The result came through quickly. Considering that Masashi had previously earned merit for chasing down a thief and this was his first offense, the school decided to give him a warning.
In contrast to Masashi's indifference, Rumi's reaction was much more intense. If it hadn't been for Kazumi holding her back, she would have rushed to the principal's office with a bamboo sword in hand. As for why she had a bamboo sword, it wasn't because she wanted to use it as a weapon, but because she had been practicing in the club and impulsively forgot to put it down.
"Brother, what should we do? If the punishment isn't lifted before graduation, it will affect the high school entrance exam," Kazumi said, worried.
"Don't worry, this kind of punishment is usually lifted before graduation, as long as there are no further serious offenses," Masashi reassured her, though he himself wasn't at all concerned. He hadn't even thought about going to university.
To him, university was less of a place for further studies and more like an ideal refuge for fooling around, skipping classes, and living a carefree life.
By now, Masashi had accumulated several diplomas, including ones in mechanical engineering, biology, and medicine, though each one was from a different country and time period, spanning several centuries.
"Brother, why would Mizuta Kazuo frame you like this?" Kazumi asked, leaning on his shoulder.
"He's just a supporting actor. The real director has other plans. I'm just curious why that guy would target me," Masashi said.
"Who do you mean?" Kazumi asked, lifting her head to look at him.
"You'll know soon enough," Masashi smiled.
"You didn't tell Mom about this, right?" Kazumi asked.
"Of course not. I already told Rumi not to say anything," Masashi replied.
"That little rascal's not very reliable. By the way, where is she now?"
"She's already asleep. She was probably too tired after all the fuss today."
Thinking about how Rumi had acted so fiercely for justice today made Masashi chuckle to himself.
When Masashi returned to school, everyone who knew him looked at him with various expressions. But Masashi remained unaffected, just reading novels and dozing off as usual, carefree and relaxed, much to the envy of the other boys.
What irritated the boys even more was that the kendo girl, Rumi, treated him as if nothing had happened. There were no signs of a breakup as the rumors had suggested. And to ensure Masashi didn't skip class again, she came to check on him after every class.
Despite the boys' envy, Masashi found this treatment exhausting. He tried every excuse—advice, negotiation, pleading, swearing, acting out—but nothing worked. Rumi, who usually listened to her teachers, was unusually stubborn about this, even shedding tears. In the end, Masashi had to give in.
"Hey, Kazumi, can you talk to Rumi? I'm going to suffocate if this goes on," Masashi said, hoping his sister could help.
Seeing her brother in such an unusually miserable state, Kazumi couldn't help but laugh.
"Isn't this great? Brother, you should understand Rumi's good intentions."
Rumi nodded eagerly, looking quite pleased.
Masashi glared at them, but couldn't help but tap Rumi on the head.
"Hey! Kazumi, senpai is bullying me again!" Rumi shouted as she ducked behind Kazumi.
"Brother, honestly, Rumi's doing this for your own good," Kazumi said, gently patting Rumi's head.
"I know she's doing it for me, but do you think I'm the type to just sit and listen to lectures? If I have to sit still all the time, not only will I get hemorrhoids, I'll go crazy. It's like being in prison. This will kill me!"
"But there's no other choice, is there? Your grades are so bad. If you keep skipping classes, you might have to repeat the year," Rumi couldn't help but chime in.
"Ugh, I thought it was something serious. It's just the exam scores."
"How about this, let's make a gentleman's agreement. For the final exam this semester, if I rank in the top 10 of the whole grade, you won't interfere with my freedom anymore. If I lose, I'll do whatever you say from now on. Deal?"
"Really? Top 10 in the grade? Am I hearing you correctly?" Rumi stared at him.
"Top 10? If I'm in a good mood, I could even make the top 10 in the whole school," Masashi said as if ordering from a menu.
"Brother, you're not talking about being in the bottom 10 of the school, right?" Kazumi suppressed her laughter.
"Ah, so that's how it is. Luckily Kazumi pointed it out, or else senpai would have fooled me." Rumi realized.
Masashi laughed, "Do you think I'm so bored that I'd play word games with you? Listen carefully, it's top 10 in the whole school. If I don't make it, I lose. If I win, you can't interfere with my freedom anymore. And from now on, you have to do whatever I say, like a little brother."
"It's not my business. You're only betting with Rumi," Kazumi said with a grin.
"How can you be so heartless?" Masashi was a bit exasperated.
"Alright, Senpai, I'll bet with you," Rumi agreed.
"Then it's settled. Also, before the exam, you can't interfere with my freedom. No more checking up on me after class," Masashi added.
"No way!" Rumi refused immediately.
"What do you mean, no way? You don't understand. My study method is different. I need to move around and stretch sometimes to relax. If you don't let me go out, it will affect my performance. You're not helping me, you're actually hindering me," Masashi said firmly.
"Is that true?" Rumi started to waver.
"Of course it's true," Masashi nearly swore an oath.
Rumi looked at Kazumi, and seeing that she didn't object, hesitated for a moment before nodding. "Alright, but Senpai, don't try to trick me."
Masashi smiled widely, patting her on the shoulder, assuring her she didn't need to worry.
Kazumi, watching them, felt both amused and exasperated. Only someone as naive as Rumi would believe Masashi's nonsense. But she was also curious about how Masashi would perform in the exam.
"Alright, now I'm going to stretch outside. After that, I'll come back and study hard. You don't need to see me off," Masashi said, finally relishing his newfound freedom as he rushed out of the school gate.
The moment he stepped outside, Masashi quickly made a call.
"Little Black, are you busy? Not too busy? Great! Hurry up and fly over here. I just got out of prison. Come over and celebrate with me! Don't ask any questions, just come. Oh, and bring a few bottles of good wine. Damn it, it's been so long since I've had a good time like this."
Rumi stared blankly as she watched Masashi run off like he was escaping.
"Kazumi, senpai looks really in a hurry. What happened?" Rumi asked, puzzled.
"Haha!" Kazumi finally couldn't hold back her laughter.
"What's so funny?" Rumi looked confused.
Seeing Rumi's bewildered expression, Kazumi couldn't stop laughing.
"Kazumi, can you tell me why you're so insistent that Brother shouldn't skip classes?" Rumi finally calmed down.
"Because I'm afraid that senpai will repeat the year due to insufficient attendance," Kazumi answered softly.
"Then why would you be worried about him repeating the year?" Rumi asked, very interested.
Rumi sat down in front of Kazumi and softly said, "To me, senpai is extremely important. From the moment I called him 'Senpai,' that title already held special meaning. I won't call anyone else that in the future. To me, he is Senpai, and that's all that matters. If he repeats the year and we're in the same grade, the title might not fit anymore. I don't want that, so I want to protect that title for him." Her voice was soft but carried the quiet determination of a girl.
Kazumi looked at her tenderly and after a while, sighed softly, "I really envy you, Rumi. Unfortunately, I'm just his sister." *
Rumi stared at her, puzzled.
"But you might lose this time," Kazumi said with a cheerful smile, her mood lifting.
"How is that possible, top ten in the whole school! As long as Senpai does better than last semester, I'll be very satisfied."
"Rumi, you underestimate him too much. I have a feeling that he can do a lot of things, he just doesn't want to. Maybe it has something to do with his dislike of being high-profile. He's a guy who's hard to figure out." Kazumi looked into the distance thoughtfully.
---
* She wants her brother's :D