Ke Xue Lu Ren Wang

"Oh right, there's something I forgot to tell you." Sonoko Suzuki seemed to suddenly remember something, took her phone out of her school uniform pocket, turned on the screen, and handed it to you.

Yuzuru thought it was something important, but when he took it, he saw that the screen showed him the karaoke video that Morishita Yuko had shown him earlier.

"Matsusaka said she uploaded the video online without your permission, and that she could take it down immediately if you didn't like it," Sonoko Suzuki explained.

Matsusaka?

Yuzuru immediately connected the video uploader's ID, "Matsusaka Matsusaka".

He was silent for a moment.

"It's not that serious." Yuzuru handed the phone back to her, speaking calmly, "If you want to film me singing again next time, just remember to let me know in advance. Of course, it's best not to film my face directly."

Sonoko Suzuki nodded, then quickly typed on her phone, relaying Toru Hanyu's words to Tomoko Matsuzaka across from her.

Not long after, Line's notification sound rang, and a new message popped up.

"I'm very sorry, Yuzuru-kun. I didn't expect the video to suddenly go viral. I sincerely apologize if it has caused you any inconvenience."

Tomoko Matsuzaka's attitude was very sincere.

Since the girl had already said that, Yuzuru couldn't say anything more.

Fortunately, the KTV was dimly lit that day, and the video didn't capture his face clearly. Plus, he deliberately changed his clothing style, so no one at school should have recognized him.

"It's okay, just don't show my face."

Yuzuru took the phone from Sonoko Suzuki and sent a voice message into the microphone.

His voice was clear and bright, and through the electricity from the phone, it took on a unique magnetism.

"OK!"

The other end replied almost instantly, along with a cute cat saluting emoji.

After the chat ended, Sonoko Suzuki put her phone away, her bright eyes curiously scrutinizing him.

"Hanyu-kun, you seem really afraid of showing your face?" The girl tilted her head, somewhat puzzled.

With his looks, if he showed his face, many girls would probably like him, right?

"It's not that I'm afraid of showing my face." Yuzuru shook his head, leaned against the rooftop railing to find a more relaxed position, and explained, "Although the school is not very strict with its students, if a student like me appears in a place like a karaoke bar, it will always cause some unnecessary misunderstandings once word gets out."

"That's true..." Sonoko Suzuki nodded in agreement.

Although Teitan High School isn't exactly a conservative school, it's still a place where students gather, and gossip spreads very quickly.

Just like in their circle of girls, if any girl dresses a little too revealingly or frequents entertainment venues, she will inevitably be pointed at and gossiped about behind her back.

Although she had never been pointed at or talked about, she had seen other classmates gossiping about others behind their backs.

I can guess that it must have felt terrible.

Yuzuru Hanyu was indeed worried about his reputation, but the deeper reason was the hard-won guaranteed admission to university.

The invitation from Tokyo Medical University was his ticket to a stable life in the future.

While the school is unlikely to withdraw the invitation based on a singing video, nothing is absolute. Risking one's future for a fleeting online buzz is simply not a worthwhile investment.

Becoming an internet celebrity is not part of his life plan.

"By the way, Yuzuru-kun, did you know there was a robbery last night?" Sonoko Suzuki suddenly looked around to make sure no one was paying attention to them before lowering her voice and leaning closer with a mysterious look.

"I'm not sure. I went straight home after finishing my tutoring last night."

Yuzuru shook his head.

He did go to bed very early last night and was completely unaware of what was happening outside.

"After our video call last night, Ran and I were heading home. As we passed the bank, we suddenly heard a loud 'bang'!" Sonoko Suzuki described vividly, her face beaming with excitement. "Then we saw two masked robbers wearing hoods rush out of the bank! They attacked an armored truck! One of the guards fell to the ground, and the other was forced to carry cash at gunpoint. The whole thing took less than a minute or two before they drove off!"

The girl's narration was full of vivid imagery, like a thrilling movie plot.

"Then, not long after, Inspector Megure arrived with his men. Ran and I were called in to give statements. Inspector Megure even asked us if we had seen what the criminals looked like. Please, they were all wearing hoods, how could anyone see them..." Sonoko Suzuki rolled her eyes and complained as she said this.

"Although I don't know what they look like, their height and build are quite obvious. One is very tall, and the other is short and fat," Sonoko Suzuki gestured.

Yuzuru listened quietly without interrupting, but after she finished speaking, he turned his head to look into the girl's eyes and asked with concern, "Are you alright?"

A simple sentence warmed Sonoko Suzuki's heart.

It seems that Yuzuru-kun still cares about her.

"It's okay, it's okay. Xiaolan and I were standing really far away. Those two thugs were in such a hurry to escape that they didn't even notice us."

She waved her hand, about to say something more, when a crisp cell phone ringtone suddenly sounded, interrupting her.

Sonoko Suzuki took out her phone, and an unfamiliar number appeared on the screen.

She glanced at it with a puzzled look, but still pressed the answer button.

"Hello there."

A somewhat unfamiliar middle-aged man's voice came from the other end of the phone.

Sonoko Suzuki quickly searched her mind but couldn't find anyone who matched her description.

"Hello, how can I help you?" she asked politely.

For convenience, she pressed the hands-free button.

"Do you know Mr. Toru Hanyu?" The man's voice was calm, but his tone carried a barely perceptible hint of caution.

Sonoko Suzuki was taken aback and subconsciously looked at Toru Hanyu beside her.

Yuzuru nodded slightly to her, signaling her to continue.

"What do you want to see him about?" Sonoko Suzuki asked instead of answering directly.

"It's like this... I saw a singing video posted by a blogger with the ID 'Matsusaka Matsusaka' on Twitter. I found that the guy in the video, Mr. Hanyu Tetsu, has an excellent voice and singing skills, so I wanted to find out more about him," the man said frankly.

"Of course, I found out through proper channels. I first sent a private message to that blogger, but she didn't reply. So I identified myself as a manager from Hoshino Agency, and that I came to formally inquire whether Mr. Toru Hanyu had any intention of becoming an entertainer. Only then did she give me your phone number."

Turns out he was a talent scout.

After hearing the whole story, Yuzuru understood and took the phone from Sonoko Suzuki.

"I don't have that idea for now," he said directly into his phone.

There was a noticeable pause on the other end of the phone.

"Excuse me... are you Mr. Toru Hanyu?"

"Um."

"May I ask why you don't want to become an entertainer? With your potential, you definitely have the ability to become a top star." The man clearly didn't want to give up so easily.

"I'm still a student and don't have that plan for the time being," Yuzuru Tatsumi said succinctly.

"Well... can we meet and talk in detail? Our firm is very sincere." The man persisted.

"I don't think it's necessary." Yuzuru's patience ran out, and his finger had already moved to the hang-up button.

Just as he was about to hang up, a sentence drifted out from the receiver.

"Oh right, I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Yamagishi Sakae, and I'm Okino Yoko's manager. I'm the one who made her famous~ Really, won't you consider it?"