Dusk swayed gently over the earth.
The late afternoon sun was still hanging on stubbornly, casting long shadows over the lawns and sidewalks.
Gojo Satoru walked down the road at an unhurried pace.
In one hand, he carried a neat little box from Shibuya—Kikufuku, the famous sweet that was basically a sacred treasure to certain people. In his other arm, he held a fluffy white cat,Vanilla, it's body curled comfortably against him.
The kitten squinted lazily in the sunlight, feeling comfortable.
Gojo's white hair fluttered lightly in the breeze. The wind tugged at it playfully, like it had personal beef with his hairstyle.
"Hoo…" Gojo exhaled.
The air felt warm and quiet, the kind of peaceful evening that made the city look softer than usual.
Then—
Gojo stopped.
His footsteps paused in the middle of the path, and his eyes shifted toward the lawn ahead.
"Huh?"
He tilted his head slightly.
"Isn't that… the kid from last time?"
Not far away, on the grass, lay a high school boy wearing the uniform of Sobu High School.
Gojo recognized him instantly.
After all, the last time they met, that kid had splashed him with water while riding a small electric scooter, and then—somehow—things had escalated into a humiliating "comparison" situation in the restroom.
Gojo had many memories.
Unfortunately, that was one of them.
Tabata Hidenori.
He lay flat on the grass, reading with absolute seriousness—like he was studying for an exam. His lips were pressed together, his expression calm, his posture dignified.
The content in his hands, however, was the opposite of dignified.
The cover of the book was a colored beautiful girl....
Rustle…
The sound of someone stepping on the grass.
Tabata pushed his glasses upward—once.
Then again.
Then again.
Before his eyes shifted slightly toward the left.
And in the next second—
His eyes widened.
His pupils basically exploded.
Standing not far away was a girl.
Long hair, soft features, and a quiet presence that felt like the wind itself had taken human form.
A beauty.
She was a good looking girl.
Tabata Hidenori brain immediately crashed, before he quickly controlled his facial expression.
But his heart were screaming—
Huh? Isn't this the beautiful mixed-race girl from before who returned to China,
{T/N: you might have guessed why he recognize her...}
While, Tabata might have not recognize the girl, Gojo who was watching the show clearly knew who she was.
Shiroha.
The girl standing there was Shiroha.
She stood with her hands behind her back, her posture gentle and reserved. Her long hair swayed lightly with the breeze, and her expression was peaceful—almost nostalgic—as she stared at the sunset.
Shiroha eyes were half-lidded, reflecting the warm glow of dusk.
It was the kind of scene that made you want to say something romantic.
Tabata Hidenori, however, was not built for romance.
He was built for suffering.
Whoosh~~
The non-stop breeze moved the two of them.
Hidenori Tabata put down the manga that was in his hand and looked at the sunset in the distance, controlling himself from turning and staring at the girl standing beside him.
As for Shiroha, she too continue to stare the sunset, not even sparing a glance at the boy sitting beside her.
Rustle~
There was another sound of the grass being stepped on, and this time it was Gojo Satoru.
He stopped behind Shiroha, not too close, without the usual playful smile at all, only the blandness and gentleness that fit the current scene as the three of them were now sharing the same sunset.
The wind continued to blow.
The silence grew as none of the three person spoke, and an awkward atmosphere began to spread.
'Okay…awkward.., why is that bastard from last time here?! Although he look completely different from before, but it's definitely him! And why is that girl here too?! This feels like the some weird romantic drama setup! Do I have to say something?! But what do I even say. I don't know how to talk to girls!'
Tabata Hidenori complained crazily in his heart.
Tabata swallowed his saliva quietly as he tried to act cool, to look like a mysterious man who was simply watching the sunset.
He stared at the glowing horizon and desperately searched his brain for something that wouldn't kill him from embarrassment.
Then—
He had an idea. A classic line.
A line from a movie.
But the moment it reached his throat, Tabata panicked.
'No, no, no! If I say something like "the sunset is beautiful," that bastard will laugh at me! Ahh..so annoying..It would be so much easier if Yoshitake and Shihara were here…'
As if he could hear Tabata's soul screaming, Gojo Satoru suddenly spoke, his voice was calm, matching with the current situation.
"The wind today is… very noisy."
Tabata Hideo's soul died instantly.
'OH MY GOD, WHY DID YOU SAY THAT WITH A STRAIGHT FACE?! I'M GOING TO DIE OF SECONDHAND EMBARRASSMENT!'
Tabata's mouth twitched.
His body twitched from how cringe he felt.
But he forced himself to remain expressionless.
Shiroha, however, as if she already knew what is going on—responded softly.
She lifted her hand and gently brushed her soft hair away from her face. Her voice was quiet, but it carried a strange sadness.
"…But the wind sounds like it's crying."
Tabata's died a second time.
'WHAT IS THIS?! WHY IS SHE MATCHING HIS ENERGY?! DID THEY KNOW EACH OTHER!? AND WHY IS THIS SO DRAMATIC?! HELLO? WHY DO I FEEL LIKE I'M IN A LIVE-ACTION MOVIE?!'
Although Tabata Hidenori has kept his expressionless face, as if admiring the sunset, but he is suppressing the emotion of wanting to laugh, and his body is even twitching.
Then—
Without thinking, he blurted something out.
"This wind… has brought something bad from Tokyo."
The moment he said it, Tabata regretted it.
'WHY DID I SAY THAT?! I SOUND LIKE A SIDE CHARACTER IN SOME OVER THE TOP DRAMA!'
Tabata Hidenori, who felt himself dying, lowered his head deeply— Why do I love acting all of a sudden.
Gojo, however, walked up behind him.
At some point, Gojo had closed the distance without Tabata noticing.
Gojo's hand landed on Tabata's shoulder as he patted it gently.
And then Gojo said, with absolute seriousness:
"Don't lower your head. That's what the crown do."
Tabata Hidenori snapped.
'WHY ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT CROWN ALL OF A SUDDEN!? WHAT DID THE POOR CLOWN DO TO YOU!!'
But he forced himself to calm down as he raised his head again before tilting his head to the side.
And in a voice that sounded like he was trying his best to be mature, he said,
"…Thank you."
Then Tabata immediately panicked again.
'WHY DID I SAY THANK YOU?! WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME TODAY?!'
Tabata Hidenori, who is now beginning to felt that he was no longer himself, wanted to leave quickly. As he calmly took out his mobile phone to send a message to his friends Yoshitake Tanaka and Tadakuni, asking them to come to the rescue
Sure enough, Within seconds—
A boy appeared on the path beside the lawn.
He brushed his hair back dramatically, one hand in his pocket. His eyes looked deep.
Like a man who had seen the world.
It was Yoshitake Tanaka!
Tanaka spoke with a heavy, tragic tone.
"Let's go, Hideo… Tokyo is in danger. We have to go and take action."
'WHY DID YOU STEAL MY LINE?! I DIDN'T EVEN EXPLAIN ANYTHING TO YOU!'
After complaining again and again in his heart, Tabata Hidenori picked up the bag beside him, pushed his glasses up again, and said solemnly,
"…So it's finally time."
Then, trying to sound cooler, he added:
"We can't wait until the wind dies down."
'WHY DID I SAY THAT?! I SOUND LIKE A WEIRD POET!'
Before Tabata could recover—
Another figure ran in from the other side.
Energetic. Loud. Cheerful.
It was Tadakuni!
He shouted while sprinting:
"Hidenori! Tanaka! Let's go! The convenience store has potato chips on sale today—half price!"
Tabata's face instantly turned red.
'CAN YOU TAKE A LOOK AT THE ATMOSPHERE?!'
Feeling that he was powerless to complain, Tabata Hidenori hurriedly grabbed both of them by the arms.
And without another word—
Tabata dragged them away at full speed.
They ran so fast they looked like a comedy trio escaping a crime scene.
If you don't run away, you'll only embarrass yourself to death?
The moment the three boys disappeared down the path—
Gojo and Shiroha froze.
Then—
They both burst out laughing.
Gojo sat down on the grass, hugging Vanilla like a pillow, laughing so hard his shoulders shook.
Shiroha clutched her stomach, laughing until tears formed in her eyes.
"Hahaha—!"
Shiroha gasped for air, her voice breaking.
"Why… why can you say things like that with a straight face, Gojo-sensei?! I almost couldn't hold it in!"
Gojo wiped his eyes.
"You're the one to talk! You matched my line perfectly!"
Shiroha laughed harder.
"I couldn't help it! It sounded like the right thing to say at that time!"
Gojo leaned back on one hand.
"You almost made me die of embarrassment. I can still feel my body twitching from cringed."
The two looked at each other and laughed even louder.
It went on for several minutes.
After feeling that she really couldn't stop laughing, Shiroha straightened her skirt and sat next to Gojo Satoru. At the same time, those blue eyes saw the white fluffy thing in his arms.
"…Is this your cat, Gojo-sensei?"
She reached out carefully, her pale fingers gentle as she stroked Vanilla's head.
Vanilla immediately responded with a soft purring sound.
"Meow~"
Gojo nodded proudly.
Shiroha smiled faintly.
"It's really cute."
"It's called Vanilla."
Shiroha blinked.
"Vanilla?"
"Yep. I named it."
Gojo Satoru, who has no shame at all, directly credits himself for taking the name of Vanilla.
Shiroha looked at him for a second.
Then her smile grew warmer, more gentle, soft.
"It suits her. The name sounds soft."
She leaned closer and whispered to the kitten.
"Hello, Vanilla."
Vanilla responded in kind, like it understood her.
"Meow."
...
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Bonus Chapter:-
4 Bonus chapter at 100 powerstone.
6 Bonus Chapter at 150 powerstone.
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Word Count — 1,726