LIGHTNOVELONLINE Chapter 64: Chapter 61: Do I look like someone who would read that kind of book?
The sunset reflected in the sky.
The clouds, dyed orange, floated in the air, tempting young girls to capture this beautiful scene on their phones.
Perhaps, tonight, these photos might appear on social media.
Just like the glimpse of slender calves beneath a pleated skirt, they were delicate and delightful.
My favorite season was about to arrive.
In the hallway, the handsome youth glanced at the girl by the flower bed and then looked away.
"Chiba Student, do you want me to carry your backpack for you?"
Down the corridor, dense with twilight, the boy walked forward, jokingly speaking to the girl.
Chiba Shimizu glanced at him indifferently, said nothing, and didn't hand over her backpack.
Her calm eyes seemed to say,
Do you really have such good intentions?
"It's my honor to serve a beauty,"
the boy continued unfazed, "and if I get a 'thank you' in return, I'll be happy all day."
"Boring."
Chiba Shimizu still couldn't figure out what the boy was up to, like an ancient sword master awaiting a duel.
Unable to discern the pattern of his strategy, one could only watch silently, then deliver a fatal blow when the moment came.
"I surrender, I surrender, no hostility, I just really want to help."
Haruka Yuzan raised his hands, showing they were empty, and he had no ulterior motives.
A swordsman who disarmed himself, an act others might find despicable.
In that moment, the girl's gaze grew sharp, as if the two were engaged in a clandestine duel between sword fighters.
It was the first time I'd seen a different emotion on Chiba Shimizu's face.
It was... a bit too cute.
A moe little sword deity? A straight-faced... comedian?
Six words that couldn't possibly describe the girl before me, yet they jumped into Haruka Yuzan's mind.
"You didn't seem so eager to help when Otome was around,"
Chiba Shimizu flicked her silver hair and kept walking.
I was just after a task reward, not a death wish.
Watching the girl in the distance, Haruka Yuzan couldn't help but shake his head; the concept of a wish list was just too vague.
Genuine care and assistance.
But since I knew that helping the girl would earn me a task reward, was anything I did still genuine, even if it was somewhat motivated?
The teaching building was peaceful,
walking on the cobblestone paths of the campus, I could faintly hear the cheers from club activities; youth is wonderful.
Not like me, with only a houseful of beautiful girls.
Having learned the way home, Chiba Shimizu walked on, while Haruka Yuzan could follow behind and admire the girl's back.
Passing by the bookstore,
Haruka Yuzan stopped,
"Chiba Student, go on ahead, I need to buy something."
Chiba Shimizu turned her head, glanced at the bookstore, nodded, and left without saying a word.
Watching her figure recede into the distance, Haruka Yuzan sighed softly,
"I thought she would join me in looking at books."
The bookstore was quiet,
and the young lady at the front desk nodded in acknowledgment as Haruka entered.
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Wooden tables were arranged to one side, with a few students in JK uniforms sitting there, seeming worried about the upcoming exam week.
When they saw the boy enter, they paused briefly, and in that moment, the books in their hands didn't seem quite as appealing anymore.
Not until the boy's handsome retreating figure was out of sight did the girls come back to their senses,
their eyes gleaming with excitement, using the once fiercely studied books to cover their faces as they whispered and shared their thoughts in hushed tones.
Haruka Yuzan, for his part, was clueless about this as he continued to pick out philosophically significant books for the young lady.
Philosophically significant....
Do JOJO's manga volumes count?
Haruka Yuzan skipped past rows of manga collections with philosophically deep faces and figures, continuing to move on.
He remembered Chiba Shimizu once reading Plato's "The Republic,"
but after some thought, Haruka Yuzan still put down Heidegger's "Being and Time," a book specifically criticising Plato's thought; it would be a bit too mischievously spirited to give to the class president.
After a long selection process, he finally settled on Sartre's "Being and Nothingness."
He also rewarded himself with two volumes of "Kaguya-sama: Love Is War," but only bought the first three volumes.
Not understanding the books filled with philosophical significance, he still found the sweet manga manageable.
As for why only buy the first three volumes?
That's a question for the manga artist, as to why the later volumes made one's stomach ache.
He might as well go home and watch video explanations to fill in the grand finale...
Arriving at the checkout, he paid.
The cashier showed a hint of surprise in her eyes as she saw the two vastly different types of books.
"These are for a friend of mine,"
Haruka Yuzan said with a smile.
"Ah?"
The handsome guy suddenly offered an explanation,
The cashier realized, and sure enough, such a handsome man with such refined tastes usually reads philosophically rich books like "Being and Nothingness," right.....
Seemingly relieved, she displayed a sweet smile,
"I was just thinking, how could you read...."
"Right," Haruka Yuzan also said with a smile, "Do I look like someone who would read 'Being and Nothingness'?"
"Ah?"
After paying, Haruka Yuzan smiled, took the two books, and left the bookstore.
His fingers lightly traced the new books' thick, textured covers.
Ironically, it's often these kinds of books that are made exceptionally upscale and are priced outrageously high.
A single book cost more than all three volumes of the manga collection. Explore new worlds at m,v l'e-m|p y r
Still, this trip was worth it for him.
Just... how exactly should he complete the third wish on his list? Headache...
Back at home,
As soon as he entered, Roast Meat came padding over, wiggling its little butt.
Nattering non-stop with meows,
these days, feeding Roast Meat naturally fell to the loafing resident—Misaki Saki.
Her waking schedule coincidentally matched the chubby cat's; having breakfast and simultaneously pouring a bowl of cat food and opening a can of wet food for her "roommate" was routine.
Every time he ate the breakfast prepared by Reiko Onodera, he couldn't help but feel grateful—Sister Reiko really was kind and gentle.
Unfortunately, Haruka Yuzan was a big jerk.
.....
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