Ares_00

Ito Hana (The Principal)

157. Award Ceremony (2)

(Haruna POV)

***

Haruna stood up shakily, becoming even more nervous when she noticed that the entire hall had locked onto her location, their stares burning with curiosity. 

She shuffled out of her row and walked towards the stage, her steps increasing in speed as she got closer. 

She could feel her hands trembling, not only because of the nerves, but also the emotions coursing through her at this moment.&n...

156. Award Ceremony (1)

Reiji stared at the car keys in his hands, his brows furrowed in deep thought. 

'Should I drive the car to school?' 

If the school's parking lot had been enclosed, he might've considered it, but instead, it was right next to the main building. 

That meant that not only would the car be in clear view the entire day, but other students would be able to see him enter the school gates in his car. 

Reiji was far from the showing-off type, and he...

155. The Diary Series (#6) - Noa

~ Entry #305

Hm. 

Hmmmm.

What the fuck just happened?

The one who saved Sora from those dogs...

Was that Yakuza delinquent????

Please excuse me for my disgusting language; Mother would throw another fit if she saw this...

But my agitation remains unchanged, and I am now questioning everything about my worldview, especially since I had still held onto that prejudice against him up until this point. 

I don't act...

154. The Diary Series (#5) - Noa

~ Entry #255

The new school year has begun. 

Thanks to my peers voting me in as the Student Council President at the end of the last school year, I have officially taken my position today. 

I look forward to the work and the growth this experience will offer me over the next two years, as I have no intention of losing the reelection. 

My second-in-command, Tadano Itsuki-san, seems quite competent. 

This will be helpfu...

153. A Date....Really! (5)

The warmth from earlier in the day was slowly receding at the same pace at which the sun was setting, and a faint breeze wafted through the air from this high viewpoint. 

Yui held out her hand, and it was firmly grasped by Reiji, who stepped closer to her. 

The two stood side by side, with no trace of their earlier banter and quibbling remaining, a peaceful silence reigning over the place as Yui rested her head on his shoulder. 

The wooden plaques hanging on t...

152. A Date....Really! (4)

Yui got out of the car and stared in shock at the boats in front of them. 

Though they were all wooden boats and not particularly striking, the one the middle-aged woman was standing in front of was significantly bigger and had multiple levels that were clearly built for a better viewing experience. 

While she was still gawking at the surprise, the woman walked up to them. 

"Hello, are you the ones who booked the boating service?" she asked. 

Reiji ...

151. A Date....Really! (3)

Reiji packed the remaining sweets in a container provided by the proprietress while Yui sipped her drink and swung her legs playfully. 

Her gaze never left him, and a small smile hung on his lips when he noticed. 

'Seems like she really enjoyed it.' 

He closed the lid on the box and walked over to the counter to pay, scratching his chin awkwardly when he saw the proprietress grinning at him with a sly glint. 

"Initially, I was reluctant to ...

150. A Date....Really! (2)

Two hours was both short and long, depending on how you looked at it. The lush greenery around them started to recede ever so slightly, and within a few minutes, there were more and more open spaces as they continued. 

They could see farm fields around them, growing a small variety of crops that indicated that they were approaching a countryside village. 

Yui peered out of the window curiously, lowering the glass and poking her head out like a dog to enjoy the cool breez...

149. A Date....Really! (1)

Reiji drummed his fingers against the steering wheel, a faint smile on his face as he drove his car to the agreed meeting spot. 

He was looking forward to today, and he'd made sure to set aside all distractions before he left, notifying his friends and the syndicate that he wouldn't be available at all. 

He turned a corner when the light turned green, keeping an eye out for the distinctive figure of Yui. 

And there she was, standing at a pickup point in front ...

148. Driver's License

At a reception desk inside a building, a woman was giggling while staring at her phone, scrolling through the next short video that cracked her up. 

There weren't many people around, which wasn't surprising because this was the most inactive part of the year. 

This made it a good part-time gig since it allowed her to slack off most of the time. 

But her lackadaisical time was ruthlessly cut short by a voice.

"Hello, I'd like to take the knowledge test fo...

147. Planning (2)

While Granny was still laughing, a few drops of lemonade spilling from her glass by accident, Haruna simply sported a complicated frown. 

"Um....Reiji-tan, I-I've never really sung before, except for when I hum my favorite songs or things of that nature. I'm very shy when it comes to that sort of thing, so I don't really do it out loud," she mumbled. 

Reiji was amused by their contrasting reactions.

Granny thought he was joking, and Haruna was seriously considering...

146. Planning (1)

Friday passed by quite uneventfully. 

With the midterms just ending, none of the teachers went overboard with their lessons, deliberately making the content lighter so that the students would have time to recover their spirits and energy. 

But one thing caught Reiji's eye. 

Riku didn't talk to either of the heroines at all, which in itself wasn't that strange, except for the fact that he kept scribbling something in his notebook. 

Since Reiji sat ri...

145. The Garage

While Reiji was wondering what the 'gift' could possibly be, Daichi took out a chain of keys from his pocket and unhooked one of them. 

He tossed it straight into his hands with the same smirk that had a hint of cockiness in it. 

"....What am I supposed to do with this?" Reiji asked, staring at the small key in bewilderment. 

"Those two will take you somewhere; choose a gift from there."

Baldy and beardy stepped up, standing at attention next to...

144. The Yagami Syndicate (3)

Although Reiji knew that the origins of a syndicate this large and powerful couldn't be simple, this backstory was far more extravagant than he'd ever expected, especially because it meant that their initial purpose was...acceptable.

"But even with my Maternal Grandfather protecting you at the start, how on earth did it end up growing this much?" he asked, getting more and more invested in this story. 

Daichi smiled. 

"Well...The thing is, due to my intention merel...

143. The Yagami Syndicate (2)

".....What do you mean?" Reiji asked, his brows furrowing in confusion. 

Daichi took his time to reply, smoothing out his beard as if he were contemplating how to explain before finally turning back to him.

"How much do you know about our history?" 

Reiji referred to his predecessor's memories, as well as anything he knew about the syndicate from the game, but realized that in both aspects, his information was limited. 

In the main plot itself, everythin...

142. The Yagami Syndicate (1)

Reiji hissed, feeling the pain shoot up his arm when the medicine was applied. 

He frowned as he watched the doctor carefully tend to his wound, his old bandages discarded in the trash, while a pretty nurse took out new ones from a nearby cabinet. 

".....Boss, is it really true that you were sick this past weekend?" 

Reiji's eyes widened, turning to Beardy with a raised eyebrow. 

"How did you know?" he asked. 

"Ah? Oh..... Uh, we have our...

141. Lower Body Saitama

Reiji almost lost his cool when he heard the training assigned by Nishimura Sensei, feeling immense regret for deciding to participate in the club session despite his injury. 

'I hate lower body workouts.....' 

They were not fun. 

At all. 

But there was only a small moment of frustration before he accepted his fate and tied his shoelaces. 

This was also a good opportunity to start improving his kicking skills, which were far behi...

140. The First Quest

(Riku POV)

***

'This isn't how my revenge debut was supposed to go.....' 

I stared at the backs of the two people that were getting smaller and smaller as they left, and my jaw clenched with anger involuntarily. 

I looked away and checked the options provided by Spice again, to see if I somehow chose the wrong one. 

[Options:]

1. Apologize for i...