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Beichuan Si had breakfast and then left the house.
Because of the matter with Tsukishima Risa yesterday, Beichuan Si went straight to the Cure Café after school. Thus, he didn't get a chance to ask his homeroom teacher for leave.
At Kyubei High School, a student's grades and unexcused absences could affect their year level. Even Beichuan Si didn't want to repeat his first year, so getting his leave approved was a must today.
Moreover, Beichuan Si was still annoyed by the hassle and left Qian Xia Chiyuki behind yesterday. Today, he expected that little girl would approach him again, talking nonstop. After all, not everyone had an exceptional knack for embracing new things like Shen Gu Mirai did.
So, there were only two things to resolve today.
First, find an excuse to get the teacher's approval for leave. Second, deal with this little girl, Qian Xia Chiyuki.
Lost in thought, Beichuan Si outlined these two tasks, organizing what he needed to do today.
Shen Gu Mirai followed behind Beichuan Si. Seeing him deep in thought and silent, she surprisingly didn't interrupt him.
She knew she was still on probation. What if she upset Beichuan Si, and he thought she wasn't suitable to be a friend?
That would be a loss.
Shen Gu Mirai avoided unprofitable actions, so she decided that if Beichuan Si didn't speak, she wouldn't either. These days, she had to act like a good girl.
It must be said, when Shen Gu Mirai put aside her usual curiosity and truly quieted down, she exhibited a beauty admired in all directions.
Shen Gu Mirai tucked her hair into her scarf, her small face half-sunken into it. Although her expression wasn't visible, her delicate and clear black eyes shimmered with an alluring brilliance.
Shen Gu Mirai didn't have the habit of going barefoot in winter. She wore black, thickened tights, her legs long and slender. Her hands were snug inside light brown gloves, as she obediently followed behind Beichuan Si step by step.
The two maintained silence as they walked toward Kyubei.
But this state lasted only a while.
Shen Gu Mirai, who had been walking with her head down, suddenly felt like she bumped into Beichuan Si in front of her.
"Mr. Temple?" Shen Gu Mirai looked at Beichuan Si, who stopped for some reason, and curiously spoke.
"..." Beichuan Si didn't answer Shen Gu Mirai; he just frowned, looking toward the entrance of Kyubei High School.
There, unknowingly, a large group of delinquents had gathered.
At a rough glance, there were about twenty people.
"What's that...?" Shen Gu Mirai blinked, not quite understanding the situation.
Intuition told her these people were likely coming for Beichuan Si.
"Shinkai, help me hold the bag."
As Shen Gu Mirai received the bag, she instinctively shivered a bit.
She clearly heard the chill in Beichuan Si's tone.
But Beichuan Si didn't bother with Shen Gu Mirai, his expression icy as he walked toward the group of delinquents.
....
On a winter morning, Kyubei High School had awoken, with many students rushing to class.
Yet, every student passing the school gate couldn't help but slow their steps, not daring to breathe loudly.
By the school entrance stood the notorious delinquents of the grade, glancing around as if looking for someone.
It was unknown why, but the leaders, those third-year delinquents, looked like they had been beaten up with bruised faces.
Average students were perplexed.
Suddenly, the tall student at the front seemed to have spotted something, his eyes brightening. With a wave, he led a group of followers to march forward.
More than twenty people stepped in unison on the frozen, hard ground, their neat crunching steps capturing the attention of countless students.
Finally, he stopped, standing in front of someone.
"Isn't that Beichuan from the first year?" someone exclaimed in surprise.
"Yeah... I wonder how Beichuan got himself in trouble with these guys again. I heard yesterday they dragged him into the restroom and beat him up."
"Shush—are you tired of living? Speaking so loudly, don't you see those standing here are the notorious third-year delinquents?" someone beside them interjected.
"...But why do I feel Beichuan is unscathed, while the seniors' faces are all beaten black and blue?" the person being hushed muttered in confusion.
The whispers reached Beichuan Si's ears, but he didn't care.
He contemplated as he faced the group of over twenty people, pondering which one to hit first. Then he saw the tall third-year student suddenly raise his hand—
And then they all bowed, their voices ringing out simultaneously,
"Brother Beichuan!"
The sight of more than twenty people bowing to Beichuan Si was truly spectacular from afar.
Brother Beichuan?
The group of students watching from a distance was dumbfounded.
What kind of twist was this?
Students couldn't help but take pictures, posting on LINE, spreading the news, narrating this unbelievable scene in SNS circles, and LINE class groups.
In no time, Beichuan Si would likely become the reputed delinquent leader at Kyubei.
The senior students lined up, while Beichuan Si stood before them with a stern face. He seemed to embody the air of a formidable underworld boss.
Standing not far behind Beichuan Si, Shen Gu Mirai's eyes sparkled with unprecedented excitement.
What had just happened was so interesting that it almost made her drop the act of a good girl and run over to pressure Beichuan Si with questions!
But she ultimately weighed the pros and cons, maintained her composure, and moved cautiously towards Beichuan Si.
As the person involved, Beichuan Si remained calm.
He gazed intently at these more than twenty people, only withdrawing his gaze when the tall student, who bragged yesterday that he could kick through several boards, started to feel nervous.
After quite a while, Beichuan Si finally spoke,
"What do you want?"
The tall boy was instinctively pleased as Beichuan Si didn't hastily act.
He was about to speak, but remembering that Beichuan Si had a thing against excessive talking, he hesitated, pulling Seki and Ikegami from the crowd,
"It was all these two guys' idea."
The tall student's buck-passing made Seki and Ikegami's expressions change, but they sheepishly said,
"B-Because, Beichuan... big brother, didn't you want the entire school to know? This seemed like the most effective way..." Seki spoke with a pale face.
"..." Beichuan Si.
So because he wanted the whole school to know about him, this group of delinquents made him their leader?
Beichuan Si couldn't help but raise an eyebrow.
These delinquents' thought processes were beyond him.
But his previous self didn't have much of a good reputation anyway. Since his name was already tarnished, claiming the title of a delinquent leader might not be a bad idea.
He considered, looking alternately cloudy and sunny, while the twenty or so people on the other side shivered in the cold wind.
Some of the delinquents who had seen Beichuan Si's fighting style yesterday were scared he would start beating them without warning, standing at the ready, planning to run at the slightest commotion.
After all, perhaps this was just what being surrounded by more than twenty people felt like.
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