Tokyo Soft Rice King.

This father and daughter are really interesting.

I had heard from Haruka Tomita that her father didn't allow her to attend a co-ed school, and I thought he would be a very serious person, but I didn't expect him to be such a goofy old man.

“Haruka, I remember you always insisted on going to a co-educational school before you started high school, right? Now I've changed my mind, so I support you transferring schools, okay? How about transferring to the school where Hitomi and Kuroba are? With friends looking after you, I can feel more at ease…”

"This is none of your business! I think White Lily Academy is pretty good now! And everyone in the swimming club is great too!"

Before starting high school, Haruka Tomita really wanted to go to the high school where Hitomi Anri was, but now that she's already more than halfway through her first year of high school and has already built up her relationships with other students, it would be a bit difficult for her to transfer schools now.

Haruka Tomita isn't the type to be overly sociable; she still cherishes her friends at school.

"Really? Then think about it some more. Anyway, if you want to transfer schools, Dad can help you transfer anytime."

He didn't want to force his daughter, since Haruka Tomita was already friends with Hitomi Anri and Akira Kuroba.

There's no need to interfere; just let them develop naturally.

After getting up from the ground, Tomita Hoken brushed the dust off his knees and patted Kuroba Akira on the shoulder.

"Then, I'll leave my Qingxia in your care."

"No problem, Mr. Tomita."

"No need to be so polite, young man Kuroba. Just call me Uncle Faquan like Xiaotong does."

“Okay, Uncle Faquan.”

"Well……!"

Haruka Tomita choked up. She and Akira Kuroba were still only addressing each other by their surnames, so how come Dad made him call her by her first name first?

Ignoring his daughter's resentful expression, Tomita Hogen continued to plead with the two promising young men.

"I hope you can get along well with Qingxia in the future, and it would be best if you could be best friends for life. Look, Xiaotong's father and I grew up like brothers, we're as close as siblings..."

"That's enough! Dad, go back home! This is none of your business!"

Unable to stand her father's antics any longer, Haruka Tomita pushed him away from the scene by the back.

After being pushed back behind the shrine by his daughter, Tomita Hogen bypassed the worship hall and went alone into the newly built main hall, then closed the door.

He took off his glasses, revealing a fanatical gaze like that of a zealot as he looked at the 'Divine Body' placed in the main hall, muttering to himself.

"Just as you predicted... after you, another 'traveler' has crossed Yomotsu Hirasaka and arrived in this world..."

No one in the temple responded to him.

Only a heartbeat-like echo, inaudible to ordinary people, could be heard...

It is nurturing new life.

Chapter 204 The Decisive Difference Between Friends and Lovers

While Tomita Haruka was away, Kuroba Akira handed the cat treats in his hand to the class president, who wanted to try feeding the cat.

While feeding the cat and waiting for Tomita Haruka to return, the two continued their conversation about the topic they had just discussed.

"So, class monitor, you and Tomita are childhood friends too."

“Yes, our family has always only come to this shrine when we visit New Year’s shrines. As Uncle Faquan just mentioned, he and my father are very close friends, like brothers. They even had an arranged marriage between them when they were still children, but since Xia and I are both girls, the agreement was dropped.”

They even made an arranged marriage before they were even born, which shows how deep the friendship between the two families was.

But the class monitor really has a lot of childhood sweethearts...

I've always been a social butterfly since I was little.

If the class president is a boy, there's Takanashi Mirai at school, Saionji Machi outside of school, and Tomita Haruka, with whom he was betrothed since childhood. All three are childhood friends, so there are three different routes to pursue them.

This would definitely be the protagonist template in other novels!

“I see… By the way, Uncle Faquan said that he and your father grew up together, and then he was raised by my landlady. Does that mean that your family used to live in that area, class monitor?”

Anri Hitomi said without changing her expression.

“Before my father got married, he did live with you, Mingjun.”

This statement was quite ambiguous. "Your place" could be interpreted as living nearby, or it could be interpreted as living at Kobayashi's house. Kuroba Akira subconsciously interpreted it as the former.

The main reason is that before Mr. Kobayashi passed away, it was always the two elderly people, Mr. and Mrs. Kobayashi, who lived together. Before Kuroba Akira and his group of transmigrators moved in, the Kobayashi family had not had any other guests for a long time, a fact that was confirmed by Mrs. Kobayashi.

But Kuroba Akira forgot that Anri Hitomi's father had been married for more than fifteen years, after all, the class president was the same age as him.

So Akira Kuroba tried to recall, but it seemed that none of the neighbors nearby had the surname Anri.

Maybe they moved away later?

"It was because my father moved away after getting married that Xia and I, although we've known each other since we were very young, rarely met. We only kept in touch through our phones."

"Oh, no wonder Tomita didn't join your childhood playmate group, class president."

Furthermore, her mother did not order the class monitor to stay away from the Tomita family, which shows that the Tomita family are truly "one of their own" and are on Anri's side.

“We originally agreed to go to the same high school, but as I just mentioned, Uncle Faquan doesn’t agree.”

"But he suddenly agreed just now...why?"

"Yeah, why?"

Anri Hitomi also expressed her surprise, but she actually knew the reason why Tomita Hogen suddenly changed his mind.

However, she didn't want to say it, nor did she want to tell Kuroba Akira.

Because the reason is you, my wise ruler...

That actually implied 'flattery,' but it was done so subtly that neither Akira Kuroba nor Haruka Tomita noticed.

In reality, Tomita Hokugen's core demand has not changed. He still does not want his daughter to lose her virginity before marriage, but if the other party is not some random random guy who appears out of nowhere, but someone he approves of, then there is no problem.

If Anri Hitomi were a boy, Tomita Nori would definitely agree to his daughter attending the same school as Anri Hitomi, because Anri Hitomi is the person he approves of.

The same logic applies now. Because Kuroba Akira is in this high school, and Tomita Hōgen could tell at a glance that his daughter had a crush on Kuroba Akira, that's why he asked her if she wanted to transfer schools.

If Anri Hitomi hadn't been there, Tomita Hōgen might have already grabbed Kuroba Akira's hand and said, "Would you like to marry my daughter?"

But Anri Hitomi is, after all, her good brother's daughter, so she can't just 'openly snatch her away'.

Moreover, he probably just said it casually, not to the point where he was indispensable.

The reason I asked other residents about their age and gender was for the same reason, just like asking, "Do you have any unmarried sisters or brothers?"

A guest who happens to be the same age as my daughter is someone I should definitely try to win over. If it works out, that would be great, but if it doesn't, it's okay too. It would be nice to make some acquaintances.

Kuroba Akira was completely unaware that he had become a hot commodity in the eyes of the adults.

This is actually the reason why Hitomi Anri doesn't want to tell Akira Kuroba about what she's hiding.

She didn't want Kuroba Akira to think that she had approached him with an obvious purpose from the beginning. Although she also approached Kuroba Akira in the name of saving the Literature Club, that was at least her own business.

She didn't want adults to interfere with her friendships anymore.

If even Tomita Hoken is like this, what would happen if his mother found out...?

Although I will tell Kuroba Akira sooner or later, not now.

After Anri Hitomi finished feeding the cat treats in her hand, Kuroo did not ask for more food, but instead began to lick its fur.

She stood up and invited Kuroba Akira again.

"By the way, Your Majesty, I remember that the Spring Festival next year should be at the end of January. Shall we come to pay our respects together then?"

"Wait a minute, Spring Festival? Temple visit? Isn't it New Year's Day?"

"Although some people come to worship on New Year's Day, it's usually during the Lunar New Year. Isn't that the point of having a holiday for the Lunar New Year?"

"..."

No, wait a minute!

Isn't Spring Break supposed to mean 'holiday in spring'? How did it become 'holiday for the Spring Festival'?

This is the power of culture...

It's true that other countries' national holidays are irrelevant to Japan, but the Spring Festival, a festival within the Han cultural sphere,

In the original world, Japan was truly bizarre; despite being in Asia, it was forcibly Westernized and shaped like rice...

"How about it, Mingjun? I'll bring some homemade New Year's dishes and buckwheat noodles to eat together then?"

Upon hearing that there was something delicious to eat, Kuroba Akira readily agreed without hesitation.

"Okay, let's come and worship together then."

Kuroba Akira hasn't even gotten the one-day usage right he made in the bet yet, but Anri Hitomi has already started booking all sorts of things for Kuroba Akira's future schedule.

At this moment, after pushing her father to the back of the temple and venting her frustrations to him, Tomita Haruka returned. Upon her return, she blushed and bowed her head to the two of them.

"Ha... I'm sorry, you must have found this amusing..."

"Hehe, I think Uncle Yue Faquan is a very interesting person."

Haruka Tomita looked up, her face still flushed, and made a suggestion to Akira Kuroba somewhat embarrassedly.

"Um, Kuroba-kun, you're calling my dad by his name... why don't you just call me by my name too?"

Haruka Tomita wanted to take this opportunity to further refine her nickname.

As mentioned before, this was no problem for Kuroba Akira, who preferred to call him by his given name anyway.

"Sure, then I'll call you Qingxia from now on, okay?"

"Hmm! Then, I can call you...AKI..."

Before Ming could even finish pronouncing it, Tomita Haruka felt an invisible pressure emanating from Anri Hitomi's smile.

My best friend today... I feel a little scared of her.

Moreover, she was initially embarrassed to call a boy her age, especially one she cared about, by his name. So, under pressure from both inside and outside the family, she opted for a less ideal way of addressing him.

"I... I'll call you Kuroba-kun from now on."

"Okay, speaking of which, Qingxia, are you really not planning to transfer to our school?"

　"Huh? Um..."

"If you come, you can join the Arts and Literature Club! Our class monitor is currently the head of the Arts and Literature Club, and all the other members are girls. I think you should be able to make friends very quickly."

Kuroba Akira took the opportunity to persuade Tomita Haruka to transfer schools.