Chapter 80: Oda Raika
On the road outside the school, Yuta spoke as he and Raika reached a less crowded area: "Raika-senpai, did you just finish class too?"
Today, classes started at around nine o'clock, and since the first class was one of the subjects Yuta had chosen, it turned out that he would be attending classes all day long.
Not every class was mandatory; many courses that he hadn't selected didn't require attendance, and generally, the schedule allowed for some free time to prepare for work or do other things.
Yuta came to class mainly to rack up attendance.
As long as he hit the required number of attendance days, he could skip out on school!
"No, I'm waiting for you. I want to know what makes you different from others," Raika stated her purpose, standing still and looking at Yuta with a blank expression. "Staring—"
Yuta couldn't help but smile at Raika's silly expression and replied, "Professor Fujiwara sent you here, right? What did she say to you?"
Raika didn't understand why Yuta was laughing. Was his reaction a way to relieve the awkwardness? If so, wouldn't it be better to do nothing at all?
"I find you quite interesting," Raika said, turning to continue walking forward. "You're worth observing."
Yuta was pretty adaptable to such remarks and realized she was yet another peculiar girl.
"Observe if you want; I don't mind. But you have to tell me how Professor Fujiwara persuaded you to do all this," Yuta was curious about Raika's motives.
Raika explained naturally, "Well, my aunt said that the questions I want answers to, I could definitely get from you, and it could help me find a good job after graduating from university. She also mentioned that your family has a super-cute child~ I really want to see her!"
Raika cared more about the adorable girl mentioned by her aunt than the job prospects.
It was only when she saw something cute that Raika would smile!
So, cute things were justice!
Yuta had learned how to communicate with girls and nodded, saying, "I see. So, she's using the job thing to enlist your help. That could indeed be quite beneficial for you."
For a girl like Raika, whose social skills were nearly non-existent, finding a suitable job would certainly be very difficult. However, if Kaoruko were to help, it would make things simpler.
In addition to that, Yuta had some questions he wanted to ask Raika, specifically about Kaoruko.
"Is Professor Fujiwara really your aunt? And do you know that she has entered an unusual mental state because of her research on The Tale of Genji?"
If she was her real aunt, why would she send Raika to him?
Raika looked at Yuta, clearly understanding what he was saying. Her comprehension abilities were strong, but her ability to express herself was quite weak.
"Aunt Kaoruko said you could call her 'aunt' too. I don't see anything wrong with that; we hardly talk."
Yuta felt a bit uneasy and said, "There are some things that might not be wise for me to say, but your aunt is really... persistent. She wants me to be the main character in her research on The Tale of Genji and even said she'd help introduce me to women and teach me how to pursue them."
Yuta shared everything he knew about Kaoruko, hoping to prevent Raika from falling into that trap. If she didn't know who Kaoruko was, and got deceived, it would be troublesome.
"I see!" Raika clearly understood Yuta's words and nodded. "That's interesting, but is the child in your family really as cute as my aunt says?"
Yuta sighed. Perhaps Kaoruko should open a psychological clinic to help those women with various issues.
Just as Kaoruko had said, her research wasn't something she feared revealing.
The last time, when she pretended to be threatened, half of it was an act; the other half stemmed from her fear of Yuta's strength and the possibility of him resorting to violence.
If that happened, all her schemes would mean nothing.
Noticing that Yuta didn't want to continue the conversation, Raika also fell silent, but her mind lingered on the question of whether Yuta's niece was really that cute.
Yuta took out his phone and handed it to Raika, smiling as he said, "My little Hina is super cute—world's number one!"
That confident smile instantly made Raika develop a fondness for him.
Raika nodded seriously, "That's right, cuteness is justice!"
Hearing such a middle-school-level statement, Yuta felt a bit speechless. This concept of "justice" seemed way too cheap...
Raika, however, ignored Yuta's feelings and looked down at the phone, where she saw Hina's smiling face.
Hina's smile was undeniably adorable, and Raika liked it very much. She gently touched her cheek and murmured, "I really want to meet this child."
"You should get the chance eventually. Senpai, your place should be nearby, right? I'm going to pick up Hina now, so I'll take my leave," Yuta said, not the type of person to linger just because he was with a girl. As they walked toward the station, he suggested they part ways.
Raika nodded and, after Yuta's farewell, turned to leave. "See you tomorrow."
Watching Raika walk away, Yuta thought to himself that with their different class schedules, seeing her tomorrow was unlikely!
There was no way he was going to arrive two hours early to wait around just for a few words with a girl!
After taking the train for two stops, Yuta, who still didn't own a car or motorcycle, figured it would take him at least two hours to get home from the university.
While he could ask Aoi or Kaoruko to give him a ride, that would mean owing them a favor!
"I really need to buy a car soon!"
After exiting the station, Yuta hopped onto the bike he had locked to the side and headed toward the kindergarten.
Summer was bearable, but picking up Hina in winter was something Yuta couldn't tolerate.
[Ding!]
[A side quest was initiated—players can choose whether to complete it, and failure comes with no penalties.]
[Man's Three Treasures: [Vehicle]: Design a blueprint for a trike.]
[Quest Reward: One finished trike.]
A trike is a motorcycle with an attached sidecar for passenger transport. It was a popular mode of transport during the wartime of the last century, more flexible and convenient than cars, while also providing more carrying capacity than a regular motorcycle.
However, it consumed fuel, wasn't as comfortable as a car, and while it could go fast, they were becoming rare. Once commonly used by police agencies or other government departments, they were now mainly for personal enthusiasts.
Frowning, Yuta contemplated how to modify it. As a technician, he often tackled "brilliant ideas" conceived by superiors on a whim, so he didn't find this task particularly daunting.
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