svetikya Page 356
Page 356
The green grass spreading across the rooftop shimmered under the lights, like stars strung together in the night sky.
The various flowers still exude a faint fragrance, and even though they have been neglected for the past few days, their surfaces remain plump and beautiful.
He showed no signs of being listless.
Now that Tohru isn't here, Aoba will have to wipe down the tables and chairs in the shop himself.
He unscrewed the rag and began to scrub carefully.
Since his encounter with Rize Kamishiro a few days ago, his experiences over the past few days have brought about a dramatic change in his life.
But ultimately, I only feel at ease when I'm in my own store.
After all, opening a shop sounds simple, but it is actually made up of all these little things.
From small cleanings to daily food preparation, these are things that cannot be taken lightly.
Aoba's busy figure looked especially charming under the lights.
His shadow also kept moving around on the floor.
Perhaps we could let Tohru and the others come earlier each day?
Aoba thought to herself with amusement.
But he decided against it, making a joke to himself.
He didn't want Thor and the others to talk about him behind his back as a "capitalist with no regard for his rights."
"Aoba-kun!"
A girl's clear voice rang out from the doorway.
The only person I can come to the store when it's not open is Kasumigaoka.
The girl pushed open the shop door, cheerfully called out "Aoba," and then sat down at the bar.
The seat against the wall is almost always hers.
"Kasumigaoka-kun, if you want to eat something now, you'll have to wait a little while I finish wiping the table."
Aoba, who was wiping the table, had become accustomed to coming to Kasumigaoka this early every day.
"Okay~~"
Kasumigaoka lazily drew out the last syllable, her voice naturally exuding a sense of languor and softness.
Even though she didn't perform anything at the cultural festival, after a whole day of revelry on campus, people would still feel emotionally exhausted.
As Aoba wiped the table, a slight smile crept onto her lips.
The two met in the shop at sunset, a routine they had repeated countless times and were quite used to.
Kasumigaoka also took out her phone and started playing with it, laughing.
She's in a much better mood today than yesterday.
Today, she was the first to arrive!
Furthermore, there will be a meeting at the academy tonight, so Ms. Yukino and the others definitely won't be able to come anytime soon.
Even though she didn't care much about the teacher, she still felt a little awkward.
Moreover...
She thought about many things at the academy today. It had only been a few days, but many very beautiful women had already come to Aoba's shop!
This made Kasumigaoka, who considered himself second to none, feel somewhat ashamed.
But well~
More than anything, they felt a bit of doubt and curiosity about Aoba.
How could Aoba, a man, be so calm?
He wasn't very well-behaved when they were alone, but in front of others he always put on a cool and composed demeanor.
Could it be that Aoba is actually a character with a contrast that needs to be explored...?
Suddenly.
The girl thought of some novels that Machida Wanko had unintentionally recommended to her during their conversation.
She can no longer face the word "contrast"!
The border of the empire.
The bleak winter is more than halfway over. The northern barbarian troops stationed on the border were reportedly defeated by General Esdeath and a mysterious figure, and there has been no further threat.
Even during the process of personally returning to the Imperial Capital Esdeath to recount the events, the northern barbarian prince, Numasek, who possessed the title of hero, was personally killed by a mysterious figure.
This piqued the curiosity of the young emperor, who said he would personally bestow a reward upon him.
Esdeath could refuse.
The reason is that after the alien prince was killed, the mysterious person disappeared.
Even she lacked the strength to stop him, let alone know his whereabouts.
This was a great pity for the young emperor, so on the advice of his minister Ernest, the entire capital began to offer a reward for the mysterious man's whereabouts.
Anyone who provides clues about the mysterious person will receive a reward of 10,000 gold coins.
although...
It is unclear whether the reward has been honored, but it has still sparked heated discussions throughout the capital city.
"Sigh, that guy is such a hands-off manager!"
The girl with orange-red hair exhaled white breath and angrily pushed open the wooden door of the izakaya.
"Qingyi, have you bought the ingredients?"
"It's all taken care of, Sister Chelsea."
"Yes, the weather has been nice lately, and we've had quite a few customers. You'll have to work hard these days."
"I'll be fine."
A thin young man with bright eyes emerged from the kitchen of the izakaya. He skillfully brought Chelsea a cup of hot tea from the kitchen before returning to the front desk to organize the accounts.
"Why are you the one tidying up? Where's Mine?"
Chelsea frowned.
Since Aoba left, Mine has become less talkative. Although she still communicates with them occasionally, she spends most of her time training outside the city.
Chelsea was mainly troubled by the fact that she had heard from somewhere that Aoba wanted to overthrow the empire.
"Sister Mine went..."
Qingyi hadn't finished speaking yet.
There was a clanging and banging noise outside the door, and Mine, slightly out of breath, stared at him coldly:
"Qingyi, I told you to keep this a secret!"
"Because Sister Chelsea isn't an outsider, right?"
"You... never mind, I won't hold it against you this time. But if I find out you snitched on me next time, I just happened to have recently learned a sword technique..."
"Sword skills?!"
Chelsea frowned and looked at Mine seriously, saying:
"Where did you learn this?"
This is no small matter. The person who possesses swordsmanship skills is no ordinary person, and yet they specifically teach someone like Mine, who looks like a child.
He's definitely not a good person!
"..."
Mine hesitated for a moment, but under Chelsea's almost harsh gaze, she finally couldn't resist and told the truth.
"There was a girl about my age outside the city. The first time I saw her, she had fainted from hunger in the snow, so I gave her a biscuit..."
"Later she said she was carrying out some kind of mission..."
"He was carrying a very long knife, so I asked him if he could teach me..."
Chelsea's expression grew even more serious upon hearing this:
"And then she taught you?"
"Um..."
"Mine! She's not a good person. Don't hang out with her anymore!"
"Why!"
Upon being instructed by Chelsea, Mine immediately looked up, her bright red eyes glaring at her, and her pink twin tails suddenly swung open.
"I want to help too!!!"
The words fell.
boom!
The shop door was slammed shut.
Mine ran towards the outskirts of the city, and Chelsea, seeing this, could only ask Aoichi to look after the shop before chasing after her.
outside the city.
"Why are you crying?"
A girl with black hair and black eyes watched as Mine buried her head in the crook of her knees and sobbed, her voice filled with a hint of confusion.
"..."
Would you like some candy?
After thinking for a long time, Kuroko took out a wrapped candy from her pocket and handed it to Mine.
"...Thanks."
Mine shook her head sullenly.