18 Chapter 4 - Springtime (2)

"Oh? Aren't you… Honjou Kaori-san?"

I asked Kaori, pretending to be surprised by her visit and acting as if I was trying to remember her. My voice awakened Kaori who'd been affected by my transcendent charm.

"Go-Good afternoon, Tenjou Yuuya-san," Kaori started with a bashful stutter, "I'm sorry for dropping by unannounced, but I am here to talk about something important with you. I hope my sudden visit isn't an inconvenience."

At the end of her speech, Kaori gave me a nervous shy smile. I was slightly stunned by her bashful behavior that made her so tantalizing, but I easily came back to my senses.

Don't look down on my immeasurable INT! It's not there as a decoration, I swear!

"Well, how about going in first? We can discuss this important matter inside. Well, that is if you don't mind," I said to Kaori.

"I don't mind, Yuuya-san," Kaori paused and put on a troubled face after realizing how she called me, "You don't mind if I call you Yuuya-san, do you?"

She sounded worried when she asked me. Granted, in Japan, calling a stranger with their given name is considered rude, and only people close to each other can use the given name of each other openly.

Kaori and I could be considered strangers because this is our first proper meeting. Our previous meeting wasn't enough to be called a proper meeting.

"Ah, I don't mind," I replied easily.

"I see. Well, um, in return, please call me Kaori."

'Wow! Really subtle, girl,' I quipped in my mind.

I didn't say that loudly because I didn't want to make Kaori feel awkward. It was painfully obvious that Kaori had a thing for me, though she didn't seem to be aware of her own feelings, yet.

Nevertheless, that was good… for me, anyway.

Once I invited Kaori and her female bodyguard inside and welcomed them to sit on the sofa, I excused myself to prepare drinks and treats for my guests. Both Kaori and her bodyguard had declined politely at first, but they accepted after I insisted.

Moments later, I went to the living room with a tray with three cups of tea and some snacks on a dish. After placing the treats on the table, I sat down on one sofa across from Kaori, who was sitting on the long sofa.

The bodyguard sat on one of the sofas at the end of the table, maintaining a professional distance from us.

Once they tested the tea, they seemed pleasantly surprised by the taste. The bodyguard had a more subdued reaction than Kaori who openly showed her surprise.

"Yuuya-san, this tea is delicious and makes me relax! What kind of brand is this?" Kaori asked me with a curious face.

"Eh? It's just a regular brand you can buy at a convenience store," I answered honestly.

"Really?" Kaori looked at me in disbelief.

"Really." I nodded with a straight face.

"I see…" Kaori didn't seem convinced, but she relented and nodded her head.

I suppose what made the tea delicious and able to make the drinker relax was my maximum Cooking skill. That skill could even turn ordinary ingredients into high quality products.

After that, we quietly enjoyed the treat for a while. Once there was only half of the tea in her glass, Kaori placed her glass on the table. I copied her behavior since I could sense that it was time for our discussion.

"Yuuya-san, shall we start discussing the reason behind my sudden visit?" Kaori asked me, who nodded silently in return.

"First of all, I want to formally thank you for helping me out that day," she suddenly bowed her head, "I, Honjou Kaori, thank you for your assistance that day."

In truth, Kaori's over the top show of gratitude felt weird to me, but I didn't think too much about it. After all, it was just how the culture of this place was.

"You're welcome, Kaori-san."

Once I accepted her show of gratitude, Kaori raised her head and continued speaking.

"Next, I, no, my family has decided to offer you a full scholarship to Ousei High School. This is the sign of our sincerity."

'So, I finally got this full scholarship, huh? I was expecting this, but it's nice to see it happen with my own eyes.'

Once I finished thinking, I saw Kaori wait for my reply with an anxious expression, and I realized that she hoped that I would accept…

Well, she tried to hide her anxiety, but she was like an open book with my absurd perception.

"Well, I'm touched by this offer," I began. Sensing that I wasn't done yet, Kaori waited for me to continue silently. "But am I worthy of this offer?"

I pretended to be unsure.

"Of course! You're worthy of this offer, Yuuya-san!" Kaori replied with a sweet smile.

Then, she looked a little sheepish and guilty as she continued: "In truth, we have used our connections and influence to check your background to make sure of it. I understand that this is a breach of your privacy, but we need to be careful. I hope that you understand our position."

"I understand." I nodded my head.

After listening to my response, Kaori released her tension, making her tense shoulders relax in relief.

"Thank you for your understanding, Yuuya-san," she said. "So, will you accept this scholarship?"

"I do." I nodded my head.

"I'm glad!" Kaori seemed happy, "I really want to go to school together with Yuuya-san!"

I felt a bit embarrassed after listening to Kaori's words which she blurted out in her excitement. However, I could easily hide my embarrassment with a calm face.

Thanks to my calm reaction, Kaori didn't overreact when she finally realized what she'd done. Even so, she took her cup and drank the rest of the tea in a hurry to hide her embarrassment.

But alas, her slightly pink face ruined her attempt to hide it.

Once she emptied her cup, Kaori placed her empty cup on the saucer and looked at me calmly… or at least, as calm as she could show to me.

"So, would you mind if we go to Ousei Academy now to finalize the procedure?"

Kaori asked me. I pretended to be surprised then contemplative after hearing Kaori's question.

Moments later, I nodded at her and gave her my reply, "I don't mind."

"Let's go there now, then."

Kaori said with enthusiasm.

After that, we exited my house and headed for Ousei Academy with her car.

★☆★

On the way to Ousei Academy, Kaori and I had a light conversation to kill time. The topic of our conversation is about each of us such as likes, dislikes, and hobbies.

It doesn't look like it's such an important matter, but it matters to both of us. After all, we want to know each other more intimately.

My reason is obvious. I want Kaori to be my girlfriend.

On the other hand, Kaori is attracted to me. However, she doesn't seem to be aware of her feelings yet, mistaking her feelings as a desire to befriend me and gratitude for what I'd done in the past.

I'm sure that I can make her realize her feelings for me and accept it. And with my connection to Akashic Records, I can know what to say and do to cultivate her budding feelings for me.

Anyway, we have finally arrived at our destination, Ousei Academy.

It's a famous school that no one doesn't know about this school in Japan of this version of Earth. That's why most of the people who play an active part in Japan and the world are from this prestigious school.

Of course, I am aware how over the top it sounds, but I don't really think much about it. For me, this school is a place to get some girls and enjoy a fun and colorful school life unlike my bland school life in my old life.

The car that brought us stopped outside of the gate that looked like a gate of a western castle instead of the normal gate of an ordinary school. After that, we got out of the car.

Once I got out, I looked around me. There were school buildings and vast grounds that were so large that they could only be seen as a palace.

No matter how I look at it, this school doesn't look like a normal educational institute. Even some colleges in my previous life didn't look as grand as this school!

"Welcome to Ousei Academy!"

Kaori said to me with an elegant smile. I turned to face her and appreciated how beautiful Kaori was with the magnificent Ousei Academy as the background.