"Big brother, the little crayfish really turned a bit bluer!" Irisu Makina reported her crayfish-raising progress to Jhin with a beaming smile, holding onto his right arm with both hands.
"I can't believe you two have gotten so close!" Suou Amane considered herself the one who spent the most time by Jhin's side, yet she hadn't even noticed how Irisu Makina and Jhin's relationship had become so intimate.
"Big brother is super nice to me. He sleeps with me, catches crayfish, and plays with me," Irisu Makina boasted to Suou Amane, listing all the things Jhin had done with her.
Suou Amane couldn't help but feel a little jealous, reaching out to pinch her soft cheek. "You little thing, I'm so good to you, but I've never seen you cling to me like this."
"Wuwu, I'm sorry, Amane-nee." When in Rome, do as the Romans do. Irisu Makina instantly started to butter her up, "You're the best."
Suou Amane caught Makina as she threw herself into her arms to act cute, shooting a triumphant look at Jhin as if to say: See? Makina is still closer to me.
Jhin smiled and shrugged, replying: You win.
"Hey! Jhin!" Outside the school gate, a blonde beauty leaning against the body of a yellow Ferrari waved enthusiastically at the three of them.
"Sigh~" Jhin let out a sigh, telling Suou Amane and Irisu Makina to go on to the classroom first while he walked out the gate to meet the visitor.
"What is it, Julia? Didn't you say we shouldn't meet unless it's necessary?"
"It's all Asako's fault. She said she was worried about your life at school and told me to come see the situation for myself," Julia complained to Jhin. She clearly had her own work to do. If Asako was really that worried, couldn't she have come back to see for herself? Instead, she was putting on a phony act, having too much fun in China to even think of coming back.
Jhin spread his hands and said, "As you can see, I'm living a peaceful school life. If it weren't for having to go on a mission every six months, couldn't I be considered an ordinary high school boy?"
"Alright, if you have time, remember to come back and cook me a meal. Just consider it payment for cleaning up all the messes you've caused," Julia said. Then, with a beautiful drift, she turned her eye-catching yellow Ferrari around and left.
"Easy for you to just leave. I'm the one who has to face everyone's gossip now." Jhin scratched his head in annoyance. He knew he shouldn't have revealed his cooking skills in front of Asako and Julia. She most likely came this time because she was craving his food.
Back in the classroom, Jhin was, as expected, surrounded by the girls. Every one of their faces was filled with curiosity and a desire for gossip. Oh, except for Sakaki Yumiko. She was sitting quietly at her desk reading a novel, but her perked-up ears betrayed the fact that she was also listening in.
As the oldest among the girls and the one most concerned with Jhin's relationships, Suou Amane naturally stepped forward to ask, "Jhin, what's your relationship with that blonde beauty?"
"Her? She's sort of my current guardian, I guess."
"Current? What about your previous guardian?"
"She went traveling. She's also the one who adopted me after my sister died."
"But my intuition tells me your relationship with your current guardian isn't that simple." Her own plans were at stake; Suou Amane had to get a clear picture of their relationship.
"Besides being my current guardian, she's also my boss. I work part-time for her." Jhin and Julia's relationship was completely innocent, although she had zero immunity to men. There was that one time Asako got her drunk and tricked her, and the two drunks ganged up and wanted to have their way with him right then and there.
"Huh? That's it?" A look of disappointment crossed Suou Amane's face, but inwardly she was secretly delighted. It was for the best that there were no other ties.
"That's it. Sorry it's so plain and boring."
Irisu Makina raised her hand. "Um... Big brother, what did you do before you came here?"
Good question, Makina! Sakaki Yumiko mentally cheered for her for asking the crucial question.
"Before…" Jhin leaned back against his chair and said in a nostalgic tone, "Every day, I took care of two troublesome women, responsible for their laundry, cooking, and cleaning. In a sense, I guess you could say I was being kept by them?"
"So, in other words… you don't have a girlfriend right now, do you?"
Of course I do, just not in this world.
Jhin couldn't actually say that out loud, or it would just lead to more strange questions.
Seeing Jhin tacitly agree by remaining silent, Suou Amane stopped pestering him with questions and returned to her seat.
Michiru Matsushima's face was a little red from hearing the word "kept." When she saw Jhin's gaze turn to her, she immediately stammered, "Wh-what? This young lady has absolutely no interest in you!"
"Such a standard tsundere, Michiru."
Faced with Jhin's teasing, Michiru Matsushima bared her teeth like an enraged kitten. "You bastard, how dare you make fun of me!"
...
Under the orange sunset, Jhin returned to the empty student dormitory after school. Surprisingly, he was the first one back today; he had no idea where everyone else had gone.
"Maybe they went shopping."
Jhin muttered as he took out his key to open his bedroom door. From around the corner of the stairs leading to the second floor, Sakaki Yumiko stealthily crept up behind him, a sharp box cutter raised high.
This time, I definitely won't miss!
Sakaki Yumiko was convinced her plan this time was flawless. She had left school early to return to the dorm, deliberately not flipping the sign at the entrance, keeping it on "Out." This way, the returning Jhin would let his guard down. Today was also the day the girls went out to buy snacks together, which made it convenient for her to set up an ambush alone in the dorm.
The motion of Jhin's right hand turning the key stopped. He spun around with a speed Sakaki Yumiko could never have imagined and, just like when they first met, firmly grabbed the hand she was swinging the blade with.
Even though Jhin didn't use much force, Sakaki Yumiko's blocked wrist slammed into Jhin's iron-like palm, causing a dull ache. She let out a small cry of pain, dropped the box cutter, and clutched her wrist, taking a few steps back with a slight frown.
"I told you not to try these sneak attacks. Look now, you've hurt yourself."
Jhin picked up the box cutter from the floor, went to his room to get some ointment and a bandage, and pulled her over to sit on the sofa.
"How much force did you use? This whole area is bruised. Do you hate me that much, Yumiko?"
"Who gave you permission to call me by my first name so informally?" Seeing Jhin applying ointment for her, Sakaki Yumiko's tone softened considerably.
"My lady, since the day I enrolled, you haven't once called me by my name, always using 'you' or 'hey' instead. Should I address you the same way?"
"You're still not allowed to call me so intimately!"
"Then, as a first step to becoming friends, how about I call you Sakaki-san, and you call me Jhin?"
"Friends…" Hearing this word, Sakaki Yumiko seemed moved. She fell silent for a moment before saying softly, "Jhin…"
"That's more like it. Here, take your knife." Jhin nodded in satisfaction. He wrapped a bandage around her wrist to make sure the ointment wouldn't rub off, then returned the box cutter from his pocket to Sakaki Yumiko. "I'm not your enemy. Everyone came to this academy for their own reasons, and I'm no exception. You've seen it these past few days, haven't you? I mean you no harm."
Sakaki Yumiko put the box cutter away and looked directly at Jhin with her purple eyes. To show his sincerity, Jhin met her gaze without flinching. Besides, it's never a loss to look at a beautiful woman.
A blush crept onto Sakaki Yumiko's face. She wasn't thick-skinned enough to maintain eye contact with a boy for so long. Conceding defeat, her opinion of Jhin, this boy she had seen as a threat, changed slightly.
"I'll be watching you closely, Jhin." Leaving those words behind, Sakaki Yumiko left the common room.
With this, she probably won't be attacking him in the hallway every day, right? Jhin could finally escape the daily routine of playing Touhou.
Putting the box cutter back in her drawer, Sakaki Yumiko thought back on the students so far, from the time this school was built for her until Jhin's arrival. A gentle smile appeared on her face. This was her last fortress. No matter what, she couldn't let any dangerous element destroy it from within.
_____
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