Restricted Death

Chapter 160 Breakup
Zhenyang Spiritual Arts Academy.

As evening approached, only Kira and Hinamori remained in the quiet student council headquarters office.

"Where did you go this afternoon after skipping class?"

When Kira asked Hinamori, "When the teacher came to ask me about your condition, I told her that you weren't feeling well and were resting in the dormitory."

Hinamori smiled at him upon hearing this: "Thanks!"

Kira said helplessly, "If you have something to do, you should let me know in advance. Asking for leave is not difficult. It's easy to cause problems by covering for someone at the last minute."

"Okay, okay, I'll do it next time," Hinamori said casually.

"Also, can you pay more attention to your work lately? You are a minister, after all. There are many juniors in the student council watching us. You should set a good example."

"Kira, you're so long-winded." Hinamori pouted, then showed a somewhat impatient expression.

Kira slapped his forehead helplessly. It was precisely because they were so familiar with each other that, despite his current position as the student council vice president, Hinamori and Renji didn't take him seriously at all.

Abarai is alright; he's just a figurehead in the student council and doesn't hold any official position. He focuses most of his attention on his kendo club. However, Hinamori has now taken over his previous position as the head of the organization department. Many student council tasks require him to consult with Hinamori. Originally, Hinamori was very capable and excellent at handling various matters, but recently, for some reason, she has become increasingly indifferent to student council affairs, always delegating her own tasks to him or other members.

"I'm talking about Hinamori..."

Just then, Rukia walked in with Ganju, still giving Ganju instructions.

Although she is petite, her aura has changed significantly compared to before. Having served as the student council president for so long, she has developed a capable and efficient demeanor.

"Next Tuesday, the members of Class C will be going to the real world for an internship, and Mr. Yukimura has asked us to take charge of various matters," Rukia said to Kira after they met.

Kira scratched his chin lightly and said, "Then let Abarai go, he doesn't have anything to do."

Rukia nodded: "Okay."

Compared to when it was first established, the student council is now relied upon more by the Academy of Spiritual Arts. It is no longer just an organization among students, but has gradually become an important institution in the school. The teachers and leaders of the Academy of Spiritual Arts will delegate many tasks to the student council for them to handle.

It can be said that the Spiritual Arts Academy has become somewhat inseparable from the student council. Both students and teachers have become accustomed to the existence of the student council.

Rukia is also very responsible. She is working hard to be a good student council president, and with the prestige of her Kuchiki family, she is very respected among the students.

Kira suddenly laughed and said, "Oh, by the way, don't forget about what happened this weekend."

Hinamori was taken aback by what she heard.

Rukia also looked over.

Neither of them spoke.

Kira asked in surprise, "What, don't you guys remember? Tachikawa-senpai has become the captain of the 10th Division. We should all go to his house to congratulate him. Ganju, didn't you say so?"

Rock Vulture scratched his head: "I remember saying that."

Rukia glanced at Hinamori sitting there and said, "I understand."

Kira added, "I've also contacted Hisagi-senpai, Kanazawa-senpai, and Aoshika-senpai. We'll all go together then. It'll be a lot of fun with people we know all gathered together."

"it is good."

Outside the office, another person suddenly strode in. "Vice President Kira, please come out for a moment. Mr. Yukimura is looking for you."

"coming."

Kira greeted the man and then left the office with him.

The students had already finished class by then. Hinamori glanced out the window and saw quite a few people bustling around the campus.

Rukia glanced at Ganju, who quickly realized what was happening and left the office on his own.

The student council of the Spirit Arts Academy is a great place to train people. Ganju has also become very good at reading people's expressions. He is still the president's assistant and does a great job in this position. Because he is Rukia's junior, Rukia is also grooming him to be the next student council president.

Only Rukia and Hinamori remained in the office. Rukia asked directly, "Where did you go this afternoon after skipping class?"

"I went to see the chairman."

Hinamori didn't hide anything and said it directly.

Rukia paused for a moment, seemingly having already guessed it, and showed little surprise. Among the group, Renji and Hinamori usually didn't call her "President," and Hinamori only referred to Shin as "President."

Hinamori sat there, looking out the window, and said, "I asked the chairman some questions, and he told me everything."

Upon hearing this, Rukia slowly walked to her seat and sat down. She suddenly remembered that a few years ago, when Shin was still the student council president, he always sat here, and she stood beside him...

The letters from that time often taught her many things.

When she was just a junior colleague, she regarded the chairman as an unattainable idol and looked up to him.

Later, when she heard Shin say that he liked her, she felt a mix of fear and disbelief, as well as a pleasant surprise at being recognized.

Rukia lowered her eyes and said, "Momo, you haven't given up yet?"

Hinamori chuckled lightly: "If you say that, I'll take it as you withdrawing voluntarily."

"..."

Hinamori added, "The president and vice-captain Kotetsu did date, and I was right at the time. However, they have broken up now. The president said that there were differences between them, and it was a normal breakup. In my opinion, it is normal. Not everyone can truly understand the president. Obviously, for the president, vice-captain Kotetsu was simply attracted by the president's excellence."

Her tone was light and calm, as if she were stating something that wasn't very important: "Rukia, if you choose to give up on the president now, then you are right. You are not determined enough and are destined not to win the president's heart. It's good to let go now, so that nothing unacceptable will happen in the future."

Rukia was silent for a moment, then said, "So you think what you did was right, choosing to continue liking him and believing that one day he would be moved by your feelings?"

After what happened at Xin's house that day, the two had a cold war for a while, and then chose to be open and honest with each other.

From then on, Rukia learned that Shin was not a faithful person, and this result saddened her even more than when Shin rejected them in the first place.

"Rukia, you still don't understand me enough." Hinamori laughed for no reason. "You don't understand the president enough either. So, that's the biggest difference between us. The reason you insisted on questioning the president at his house that day was because you thought you were more important than him, wasn't it?"

"Rukia, you don't like the president enough, which is why you chose to put him in a troubled and difficult situation."

Rukia frowned upon hearing this: "Do you know what you're saying? You know everything about the student council president's affairs, are you crazy?"

"Is that so, Rukia? That's what you think."

"..."

Rukia was taken aback.

“Everyone has their own ideas, Rukia. Just continue to do what you think is right, but... I am different from you.”

"..."

Rukia remained silent, her hands unconsciously clenching.

Hinamori smiled and said, "I plan to graduate next year and then join the 10th Division."

"..."

Rukia's gaze followed to the window, her fingers unconsciously tracing the gilded patterns on the edge of the student council president's desk. The setting sun cast a warm glow on her hair through the window. She looked at Hinamori's reflection in the glass; the slight upturn at the corner of his eyes was exactly the same as when he first joined the student council, only now it was tinged with a kind of obsessiveness that made her heart tremble.

"I should go home now," Rukia said, standing up.

"See you."

Hinamori said goodbye calmly.

#
When Kotetsu Kiyone returned home, she saw the shoes neatly piled up in the entryway and scratched her head in confusion.

"Sister, I'm back."

"Yes, I'm cooking. It'll be ready in a little while," a voice came from the kitchen.

Qingyin walked into the living room, stretched, looked at the busy figure in the kitchen for a moment, and asked, "Have you been coming home every night these past few days?"

“Where else can I go if I don’t come back here? The team hasn’t been too busy lately.”

"What about over there?"

"..."

Seeing no response, Qingyin got up again and went to the kitchen doorway, leaning against the door frame.

"You haven't been there for quite some time, have you?"

The "there" she was referring to was naturally Shin's house. She clearly remembered that when her older sister first got together with Shin, she wanted to stay there every day. At that time, she often complained to her sister that she had forgotten her younger sister once she had a man.

Back then, my older sister would always give me a shy look and tell me not to say anything.

Of course, Qingyin wouldn't be angry about this. In her opinion, it was normal for her sister and Tachikawa to be in the throes of a passionate relationship. They would probably get married soon, and then her sister would officially move in.

What she couldn't understand was why the two were unwilling to go public with their relationship.

Yongyin kept her head down, busy cooking, and said, "He's only been the captain for a short time. You know, the 10th Division must have a lot of things to do. I don't need to bother him."

Qingyin said, "How can it be a disturbance? Even if he is very busy, he should be very happy if you cook him a meal like this there."

Yongyin didn't answer again, but simply said, "Serve the dishes."

"..."

This reaction made Qingyin even more confused, so she took the food out of the kitchen.

After Yongyin finished her work in the kitchen and sat down at the table, Qingyin finally couldn't help but ask, "Sister, did you two... have a fight?"

"No."

"No, you two must have had a fight. What happened?"

"..."

Yongyin paused in her act of serving rice and said in a low voice, "Why worry about so much?"

"Of course I have to care, you're my sister!" Qingyin said righteously.

Yongyin buried her head in her food.

"Whose fault is that, yours or his?"

"neither."

Qingyin sighed, sat there with one hand supporting her chin, and rolled her eyes: "Did he cheat on me?"

Yongyin was momentarily speechless upon hearing this, coughed a few times, and glared at her: "What nonsense are you talking about? Do you think he's that kind of person?"

Qingyin pouted: "How would I know? I think he has all the qualities to cheat. He's good-looking, strong, and now he's a young captain, riding high on his success. I wonder how many women want to get close to him. Isn't it normal for a man to lose control over this?"

Yongyin sighed helplessly, "Stop guessing, it's not what you think."

"Tell me why," Qingyin said, sounding a little anxious. "These past few days, although you haven't said anything, I can clearly feel that you're very unhappy."

"..."

Yongyin was silent for a moment, then lowered her eyes and said, "There aren't that many reasons, it's just... maybe he and I aren't a good match."

"You two really had a fight?" Qingyin asked immediately.

"Didn't I say we didn't argue?"

"You said your personalities don't match, and personality clashes are bound to cause conflicts and lead to arguments!"

Yongyin looked down at the white rice in her bowl, gently stirring it with her chopsticks, and said, "He's not someone who would argue with me. He always seems so calm in the face of things, as if he can control everything... I don't like that about him. It's like our relationship is entirely within his expectations. I wish he would scold me a few times, or show a hysterical side in front of me, whether it's trying to keep me or expressing his disgust for me, it would be better than that calm demeanor..."

As she spoke, she lowered her head even further: "But I... don't really have any right to blame him. Compared to his calmness, my cowardice is even more pathetic. There are some things he may not want to say, but I... don't have the courage to say them."

Qingyin was stunned for a long time before she said, "So you... broke up?"

"..."

Do you think he doesn't like you?

“I don’t know,” Yongyin said softly. “I’m a spineless person who only thinks about escaping problems, about the captain’s affairs, about him… Back then, it would have been great if we could have had a fight.”

Qingyin remained silent, then slowly reached out and took her sister's hand.

"It's definitely his loss that he doesn't cherish you. So what if you break up? It's not a big deal. Now that I think about it, that guy wasn't that great. How old is he? Even if he becomes a captain, he's still just a kid. Sis, try to be more open-minded. He's gone to the 10th Division now, so you don't have to see each other every day. It'll be fine after a while."

Yongyin lowered her eyes and remained silent.

Does this mean she and Xin have broken up...?

Last time, she only said that she needed to separate for a while to calm down, but so many days have passed and she hasn't received a letter from her.

What exactly does "letter" mean? Does he really not care?

"sister?"

Yongyin suddenly looked up and saw her younger sister's smiling face.

"Take the day off tomorrow, let's go out and have some fun," Qingyin said.

"There's still a lot to do in the team."

"Didn't you just say the team wasn't busy lately?"

"I……"

"Oh, it's just a day's rest. The Fourth Division can't function without you, can it? Let's go hiking tomorrow."

"……it is good."

(End of this chapter)