Chapter 13

As I mentioned in the afterword, there are opinions both for and against continuing the "dere degree," so I decided to leave a blank space before writing it. If you don't scroll down too quickly, you shouldn't see the "dere degree." The "Next" and "Previous" buttons are also at the top of the page, so although it may be a bit of a hassle, please scroll up and turn the page from there.

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"What do you want, senpai?"

"…What do you want?"

Yuzen spoke calmly, while Airisa was slightly cold. They faced the sea.

The people around them were spreading out their bento boxes and chatting, but they seemed to be paying a little attention to this scene.

"…The other day"

Kaizaki said this, then distorted his face, looking regretful and humiliated.

"I caused a lot of trouble for Takanase and Yukishiro. …I apologize."

He bowed his head. The people around them seemed surprised.

The students who initially seemed uninterested were now looking at them with great interest.

…This feels like a public execution. Of course, Kaizaki's feelings don't matter to me.

But I don't want to be resented, and I don't want to stand out.

"Please raise your head, senpai. I'm not bothered by it."

Then he signaled to Airisa. She looked taken aback.

But with Yuzen's and the surrounding people's gazes, she finally came to her senses.

"I'm not bothered by it either."

Airisa replied matter-of-factly.

"…"

On the other hand, Kaizaki didn't seem convinced. Bowing to a first-year student seemed to have hurt his pride.

Perhaps because of this, he said resentfully at the end,

"…Don't get too cocky just because you're from a wealthy family."

He spat this at Yuzen and left. It was a perfect boomerang. This ruins the apology.

"Hey, Yukishiro, did you report him to your father?"

"Of course not! …I never want to be involved with him again. What about Takanase?"

"This is not something that requires parental involvement. I didn't tell them."

Neither Yuzen nor Airisa reported this to their parents. Then why did he suddenly decide to apologize? Yuzen tilted his head in thought.

After that, during lunch, when Yuzen told Shuichiro and Sei about what had just happened…

"Hmm, he came to apologize to you too?"

Shuichiro said, sounding surprised. It seems Kaizaki also went to apologize to Shuichiro.

"Did you report it to your parents?"

"Of course not. But… Aya and Chiharu were quite angry. Those two must have exaggerated the story and reported it to their parents. Kaizaki was apparently scolded by his father."

When Shuichiro said this, Sei pretended to be scared.

"Wow… women are ruthless. If I were a guy, I would think it's pathetic to rely on my parents."

"According to that logic, he's not a guy. But even before that, it's pathetic to bring up your father every time something happens."

Shuichiro harshly criticized Kaizaki. From Shuichiro's perspective, Kaizaki is the guy who tried to hurt his important childhood friend, so this evaluation is understandable.

"Hmm, did Aya and Chiharu talk about us?"

"I'll ask them, but… I don't think so. They know better than to do that."

The harm Aya and Chiharu suffered from Kaizaki and the harm Yuzen and Airisa suffered from Kaizaki are different stories. It wouldn't make sense for Aya and Chiharu to report Yuzen and Airisa's story to their parents as well.

"Maybe Kaizaki cried to his dad? 'I was bullied by Takanase!' And then got scolded in return."

"Or maybe Kaizaki's father questioned him. I've heard that Kaizaki's father is a sensible person. He might have questioned Kaizaki about whether he had been forcing himself on girls, and your name came up."

In any case, Kaizaki couldn't have apologized of his own accord. It's certain that the reason he tried to hurt Airisa and ended up getting into a fight with Yuzen was conveyed to his father.

"Well… let's just forget about it. Thinking about Kaizaki is unpleasant."

Yuzen suggested this because thinking about Kaizaki was unpleasant. Shuichiro and Sei nodded in agreement.

"Yeah. …He probably learned his lesson."

"I doubt it. Someone who would become a stalker wouldn't learn from this. But it's not my problem."

Thus, the issue with the "stalker" was resolved to some extent.

---

On the upcoming Saturday, Yuzen was spending time with Airisa as usual.

During dinner, Yuzen casually asked Airisa,

"Do I have any annoying traits?"

"…Huh? Why do you ask suddenly?"

Airisa looked taken aback and asked curiously. Even though he knew it wasn't a good idea to bring this up with Airisa, Yuzen couldn't help but be concerned.

"Well… remember Kaizaki?"

"Oh… that weird guy. Did he do something to you?"

"No, we haven't had any contact since then. But… he said something about being rich, you know?"

Originally, he shouldn't be criticized by someone who brings up his father's profession. But it still bothered him.

"…You were bothered by that?"

Airisa blinked her green eyes and said, looking a bit surprised. Yuzen scratched his head.

"Well… it's not just because Kaizaki said it. I've been thinking about it for a while."

The Takanase family is not an ordinary family. It could be called a prestigious household.

They also make significant political donations, which is why Kaizaki apologized to Yuzen.

"Right. Well, my impression is that you have a rather careless attitude towards money."

"…Is that so?"

"Stacking up games you don't play, buying kitchenware you don't use."

"…Yeah, I guess."

"But many people in ordinary families do the same. I don't think it's because you're rich. It's a more fundamental issue."

"…"

Was she trying to comfort him or lecture him? Yuzen felt a bit conflicted.

"But I don't find it annoying. At least not yet. …Actually, I didn't even know you were from such a prestigious family."

"…Is that so?"

"Yes. You're overthinking it. It was just his sore loser talk. He tried to one-up you with his family background and father's profession but failed, so he said it out of spite. Don't let his words get to you."

Of course, Yuzen understood this. In reality, he didn't care what Kaizaki thought of him.

But… the Takanase family name is a heavy burden for Yuzen.

"Actually, I'm surprised."

"Surprised?"

"I thought you were much… stronger."

The word "surprised" from Airisa was surprising to Yuzen. He had never thought of himself as strong.

"…Why?"

"Well, because… you didn't flinch even when that guy tried to intimidate you. …I was a bit scared."

"…It's not something to be scared of."

Yuzen knew there were much scarier people in the world. As the next head of the Takanase family, he had seen such people up close. So, a mere high school sophomore like Kaizaki wasn't scary at all.

But…

"I also thought that Kaizaki wouldn't dare to mess with us."

So, when Kaizaki brought up the family, it wasn't scary. In fact, it might have been because of this that it wasn't scary. The Takanase family name works better against people like Kaizaki than ordinary people.

Yuzen sighed.

"If I weren't a Takanase, he probably wouldn't have apologized. It's not that I'm strong, but that the Takanase family is strong…"

He didn't mean to rely on his family. But for Yuzen, the Takanase family name was inseparable from him, and it always loomed in the background of his words and actions.

In a way, Yuzen was venting something he couldn't say to people like Shuichiro…

"Do you dislike your family, Takanase?"

Airisa asked this. Yuzen tilted his head.

"Of course not. …I don't intend to brag, but I'm proud of it."

"Then that's good."

Airisa furrowed her beautiful brows and chose her words carefully.

"How should I put it… In the end, your name, appearance, talent, and education are all things you received from your parents. So… I think it's your strength, Takanase. What's important is how you use it…"

Then Airisa summed it up strongly.

"I was helped by Takanase. This is all thanks to Takanase Yuzen."

Yuzen felt a sense of relief, as if a small bone that had been stuck in his throat for years had finally been removed.

"Yukishiro"

"Yes"

"Thank you"

"I'm glad I could help."

Airisa smiled. It was a beautiful and very natural smile.

Yuzen's heart inexplicably raced. If you find this interesting and want to read more, bookmarking and rating (changing the ☆☆☆☆☆ to ★★★★★ below the table of contents) would be a great encouragement.

Regarding the "dere degree," it can be seen by scrolling down. If you don't want to see it, please be careful. If you find it annoying, please scroll up and read the next page from the top, even though it may be a bit of a hassle.

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If you are looking forward to the future "dere degree," bookmarking and rating (changing the ☆☆☆☆☆ to ★★★★★ below the table of contents) would be a great encouragement.