Empty Cicada (1)

preamble (of speeches, articles etc)

The man picked up the hand towel on his pillow to wipe his sweat.

This was the first time today. In addition to his own scent, the hand towel was also mixed with another scent that revitalized the man’s originally depressed part, which was the scent of sweat on a woman’s body.

The woman lay beside the man.

The two were crammed into a narrow bed, but they didn’t care about those feelings anymore in this last rendezvous. The woman didn’t move as she lay on the bed facing the ceiling. She was not asleep with her eyes open.

She looked carefully at the ceiling constructions, as if she were trying to memorize them one by one in her memories.

The man quietly wiped the sweat from amongst the woman’s cleavage, then continued on to her navel and stomach, gently wiping the woman’s skin slightly flushed.

Outside the window came the sound of rickshaws traveling frequently. It was almost time for everyone to rush home.

(… When I came to this room, I could still hear the clam vendors hawking.) The man laments the passage of time.

“The sun is setting in the west… everyone is going home, each to where they belong…”

Women probably think the same thing.

The man didn’t know how to answer her words, replacing them with what he had been repeating to her over and over again for the past few days.

“I… I’m sorry.”

The woman let out a long sigh.

“Didn’t I tell you to stop saying that?”

“But beyond that, I don’t know what to say to you?”

“It doesn’t matter… your dream is my dream!”

“Because of my dream… and yet I had to commit a crime, against you, even against her…”

“So you must treat Sakiko well from now on… but today, and only today, you must belong to me completely…”

The woman fervently demanded the man’s kiss. Their tongues entwined making nasty noises as their saliva mixed with each other.

The two opened their eyes as if to imprint the image of the other deeply as they gazed at themselves in each other’s pupils. Sadly, they would never again have the opportunity to be able to look at each other so closely.

The man’s hand touched the woman’s breast.

“¡… Uh-huh ah!”

The man caressed her breasts so fiercely that the woman couldn’t help but make a noise.

The man rubbed the woman’s breasts as if he wanted to squeeze the milk out. The woman’s snow-white breasts were left with blue and purple fingerprints as a result.

Despite this, the woman felt a great deal of pleasure. Seeing the greenish-purple fingerprints again in the future might make her feel even more lonely, but she now wished intensely that she could leave behind whatever belonged to this man.

“Harder, harder!”

The man’s hand increased in strength, the woman’s nipples hardening with his movements, and the man took them in his mouth, rubbing them gently with his teeth.

“Uh-huh uh-huh! Yes, that’s the way it is, I, I have…!”

The two had been indulging in fish and water since the morning, and the woman’s sensitive body climaxed again all at once.

The man did the same, and after a few ejaculations, the veins of his erect member floated up, the apex glowing from the production of precum.

The woman saw it and naturally spread her legs to meet the man, she had never been so forthcoming before, even she was shocked, but she knew that today would be the last time they would ever be entwined, so her movements became bolder.

The woman slowly flicked her fingers across her privates, and love juices dripped from the wetness there, with a silver thread-like drape down to her hips and then to the top of the sheets.

Though neither of them spoke, the man was able to fully understand the woman’s need, and he coated the parting between his strands with love juice, penetrating the woman with a single breath.

“Haa-oh! It’s so full, so full… Haaahhmmm, that’s it, to the very, very bottom, stuffing you… aaaaahhhh…!”

As the man’s waist moved, the woman’s privates tightened, and the man swung his waist fiercely, as if he were trying to pry the woman’s there open.

Sweat-stained hair clung to her cheeks, tears flooded her eye frames, and she let out a joyful sound, spilling saliva from her vermilion lips.

Men fall deeply in love with this expression that radiates infinite beauty. The boundaries of manhood come early as a result.

“Naru… I can’t…”

“Come on… cum inside, all inside me… I’m going to go… haaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!

”

The moment the woman reaches orgasm, her legs cross and move closer to the man’s body, and the man’s sperm shoots into the woman’s private parts at the same time.

The man lay on top of the woman and just basked in the afterglow of joy.

The woman also reveled in the sensation of the man’s sperm laced inside her private parts.

As the man’s doppelganger swelled up inside the woman, the two of them naturally called each other’s names, and there was a dreamlike constant repetition as the two of them became entangled once again.

※

The man who gives up love to live in his dreams.

The woman who pursued her dreams and lost her love.

In the era that ended the Reformation, and at the end of the Meiji period, when Japan’s modern era blossomed, the parting story of a man and a woman is played out somewhere in the imperial capital of Tokyo.

Across time and space, when their dreams were about to bear beautiful fruits, a tragedy began…

Prologue Encounter

Time flew by and the year was changed to Taisho.

Just when people are still figuring out new things.

On the outskirts of Imperial Tokyo, on the slopes of some high ground, a young man was running a Mercedes.

The sweat dripping from his forehead, the pant legs that occasionally tripped over his feet, but none of it hindered the young man as he continued to run.

His name was Izumo Ryunosuke, he was in his early twenties, and although he wasn’t exactly a pretty face, he had good features.

The leaping body showed his youthful strength, only now his eyes showed some melancholy.

Ryunosuke is now a disciple of a certain author.

The name of this writer is “Kujo Sakiko”, and she is a well-known female writer in the Imperial City.

Ryunosuke had been serving Saikiko for almost almost a year or so.

He’s here for a reason, and it’s not because he wanted to be a writer that he threw himself under Sakiko Kujo.

Ryunosuke was just trying to repay the favor that Saikiko had done for him in the past here. That’s why he tries his best to do small chores like cleaning the house.

Recently, probably because Saikiko was satisfied with his performance, she started to let him do some practice work about what to do before becoming a writer.

His job is to go and collect information about the content of the novel for Hayako.

I didn’t realize that the job was a good fit for Ryunosuke.

For his young age, this was a great opportunity to satisfy his curiosity and expand his knowledge.

Besides, there was nothing he cared about more than being able to do his bit for Saikiko’s work.

Through the process of gathering information, he realized once again the influence of Sakiko Kujo’s family, the “Kujo family”.

In addition to the assistance of Kohoshin Publishing, which handled all of Saikiko’s book publishing, Ryunosuke was able to gather information in places that were inaccessible to ordinary people, thanks to the power of the “Kujo family”.

Ryunosuke never saw anything unfair about it.

(Of course Kujo-sensei has the ability to do so, she has a wide range of readers, and by utilizing the power of the “Kujo family” to write more good works, she is also giving back to all the readers who support her.) In addition to being favored by Saikiko himself, Ryunosuke himself admired Saikiko’s strength from the bottom of his heart.

However, there were some places that even the Kujo family could not enter. This is why Ryunosuke was so frustrated, just like the place he interviewed today.

Coal mines were an important place that was indispensable to the charcoal industry, which supported the economic artery of Japan during the Taisho era.

One of the four miners working there was a girl. Just as he was about to go to investigate whether the miners had been treated too harshly, he was stopped outside the pit, presumably by government officials.

The reason he was investigating this was because he had met the father of the female miner who had lost her life in the pit at such a young age, when the father was coming to the Empire to retrieve his daughter’s ashes.

Ryunosuke then remembered what happened when he met with him not long ago….

※

That father stood in the crowded Ueno Station, holding his daughter’s ashes.

Though Ryunosuke was careful to question him politely, he never said a word.

I don’t know if it was because he was warned not to tell the inside story, or because as a father he blamed himself for not being able to protect his daughter, but he still didn’t answer any of the questions as he clutched her bones tightly.

But he made a parting remark.

“My daughter puts this around her apron every time she has to go into the pit to work, and she used to say ‘I wish I could go and see it, just once’.”

It was a stills cut from a magazine. It was a photo of ‘Bright Temple Pile’, the group’s leading lady, from the ‘Flower, Bird, Wind, and Moon Performing Dance Troupe’, a theater group that had recently become quite popular with young women in the Imperial City.

Also a young girl in her prime, their situations are as different as light and shadow.

It was as if Ryunosuke’s mind heard a circus, a promotional campaign to solicit customers, coming from somewhere, and the promotional music made it seem as if it was happening in another world….

※

Ryunosuke picked up speed and ran down the hill.

His sadness, anger, and all his other emotions can only reach their outlet by exercising his body.

At that moment, in addition to the sound of his clogs on the small gravel path, he noticed another sound.

(Is that the sound of wheels… a rickshaw?)

Pressing on he heard another familiar voice.

“Sniff! Ryunosuke! …I’m here, look here!”

Ryuunosuke ran while leaning over to the side of the road, only to see the rickshaw slow down to match Ryuunosuke’s speed.

“Missy…?”

“What’s the matter, I’ve been calling you for so long and you didn’t hear me?”

The young girl sitting in the rickshaw with bulging cheeks was named ‘Kujo Gaho’. From her name, it was clear that she was the daughter of Kujo Sakiko.

For Saekiko, whose parents are dead and whose husband died early, Gaho is her only family in the world.

Despite this, Saikiko didn’t overindulge Goho, and if Goho was quiet and didn’t speak, one could see an air of elegance and polite demeanor in her.

The point is that she was quiet…

If you look on the bright side, she’s a lively and cheerful character, but to put it bluntly, she’s simply a wild girl.

Something else about Goho had happened….

One morning, Saikiko suddenly says ‘I really want to eat chawanmushi today’, and after being overheard by Goho, she is only heard to leave a comment of ‘Just leave it to me’ before heading out the door.

I thought she must have gone out to buy the ingredients needed to make the chawanmushi, but I didn’t see her again for the whole day.

Just when Saikiko was so worried that she wanted to go to the police, a certain restaurant in Ginza sent a man who came to inform her that ‘the young lady of the house wants us to teach her the best chawanmushi in Japan, and she’s standing in our kitchen and won’t go away, which is very disturbing to us’.

And there have been instances where this has happened as well.

A while back, Ryunosuke accompanied Gaho when she went shopping on the street. He came across a little girl who was lost with her mother, so Goho started to help her look for her mother, helping people is a good thing, but when she met a police officer who was patrolling the neighborhood, things went differently.

“I don’t have time for your sesquipedalian trifles right now!”

Seeing the police officer’s arrogant attitude, Goho couldn’t stand it any longer.

“Is it your job as police officers to wear a sword on your belt and act like a big shot?”

With his eloquent sarcasm, Song Spike and the police then engage in a war of words.

However, the policeman was quite decent, no matter how angry he was, he wouldn’t make a move on a woman, but then his anger, which had nowhere to be vented, was directed at Ryunosuke. Ryunosuke constantly bowed his head and apologized, thought this would be the end, but Goho suddenly scolded a ‘no talent’, the scene immediately flared up, the two of them arguing attracted a passerby a commotion, fortunately in the end because of the little girl’s mother appeared, only to put an end to this farce, it is considered to be a great fortune in the unfortunate.

Goho’s free-spirited and open-minded attitude was completely oblivious to other people’s opinions, and she didn’t worry at all about things like, ‘How can a girl like that get married?…’. Perhaps it was because she had just graduated from a girls’ school that she resisted all those lessons on household chores, women’s honor, and studies before becoming a bride.

“┅Please stop for a moment.”

Goho asked the driver to stop the car, and Ryunosuke stopped to adjust his breathing.

“Haven’t I told you many times to stop calling me ‘Missy’?”

“But… after all, a great lady is a great lady… I…”

“But I hate it when you call me that, or else you could call me Ms. Goho, in case you think it’s weird to call me by my first name directly.”

“But Chief Okazaki called you the same thing, so wouldn’t it be impolite for me to call you that too…”

“That’s different, Okazaki was called me that from the moment I was born, when I was a baby.”

Koho was a girl who didn’t like men much, but for some reason got along well with Ryunosuke, whether she didn’t think of Ryunosuke as a man or she already treated him as her older brother in general was something Ryunosuke wasn’t quite sure of. The other possibility Ryunosuke couldn’t even think about.

To Ryunosuke, having no siblings was like having an extra sister, and since Goho was also the daughter of his mentor, it was only right that he maintain a certain amount of respect for her.

“I’m sorry, I still can’t…”

“Well, never mind not telling you that, look, this!”

Goho carefully removed a piece of paper from his arms.

“This is a flyer for the ‘Flower, Bird, Wind and Moon’ that’s in vogue right now, and I had to go through a lot of trouble to get my hands on it!”

Hearing the name ‘Hanabi Kazamatsuri’ instantly reminded Ryuunosuke again of what had happened this morning, and the feeling of regret and powerlessness he had felt at that time surfaced again at that moment.

“This is the leading lady, Bright Temple Pile. Beautiful, isn’t it?”

“Ah, yes, yes…”

“What the heck, such a perfunctory answer.”

“No. Didn’t you say last week, Missy, that you liked to watch opera, and why have you switched to ‘Flowers, Birds, Wind and Moon’ now?”

Goho’s indeterminate nature of liking the new and the old was stated, and all of a sudden she didn’t know how to argue for herself.

“So what, a person can like a lot of things at once can’t they?”

“So that’s what it looks like!”

“Hmph! Forget it, it’s useless to tell you, you won’t understand, you’d better be good and just be mom’s assistant.”

Dropping this, Goho urged the driver to continue on his way, leaving Ryunosuke there alone.

Looking at Goho who was brave enough to express her thoughts, Ryunosuke smiled slightly, he was more or less envious of her, I guess.

“…’Birds and Flowers’?”

The magazine stills of the girl who lost her life in the mine, and the leaflets that Gaho went to great lengths to obtain….

Both of these events were the spark that would later lead to a tragedy, something that Ryunosuke would come to realize not long after.

※

“Going right now is it?”

“That’s right, immediately!”

Once back inside, Okazaki came to relay Hayako’s orders.

Okazaki Shinojin, an old man with a name that smells of the old days, has been working for the Kujo family since the generation of Gaho’s grandfather. His father, Tetsukan, who was Saikiko’s husband, passed away a long time ago, and now he can be said to be the one who supports the family behind the scenes.

His loyalty was unquestionable, except that occasionally he would see a fluttering look on his face, and Ryunosuke never knew exactly what he was thinking.

It was only the urgent notification just now that made him change his tone and expression.

Anyway, Ryunosuke rushed to Saikiko’s study first.

“I’m Ryunosuke, and I’m back.”

“¡¡Come in!”

With the same authoritative voice as usual, Ryunosuke entered the study.

Saikiko Kujo sat facing Ryunosuke at the desk she loved to use.

If we were to estimate the age of her daughter, Gaho, Saikiko would probably be around thirty-five, but she didn’t look that old at all, and standing together with Gaho, they looked like sisters with a big age difference.

(As when I first met her… the teacher’s eyes were still so stern, so intimidating, but with a touch of gentleness in them.)

Ryunosuke remembered this because there was something different about Saikiko’s eyes now, as if some sort of determination was hidden in her pupils behind her glasses.

“…another job to bother you with.”

“Is it collecting information… I see.”

“But this time is different, for you this job also doubles as a test for you, so be prepared.”

When he heard the term “test”, Ryunosuke was a bit confused.

“What happened to the so-called experiment?”

“Over the past year, I have observed you at work, and your ability to understand various things, your ability to compile information, your ability to maintain a certain distance between interviewing and being interviewed, and your calm judgment…etc., etc., etc., etc., etc., etc., etc., etc., etc., etc., etc., etc., etc., etc., etc., all show that you have the ability to be an excellent writer.”

“No, Sensei, you flatter me too much…”

“You don’t have to be modest, to become a writer talent is still important, so…”

Saikiko paused for a moment, a moment that was a long wait for Ryunosuke.

“┅┅This time, regarding the theme I proposed, you will choose the information needed in the interview, and the entire structure of the work will be decided by you.”

This meant that Ryunosuke would be left alone to complete a work, and this order from Saikiko really startled Ryunosuke.

“┅You mean I’m alone?”

Saikiko continued again.

“The subject of the interview is the ‘Flower, Bird, Wind and Moon Dance Troupe’. I’ve already contacted Lightstar Publishing, and ostensibly you’ll go to the interview in the name of the editor of Lightstar Publishing, in two weeks…”

“Please wait, Teacher, if you say that all of a sudden, I…”

“If you are not willing to accept this test… Ryunosuke, you can leave this place right now, I don’t accept cowardly disciples here, and also if you don’t pass this test, the result will be the same.”

Hayako said firmly.

(Though the teacher was usually very strong, she was… particularly forceful today.) Despite what he thought, he didn’t dare to go against his teacher’s wishes.

“… I know.”

“Very well. There are a few things to keep in mind as you head to the ‘Birds and Flowers’.”

“What is it…?”

“First of all, the surname ‘Kujo’ is not to be mentioned at ‘Hanabishi’.”

To this day, whenever an interview comes up, there are times when Ryunosuke hides the last name of the Kujo family in order to avoid trouble.

But this time it was by Saikiko who specifically reminded him of that, something Ryunosuke found a little strange.

“It was requested on the part of Lightstar Publishing.”

Saikiko, sensing Ryunosuke’s doubts, answered him thus. However, Ryunosuke still had some questions.

“And… the other problem is Goho.”

“You mean Missy?”

“If she knew you were going to interview at the ‘Birds and Flowers’, she would have asked you to take her with you.”

Ryunosuke remembered that excited look on Goho’s face just now when she was holding the flyer for ‘Flower Bird Wind and Moon’.

“Ah, that is indeed a possibility.”

“That’s why this must never be brought to her attention.”

“I see.”

“You can go back and talk to Chief Okazaki about the costs and details, you can go down now.”

“Um… Teacher you haven’t told me what the theme is this time?”

“By the way, the most important thing I forgot instead, the theme this time is…”

Saikiko closed her eyes as if she remembered something.

“The title is ‘The Empty Cicada’… I’ll leave it to you to explain.”

※

“It’s too sudden… ‘Empty Cicada’…”

Ryunosuke lay on his bed after returning to his room thinking about the topic.

（”Is the cicada shedding its shell… metamorphosis…)

(Or this world… this world…)

(The third post of ‘The Tale of Genji’… The woman who promised her life to Genji, but who avoided him because she was not worthy of him…)

Ryunosuke kept thinking about this title Saikiko had given him, its implications, how he was going to break it, and so on.

(Interview with… ‘Flower, Bird, Wind and Moon’.)

What a coincidence that everything he touched and heard today was related to ‘flowers, birds, wind and moon’.

It was a troupe of young girls that had become very popular in recent years in the Imperial City.

That was all Ryunosuke knew.

“Just like Asakusa Opera and Shingo Stage Theater… both are popular trends today.”

Ryunosuke stopped his thoughts as he sat up to face the table.

He had to travel to ‘Flower Bird Wind and Moon’ in three days, and there were still a lot of things waiting for him to do before then.

(The data collected from the last job will be compiled tomorrow… and also about the ‘Birds, Flowers and Moon’)

I had to find out some basic information first. Then…)

Thinking about what Saikiko said, that if I don’t pass the test I have to leave this place, and being in this room for over a year, Ryuunosuke felt a great deal of emotion.

Suddenly a certain light appeared in Ryunosuke’s mind.

At that time, Ryunosuke was cleaning the courtyard, while Goho muttered incessantly, and Saikiko sat gracefully watching Goho. It was some pleasant afternoon time spent at the Kujo house.

Ryunosuke shook his head and came back to reality.

It had been a very full year for him indeed. But he mentally realized that he couldn’t stay here forever, and besides, he didn’t aspire to be a good writer, he was an unworthy disciple to Saikiko, and the only thing that was on Ryunosuke’s mind was to repay Saikiko for her kindness to him.

(Yes… that was when I first met your teacher…)

Ryunosuke was born the eldest son of a rice store wholesaler in a remote village. His father’s business expanded as a result of the Meiji boom and his successful investment in the sake industry.

His father’s investment is not only limited to business investment, for his successor Ryunosuke is also painstaking to cultivate, in addition to letting him go to a good school, but also to hire a tutor at home for his lessons, Ryunosuke in order to live up to his father’s expectations, but also a desperate effort to study hard.

But with the wealth of knowledge he had learned, Ryunosuke began to take an interest in what he called ‘thought’.

The ‘Minben-ism’ that circulated among intellectuals in those days put distance between Ryunosuke and his profit-oriented father.

Finally at last he ran away from home a few days before his joint university exams. The destination was the imperial capital Tokyo.

Suddenly leaving his family without all financial backing, Ryunosuke, like so many others who come from elsewhere, steps into crime.

Ironically, because of the good education he received as a child, it made him show up in the underworld faster than others.

However, the sharpness of the results also made a lot of enemies for him. So he was betrayed by his own companions and hunted down by his enemies to the point of desperation.

The person who rescued him was none other than Sakiko Kujo. She and Okazaki were on their way to an interview at the time and found Ryunosuke in some alley.

“Y… young man, I’ll buy your life.”

Saikiko said this to Ryunosuke who was covered in blood in the dark alley.

That was the first meeting between the two of them…

※

While Ryunosuke was thinking back on the events of the past, in the study of the Kujo family, Hayako stood by the door of the study gazing at the moon, while Chief Okazaki stood silently behind her the entire time.

The two stood for about almost an hour, not talking, just quietly enjoying the moonlight….

Saikiko’s eyes moved from the moon to the outside of her room, she looked to see that the light in Ryunosuke’s house was still on, and then she looked to see that the light in Goho’s room was already out, and wondered if she had fallen asleep yet.

Okazaki spoke up this time.

“・・・ Ms. Sakiko, is this really okay?”

“There’s no way around it, I have to do it.”

“Couldn’t you be made to change your mind?”

“Eh, sorry for the trouble, Okazaki.”

“Since you’ve decided so, I won’t say anything more, I know what to do.”

Okazaki saluted and then left the study.

After a while, Hayako sighed languidly.

“Husband…”

Only the moon in the sky heard her sigh…

Act I Longing

Some distance away from the Imperial Capital, in the mountains, Ryunosuke was running on the mountain road.

“Ha, ha… I didn’t realize that Chief Okazaki must be waiting impatiently inside such a deep mountain.”

Ryunosuke paused to adjust his breathing, and in the process looked around the area, the chirping of insects and birds could be heard in the thick woods.

“The scenery here is beautiful, but it’s also a little too remote… but being away from the city might be the right place for them to do their training.”

Ryunosuke was organizing in his mind the information that he had previously obtained from the Light Star Publishing House, about Hanabi Kazuki.

(Flower, Bird, Wind and Moon was established by gathering multi-talented girls to give the citizens a dream.) (It’s been fifteen years since it was founded.)

(Starting with local tours and working their way up from humble beginnings, they are planning to build a dedicated Amagata Theater in Asakusa, the Imperial City, next year.)

(Working capital is provided by most of the entrepreneurs, supplying all the members of the group with food, clothing, shelter, and so on.) What concerned Ryunosuke was the last item about the funders. Recently, a few theater groups similar to Hanabi Kazuki had appeared in the Teito area, and scandals about Hanabi Kazuki were spreading.

(Young women are recruited because of the desire of the funders. Not only that, but there are also instances of young women being sent to the mainland to be comfort women for the military if they can’t perform well enough to get on stage in a theater troupe.) Ryunosuke had once been a gangster, so he knew the dark side of society, and he didn’t think it was just a rumor.

“Underneath the glamorous exterior, how much unknown darkness…”

Ryunosuke had at least studied interviews under Saikiko for almost a year, so he had learned to use his own thoughts to determine right from wrong and truth from among the information he had gotten from rumors.

“… I have to hurry up and get going.”

Ryunosuke ran down the mountain road again.

“You’re late, Ryunosuke!”

“Huh?”

At the entrance of the Hanabishi Kazuki Theater Company, two people were waiting for Ryunosuke.

One was Chief Okazaki, now Mr. Yamazaki, Ryunosuke’s boss at Lightstar Publishing, whose purpose was to come here every three days to hear Ryunosuke’s reports instead of Saikiko. This was planned by everyone beforehand, but the other person was….

“Heh heh heh heh… followed by me, I guess.”

Goho smiled smugly from the sidelines.

Listening to Okazaki’s explanation, Goho had overheard something about this plan in Saikiko’s study, so this morning she packed up what she needed and started her usual youkai.

“┅That means that Onii-chan used that ‘I’ll run away from home if you don’t let me go’ trick again, and as usual, Kujo-sensei couldn’t do anything about it and had to agree to it…”

“Yes, that’s right.”

Unlike Okazaki’s calm reply, Ryunosuke couldn’t help but sigh.

“You’re too naive to leave me behind, Ryunosuke. I’m looking forward to seeing the Bright Temple Pile later!”

Ryunosuke ignored Gaho’s excitement as he and Okazaki began to discuss what was to come.

“You’ll be called ‘Asakura Goho’ from now on, Onii-chan, got it?”

“I see! So Ryunosuke you can’t call me ‘Onii-chan’ anymore either, you have to call me Goho, remember that yo!”

“Indeed.”

Compared to Gaho’s innocent look, Ryunosuke’s inner feelings were much more complicated.

“Well, it’s almost time for us to go in, Izumo-kun and Asakura-kun!”

Okazaki urged, and Ryunosuke immediately followed.

However, Goho was still filled with thoughts about the Bright Temple Stake, and stood and launched himself to the side.

“Asakura-kun, you’re coming in with us…”

“Huh? … ah, right! I’m ‘Asakura’, Si, I can’t react at once, you guys should help me with a cuter name!”

This time, besides Ryunosuke, even Okazaki couldn’t help but let out a long sigh.

※

“Woohoo… it’s great!”

Song Spike couldn’t help but cheer as he entered within the halls of Hanabi Kazeki. Ryunosuke didn’t make a sound, but he and Goho shared the same feeling.

In order to make a good impression on those who come to visit, the building, which covers a vast area and has a Western shape, can only be described as extremely luxurious and extravagant.

As if she had seen something she had dreamed of, Goho was on the verge of dancing around happily, and Ryunosuke was trying to pull her back into the real world.

“Who are you guys? What are you doing here?”

Voices of reproach resounded in the hall.

Ryunosuke looked back, only to see a young woman standing there, unsure of how to describe her beauty, her rare beauty and aura giving off a radiantly bright impression, her blonde hair braided into a spiral to make it even more impressive.

“Ms. Komyoji…”

Without Goho having to say anything, Ryunosuke knew that she was the Hanabishi Kazekage’s leading flower girl, ‘Bright Temple Pile’, and he stepped forward.

“Especially you! Men are not allowed in here except by special permission!”

“Ah, no, I’m…”

Ryunosuke could hardly explain it.

That was because of the clothes Bright Temple Pile was wearing. It was like a bathing suit that emphasized the curves of her body, with her slender thighs exposed without any concealment, and only a skirt-like fabric around her waist.

Plump breasts, a tall figure rarely seen among Japanese, and her tough attitude all pressed Ryunosuke to the point where he could hardly breathe.

“¡Ó Are you guys from Lightstar Publishing?”

This voice coming from down the hallway was like a savior to Ryunosuke.

The owner of that voice was a woman in a kimono, standing there with an elegant smile.

“Ms. Naomi… they are…”

“As I mentioned to you the day before yesterday, they’re the publisher’s people who came to interview them, and stake you to help them out, too, you know?”

Chief Okazaki greeted her as Ryunosuke stepped aside to re-examine this ‘Nami-sensei’.

(This woman is ‘ Shaku Nanami’, the deputy head of Hanabi Kazuki and stage supervisor…) She is about thirty-five years old, and like Kujo-sensei, neither of them can tell that she is already that old. (But I always felt that her expression was a bit melancholy, but it exuded her charm even more…) The voice of Bright Temple Pile interrupted Ryunosuke’s thoughts.

“Why didn’t you say so earlier if it was from the publisher?”

“I’m sorry, my name is Izumo Ryunosuke, so please be kind!”

The Bright Temple Pile’s attitude changed one hundred and eighty degrees and became amiable, and Ryunosuke analyzed in his heart, ‘What a way to live up to the title’, but on the sidelines, Goho was on the verge of screaming out in joy at the sight of her adored idol.

“Ms. Koumyakuji is really beautiful…!”

Ryunosuke was afraid that Goho might accidentally slip up, so he hurriedly introduced Goho.

“Let me introduce you, she’s my assistant, Asakura Goho.”

“Well, a beautiful man and a lovely girl like you are more than welcome for an interview. See you later then.”

With that said Bright Temple Pile left.

(Even though her attitude in response has changed, her seductive feeling is the same. Was this a habit of hers as a leading lady? Or…)

Ryunosuke began his interview ‘work’.

※

Naomi led them inside the chief’s room.

Compared to the hall just now, this is just a little more ordinary Western-style study.

The chief of the regiment who greeted them at the house  was Naoya Shaku, dressed in Western style with a neckerchief, and looking as if he had just returned from Europe.

However, his attitude and demeanor towards people was very polite and courteous, which was the first impression he gave Ryunosuke.

“You are free to visit during your interview.”

“The dormitories of the corps are off limits to male guests.”

“Except for the data room, you need to be accompanied by the  ruler leader and Nami before you can go inside the house.”

Ryuunosuke listened to the precautions requested by the  ruler chief while pondering in his mind.

( Shaku Naoya… the leader of ‘Flower, Bird, Wind and Moon’, thirty-eight years old… studied in Europe and studied fashion design… He can be considered a genius type of person in terms of his skill and sensibility in Western design… People who are artists like this should be difficult to get along with, or maybe these are just other people’s prejudices. (Or maybe the way he looks today has been just a social move since the beginning?)

“Above that, do you have any kind of questions?”

Waiting for the headmaster to finish his explanation, Ryunosuke opened his mouth and asked.

“By the way, the dress that Ms. Koumyakuji was wearing just now, is that the costume for your next performance?”

After a moment, Naomi answered his question.

“┅No, that’s just the costumes the group members wear when they practice dancing.”

“Isn’t that a little too exciting for Ryunosuke.”

“Ah, it’s just that even I’m embarrassed to look at it.”

Goho blushed and elbowed Ryunosuke.

“Really, are you looking at people with those colored eyes, shame on you for having a senior like you.”

“The little girl has said so…”

The regimental commander laughed bitterly from the sidelines.

“Mr. Ryunosuke, the last precautions handed out to you, please be sure to follow them to the letter.”

“What is it?”

“‘You are prohibited from pursuing the girls of this troupe or engaging in any harassing behavior towards them.’ Please don’t ever forget that!”

Goho pushed against Ryunosuke’s elbow again, harder than earlier.

※

After the meeting, just as Ryunosuke and his group were about to leave, Nami suddenly called out to Goho.

“┅Your name is Goho, you’re going to be here for a while anyway, would you like to join the group for a lesson?”

This sudden suggestion left both Ryunosuke and Okazaki dumbfounded. Although the ground wanted to politely decline, it seemed as if both Nami and the headmaster had the intention, and on top of that, the person in question himself was more than eager to give it a try.

“Can I really take classes with Ms. Koumyakuji?”

“It’s rare that such a beautiful young lady comes to us for an interview, and I’ve just taken a look at you, so you should be full of dancing as well.”

“As the head of the group, I would also like to see more talented women join our line.”

Since Nami and the headmaster had already said so, there was no way Ryunosuke could refuse them.

And…

(Instead of letting Missy tag along and get in the way, she could get along with the rest of the troupe and maybe get some information from them.)

Ryunosuke was playing with his mind.

“First I’ll help you get ready for the dance, Goho hates me for it!”

“Yes, Nami-sensei, please!”

After the two leave, Okazaki and Ryunosuke walk out of the room as well. The two walk out the front door to discuss some issues.

“I’ll be here in two days for your report.”

“Yamazaki… ah, no, Mr. Okazaki, is it a good idea to do this for Onii-chan? I don’t know how the teacher would react if he knew…”

“Well…”

Okazaki ended up still not answering him.

“… It can’t be helped… It’s fate, isn’t it?”

The words Okazaki left behind before he left had a wonderfully suggestive ring to Ryunosuke’s ears.

※

Anyway, Ryunosuke decided to take a tour of the surroundings first, and he folded back into the hall.

“Where to visit next… Naruwa!”

Around the corner of the hallway, Ryunosuke bumped into no one in particular.

“It hurts… ah… I’m sorry I’m in a hurry so… eh? Who are you?”

A girl, still young, stared at Ryunosuke with cooing eyes, her bright lemon colored dress fitting her outfit perfectly.

“Are you all right? … ah, my name is Izumo Ryunosuke, a reporter who is going to be here for two weeks from today, so please be kind.”

The young girl still continued to stare at Ryunosuke.

“If you doubt my identity, you can just ask the  ruler leader and Naomi-sensei…”

“I’m sorry, it’s not that I don’t trust you, it’s just that the people who come here for interviews are usually much older than you, and besides, they’re not as handsome as you… ah, what am I talking about…”

“You mean I don’t look like a journalist Lo?”

“No! I didn’t mean, uh…”

“I’m sorry, I’m just kidding you, I should even be thanking you for complimenting me like that.”

Looking at the smiling Ryunosuke, the young girl’s cheeks turned redder.

“By the way, I haven’t asked your name yet?”

“Ah, hello, my name is Kumori Kustoma!”

“Though we’ve only just met, may I call you Kratom? Would that be too presumptuous?”

“It won’t, so can I call you Ryunosuke too?”

“Of course… By the way, what is it that you’re in such a hurry to do?”

“Aaaah! Oh no! Nami-sensei’s still waiting for me in the tailor’s room, and I’ve got some work to do, so I’ll be off, bye Ryunosuke-san!”

Kustoma moved quickly to leave, and Ryunosuke then called out to her.

“By the way, I forgot to tell you, that dress you’re wearing suits you really, really well!”

“Ah… thank you…”

Kustoma departed from Ryunosuke’s presence again more sheepishly.

Ryunosuke was thinking as he watched her back.

(Kagome… is still like a little girl… a lovely girl… although I often have to say flattering things when I need to be interviewed, which is something I’ve practiced over the past year.) Anyway, it’s not like I haven’t done this before.)

Ryunosuke then moved on to visit other places.

※

“Is this… a place to practice singing?”

Ryunosuke opens the door and looks inside, where a piano sits with what looks like a book of sheet music on top of it.

“Is… is that Chloe?”

Suddenly a girl’s voice came from behind and Ryunosuke looked back.

There was a short-haired girl in a date-red dress standing in the doorway, staring blankly at Ryunosuke.

Ah, I’m sorry, are you going to use the room?”

The young girl did not answer his question, but only whispered under her breath.

“It… shouldn’t be possible…”

The young girl then fled from Ryunosuke’s presence.

“Wait a minute! I’m not a bad person…!”

The young girl didn’t listen to Ryunosuke’s explanation and turned her head away.

The identity of that enigmatic young girl, Ryunosuke then asked Nami-sensei about it when he met her at the practice field.

“Qiao…?”

“Yes, she was wearing a kimono… I think she was one of the members of the group, that’s what she called me.”

“┅ is Jubilee.”

“Jubilee? … ah, so her name is Jubilee.”

“Yes, she’s a member of our group, did she really call you that?”

Seeing Nami’s face with a difficult look, it was as if Ryunosuke had come across something she didn’t want others to know.

“Did she mistake me for someone else?”

“Excuse me, I think Jubilee’s business, please don’t interview her.”

Just as Ryunosuke was about to ask ‘why’, Nami preemptively said.

“Please don’t ask me for reasons, I’m sorry.”

“Where, there’s plenty of distinguished girls to visit here anyway.”

Ryunosuke answered her politely.

“┅Nami-sensei, who is that man?”

After the dance, a young girl came down from the stage and asked Naomi.

“He’s a reporter sent by Lightstar Publishing to cover the story.”

“Hello, my name is Izumo Ryunosuke.”

“I am Aso… Kazamika.”

Kazamika nodded gently, her hair tied back swaying with her, and Ryunosuke caught a glimpse of her snow-white collarbone. Since she was also wearing a tight practice dance outfit, this in turn made Ryuunosuke’s heart beat faster.

But with a short eye contact with her, Ryunosuke could feel her teasing atmosphere, radiating a natural sense of majesty, and Ryunosuke could sense that she should be one of the strongest in Hanabi Furyu as well.

Nami’s voice relieved Ryunosuke who was about to be overwhelmed by Kazamika’s aura.

“Kazamika, you help Ryunosuke-san too!”

“Yes…”

“Trouble you, Ms. Kazamika!”

“Huh? Shouldn’t I be the one to start the interview?”

“Huh?”

The leading flower girl-Koumyakuji Pile suddenly appeared here.

There were some other members of the regiment following around.

“The Temple of Light…”

Ryunosuke looked at Kazamika’s reaction and could see that an invisible rivalry existed between the two.

“Your interview with Kazamika is not going to be of interest to readers.”

“What did you say, Temple of Light!”

“I’m telling you the truth, if you’re going to interview her, you’ll just create trouble for her.”

“You…!”

“Kazamika, Mitsuji you two stop arguing!”

Nami’s words temporarily suppressed the touching smell of gunpowder. But looking at the reluctant Kazamika, who was biting her lips tightly, and Bright Temple, who was standing on the sidelines with a smug smile, it was obvious who was stronger.

“Mr. Ryunosuke, if you want to interview me, just say so, I’m always available.”

“Ah, please… It’s just that I don’t know if this report will be centered on you, and I can’t decide who the main character to be interviewed will be.”

Ryunosuke’s words, some provocative meaning in, he is not sympathetic to the wind Mika and help her out, just for people like the bright temple pile of self-importance, rather than clumsy flattery, it is better to use some means in order to restrain her.

“Hmph, you’re a funny one oooh!”

The Temple of Light left after that.

“Kazamika if you’re not convinced then go up against her on strength in performance.”

Hearing Nami’s words, Kazamika also went back to practicing her dance once again.

(‘Although ‘Flower Bird Wind and Moon’ is full of girls, and they should all be on good terms with each other, but even Ms. Naomi deliberately stirs up their sense of competition… Missy, is it really good to stay in this kind of environment…?) While worrying about this, Ryunosuke remembered what Brighton Temple had just said, that if he interviewed Kazamika, it would only add to her troubles.

※

Night.

Ryunosuke went back to the room that had been prepared for him, he laid down on the bed and couldn’t sleep anyhow, even though he wouldn’t have a problem recognizing the bed, he just couldn’t stay asleep.

All he could think about was his walk to the tailor’s office after the practice field.

“… Ryunosuke, does it look good?”

Standing behind Kustoma, Goho stepped forward shyly wearing the same dance outfit as the troupe members.

“Ah! … ah, you…”

“Of course it looks good, Goho!”

Ryunosuke felt the same way as Kustoma, this was the first time he had seen Goho’s feminine side, and the first time he had seen her embarrassed.

“Do you think… it suits me?”

“Ah… it’s beautiful, Goho!”

“Hoo hoo, great, Goho!”

“Oh, Kratie, don’t laugh at me… but I’m happy myself.”

“┅┅Truly worthy of the design of the  foot chief, just one piece of clothing can make such a big difference!”

Ryunosuke knew that his cheeks were gradually turning red, and he deliberately said that to muddle through his nervousness…

※

Ryunosuke tossed and turned in his bed.

(At that time, it was natural to call out Onii-chan’s name…)

Gaho, the only daughter of her mentor Kujo Sakiko…

The ‘Goho’ who was always so energetic and lively like a wild girl… and the ‘Goho’ who was different today…

Ryunosuke’s mind was filled with all sorts of different faces of Goho, and without realizing it, he fell asleep.

※

The morning after the interview.

“HUH AH AH…”

Ryunosuke was a little sleep deprived and opened the window in order to clear his mind.

The room he slept in was at the far end of the room, so he had a clear view of the atrium.

“By the way, I haven’t seen the courtyard here…”

Ryunosuke quickly changed and took the time before breakfast to walk around the atrium.

The flowers in the flowerbed sway in the wind from the mountains. The garden was probably built by foreign craftsmen, and in the center of the garden there was a fountain, one of the few in Japan. He washed his face with water from the fountain, and the cool breeze was soothing.

Ryunosuke sat on a bench and looked out over the mountains to the lake and mountains.

(This place is just like the ‘Garden of Eden’ depicted in the Last Holy Book… Ah, I’m fantasizing again… If Kujo-sensei finds out about this, I’m sure she’ll scold me again…) Ryunosuke sat there leisurely thinking about things.

”It must have taken a large amount of money to build out a garden like this.”

(I’m sure I can find something if I visit the data room, but it’s not like I can trespass in that place) If  Chief Shaku or Ms. Nami were with me, I’d never be able to find any valid information… What should I do…)

“¡¡Ah, Ryunosuke! Good morning!”

The person who greeted me with such spirit so early in the morning was none other than Kustoma.

“Good morning, Rustom!”

“Did you… did you sleep well last night?”

“Although I slept in the guest room, but the inside is very grand, let me rather a little uncomfortable, like me this kind of rough man or sleep plank bed is more suitable for me.”

“It’s like this… that…”

Rustom had something to say, but was being coy.

“By the way, your clothes today are different from yesterday’s ooh.”

“Yeah, yeah!”

“What’s up with you being so loud all of a sudden?”

“… Actually, I made all of yesterday’s and today’s costumes myself…”

“Kustoma you make your own clothes, that’s amazing!”

“I’m really happy to hear you praise me like that, Ryunosuke… I, I, ouch, what the hell am I saying… I’m sorry!”

Rustom walked off with a blush on her face.

Ryunosuke looked at her back and was mentally about to say ‘how cute’ when a voice suddenly came and poured cold water on him.

“‘Don’t pursue the members of the group here, much less harass them’ have you forgotten that? Ryunosuke!”

Koho was standing behind Ryunosuke, and it looked as if she had overheard their conversation earlier.

“Missy, I didn’t mean that…”

“And call me ‘Onii-chan’, I’m ‘Goho’, ‘Goho’! Really seeing a girl makes you forget what you came here for?”

“How could I!”

“It seems… it’s only up to me to work hard.”

“What are you going to work on?”

“From today I’m going to start practicing as a full-fledged member of the group, and I’m going to try to be a leading actress like Bright Temple Pile, and then I’m going to give my mom a surprise!”

Now, I don’t know who really forgot the purpose of the trip.

“You’re going to get me yelled at by my teacher for doing this.”

“… Ryunosuke, in your mind you’re always only thinking about my mother’s delivery, so forget it, I won’t talk to you.”

Goho turned and walked away at a brisk pace, and Ryunosuke couldn’t help but sigh again.

※

Ryunosuke’s fears came true.

When he came to the practice field to see Goho, Nami-sensei made a remark from the sidelines.

“┅This child is very talented.”

“Huh? You mean…”

“Goho.”

Though she was a little inflexible, it was impossible to tell that she had just been introduced to this dance thing for the first time today.

“It’s unlikely to be as great as Pile or Kazamika and the others, but she has the strength to catch up with the rest of the troupe very quickly.”

Hearing what Naomi had said about the ‘other members of the group’, Ryunosuke couldn’t help but think of the young girl who was beside Goho.

“Kratie… as well?”

“Yes… that child is talented in costumes, but to stand on stage is another story.”

Ryunosuke couldn’t help but feel upset when Naomi told him the truth.

“But she worked so hard…”

“I also like Kustoma very much, she’s gentle, heartfelt and nice… but this is the ‘Wind Bird, Flower and Moon’ and you can’t get on stage without some talent.”

“Talent…?”

“Kustoma will soon find out if she has such talent, especially after she sees Goho’s performance…”

Naomi began to teach the group the dance steps. Her stern look was a far cry from the way she looked when he first met her. Ryunosuke was worried about Kratom, and when he met with the  ruler leader afterward, he asked again on purpose.

“You mean Kustoma?… It’s true that, as Naomi said, she doesn’t excel in dancing or singing, but for the sake of the entire ‘Wind Bird, Flower, and Moon’ group, her talent for costuming is still very useful. If possible, I’d like her to give up her position as a member of the troupe and become my assistant instead.”

The  ruler leader and Naomi have roughly the same opinion, the difference being that the  ruler leader’s starting point is more realistic.

At lunch, Ryunosuke walked into the cafeteria and watched as the two, Goho and Kustoma, happily ate together talking and laughing.

(Will these two girls become hurtful to each other the more affectionate they become?) Ryunosuke couldn’t bear to watch any longer as he turned back and left the cafeteria.

(It’s realistic for a ticketed theater company like this to need talented performers in order to attract audiences, so I understand what Ms. Naomi or the director said. But…) After leaving the cafeteria, Ryunosuke went for a walk in the atrium.

(By the way, the look in those two people’s eyes when they were talking about this, I think I’ve seen it somewhere before… It was… very similar to the look in Mr. Kujo’s eyes before he buried himself in his desk.) So that’s how you look when you’re concentrating on something.)

Even though she tries her best, she can’t perform on the stage because she lacks a young talent, so she can’t perform on the stage.

If you don’t pass this ‘test’ you’ll have to leave the Kujo family for yourself.

‘It’s probably because I projected myself onto Kustoma that I’m so troubled for her’, Ryunosuke mused.

At that moment in the corner of the atrium, a strange noise suddenly came.

“Eh? …who is it where?”

Driven by curiosity, Ryunosuke tiptoed carefully in the direction of the noise.

“Aaah… ahoo…”

“Uh-huh, uh-huh…”

It was clearly the sound of a woman’s gasp, which made Ryuunosuke swallow. After determining that someone was there he approached even further forward, only to have an unbelievable scene of light suddenly unfold in front of him.

“That’s it, Yoko… you’ve gotten better, ahm…”

“Uh… ah hoo, thank you for the compliment, Pile Sister… mmmmmmm.”

Bright Pile, the leading girl, was leaning on a tree trunk and boldly lifted her skirt. With nothing on the lower half of her body, her secret place was in full view, and a girl, presumably a member of the troupe, was tonguing Pile there.

“Haaaaaa… Yes, there, from there, from the bottom up, ahoo…”

“Uh-huh… Is that so, Pile Sister?”

“Uh-huh! That’s good, and then sucking… sucking hard, ah ah ah!”

“It’s… so good… Sister Pile’s… so good…”

“Ah… I can’t… I can’t help it… Aha…”

The sight of a lesbian having sex for the first time mesmerized Ryunosuke, and the fact that it was in the middle of the day, and outdoors, added to the lascivious atmosphere.

“Uh-huh, Pile, I’m about to…”

“No stopping, didn’t I just say that!”

“Ah, I’m sorry, Pile Sister… mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm”

“Ah-ming, ah-ah-ah, the inside of my body is getting hot, ah-ah-ah…”

“I’m so happy that Pile Sister is getting wetter and wetter there.”

“Tongue… tongue a little further in… haaaaahhhh…”

Ryunosuke was still a small distance away from them, but he could still see the love juices running down Pile’s thighs and the saliva spilling from the mouth of the one called Yoriko.

Hearing the sound of Yoriko’s tongue again, and the petulant voice of Pile reveling in his pleasure, the blood in Ryunosuke’s lower body concentrated rapidly.

“Pile Sister’s place is already wet, it smells so good…”

“Hahahahaha… Doesn’t Yoruko’s body smell like that too?”

“Yes… ah… Uh, ah, it’s… it’s so hot there…”

“In that case, Yao-chan will put her own finger inside…”

Teleko followed what Pile said and reached into her private place with her fingers. Ryunosuke couldn’t see it clearly because it was covered by Yoriko’s dress, and when the dress eventually got wet, Ryunosuke got a peek inside.

“Ah… I’m so wet too… I hate it… Aaahhhh!”

“How’s that? Hot and wet feels kinky, doesn’t it?”

“Yes… ah… mmmm, it’s so comfortable! Uh-huh…”

“Woo hoo hoo, enjoy!”

“Ah, Pile Sister I’m a slutty girl, please be more loving!”

“Yes you can, as long as your tongue licking makes me feel better, hurry up!”

Yao Zi followed her orders and increased her speed, because it was so comfortable, Pile himself couldn’t help but unbutton his body, revealing his plump breasts, his nipples were already hard because of his over-excitement, and Pile’s hands rubbed his own breasts fiercely.

“┅Yes, that’s it… That’s great… Yao-chan’s tongue is making me feel so good… Again…”

“Uh-huh… Pile Sister I…”

“No! To climax together, Yao-chan’s tongue goes further inside…”

Ryunosuke slowly stepped backward so that he wouldn’t lose his sanity.

At that moment, he only saw the pile, which was almost reaching the top, looking towards him with a smile on its face.

※

(….. Because of the gift and talent, the pile can do what it wants in the flowers and birds and the moon ….. whereas Kustoma, because she didn’t have the talent, she could barely stay…) It was easy to understand. But Ryunosuke’s mind still couldn’t let go of it.

Tomorrow night Okazaki would come in place of Saikiko to hear the report, and after dinner Ryunosuke went back to his room and lay down on his bed to continue his thoughts.

“What can I do for Kustoma to help her?”

Although Ryunosuke had a surplus of heart, the real world was so cruel that sometimes people were forced to compromise with it.

“¿… hmm?”

I don’t know where the noisy voices are coming from, it’s already so late, and the members of the group have returned to the dormitory to rest, so it shouldn’t be them.

Ryunosuke slipped out of his room to find out what was going on, and found that in the middle of the hall  ft headmaster was entertaining a group of men he didn’t recognize.

Ryunosuke carefully hid himself from detection.

(┅・・Why is the director bowing so much? Those men look like rich, wealthy men… Are they the entrepreneurs who fund this troupe?)

“I’ve kept you all waiting, I’m ready in the basement of the practice field, this way…”

Ryuunosuke heard the chief’s words about the basement of the practice field. He immediately went around to the basement first to check it out.

※

Pop! Snap! Pop!

From the practice field, where the lights had been turned off, came the sound of trampling on the floor.

“Ugh, no, in that case… do it again!”

Inside was none other than Kustoma, who was taking advantage of everyone’s absence to intensify her practice.

While sweating, no matter how many times she failed, Rustom continued to start over.

Jump up, turn around, turn around, roll to the ground, get up…

Ryunosuke saw her repeating these actions over and over again and felt shameful at the idea that he was sympathizing with Kratom.

(Presumably she herself knows her position in the ‘Birds and Flowers’, yet she still practices so hard and desperately… It’s only been a short time since I first met her, and I wondered if I might be able to help her, but it turns out that she herself is such a forceful fighter, which is something that makes Ryuunosuke feel ashamed of himself.)

Ryunosuke thought that those people would pass by here later, and he hurriedly called out to Kustoma.

“Whew, that’s enough practicing for tonight.”

“Hard work, Rustom.”

Kustoma was suddenly startled.

“Ahhhhh! …you, ah! It’s Ryunosuke!”

“I’m sorry for scaring you with my sudden outburst!”

“Really, since when have you been standing there? It’s so embarrassing!”

“No, I heard a noise in here, so I came over to check it out.”

“Ah, I’ve been very careful and tried not to make any noise, but as a result…”

The two of them were in the same dark room, and this situation was quite special. Ryunosuke suddenly stopped talking.

Finally, it was Kustoma who broke the silence.

“Ryunosuke… what do you think ‘femininity’ is?”

“‘Feminine’? Did… did Naomi tell you that you’re not feminine?”

As if Kustoma had been spoken to by Ryunosuke, she looked down at her breasts then sighed.

“… I’m not like Pile, I don’t have breasts, I’m not pretty…”

“But I don’t think femininity means these things…”

“And what is it? I don’t understand, can you tell me.”

“Um, Kustoma you’re a girl, right?”

“Yeah.”

“The reason I say unfeminine is in terms of not being self-conscious enough about being a woman, as long as you’re a little more self-conscious about yourself.”

“Self-confidence…?”

“Kustoma you have a special talent for costumes, I heard that you hand-sewed the costume that Pile was wearing in the last public performance, right? That means that your talent in costumes can already be called number one.”

Hearing Ryunosuke say that, Kustoma suddenly became excited.

“Are you saying that I should be satisfied as long as the clothes I make make make it to the stage? … but, I want to dance on stage in beautiful clothes, I want to dance!”

Tears floated in Kustom’s eyes.

Ryunosuke laughed bitterly at the sight.

“That’s not what I meant. Because you have a talent for costuming, how to dress to emphasize the effect of your costumes on stage… You know all these things, don’t you? So you have to utilize this talent, which no one else has, as a weapon!”

“Oh…?”

“That’s why I want you to be a little more confident in yourself, and make good use of your strengths!”

Ryunosuke said as he wiped the tears from Kustom’s face.

“… Ah, I’m sorry, I was so excited…”

“…don’t mind… I was a little loud just now, sorry.”

The two men saluted each other and both ended up laughing.

That’s when the sound of someone talking was heard from outside.

“Whoa! Oh no! Ryunosuke, run…!”

“What’s wrong?”

“The headmaster had explained that as long as the practice ended early, we were not allowed to come back here to the practice field, so we can’t be detected… Quickly, this way!”

Kustoma pulled Ryunosuke out of the practice field quickly.

Afterward, Ryunosuke and Kustoma exchanged goodnights in the atrium, but Kustoma’s last words were uttered in a way that has always haunted Ryunosuke.

“Goho’s right, Ryunosuke can be really gentle sometimes.”

‘Gentleness’… These words, they were swirling around in Ryunosuke’s mind… When did he have this trait in himself?

Interview Day Three.

Something trivial happened on this day.

But Ryunosuke wasn’t there, so the only way for things to happen was to listen to Song Spike’s narration.

The place where it happened was at the practice field. As soon as the temperamental Bright Temple Pile showed up, he started complaining about the clothes that Kustoma had sewn. Rustom just silently lowered her head and didn’t say anything, but Pile purposely stomped the clothes on the ground in front of her and said so to Rustom.

“Since you don’t have the talent, leave Flower Bird and Moon quickly and don’t waste everyone’s time here!”

After hearing that, Kustoma immediately rushed out of the practice field.

Goho finished the story in one breath, only to see Goho still looking indignant.

“… I would never have imagined that Bright Temple Pile would be that kind of person… it’s too much…”

Another thing that puzzled Goho was that Nami-sensei didn’t chastise the pile except for picking up the clothes.

“Even though Naomi-sensei told me not to worry about it… I’m still going to find Kratie!”

“Don’t be so impulsive…”

Ryunosuke had stopped Goho for a reason. Right now, at this moment in time, the comfort that Goho was giving to Kustoma would instead turn out to be a greater harm to her.

“Ryunosuke… are you also so cold?”

Ryunosuke knows Gaho’s personality, and it’s hard to change what she decides, so in the end he has to accompany her in her search for Kustoma.

Kustoma wasn’t inside the Hanabi Kazuki building, and the two of them headed up the mountain path to look for her until they reached a nearby lake.

“Kustom is not here.”

“Umm…”

By now the sun was setting in the west, and the fireflies’ firelight was reflected on the water.

“How do you know about this place, Missy?”

“It was Ms. Naomi who told me… Ryunosuke, I’m sorry!”

“Huh, why all of a sudden?”

“I know why you tried to stop me from going to Kratom just now… you don’t want the two of us to hurt each other do you?”

Ryunosuke didn’t answer. The fact that Goho said it directly made Ryunosuke not know how to react for a moment.

“Nami-sensei once said to Kustoma, ‘It’s such a simple dance, even Gaho can do it…’ I’m sure Kustoma must have felt very bad when she heard that…”

“Forget it, let’s go back first, it’s getting cold.”

Goho looked at Ryunosuke face to face.

“But… I really want to dance at the Hanabishi! I want to stay here for a few more days, because here… as long as I take dancing seriously, I’m not just the daughter of ‘Kujo Sakiko’!”

In Goho’s heart, she actually didn’t want to take on this pressure of people looking at her as if she was only the daughter of the famous female novelist ‘Kujo Sawakiko’.

“Ryunosuke, look!”

Goho began to dance in front of Ryunosuke.

The sleeves of his kimono swayed in the wind, and all around him fireflies fluttered around Goho, and when the moonlight poured down through the cracks in the clouds, it was as if fairies had descended upon the lakeside at night.

Ryunosuke was mesmerized by the sight before him.

“┅How is it, Ryunosuke?”

“…Onii-chan, that was a very good dance!”

“Not asking you that, I’m asking you how I look now.”

“Oh… very beautiful!”

“Really? …Thank you, Ryuunosuke.”

‘Simply like a fairy’ were words that Ryuunosuke could not utter. To him, this beauty was so far away that he could not touch it.

It was late at night and Ryunosuke went back to his room after sending Koho to his room. Just as he was about to turn on the light, he realized that someone was in his room.

“¿… who is it?”

There was a figure that slowly walked up to Ryunosuke, and the person could be seen in the reflection of the moonlight that spilled from the window.

“Rustom? Why are you here at this late hour? Just now we were looking for you…”

“Ryunosuke… I have something I want to ask you for…”

In the faint moonlight, Ryunosuke couldn’t quite make out Kratom’s expression, only that she was still wearing her dancing clothes, and her voice trembled as she spoke.

“¿… want my help?”

“Can you… hold me?”

“┅Wait, wait, Kustoma, are you doing this because of the ‘”not feminine enough’ thing…”

“Not really! I know it’s impossible to become feminine right away after having a man hug you. But…”

“Kratie…”

“Yesterday, Ryunosuke encouraged me like that, and I was really happy because you were the first man I fell in love with… but I still can’t do it, I can’t refute any of the things that Pile scolded me for, and I really have no self-confidence…”

All Ryuunosuke could do at this point was look at her and let her express herself to her heart’s content.

“I thought if I could get you to hold me, maybe I’d become more confident. I know, it’s a strange thought, but… but… I…”

Rustom’s body shrank together and stood motionless by the window.

(I can’t let her wait here for nothing.)

Ryunosuke thought this in his heart and suddenly felt pity for the young girl in front of him.

Ryunosuke took a step forward and embraced her slender body.

“Ah…”

“Whether you want to become confident or more feminine, the reasons don’t matter, I now… just want to hold you tight!”

“Ryunosuke…”

Ryunosuke’s lips resumed on Kustoma’s.

“I’m… so nervous… ah…”

Kustoma lay on the bed, Ryunosuke’s hand wrapped around her breasts that looked like they would break at the slightest touch. The fabric of the maiko was silky to the touch, and Ryunosuke rubbed it slowly.

“Uh-huh! Ha-hm! …it hurts, but… ah-mmm!”

The young girl echoed Ryunosuke’s movements making tantalizing sounds. The nipples, hidden under the ballgown, had hardened.

“Kratie… you’re feeling it…”

“Don’t say that… I’ll be embarrassed…”

Kustoma’s eyes looked down at Ryunosuke’s bottom. The already enlarged parting between Ryunosuke’s femurs rubbed against her thighs. The large and hot parting made Kustoma feel overwhelmed. Ryunosuke took her nipple in his mouth along with the maiko to soothe her nerves, twirling his tongue.

“Naru mmmm… what should I do… ah! No, no… there…”

Ryunosuke’s hand moved to Kustoma’s femur. Aroma was already emanating from there, and the fabric of the ball gown was changing color. Ryunosuke deliberately rubbed his fingers there and sniffed it to Kustoma.

“It smells like frangipani… It’s evidence that you have feelings, it’s a type of femininity.”

“Nasty, Ryunosuke you’re so bad!”

Kustoma covered her blushing face like an apple with her hand, and Ryunosuke found it refreshing to see her shaking her head, which increased the hardness of his detachment even more.

Ryunosuke’s caresses continued. Teeth gently biting the nipple, fingers rubbing along the private area, stimulating the already swollen stamen. The inexperienced Kustoma was overwhelmed by her body’s reaction, and as the pleasure increased, the hand covering her cheek slowly relaxed feebly.

“Aaaaahhhhhh! It’s getting wet there… It’ll stain the dance clothes…”

“You want to get your clothes off quickly and see yourself naked!”

“It’s not like that… ah!”

Ryunosuke moves skillfully to remove her dance clothes. Ryunosuke smelled the odor of her lower body and his parting became stronger again.

In order to free it, Ryunosuke quickly undressed himself, which again made Kustoma’s eyes widen.

“Is… Ryunosuke’s… man’s… that big?”

“Yeah, it’s for getting inside you.”

Kustoma tensed up at once, her body becoming stiff.

“Don’t worry, I’ll take my time.”

“…I know, my first time is in your hands.”

Ryunosuke lay on top of Kustoma just as the bed made a noise.

“Uh-huh! …”

Tears leaked from Kustom’s tightly closed eyes as she endured the pain.

“Kratie, relax… and bear with me a little longer.”

Kustoma nodded vigorously, and Ryunosuke kissed her tenderly while pushing his waist forward. Thus, his hard parting broke through a film.

“Ha-ming! Gumi oo…”

“Kustoma, now the two of us are one.”

“I know… Ryunosuke’s one… in my body…”

“Let’s leave it like this for now.”

“No, it’s okay, Ryunosuke can do whatever he wants. I’m happy to be with you, no matter how much it hurts!”

Seeing how brave Kustoma was, Ryunosuke’s love for her increased quite a bit more, and so the doppelganger inside her grew quite a bit larger.

“Ah… Ryunosuke’s one again…”

“I’m going to start moving… Kratie…”

“Uh… okay…”

Ryunosuke began to push into his loins.

“Hee! Uh-huh! Haha ahaha ah… Ryunosuke… Ryunosuke!”

Kustoma’s hand clung to Ryunosuke and wouldn’t let go, she was in pain and couldn’t help herself.

Ryunosuke tried to distract her so he kissed her collarbone while caressing her breasts and stimulating her stamen. At that moment the sound of water oozing from her secret garden resounded through the room.

“Ryunosuke, I… I…”

As Kustoma felt pleasure, she coldly scratched her fingerprints on Ryuunosuke’s back, while Ryuunosuke ground fast to his zenith.

“Kratie, Kratie, I’ve… ooh!”

“Ryunosuke! Ahhhhh! It’s so hot… Ryunosuke’s inside me…”

While Ryunosuke burst out his sperm, Kustoma didn’t climax, but she still felt the happiness of being loved in her heart.

After that, Ryunosuke borrowed one of his own clothes and sent Kustoma back to her dormitory.

After a while, Okazaki came to hear the report.

“¡ÓWhat about the idea of a theater company like ¡ÓFloral Bird and Moon¡Ó as a stage for a story about a young girl pursuing her dreams? ¡Ó”

After reporting the current situation to Okazaki, Ryuunosuke asked one his opinion in passing.

“Eh, is it a girl-oriented novel? But then it doesn’t quite fit in with the title ‘Empty Cicada’ that Saikiko-chan suggested.”

Ryuunosuke understood that as well. And the young girl he was describing was actually referring to what happened to Kustoma.

(Could it be the guilt I feel from regretting doing that to Kustoma?) After Okazaki went back, Ryunosuke was still thinking about it.

(The question is, when I meet Kustoma tomorrow, what kind of attitude should I use to face her… Never mind, we’ll talk about it when the time comes…)

Ryunosuke just had this kind of see-through panache. Moreover, he had realized that he would be responsible for Kustoma in case there was a need. If he continued to worry about this matter, it would be a bit rude to Rustom. However, there was another thing that concerned Ryunosuke, and that was the words that Rustom said when he was lying on the bed with her just now.

“I’ve heard that a portion of the troupe in ‘Birds and Flowers, Moon and Wind’ got their chance to perform on stage by spending the night with those rich sponsors.”

This is something that Ryunosuke didn’t tell Okazaki.

The rumor that Kustoma was talking about was the same as the investigation that Ryunosuke had done on ‘Hanabishi Kazamatsuri’ before coming here. But now that it was coming from an internal member of the troupe himself, the rumor had even more credibility. Ryunosuke recalled the scene he saw in the hall last night.

(I have to find out the truth quickly, or at least protect Onii-sama from such a disaster…) Soon, Ryunosuke slowly fell asleep. The scent of Kratom still lingered on the bed.

At this time in the study of the Kujo family, Okazaki was reporting to Sawako what she had heard today.

“… It’s only the third day, keep waiting for news of him!”

“Is it proper to do this about Goho-sama becoming a member of the troupe?”

“Anyway… the boy and Ryunosuke already know something, so it’s up to them to decide how they’ll react when the time comes.”

After Okazaki left, Sakiko looked at the night sky again and spoke to the moon.

“Husband… Goho is really your daughter, just like you…”

Act II Compensation for Losses

Interview Day Four.

“The real investigation is going to start today!”

Ryunosuke stepped out of his room, and the first person he ran into was, surprisingly, Kustoma.

“Good morning, Ryunosuke!”

“Rustom… ah, no, Rustom-sama, good morning!”

Ryunosuke thought about not knowing how he was going to face Kustoma, and the end result turned out to be the addition of an extra title of Miss.

That is, just like the rest of the corps, with the addition of the extra title of Miss.

Kustoma felt ridiculous instead.

“… Don’t force yourself, just call me by my name as usual.”

“No, I’m not forcing it, I’m just not used to calling it at once.”

“But if you change your name all of a sudden, you’ll arouse suspicion, is something wrong?”

The expression on Kustoma’s face as she spoke in his ear looked much more voluptuous, ‘You really can’t underestimate women’ Ryunosuke muttered mentally.

“Here it comes, here it comes, here comes the most suspicious man of all.”

“Huh?”

“Ryunosuke!”

Song Spike appeared in good spirits.

“Ah, Rustom, are you okay? We were all so worried about you yesterday!”

“I’m sorry to leave you guys hanging, but I’m fine now, and I can keep singing and dancing again today!”

“That’s good!”

“I won’t lose to Goho! Whether it’s singing, dancing, or… I’ll go first!”

“The Kustoma seems to be in a better mood… but did she just say she wouldn’t lose to me, other than singing and dancing?”

“I don’t know.”

Ryunosuke could only play dumb.

“By the way, Missy, don’t you have to rush off to practice?”

“Hey! How many times do I have to tell you not to call me Missy, call me Goho!”

At this moment, Ryunosuke really felt that it would be really weird to address someone in a way that became different.

This morning, the girls mainly practiced their singing.

When Ryunosuke arrived in the music room and heard Goho sing for the first time, it was a real shock.

(Is this Onii-sama’s voice… it’s completely different from her usual voice.) Nami and the head of  ft, who were listening from the sidelines, were also very surprised.

“Nami, I now understand why you wanted to make Goho a full-fledged member of the group.”

Not only that, but they asked Ryunosuke about Goho.

“Ryunosuke, do you know what Goho’s family does?”

“That’s something I’d love to ask her, but I never got the chance.”

Of course it was impossible to reveal the secret that Goho was the eldest Miss of the Kujo family. After Ryunosuke casually answered, he quickly left the music room so as not to reveal any cracks.

“Listening to Goho sing seems to bring back memories of the past, a very nostalgic feeling… Naoya, what do you think?”

“I don’t feel that way…”

As he pushed open the door to the music room, Ryunosuke heard Nami and the headmaster’s conversation, but he left first.

Walking out of the music room, Pile stood there as if he was specifically waiting for Ryunosuke.

“Hello! Mr. Ryunosuke, how did your interview go?”

“It is truly an honor to receive the attention of the flower girl in charge.”

“I’m not talking politely to you. By the way, the assistant you brought in specially is now even keen on things other than interviews, this point is really hard for you!”

Ryuunosuke harbored wariness in his heart at Stake’s cordial appearance, but of course he didn’t show it.

“Ms. Pile, how is it that someone as high and mighty as you could even bother to notice what happened to Goho?”

“There is a great need for all kinds of talented people at ‘Flower, Bird, Wind and Moon’, even as a foil to my character, without some strength!”

The confidence Pile displayed was nothing short of impeccable. That piqued Ryuunosuke’s interest in seeing why she was so full of self-pieces.

“Ms. Pile, why did you enter the ‘Flower, Bird, Wind and Moon’?”

Pile answered Ryunosuke immediately as if he had an answer ready.

“I’m here to see how someone’s beauty can change her life, and being the leading lady is just part of the process.”

“So, you won’t look at either Goho or Kazamika?”

“That’s right. Kazamika thought that if she could sing and dance, she could become the leading lady, only unfortunately, it’s not that simple in the real world!”

Pile flashed a seductive smile.

Although Ryunosuke was a bit disgusted by what she said, he had to agree with her.

“She’s nothing more than a temporary member of the troupe, Koho, please be merciful and don’t take it personally.”

“Mercy, why? …Never mind, you take such good care of your assistant, I’m sure your relationship must be extraordinary!”

True to form, this enemy is not one to be messed with.

(There’s a real need to investigate this dominant flower girl who enjoys same-sex love and is overconfident.) Ryunosuke stood thinking down the corridor, and at some point Kazamika was already standing there.

“Miss… Kazamika? Why are you silent?”

Kazamika didn’t answer, just looked at Ryunosuke quietly.

At that moment, Ryunosuke carefully admired Kazamika’s beauty once again.

(The stakes are like large, extraordinarily beautiful flowers in a garden… and Kazamika is like a flower that grows on the edge of a cliff and endures the wind and snow.)

The two men stood down the hallway for a while.

It was Ryunosuke who ended up breaking the clinch first.

“┅… Ah, Ms. Kazamika, are you practicing as well? I’m sorry for the trouble my assistant has caused you.”

“… I wouldn’t care about such a small thing, I don’t think a hardworking person would cause me any trouble.”

“Really? I’m so relieved to hear you say that.”

“But… if you care about Goho, be careful of this person, Pile.”

“Huh? Why…?”

Without answering, Kazamika turned around and went back to the music room.

Kazamika’s words were full of warnings… When Ryunosuke realized the meaning of these words, it started after lunch, after he witnessed an incident…

It began when Pile sneaked into the headmaster’s room to avoid being seen.

Ryunosuke felt strange, so he went around the outside of the building to the window of the Headmaster’s room, and through a gap in the curtains, he saw…

“AHHH… The Chief’s… has gotten so big and so good…”

“Hmph, you’ve always wanted it, haven’t you!”

Pile had stripped her body down to nothing by the time Ryuunosuke came around from the outside, and she unzipped the headmaster’s pants, stroking the thing between her thighs.

Pile compassionately rubbed the head honcho’s thing against her cheek, her usual look of pride and arrogance was gone, showing a girlish look for her age, wondering if this was part of her plan.

“Hey! Wait, you’ve forgotten the old rule… ooh!”

“Hohoho, you’re still talking, it’s already this big, so I’ll make it even bigger… hahoho!

”

Without hesitation, Pile took the chief’s object into her mouth. It went all the way down to the depths of her throat, and by the looks of her it seemed like she was very skillful.

“Hmph! You look like a bitch in heat!”

The regimental commander pulled Pile’s hair roughly away from his own waist.

“Uh-huh ah! A… a bitch is a bitch…”

Surprisingly, Pile didn’t care that the chief called her a bitch, but instead looked like she was getting pleasure from it.

“Wait until you’ve finished your report, how’s the investigation I asked you to do coming along?”

“I’ve given them the photos and will let them know tonight if I hear anything.”

“That’s good, you should know that this matter is more important to Hanabishi Kazuki than you realize, and you should pay special attention to Izumo Ryunosuke… Hey!”

The stake couldn’t wait to reach for the chief’s there again.

“I see, so chief, how will you reward me…”

“Now call me Naoya, Pile!”

“If Ms. Naomi hears this, she’ll be angry… ah-mm!”

The regimental commander frowned.

“How many times do I have to tell you before you understand… You are not allowed to mention her name at this time!”

“Woo hoo hoo, Naoya, you’re scared of Nami-sensei, yo!”

“You arrogant bastard, let’s see how I’m going to fix you!”

“AHHHHHHHH…!”

Without any foreplay, the head of the group thrust right into Pile. And Pile had already pressed on, so she didn’t resist at all.

“Haha ah ah um! … Naoya’s place, it’s really good… I’ve…”

“Wait, it’s still too early to have an orgasm, you’re going to have to let me enjoy it a little more than that.”

The head of the group pulled his part out of Pile’s body and deliberately rubbed it against her entrance.

“Bummer! Naoya’s there is mine! I’m not giving it back to Naomi-sensei!”

With that said, Pile took it upon himself to insert the headmaster’s doppelganger into his private parts.

“Oooh… sucking so tightly, are you trying to bite me off?”

“Naoya’s place is still so powerful… ah… hmm!”

“Pile is still so tight there…!”

“I didn’t realize you’d done it yesterday with other members of the group, but you still have so much stamina today…”

Ryunosuke wondered if he had heard correctly.

( ft. Headmaster was with other members of the group… in addition to Pile… does Ms. Naomi know about this?) “What’s wrong? Are you jealous?”

“I wouldn’t, but I want you to give me more!”

“Then let’s give you the atmosphere to attack today!”

“Come on! Play with my body as much as you can… make me go to heaven with pleasure, ahahahahaha…”

“As you wish… here it comes!”

As soon as the head of the group pushed his waist in, the part where the two of them joined made a lewd sound, and the pile’s breathing also followed sharply. Ryunosuke, who was peeping from the side, was worried for them, aren’t they afraid of being heard by others when they are so intense?

“Ahhhhh, harder, rub my breasts, suck my nipples, ah…”

“Do you like this look? Pile, comfortable?”

“Mmm… I like it… I want it on my face today too… I want all of Naoya…”

“I know… I’ll give it all to you later!”

“A little bit more inside! Yes, faster, I’m going, going… ahhhhh!”

Ryunosuke hadn’t heard Pile scream when he reached his climax.

The detachment that had bulged earlier when he witnessed the same-sex love between Pile and the troupe members was no exception to this time of puffing up.

(Is this what Mika Fung wanted to warn me about? (Pile and the Chief are in cahoots with each other… They were talking about the investigation… Did they mean about Onii-sama?) The afternoon sun wasn’t too hot at this time, but for some reason Ryunosuke’s mouth felt unusually dry and irritable.

In order to sort out the pile of problems in front of him first, Ryunosuke walked alone towards the lake where he had been with Gaho before.

On the way there, I heard someone calling out to the birds.

“Hey, that one is…”

Ryunosuke looked over to the grassy field next to the mountain road, where a young girl stood, surrounded by several small birds.

“Isn’t that… Ms. Jubilee, her expression…”

Ever since the first time they met, when she mistook her for ‘Ah Qiao…’, Jubilee had deliberately avoided him, and even when Ryunosuke greeted her, Jiji just walked past with a cold expression.

But now Ryunosuke saw Jubilee as if she was a different person, a warm smile on her face as she was feeding the bird breadcrumbs. She was seen whispering to the bird.

Ryunosuke thought to himself that maybe this would be a good opportunity to talk to her.

“Hello, Ms. Jubilee!”

As soon as Ryuunosuke made a sound, all of the small birds that had been resting on Jubilee flew away, after which Jubilee’s expression returned to the stiffness seen on a normal day.

“Ah, sorry, I didn’t mean to scare them away.”

“The… birds have… flown away!”

Jubilee wasn’t speaking to Ryuunosuke as her eyes drifted to the sky where the bird had flown off to.

The two stood in silence, with only the sound of the wind blowing between them.

(… looks like it’s impossible to talk to her.)

Nami had told him to stay out of Jubilee’s business, and now that Jubilee had turned away without a word, Ryunosuke could do nothing more than watch her leave.

But he couldn’t help but speak to her anyway.

“Ms. Jubilee… I hope that the next time we meet, we can still see a smile as beautiful as the one we just saw!”

Jubilee stopped abruptly.

“Beautiful? Now you’re saying such things to me… you’re not ‘Qiao’… and even if you were ‘Qiao’ so what…”

Jubilee said and ran off.

(Hmmm… Is it true that only a bird can amuse her, just like her famous name ‘Vermilion Bird’?…) Ryuunosuke’s thoughts were in a mess, but he made another note in his mind to look into the person of ‘Takumi’.

Interview Day Five.

This was the day Ryunosuke and Gaho almost got kicked out of Hanabishi.

In the morning Ryunosuke and Gaho were suddenly called to the Headmaster’s room.

“┅Sorry, please stop the interview immediately and leave Hanabishi.”

The  ruler chief did not hide his unpleasant expression and said bluntly.

“What… suddenly…”

Ryunosuke stopped the agitated Goho before calmly asking the headmaster.

“┅Can you please tell us the reason for refusing the interview?”

According to the chief’s explanation, several theater troupes similar to the Flower Bird and Moon Troupe have been established recently, and there are often people who secretly come to poach or steal the content of their performances, hindering their work.

“You mean we’re spies sent by another theater company?”

“I don’t have proof of it, but some strange things have certainly been happening lately.”

“You can directly ask Lightstar Publishing to confirm whether we are spies or not, unless even Lightstar Publishing is involved in this conspiracy. Since you suspect us, we will leave immediately.”

After leaving the Headmaster’s room, Goho took a wave of anger out on Ryunosuke.

“What the hell! Why did you just leave like that!”

“Missy, please calm down first.”

“I thought I told you not to call me ‘Missy’!”

“… But… I may never have the chance to call you that again…”

“Huh? What do you mean… ah!”

Since he was kicked out of Hanabishi, which of course meant that he didn’t pass this ‘test’, Ryunosuke had to leave the Kujo house. When Goho remembered this matter! All of a sudden, she became listless.

“… Could it be that I’m creating this kind of trouble for you because I ran away to become a member of the group…”

“No, you mustn’t think that, to remain here we have one last ace in the hole.”

“What? What ace?”

Ryuunosuke went straight to Nami-sensei’s room with Goho, who was still confused about the situation.

Ryunosuke briefly and succinctly told Nanami the whole story, and it was as if she hadn’t heard the headmaster mention it from the beginning to the end.

“What did you say? Naoya did this to you!”

“We’re definitely not spies, and we have a clear conscience about that…”

Aside from hiding Goho’s birth, Ryunosuke cheekily continued again.

“Of course we were thrown out of here, and we will not deliberately write things that vilify the birds and flowers out of spite, so please don’t worry.”

After an interval, Ryunosuke spoke again.

“┅┅It’s just that if this kind of thing happens once, then other publishers will think it’s difficult to come to Hanabishi for an interview, after all, the circle of publishers is still very narrow.”

“Ryunosuke! Are you warning me?”

“Don’t dare, don’t dare! It’s just that it’s rare that Goho gets to be instructed by Nami-sensei, and I thought she could show something, but I didn’t realize that she’d be forced to give up now.”

Naomi was silent for a while, she looked at Ryunosuke, then at Goho, and then… “I… I understand. I’ll leave this matter to me. I won’t let this talent of Goho’s leave without a fight, and I’ll convince Naoya at his place.”

“Sorry to trouble you!”

“Ryunosuke… you’re even more powerful than I thought…”

Naomi said so to Ryunosuke who bowed his head in salute.

Chap…

The oars made a ripple on the lake.

“Darn it, Ryunosuke you need to stop shaking it!”

“Don’t be ridiculous, Missy, this isn’t on land, of course it’s going to rock.”

Naomi is trying to convince Naoya, so she wants the two of them to leave Hanabishi for a bit, so Ryunosuke takes Koho to the lake.

The boat  reached the center of the lake, and Ryunosuke stopped the oars in his hands.

I don’t know if it was because of the fear of water or because of that incident with the headmaster just now, Goho had been unhappy. Quite naturally Ryunosuke also became silent.

The two just rocked in the boat in the middle of the lake for a while.

“┅Ryunosuke.”

“What is it…?”

“… This is the first time I’ve been with you like this.”

“Is that so? But don’t I usually go shopping with you…”

“That’s different! I’m talking about sitting here leisurely and quietly, as I am now…”

“Didn’t we look like this before, at home, when we were outside in the evening, in the cool of the house?”

Goho looked so angry.

“It’s different… Mom was around then too!”

“Yeah whoops, you’re right about that too.”

The two were silent for a while longer.

“¡¡Ah, yes!”

Suddenly Goho seemed to remember something.

“Ryunosuke! Do you know a member of the group called Jubilee?”

“Eh, heard of her name Yu.”

“I heard from the Kustoma, although it’s all just rumors, that she said that Jubilee…”

Song Spike speaks as follows.

Jubilee used to work in a certain family’s house and was in love with that family’s heir, but because that man’s family helped him find a marriage partner who was a good match for him, the two of them had to be forced to part in the end.

“It’s such a typical love tragedy… I really wanted to do something to help Jubilee after hearing that…”

“Missy, you’re here again…”

“Mind your own business? I know, but I just couldn’t stand by and do nothing. Right…”

“What?”

Goho suddenly moved closer to Ryunosuke.

“Ryunosuke, do you think that a man and woman who love each other must be forced to separate just because their identities and families are not equal?”

“It may seem strange to you to say this, but that’s the way it is in a relationship…there are always trials and tribulations…and if there’s a huge difference in status, there’s no hope…but the most important thing is the hearts of the two people, and whether or not they’re willing to work together to overcome the obstacles.”

“Look at you talking so grandiose!”

“I can’t help it, I can only talk basic common sense about things I have no experience in lo… woo woo!”

Goho suddenly threw water from the lake at Ryunosuke.

“It’s cold! Missy!”

“I… I don’t know when I’ll be able to blow off some steam with you like this… you nerd!”

After Goho finished, he threw the cold lake water at Ryunosuke again.

When the two returned from the lake, thanks to Naomi, things were properly resolved.

“Since Nami pleaded for you guys, I’m going to cancel the order that banned you from the interview just now. It’s just that, in the future, even with Nami and I around, you won’t be allowed to enter the data room. A capable reporter can do a good interview even without relying on information.”

Ryunosuke suppressed his anger at the  ruler leader and secretly made up his mind in his heart.

Kaburagi… Ryunosuke’s hand was holding a handful of wire.

In the past, when he was still mixing with the triads, there was once a veteran in this line of work had handed him one or two strokes of lock-opening technology, so now to open the lock is as easy as a handful of hands.

(If the  foot chief hadn’t been a small man with a big heart, he wouldn’t have pulled this stunt now.)

Ryunosuke looked around cautiously, then slipped inside the data room.

Upon entering the dusty smelling house, Ryunosuke was taken aback by such a large amount of information in front of him.

（”How long will it take to find out…)

Suddenly there was the sound of teenage girls talking, probably the group members just happened to pass by the resource room.

(If I’m caught sneaking into the data room, I’m sure I’ll be kicked out immediately… I’d better wait until late at night or early in the morning…)

After a while, Ryunosuke carefully slipped out of the data room again.

Even though he was only in there for a while, he still got something out of it. Ryunosuke saw Jubilee’s profile there.

It doesn’t say anything about Jubilee Rumors, but her experience column does record where she used to work.

“Owada? This is indeed a prestigious family, by the way, I once heard about the eldest son of this family marrying the daughter of a certain consortium before, and that man was called…”

Ryunosuke walked down the mountain path as the sun set.

He wasn’t taking a walk now, or thinking about things as he usually did; he wasn’t aimless.

“Is… Ah Qiao…?”

Walking up the mountain path in the opposite direction of the lake, Ryunosuke’s vision was wide open.

There, just behind the building where the flowers, birds, and moon are, is a raised platform. Looking down, you can see the view of the lake shimmering in the setting sun.

The man he was looking for was leaning against the somewhat battered railing, basking in the setting sun.

(Sure enough, this is the only place that is suitable for a person to have some peace and quiet.) On the long lookout platform you can have a panoramic view of the entire lake, and at the edge of the cliff Jubilee is standing there. Upon closer inspection, she was singing with her hands folded in front of her chest.

It was unclear what the lyrics of the song she was singing were, but her voice was so moving. The leaves rustled in the wind, and Vermilion Bird’s song was like a reddish cloud adding color to the lake.

(Who was she singing for? In a deserted place like this, she wouldn’t sing to a guest… Was it ‘Takumi’? No, she was singing to her imaginary ‘Takumi’, the real-life ‘Takumi’

(Not here at all… but that would be too sad.) ‘Leave her alone here, leave her alone…’ Ryunosuke muttered in his mind, but in the end he walked forward.

“Miss… Jubilee…”

At the sound of someone coming, Jubilee stopped singing.

“The song you just sang was so beautiful, but you should have sung it to the guests at the Bird and Flower Festival, after all, that’s the place where dreams are given to everyone, and it seems too lonely to sing here…”

Jubilee looked back, her eyes clearly containing hostility towards Ryunosuke.

“You shut up! Who are you to tell me this… Do you know how I felt when I saw you, do you know how much pain I felt in my heart…!”

“‘Ah Qiao’… is that right? That’s what you called me when you first saw me.”

Jubilee’s shoulders shook slightly.

“Am I really so much like that ‘Qiao’… or, whenever you see a man, do you mistake him for ‘Qiao’?”

“What are you saying! You look so much like him… Do you know the agonizing feeling I get when I look at you?”

“I’m sorry… I shouldn’t have said that… after all, I’m not the Qiao you like.”

Ryunosuke walked forward and stood next to Jubilee.

“I now know why you keep avoiding me… but why did you come to the ‘Flower Bird Wind and Moon’?”

“Huh?”

“It’s only right that you want to forget your painful past, no matter where you go. You arrived here and I haven’t seen you become much happier, except for the smile that blossomed yesterday when you were with Birdie.”

Ryunosuke’s eyes met Jubilee’s, the first time the two of them had ever looked at each other.

“…men can make light of a painful past.”

“Ms. Jubilee…”

“I loved him with all my life…”

Jubilee lowered her head.

“And yet he has trampled on my heart…”

Jubilee bit her lower lip.

“I came here to try to forget him…”

Tears floated in Jubilee’s eyes.

“It’s all you, if only you wouldn’t show up, it’s all you!”

Ryunosuke listened quietly to Jubilee’s complaint.

After a moment, the words came out of his mouth, but they weren’t comforting to her.

“¿… Are you done venting? I just want to tell you that I came here to meet you, and what happened between you and Qiao, and all of that is already irrevocable.”

“┅┅！”

Jubilee understood what Ryunosuke was saying, only to see her run off in a huff as if she were fleeing.

Ga… Ryunosuke leaned against the railing in thought, the worn railing making a rattling sound.

“The past can’t be changed…”

Ryunosuke muttered to himself.

He was alone, lost in his own memories in the sunset, and the night came… all at once.

Interview Day Six.

Early in the morning, before the sun had risen, Ryunosuke woke up. His reason for waking up so early was to sneak into the data room.

“While everyone is still sleeping…”

Looking out the window into the atrium, a figure flashed past. It looked like Naomi as she continued to walk inside the atrium.

“Where is she going, Nami, this early in the morning?”

Ryunosuke decides to hold off on infiltrating the data room, he wants to follow Naomi first.

Naomi came to the lake and stood on the shore as she gazed at the waves. Her expression was a bit heavy, as if she was lost in her memories.

“┅Good morning, Naomi-sensei!”

Naomi was startled, but immediately resumed her elegant smile.

“Ryunosuke, you’ve come for a walk this early?”

“Yes, it can’t be all interviews all the time, you have to relax once in a while… ah, by the way, thank you really, really much for yesterday.”

“Don’t bring that up again, we’re the ones who shouldn’t have suspected you, and Naoya, he didn’t mean any harm, after all, it’s not that easy to be in charge of a big theater.”

Hearing Naomi speak up for Naoya, Ryunosuke couldn’t help but feel a sinking feeling inside as he thought about the things he had seen.

“¡®Ryunosuke, can I ask you something?”

“What is it? Nami-sensei is suddenly so solemn, and I’m nervous along with her.”

“Did you say something to Kustoma?”

Ryunosuke’s heart shook, but he tried not to show it on his face.

“I’m just asking her to cheer more and encouraging her not to be discouraged… Did something happen?”

“She’s still practicing as diligently as before, but she used to just listen to my instructions…”

“Now what?”

“She would actually ask me a lot of questions in return, such as ‘where to…’, ‘what to do…’

, as if she’s going to be thinking about things herself, though she’s unlikely to play a significant role anytime soon.”

“But the fact that she will be thinking on her own accord is a very big improvement.”

Ryunosuke didn’t know whether it was a good thing for him to sleep with Kustoma or not, but after hearing what Naomi had just said, Ryunosuke felt happy for Kustoma in his heart, and unconsciously laughed on his own.

“What’s the matter, why are you suddenly laughing so hard!”

“Ah, nothing…”

“The one who’s having problems now is Jubilee. Lately, she’s been closing herself off more and more, wasting her talent…”

Ryunosuke couldn’t see that Naomi was so worried about Jubilee, so he told Naomi everything he knew about Jubilee.

“In that case, I was worried from the moment you started coming here.”

“Do I really look that much like that Takumi guy?”

“It’s very similar, though I’ve only met him once.”

“Huh, Nami-sensei, you’ve seen that person before too? What a wonder, is there some kind of inside story to it?”

Naomi suddenly smiled.

“You’re really not a simple person… That’s right… Qiao wasn’t a complete betrayal of Jubilee. It’s just that she had to separate from Jubilee because of their family’s policy marriage.”

“Wait a minute… you mean, Jubilee would come to Flower Bird Wind and Moon because…”

“It was arranged by Qiao. He really loves Jubilee, and he arranged for her to come here because he knew that Jubilee had talent in this area, and because he was thinking about her life down the road after he broke up with her.”

That for men and women who love each other! I don’t know if it’s the best choice. But, what was certain was that Takumi had done the best he could within his means. At least that’s what Ryunosuke thought.

“Does Aqiao’s heart… does Joojoo know?”

“He told me not to say anything, and…”

“That’s right… the thought of what Jubilee would think is…”

“He knew Jubilee would always miss him bitterly.”

“A… sad story.”

“Yes, but…”

Naomi’s back was to the rising sun, and Ryunosuke narrowed his eyes at her.

“We can’t let Jubilee be the heroine in tragedies all the time, so there’s something I want to ask you.”

At some point, Naomi’s eyes went back to that teacher’s look when she was teaching her students.

Night is coming.

Ryunosuke had stayed in his room waiting for Naomi in order to carry out what Naomi had asked him to do.

Naomi wants Ryunosuke to tell Jubilee himself about the arrangement Takumi made.

The more Ryunosuke thought about it, the heavier it became, when he remembered something else.

That was what Naomi had revealed this morning before leaving the lake, something about her youth.

“┅Those who love each other may not always have to be together. When one is forced to choose between one’s dreams and the person one loves…”

“┅Nami-sensei, have you ever had this experience too?”

“You’re so good at asking questions.”

“Sorry, I was just curious.”

“… I also had a great love affair once, and as long as I had him, I didn’t care about anything else…”

Naomi stared off into the distance, and for a moment, it was as if Ryunosuke saw her when she was young.

“But he still chose his dream.”

“So, do you hate him?”

“No, I also wanted his dream to come true… As it turned out, I also chose the dream side.”

“┅So, have your dreams come true?”

“How should I put this? It’s just that, I won’t regret the decision I made. So, Jubilee, she also…”

Naomi smiled a little coyly.

“… Why am I telling you this? You’re such an inscrutable person…”

Ryunosuke suddenly remembered Nami’s past.

(┅┅The male protagonist in her story doesn’t seem to be the head of  feet. Looking at the way she talks and laughs, Naomi-sensei is really a strong woman. Compared to her, Jubilee and I, we’re both still steeped in the past…)

Knock! Knock!

A knock on the door interrupted Ryunosuke’s thoughts.

It was Naomi who came as promised.

“Huh? Where’s Ms. Jubilee?”

“I tried to persuade her, but she just wouldn’t come, so…”

Led by Naomi, Ryunosuke walked into the girls’ dormitory where the male guests stopped.

The building there wasn’t that different from where Ryunosuke lived, but it was a girl’s place after all, and the air felt permeated with a woman’s scent.

(Ms. Naomi is so bold. She’ll do anything to get what she wants… If the Missus sees her, I’ll…)

In the innermost corner under the long corridor, which seemed to be Jubilee’s room, Naomi talked to Jubilee through the paper door. After a while, the paper door opens and Naomi pushes Ryunosuke inside.

Ryuunosuke closed the door, only to see Jubilee’s back to him, so Ryuunosuke told her everything about the one she was pining for, one by one.

“┅Now do you understand that Qiao really loves you and that’s why he made this arrangement? You should sympathize with his painstaking efforts…”

“It’s not like that! Qiao… he… he hates me, he thinks I’m a heavy load on him, that’s why he’s doing this!”

“Why do you misunderstand him like that?”

“You are just like him! Saying some flowery words to toy with and deceive me, and acting like a decent man, so that satisfies you!”

“If you keep thinking like that, you’ll be alone for the rest of your life!”

“So what! Now that I know that person introduced me here, I don’t want to stay here any longer.

I’ll be leaving Flower Bird and Moon, so you don’t have to meddle, so please get out of here right now!”

Stubbornly, Jubilee rejects Ryunosuke’s kind offer.

To her, Ryunosuke really felt exasperated. That’s because he himself used to wallow in the past with a brainstorm.

After running away from home, I couldn’t stop missing my family…

The self… who has become self-destructive, who has lost his reputation…!

Even after being rescued by Sakiko, I still regret what I did… “How long will you… how long will you dwell on the past?”

“Grace! … what are you, … what are you doing? Stop… Uh-huh…”

By the time Jubilee realized it, Ryunosuke had already forced a kiss on her lips.

Jubilee struggles to escape but his body can’t make it.

“How… how is it? The touch of the lips is the same as Qiao’s, isn’t it?”

“You’re not Qiao… how can it be the same… ah!”

“That’s right, although he and I look alike, we are two completely different people. It’s only because you’ve been indulging in memories of the past that you can’t even tell such a simple thing apart.”

Jubilee was lost in thought, running her fingers over her lips.

“Closing yourself off may stop you from being hurt, but the fond memories of your past with Qiao will never be happy for you… despite the fact that you gave each other your heart at the time.”

Ryunosuke let go of Jubilee’s body and turned toward the door.

“I’m sorry if I offended you just now. Think it over and don’t leave Flower Bird and Moon so easily… I’ll leave now… Good night…”

As Ryunosuke was about to push open the paper door, he suddenly felt a warmth behind him.

“Wait… I, I…”

“Ms. Jubilee…?”

“I want to forget about Qiao… so please…”

Catching the end of Jubilee’s unfinished sentence, Ryunosuke had already kissed her lips again. The two of them were unconsciously immersed in a tender atmosphere.

Ryunosuke’s hands slowly undid Jubilee’s shirt.

“Ah, I’m… I’m sorry…”

Moonlight poured down from the window, illuminating Jubilee’s beautiful torso.

Normally dressed and eyes couldn’t see that her skin was so snow-white, transparent with a hint of pink! The womanly flavor of her body aroused Ryuunosuke.

“It’s beautiful, really beautiful, Ms. Jubilee!”

“Don’t stare at me like that…”

Jubilee bent her body and turned her back to Ryuunosuke to avoid his sight. In this way, the neck that was hidden from the gap of the disheveled hair, and the elegant curve of the back, like an illusion, tempted Ryuunosuke, who hugged Jubilee tightly from behind.

His hand naturally moved to Jubilee’s chest, and his fingers could literally feel the softness and weight of Jubilee’s breasts.

“Uh-huh! Ummm… Ummm…”

The unintentional gasp made Jubilee feel so shy that she hurriedly covered her mouth and clenched her teeth to keep from making a sound. Ryunosuke’s hands rubbed Jubilee’s breasts, the nipples hardening as her breathing turned sharp.

“Comfortable?”

Ryunosuke whispered in her ear, then gently bit her earlobe and just continued to caress her neck.

“Don’t… mmmm, mmmm, mmmm, mmmm…”

“It doesn’t matter if you make noise, you’ve always suppressed your feelings, but from now on, you can stop doing that…”

“Ahhhhh, but!”

“You see, I’ve got feelings for you too yah.”

Ryuunosuke pushed his fiery detachment against Jubilee’s waist.

“Ah! I know, it’s very hot, but no… it’s… it’s…”

Jubilee’s originally tightly closed feet gradually relaxed, and Ryunosuke saw this and smoothly slid his part between her thighs. Then slowly rubbing back and forth. Vermilion Bird’s private parts were stimulated and quickly became moist.

“Jubilee… look!”

Ryunosuke moved his doppelganger back and forth where he pointed.

Jubilee saw the male sex organ going back and forth between her thighs, and even more shyly, she averted her face and closed her eyes tightly.

“Don’t… don’t, don’t…”

Although she objected to it on her lips, I don’t know if it was because the sight of it made her feel aroused, but Jubilee’s private parts secreted new love juices, and the watery sound of friction from between her strands became even more intense.

“┅Almost ready, Jubilee.”

“Aaahhh, I, I…”

Ryuunosuke didn’t wait for her to answer before picking her feet up onto his shoulders.

“You need to take a closer look at the place where we bonded!”

Jubilee obeyed Ryunosuke’s words and opened her eyes warily. She saw Ryunosuke’s agitated doppelganger, rasping at her flesh.

“Ah, ah, ah… uh-ha-ah! Qiao!”

Right at the last moment of insertion, Jubilee called out Takumi’s name.

“Ah… I’m sorry… I… just now…”

Jubilee also realized that she was embarrassed by the name she had just called.

“It’s okay, call it whatever you like!”

“… Then, you do it the way you like it too…”

“But you don’t have to force it you know?”

Although it didn’t seem like this was Jubilee’s first time, the narrow inner walls showed that she still didn’t have much experience in this area, clamping down tightly on Ryuunosuke’s detachment.

“I don’t mind… please hold me so that I can completely forget about the previous unpleasantness… Ryunosuke move as much as you can… please!”

Jubilee cried out in a near release as Ryuunosuke thrust his fiery alter ego, fully inside her.

“Ah. Uh… Ryunosuke, harder, harder!”

“Jubilee! Vermilion Bird!”

The two called each other’s names, then their lips met, and both of their saliva mixed together. Ryuunosuke’s waist was moving intensely and sweat was seeping out, then he slowly changed his position.

“Hee-ah, ha-hoo… Ryunosuke, my body, somehow it’s so light… how could it… ah, I, have…”

“Jubilee… I’m coming too…”

“No, it’s horrible… no, Ryunosuke… ahhhhh!”

Ryunosuke pulled out his part in the nick of time and spilled his sperm on Jubilee’s belly. One of the flecks of sperm even got on Jubilee’s lips.

Ryunosuke carefully got up from Jubilee’s bed, trying not to wake her.

As soon as he stepped out of Jubilee’s room, Nami was waiting for him not far away.

“Ah, Naomi-sensei… I’ve already told Jubilee-sama everything I need to say…”

Naomi looked a little troubled.

“It’s our duty to protect these girls who are not yet married, and you…”

“I’m sorry, I didn’t expect this to happen…”

“But if doing so will cheer up Jubilee… I won’t bother with you this time.”

“Yes, I’ll keep that in mind.”

“┅No matter what era we’re in, things like door-to-door relationships always keep playing tricks on people, as is the case with Jubilee, and as is the case with Pile…”

“Pile too?”

“There was actually a reason why Pile was so rude to people. She was also a young lady from a certain family, and because of a certain incident, she lost all her family’s wealth… and spent a very miserable childhood, so that’s why she was so extreme, and became a bully and belittled others…”

Ryunosuke had wanted to ask for clarification on this matter, but he had no choice but to leave in a hurry as he was now in the women’s dormitory where the male guests stopped.

As soon as Ryunosuke returned to his room, as usual, Okazaki had come to hear the report.

After saying something about flowers and birds, Ryunosuke then spoke… “How about… the sad story of a young girl who loves her boyfriend even though she is bound by old ideas like status…”

“Hmm… sounds like it’s full of common sense.”

Once he thought about Jubilee, Ryuunosuke didn’t come up with the idea in passing, but he simply didn’t have any extra time to think about the subject matter of the novel.

He noticed the emotions lurking within him.

When he hugged Jubilee, Jubilee called out the same name Yu as Takumi, and at that time, the figure of someone… surfaced in Ryunosuke’s heart as well.

Late at night, at the Kujo house, Saikiko is listening to Okazaki’s report.

“┅Therefore, they also had the appearance of being kicked out by Naoya.”

“Naoya… maybe he’s found out about Goho.”

“Is it safe for Ms. Goho to go down like this?”

“There’s no need to worry with Ryunosuke around, not to mention Nami.”

“That’s true… Nami seems to be very fond of Ms. Goho… but let’s just say I’m being nosy…”

Hayako said before Okazaki could.

“Why, Okazaki, what parent in heaven would not be happy for his daughter when he sees her popularity!”

Since Saikiko’s back was turned to Okazaki, he couldn’t see her expression when she said that.