Chapter 32

Our Discord Server: https://discord.gg/PazjBDkTmW

Volume 1: First Performance: A Tragic Love Story Of A Young Lady And Spring Cherry Blossoms

Chapter 32: The Cross-Dressing Boy Gets Scolded By The Young Lady

“‥‥‥‥‥‥After all, she’s here… isn’t she?”

When I returned to my apartment, as I had imagined, there was a pair of loafers (Shoes) at the entrance.

I already knew this when Karen responded immediately after I sent a message to Rurika, but… this is going to be a bit troublesome.

Thinking about how I’m about to get lectured by that young lady for not noticing her Rain’s messages… honestly, it’s a bit exhausting.

After letting out a big sigh, I took off my shoes, put on my slippers, and started walking down the hallway.

“I’m ho-home… Ru-Rurika-chan, your big brother is back…”

“Ah, big brother, you’re back?”

Appearing suddenly from the entrance to the living room was the apron-wearing Archangel, Rurika with the twin-tail hairstyle.

With a somewhat exasperated smile, she pointed behind her and opened her mouth to speak.

“Karen-san is here. She’s been waiting for you the whole time.”

“Sorry. My phone ran out of battery, so I didn’t notice her messages.”

Apologizing with a raised hand to Rurika, I entered the living room.

There, sitting elegantly on the sofa enjoying some tea, was Karen.

At a glance, it seemed like the usual graceful tea time that she enjoys, but… on the table in front of Karen, an unusual sight was spreading.

For some reason, there was a massive pile of empty stick tea wrappers scattered all over the table.

One, two, three… just counting them, she must have opened over a dozen.

Seriously… has she just been sitting here drinking tea the entire time I was out…?

If she drank that much tea, wouldn’t her bladder burst? Also, if you drink that much tea at night, won’t the caffeine keep you awake?

As I was taken aback by the strange sight and awkwardly smiling, Karen glared at me with sharp eyes.

“…Welcome back. You sure took your time. Just where exactly have you been wandering around?”

“Well, about that, I’m really sorry for the late response. My phone’s battery was dead. Honestly, I didn’t realize you’d messaged me until just now.”

“Is that so? Then where were you until after nine o’clock?”

“…At a friend’s house.”

“A friend’s house? You’re not going to say something stupid like you were hanging out with your old school friends… in that outfit, right?”

“…It’s a friend from Hananomiya Girls’ Academy……”

“Huh? Oh… could it be… that girl you saved from the molester the other day, what’s her name… Honoka Hiiragi?”

“Yes….”

As I nodded and replied, Karen pressed her hand to her forehead and let out a deep sigh.

“Do you even have any intention of hiding the fact that you’re a man? Why would you put yourself in such a risky situation?”

“Well, I… I ended up in an unexpected accident. I was so flustered that I couldn’t think straight.”

“An unexpected accident? Did something happen during the afternoon classes after that?”

After nodding at Karen’s puzzled expression, I glanced at Rurika, who was standing beside me.

Perhaps understanding my intent, Karei spoke to Rurika.

“Rurika-san, I’m sorry, but… would it be alright if I could talk with your brother alone for a bit in private?”

“Ah, okay. I understand.”

“I’m sorry.”

Rurika pitter-pattered in her slippers as she returned to her room.

After seeing her off, I turned to Karen and quietly opened my mouth to speak.

“Sorry. The topic I’m about to discuss would be too shocking for Rurika. I appreciate you understanding my intentions.”

“Don’t worry about it. So… what happened?”

I then explained to Karen in detail about the events that occurred during the afternoon classes and after school.

◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇

“…Ginjou Haruki… I never would have imagined that Kyoichiro Yanagisawa had an illegitimate (Secret) child. I had no idea.”

“From the looks of it… you didn’t know that man had other children besides us, did you?”

“Yeah. Honestly, this is the first I’ve heard of it.”

As she said this, Karen put her hand to her chin as if deep in thought.

After thinking for a few seconds, she looked up and locked eyes with me.

“Yanagisawa-kun, how much do you know about this student named Ginjou Haruki?”

“Nothing at all. Yesterday, she just randomly gave me her contact information, and that’s it. Other than that, she’s called ‘Onee-sama’ and seems to be admired by the underclassmen.”

“I see… That student is quite notorious for being a womanizer. I’ve heard that there were several girls who got involved with her… in that kind of relationship.”

“Wow… So that kind of thing really happens in girls’ schools, huh? I thought that was just something you saw in manga.”

“It happens quite often. When I was in middle school, a few girls confessed their love to me as well.”

After shaking her head, Karen opened her phone and started dialing a number.

She put the phone to her ear and called someone.

“―――――――Hello, Takasugi? I have something I need you to do. I want you to investigate a student at Hananomiya Girls’ Academy named Ginjou Haruki… What? Restrain her? No, there’s no need for drastic measures. Just quietly look into her background without alerting her. Understood?”

After finishing the call, Karen put her phone on the table and looked at me.

“For now, I’ve ordered one of my people to investigate Ginjou Haruki’s background. This should reveal some connection to Kyoichiro Yanagisawa.”

“You’re supposed to be the chairman of that school who controls it from behind the scenes, right? When that girl Ginjou enrolled, didn’t you receive any application or documents that stated her family relationship or anything like that?”

“When I inherited the school from my grandfather a year ago, I did receive documents containing the personal information of each student. But as far as I can recall… Kyoichiro Yanagisawa’s name wasn’t listed as her guardian. If it had been, there’s no way I would’ve forgotten. I pride myself on my memory, after all.”

“Is that so…”

In that case, I guess for now we’ll just have to hope for more information from Karen’s subordinates.

After letting out a small breath, I gave Karen a smile.

“Sorry. This whole thing with my father’s illegitimate (Secret) child doesn’t really have anything to do with you. I shouldn’t have troubled you with it.”

“What are you saying, Yanagisawa-kun? Of course, it has something to do with me. Didn’t you see the commotion in the staff room at lunch today? My brother specifically named Kyoichiro Yanagisawa… and barged in without an appointment, demanding he be hired as a teacher at that school? There’s definitely something going on behind the scenes. My brother, Itsuki Hananomiya, is someone who’s obsessed with becoming the head of the family. I’m certain he’s planning something.”

“…You think there’s a connection between your brother’s scheme and Ginjou Haruki?”

“It’s inevitable that I’ll have to be wary of anyone around Kyoichiro Yanagisawa that my brother has sent my way. I’m already considering him as my brother’s pawn. The same goes for Ginjou Haruki. If they make any moves that are detrimental to us… I’ll have them expelled from this academy immediately. I’ve decided to show no mercy to my enemies.”

Saying that, Karen stood up, slung her school bag over her shoulder, and turned to me with sharp eyes.

“Make sure you continue your life as usual without letting Kyoichiro Yanagisawa find out who you really are. And perform well in the ‘Romeo and Juliet’ play. I believe it’s at the Civic Center at the end of next month? I’ll go see it too, so do your best. Well then.”

With that, Karen left the apartment.

All that was left behind was the remains of stick tea wrappers and an empty teacup.

…Do I really have to clean up all this mess now, milady?

Surely, her house must be full of servants… but if she lived alone, I bet Karen’s room would turn into a garbage dump… thought the cross-dressing man.

I got a small glimpse of that yandere young lady’s flaws… her inability to clean up after herself.