As Akane Nanao finished speaking, a wave of doubt rose in her mind. In her memory, Hana Amano had been constantly harassed by a delinquent student with a bit of status and background. That delinquent would show up in their classroom every other day to bother her; even without trying to pay attention, Akane had been left with a strong impression.
What puzzled her was that several days had passed since the start of the semester, and that delinquent hadn't appeared once. Could Hana's boyfriend be that delinquent? At the thought of dating someone so low-class and shady, Akane felt a wave of nausea.
But looking at the radiance overflowing from the girl's eyes, Akane felt it wasn't the case. Though curious, she didn't pry. Their relationship was average at best—classmates for a year in tenth grade, and then coincidentally placed in the same class again as front-and-back neighbors. Private topics like this were for best friends, and Akane didn't have the spare energy to gossip about others' lives.
Akane exchanged a few polite words and turned back around, her brow furrowed as she continued to brainstorm ideas. Meanwhile, the girl behind her looked at Akane's back thoughtfully. It was unclear what she was thinking, but she reached out to touch a bulky parcel tucked inside her desk, her face glowing with a smile as she longed for the lunch break to arrive.
Ring! Ring!
The bell for the end of class had barely sounded before the teacher could even step out of the room when students leaped up in excitement. They gathered in small groups, bustling and noisy, discussing their lunch plans.
Ho Fei-yu stood up. As per routine, it was time to meet up with Hana-chan. Before he could take more than two steps, he felt a sudden chill sweep over him. He paused, a realization striking him, and his lips curled upward. He knew she had arrived.
Sure enough, his back and neck grew a few degrees colder.
"Fei-yu-kun?" Beside him, Yūshin Aonoi shivered. She didn't understand why a cold wind would blow on such a sunny day, but she didn't dwell on it. She looked at the suddenly still Ho Fei-yu and spoke.
"Let's go," Ho Fei-yu replied calmly. He didn't want the timid Yūshin to know that ghosts existed in this world.
Yūshin wasn't the only one who found it strange, but others felt the same way—just a sudden gust of wind on the road; you couldn't exactly suspect there was "something" in it.
As Ho Fei-yu and Yūshin were about to exit the classroom, four girls with heavy makeup and flashy clothes were trying to enter. Even though the doorway was wide enough for two people to pass side-by-side, it became blocked.
Ho Fei-yu frowned, looking unpleasantly at these four girls who were about his age but had faces caked in thick foundation. It wasn't their style that bothered him, but the fact that he and Yūshin had formed a single file. If these four had done the same, the door was plenty wide for everyone to pass without touching. Instead, they deliberately bunched together, as if saying they wouldn't budge until they were allowed in first.
Looking at their arrogant expressions, Ho Fei-yu knew that reasoning with them was impossible.
"Ah!" x4
He was just about to use hypnosis to give these little "yankee" girls a small lesson when a freak gust of wind rose from the floor. It blew their skirts high into the air, exposing sexy lace panties that were far too mature for fifteen or sixteen-year-olds. They shrieked in panic, frantically grabbing at their skirts.
This erotic scene caused the passing boys to stare wide-eyed. Even some students inside the classroom, who were chatting or eating, came out to see the commotion and were lucky enough to get an eyeful. The four girls found that no matter how they clutched, they couldn't block the wind. Their faces turned red with embarrassment beneath the thick foundation, making them look utterly ridiculous.
"Fei-yu-kun, don't look!" Yūshin didn't know what was happening, but seeing the crowd of boys staring with lustful eyes, she turned to Ho Fei-yu. Seeing him watching as well, a surge of jealousy hit her. He hasn't even looked at me like that! She quickly stood on her tiptoes and covered his eyes with her hands, pouting crossly.
"I have no interest in blobfish. Even if you served them to me for free, I wouldn't have the appetite," Ho Fei-yu said, finding her reaction amusing. He reached up and took her soft hands, pulling them down while expressing his blatant disgust for the four girls.
Yūshin didn't know what a blobfish was, but she understood the insult. She nodded happily, and as she felt his large, warm hand holding hers, her face flushed red.
"You damn bastard, I'll remember you!" The four girls realized he was mocking them. They wanted to snap back, but seeing the growing crowd and their own humiliation, they hurled a final threat and fled like a streak of smoke.
With the spectacle gone, the crowd dispersed with a few laughs. Ho Fei-yu didn't take the incident to heart; in a world like this, it was a trivial matter.
On the rooftop, the three of them sat together. Actually, there was a fourth today, though invisible to the naked eye.
"Thanks," Ho Fei-yu said out of the blue before eating.
"Fei-yu-kun, who are you talking to?" Yūshin asked, looking at him strangely.
"Just eat your food. Why so many questions?" Ho Fei-yu teased, giving her a playful tap on the head.
Yūshin rubbed her head with a pitiful look, her eyes full of grievance. I just want to talk to you more! Do you have to complain I talk too much? Hmph! I'm not talking to you all lunch! She began stuffing her face, pouting.
Watching the two bicker, Hana Amano covered her mouth and giggled. Seeing Ho Fei-yu wink at her, she knew exactly who he was talking to.
"Hmph! You big womanizer, I didn't help for your sake. I just hate people like that—blocking the way and keeping me from my food," a youthful, tsundere girl's voice whispered in Ho Fei-yu's ear.
Bizarrely, while he heard her clearly, the two girls right next to him were completely unaware.
"Alright, stop the nonsense! I want to eat that sushi and the fried shrimp," Hanako urged impatiently. Ho Fei-yu had no choice but to start eating. Putting himself in her shoes, he finally understood how Yūshin felt.
"Mmm~ Oh~ The shrimp is so crispy and fragrant! And this sushi is great too... wait, why is there cilantro in the sushi?! Spit it out! Hurry! Ugh... no... it's too late... my purity is gone!" As Ho Fei-yu put the food in his mouth, Hanako gave an ecstatic commentary until he hit the cilantro. She wailed in tragic despair.