After finishing lunch and resting for a while, Ho Fei-yu and Kokoro Aono prepared to leave.
The weather today was not very hot, perhaps because of yesterday's heavy rain or because summer had passed.
Around three o'clock.
Ho Fei-yu took Kokoro Aono's luggage to the roadside to wait.
The girl carried a few of her own clothes and silently followed behind Ho Fei-yu.
After waiting for more than ten minutes, a moving company's vehicle slowly drove up. After telling them the location again, the vehicle, loaded with Kokoro Aono's belongings, departed.
Ho Fei-yu and Kokoro Aono walked to yesterday's bus stop, waiting for the bus heading into the city.
The girl remained silent, though her gaze occasionally settled on Ho Fei-yu, her eyes holding a complex expression.
On the bus.
There were many empty seats, and Ho Fei-yu chose a window seat.
When he came, he was alone, but now there were two of them going back.
Kokoro Aono naturally sat down beside Ho Fei-yu. They were close, and their thighs occasionally brushed against each other due to the steep road.
The girl blushed but didn't pull her thigh away, allowing the contact to continue naturally.
"Big bad guy... why are you so nice to me..." Finally, Kokoro Aono couldn't help but speak first.
"Maybe I can sell you for a good price. I hear pork is quite expensive lately~" After a thought, Ho Fei-yu replied with a smile to the serious-looking Kokoro Aono.
"...You're the pig! I'm not talking to you!" Hearing this, the girl paused, realized what he meant, and looked at Ho Fei-yu angrily. If she didn't lack fangs, she would have wanted to bite him right now.
"Hmph!" Kokoro Aono let out a muffled humph, turning her head away, refusing to look at Ho Fei-yu.
Ho Fei-yu watched the girl's reaction, his smile widening, and shifted his gaze to the scenery outside the window.
Why was he good to Kokoro Aono? Perhaps it was pity... Girls like her, with their inherently kind and gentle natures, often ended up tragically. Being raped after being NTR'd and reduced to someone's ragdoll was considered a decent outcome. The most miserable fate was becoming a tool for release, then being sold as property by the NTR when he lost interest, becoming his money-making toy, completely breaking down amidst the lust...
After a moment of silence.
"When we get off the bus, should we go straight to your foster mother's apartment, or should you come with me to the school?" The girl couldn't resist speaking to Ho Fei-yu again.
"Let's go to your school first~ Aunt Mitsuko will have everything ready." Ho Fei-yu replied. He then remembered that Kokoro Aono still didn't know his name; she hadn't asked since he had threatened her.
"Mhm." Kokoro Aono nodded obediently. Her dark eyes began to intentionally and unintentionally look at Ho Fei-yu's profile. For some reason, it made her feel safe...
"What are you staring at? Time to get off, you lazy pig."
"Ah... Oh... Okay." They had arrived at the stop. Ho Fei-yu looked at the dazed Kokoro Aono and said irritably.
Beside the bus station, Ho Fei-yu was holding his phone and comparing maps, searching for the route to Copper Academy.
He had been quite the homebody this past year. Aside from occasional exercise for the running missions issued by the System, he usually stayed home to study. So, he wasn't very familiar with the routes in Saitama City.
Kokoro Aono followed quietly beside Ho Fei-yu, watching the boy's every move.
"We'll go this way... and then that way. It should take about half an hour to get there." After confirming the route, Ho Fei-yu said to the girl beside him.
"Mhm." Kokoro Aono nodded, then quickly followed Ho Fei-yu's steps.
Finally.
They arrived outside Copper Academy.
Many people of the same age were going in and out of the main gate.
"Let's go." Seeing Kokoro Aono in a daze, Ho Fei-yu subconsciously pinched her delicate, soft cheek.
Perhaps because he interacted with many girls, Ho Fei-yu wasn't overly concerned about this action. However, the girl's fair face instantly flushed red from Ho Fei-yu's intimate pinch, like a ripe apple, tempting one to take a bite.
While the girl was still caught up in the romantic atmosphere, Ho Fei-yu had already started walking. When Kokoro Aono realized the boy was no longer beside her, she looked up and saw his figure was more than ten meters away. She quickly scurried after him, looking at him with a resentful expression.
Fortunately, the class assignment notice was in the center of the plaza just inside the main gate, where many people were gathered. Ho Fei-yu and Kokoro Aono slowly walked over.
Ho Fei-yu started reading the notice from the far left, without minding the girl. Kokoro Aono found it strange. It was her coming to school, so why was the boy more focused than she was? Could it be...
An idea struck her, and the blush that had just faded on Kokoro Aono's face reappeared.
If Ho Fei-yu knew what the girl was thinking, he would definitely say she was overthinking it~
Kokoro Aono saw Ho Fei-yu on the left, so she walked to the right. This way, their efficiency was doubled.
First Year, Class 1: ... Saya Sakuramiya Hinata Sakuramiya ... Yukiha Serizawa ...
First Year, Class 2: Ho Fei-yu Kaede Hoshizuki Rei Hoshizuki ... Natsuha Murasakimiya Chizuru Shiina Makoto Himegumi Izumi Nogami Sae Hinata Minako Sanada Kanna Akizono ... Kokoro Aono ...
Ho Fei-yu was surprised to see his name right at the beginning of Class 2, but he didn't pay too much attention. Looking further down, the names Kaede Hoshizuki and Rei Hoshizuki strangely felt familiar, as if he had heard them somewhere before. He was sure he hadn't seen them in any anime in his past life. Continuing down, he was surprised to see the clumsy girl's name at the very end.
He turned his head to look at Kokoro Aono, who was still searching for her class. Ho Fei-yu smiled knowingly. If she knew they were in the same class, he wondered how the girl would react. But he decided not to tell Kokoro Aono directly, wanting to give her a surprise~
Since he had already found his own class, Ho Fei-yu didn't feel like looking further. He started pondering where he had heard those two names. Logically, such pleasant-sounding names should have left a mark in his memory.
Kokoro Aono had checked from Class 5 all the way to Class 3 without finding her name. She felt anxious, wondering if there had been a mistake in the enrollment process. She looked up and saw the boy lost in thought. She walked over, seeing him staring blankly at the names Kaede Hoshizuki and Rei Hoshizuki. For some reason, she felt a slight discomfort inside. She didn't interrupt Ho Fei-yu and started checking the list nearby. To her surprise, she saw her name at the very bottom, and joy instantly surged through her.
'Was he helping me look for it? Kokoro, you're so silly, you wrongly accused him...' Kokoro Aono couldn't help but think, chastising herself.
"Can you come with me to see where the classroom is?" The girl's face was flushed, and her eyes held a different kind of look as she watched Ho Fei-yu. She extended her clean, small hand and tugged at Ho Fei-yu's shirt.
"Let's go." Ho Fei-yu also wanted to see the classroom, so he agreed. It would save him the trouble of finding the classroom when he came to school tomorrow morning.
"..."
"It's here! Look, First Year, Class 2! Let's go in and have a look~" Kokoro Aono said excitedly, pointing to the four clear words written on the plaque above the door.
I need to take one day off. Taking a day off.