The whistle for PE class blew, and students flocked to the playground. The basketball court quickly became the focus because an internal class match was about to begin. What was more attractive was that Kanjuro and Hayama Hayato, two prominent figures on campus, happened to be on opposing sides.
Kanjuro casually stretched his wrists while standing on the court. He wore simple sportswear, yet it couldn't hide his innate elegance and handsomeness. His black hair fluttered slightly in the breeze, revealing his smooth forehead and those deep, smiling eyes. He didn't need to pose deliberately; just standing there, he naturally attracted everyone's attention.
On the sidelines, Miura Yumiko and Ebina Hina led a large group of girls, forming a massive cheerleading squad. Their eyes followed Kanjuro's figure intently, and cheers rose one after another.
"Mr. Kanjuro! Go for it!"
"Lord Ye Xiao is the most handsome!"
Even Yui Yuigahama, who was deliberately hiding in the shade of a tree in the distance, couldn't help but be drawn by the noise over there and peeked over. When she saw Kanjuro stretching in the sun, his focused and calm profile made her heart skip a beat. Despite her heart being full of complex resentment and anger after learning the truth, looking at that dazzling figure on the court, she had to admit—this "father" of hers indeed possessed an irresistible appearance.
(But... so what!) She pinched her palm hard, trying to dispel that momentary daze. (He is just a... a total bastard!)
Just then, a low voice sounded beside her.
"Yuigahama-san."
Yui Yuigahama was startled and turned to see Hachiman Hikigaya standing next to her at some point. His signature dead-fish eyes were looking at her with a hint of inquiry.
"Your relationship with Kanjuro... is quite unusual, isn't it?" Hikigaya's voice was very low, with a certainty that saw through the facts, but it wasn't malicious.
Yui Yuigahama's body stiffened, her eyes darted around, and finally turned into a complex sigh. She responded vaguely, "The relationship... is just very complicated. Anyway, I'm not his girlfriend, you just need to know that." She couldn't, and didn't dare, say that shocking truth.
Hachiman Hikigaya nodded. He didn't seem to intend to delve into the specific relationship. Just out of a reminder to a fellow soul, he advised in a low voice, "I understand. But, Yuigahama, listen to me, stay away from Kanjuro. He is a... very scary person."
"Scary?" Yui Yuigahama was stunned and instinctively asked, "What's wrong? Why do you say that?" She remembered Hikigaya's shocked expression when he saw Kanjuro and Kaori Orimoto together this morning.
Hachiman Hikigaya hesitated. Looking at Yui Yuigahama's eyes, which still had traces of tears and were now full of doubt, and thinking of her agitated state in the classroom earlier, he felt he couldn't keep her in the dark anymore. He took a deep breath, as if he had made up his mind, and said in a volume only the two of them could hear:
"This morning... on my way to school, I saw Kanjuro... he was with Miura, and that girl from the other school, Kaori Orimoto... the four of them... had just come out of a Love Hotel."
Boom—!
Like a bolt from the blue exploding in her mind!
Yui Yuigahama's eyes widened instantly, and the color drained from her face at a visible rate, turning deathly pale. She looked at Hachiman Hikigaya in disbelief, her lips trembling, but she couldn't make a sound.
Mom... Mom was still waiting for him at home, meticulously preparing dinner for him, loving him with that almost humble deep affection... But what about him? He actually... actually with other women, and several of them at once! Went to that kind of place!!
A mix of disgust, betrayal, and a fire of anger for her mother's sake surged from her heart, nearly incinerating her sanity!
"He... how could he do this..." Yui Yuigahama's voice trembled uncontrollably, tears welling up again, but this time, it wasn't grievance, but extreme anger and coldness. "Mama... Mama loves him so much... What right does he have... What right does he have to treat my Mama like this!!"
She clenched her fists tightly, nails digging deep into her palms, her body trembling slightly from the intense emotion. When her gaze turned back to the figure on the basketball court who seemed to gather all the light, the slight daze caused by his appearance earlier vanished without a trace, leaving only icy hatred and a near-desperate sorrow.
Hachiman Hikigaya watched her violent reaction and silently looked away. He knew the news was cruel, but he felt that knowing the truth was better than being kept in the dark and continuing to sink.
Meanwhile, Kanjuro on the basketball court seemed to sense something. After making a precise three-pointer that drew screams from all the girls in the audience, he casually turned his head and cast his gaze toward the shade of the trees, meeting Yui Yuigahama's eyes filled with anger and pain.
He raised an eyebrow slightly, and then, the corners of his mouth curled into a deep and indifferent arc that no one could understand, as if he were appreciating a tragedy that had nothing to do with him. Hachiman Hikigaya heard Yui Yuigahama's "Mama loves him so much," and his heart skipped a beat, as if he had glimpsed the edge of an even deeper, darker vortex. Kanjuro... he wouldn't even let Yuigahama-san's mother off? This realization made him shudder, instantly dispelling any thought of further inquiry. He gave a forced laugh, not daring to ask another word, and practically scrambled away from the scene, wanting only to get further and further away from these increasingly eerie and dangerous matters related to Kanjuro.
At this moment, Yui Yuigahama's chest was filled with anger and a sense of betrayal. She puffed out her cheeks like an angry pufferfish with nowhere to vent, and unconsciously walked to the edge of the basketball court.
The atmosphere on the court was at a fever pitch. Kanjuro dribbled the ball, his movements as leisurely as a stroll in a courtyard, yet with a leopard-like elegance and precision. His opponent was Hayama Hayato, known for being sunny and handsome, who was currently focusing all his attention on defending against Kanjuro.
However, in the face of Kanjuro's beyond-reason handsomeness and seemingly innate aura, even Hayama Hayato seemed eclipsed. The girls around, including Miura Yumiko and Ebina, had only Kanjuro in their eyes; their cheers and screams almost lifted the roof off the court.
"Mr. Kanjuro! Get past him!"
"Lord Ye Xiao! Look over here!"
Facing Hayama Hayato's tight defense, Kanjuro's mouth curled into a faint smile. He simply made a light, deceptive crossover, followed by a lightning-fast spin. The movement was as smooth as flowing water, possessing a near-artistic aesthetic.
Hayama Hayato only felt a blur before his eyes; his center of gravity was completely fooled, his feet stumbled, and he actually fell clumsily to the ground!
Kanjuro didn't even spare a second glance at his fallen opponent. He calmly stepped back, out of defensive range, his body stretching into a perfect posture in the air, and his wrist flicked gently—
The basketball drew a beautiful arc, like a precision-guided missile, a clean swish into the net!
"Swish!"
The crisp sound of the net echoed, and the entire court went silent for a moment before erupting into even more fanatical screams and cheers!
"Aaaah—! Hubby Kanjuro! Amazing! You're the best!!" Miura Yumiko jumped up in excitement, her cheeks flushed, her voice so sharp it almost broke, completely ignoring the "Queen" image she usually maintained.
Ebina Hina also clasped her hands tightly in front of her chest, her eyes behind her glasses sparkling with extreme adoration, murmuring, "Lord Ye Xiao... as expected, he's invincible..."
Even the anger-filled Yui Yuigahama felt her heart throb uncontrollably when she saw that fluid crossover and that stylish, precise step-back three-pointer. At that moment, the combination of skill and beauty reached its peak, pure athletic charm temporarily overriding her inner moral judgment and anger, an almost instinctive appreciation and obsession surging uncontrollably in her heart.
(So... so handsome...)
As soon as this thought popped up, she forced it back down, followed by deeper self-loathing and confusion.
·· 0 Requesting Fresh Flowers 0 --- (No! What am I thinking! He's a scumbag! He betrayed Mama!)
But her gaze was like it was drawn by a magnet, unable to move away from the figure on the court who seemed like a luminescent body.
Kanjuro stood there, breathing slightly, with fine beads of sweat on his forehead reflecting a crystalline luster in the sunlight. He raised his hand to wipe it away casually, a simple action that drew another round of screams. He seemed long accustomed to such scenes of being the center of attention, his gaze scanning the sidelines indifferently. When he met Yui Yuigahama's eyes, which were filled with complex emotions—anger, obsession, struggle—the smile at the corner of his mouth seemed to deepen slightly, with a knowing clarity and... mockery.
He enjoyed this control, not just over the game, but over people's hearts; even if those hearts were filled with hatred for him, they still couldn't escape his fatal attraction. This basketball game was just another stage for him to display his power and charm. Hayama Hayato climbed up from the ground, patted the dust off his clothes, and showed a somewhat awkward and helpless smile. Looking at the still-handsome Kanjuro, whose style was even better than before, he spoke with a complex tone: "I didn't expect... Uncle Kanjuro to still be this amazing."
He deliberately lowered his voice, the title "Uncle" barely audible. When he was a child, he often followed his family to visit the Yukinoshita house and had seen Kanjuro countless times. Back then, Kanjuro looked like a sixteen or seventeen-year-old boy, and now, so many years later, time seemed to have frozen on him. Hayama Hayato knew better than anyone in school that this transfer student, who appeared to be the same age, hid secrets that defied common sense... Kanjuro was noncommittal about that "Uncle" title that was almost held in the mouth. He just leaned down, with the gentle posture of an elder encouraging a junior, patted Hayama Hayato's shoulder, and said briskly: "Hayato, it's okay, keep it up!" That tone and demeanor were exactly like a senior looking after a nephew, completely out of place with the perception of their relationship among the surrounding classmates.
Hayama Hayato's smile became even more forced. He hesitated for a moment, and while the cheers around them died down slightly, he leaned in close to Kanjuro and said in a voice only the two of them could hear: "Kanjuro... I, can I ask you for a favor?"
"Go ahead." Kanjuro straightened up, took the mineral water Miura Yumiko handed him at the right time, and took a sip, his movements natural and elegant.
"Hubby Kanjuro~ drink some water!" Yumiko said sweetly, her face brimming with happiness and possessiveness.
"Mhm." Kanjuro smiled at her as a response.
Yumiko pushed her luck and leaned into his ear, her breath like orchids, saying ambiguously in a very low voice: "In the evening... you can drink other 'water'..."
Hearing this, Kanjuro was stunned for a moment, then burst out laughing. With a bit of helplessness and indulgence, he gently pinched her cheek and scolded in a low voice, "Silly girl, there are so many people here, don't talk nonsense." Though it was a scolding, there wasn't much severity in his tone; instead, it carried a hint of indulgence.
Yumiko's face turned crimson from his intimate gesture, and she lowered her head shyly, her heart feeling as sweet as honey. Her voice just now was extremely quiet, and she was sure only Kanjuro could hear it.
After this interlude, Kanjuro's gaze returned to Hayama Hayato, signaling him to continue.
Hayama Hayato looked at the intimacy between Kanjuro and Yumiko as if no one else were around, his eyes dimming for a moment, seemingly more determined in his resolve to seek help. But he took a deep breath and didn't state the specific request for now, only saying: "I'll tell you in detail after the game is over; it's not very convenient here."
Kanjuro nodded understandingly and didn't press further. He patted Hayama Hayato's back and turned to rejoin the game. That tall figure was still the most dazzling presence on the court, as if the conversation involving seniority and a secret request had never happened.
Only Hayama Hayato stood there, looking at Kanjuro's back, his brow slightly furrowed, as if a heavy stone were weighing on his heart. He knew that asking this seemingly gentle but actually unfathomable "Uncle Kanjuro" for help was undoubtedly like dealing with a tiger, but he seemed... to have no better choice.
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