Until school was over in the afternoon, Hoshimi still hadn't gotten Yukinoshita's second revenge, and he didn't know if Yukinoshita had a comprehensive plan or if she couldn't think of a way to take revenge on him for the time being.
But he did observe some interesting things.
Yukinoshita Yukino, this girl is just as cold as she appears; she is a veritable "Flower of Sobu High", difficult for ordinary people to approach.
In other words, Yukinoshita is a typical "outsider", isolated from the crowd.
In his previous life, he had been in contact with Japanese clients for a long time and had some understanding of the distorted and oppressive social environment of this country.
Generally speaking, the situation of outsiders like Yukinoshita on campus is usually very difficult, and being bullied is quite common.
Fortunately, Yukinoshita's family is well-known in Chiba, which suppresses the small-minded thoughts of these high school students.
"Flower of Sobu High, eldest lady of a famous family, a unique individual, huh ~ where does this light novel heroine come from?"
Hoshimi smiled and sighed, then stretched and left the empty classroom.
Next, he would walk around the school, inspecting the school's facilities, student quality, and various other matters.
I wonder if this school has a "grove" that the public loves to see.
...
"What a pity..."
At dusk, Hoshimi, walking through the halls of Sobu High School with his schoolbag, sighed emotionally in the twilight glow.
After careful investigation, he was sure that Sobu High did not have a "grove" that was popular with the public, but there were still so-called confession spots and meeting spots.
Moreover, while there was no "grove", the large number of science laboratories and club classrooms was refreshing to him.
In the high school he attended in his previous life, there were no such club classrooms at all. There were science laboratories, but they had never been opened.
"Clubs?"
Hoshimi pondered whether to join a club for fun.
If he wants to join, what club should he choose?
A sports club, a literary club, or some obscure club on the verge of disbanding?
"Huh? Yukinoshita!"
Walking towards the school gate, Hoshimi spotted Yukinoshita waving goodbye to someone.
Raising his eyebrows, he quietly slipped behind Yukinoshita, following her gaze into the distance.
In the reddish sunset, a girl with a pink bun and a boy with a hunched back pushing a bicycle gradually drifted away.
These two must be the members of the service department mentioned in the information.
By the way, the service department is a club established by Yukinoshita, with the teacher Shizuka Hiratsuka from this morning serving as the advisor.
Generally, establishing a club requires five members to gain approval from the student council, but Yukinoshita's club is a special case. She was the only member in her first year, and two more joined in her second year, which falls short of the standard for club establishment.
It is self-evident why a club like the Service Department could be established and maintained.
As for how he, a transfer student who just entered school, knows so much?
Of course, it's thanks to the gossip network among the high school girls. The girls in his class took pity on him and shared all the information they knew about Yukinoshita.
"How long are you going to stand behind me?"
Yukinoshita's cold voice shattered Hoshimi's thoughts like ice water.
Glancing at Yukino, he realized she was tilting her head slightly, staring at him coldly from the corner of her eye.
"Yo~ good afternoon."
Hoshimi took two steps back, maintaining a reasonable social distance from Yukinoshita.
This isn't a dreamland; Yukinoshita's Aikido still has a deterrent effect on him...
"The moment I saw you, I was already in a bad mood."
Yukinoshita turned around, raising her slender neck slightly to meet Hoshimi's gaze.
"Oh? It seems that I'm quite important to you, Yukinoshita, if I can affect your mood like that." Hoshimi tilted his head with a smile, looking at Yukinoshita's delicate face.
"Hoshimi, you're skilled at twisting concepts." Yukinoshita mocked coldly.
Hoshimi smiled, unfazed, and asked instead: "Were those two people just now members of your department?"
"That's none of your business." Yukinoshita tightened her schoolbag strap and walked past Hoshimi.
"So indifferent~" Hoshimi sighed, pulled out his phone, opened the navigation, and prepared to head home.
But the starting direction coincided with Yukinoshita's route home.
So he followed Yukinoshita, maintaining a safe distance of three meters.
Left turn, right turn, traffic lights, straight ahead, then another right turn.
Looking up, Yukinoshita was still three meters ahead.
Hoshimi rubbed his chin, scrutinized his phone's navigation, and indeed, he was supposed to go home this way.
Could it be...
A certain thought flashed through Hoshimi's mind.
It couldn't be just a coincidence...
"How long are you going to follow me, stalker?"
Yukinoshita stopped, turned around, folded her arms across her chest, and stared at Hoshimi with a frosty expression.
"I'm just heading home..." Hoshimi explained with a sheepish expression.
"Really? Then please go ahead." Yukinoshita stepped aside, standing by the roadside, glaring coldly at Hoshimi.
"No problem." Not being a stalker, Hoshimi naturally didn't feel guilty and continued along the route indicated by his navigation.
After Hoshimi had walked a certain distance, Yukinoshita frowned slightly and followed—not following him, but walking back towards her own apartment.
She walked silently, left turn, straight ahead, left at the traffic lights, and continued straight.
Afterward...
Seeing Hoshimi stop in front of the apartment building where she lived, Yukinoshita's eyes narrowed as she looked at him.
She passed by Hoshimi without a word, quickly entered the first-floor lobby of the apartment, and used her electronic card to open the access control door.
Click—
Observing the closed door, Yukinoshita frowned and stared at it.
It couldn't be just a coincidence...
Crack—
The next moment, the access control door slowly opened, revealing Hoshimi's fair face with an irritatingly playful smile.
"Yukinoshita, what a coincidence."
Hoshimi leaned against the door, toying with the apartment access card between his fingertips.
"...," Yukinoshita, no longer in the mood to speak, glanced at Hoshiki and headed towards the elevator without turning back.
Behind her, Hoshimi put away the access card, a strange expression on his face, and followed Yukinoshita.
Unexpectedly, Yukinoshita lived in the same apartment building as him.
But what was even more surprising was that they hadn't seen each other for an entire year.
Upon reflection, though, it made sense.
This past year, he had mostly stayed indoors, relying on takeout for meals and shopping online for everything he needed. Money wasn't an issue, and he rarely ventured out, fingers to count those instances.
No wonder he hadn't crossed paths with Yukinoshita.
Living in the same apartment building as Yukinoshita? Now that was interesting...