Even with chuunibyou, let's learn together!

Page 164

……

In late autumn, the city's twilight seems exceptionally long, with the sun stubbornly hanging on the horizon, refusing to set.

Although it was evening, it was not at all like the sunset. The sky was ablaze with brilliant clouds, and the distant high-rise buildings were tinged with a lonely hue. It was rush hour and the streets were crowded. The tram swayed along the uneven railway tracks.

Hayakawa pulled Natsukawa Masuzu along as they walked past the clanging tram, his face as blank as a sheet of paper.

Natsukawa Masaki, still looking indignant, couldn't help but say to Hayakawa, who remained calm, "Why didn't you kick him a couple of times? Or just tear that disgusting mouth of his apart?!"

"Don't pay attention to people like that."

Hayakawa said expressionlessly, "Fighting with this kind of person will only drag you down to his level."

Natsukawa Masuzu clenched her fists, not taking Hayakawa's words seriously, after all, she was never a kind-hearted person.

"You're being pestered by that person, that's why you dragged me here to dinner today, right?"

Hayakawa released her hand and said calmly, "I know."

Natsukawa Masaki fell silent, her head bowed like a child who had done something wrong.

"Ugh…"

Hayakawa glanced at her, then said, "There's really nothing you can do with people like this. Come find me earlier next time."

Natsukawa Masaki was stunned. She looked up at Hayakawa, her eyes gradually brightening.

Hayakawa's eyes were still as indifferent as ever, reflecting a faint light in the twilight, but Natsukawa Masaki felt that he was different from before, and there seemed to be something more in them.

"Do not misunderstand,"

Hayakawa silently looked up and said, "I despise that kind of person from the bottom of my heart. Even without you, if I encountered him myself, I would still deal with him. I can't stand it when I see people like that in school."

"..."

Upon hearing this, Natsukawa Masuzu's smile vanished, and she pouted, saying, "Then you don't need to bother me. I'll handle it myself."

"How to deal with it?"

Hayakawa looked at her: "Should we call the police?"

"At his age, calling the police would at most result in a reprimand; that would be too lenient on him."

Natsukawa Masaki sneered: "I told you earlier that I had something to do tomorrow night, right? That's because my sister is coming, and I can have her help me solve this little problem."

"Oh, a relative is coming."

Hayakawa said, "That's really troublesome."

"..."

Natsukawa Masuzu was slightly taken aback, then stared wide-eyed at Hayakawa: "You understand me so well? I also think it would be super troublesome for them to come over."

"That's it."

Hayakawa casually replied that if his parents suddenly came to visit him from Tokyo, he would subconsciously feel that it would be a troublesome thing.

Although it sounds wrong, he really doesn't know how to get along with his parents.

"My sister really..."

Natsukawa Masuzu wanted to continue the conversation, but Hayakawa quickly interrupted her, glancing at the sky and saying, "It's getting late, let's go eat, I'm in a hurry to get home."

"Ok."

Natsukawa Masuzu was a little unwilling, but she still nodded obediently and then led Hayakawa with light steps.

"Ah."

Hayakawa nodded, then suddenly said, "Natsukawa."

"what."

Natsukawa Masaki was deep in thought when he heard this and responded.

“You’re a good student, just like me, uh… at least academically,”

Hayakawa looked at Natsukawa Masaki and said, then realized something was off, but still said, "In short, people like you and me shouldn't associate with people who are practically outsiders."

"I don't have any,"

After hearing this, Natsukawa Masuzu waved her hand and sneered, "How could I have any connection with that kind of person? Didn't you just see it?"

"Ah."

Hayakawa nodded calmly: "If there are similar situations again, deal with them as soon as possible. You can call the police or talk to the teacher. If neither works, you can come to me."

"..."

Natsukawa Masaki nodded silently and replied in a low voice, "I understand."

Hayakawa grunted in agreement and continued walking along the road.

"..."

Natsukawa Masuzu followed and secretly observed Hayakawa's profile from the side. He had bright eyes and white teeth, red and straight lips, and a natural smile. Such a face should look very handsome when he smiles, but he always keeps his face stiff like a rigid mahjong tile, as if he has something sad to say at any time.

The reason he's so worried and sad every day is probably because of Fumino Furuhashi and Rizu Ogata...

As Natsukawa Masaki thought about it, his heart tightened slightly, and his steps became somewhat unsteady.

She didn't want to see Hayakawa sad, so she found a mistake and asked the teacher to change her grades. However, even after she did this, Hayakawa was still sad every day and still forced herself to work hard.

Why is this so?

Natsukawa Masaki's eyes were slightly cold, and his bright eyes reflected the light.

Her gaze never left Hayakawa beside her. She had been secretly observing him all along, and she truly thought Hayakawa was an amazing person. He came from a wealthy family and was born at the top of the pyramid of profit distribution. Yet, he was also resilient and decisive, proud but willing to endure hardship. Most importantly, he had a willpower that was unimaginable to ordinary people. He worked extremely hard but was unscrupulous in his methods. If such a person were also a little smarter, he would be terrifying and an unstable factor in society.

Luckily, he's a bit slow; luckily, he likes to study; luckily...

As Natsukawa Masaki thought this, a hint of joyful smile appeared in her usually cool eyes.

At the same time, Hayakawa glanced at her from the side, his gaze falling on her silver hair that was being lifted by the warm breeze, on her fair and delicate profile, and on the hem of her pleated skirt that was fluttering in the wind.

With her extraordinary beauty and perfect figure, even someone as strong-willed as Hayakawa had to admit that Natsukawa Masuzu was a great test of his lofty will.

Fortunately, his willpower prevailed.

Hayakawa thought to himself, a mysteriously confident smile appearing on his face, before turning his gaze away.

He believed and was certain that his learning power would never be defeated by any temptation, just like his will, which could withstand all hardships and tribulations. Humiliation and injury would only make his heart shine brighter like a gemstone, eventually radiating a brilliant light.

Victory belongs to the most persevering...

Hayakawa silently recited the words in his heart and looked ahead; the road stretched as far as the eye could see.

Chapter 243 Xiao Li…

A pure white tablecloth covered the mahogany four-person table. A stainless steel pot, large enough for one person to hug, steamed above the particle stove. The dark red broth was filled with broad beans, Sichuan peppercorns, star anise, ginger slices, and red chili peppers. It looked bright red, spicy and hot, and smelled rich and fragrant, making one's mouth water. In the pure white bone broth, there were bits and pieces of scallions and mushrooms, which were bubbling and releasing a light and mouthwatering aroma.

The surrounding plates were filled with countless sliced ​​side dishes: tender, freshly sliced ​​beef and lamb, beef tongue, sashimi, crystal-clear whole shrimp and fish slices, hairy crab, etc. The dishes were mainly meat and seafood, and there were even eel slices. There were also a few kinds of vegetables, mainly various kinds of mushrooms, a small amount of green vegetables and cabbage. The staple food was soft and mushy noodles.

"Uh…"

Hayakawa looked at the scalding hot pot in front of him, his expression somewhat evasive: "This... is a bit spicy, isn't it?"

He usually eats healthily and quickly, mostly bland food, so he almost never eats spicy food.

"This is what I ordered. This hellish spicy broth is the best-rated dish here."

"I can't help but say this," Natsukawa Masaki said calmly, his expression somewhat resentful.

She had chosen this far-away hot pot restaurant to accompany Hayakawa on a longer walk, but halfway there, Hayakawa complained that she was wasting too much time and forcibly hailed a taxi from the roadside. This greatly dampened her cheerful mood, so when ordering, she went on a tantrum and ordered the spiciest dish, "Hell Spicy," intending to take Hayakawa down with her.

Fortunately, she regained some of her senses when placing the order and changed it to a double pot, otherwise she really wouldn't have been able to eat this meal, since she doesn't eat spicy food much either.

"This is Hokkaido eel..."

The waiter next to me was introducing various ingredients: "Just blanch them for a few seconds and then dip them in the oil sauce. Everything else is the same, just dip them in the oil sauce."

After saying that, the waiter left.

"Oh…"

Natsukawa Masaki picked up a piece of eel, looked at Hayakawa with a half-smile, and said, "Hokkaido, you know."

As she spoke, she stuffed the eel into the red broth, picked it out a few seconds later, dipped it lightly in the sauce, and put it in her mouth.

Hayakawa: "..."

"Hmph~"

Natsukawa Masuzu revealed a slightly smug expression, but the next second her expression suddenly changed, her pretty face turning bright red: "So spicy, water! Ouch~"

"for you."

Hayakawa handed him the water with a blank expression and said, "So you can't eat spicy food either? Then what kind of hellish spicy do you want?"

"Hiss...he's alive!"

Natsukawa Masuzu quickly took a big gulp and fanned her face with her hand before letting out a sigh of relief. Upon hearing Hayakawa's words, she showed her dissatisfaction: "I just want to test my weakness, is that not allowed?"

"Uh…"

Hayakawa was speechless: "Whatever, I'm not eating it."

As he spoke, he casually put the fish into the hot pot and started eating it, his leisurely manner immediately making Xia Chuanzhen feel a chill.

"Don't refuse to eat! If you don't eat and I don't eat either, wouldn't that be a waste? Look how many peppercorns and ginger slices are used in this spicy hot pot; in some countries, that's a luxury."

Natsukawa Masaki lightly tapped the table, her expression extremely serious: "Hayakawa-kun, do you know how many people in this world still can't afford to eat? Yet you recklessly waste food, completely disregarding the collective interest. What you're doing is harming humanity as a whole."

"Do not…"

Natsukawa Masaki closed her eyes briefly, then suddenly opened them: "It's destroying society!"

"..."

Hayakawa said expressionlessly, "Why are you making such a big deal out of this? I simply don't eat spicy food, and you were the one ordering the whole thing without asking me once. And then you say you don't want to eat it after it's served?"

"You said yourself that you could eat whatever you wanted."

Natsukawa Masaki defended herself: "That's why I ordered it myself."

Uh… I think so.

Hayakawa thought for a moment, looking a little embarrassed, then said seriously, "Although human society won't be destroyed just because I don't eat spicy food, I'll still eat a little bit."

"That's right."

Natsukawa Masuzu immediately resumed her previous mischievous smile, just like when she first met Hayakawa and how difficult she was to deal with.

So they started eating. Even though the intense spiciness made their faces flushed and their eyes water, they still ate as much as they could, as if they were experiencing their own weakness.

I drank quite a lot of water.

……

"Finally, it's time to eat."

Hayakawa breathed a sigh of relief and lay back in the chair.

Natsukawa Masaki ordered quite a lot for this meal, and even Hayakawa, who usually eats very quickly, took an hour and a half to finish.

"How about it?"

Xia Chuanzhen wiped her mouth and said, "This is the hot pot restaurant I chose."

“How should I put it…”

Hayakawa tilted his head back and said expressionlessly, "It's not even as good as our school cafeteria."

"So you think so too,"

Natsukawa Masaki sighed helplessly and said, "As expected, the ratings are all faked."

"Maybe it's because our school cafeteria is better."

Hayakawa thought for a moment and found a reason to comfort Natsukawa Masamichi.

The cafeteria at Ichinose Academy is quite good, considered the best among the nearby high schools. After all, it is the best high school in the city, and the menu changes every two weeks. Although the decor is similar to other high schools, the variety of dishes and their taste are excellent. Even Hayakawa, who doesn't often eat in the cafeteria, agrees with this. If it weren't for the closed environment of the high school, he thinks it would be fine for outsiders to come and eat there.

"Our school cafeteria is good, but it's not comparable to restaurants outside, and this place isn't cheap either."

Natsukawa Masuzu stood up: "Since I brought you to a store you don't like, then let me pay the bill. Don't try to take it from me."