I practiced as a monk alone in Japan.

Chapter 1 Youthful Brilliance Like Early Summer

Chapter 1 Youthful Brilliance Like Early Summer
The cicadas are chirping in June, and the clouds are drifting outside the window.

In the reflection of the glass, there was a handsome but boring face.

Handsome and clean-cut features.

The teenagers, in the prime of their youth, seemed to possess an untimely and lifeless demeanor.

He tugged at the collar of his white shirt, letting out the stifling heat of the season.

"So hot."

When the school bell finally rang, the second-year high school class became noisy, even bustling with voices.

But at this moment—

"T-Tsuno-san!"

The tense voice made the lazy boy turn around.

Gen Tsukino saw a petite, round-faced, cute girl nervously holding a letter in front of him.

Her flushed cheeks and trembling eyelashes revealed her nervousness.

"you are?"

Gen Tsukino asked softly.

The classroom quieted down slightly after the girl's sudden intrusion, and many eyes turned to her. Tsukino Gen didn't put any more pressure on her.

"I...I'm Kato Mikoto from class four next door! You might not know me, but...I've been watching you for a long time. This...this is my token of appreciation, please accept it."

His voice trailed off towards the end.

Kato Mikoto seemed to have already sensed the gazes and whispers of the surrounding audience.

Gen Tsukino glanced around. The gazes he received were more or less mocking or jeering, their intentions unclear; watching a spectacle is human nature.

So he stood up and took the letter from the other person with both hands.

Then she said gently, "Thank you for your kind offer. However, I haven't considered it yet."

"I know! I know Tsukino-san wouldn't like a girl like me, but I'm transferring schools tomorrow and going back to my hometown. I just hope my feelings won't leave any regrets, that they can be accurately conveyed to you, at least... at least leave a tiny bit of a memory in Tsukino-san's heart. Just a tiny bit!"

The girl bravely raised her head and met the boy's slightly surprised gaze.

She was indeed very brave, but the price of her bravery was her slightly reddened eyes.

Gen Tsukino put away his languid expression, and his smile was as refreshing as a gentle breeze.

"Okay. I understand. Kato-kun, I wish you a safe journey and a bright future."

"thank you"

The girl's rosy eyes held not only reluctance but also gratitude.

She turned around lightly and walked quickly out of the classroom.

Gen Tsukino knew that soon she would be like most strangers she met in her life, and she would never have the chance to meet them again.

Who knows how many years from now we'll look back on this moment?

He picked up his schoolbag.

"Tsukino-kun is so kind."

One student remarked with emotion.

Gen Tsukino smiled and walked towards the classroom door without responding.

"You're really popular, aren't you?"

Just as I reached the door, I heard a slightly disgruntled voice.

Turning his head, he saw a slender figure outside the door who seemed to have waited specifically for him to leave the classroom before following him.

At around 1.7 meters tall, she is considered tall, especially in Japan.

In addition, her bright temperament and exquisite features are the icing on the cake.

Moreover, her long, beautiful legs encased in black over-the-knee stockings made one feel that even if she had run a thousand meters, her shoes would still smell sweet.

"Really? Are you envious, Kazama-kun?"

The boy smiled.

The bright young girl wrinkled her nose, then proudly tossed her long hair behind her head.

"I'm quite popular, okay? God knows how many guys I reject every day. The letters in my shoe cabinet could fill a trash can every day."

"You really are despicable to just throw away someone else's heartfelt sentiments that took them so much courage to express?

Sakura Kazama scoffed, "That's still better than your pretentious hypocrisy. Am I obligated to accept other people's feelings? I'm not responsible for other people's affections. That's not my duty."

The two walked down the long corridor and descended the spiral staircase.

Following the footsteps of the setting sun, we found ourselves on the same wavelength without even realizing it.

Tsukino Gen seemed unaware that the girl beside him kept stealing glances at his profile, jawline, and open neckline.

He always wore a smile that seemed gentle, but was actually distant.

"What's wrong with hypocrisy? It may be tiring to take every kind gesture seriously, but it's really pitiful when sincerity is always met with indifference."

"Like that girl just now? Are you being so gentle because of pity?"

"It's too arrogant to say such things. I just hope that she won't lose the courage to express her love in the future."

"You'll realize how useless such hypocrisy is when you confess your feelings to someone someday."

Kazama Sakura seemed to scoff at the boy's statement.

As I descended the last step of Building 1, the western sky was ablaze, and the orange light shone beautifully on Tsukino Gen's white shirt shoulders.

This gave her the urge to take photos to preserve the memory.

At that moment, Tsukino Gen turned around and looked at her, "What if you were to confess to Kazama-kun?"

"With me? Huh? You...you...you're kidding me! You..."

"Don't be nervous." Seeing the girl's face turn bright red, almost reaching the tips of her ears, Tsukino Gen waved his hand.

"I'm Tsukino Gen, who never confesses my feelings first, so what you're worried about won't happen. But if Kazama-kun were to express strong feelings for me, I might be a little troubled."

"Who's confessing their feelings to you? Stop being so self-important!"

"Really? I thought you were so focused on that girl confessing to me because you were jealous. Turns out, that's not it. How disappointing."

Then why don't you show a disappointed expression?

Looking at his face as he turned away again, with the corners of his lips clearly curled up, Kazama Sakura wanted to kick him to death.

My reaction just now seemed a bit excessive.
The girl felt a pang of regret.

"It's not because I'm jealous. Besides, what do you mean by never confessing your feelings? What about Asagiri Rin? Aren't there many people who know that you like her? Stop trying to distract yourself from me."

The two stopped at the school gate.

The luxurious car was parked openly by the roadside, and a princess gracefully handed her schoolbag to the female driver.

With her long hair and near-perfect figure, even just a glimpse of her profile would be enough to place her in the world's most prestigious art museum as its crown jewel.

Now, Kazama Sakura's gaze was fixed on that direction, and she hoped that the girl would turn around and see that she and he were standing together.

But I was also a little worried and scared.

Because when the ugly duckling is seen by a real swan, its true nature will be revealed.

She didn't look back in the end. She sat in the black car and drove away, leaving a trail of dust behind.

"Would you believe me if I said I've never liked her?"

Hearing the boy's voice beside her, Kazama Sakura looked over curiously.

"Would any guy not like her? She's so beautiful, has such a great presence, and even her family background..."

"Oh, so I guess I should like her."

"you!"

That's just how people are; they always like to confirm their bad premonitions, and once they're proven right, they get furious.

But soon they saw the boy's mocking smile.

"If you don't like someone, you just don't like them. Why should you like them? Besides, compared to her, I think Kazama is very pretty, has a good personality, is well-behaved, and doesn't have a princess complex. She's a real swan."

Am I a white swan?
Her face was slightly flushed, and her eyes looked moist.

"Then what is she?"

"Black-boned chicken".

"Pfft. How could you say that to someone? They'd be furious if they heard it."

"Whether she's angry or not is none of my business. I just know that saying this will definitely make Kazama-san happier."

So you're saying this to comfort yourself?

What a glib and slick man.

She scoffed, "I'm not happy because you compliment me. By the way, want to go get a parfait?"

He struggled to resist the upward curve of his lips, to the point that it looked like he was twitching.

The tall, slender boy, who always stood lazily without making anyone feel uncomfortable, said, "I'm not going. I need to work and earn money."

"Work? Don't you know the school doesn't allow working?"

"So, will Kazama-san tell the teacher about this, causing me to face punishment or even expulsion, and then leave this school where Kazama Sakura is?"

"You!" Kazama Sakura thought this person was absolutely despicable.

Especially that personality that is sometimes clever and sometimes pretends to be confused.

She gritted her teeth and said, "If you really need money, I can lend it to you."

The young man had already started walking. "I don't plan to live off a woman for now. I'll consider it if I really have no other choice."

"I'd rather you starve to death, damn it!"

"It's okay that I'm awful, but please, Kazama-kun, stay this cute forever. Goodbye~"

The boy's wave seemed to be at the edge of the sky, at the end of the horizon, between the fingers of her hands covering her cheek.

Only after the boy had completely disappeared could she lower her hand and let the blush on her face fade.

She felt an indescribable joy and happiness, as if a little deer had somehow taken root in her heart. Whenever she was with him, that little deer would nuzzle against her heart, making her lose her composure time and again.

She roughly understood what was going on, but it seemed hopeless.

I took out my phone, turned on the camera, and looked at my smooth, delicate face.

Am I really cuter than her?

"It's definitely a scam."

"But he said he didn't like her, so how did the rumors start?"

"Ugh, I really don't want to go home."

It wasn't a carefree girl walking home in the sunset.

About thirty minutes later.

The boy who said he was going to work.

With a slump of the shoulders and a push of the hands, he shrugged.

"Snapped!"

"Glory. Unparalleled national hero, 32000 points."