Summer is a warm season.
A breeze blew, lifting the pure white curtains.
Sunlight streamed into the office with the wind, illuminating the office's owner, Yamada Ran.
Her beautiful face was flushed with two spots of red, fine sweat beaded on her nose, and a strand of hair fell by each cheek, her hazy expression both enchanting and alluring.
The wind gently brushed her face, and her long eyelashes trembled slightly.
Yamada Ran, who had been closing her eyes, suddenly opened them as if from a nightmare, biting her lip tightly, and her fair, slender legs instinctively tried to close.
"Mmm."
Yamada Ran let out a soft cry, raised her hand to wipe the sweat from her forehead, and looked down to see Hoshino Jun still intently eating fish.
Was he hungry?
But he had been eating for a long time.
What a glutton.
"Don't eat so fast, no one's going to steal it from you."
As she spoke, Yamada Ran reached out to ruffle Hoshino Jun's soft, dark hair.
Hoshino Jun didn't dodge.
He just let his dear Chairwoman be happy.
Although he hated having his hair touched, he couldn't deny the generous compensation; Hoshino Jun had already received a full 1.2 million yen today.
It was worth noting that the total amount of money Hoshino Jun had earned through the system during this time was only 1.025 million yen, and after spending some, he had 1.017 million yen left.
In other words, the money Yamada Ran gave him today had already surpassed his efforts over many days.
And she had generously treated Hoshino Jun to sashimi.
The Chairwoman was simply too good.
Hoshino Jun calmly accepted Yamada Ran's head pat and continued to gnaw on the fish without speaking.
"Crunch—!"
"Crunch—!"
"Crunch—!"
The sound of eating wasn't because Hoshino Jun had a habit of "smacking his lips," but because eating fish required skill.
For example, this 2 million yen golden fish had a high fat content, was cool and refreshing, and had delicate flesh.
It had a slightly salty taste, similar to salmon, fragrant but not greasy.
The correct way to eat it was as sashimi, then to eat both sides with the skin on, which offered different, interesting textures.
One bite brought immense happiness.
"Mmm~!"
From an angle Hoshino Jun didn't notice, Yamada Ran was biting her lip, and ripples spread in her alluring, autumn-like eyes.
So this was the joy of the rich.
Watching the handsome, almost ethereal youth eat, Yamada Ran couldn't help but recall the night of wild passion with Hoshino Jun in the hallway, as well as her past marital life with her husband, Yamada Takehiko.
She felt as if her previous life had been lived in vain.
If her husband was a small blade of grass, then Hoshino Jun was a towering tree.
The difference was too vast.
So vast that Yamada Ran didn't know what words to use to describe it.
"Takehiko, I won't blame you for not coming home anymore."
"But if you can play with your little secretaries, then there's no problem with me inviting an eighteen-year-old boy to dinner, right?"
"After all, you were at fault first. At most, I'm just following your example."
Phew—!
---Eating the fish didn't take too long, mainly because Hoshino Jun deliberately dragged it out for a while; otherwise, he would have finished much earlier.
After pulling out a few napkins to wipe his mouth clean, Hoshino Jun twisted his somewhat sore neck.
"Chairwoman, thank you."
"Next time, I'll treat you to Saliva Chicken as a return favor."
The curtains had already blocked the sunlight again.
However, the faint blush on Yamada Ran's face showed no sign of fading; instead, it continued to spread, even extending to her neck, with a few beads of sweat seeping from her delicate collarbone.
Slowly, they flowed into her collar.
Yamada Ran said nothing, merely giving Hoshino Jun a sidelong glance.
It was clear that, at this moment, she certainly wouldn't be eating Saliva Chicken.
Naturally, she couldn't be bothered to respond to Hoshino Jun.
Seeing this, Hoshino Jun said nothing more, only silently adding two small goals to his mind.
The first was to make Asu Mei call him "Daddy."
The second was to treat Yamada Ran to Saliva Chicken once.
"…" After a moment of silence, Yamada Ran grabbed a cigarette pack from the table, pulled one out, lit it, and took a deep drag.
A cigarette after the deed is better than a living immortal.
"Alright, you're done. You can go back to class now."
Ah, why didn't the Chairwoman say she wanted to smoke earlier?
Hoshino Jun thought with a hint of melancholy; he could have treated the Chairwoman to a cigar.
"Chairwoman, I haven't started cleaning today," Hoshino Jun said.
"No need today, you can clean tomorrow," Yamada Ran waved her hand, secretly glancing at Hoshino Jun from the corner of her eye.
She didn't know where Hoshino Jun found the fitted shirt; it clung to his body, faintly revealing the outline of firm, well-proportioned muscles beneath.
She unconsciously swallowed again.
Yamada Ran was a little afraid that if she kept Hoshino Jun, she might be reluctant to let him go.
It was already 1:30 PM, close to working hours, and someone might come looking for her soon.
Yamada Ran absolutely could not be discovered by anyone that she was secretly keeping a young lover.
Seeing her resolute tone, Hoshino Jun naturally wouldn't do something foolish like "insisting on staying because they had been intimate."
It was well-known that from ancient times to the present, powerful figures, when killing their beloved women, never showed mercy.
Hoshino Jun would not assume that because Yamada Ran was a woman, and the gender roles were reversed, she would be different from other superiors.
As a subordinate, one must have the awareness of a subordinate, and it was best not to be too presumptuous.
Overthrowing the superior had not yet succeeded; it still required time and slow effort.
"Okay, but before I leave, I have one more thing to do." Hoshino Jun pulled out two more tissues and slowly moved closer to Yamada Ran.
"What is it?" Yamada Ran hadn't fully recovered, breathing in small sips, looking up at Hoshino Jun's meaningful gaze.
'The Chairwoman's allure is truly at its peak.'
Beneath an arrogant face, a full, round collar covered most of her body visible from top to bottom, leaving only her fair, beautiful legs unobstructed.
From the first day he met her, Hoshino Jun had never seen this haughty Chairwoman wear stockings, giving the impression that her beautiful legs were already seductive enough to cause one to fall into depravity.
They did not need stockings to add to their allure.
"I forgot to wipe your mouth too, Chairwoman."
Hoshino Jun bent down, holding the tissue, and gently wiped the saliva from the side of the Chairwoman's rosy lips.
"You—"
Yamada Ran was a little stunned by Hoshino Jun's sudden action, let out a gasp, and then watched as Hoshino Jun slowly kissed her small mouth before leaving gracefully.
The end of April wind was boisterous.
The plane trees outside the window rustled.
A breeze blew, and Yamada Ran's head was still buzzing. She hadn't expected Hoshino Jun to suddenly do that.
"How come it feels like, even though I forced him to do it—"
"He seemed to enjoy it quite a bit."
The moment Hoshino Jun left the office, Yamada Ran suddenly felt light all over.
At this moment, she had a slight suspicion: could it be that after today's events, Hoshino Jun had actually fallen for her?
In TV dramas, many stories played out that way.
A pure young man, after one intimate encounter, falls irrevocably in love with the first woman who had him.
Would Hoshino Jun be that kind of person?
Uncertain.
If possible, Yamada Ran hoped not.
Because Hoshino Jun was the boy Yamada Kaoru liked, and he had a significant conflict with her son, Yamada Tsukasa.
Even without considering the two juniors, she, Yamada Ran, was a married woman, and there was no possibility between her and Hoshino Jun.
For Yamada Ran, the ideal state with Hoshino Jun was to occasionally have some fun; there was no need to develop any feelings.
She would continue to have Hoshino Jun do things for her, and she would pay him.
This kind of employer-employee relationship was the best.
"I hope I'm overthinking it."
---"Ding-a-ling-ling—!"
The class bell signaling the end of lunch break rang across the campus just as Hoshino Jun left the office building. He twitched his lips, feeling a bit down, and sighed faintly as he looked towards the cafeteria, then walked towards his classroom.
A cool breeze blew from above, and Hoshino Jun, whose stomach was rumbling, whispered to the wind:
"Next time, I should eat first. How can I possibly be full just eating fish?"
He hadn't eaten dinner yesterday, then had an intense battle all night.
In the morning, he was too tired to eat breakfast and slept all morning, only to wake up and still miss lunch.
Even with a stamina value of 9, it was truly a bit much to bear.
"The remaining debts include one D-rank from Teacher Hamasaki and one C-rank from Chairwoman Yamada."
"And twenty-two C-ranks from Saionji Ayako."
"Once these debts are cleared, it's time to find more people to accrue debts from."
"Who should I target next?"
"By the way, why hasn't Takayanagi, the walking ATM, been in class all afternoon? Where did he go?"
The afternoon classes were not important. Hoshino Jun thought about other things, heard nothing, and drifted through them in a daze.
Instead of heading straight to the library as he had the previous two days, Hoshino Jun first went to the cafeteria and ordered a luxurious meal with one vegetable and four meat dishes.
After a hearty meal, Hoshino Jun unhurriedly made his way to the library.
On the way, he encountered an expected roadblock.
Saionji Ryuichi stood under a tall willow tree, his eyes slightly red, looking as if he had cried.
"Hoshino Jun, why did my Little Aunt ignore me after I did what you said? Is there something wrong with your steps?"
In the morning, after leaving Great-Aunt's office, Little Aunt only told Saionji Ryuichi to get lost and hadn't spoken to him since.
From childhood until now, this was the first time Saionji Ryuichi truly experienced what it meant to be estranged by his Little Aunt.
He didn't understand why this was happening.
Was it just because he "accidentally" poured a bucket of water on Great-Aunt?
But Great-Aunt had already given him the appropriate punishment; he wouldn't have any allowance for the next year.
"Hoshino Jun, say something."
Watching Saionji Ryuichi's red eyes, Hoshino Jun's lips curved slightly upward.
Why was he crying already?
This was just the beginning.
There was much more waiting for him later.
After a long silence, Hoshino Jun thoughtfully explained:
"Perhaps your Little Aunt and Great-Aunt have a deep sisterly bond, and she couldn't bear to see you do something to harm your Great-Aunt."
"Huh?"
Saionji Ryuichi let out a strange cry of surprise. To be honest, he didn't quite believe that Little Aunt and Great-Aunt had any deep sisterly affection. Every time the two sisters met, Great-Aunt would intentionally or unintentionally bully Little Aunt.
With things like that, what 'deep affection' was there?
Rather than believing in deep sisterly affection, Saionji Ryuichi thought it was more plausible that Little Aunt was disappointed in him.
"I don't care. Anyway, no matter what, I absolutely cannot fall out with Little Aunt."
"Hoshino Jun, your mind works fast. I'll give you one day. You must come up with a way to mend my relationship with Little Aunt."
"Otherwise..."
"Slap!"
Before he could finish his sentence, a backhand slap landed on Saionji Ryuichi's face.
It made a crisp, loud sound.
The atmosphere under the willow tree became silent.
"Are you f*cking telling me what to do?"
Hoshino Jun clapped his hands and said this in a very calm tone.
Saionji Ryuichi's mind went blank for a moment, then his rather handsome face turned ashen, and he stared intently at Hoshino Jun.
Fury!
At that moment, he had an impulse to kill Hoshino Jun.
I let you play with my wife, and I helped you with so many things to help you win over my Great-Aunt, and in return, you slap me in the face.
This is intolerable.
Saionji Ryuichi's eyes widened. He rushed forward, grabbed Hoshino Jun by the collar, and growled:
"Hoshino Jun, are you looking for death?"
"Are you starting to threaten me?"
Seeing Hoshino Jun suddenly frown, Saionji Ryuichi instinctively wanted to dodge, but quickly realized that under these circumstances, he absolutely could not dodge.
He could take a beating, but he absolutely could not lose face.
Moreover, he was confident that Hoshino Jun would never dare to challenge him.
"Just a fox borrowing a tiger's prestige."
Saionji Ryuichi tightened his grip on Hoshino Jun's collar:
"Don't forget, you are the one who deserves to die the most for what happened last night. If you want to die, I can grant your wish anytime."
"If you don't worry about yourself, at least worry about those close to you."
After speaking, Saionji Ryuichi pushed Hoshino Jun.
[Ding!]
[Detected threats, intimidation, and malicious attacks from Saionji Ryuichi!]
[If you choose not to pursue, you will acquire a B-rank Favor Debt.]
Well.
The debt has arrived.
And I didn't expect it to be B-rank.
Claim it.
[After assessment, Saionji Ryuichi is unable to repay this Favor Debt, and the debt has been automatically transferred to his aunt, "Saionji Ayako."]
This time, Hoshino Jun deliberately provoked Saionji Ryuichi.
In order to quickly improve himself, he temporarily suppressed the urge to teach Saionji Ryuichi a lesson, patted his collar, and said with a smile:
"Ryuichi, don't be so agitated. When you say something like that, don't you think about how you also have a Little Aunt?"
"You're forcing me to go all out," Saionji Ryuichi replied.
"But do you think anyone will believe you? You did everything yesterday. I was just a victim."
Hoshino Jun spread his hands: "I didn't do anything, and I didn't conspire with you. On the contrary, you cooperated with Yamada Tsukasa to mess with me again and again."
Upon hearing this, Saionji Ryuichi's eyes widened sharply, staring fiercely at Hoshino Jun, but he couldn't say anything.
Because...
It seemed that Hoshino Jun's fault couldn't be found.
He had deleted all his chat records with Hoshino Jun, leaving only those where he and Yamada Tsukasa had schemed against Hoshino Jun.
As for Kachiko, Saionji Ryuichi dared not expose the matter between Kachiko and Hoshino Jun. Such an embarrassing matter would strike at the entire Saionji Family.
"But it's not false that you and my Great-Aunt have something going on, is it? Don't think my Great-Uncle is a vegetarian."
"Whether he's a vegetarian or not, I don't know, but if he's not, then if you expose it, your family will probably have to become vegetarians."
Hoshino Jun smiled, merely staring silently at Saionji Ryuichi, without continuing to speak.
With Yamada Ran this time, Hoshino Jun not only successfully won an A-rank debt, but he also had Saionji Ryuichi completely under his thumb in every aspect.
Otherwise, he wouldn't have directly slapped him just now.
Hoshino Jun was certain that Saionji Ryuichi dared not leave any evidence of conspiring with him.
Bullying the school heartthrob Hoshino Jun with Yamada Tsukasa, versus conspiring with Hoshino Jun against Yamada Ran and helping Hoshino Jun successfully obtain Yamada Ran.
Saionji Ryuichi definitely knew which crime was more serious.
"If you're willing to let your Little Aunt and the entire Saionji Family suffer misfortune with you, then I don't care."
"You dare!" Saionji Ryuichi roared, "You think you've got me figured out? Don't forget you also have an aunt who is important to you."
"Interesting, this is what we call mutual..."
Hoshino Jun originally wanted to say, "This is what we call mutually holding leverage," but on second thought, the word "leverage" didn't seem to apply to the current situation.
"Hmm, how should I put it? Anyway, we're now in the same boat, on equal footing."
"If one dies, we all die together."
"I can help with the matter of your Little Aunt's relationship with you deteriorating."
"But..."
"I also advise you, don't speak to me in a threatening tone again, or I'll slap you next time."
After speaking, Hoshino Jun took a step forward and patted Saionji Ryuichi's shoulder.
He smiled so brightly, as if he were a different person, with none of the unreasonableness he had shown when slapping him earlier.
Looking at Hoshino Jun, bathed in sunlight, with a gentle smile on his face.
Saionji Ryuichi was dumbfounded. How could anyone change their expression faster than turning a page? Weren't they just arguing?
How did he suddenly change?
Could it be, was it really just because my tone was wrong at first?
It seemed I was a bit too aggressive.
Seeing his confusion, Hoshino Jun added:
"Don't doubt me, after all, you know that not only are we in the same boat, but we also share a suitable hobby. Both you and I are quite fond of Kachiko."
"Don't talk nonsense." Saionji Ryuichi glared.
Such things are best kept to oneself. If you blurt them out, it loses its meaning.
"Alright, I won't say it." Hoshino Jun nodded in agreement.
Saionji Ryuichi rubbed his reddened cheek from the slap: "It's good that you're willing to help. My tone was bad before, I apologize, but you also need to apologize for hitting me."
"Sumimasen!" Hoshino Jun's apology was quite decisive.
One 'Sumimasen' for one slap was quite a bargain.
The atmosphere fell silent again.
Saionji Ryuichi's emotions were complex, and in the end, he didn't know what else to say to Hoshino Jun.
"Then I'll leave it to you."
"Mm."
"You don't have to worry about Yamada Tsukasa. All his cards have been frozen by my Great-Uncle and Great-Aunt. Without money to back him up, no one will listen to his foul temper."
"Thanks for the reminder."
This thank you was sincere.
After saying thank you, the news that Yamada Tsukasa could no longer cause trouble was indeed quite important to Hoshino Jun.
Since Yamada Tsukasa had no money to continue hiring people to act.
Then it was almost time for Hoshino Jun to make a slight counterattack.
"Yamada Tsukasa."
"Saionji Ryuichi."
"Takasaki Yusuke."
"Takayanagi Castle."
"You might not know me very well, but I'm truly a very vengeful person."
"This time, always playing strategy games is a bit boring."
"Occasionally, I also need to use you guys as practice."
After parting ways with Saionji Ryuichi, Hoshino Jun sent a message to his good friend Takasaki Yusuke, who he had been contacting daily on LINE recently.
"Yusuke-kun, tomorrow is Saturday. Are you free?"
"Free, what's up?"
"Let's meet."
"Okay."
--- A leaf fell.
Hoshino Jun raised his hand, caught it, and smiled.
Having received the desired answer, Hoshino Jun strode confidently towards the library.
Still the same spot.
Close to the sun, warm and comfortable.
The moment Hoshino Jun approached, Saionji Ayako also happened to look up.
Their eyes met.
One with a cold expression.
One with a radiant smile.
"Hey, Vice Chairman, good afternoon."
Hoshino Jun maintained his smile as he sat down, his gaze fixed on the thin beauty opposite him, whose face was grim.
Her dark long hair draped over her shoulders, and her whole body seemed to have an air conditioner switch turned on, constantly radiating coldness.
"Why didn't you come yesterday afternoon and today at noon?"
Saionji Ayako gave him a cold glance and directly questioned Hoshino Jun about breaking their appointment.
She seemed to have forgotten something.
Hoshino Jun wasn't specifically there to read with her.
Instead, they had agreed to act together to get past the Yamada Ran hurdle.
"Because Ryuichi-kun warned me."
"Hmm?"
"Yesterday, if I hadn't run fast, I probably would have been locked in the hallway by Ryuichi-kun."
"Hmm?" Saionji Ayako looked up: "You know about this?"
According to what Ryuichi told her and her sister, Ryuichi indeed wanted to target Hoshino Jun, but Hoshino Jun ran off somewhere and accidentally locked her sister in.
How would Hoshino Jun know?
"I was the one who let the Chairwoman out."
"My observation is always good. Yesterday, when Ryuichi-kun warned me, I knew something was definitely up."
"So I slipped away in time, but I didn't expect the Chairwoman to suffer for me instead."
Hoshino Jun's tone was calm, as if he was stating a very ordinary matter.
Saionji Ayako looked at him, closed the book in her hand, and asked in confusion: "So you were scared?"
"A little, I guess. After all, you're from a wealthy family, and I'm just an ordinary poor person."
"Then why are you here now?"
"Because I think the Vice Chairman needs my help."
"I need your help?"
Saionji Ayako was even more confused, staring into Hoshino Jun's eyes.
She found that the young man's smile always seemed so sunny and confident, as if she truly had something urgent that required Hoshino Jun.
Hoshino Jun said with a beaming smile: "For example, regarding Ryuichi-kun's ill intentions towards you, Vice Chairman, I might be able to provide significant assistance."