A youth story of a passerby at the end of the world

She hugged herself and Yukino's arms together; that was intentional.

"That depends on what Ms. Haruno wants to do. If it's to become the student council president, Shiromaki-senpai would definitely be happy to oblige," Uesugi Genshin joked.

"Ugh!" Yang Nai tugged at his arm in dissatisfaction. "I didn't come here to work."

His arm felt like it was stuck in a ball of cotton, but Uesugi Genshin still tempted him, "No, the student council president is the pinnacle of the school. Even if you order me around, I'll obey."

"Eh~, so you like this kind of thing." Yang Nai muttered something with a troubled expression while pointing at her fingers and shifting her gaze.

"!" Uesugi Genshin instantly felt that his reputation had been damaged again.

"No." Yang Nai shook her head, then chuckled, "Even if I weren't the student council president, if I gave you an order, would you disobey?"

In other words, if someone else were to give him orders as the student council president, he would most likely have his own reasons for doing so, and he would only obey the student council president's orders because she was the student council president.

So he would have listened to me anyway, so why did he become the student council president?

"..." Uesugi Genshin was momentarily speechless; what he had just wanted to say was...

Ah! He already knew that Yang Nai didn't want to be the student council president, and he was just joking with her. How did the topic suddenly take such a sharp turn?

"Ha, sister, we've gone off-topic." Yukino changed the subject, asking instead, "What do you want to do?"

"Hmm..." Yang Nai looked thoughtful. "It seems like there's really nothing I want to do. Speaking of which, what does Xiao Jing do?"

“Advisor, I can take a look at each department,” Uesugi Genshin replied, using the word “look” to mean “take care of.”

"That means there's no specific work involved, and the actual workload depends entirely on individual initiative. That's great!" Yang exclaimed excitedly.

"Don't make wild guesses." Yukino glared at her sister. "Hiratsuka-sensei helps out in every department: the Disciplinary Committee's campus patrols, the Security Department's border patrols, the Education Department's classes, and even the infirmary..."

"Ah, then forget it. I'll just stay in the same department." Yang Nai began to admire Xiao Jing's spirit of self-sacrifice. No wonder she's a teacher. If she had to choose for herself, she would never become a teacher in the future.

"And then there's this man's executive department. In reality, its work is just as important as the student council's." Yukino closed one eye and pointed to her sister's other side.

“Eh—” Yang Nai made a meaningful sound, while glancing nervously at her younger sister.

This is to keep an eye on things and prevent the other party from acting recklessly.

That they are equally important is true. Uesugi Genshin stated that fieldwork and internal affairs are two inseparable entities.

"..." Yang Nai tilted her fair neck back, looking at the blue-purple night sky as if deep in thought.

"If you don't want to fight anymore," Uesugi Genshin said with a smile, "then we can just find another one."

“No, let’s leave it at that.” Yang Nai nodded, then pulled the two of them closer at the same time, her face full of smiles.

"Sister, it's too close." Yukino sighed, rubbing her forehead as if trying to relieve a headache.

"Sigh~, I really wanted to get closer to Yukino-chan." Haruno couldn't help but sigh.

No, I meant the other side.

"..."

The Yukinoshita sisters were going to the cafeteria for lunch, while Uesugi Genshin returned to his apartment first because of what Hayasaka said after the meeting.

But before they could even get inside, a door on the other side of the hallway opened.

"Are you free? If you'd like to have dinner together?" Horikita Suzune took the initiative to approach him and strike up a conversation.

"Huh? Ah, it's me." Uesugi Genshin pointed to his door.

"It was Ms. Hayasaka who asked me to pass on the message," Horikita Suzune said, indicating that she was that person.

"Ah." Uesugi Genshin paused for a second.

"How is it?" the other party urged.

“Okay.” Uesugi Genshin agreed. There was no prior agreement to eat with anyone. Yui and Yumiko were also working, and eating together in the cafeteria was just something they did when they took a break.

"It's quite a surprise to receive your invitation." Uesugi Genshin followed her to the front of her apartment.

"Then you'll have to get used to it as soon as possible." Horikita Suzune made a joke, at least to Uesugi Genshin it was a joke.

Following her inside, Ichinose was not seen in the apartment.

"Ichinose plans to experience the work firsthand with the members of the Disciplinary Committee today," Horikita Suzune explained, then pointed to the coffee table in the living room. "Please have a seat."

Upon hearing her words, Uesugi Genshin sat down at the small table on the carpet.

This apartment also doesn't have a dining table, and unlike his place, it doesn't have an island to go with the kitchen.

It's likely that only one person lived here before.

"Wait a moment." With that, Horikita Suzune went to the kitchen and got busy.

In reality, all the ingredients are prepared; all that's needed is a final cooking step. Some ingredients are already fully cooked and can be served without any further cooking.

As the sizzling sound of frying oil came from the kitchen, the room was instantly filled with the aroma of oil.

After a short while, Horikita Suzune brought dinner to the table.

A simple yet hearty dinner.

A round, deep-fried dish coated in crispy breadcrumbs, but it's probably not a pork chop.

There was also shrimp tempura, rice, and miso soup.

"What are these?" Uesugi Genshin looked at Horikita Suzune sitting opposite him, puzzled.

At this moment, Horikita Suzune was wearing a casual home outfit: a white shirt underneath a pink cardigan, and a black A-line skirt.

She sat upright, her black silk-clad feet resting on her pert buttocks.

Although it sounds cliché, at this moment she gives off the vibe of a Yamato Nadeshiko (ideal Japanese woman).

That's how Uesugi Genshin felt, because even he was sitting cross-legged, while the other person was very politely observing etiquette.

"I asked Ms. Hayasaka to take me to a convenience store in the distance. Let's go."

Hayasaka can drive, Uesugi Genshin knows that very well, and besides, if this "strolling" were done nowadays, no one would really think it was just a simple stroll.

“Ms. Sakurajima is with me too.”

"How does it feel?" Uesugi Genji asked with a smile, pointing at her with his chopsticks.

"...Was it really fun?" Horikita Suzune herself was a little unsure.

Chapter 316: The Other Side of Being a Yamato Nadeshiko

"I see." Uesugi Genshin smiled reassuringly, then picked up his chopsticks. "I'll start eating."

As he picked up a piece of fried shrimp tempura with mayonnaise, Uesugi Genshin noticed that Horikita Suzune across from him seemed to be waiting for him to start eating, and was staring intently at him.

Without thinking much about it, he picked up his rice bowl, took a small bite, and said, "Such bouncy shrimp."

"The shrimp was bought from the cooking department. The cafeteria was supposed to serve shrimp today, but the tempura batter was from a convenience store, and the seasonings were borrowed from next door."

"I see," Uesugi Genshin said with a smile. "Rinne, you're quite good at cooking."

"There's nothing to brag about," Horikita Suzune said casually, as if this was a skill that was supposed to be mastered.

She'll be a good wife in the future.

Uesugi Genshin sighed inwardly, realizing that although she had been such a proud and aloof girl before, she was still practicing the traditional Japanese woman's training.

The idea that men are there to earn money and support their families, while women are there to be housewives, remains a deeply ingrained traditional mindset in Japanese society.

Although things are very different now than before, and it's no longer an era where a man's salary can support the whole family, this is the kind of pressure life brings in the new era.

Logically speaking, he didn't think Lingyin would be the kind of girl who would obediently become a housewife in the future, but in this moment he was surprised to find that she was definitely a virtuous wife.

Aside from the possibility of being a little henpecked, that's not a problem at all. Anyone who can marry a girl like that is incredibly lucky; how many lifetimes would it take to get this opportunity?

"What's wrong?" Horikita Suzune asked.

"No, it's just that I think you're a bit too virtuous."

"Hmph." She raised her head slightly, seemingly pleased, and then said, "Let's not talk about that. You ate it, didn't you?"

"......"really!!!

Uesugi Genshin felt that this scene was strangely familiar. The saying "he who eats another's food is bound to him" applies even in China, let alone Japan.

"Then I'll get straight to the point. Can I say a few words?" Horikita Suzune put down her chopsticks and looked at him seriously.

Looking at the tempura he had only half-eaten, Uesugi Genshin didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

"It's alright, you can keep eating," Horikita Suzune said understandingly. "It shouldn't be a difficult thing for you anyway."

"Please don't use this trick next time," Uesugi Genshin said with a wry smile.

“That’s right, I’ll think of other moves.” Horikita Suzune glanced to the side, showing no sign of remorse.

"No, what I mean is, if you really ask me for a favor, Suzune, I won't refuse." Uesugi Genshin said, indicating that she had misunderstood, and then continued to bite off the rest of the shrimp.

“…I see.” Horikita Suzune’s eyes darted around a little, but she nodded with her arms crossed and her chest puffed out. “I understand.”

"So, what is it?" Uesugi Genshin asked after swallowing a mouthful of rice and clearing his mouth.

"Hmm, about this, do you remember Kushida-kun?" Horikita Suzune asked, mentioning the name.

“I remember, what’s wrong?” Uesugi Genshin looked up at the other person.

"I'd like to bring her along later," Horikita Suzune requested.

"You and she have made up?" Uesugi Genshin didn't think the other party had made this request without having any contact with Kushida Kikyo.

"No, it's just..." Horikita Suzune explained her idea of ​​turning enemies into friends.

"If you think you can control her, that's fine too." At least Kikyo Kushida's disguise has been exposed, and the damaged impression will be brought over by the students from the Advanced Education High School, meaning it will be difficult for her to maintain that angelic appearance.

Under these circumstances, Kikyo Kushida is not a threat, as long as she still wants to live a good life here.

"I will take responsibility," Horikita Suzune assured her.

"That's all right then." Uesugi Genshin completely relaxed and began eating another fried food that looked a lot like tonkatsu (fried pork cutlet).

The golden, crispy crust has a rich, oily aroma.

"Is it ham?" He frowned for a moment, but then relaxed. "No, it's sausage."

“Yes.” Horikita Suzune also picked up her bowl and indicated that he had guessed correctly. “I sliced ​​the premium sausage from the convenience store into thin slices and then fried them.”

Uesugi Genshin finished it in a few bites, saying, "It's delicious."

Sausages are delicious, but they taste even better when sliced ​​thinly, coated in breadcrumbs, and deep-fried.

Seeing the satisfied smile on his face, Horikita Suzune chuckled softly, "That's good."

Her tone was quite smug; this was probably the first time in her life she felt fortunate to have learned to cook.

"Miso soup too," Uesugi Genshin praised sincerely. The rich aroma of the soy sauce, along with a delicious umami flavor, stimulated the taste buds. Drinking this would make you feel comfortable all night.

"If I have the chance next time, I'll make it for you again," Horikita Suzune said sincerely.

"Ah, does that mean you can make me miso soup every day?" Uesugi Genshin asked, tilting his head as he pointed at her with his chopsticks.

Unexpectedly, Horikita Suzune looked shaken and stammered, "What...what are you saying?!"

"..." It seemed the joke had gone too far, and Uesugi Genshin reached out to apologize.

The door to the apartment opened.

"I'm exhausted." Ichinose Honami's cute complaint came from the entrance. "Oh, is Uesugi-kun here?"

The reason I say this is because I saw the shoes at the door and, considering that only men could come over, Ichinose Honami couldn't think of anyone else.

“Yes. I invited him over for dinner.” Horikita Suzune, who was sitting down, stood up.

"Good evening." Ichinose Honami walked in and smiled at Uesugi Genshin.

"Hmm." Uesugi Genshin nodded, then raised his hand to Horikita Suzune, "Um..."

"Ichinose-kun, haven't you eaten yet?" Horikita Suzune asked Ichinose.

"No." Honami Ichinose shook her head. She had originally planned to come back and invite Horikita-kun to have dinner together, since everyone was a little uneasy in this unfamiliar environment.

"I saved you a copy as well," Horikita Suzune said, indicating that it was just right.

"Really? Thank you so much, Horikita-kun." Honami Ichinose exclaimed, covering her mouth in surprise.

“No, it’s just a small matter. I’ll get you some.” Horikita Suzune turned and walked towards the kitchen.