About half an hour later.
Amano Academy Chairwoman's office.
"Great-Aunt, Little Aunt, the reason Tsukasa targeted Hoshino Jun actually started with Yamada Kaoru."
"Tsukasa is determined to eliminate Yamada Kaoru's claim to the group's inheritance. He's afraid that if Yamada Kaoru doesn't fare well, his uncle will cut and distribute shares to her."
"So he's been looking for a suitable boyfriend for Yamada Kaoru, but Yamada Kaoru is so stubborn, she only fancies Hoshino Jun, who is not her social equal."
"Tsukasa is very worried about this, but he doesn't dare to openly obstruct Yamada Kaoru's relationship. So the target he wants to eliminate naturally became Hoshino Jun, who has no status or position."
Saionji Ryuichi, still kneeling, slowly revealed everything Yamada Tsukasa had done to target Hoshino Jun.
Not a single detail was missed.
There was no concealment whatsoever.
Mainly, he didn't dare to hide anything. Only a fool would take the blame for Yamada Tsukasa.
Did he, Saionji Ryuichi, look like a fool?
Half of the cigarette Yamada Ran held had already turned to ash, precarious and ready to fall at any moment.
But she still hadn't noticed.
'My foolish son, even I have to tolerate Yamada Kaoru usually, so why are you so intent on kicking her out?'
'She's the only daughter left by your father's first wife. Has your father's indulgence towards her all these years not been enough to show that she's far more important than you?'
'Have you forgotten? That time Yamada Kaoru beat you so badly you were hospitalized, your father only lightly scolded Yamada Kaoru a couple of times.'
'There wasn't even a symbolic punishment.'
'It's one thing not to get along with Yamada Kaoru, but to constantly play dirty tricks is truly foolish beyond belief.'
Yamada Ran's brows furrowed tighter and tighter until the cigarette ash fell from her fingertips, and she slowly shook her head with a sigh.
This time, Yamada Tsukasa had disappointed Yamada Ran excessively.
Harming others was one thing, but the key was that his methods were not only despicable but also clumsy and full of flaws.
And he was so audacious as to start in the office building, right under Yamada Ran's nose.
Even...
This time, he inadvertently dragged his mother, Yamada Ran, into it.
Causing Yamada Ran to have physical intimacy with Hoshino Jun.
'What a complete and utter idiot.'
'He spends all day running after his father, learning his father's philandering ways, but not an ounce of his father's capability.'
After much thought, Yamada Ran felt that she had been too indulgent with Yamada Tsukasa.
She absolutely could not let this brat continue to act so recklessly.
"Thump thump thump."
Yamada Ran tapped the table a few times, then glanced at Saionji Ryuichi, who was kneeling on the floor, and Saionji Ayako, who was looking at Saionji Ryuichi's phone:
"Death is avoidable, but punishment is not. For the next year, don't give Ryuichi any pocket money. If he wants to spend money, he'll have to earn it himself by working."
"Okay, no problem."
Saionji Ayako put away her phone, her expression quite grim, even her thin lips were tinged with paleness.
Because when Hoshino Jun talked to Saionji Ayako yesterday, he reminded her that her nephew, Saionji Ryuichi, whom she raised, was acting strangely.
So, when Saionji Ayako was checking Saionji Ryuichi's phone just now, she paid extra attention.
She looked through Saionji Ryuichi's browsing history.
And discovered some alarming things.
Her good nephew's anime, novels, and videos from the past two days.
They were all inappropriate.
They were all deeply explicit content.
That would have been one thing.
After all, he's a boy, and he's already eighteen. Saionji Ayako could understand that her nephew was going through puberty.
But...
The problem was that the titles of most of the things he watched alluded to the person he should respect the most.
Saionji Ayako certainly didn't click to see the content; just seeing those names made her furious.
Because she was effectively Saionji Ryuichi's mother and father figure.
The thought that her nephew harbored such inappropriate thoughts.
And that the vast majority of the videos and anime he watched could be mapped to her.
Saionji Ayako felt utterly disgusted.
She gave her nephew a deep, meaningful glance, then pursed her lips, her eyes full of disappointment.
Saionji Ryuichi felt a pang of panic from his Little Aunt's gaze. He hadn't expected anyone to check his browsing history, so he had only deleted some photos and chat records that needed clearing.
Therefore, at this moment, Saionji Ryuichi hadn't guessed the real reason for his Little Aunt's disappointment.
He still thought it was because he had implicated Great-Aunt Yamada Ran.
"If there's nothing else, you can leave." Yamada Ran was in a bad mood and waved her hand, ushering them out.
"Yes, Chairwoman." Saionji Ayako bowed and left the office without another word.
Saionji Ryuichi hurriedly followed her out.
After leaving the office door, before he could even speak, he was met with his Little Aunt's cold, distant scoff.
"Don't follow me. Get as far away as possible."
Saionji Ryuichi was stunned.
He stood rooted to the spot, at a loss.
Inside the office, Yamada Ran watched the surveillance footage being transmitted to her computer screen.
She lit one cigarette after another.
The content showed Yamada Tsukasa pushing Hoshino Jun downstairs in the office building yesterday.
Coupled with the chat records Saionji Ryuichi provided as evidence, it was basically confirmed.
Her good son had indeed harmed her.
"You think I'm your mother, so you can be so reckless, right?"
"Alright, you think I can't do anything to you, so this time I'm too lazy to deal with you. I'll leave it to your favorite father."
Taking a deep drag from her cigarette, Yamada Ran dialed a number.
"..."
In a luxurious office.
A thin, bespectacled middle-aged man sat in the main seat, taking a call while enjoying a head massage from his female secretary.
Seeing the call from his wife, whom he hadn't seen in a long time, Yamada Takehiko didn't shy away and answered directly.
"Wuwu~ Takehiko-kun, who's calling?!"
"It's my wife, keep your voice down."
The female secretary rolled her eyes at Yamada Takehiko, thinking, 'You weren't quiet yourself.'
"Speaking of small, it must be you."
For money, although the female secretary was utterly disgusted inside, she still pretended to be happy and massaged Yamada Takehiko's temples.
Yamada Ran naturally heard the female secretary's voice and immediately felt a surge of anger at her husband's actions.
But then she remembered her own wildness with Hoshino Jun in the hallway earlier.
Instantly, most of her anger dissipated.
"Hello, husband, Tsukasa didn't come to school today. Is he with you?"
"He did come to see me, but I sent him out to play. What's wrong?"
"Tsukasa has been having a lot of problems lately. He doesn't listen to me. Could you talk to him?"
After hearing his wife's words, Yamada Takehiko's expression also turned sour.
Tsukasa indeed needed discipline.
How dare he argue with his mother?
A person who doesn't even respect his mother, would he respect him, his father, or the daughter he had with his ex-wife in the future?
Yamada Takehiko was quite self-aware; he knew that the love he gave to Yamada Tsukasa was far less than Yamada Ran's.
The fact that Yamada Tsukasa dared to argue with Yamada Ran already showed that Yamada Tsukasa had serious problems now.
"Is it the rebellious phase of a chuunibyou teenager?"
"It's easy to deal with."
"I'll stop all his cards in a while. He'll learn his lesson in a few days."
--- Two hours later.
At a restaurant.
"I'm happy today, everyone. Order whatever you want to eat and drink; don't be afraid I can't afford it."
"I'm paying for everyone's meal."
Yamada Tsukasa sat with his legs crossed, an arm around each of the two junior students who had skipped class to accompany him. He smiled as he looked around at the lackeys who usually followed him.
Because Hoshino Jun had been locked in the hallway overnight by Saionji Ryuichi, Yamada Tsukasa was especially happy, so he called his lackeys out to celebrate.
It was just a shame.
Saionji Ryuichi, who had made it happen, couldn't come because he was busy.
Otherwise, Yamada Tsukasa would have definitely toasted him today.
"To President Tsukasa!"
The group of lackeys stood up and raised their glasses, responding to Yamada Tsukasa's generosity.
Everyone was happy to be associated with Yamada Tsukasa.
Because they truly got to eat well and live luxuriously, without having to worry about anything, just occasionally helping to teach a lesson to some rude people.
Including Takayanagi, who had been forcibly dragged out, everyone at this moment believed that even though Yamada Tsukasa usually had an awful temper.
But when he said, "I'm paying," he was genuinely cool.
After eating and drinking their fill.
Yamada Tsukasa skillfully pulled out his card, his gestures and posture still appearing cool and charming in the eyes of others.
Until the server, after trying the card machine several times without success, awkwardly returned the card.
"Sir, did you perhaps use the wrong card? It's not going through."
"baka!" Yamada Tsukasa slammed the table, pushing aside the two junior students in his arms, and stood up: "How could there be no money on the card? Don't give me that nonsense."
Usually, to avoid trouble, Yamada Tsukasa only carried one card.
But he could guarantee that any card he had contained sufficient funds for him to squander.
He didn't even need to check.
"Exactly, exactly! How could President not have money?"
"It must be your operational error."
The lackeys, true to their chuunibyou Japanese teenage nature, shouted and yelled boisterously, much like the delinquents in "Crows Zero."
But the restaurant wasn't going to tolerate them.
The server with the card machine rolled her eyes at them:
"If you're trying to dine and dash, I think you've come to the wrong place. The Police station is right next door."
"Either pay the 800,000 yen, or go to the Police station and have your family come pay. How do you all choose?"
Hearing the server directly threaten to call the police, Yamada Tsukasa and his lackeys were stunned.
Could it be...
That Young Master Yamada's card really had no money?
"Impossible!"
Yamada Tsukasa, bewildered, tried it himself, but the result was the same.
It really wouldn't go through.
He was completely dumbfounded.
How could he not even have a mere 800,000 yen?
In the afternoon, Amano Academy saw a wave of requests for loans, mostly from student council members.
Even the students of Class 3-B received requests for money.
Among them, the most frequent messages came from Takayanagi, who had disappeared after the first class.
He sent messages to every single person in the class.
But...
No one paid him any mind.
Because Takayanagi had once falsely accused Hoshino-kun, making him the most disliked person in Class 3-B.
The school building was covered in fallen phoenix tree leaves, and Class 3-B was bathed in warm sunlight.
The sky was blue, and the grass was green.
When the wind blew, the hair of the sleeping boy by the window would playfully dance.
Even though it was break time, the classroom was unusually quiet.
Hmm.
The girls' eyes were fixed on Hoshino Jun's face, as if they wanted to dive into his dreams and see what he was thinking about while he slept.
"Mmm."
He seemed a little hungry.
Hoshino Jun turned his head and continued to sleep, his rosy lips parted slightly, then gradually curved into a sweet, faint smile.
That smile made the girl directly facing him freeze for a moment, an unconscious blush spreading across her face.
"Hoshino-kun is smiling at me!"
"Stop talking nonsense, Hoshino-kun is probably dreaming about eating."
"Is he hungry?"
"Do you think if I gave Hoshino-kun my bento, I could successfully strike up a conversation?"
"Hmph, I've already prepared to treat Hoshino-kun to abalone."
"Yours probably stinks by now, mine would be better."
Hamasaki Mayu, passing by the classroom, heard the girls' whispers and couldn't help but feel a dark line on her forehead.
Girls these days were truly becoming more and more frightening.
What kind of vulgar talk was that?
She felt that in this regard, they knew much more than she did, a teacher.
"Hoshino, Hoshino?"
Upholding her principles as a teacher, Hamasaki Mayu strode over to Hoshino Jun's side with her long legs and gently patted his shoulder.
Rubbing his sleepy eyes, the first thing Hoshino Jun saw when he opened them was Teacher Hamasaki's long legs.
Her dark hair fell behind her shoulders, and her black suit was dignified and appropriate.
Below her well-proportioned upper body were a pair of sexy long legs, combining a hip-skirt with straight black stockings, immediately giving one the urge to touch them.
She was 170cm tall and was also wearing thin-heeled high heels.
She was already the kind of presence that could be ostracized as the "Tokyo Tower" among girls, but she perfectly hit Hoshino Jun's preference.
He subconsciously swallowed, then Hoshino Jun immediately stood up and greeted politely, "Good morning, Teacher Hamasaki."
Suddenly, his gaze shifted from the straight black-stockinged long legs to looking down at her rather full bust.
"Why are you sleeping? Other teachers said you've been sleeping all morning."
Hamasaki Mayu was a little annoyed, and she pushed up her gold-rimmed glasses with her slender middle finger.
[Ding!]
[Detected malicious humiliation from Hamasaki Mayu!]
[If you choose not to pursue, you will receive a D-grade Favor Debt.]
Huh?
Teacher Hamasaki was truly devious; her gold-rimmed glasses couldn't possibly be specifically used to cover up giving the middle finger, could they?
Hoshino Jun clicked his tongue and chose not to pursue it.
Although it was only a mere D-grade debt, even a mosquito, no matter how small, was still meat.
[It has been determined that Hamasaki Mayu is capable of repaying this Favor Debt. Please collect it as soon as possible.]
"Why aren't you speaking?" Hamasaki Mayu furrowed her brows and took a step forward, closing in on Hoshino Jun.
Her sexy, slender beautiful legs, even from a top-down perspective, were still beautiful and easily aroused others' imaginations.
"Hoshino, you didn't go to work overtime all night again, did you?"
Working overtime was impossible.
He had only gone to help his sugar mommy unclog a drain.
Seeing that Teacher Hamasaki's expression was already very displeased, Hoshino Jun quickly explained.
"No, Teacher Hamasaki, you misunderstood. I just didn't sleep well last night and was a bit tired."
Evidently, Hamasaki Mayu did not believe Hoshino Jun's lies. She raised her eyebrows.
"I'll call your parents in a bit and find out if it's a misunderstanding."
How could that be?
If Aunt Mei knew that Hoshino Jun hadn't participated in any school festival preparations at all, that would be terrible.
He'd probably be choked to death when he got home today.
"Teacher Hamasaki, wait a minute, please."
Hoshino Jun stared at Hamasaki Mayu and quickly stepped forward, getting closer to her.
[Name: Hamasaki Mayu]
[Stamina: 5]
[Intelligence: 7]
[Charm: 9]
[Occupation: Teacher]
[Favor: She currently owes you one D-grade Favor Debt. Please urge her to complete payment as soon as possible.]
[Payment Methods:]
[Money: 100,000 yen.]
[Food: Three consecutive months of loving bento boxes.]
[Favor: One intimate contact.]
"Teacher Hamasaki, I did go to work yesterday."
Before Hamasaki Mayu's volcano was about to erupt, Hoshino Jun quickened his pace and explained, "But it was to help Chairwoman Yamada with something."
Feeling a slight pressure through the fabric at the collar of her shirt, Hamasaki Mayu raised an eyebrow and glanced at Hoshino Jun.
Hmm, his gaze was very proper.
It must have been an accident.
Blushing, she subtly took a step back and Hamasaki Mayu asked, "Hmm, how did the Chairwoman get involved?"
Hoshino Jun stepped forward.
Hamasaki Mayu took a step back, and he silently took a step forward.
Just like last time on the train.
A soft sensation.
It was transmitted to Hoshino Jun's chest in broad daylight.
And this time, the "broad daylight" consisted of Hoshino Jun's classmates and Hamasaki Mayu's students.
"It's like this."
"Chairwoman Yamada's flowers had withered and needed someone to help take care of them. I happened to be there, so the Chairwoman assigned me to look after them."
"After a night of my careful tending, the withered flowers re-sprouted."
"But I was also tired from staying up all night, so I was a bit sleepy today and accidentally slept all morning."
Honestly speaking.
Hamasaki Mayu felt that Hoshino Jun was getting a bit too close, and each time he brushed against her just right, making it feel a little intentional.
But seeing Hoshino Jun's innocent look, it didn't seem like he was deliberately taking advantage.
'Why does he have to get so close?'
'Last time on the train it was too crowded, so it couldn't be helped, but why is it still like this now? Doesn't he see so many eyes watching?'
'What if someone sees us?'
Hamasaki Mayu took a deep breath and stepped back half a pace.
"I will verify this matter with the Chairwoman. I hope you are not lying, Hoshino."
[Ding!]
[Friendly reminder: One D-grade debt, collection completed.]
Hearing the system's prompt, Hoshino Jun finally relaxed.
Taking advantage of Teacher Hamasaki in front of the entire class really wasn't an easy task.
He put his hands together and blinked, pleading:
"Teacher, after you ask the Chairwoman, could you also help me explain to my aunt that the school festival was too busy, and I really couldn't go home yesterday?"
"I don't want her to worry about me."
Aunt Mei was truly angry; Hoshino Jun had sent over a dozen messages, and she hadn't replied to a single one.
In this situation, the teacher had to step in.
With Teacher Hamasaki personally explaining, wouldn't the naturally disadvantaged guardian, Asu Mei, understand Hoshino Jun?
Seeing that Hoshino Jun no longer followed and pressed against her, Hamasaki Mayu was relieved. Hoshino truly wasn't deliberately taking advantage of her.
This child was still the good boy she remembered.
"Alright, I can help you explain to your aunt."
Hamasaki Mayu nodded, lowering her voice:
"If something like the Chairwoman asking you to take care of flowers all night happens again, just refuse."
"If you really can't refuse, just sleep in the office. The Chairwoman's office has blankets and a couch anyway."
"Don't be so foolish as to actually take care of flowers all night; that's too tormenting."
For a private school teacher to discuss the Chairwoman with a student was a major taboo.
However, for the sake of her student, Hamasaki Mayu still risked Hoshino Jun potentially tattling and reminded him a few times.
It was evident that Hamasaki Mayu could indeed be considered a dedicated and responsible good teacher.
"Okay, next time I will definitely listen to Teacher and resist to the death."
With his back to the sun, the boy smiled brightly, and the promise he made at that moment made others, including the usually serious Hamasaki Mayu, want to believe him.
But.
The next second, Hoshino Jun's phone vibrated.
"Teacher, bad news, the Chairwoman's flowers have withered again, I have to go check on them."
Hoshino Jun just glanced at it and immediately slipped away.
His running speed was probably as quick to dissipate as his promise.
Hamasaki Mayu really wanted to ask, was it necessary to rush off so urgently?
As a working person, she wasn't even as proactive at work as Hoshino Jun.
Her chest was touched by a student again today, it felt really strange, she hoped this awkward situation wouldn't happen again next time.
"Hello, may I speak with Hoshino Jun's aunt?"
Leaving the classroom, Hamasaki Mayu immediately fulfilled her promise to Hoshino Jun and defended him regarding yesterday's events.
"Yes, who is this?"
"I am his teacher, my name is Hamasaki Mayu."
"Oh, hello, Teacher Hamasaki, is something wrong with Hoshino Jun?"
"It's like this, last night…"
--- Meanwhile, Hoshino Jun had just arrived at the Chairwoman's office and saw Yamada Ran, who had already changed her suit pants for a short skirt.
The curtains were drawn, and golden sunlight hit the curtains, letting in a small amount.
It was enough for Hoshino Jun to clearly see Yamada Ran's charming and alluring appearance, her pretty face a bit flushed, bright and delicate, full of spring's vitality.
"Come here." Yamada Ran held a cigarette in her left hand and beckoned Hoshino Jun with her right index finger.
The Chairwoman's gaze was too fiery, and Hoshino Jun probably knew what she wanted to do again.
But he said nothing, just slowly walked forward.
"Chairwoman, what's wrong?"
"I have an urgent matter I need your help with."
"Please tell me, Chairwoman."
The boy stood in the light and shadow.
Yamada Ran stared at his face, feeling a little light-headed.
If she wasn't mistaken, when her husband called earlier, he was having dinner with his female secretary, right?
Then she would now treat Hoshino Jun to a good meal too.
"Open your mouth, I'll treat you to abalone, and then give you two million yen."