The strongest high school student in Japan

296, Sad Wish

"So do you like it?"

Asana's voice was very soft, and because she was looking down she couldn't see her expression at the moment, but Mogami Jun could probably guess it.

It must be a mixture of anticipation and nervousness.

So, there is no way I can say I don’t like it!

"Of course I like it." Without any hesitation, Mogami Jun responded directly to Asana's expectations, "This dress is so beautiful, didn't you notice that my eyes were wide open just now!"

"Really..." Asana blushed immediately, "That's... very rude."

Before Jun Mogami could apologize, she quickly added, "But I will forgive you."

"Ah, thank you." Mogami Jun could only laugh dryly. "But I think it would be even more rude to pretend that I didn't see anything when I saw such a beautiful Asana."

“……” Asana lowered her head even more.

Obviously, her level is not enough to fight against Jun Mogami.

Besides, just thinking about my current appearance makes me feel a little embarrassed, so how can I continue to argue in an orderly manner?

Of course, besides shame, there was also an irrepressible excitement deep in her heart.

Everyone’s hard work has not been in vain, Chun likes it very much.

How is he looking at me at this moment? Will he think I am frivolous?

(3④2967④65)

Just imagining the look in the boy's eyes at her made her legs feel weak, and her shoulders exposed to the air felt slightly numb and itchy, as if there were ants crawling on them.

No, I have to say something, otherwise I might not be able to stand still...

"Will Chun think this outfit is a bit frivolous?" she asked in a low voice. "My mother and teachers have always taught us to be dignified and not lose our dignity... so I am a little uneasy..."

"No, how could it be possible? Asana is a girl of my age, so it's normal for her to like dressing up." Mogami Jun quickly replied. "Besides, Asana dressed up carefully just to meet me, I'm so touched, how could I think she's frivolous?"

As expected, she is a young lady. I can’t stand her dressing to this extent... Jun Mogami secretly complained in his heart.

"So, Jun knew everything..." Asana let out a sigh and seemed to feel a lot more relieved.

She was still worried that she wouldn't be able to express her feelings, but when she saw that the boy already understood, she naturally felt a lot less burdened.

"Hahahaha... Asana, it would be strange if I couldn't see it!" Mogami Jun couldn't help laughing, and then subconsciously stretched out his hand to pinch Asana's face, but he immediately realized something was wrong in mid-air, so he retracted his hand very naturally and scratched the back of his head.

Then, he spoke again solemnly. "But, Asana is still very cute even when she is dressed formally. I still remember the way you looked in a kimono when we first met. To be honest, I was really stunned at that time. I never thought that I would have the honor to meet such a lady from a noble family—"

"And then a few minutes later you just left me aside and ran away..." But Chao Na was not happy. She recalled the ending of their meeting that day, so she added sullenly with a double meaning, "So it seems that I didn't scare you in any way..."

Uh... He really never forgets this matter. Mogami Jun felt angry.

Would Asana continue to bring this up again and again decades later? He suddenly had a bad idea.

"Well... there are various reasons for what happened that day. It has nothing to do with whether I was intimidated by you or not." Mogami Jun was extremely annoyed by his own foolish actions, so he hurriedly explained, "Anyway, Asana, I just want to say that no matter how you dress up, you look beautiful. You are so beautiful that I am dazzled, so you don't have to worry that I won't like it!"

Asana raised her head and glanced at Mogami Jun, as if to confirm how much of his words at the moment came from his heart.

Just a moment later, she lowered her head again.

Really, he suddenly said some embarrassing words...but he said it so beautifully. If you are so good at speaking, please say more in the future!

"We have been standing here for a long time, let's continue walking around~"

Then, she took the lead and walked forward again, but this time her mood was obviously better, and even her steps seemed to be lighter.

Does this count as...making Asana happy?

probably.

Looking at Asana's back, Mogami Junya quickened his pace and slowly followed.

Those words just now were indeed his true feelings.

Asana is indeed cute no matter how she dresses.

Especially considering that she dressed up carefully to meet him, it gave him extra points in his heart.

Although I don't know how long she prepared, it must be very troublesome for girls to put on makeup and try on clothes. She spent so much effort on it - especially since this was a style she was not familiar with and could not accept.

Making so much effort just to meet myself.

When I think of this, it’s impossible not to be moved.

While sightseeing, the two of them arrived at the center of the venue.

Asana walked up to a painting and stopped.

This painting is very large and hung alone on the wall, almost like a mural.

Even without her introduction, Jun Mogami still recognized the painting - because it was so famous.

"Is this Monet's 'Water Lilies'?" Jun Mogami asked the painting on the wall.

"Yes, this is 'Water Lilies' - the museum's treasure!" Asana nodded, and then her eyes also turned to the painting.

"Water Lilies is not a single painting, but a series. He created nearly 300 works with water lilies as the theme in his lifetime, and almost every piece in this series can be called a classic. The Water Lilies collected in this museum was created in 1916, and it is considered a relatively late work." She patiently explained to Mogami Jun, "At that time, Matsukata Kojiro was in Paris, and he visited him almost every day, and finally bought this painting. He originally planned to keep it as a family heirloom, but he didn't expect a series of changes to happen in the end, and the painting became a national asset and was exhibited here..."

Asana's tone was a little more emotional.

Although she is not a direct member of the Matsukata family, she has heard her mother talk about these painful events time and time again since she was a child. She didn't think much of it at first, but when she really got close to this most precious painting, the sadness that permeated her mother's words and actions unconsciously enveloped her heart.

There is no doubt that this is a masterpiece, a work that will go down in the history of painting, and the pride of the National Museum of Western Art in Japan.

But for her mother, formerly known as Matsukata Shizukata, this is not just a famous painting hanging on the wall. It also represents the former glory and prosperity of her entire family, as well as its current decline and silence.

The once glorious old Duke's family has now completely withdrawn from the stage of history and has returned to obscurity.

When she thought of this, she suddenly understood her mother's pain and resentment, and also understood why she refused to come here to take a look in her life.

Even I can feel that kind of sadness. If it were my mother, I'm afraid she wouldn't even be able to stand steadily.

What is more terrifying than having nothing is to have once had something. She suddenly understood this truth.

In an instant, her original resentment towards her mother suddenly disappeared without a trace.

What's wrong with my mother wanting to revive the family?

It's just that the means were wrong.

"Asana?" Seeing Asana suddenly staring at the portrait in a daze, with a very sad expression, Mogami Jun was a little anxious, "What's wrong?"

The boy's call suddenly woke the girl from her reminiscence.

She woke up as if from a dream and looked around.

The boy's concerned look reminded her of where she was and who she was standing with.

correct.

Now, here I am.

I am Izumo Asana, not Matsukata Asana. I am not a descendant of the old Duke Matsukata's family, and I have no obligation to inherit their wishes and obsessions. I have my own life, so why should I think so much about a family that lived a hundred years ago?

History is just history after all, and the past is just a passing cloud.

And shouldn't the future be created by ourselves?

"I forgive her." She said softly.

Jun Mogami was somewhat confused by Asana's nonsensical words.

But after looking at her face, then at the paintings on the wall and thinking about it for a while, he seemed to understand something.

"Are you thinking of those old things?"

"Yeah, I felt a little emotional all of a sudden." Asana nodded honestly, "I was just wondering, if my mother was here, how would she feel? She would definitely feel very sad, right? After all, everything here once belonged to her family... Such a loss is a bit too much to bear."

"Probably, he'll be very sad." Mogami Jun gave an answer that everyone could imagine.

After a moment of silence, he spoke again, comforting Asana. "But no matter what, the die is cast, and all of this is a fait accompli. No matter how much you grieve, you can't change the reality. If that's the case, why not face reality and start over?"

In fact, he himself knows that many things cannot be solved by simply saying "start again".

Times have changed, the world has changed dramatically. The higher you stand, the harder you fall. Once you fall, how can it be easy to get up again?

A new era brings with it a new pattern. The Matsukata family is now well-fed and well-clothed, but it is unlikely that they will be as powerful as they were in the past.

"Jun, don't comfort me. I'm actually quite open-minded." Asana smiled, "Umemiya-senpai also taught me before."

"Hmm? What did she say?" Mogami Jun immediately became interested and asked quickly.

"Fujiwara no Michinaga's three daughters all once entered the imperial harem and held power for decades. When they were full of ambition, they once sang 'This world is my world, like the full moon without flaws'. But after many years, wasn't the power of the world usurped by the samurai? Even the Fujiwara family, which boasted of the noblest bloodline, could not maintain its wealth forever, let alone the Matsukata family... It would be better to say that Matsukata Masayoshi, as a mere samurai of Satsuma, was able to rise suddenly during the chaos of the Meiji Restoration and dominate Tokyo for decades. This was already a blessing from heaven. Even if the family declined after his death, what was there to be dissatisfied about?" Asana repeated what her senior had said.

"Isn't that a good point?!" Mogami Jun agreed, "Umemiya-senpai is indeed a debater who can compete with me."

"Even now, you still brag about yourself. Jun is really good at it..." Asana couldn't help but chuckle. "But sometimes I do feel that you two have similar personalities."

"Goodbye, I don't have that honor." Jun Mogami curled his lips.

When he thought about how Umemiya Natsuki had played a prank on him before, Mogami Jun suddenly felt a little unhappy.

Asana looked at Mogami Jun's expression and guessed what he was thinking at the moment, so she also laughed. "That time, I thought you were too arrogant, so I wanted to kill your spirit. Although the joke was a bit bad, it's been so long, so don't hold a grudge."

"Okay, for your sake, I won't hold a grudge against you." Jun Mogami shrugged.

"Well, that's great!" Asana smiled even more happily. "Then would you like to come with me to visit Senior Umemiya? It just so happens that she is also in Tokyo today..."

297, Meet Guests

"Then would you like to come with me to visit Senior Umemiya? She happens to be in Tokyo today..."

The sudden question made Jun Mogami a little overwhelmed.

"Go visit Senior Umemiya? Why?" he asked puzzledly.

"As a junior, isn't it natural for me to visit my seniors..." Asana replied with a smile.

What kind of reason is this... Jun Mogami couldn't help but complain in his heart.

Although Umemiya Natsuki was theoretically his senior, they were not from the same school. Why did he need to flatter her? Even if they were seniors from the same school, didn't he still look down on her?

However, even though she disagreed in her heart, Mogami Jun did not object out loud so as not to hurt Asana's feelings - after all, she respected Umemiya Natsuki very much.

But even so, the careful Asana could still see what he was thinking.

"Jun, I know you had some conflicts with Senior before... but isn't that all in the past? Senior has been taking good care of us since then, there's really no need to be angry with her anymore." Asana began to persuade Mogami Jun, "Just give me some face, please?"

Seeing Asana's expectant look, Mogami Jun didn't think any more about it.

Anyway, I have already promised Asana that I will spend more time with her today, so what if we go somewhere unplanned?

Besides, he didn't hate Meigong Xia Fei. At most, he was just a little wary of her.

"Don't worry, I'm not that petty. All the things that happened before are in the past, and I don't bear a grudge against her. I was just thinking, aren't we supposed to accompany Asana today? If I go to meet Umemiya-senpai, it might affect the time we spend together—" Mogami Jun replied jokingly. "But if Asana doesn't mind, then of course it's fine with me."

“Eh…? Jun actually thinks so?” Asana looked up in surprise, then suddenly lowered her eyes shyly, “It’s okay, even if… even if it’s at the senior’s place, we can still be together, maybe… maybe it will be better…”

"Better?" Now Mogami Jun was even more confused.

He sensed something unusual from Asana's performance.

It was obvious that there was some hidden meaning behind Asana's sudden request.

However, now was obviously not the time to ask, and he didn't believe that Chaona would harm him.

You'll know when the time comes.

"Okay, then everything will be according to your arrangement." Jun Mogami nodded.

"Great..." Asana patted his chest, seeming relieved. "Then let's continue shopping here?!"

Then, she took Jun Mogami to continue to tour the art museum, and Jun Mogami took this opportunity to receive the baptism of Western aesthetic art - of course, how much value this baptism can have is another question.

After a long time, the two of them finally walked out of the art gallery, and it was already noon.

The two of them stood at the door. Jun Mogami breathed in the fresh air outside, his mind still filled with the images of the paintings and sculptures he had just seen. For a moment he was in a trance.

However, he didn't have much time to think about it.

"Jun, are you hungry?" Asana asked in a low voice.

"Yeah, a little bit." Jun Mogami nodded.

I came here early in the morning, and then walked and stood inside the art museum for several hours. I must be hungry now.