you didn't take a firmer approach in controlling your followers, or didn't do anything to stop Kaburagi in causing trouble for Reika (like in primary school). A black belly, haraguro, kind of guy? Which is true, by the way. Ah Enjou spoke her first name outwardly. Is this intentional? Not, 'Kisshouin-san'? Thank you for the chapter!
I am sure it will exist in the future when the series is finished. If there is a demand, it will exist officially
Part 9 The rest of the term had ended smoothly. It appears that Kotou had understood my message and backed off. How kind of her to finally think about the situations of other people. Of course, with the end of the first term came second term, and with the second term came the Athletics Festival. I had been signing on for relays when Reika approached me, an inquisitive look on her face as she asked me, “Why don’t you join the cavalry battle? Everyone would probably be extremely excited to see both you and Kaburagi-sama on the field.” I ended up laughing. “Unlike Masaya, I don’t really have much zeal for the cavalry battle. When I see him all eager from up close, it really makes me want to avoid it.” Also, being hunted down and dragged to the ground by Masaya is pretty painful, you know? And terrifying, if I must be honest. He really has no sense of calm. Even when we played games as children, it was terrifying to be hunted down during hide-and-seek... In the end, the boys played rock-paper-scissors to decide who would play against Masaya. The unlucky candidates were then tasked to increase their nonexistent chances of survival through training. It was around that time that I dropped the bomb. “Masaya’s been really frustrated ever since that close call with the Student Council President last year. He’s even reading books on war strategy now.” These words caused the unlucky candidates to fall further into despair. Ah, good luck. The festival this year was very tame and boring compared to last. So much so that even Reika had tried to get everyone hyped up, despite having been playing wallflower for almost the entirety of the first term. Even when it was time for her to play, her posse was much quieter compared to last year, when they cheered her own avidly. However, nearing the end of the calvary battle, I noticed that Reika was quietly watching someone again. Compared to when she was excitedly watching last year, she was a lot more apathetic as she gazed at someone intently. “Who is that?” “That’s... Mizusaki Arima, he is in our year, and he’s an External. He’s also a member of the Student Council.” An External and a Student Council member, again, Reika? Do you really want to start a civil war...? - After the Athletics Festival was the midterms, and after the midterms was the Cultural Festival. Although joining was optional, it seemed that everyone had decided participating would be best. However, when ideas were being proposed, anything that could even have the possibility of me placing my attention on something other than my class was quickly vetoed by the girls. Well, the guys didn’t seem keen on sharing Reika with other people either, so we had to cancel many more ideas. In the end, that only left a handmade candle store. Together, my class made a variety of candles, from plain ones to mosaic flower candles. The more artistic children made small sculptures and some were multicolored. Those were really spectacular, to the point were I even asked them to show me how to make some. Nobody had thought of making a profit, so we used a lot of good materials and ended up with fairly decent products, considering they were made by middle schoolers. Somebody had gotten the idea to make aroma candles, so the girls started mixing perfumes and aromas into their candles as well. The overwhelming smell was so strong that I got a headache and opened the windows to ventilate our classroom. By the way, the moment it got out we were making candles, I was given a list that held all the names of people who wanted to preorder some. Since the list exceeded more than a hundred names, I threw it out when I got home and just focused on finishing my quota. - Once we all finished our quotas, we were ready for the day of the Cultural Festival. Unsurprisingly, the guests were limited to relatives and those with very high statuses, or very good prestige. Since Masaya’s parents wanted to come and check on Masaya’s class, Suiran was even stricter than usual with its security. Mhm, being the son of the loftiest family in Japan, it really does show in the difference of treatment. Eventually people started bidding for my candles, but since the prices skyrocketed―which was utterly stupid since it was just a bunch of candles―that was eventually put a stop to, and there was a lottery instead. Since I didn’t want to bother with hosting that lottery, I went around class looking through our items. Since everyone was crowding around mine, some of the others got ignored. Reika’s, surprisingly, sold more than some of the fancier candles in our class. Ah, even if some of the others looked more fanciful, Reika made small, red with pink drops, flower-shaped candles. They looked rather elegant and were actually cute. They also had a gentle scent attached to them, and the scent was soothing and soft, so compared to the others that were strong in smell and in appearance, Reika’s were really adorable. I picked up a few and bought them. After I stowed them away in my bag, I left to go hangout with Masaya, who I later found was busily chatting with Yurie. When I saw how firmly he wanted to keep her there, I left on my own. It would be bad to third wheel after all. - While I walked around, I ended up in the Literature club. I glanced at some of the poems until I read Iinchou’s. I wonder if he has any plans to confess since he wrote this? Hm, that reminds me, Masaya has been going through a lot of love poetry recently. I wonder if he’s going to make one for Yurie. - “We were accepted!” The elated smiles of Yurie and Aira were clear as day. “Congratulations.” Masaya’s tone was a mix between happiness for Yurie, and sadness at the inevitable separation. The two girls eagerly went over their plans for university, including their plans to find jobs in America and gain independence from their families. Masaya’s aura steadily grew gloomy as they spoke. “Of course we’d still keep in touch,” Yurie added as she smiled at Masaya. I glanced at him as well. His eyes were dark but he still nodded at her words. “Ah, Yurie, that necklace...?” I asked, glancing at the lily-stone necklace she wore. I remember that. It was from a designer set that costed over thirty-million yen. Mother had been interested in it, but when she went to order it, the necklace had already been bought by someone... “Oh, this? Masaya gave it to me for my birthday.” I glance at Masaya quietly as he turned his head to the side. “I see. It suits you very well, you look beautiful.” I smiled kindly and complimented her, which Yurie happily smiled to. I sip my tea and watched them silently as they chatted with each other. ——— Around the time cherry blossoms began to bloom, we all advanced into the third, and final year of middle school. I was with Masaya as we checked the class rosters. I spotted Masaya’s class fairly quick, and when I was about to point it out to him, he suddenly pointed another name to me. Kisshouin Reika. “Masaya, don’t cause trouble for her.” “I’m not the one kicking up a fuss because I sat down in class.” Masaya sneered as he stuffed his hands into his pockets. I sighed heavily and nodded. “Whatever. Just don’t aggravate the situation.” “You’re awfully concerned.” Well, considering its Reika’s first time being your classmate after your popularity skyrocketed, I can’t help but feel worried about how the situation will be handled. Actually... “What’s with that look?” “Nothing, nothing. I need to head over to the staff faculty for a bit. You should go to class.” “... all right. See you at lunch then.” Masaya responded, then turned and walked in the direction of his class. — “I think Kisshouin-san would be splendid as the vice rep.” I glanced at Bouda who seemed frozen beside me. “Sensei, Kisshouin-san has a lot of experience as a class rep, so she’s plenty qualified already.” “The problem is that she refused last year...” “That’s no problem. I’ll persuade Kisshouin-san to see things our way.” I smiled politely as I convinced the teacher. When I had stepped out into the hall, I was accosted by Bouda. “Did you need something from me?” “Enjou-sama, about Kisshouin-sama being the vice rep...” he started to speak. “Is it really all right? Kisshouin-sama is like that... won’t she refuse?” I looked at him for a moment, then smiled, “If I didn’t know any better, that sounded like criticism against Kisshouin-san... but you’re not the type to do that. I’ll just remind you, Kisshouin-san’s posse have ears everywhere.” A look of terror crossed his face as he paled, “Ah! No, its certainly not criticism against her! I’m just really worried she might refuse.” “Its fine. I’ll be the one to persuade her. Just don’t try to drop all the work to her, okay?” “Of course not... I still want to live...” I ignored the latter part of his words and said goodbye. With how much she bends to Masaya’s orders, I’m pretty sure she’s a bit of a coward. I highly doubt she’d refuse. — While I was surrounded by girls, I scanned the halls as I tried to find her. Goodness, just where could she be? “Enjou-sama, Reika-sama is over there!” One of the girls called out to me. I quickly looked in that direction to see Reika being half-dragged by a livelier girl from her posse. I approached them as I spoke, “Kisshouin-san. Thank goodness, I’ve been trying to find time to speak with you for a while now. This is a great opportunity.” “Huh?” Confusion was written all over her face as she acknowledged me. The girls around us began to kick up a fuss. Ahh... my ears... “It’s a bit hard to talk here, so could you come with me?” I smiled as nicely as I could, but Reika revealed her reluctance with her eyes, while her face was completely composed. I really have to hand it to her, her ability to mask her emotions is almost as good as my own. In the end, she agreed, and I led her to the base of a staircase far from the girls who previously surrounded us. “You see, I actually have a favour to ask of you.” “A favour?” “Yeah. You’re Masaya’s classmate this year, right? Could you go become the class rep, please?” “What?” Her tone was dead as she questioned me with a blank face. “You should already know that the girls in Masaya’s class are noisy each year. Since this is the last year of middle school, and a year with a school trip too, it’s going to be especially bad. A normal class rep won’t be able to handle it. That’s why I thought of you.” “Uhm, why do you care?” Aside from the fact that Masaya’s mood has been bad since Yurie will be graduating soon, and that any worsening to his mood would definitely cause him to explode with rage and go on a rampage in Suiran, I really have nothing to do with this. However, its not like I could tell her that, right? “Someone requested me to persuade you to become the class rep. Its actually the guy who is supposed to be the class rep this year, and your homeroom teacher already has plans to ask you to be a class rep as well. However, they’re not confident that they would be able to persuade you by themselves, so they asked me to do it.” Perhaps it was because we were out of the public eye, but Reika’s face began to shuffle through a variety of expressions. It was really entertaining to watch. She doesn’t look like she’s even paying me any attention right now. Just what is she thinking about? Watching her for a few moments, I started to grow bored of the panicked expression which had been on for quite a while, and called out, “Kisshouin-san, are you all right?” “Eh- ah!? Yes, I am fine.” Mhm, you say that but you still looked distracted. “Kisshouin-san?” “I’m fine,” She said loudly. She paused for a moment, then she shook her head and continued, “Well then, become class rep, was it? I must apologise, but I do not believe I have the ability, so could you possibly ask somebody else?” “I see. I guess it can’t be helped.” I sighed audibly at her refusal. You really left me no choice, then. I smiled darkly at her. “Hey, Kisshouin-san… Don’t you still owe me a favour?” Her calm expression immediately blanched. “When Ririna...” “Yup,” I smiled, popping the ‘p’ as I spoke, “I’m glad you remember. I think its time for you to pay your dues.” Her face was completely pale as she went silent. Oh my, she’s overreacting too much. “I see... I guess I have no choice but to do it.” “Thank you for understanding, Kisshouin-san.” I smiled kindly and left. Mhm, that was a bit mean of me, wasn’t it? Oh well. Its her turn to take care of our son anyways.