I practiced as a monk alone in Japan.

Chapter 152 I Hate Your Decency

Actually, Tsukino Gen wasn't too concerned about who the man was.

After all, a girl like Kazama Sakura would naturally be quite attractive, whether in school or in society.

With her youthful and invincible charm, beautiful and sweet appearance, and increasingly tall and slender figure, it's hard for any man not to be attracted to her. She's the kind of beautiful girl who, in the traditional sense, is exceptionally pleasing to the eye.

It's so orthodox it's almost sinister.

If there really are such things as a male protagonist in a classic romance novel, then she is undoubtedly the female protagonist in a classic romance novel.

It seems a little unfair to have such a girl sitting on the back of his little electric scooter, wearing a helmet, enjoying the summer breeze.

But the girl enjoyed holding Tsukino Gen's waist tightly, breathing greedily into his arms.

Even Tsukino Gen couldn't ignore this breathing, and couldn't help but laugh and ask, "You don't have asthma, do you?"

"No way!" The girl's cheeks flushed slightly, then her eyes narrowed slightly as she whispered behind him, "It's been so long since I smelled your scent, I need to recharge."

You think you can call it energy before you've even released your inner force? You idiot.

"It's okay, we have plenty of time today, no rush."

"You really accepted it calmly."

The girl said sweetly, her fingers gently tapping the boy's well-defined abdomen.

The boy's laughter was carried by the summer breeze from one end to the other, disappearing into some street, and he carried himself through these streets.

"Should I feel embarrassed?"

"Pfft, you're not the kind of person who's shy. By the way, where did you get this electric scooter?"

Remembering this, Kazama Sakura asked softly.

"Oh, I suddenly realized it's a bit inconvenient to pick you up on foot, so I bought a car."

"Hmm? So you bought this to pick me up?"

"Yes, yes, only you have such great influence."

The reason was indeed that Tsukino Gen felt it was inconvenient to walk to pick up the girl, but there was a hidden fact: he didn't buy the electric scooter himself; he had Kitagawa Shiro deliver it to him.

Are you kidding me? If you're already part of an organization, why would you need to spend your own money?
As for the card that Asagiri Rin gave him, he had no intention of using it for the time being. To him, the card was probably just a symbol, and he didn't care how much money was in it.

"Brother Tsukino, you're so kind~"

She tightened her arms around him, speaking with a touch of lingering affection.

Tsukino Gen couldn't help but laugh, "You don't call yourself my older sister anymore?"

"Being a few months older doesn't make me a big sister anymore, and I'm always the one relying on you."

"Good, you're becoming more and more honest."

"I've always been honest~ By the way, where are we going?"

"Let's go eat first."

"Huh? Is today a date? Why didn't you say so earlier? I haven't even changed my clothes yet."

The girl suddenly felt a little nervous, but the boy's cheerful laughter was enough to dispel everything. "Why change your clothes? You don't look good because of what clothes you wear. It's because those clothes look special on you."

"Mr. Tsukino, you're really good at charming girls."

She held the button on the abdomen of Tsukino Gen's clothes and spoke softly.

"It's alright, I'm just as honest as you."

"Hmph~ Well then, I won't hold some things against you."

"some things?"

A smart man would not pursue this question at such a time, but Tsukino Gen was still curious, so he asked.

Her high ponytail swayed slightly in the passing wind as she watched the street scenes rush by, her gaze somewhat unfocused.

"Whose birthday party did you and the young lady attend the other day?"

"how do you know?"

Gen Tsukino did not deny it; having learned everything, there was no need to lie.

She was certainly aware that her relationship with Asagiri Rin was not simple. It couldn't be explained by being just ordinary friends; after all, there was no such thing as an ordinary friend in Asagiri Rin's eyes.

Her relationships are limited to: acquaintances, strangers, and Tsukino Gen.

"Miss posted a selfie! It's a picture of her birthday party, and I happened to capture your back. I recognized you immediately. The shirt you were wearing was quite pretty. Why didn't you wear it today?"

With a hint of jealousy in his voice, Tsukino Gen smiled.

"A senior from the photography club, named Saionji Karen, happens to be a friend of the young lady, and she invited us to join her."

"Well, I know."

Although she wasn't particularly happy about knowing this, and although the other party was definitely hiding some of the truth, Kazama Sakura was still satisfied with their willingness to explain.

Of course, she couldn't ask for too much. As an unlucky girl, she was willing to be a little foolish and generous in front of people who deserved it.

"Don't you want to ask any more questions?"

Gen Tsukino asked softly. There were many sounds on the road, some of them noisy, but that didn't prevent his voice from reaching the girl's ears clearly.

Kazama Sakura shook her head and rubbed against Tsukino Gen's back.

"Is there anything else you want to ask? Or is there something interesting that happened that day that you want to share with me?"

Interesting things?
Thinking back to that night still feels strange. It seems like many things that shouldn't have happened did happen, a result of my own unintentional actions. Or perhaps, many things that night were simply beyond my control.

I don't know if saying it would be showing off or deliberately hurting people, so there's no need to say it.

He shook his head.

"Nothing interesting happened, but I did run into a few annoying people."

"Then let's not think about it. Just focus on our date. What should we eat?"

"Want some barbecue?" "Oh, it's been so long since I've had it! How did you know I wanted to eat that?"

That's what makes a smart girl; even Tsukino Gen couldn't quite tell if she genuinely wanted to eat it or was just agreeing.

Soon, Gen Tsukino drove the car to a barbecue restaurant.

This barbecue restaurant wasn't exactly high-end, nor was it a popular tourist spot. Although it seemed like you should put some thought into a date with a girl, Tsukino Gen knew she didn't like places that were all show and no substance, so his choice was rather ordinary.

What is your intention?
Many people's intentions are hard to define, and there's probably only one simple way to show your sincerity: the more money you're willing to spend on someone, the more sincere you are.

Simple, direct, and concise.

It has even become a benchmark in many people's minds. Although many girls say that what I want is not money, but your feelings.

But if you actually dare to give a girl a cheap, inexpensive gift, or something you made yourself, then you'll know what it means to have disappointment written all over your face. Most people like to boast about what qualities they possess, but when the real test comes, very few can pass it.

Only then did I realize how terrifying the realities of the secular world are.

But clearly, Kazama Sakura didn't care about any of that. She only cared about spending more time with this boy and creating a different memory for him. That would be enough for her.

"There seem to be a lot of people here. Is this store doing really well?"

The signboard looked rather ordinary, and the decor appeared somewhat outdated. Yet, it had two floors, and both floors seemed to be packed with people.

"This proves the taste is good; my judgment is still pretty good."

"Pfft, do you really need to brag about something like this?"

Kazama Sakura said with a smile.

Gen Tsukino shrugged. "I can't help it, I'm just that kind of sensitive, insecure, and innocent high school boy who needs emotional validation all the time."

"Hahaha, my stomach hurts from laughing so much."

The two chatted and laughed as they went upstairs.

Gen Tsukino had made a reservation in advance, so he went to the front desk to give the staff his phone number.

"Okay, let me check it for you, please wait a moment."

The waiter was carefully checking the numbers, as there were quite a few people and he didn't want to make any mistakes.

As Kazama Sakura was curiously looking at the menu on the table, suddenly...

"Hmm? Are you Kazama Sakura?"

Suddenly a sound rang out not far away.

Gen Tsukino and Sakura Kazama looked over at the same time and saw a man and a woman standing to the side, who seemed to be a couple who had just arrived to have dinner.

The boy, Tsukino Gen, was unfamiliar to him. He was dressed rather flamboyantly, with his hair combed high, wearing silver earrings, and even from a distance, you could smell a distinct perfume on him. Although it wasn't pungent, combined with his appearance, it made one want to frown.

However, the girl standing next to him, Tsukino Gen, recognized him and almost burst out laughing.

Isn't this Ms. Yuriko, who 'stole' her own life?

Yuriko felt a little awkward when she saw Tsukino Gen. She hadn't forgotten her lesson from last time. The girl who thought she had stolen this boy's life, instead of feeling ashamed, was even somewhat smug. That day, she had witnessed firsthand how her self-esteem was shattered.

She's even adopting an ostrich mentality now, wishing she could forget the fact that she met Tsukino Gen that day, but lately she can't help but think about it.

Why is he so successful? Why is he able to be so close to a girl like that? Why do I feel like I've completely failed when I stole someone else's life?
She even felt that it might be better if she never saw the boy again.

He never expected to run into her at this time, especially in such a setting, and even more so because there was another girl standing next to him.

Different appearances, different temperaments, the only constant is this superior beauty.
What kind of life is he living?!

However, it seems she can never ask such a question again; she doesn't even dare to look into his eyes now, deliberately avoiding them.

However, the boy next to her didn't seem to realize this, and his eyes were filled with excitement.

Kazama Sakura looked at the boy strangely, "Excuse me, do we know each other?"

The boy smiled and said, "It's me, Yuta Yu. We were classmates in junior high, don't you remember?"

He was so excited that he seemed to have no eyes for Kazama Sakura, completely ignoring Tsukino Gen who was right next to him.

But Tsukino Gen felt that he clearly saw him, his gaze passing over him, albeit subtly and fleetingly.

Sakura Kazama gave an awkward smile. "Oh, it's been a long time. I didn't expect to run into you here."

It was actually a rather distant answer, but Yuu Uda seemed completely oblivious to it.

He said with a big smile, "I was just a little bit short of getting into the same school as you, just a tiny bit short. By the way, I haven't seen you at the recent junior high reunions. I was trying to find you, but we don't have each other's contact information. Is this your friend?"

As he spoke, he seemed to notice that Sakura Kazama's expression was gradually becoming impatient, so he immediately turned his gaze to Gen Tsukino.

It seemed as if they had only just noticed the boy's existence.

Gen Tsukino found his words very interesting. Usually, when she saw the two of them together like this, her subconscious question would be: Is this your boyfriend?
But he said it was a friend.

It seems like they're deliberately defining the two of them. If their relationship is just ambiguous and nothing is established, then it seems the answer is that they are indeed friends. If that's the case, then no matter how much he fawns over Kazama Sakura or how enthusiastic he is, Tsukino Gen has no right or standing to stop him.

Hmm? Thinking about it this way, it doesn't seem so stupid after all.

However, Yuda Yu did not expect that when he asked that question...

The next moment, Kazama Sakura put her arm around Tsukino Gen's arm and introduced him with a sweet smile, "This is my boyfriend."

The voice was soft, but the tone was firm.

Suddenly, Yuda Yu's smile seemed to freeze. It was as if he had just fully charged up his breath, but suddenly forgot how to execute a move, and was stuck in place.

Upon hearing this, Yuriko's eyes suddenly lit up.

Boy friend?
Then, what about that young lady from the intimidating family background?

Does she know that you're having an affair with someone else?
hiss.
Although she knew perfectly well that meddling in other people's business was unethical, she couldn't help but feel an instinctive excitement.

Could this be an opportunity?

……

(End of this chapter)