After just a few days of school, Kanjuro had unsurprisingly become the focus of Class D and even the entire grade. His beyond-reason handsomeness, combined with a calmness that seemed out of place with the surrounding noise, formed a unique and fatal attraction. The girls whispered among themselves, their gazes involuntarily drifting toward that seat by the window; the boys mostly looked on with a bit of envy, a bit of confusion, and a hint of imperceptible awe, with few daring to take the initiative to strike up a conversation.
Kanjuro seemed completely unaware of this, or rather, simply didn't care. He spent most of his time in the same posture—leaning sideways looking out the window, his gaze distant as if staring into another dimension. The sunlight outlined the perfect lines of his profile, and his long eyelashes cast faint shadows under his eyes. That sense of coldness that kept people at a distance, rather than discouraging them, actually piqued the curiosity and desire for conquest in many.
Yui Yuigahama was the most persistent among them. As his seatmate, she had a natural geographical advantage. Although Kanjuro only responded to her several attempts at conversation—whether it was "Good morning" or "Can I borrow your notes for this class?"—with the shortest words or just a glance, she was not discouraged in the slightest.
"Kanjuro-kun, look at the cherry blossoms outside, they're blooming so beautifully!"
"Kanjuro-kun, would you like to try the bento I made? Although it might not look very good..."
"Kanjuro-kun..."
Her enthusiasm was like a warm but not scorching small flame, constantly trying to melt the iceberg beside her.
All of this was seen by Hiratsuka Shizuka from the podium or the back of the classroom. Whenever she saw Yui Yuigahama trying to communicate with Kanjuro with a cloudless smile, her brows would unconsciously furrow. That memory of twisted and toyed-with pain gnawed at her like a ghost. She couldn't stand by and watch another innocent girl possibly repeat the same mistake.
During a break between classes, Yui Yuigahama leaned over to Kanjuro and chattered about something. Kanjuro continued to look out the window without any response. Hiratsuka Shizuka took a deep breath and walked over.
"Yuigahama-san." Her voice remained as calm as possible, yet it carried an unquestionable seriousness.
"Ah, Teacher Hiratsuka Shizuka!" Yui Yuigahama immediately turned around, her face still carrying a lingering smile.
Hiratsuka Shizuka glanced sharply at Kanjuro, who didn't even lift an eyelid, as if the person they were discussing had nothing to do with him. She looked back at Yui Yuigahama, lowering her voice with unprecedented gravity:
"Stay away from Kanjuro."
"Eh?" Yui Yuigahama was stunned, blinking her large eyes in confusion. "W-why, Teacher? Kanjuro-kun... he just doesn't like to talk much, right?"
Hiratsuka Shizuka looked at the girl's innocent and ignorant state, feeling a sense of powerlessness in her heart. She couldn't explain; those dark, irrational truths would only be dismissed as crazy talk if spoken. She could only emphasize her tone: "There's no why. Listen to my advice; it's for your own good."
However, such a secretive and warning-filled dissuasion sounded like adding dry wood to a fire for a curious adolescent girl. Yui Yuigahama looked at the stern Hiratsuka Shizuka, then stole a glance at Kanjuro, who looked as handsome as an illusion and seemed completely detached. A sense of rebellion and even stronger curiosity arose.
The more the teacher forbade her from getting close, did it mean Kanjuro-kun really had some special secret?
After Hiratsuka Shizuka turned and left helplessly, Yui Yuigahama didn't back down; instead, she seemed to have made a decision. She turned to Kanjuro again, her voice clearer this time, with a gentle stubbornness and determination:
"Um... Kanjuro-kun." She leaned forward slightly, trying to catch his attention. "If... if you don't have any friends..."
Kanjuro's eyelashes seemed to tremble imperceptibly, but he still didn't turn his head.
Yui Yuigahama gathered her courage, her face blooming into an incredibly sincere, slightly silly, but exceptionally warm smile:
"I can be your friend! Hehe!"
Her words were like a pebble thrown into an old well, stirring a small but non-negligible ripple in the deliberately maintained silence. The sunlight fell on her pink bun-style hair and her bright smiling face, forming a stark contrast with the lingering shadow of indifference around Kanjuro.
The trajectory of the future seemed to quietly shift at a subtle angle at this moment. When Yui Yuigahama gathered the courage to say "I can be your friend," she was prepared to be ignored or even coldly rejected. However, Kanjuro's reaction was beyond her expectations.
He slowly turned his head, those deep eyes that always looked out the window finally focusing on her face for the first time. His gaze was scrutinizing, as if seeing the shadow of another person through her current youthful appearance—the face of Yuigahama Yui when she was young, who had also been involved with him in this school many years ago. Mother and daughter looked so much alike.
Under Yui Yuigahama's nervous and expectant gaze, the corner of Kanjuro's mouth curled into a very faint arc, yet it was enough to make the hearts of the girls secretly watching him skip a beat.
"Of course you can." His voice wasn't loud, but it reached Yui's ears clearly, carrying a strange magnetism.
Yui was stunned for a moment, and then a look of surprise and joy bloomed on her face, as if she had received the most precious recognition in the world. "Really? That's great!"
Kanjuro didn't respond to her joy but instead asked a seemingly casual question, his gaze sharp as a knife: "Why did you come to school here?"
This question made the smile on Yui's face fade slightly. She sighed with a touch of melancholy that didn't match her age: "Because... my mom used to go to this school. We still have her graduation photo at home." She paused, unconsciously twirling a strand of hair. Her tone was a bit confused, "But... Mom didn't seem very willing to let me come here. Whenever I mentioned Sobu High School, she always seemed to hesitate... so I'm a bit curious if there's something special about this place."
She looked up, her eyes clear and defenseless, and added: "Moreover, I haven't had a father since I was a child, and Mom rarely talks about the past."
"Haven't had a father since you were a child..."
Upon hearing this, a flash of realization crossed the depths of Kanjuro's eyes, which then turned into a nearly inaudible sigh. That woman Yoko... he sneered inwardly; as expected. Even though she "liked" me so much back then and even had a result, did she ultimately think of her daughter and not want her to get too close to me? He was almost certain that the "father" missing from Yui Yuigahama's words was inextricably linked to himself. This gave him a sense of displeasure at being kept in the dark and a slight feeling of betrayal, but more than that, it was the excitement of discovering a new toy.
He looked at the "daughter" before him who knew nothing of her origins but had proactively approached him by chance. A thought instantly took shape. The smile on his face became increasingly "gentle," even carrying an imperceptible power that seemed to soothe people's hearts.
"Is that so..." he responded softly, his tone carrying just the right amount of empathy. "What a coincidence, I haven't had parents since I was a child either." This wasn't a complete lie; his eternal life had long since been severed from mortal kinship.
He leaned forward slightly, closing the distance between him and Yui, and lowered his voice even further, carrying a request that was hard to refuse:
"Yui," he called her name for the first time, his tone natural and intimate. "Since neither of us has a complete family and we've become friends... can you take me to your house as a guest tonight? I want to... see the place where your mother once lived, and also... pay her a visit."
His reason sounded perfectly reasonable, filled with curiosity and goodwill toward a friend's past. The sunlight streaming through the window fell on his peerlessly handsome face, and his gaze looked sincere and slightly lonely, enough to move any well-meaning young girl.
Yui Yuigahama didn't notice anything unusual at all. She only felt that Kanjuro-kun was indeed very lonely, just like her, and he was willing to learn about her family and past! A warm feeling of being trusted and needed instantly enveloped her.
"Of course you can!" she agreed almost without hesitation, a bright smile blooming on her face again. "Mom will be very happy to see me bringing a new friend home! Hehe!"
She was immersed in the joy of making a new friend (and such a handsome one!) and being able to share her family with him, completely unaware that she was personally leading a dangerous demon to her doorstep, toward the mother who had been trying to protect her and keep her away from the shadows of the past.
Kanjuro looked at her smile, and the darkness in his eyes deepened. A "reunion" after many years, a drama unfolding in the ignorance of an innocent, was about to begin in the Yuihama family's living room. And he was looking forward to seeing what kind of expression Yoko would have when she saw him again.
The setting sun dyed the sky a warm orange-red, and students walked home in small groups after school. Kanjuro and Yui Yuigahama walked side by side, their shadows stretching long behind them. This was the first time Kanjuro "officially" walked beside Yui as a friend. He deliberately adjusted his pace to match the girl's speed, playing the role of a gentle and considerate companion.
As a "father" who "cared" about his daughter, he naturally had to ask about some details. He turned his head and asked casually: "By the way, Yui, why were you late for the opening ceremony this morning?"
Hearing this, an embarrassed look immediately appeared on Yui Yuigahama's face, her fingers unconsciously twisting her bag straps. "Ah... that," she muttered softly, "this morning I went out to walk the dog, that's Sabure... while crossing the road, someone suddenly rushed out from somewhere, looking very much in a hurry, and pushed me away..."
She paused, still seemingly shaken: "I almost fell into the middle of the road then; fortunately, I only stumbled. But the person who pushed me seemed to have been grazed by a passing car because they couldn't dodge in time..."
Kanjuro's eyes flickered, but he showed appropriate concern: "Oh? Is that person okay?"
Yui Yuigahama shook her head, her tone carrying sympathy and a hint of self-blame: "I... I was terrified then and didn't see his face clearly. Later, I felt bad about it, so I followed him to the hospital to see how he was. But I'm a bit afraid to talk to strangers... so I, I secretly went to the nurse's station to check his admission registration and preliminary medical records..."
She stole a glance at Kanjuro, as if afraid he would think poorly of her, and added softly: "It seems he only suffered some leg injuries, and the doctor said he needs to be hospitalized for observation and rest for about a month. The name... seemed to be Hikigaya... Hachiman Hikigaya?"
Hachiman Hikigaya... Kanjuro sneered in his heart. As expected. Coincidences of fate are sometimes quite amusing. That lonely guy with eyes like a rotting dead fish actually crossed paths with Yui on the first day of school in such a way? A hero saving a beauty? Or just an accidental disaster?
Whatever the reason, in Kanjuro's view, it was an overconfident offense.
He still maintained a gentle expression on his face, even nodding slightly as if he had just heard an insignificant piece of news. "I see. It's good that he's okay," he said flatly.
However, at the very bottom of his deep eyes, a flash of bone-chilling coldness passed, carrying the arrogance and contempt of an absolute possessor.
Just you, Hachiman Hikigaya? A common, even somewhat flawed mortal, thinks he's worthy of getting close to what belongs to me?
Even if it's just the "daughter" I unintentionally left behind, who is still ignorant, it's not your place to touch her.
Any male who tries to get close to her is an eyesore. If he stays in his place, so be it, but if he dares to have any improper thoughts... He didn't think further, but those unfinished thoughts were already filled with unquestionable possessiveness and destructiveness. In his long and dark life, anything he had marked, in whatever way, was never allowed to be coveted by others.
He hid this dark thought perfectly under a warm facade, turning to Yui Yuigahama with a reassuring smile: "Don't take it to heart; it was just an accident. Let's go quickly; don't make your mother wait."
"Mm!" Yui Yuigahama nodded vigorously, temporarily putting the morning's frightening scene and that strange hospitalized classmate out of her mind. With anticipation for the upcoming "friend's home visit," she quickened her pace.
Kanjuro followed beside her, the setting sun merging their figures into one. He looked at the hopping pink bun-style hair in front of him, his eyes deep.
Hachiman Hikigaya... a leg injury requiring a month of hospitalization? This might be considered a small warning. If he's smart enough, he should know to stay away from people he shouldn't get close to.
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