Tokyo: Oreimo

During his lunch break, he sent Ling Nai a text message, asking her how the entrance ceremony went.

After waiting for fifteen minutes without a reply, he didn't pay much attention, put away his phone, and went to the cafeteria for lunch.

The afternoon's professional class was from 1:30 to 3:30. The professor was analyzing Jun'ichirō Tanizaki's "The Makioka Sisters" on the podium. Ryosuke sat by the window, where the afternoon sun shone and reflected off his notebook.

When the bell rang, Ryosuke packed his things and left the classroom, but there was still no message from Ryouno on his phone.

He hesitated for a moment in the corridor, but ultimately did not make the call directly.

He decided to go to the manga club activity room first and wait.

With the start of the new semester, club activities resume today.

According to the notice posted by Ayumi in the group, the first regular meeting will be held in the activity room at 4 pm today, mainly to confirm the activity plan for the new semester and welcome new members.

Ryosuke arrived at the door of the manga club's activity room and was about to push the door open when his phone suddenly vibrated in his pocket.

He took out his phone, but the screen didn't display Ling Nai's name.

It is yarn-woven.

He opened the message.

"In the club activity room? I came to school to find you."

Ryosuke looked at the message Saori had sent on his phone screen and stopped at the door of the activity room.

They actually came to school?

Although he had said a few days ago that he would be taking a vacation this week, he thought it would be on the weekend, but he didn't expect it to be today.

A surprise attack, that's quite like her style.

Ryosuke replied to her message asking where she was. Saori replied almost instantly, saying she was already at the main gate of Waseda University and asked where they should meet.

He glanced at the time; there was still some time before the anime club meeting, so there was plenty of time to pick her up now.

"I'm going out for a bit, I'll be right back," Ryosuke called out into the activity room.

The only response he received was a mumbled "Oh," as Tian Zhongxue was probably engrossed in something and hadn't heard what he said at all.

Ryosuke put his phone in his pocket and turned to walk towards the school gate.

.....

Meanwhile, the anime club activity room was bustling with activity.

In the activity room, Tian Zhongxue was holding up an original drawing under a fluorescent light, squinting as he examined it.

Ayumi stood next to him, arms crossed, her face conveying a sense of helplessness that said, "You can't see anything special no matter how hard you look."

"Ayumi, your progress is amazing!" Tian Zhongxue flipped the drawing over. "You still needed guidance from Takashiro back in the winter COMI, but now you can totally stand on your own!"

"President, that was the one Ling Nai helped me change," Ayumi said expressionlessly.

"Uh."

"The one you have is the version that Ling Nai corrected for me in ten minutes when she came to the comics club last week. I drew a new one yesterday based on it, but I haven't shown it to you yet."

Ayumi pulled another drawing from the folder on the table and handed it over.

Tian Zhongxue took them and compared them, coughed twice, and placed the two drawings on the table together. "Um... they are both very well drawn, but the styles are different."

“President, that’s not what you said just now.” Kobayashi hung his shoulder bag on the back of the chair and bluntly exposed him. “You just said that Ayumi is completely capable of handling things on her own.”

"That's because Ayumi has indeed improved!"

Tian Zhongxue blushed, adjusted his glasses, and tried to change the subject, "By the way! Where's Gao Cheng? Wasn't today her entrance ceremony? It should be over by now, right?"

"I just saw that the new students have already finished their session." Asakura Misaki sat down at the table, took out her phone and glanced at the time. "They should be here soon."

Tian Zhongxue excitedly slammed his hand on the table, "That means we have one more official member in our manga club! The 'Witcher's Night' project can start right away!"

"President, calm down." Ayumi put the artwork into a folder. "Ling Nai only started university today. You should at least let her get used to university life before we talk about the project."

"I know, I know, I was just excited." Tian Zhongxue rubbed his hands together. "The framework for Takeda's project is already set up, and Takashiro's script is almost finished. I even stayed up all night last night writing some supplementary text..."

Just as Tian Zhongxue was about to continue his long speech, the door to the activity room was suddenly pushed open.

Shota Okubo rushed in, holding his phone and looking like he'd discovered something amazing.

"Look at the school forum! There's a new post!"

"What?" Tian Zhongxue's attention was instantly diverted.

Okubo rushed over to Tanaka Middle School in three strides and shoved the phone screen in his face.

Ayumi also joined in, and several heads huddled together, staring at the small screen.

The latest trending post on the forum is titled "Another stunning blonde beauty spotted at this year's entrance ceremony," and it was posted this morning. There are already hundreds of replies.

The main post included a photo taken on Central Avenue. In the photo, Ling Nai was walking under a cherry blossom tree with someone's arm around her. Her golden ponytail was particularly eye-catching in the sunlight, while the face of the person she was holding was completely obscured by the shadow of the tree, making it impossible to see their features.

"It's Gao Cheng's sister." Tian Zhongxue recognized her at a glance. "She only started school this morning and someone has already posted about her. Her influence is too exaggerated."

“She was photographed once when we were in school, and back then people on the forum said she was a model-level beauty.” Okubo put his phone away and his fingers quickly swiped the screen. “The comments below are all asking for her name and department, and some people have even started a thread to ask if she has a boyfriend.”

"This is too gossipy." Ayumi frowned.

"It's not over yet!" Okubo suddenly let out a strange cry that was even louder than before, his finger stopping on the screen.

"what happened?"

“There’s another post! Look at this!” Okubo pushed his phone back in front of everyone.

On the screen was another popular post with a concise and powerful title: "The blue-haired beauty from last year is back again this year."

The post also included a photo taken near the main gate of Waseda University, showing the profile of a tall woman with long black hair walking into the school gate.

Although the photo only shows a side profile, the woman's outstanding figure and unique temperament are still evident.

Her long hair reached her waist, fluttering slightly in the April breeze, just like the figure photographed at last year's entrance ceremony.

There are already dozens of comments below. Some people are asking if this is a Waseda student, some say it is definitely not a student because it appeared once at the entrance ceremony last year and has not been seen on campus since. Others are speculating whether it is a celebrity or model who came to Waseda to take photos.

"It's her! The stunning beauty who appeared at last year's entrance ceremony!" Okubo pointed at the screen, his fingers trembling slightly. "I've read that post from last year so many times, I'm absolutely sure! It's the same person!"

Tian Zhongxue stared at the photo for a while, then slowly raised his head and met Okubo's gaze.

The same light burned in their eyes.

"Let's go take a look," Tian Zhongxue said.

"We have to go and see." Okubo nodded vigorously.

"President," Ayumi's voice came softly from the side, "you two are too gossipy."

"How can this be called gossip!" Tian Zhongxue retorted righteously. "As students of the School of Journalism and Communication, it is our professional responsibility to pay attention to major events on campus!"

“President, you’re an economist,” Ayumi said expressionlessly.

"That's why I was talking about Okubo, from the Faculty of Journalism and Communication!" Tian Zhongxue pushed his teammate forward without hesitation, then grabbed Okubo's arm and pulled him towards the door. "Let's go, let's go, they might already be gone if we're late!"

"Hey, we have a meeting soon!" Ayumi called out from behind.

"Anyway, Gao Cheng isn't here yet, we'll be back soon!" Tian Zhongxue's voice came from the end of the corridor, echoing.

Yosuke Kobayashi picked up the teacup on the table, blew on the hot tea, and spoke in a calm tone that seemed out of place with those around him.

“They come up with new ideas for the school entrance ceremony every year.”

"That's just how the president is." Asakura Misaki smiled and neatly stacked the tidied flyers before continuing to sort the club promotional flyers for the new semester.

.....

A slightly warm June breeze swept across Waseda's central avenue. Ryosuke waited at the school gate for a while, his gaze fixed on the direction of the main gate.

Suddenly someone tapped him on the shoulder from behind.

He turned around.

Saori stood in front of him, her hands behind her back, tilting her head to look at him.

She was clearly dressed up carefully today.

Instead of letting her long black hair fall loosely as usual, a portion of it was loosely tied up with a silver hairpin.

She also wore light makeup, and her eyebrows were more meticulously groomed than usual.

Standing in the sunlight, with a few stray hairs blowing in the wind, she looked completely different from usual.

Ryosuke was completely stunned.

Saori smiled and waved her hand in front of his eyes.

"You look even more beautiful today than usual." Ryosuke said this unconsciously, his ears getting slightly hot.

"What kind of comment is this? Does she not look good normally?"

“You look good normally,” Ryosuke said, “but today is different.”

“Because today is our date.” Saori’s answer was crisp and straightforward, without the slightest hesitation. She took half a step forward and reached out to naturally take Ryosuke’s arm. “You promised me that you would spend these three days of your vacation with me.”

Ryosuke felt the gazes of the students passing by.

If Ling Nai attracting attention on campus can be described as "frequent," then Saori is on a completely different level.

From the moment she appeared at the school gate until now, only a few minutes have passed, and several groups of students have stopped, turned around to look at her, and then quickly looked away, or pretended to talk to their companions, but their eyes would still sneak back.

Two girls carrying laptops walked by. One of them whispered, "So pretty." The other immediately tugged at her sleeve to signal that she shouldn't be seen.

Under the gaze of countless eyes filled with surprise, curiosity, and envy, Ryosuke let out a soft breath.

"Where would you like to go first?" he asked.

“Your club,” Saori said. “You said last time that the club president is a very interesting person, and I’d like to meet him.”

Ryosuke was taken aback.

He subconsciously took out his phone and glanced at the screen.

Ling Nai's reply hasn't come yet.

If we take Saori to the manga club room now, Ayano might finish her party with Ruri at any time and come over. If the two of them bump into each other in the manga club room, Saori will probably greet them with a smile, while Ayano will probably explode on the spot.

There was also something else that made him uneasy.

Although Saori hasn't openly expressed her opinion about Ling Nai living with him, her surprise visit to the school today has already made her stance clear.