Volume 1 Chapter 22
by Golden DragonVolume 1 + Chapter 22: At Ease
Waking up early in the morning, my body felt extremely refreshed and comfortable. I closed my eyes and savored the feeling, then realized it wasn’t really surprising.
The power within me to control them had increased, and in turn, it was nourishing my body. I got up and shadowboxed barefoot in the room for a while.
The room Teacher Shimizu had assigned to me was very spacious, allowing me to box freely and vigorously. It felt quite nice.
After boxing, I practiced the breathing technique for a while. Mastering the breathing technique is the primary method for being able to control them.
An hour passed, and it reached 6:30. I left the room and went into the kitchen.
Seeing that the refrigerator was well-stocked, I stood in front of it, looking at the ingredients and deciding what I wanted to eat today.
I decided quickly, rolled up my sleeves, and began preparing the ingredients.
[You’re up very early, Yuu.]
It was Teacher Shimizu’s voice. I turned around with a smile.
But when I saw Teacher Shimizu’s appearance, the greeting on my lips got stuck, and I fell into a brief silence.
[…..Teacher Shimizu, your shoulder strap.]
Teacher Shimizu noticed her “raging waves” had come out. Very naturally, she adjusted them while pulling up the strap.
[I got up too early and I’m still a bit out of it.]
Teacher Shimizu said with a faint smile, her leisurely and carefree demeanor very much in line with her personality.
[By the way, the leftovers from yesterday were delicious.] Teacher Shimizu complimented me.
[I’m glad you liked them, Teacher Shimizu.]
Pretending I hadn’t seen her uninhibited side, I turned back to continue peeling.
Suddenly, a pair of arms wrapped around my neck, and my head was pressed down from above.
[Yuu is truly amazing. You can peel the skin so thinly.]
Teacher Shimizu’s voice came from above my head, along with a very soft touch and fragrance on the back of my neck and my back.
Something as soft as breasts, no one dislikes them.
Whether male or female, everyone is defenseless against their softness.
But it’s a different story when the breasts are attached to your own body.
[Mhm.]
I hummed softly in acknowledgment, pretending to be shy as I lowered my head. Teacher Shimizu only leaned on me for a moment before getting up. The weight on my body lightened, and I immediately quickened my pace in handling the ingredients.
[……They’ve increased, haven’t they.] Teacher Shimizu murmured.
Knowing what she was referring to, I didn’t look up and continued working with my hands.
[I’m sorry about yesterday, leaving you here alone.]
[No, it’s fine, Teacher Shimizu. I was very happy yesterday!]
I looked up with a smile, acting like a child.
[The bathroom was huge, the room was huge, and the bed was really soft too. I was truly happy!]
[Is that so? As long as you were happy.]
Teacher Shimizu seemed relieved. Her softened expression made her already outstanding features even more captivating.
It was as if a queen had stepped down from her throne and become somewhat approachable.
Her golden eyes were truly beautiful. It was rare for me to find someone’s eyes so mesmerizing.
I stared at Teacher Shimizu’s eyes and blanked out for a moment.
[What is it?]
[Nothing. I just thought Teacher Shimizu’s eyes are like the sun, very beautiful and warm.]
I showed an embarrassed smile.
Hearing this, Teacher Shimizu looked genuinely surprised, her expression slightly startled.
Then she let out a very cheerful laugh.
[Like the sun… hehe…]
[No one has ever said that about me before.]
In a very good mood, Teacher Shimizu said this as she laughed and walked away.
Having not used such complex facial expressions for a long time, I felt my face might freeze from all the smiling.
Finally able to return to my usual flat expression, I continued cooking.
By the time the meal was ready, Teacher Shimizu had also transformed into a radiant, glamorous version of herself.
After Teacher Shimizu finished breakfast, we said our goodbyes at the entrance.
I went to my school, and Teacher Shimizu went to attend to her own affairs.
Departing from Teacher Shimizu’s place was slightly farther than leaving from my own home.
However, because I could take the train, it actually took less time. Using the station card Teacher Shimizu had given me, I entered the station.
This was something Teacher Shimizu had forced me to accept, saying that if I didn’t take it, she would get angry.
I’m not a frequent train rider, so taking the train to school in the morning felt quite novel.
Because I had dressed more carefully than usual while at Teacher Shimizu’s house.
I attracted slightly more attention than usual, both on the train and when I arrived at school.
When I encountered some of my classmates, their expressions as if the world were ending were also quite amusing.
But after seeing it too many times, I felt it was just that. As soon as I entered the classroom, both the girls and the boys kept sneaking glances at me.
I knew I rarely dressed up, and although I had expected this, I hadn’t imagined it would be this noticeable.
[….Boss……?]
Even my underling didn’t dare come up to confirm. I thought to myself, “Is it really that big a deal?”
[Hmm?]
I looked at my underling with dead fish eyes. Seeing this, he became very excited, as if finally reuniting with a long-lost relative, and rushed over.
[It’s you, boss! It is you, boss!]
[Yeah, yeah.]
Ignoring my underling’s excitement, I walked to my seat.
[Boss! Why are you dressing so girly all of a sudden? I almost didn’t recognize you, boss!]
My underling, who never thinks before speaking, was once again showing off his zero emotional intelligence today.
[Girly?]
I lowered my voice, my eyes carrying a dangerous glint.
[Ah… haha…]
[I suddenly remembered I haven’t done my homework yet. See you later, boss!]
Sweat practically forming on his forehead, my underling wisely slipped away.
My gaze followed my underling’s movement, but I noticed Kamimura staring at me blankly.
I frowned. The moment our eyes met, Kamimura not only blushed instantly, but also immediately flopped down onto the desk and hid his face behind a textbook.
Looking away indifferently, I pretended not to have seen Kamimura like that. I took out my book and continued reading.
[You? Why are you dressed so nicely today????]
Yuna hadn’t even put down her school bag before she came straight to me and asked this.
[There’s no particular reason. I have such clothes, so I wore them.]
[What a shame! If my sister saw this, she’d be really happy.] Yuna said with great regret.
I thought to myself, “How could I possibly let her see?” I let out a hollow “heh” with a forced smile.
As if she had observed enough up close, Yuna finally looked satisfied and returned to her own seat.
For some reason today, the boys’ commotion was quite intense. Many blushed when our eyes met, many stole glances, and even more tried to act cool in front of me.
It was just a change of clothes.
I pursed my lips, finding this troublesome.
During gym class, I finished the run first again and walked slowly to rest.
A boy from another class, also having gym class, inexplicably came up to me and silently handed me an orange.
What the hell?
Looking at the orange with its nice shine in the boy’s hand, I frowned, calmly walked around him, and headed toward Yuna, who was resting under the shade of a tree.
[The boys are so annoying today.]
I sat down next to Yuna and very naturally laid my head on her lap.
[Isn’t that normal? You look so cute today, Yuu.]
Yuna smiled as she stroked my hair, saying something that only irritated me.
[Cute? I’m just wearing brighter clothes. Why would that be considered cute?]
I glanced impatiently at the boy on the playground who was slinking back in disappointment.
[Because Yuu is good-looking.]
[……You’re the one who’s super good-looking.]
Even being called cute by the super-cute Yuna didn’t make me happy. It only brought me irritation upon irritation.
[Huh? You can’t kiss me!]
Thinking I had gotten up and leaned closer to kiss her, Yuna crossed her arms into an X shape to reject my approach.
But I had only meant to glare at her and tell her to stop saying things I didn’t like. With Yuna reacting like this, I felt that glaring at her was pointless.
I was about to stand up, but Yuna grabbed my hand.
[Are you angry?]
Yuna’s sky-blue eyes flickered with unease.
[No.]
Tired of her devilish logic, I answered helplessly.
[You said you wouldn’t kiss me again!] Yuna suddenly became agitated with me.
[But I didn’t want to kiss you either?]
Feeling terribly wronged, I wanted to say that I only meant to glare at you, but you flattered yourself thinking I wanted to kiss you. Aren’t you the one who misinterpreted?!
[Then why were you leaving!]
[Me leaving doesn’t mean I’m angry.]
[No! You are angry!]
Convinced her reasoning was correct, Yuna was very stubborn.
[I’m not leaving.]
Feeling inexplicably exhausted today, I laid my head back down on Yuna’s lap.
[Hmph!]
Still seeming somewhat unconvinced, Yuna looked at me huffily.
What a pain.
I closed my eyes and turned the back of my head toward Yuna.
[You said you weren’t angry!!!]
[Alright! I’ll turn around! Now stop talking!]
I hadn’t been angry at first, but Yuna was starting to make me lose my temper. I turned to face Yuna and rested with my eyes closed.
[Hmph! Even if you’ve become cuter, your personality is still awful!] Yuna grumbled.
This was something I liked to hear.
Hearing this, my furrowed brow relaxed, and I finally felt some peace in my heart.
The way Yuna listed my faults sounded like a beautiful melody in my ears.
All that talk about how strange my personality is, how my temper could kill someone, how fierce my eyes are, while grumbling about all these things, Yuna accidentally let something slip.
[I just don’t know what my sister sees in you!]
Hearing Yuna say this, I quickly opened my eyes and met her gaze, which had an “Oh no, I messed up” expression on her face.
[I’d like to know too. What exactly does your sister see in me?]
Curling a smile, I straightened up and cornered Yuna, pressing my palm against the tree so she had nowhere to escape.
Leaning my body forward also puts pressure on Yuna.
[Can you ask for me? Why does your sister like me?]
[That way, I can change whatever she likes about me, I’ll change that.]
My disdainful feelings were very straightforward. Having her sister so despised naturally made Yuna’s face red with anger.
[You jerk! My sister would never like you!]
She tried to push me away with great force, only to find that I didn’t budge at all.
And now, her eyes were so angry they were starting to form tears.
Feeling once again like I was bullying a little girl, I pursed my lips, let go of my hand, and let Yuna push me aside and run away.
By the way, she knows the word “jerk” now. Noticing this trivial little detail, I sighed inwardly.
Even though it was an overcast day, there was still a chance it might clear up.
Picking up the umbrella Yuna had forgotten beside me, I slowly walked toward Yuna, who was now surrounded and comforted by the other girls.
[Your umbrella.]
I handed the umbrella over.
[Hmph!]
She snatched it away without a second thought, turning her head to avoid looking at me.
Although the girls around her were afraid of me, they didn’t leave Yuna’s side. Instead, they vaguely formed a protective circle around her.
Being cast as the villain was something I was used to. I felt this was normal and expected.
And at this, I finally felt refreshed and clear-headed.
This, indeed, was much more comfortable.
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