Taking advantage of the fact that there was no one around, Yuki Suho shouted behind Haru Shirakawa.

Halfway to the busy intersection, Yuki Suho reluctantly got off her bike. The Suho family’s leaders had forbidden Yuki Suho from interacting with Shirakawa Haru outside the family, and now they were publicly claiming that they were childhood sweethearts.

Because today is the school festival of Hinomori Academy, all classes this morning and afternoon are cancelled.

As soon as Shirakawa Haru walked into the classroom, the lively atmosphere of conversation hit him like a gust of hot wind.

Chihaya Aine grabbed Takamatsu’s hand and chatted about today’s high school festival. Takamatsu, perhaps overly excited about the festival, had a rosy, energetic complexion, though dark circles had appeared under his eyes. Goto Ichiri was still hunched over the table as usual, but today, unusually, she had brought her guitar and was laughing strangely as she lay there.

“Good morning.” Shirakawa Haru waved to them, said hello, and then sat down in her seat.

“Good morning, Haru-kun.”

“Hello, Chairman!”

“Shirakawa-kun, good morning…”

The three girls’ answers were each unique.

Chihaya Aine’s answer was as energetic as her own personality, typical of a female student at Hinomori Academy; Takamatsu Touma was a sunflower spinning towards the sun, her voice rising in tone when she greeted Shirakawa Haru, her surprise and excitement obvious in her voice; Goto Ichiri was introverted and didn’t like the lively atmosphere around her, so her tone was slightly paused and wavering.

“Hey, Chairman. I heard that the proposal to hold a small live performance at the academy festival was approved. Is that true?”

Chihaya Aine sat in front of Goto Ichiri. It was still early and many students hadn’t arrived yet. In this case, you could sit anywhere you wanted, as long as you didn’t mess with the seat’s owner’s personal belongings.

“The live stage was already set up last night. Around the first period, the student council members will go and inspect the preparations at the various venues.” Shirakawa Haru pulled a German book from her bag. “Actually, I was the one who approved this proposal.”

“Deng, look. I told you this proposal would definitely pass!” Chihaya Aine patted Takamatsu Deng’s shoulder, then raised her hands and made a “victory” gesture, “Chairman, LOVE!”

“Aine, how can you say that!” Takamatsu Deng’s face flushed red. This time she was not excited, but shy, and at the same time, there was a corner of her heart that felt a little uncomfortable.

Because this was the first time she encountered a friend saying such bold words to a male friend.

“Aine, you and I will go together to inspect the preparations for each site later.” Shirakawa Haru turned a page of the book.

“But I have to rehearse with the band members later.” Chihaya Aine rested her elbows on the chair and rested her chin on the back of her hand. Her large glasses made her look like a famous detective with a brown hat, a magnifying glass, and a pipe in her mouth. “Today our band will be performing on stage.”

“You are the captain of the band and also a member of the student council.”

“But… please~” Chihaya Aine dragged a stool to the side of Shirakawa Haru’s desk, sat on it and kept pleading with Shirakawa Haru, “Deng, please come and help me persuade the chairman.”

“So, Deng, are you also looking forward to today’s performance on stage and the rehearsals before that?” Shirakawa Haru looked at Takamatsu Deng.

“Deng, please speak up! If you speak up, the chairman will definitely agree.” Chihaya Aine dragged her stool to the side of Takamatsu Deng and kept rocking her chair. “Ritsuki, Suyo, and Rakuna will all be here today. If I’m missing and they can’t rehearse, wouldn’t that be a pity?”

Takamatsu Deng looked at Shirakawa Haru and Chihaya Aine who were sandwiched between her, and felt a little embarrassed, not knowing which side to choose.

Is it better to help Haru maintain the student union’s work, or to help Aine speak and go to the band rehearsal together?

Aion said that if she asked, Haru-kun would definitely agree to her joining the band rehearsal. This sentence deeply touched the soft spot in Takamatsu’s heart. Takamatsu wondered if this meant that in Chihaya Aion’s eyes, he was so important to Haru-kun.

She wanted to smile, but it would definitely look weird if she smiled now.

In order to test whether she has such a status in Haru-kun’s heart, Takamatsu Deng said to Shirakawa Haru that she was looking forward to today’s stage performance, so could Aine participate in the band’s rehearsal?

“Since you, Tomo, also want Aine to attend the rehearsal.” Shirakawa Haru first glanced at Takamatsu Tomo, then turned to Chihaya Aine, “Then you should go, Aine.”

“Great!” Chihaya Aine sat on the chair like riding a wooden horse, and slowly moved back to her original position.

Gao Songdeng looked at Shirakawa Haru with a smile, she was extremely happy at the moment. Shirakawa Haru had agreed to her request, which proved that she definitely held a certain place in his heart. This realization made her smile with joy. However, this mood did not last long, as a question jumped out of her mind.

Why does Haru-kun call Chihaya Aine “Aine” now? Didn’t he call her “Chihaya-san” before?

This was another secret that she didn’t know. As her friend, Qingjun was hiding some things from her.

Of course Gao Songdeng knew that this was a very common thing. How could there be no secrets between people?

Even her own parents would sometimes secretly say bad things about each other in front of her because of what they had for dinner.

But she just wasn’t happy.

“Deng?” Chihaya Aine asked worriedly, shifting her seat to sit in front of Takamatsu Deng. The moment Shirakawa Haru agreed to let her attend the band rehearsal, she saw Takamatsu Deng’s expression darken for a moment. Chihaya Aine was a little worried that she had embarrassed Takamatsu Deng.

“No, nothing.” Takamatsu Deng smiled at Chihaya Aine, as if she was not the one who made the lonely expression just now.

There are more and more secrets about Qingjun that I don’t know.

Gao Songdeng’s mouth was filled with the taste of bitter almonds.

Takamatsu Deng looked at Shirakawa Haru’s profile, absorbed in his reading. In just ten minutes, the pages he’d flipped through had piled up like a thick pile, like waves on the ocean tide. She wondered if this was what lifelong friends were like, worried and shaken by a few secrets? But it wasn’t like that in her band. The band members had their own secrets, but she felt no sadness or bitterness from them, like a calm lake, unmoved by the ripples of a gentle breeze.

“Ah, Deng, if you’re sick, you must tell me~” Chihaya Aine said, “After all, we are friends.”

Chihaya Aine’s smile is very contagious and she has very strong social skills. Within a week after entering school, she had established good relationships with everyone in the classroom. She could even communicate with the very introverted Goto Ichiri to a certain extent.

“Yes, definitely.” Gao Songdeng said with a smile.

But if I were to get sick, I’d want Qingjun to know first, she thought.

“Hehe.” Chihaya Aine walked behind Deng and hugged her directly.

When Yuki Suho walked into the classroom, Shoko Toyokawa was lying on the desk catching up on her sleep. Her eyes slid across the half of Shoko Toyokawa’s cheek that was exposed.

Toyokawa Shoko’s face was as delicate and translucent as mutton-fat jade, a soft blush tinging it. Her long, soft eyelashes, as light as butterfly wings, cast a faint shadow across her eyelids. This reminded her of the song “Pale Shadow,” a feeling that echoed in her mind. Her long blue hair cascaded over her round shoulders, a few strands falling onto her desk. Her brows knitted slightly, as if even in her dreams, her thoughts were running wild.

There is no doubt that Shoko Toyokawa is the world’s top beauty. Even though she has not fully grown up yet, she has already revealed her temperament and talent.

Yuki Suho looked at her and sneered in his heart.

But just relying on this face, you want to seduce my brother and even make him sad. You are far from qualified!

Yuki Suho knocked on Shoko Toyokawa’s desk roughly. The loud noise woke Shoko Toyokawa up from her dream and also attracted the attention of other students in the classroom.

She first looked at Zhou Hou Yuxi in front of her in confusion, and then her eyes gradually became sharp.

“Hello, Miss Yuki. Is there anything you need from me?” Shoko Toyokawa looked at Yuki Suo with a forced smile.

She didn’t feel the slightest bit of affection for the man who claimed to be Shirakawa Haru’s childhood sweetheart.

“Come out for a moment, I have something to talk to you about.”

Yuki Suho pointed outside the door and said.

Chapter 69: Girls competing against each other

“Mr. Suo, what do you want to say? There is no one here. If you want to say something to me, just say it here.” Toyokawa Shoko frowned and looked at Suo Yuki.

“If there’s nothing else, I’ll go back first.” said Shoko Toyokawa.

Yuki Suho brought Shoko Toyokawa to the greenhouse garden of Hinomori Academy. The garden was like spring all year round, and precious flower species could be seen everywhere like weeds on the roadside. It could be said that in this greenhouse, almost all the exotic flowers and plants in Japan were collected.

“Toyokawa-san, don’t be so anxious.”

Yuki Suho led Shoko Toyokawa to the center of the garden, where there was a small stone pavilion. Usually, only Yuki Suho would come here alone to rest and drink tea.

When the student union members standing by the stone bench saw Yuki Suho, they immediately put down the two cups of hot tea in their hands, placed them on the stone table, and then slowly retreated.

Yuki Suho asked Shoko Toyokawa to sit down first, then she picked up a cup of scented tea and sipped it, her bright and beautiful eyes narrowed into slits in comfort.

“Please try my tea, Toyokawa-san. It tastes delicious.” Putting down the teacup, Suho Yuki looked at Toyokawa Shoko, her eyes showing no disdain for her. “If you leave this place, I don’t know if you’ll ever have the chance to drink tea of this level again in your life.”

Yuki Suho’s harsh words made Shoko Toyokawa narrow her eyes.

Shoko Toyokawa pinched the upper part of the teacup handle with her index finger and thumb, and naturally supported the bottom of the handle with her middle finger to keep the teacup balanced.

She took a sip of hot tea gracefully, then said, without showing any weakness, in a confrontational tone:

“The tea is indeed of extremely high quality, and the teacups are made of very carefully selected materials. Unfortunately, the tea maker is not very skilled and needs more training. Overall, this tea is just average.”

“This tea leaf must be flattered to have caught Ms. Toyokawa’s eye,” said Suho Yuki. “I thought Ms. Toyokawa wouldn’t even give me the slightest bit of respect and would simply ignore this cup of hot tea.”

“Anyone with eyes can see it,” said Toyokawa Shoko. “Only a blind person can’t see it, right? Not only are they blind, but their sense of smell is also impaired.”

“Sharp mouth and sharp teeth, and a silver tongue!”

Yuki Suho looked at Shoko Toyokawa, who was acting like a dignified young lady, and finally understood why her brother was attracted to her.

He admired those with talent, whether it was literary talent or a particular academic talent; as long as they stood out in some particular area, he wanted to gather them all and enthrall the world. Though Toyokawa Shoko had only exchanged a few words with him, her unyielding character and sharp mind were fully on display. Add to that her unparalleled musical talent and beauty, and it’s no surprise that Shirakawa Haru was drawn to her.

“It was Miss Suho who bothered me first.” Toyokawa Shoko raised her eyebrows and looked directly into Suho Yuki’s eyes. She knew that she was just trying to retaliate verbally because she found her answer interesting.

In her spare time, she once watched a video of Yuki Suho participating in a debate competition. In the video, Yuki Suho turned the entire debate arena into her own personal amusement park.

Although the pace of the debate was unpredictable, she was always able to throw out a few light words, controlling the field with ease like a martial arts master, and even the breathing frequency of the judges in the review seats was controlled by her with her insightful views.

At that time, Shoko Toyokawa felt that asking her to participate in a debate competition held by a Japanese university was a waste of her talent and would be like using a glass cannon to kill a mosquito.

After all, she is a member of the “Shou” family, and the abilities demonstrated by Suhou Yuki are worthy of the name “Shou”.

In the Japanese political circles, the Suho family’s reputation is well-known. Some people even say privately that even if the emperor of Japan changes several times and time passes or even a thousand years later, the Suho family will still stand firm.

She actually dared to ridicule the Suo family just now. Toyokawa Shoko even thought she was going crazy.

It would have been fine if she was still a member of the Toyokawa family before. At that time, with the support of the Toyokawa family, even if she spoke rudely to the descendants of the Suo family, it would only be regarded as a small topic of conversation that could enhance the relationship under the manipulation of those politicians.

But now that she has been kicked out of the Toyokawa family, she might not be able to see the rising sun tomorrow morning.

“What’s wrong? Are you afraid to speak now that you’ve remembered the difference in our status?” Zhou Fang Yuxi clapped her hands. A waitress immediately emerged from behind the flower wall and took the tea tray and cups from the stone table. “You see, the gap between our statuses is so great that you don’t even have the courage to have a real conversation with me.”

Yuki Suho looked at Toyokawa Shoko’s amber eyes and thought that she was much more pleasing to the eye when she looked uneasy.

“Ms. Suho, may I ask why you brought me here?” Toyokawa Shoko’s eyes gleamed like the sun spitting flames. “If you’re alright, I’ll leave.”

Shoko Toyokawa stood up from the stone bench. The air in the garden was a little humid in the morning. She sniffed and felt a little wet. The sweet fragrance of flowers filled her entire nasal cavity.

Suho Yuki was silent for a while, and just as Toyokawa Shoko was about to take a step, she said:

“Do you feel that you have nothing to fear just because you have the favor of President Shirakawa Haru?”

“What are you talking about? What do you mean?” Toyokawa Shoko turned and sat back on the stone bench. As she spoke, a huge wave of uncertainty and heart-wrenching panic filled her mind. She didn’t know where this emotion came from, only that she was about to be overwhelmed by this huge, sudden panic. She took dozens of deep breaths before she realized that she had shown such an ugly face because Suo Fang Yuxi had accurately penetrated her inner thoughts. “Please explain it clearly.”

Shoko Toyokawa stepped into a place full of mirrors in her soul. Here, at a certain moment in a certain mirror, she was indeed feeling complacent about Haru-kun’s preference and pity for her.

Now this twisted feeling is her biggest secret.

The moment she asked the rhetorical question, Toyokawa Shoko regretted it, because it was equivalent to telling the other person that what you said was absolutely right and that’s what you really thought.

This is a huge mistake and flaw when debating or confronting others.

“Am I wrong?” Zhou Fang Yuxi smiled and looked at the waitress beside her. The waitress immediately understood and took out a thick envelope.

Yuki Suho opened the envelope, which was full of photos of Shirakawa Haru, and in many of the photos, Shirakawa Haru was accompanied by a blue-haired girl.

“Let me see…” Suho Yuki lined up the photos and asked Toyokawa Shoko to look at them carefully. She pointed at each one with her finger. “Hmm… This is a photo of President Shirakawa Haru helping you with your gang debt. He beat up the gang leader first, and then paid the debt for you.”

“This photo was taken when Shirakawa Haru was helping you secure a scholarship. Although you are very talented, Ms. Toyokawa, don’t you think the number of scholarships you can receive is a bit too many? You should know that Hinodemori Academy has a clear rule that a student can receive a maximum of four scholarships.”

“And this photo. A few days ago, you and Shirakawa Haru went to Chiba Prefecture, right? He bought you that piano. I don’t have any photos of you going to Chiba Prefecture, but through the local surveillance, I can still see what you did that day.”

Suho Yuki folded the photos into a thick pile and put them in the envelope. She looked at Toyokawa Shoko with a half-smile and said:

“No matter how you look at it, President Shirakawa Haru clearly has more than just a fondness for you; it’s reached the point of indulgence and partiality.”

“You’re prying into other people’s privacy!” Toyokawa Shoko bit her lip and said, “Even if you’re President Shirakawa Haru’s childhood sweetheart, he’d still hate your behavior!”

Shoko Toyokawa knows that Yuki Suho is not Haru-kun’s childhood sweetheart, but his sister. Her behavior reminds Shoko Toyokawa of Nagasaki Suyo, who followed her and blocked the door of Hinomori Academy every day after school, and this behavior makes her feel disgusted.

“Disgusted? Do you believe that if he knew, not only would he not be disgusted with me, but he would even praise me for taking beautiful photos?” Zhou Fang Yuxi snorted coldly, “He favors you to the extreme, and yet you are actually hurting him.”

“Hurt…Haru-kun?” Shoko Toyokawa stared blankly at Yuki Suo.

“He’s already called Haru-kun… so he must have already told you my identity, right? After all, I hugged him specifically so you could see.”

Shoko Toyokawa didn’t care what Yuki Suho was saying. Her heart was filled with endless anxiety and self-blame.

She certainly knew when she had hurt Shirakawa Haru. Just last night, when the two of them were walking in front of the tram station, she yelled at Shirakawa Haru because of Nagasaki Suyo’s question, and the expression on his face had changed significantly.

That was an expression that only appeared after being hurt. If it were in the past, she would have been able to tell at a glance that something was wrong with Shirakawa Haru’s expression.

But at that time, she was so emotionally unstable and tormented by her self-esteem that she didn’t notice the abnormality in his expression.

By the time she calmed down, she had already been working at her workstation for several hours. It was already early morning, and it was too late to apologize to Shirakawa Haru.

One of the reasons why she got up so early today was that she wanted to apologize to Shirakawa Haru in person.

“It seems you’ve already thought about when you hurt him.” Suho Yuki waved her hand. “I originally wanted to call you Miss ‘Blue-haired Thief Cat’, but now it seems that you don’t have the qualifications.”

“I don’t want to say some harsh words to you directly, but if you have any self-awareness, you should know who you are and who President Shirakawa Haru is.

“You are truly pathetic and dark. You clearly don’t have much dignity left, yet you cling to that little bit of self-respect and indulge in self-pity. You are even bound by it, forced by your self-respect to struggle passively.”

“Also… I know your little secret…” Suho Yuki said something that seemed a little confusing to Toyokawa Shoko. “Okay, that’s all for this conversation. If you have nothing else to say, you can go back first.”

Toyokawa Shoko did not respond to Suho Yuki’s words, but turned around and left the garden without looking back.

Because Chihaya Aine and Takamatsu Touma were constantly around him during morning reading, Shirakawa Haru’s efficiency in absorbing knowledge was extremely low. Conventionally, he should have systematically read an entire book during morning reading, but with the two of them playing around, he only read less than half of it.