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The next day.
Teiko Middle School.
Ring ring ring…
With a series of crisp, melodious bell rings, the morning's school day finally came to a close.
Class 1-D.
Ryu opened his eyes sleepily.
He looked at Karupin, sprawled out on the windowsill, fast asleep.
Ryu gave a helpless look.
Because he brought Karupin to school every day, Ryu had become a legend at Teiko Middle School.
Many people talked about him privately. They said there was someone at school who always brought a cat.
At first, Ryu's homeroom teacher had warned him not to bring pets to school. Ryu knew that bringing a pet to school wasn't very good. But he had no choice. He and Karupin were bound together, their fates intertwined.
Left with no other choice, Ryu could only repeatedly assure him that his academic performance would remain in the top three of his class. This finally convinced the homeroom teacher to temporarily agree.
Academic performance was nothing to Ryu. Not to mention his extraordinary mental strength, he could practically remember everything he saw. Moreover, he still retained his memories from his past life.
Ryu picked up Karupin and held him in his arms. Then, he picked up his backpack and left the classroom.
Karupin was startled awake. At first, he panicked. Just as he was about to struggle free, he realized it was Ryu holding him and relaxed. He glared at Ryu irritably and said unhappily, "Why did you suddenly pick me up?"
Ryu's lips curled slightly, but he didn't speak. But the voice reached Karupin's ears. "Who told you to sleep so soundly? I called you for ages and you wouldn't wake up."
Karupin rolled his eyes at him but didn't say anything. This wasn't the first or second time. It was already used to it.
Ryu carried Karupin directly to the rooftop of the teaching building. Very few people came here. It was also where he and Karupin ate. Although the school had a cafeteria, he couldn't bring a cat inside. Otherwise, he'd probably become the target of everyone's attention.
Ryu took a food box out of his backpack and opened it. He placed the open food box in front of Karupin. "Alright, eat!"
Karupin didn't touch it. Looking at the cat food in the box, Karupin said disdainfully, "Why is it cat food again? Can't you give me something different?"
Ryu rolled his eyes. "What are you going to eat if not cat food?"
Karupin said irritably, "I may be a cat, but I have plenty of other things to eat!"
Ryu said helplessly, "Fine, fine, you'll have to make do with this for now! I'll treat you to a better meal when we get home tonight, is that alright?"
Seeing that his goal had been achieved, Karupin nodded in satisfaction. "That's more like it."
Ryu then opened his food box and started eating. The two of them, human and cat, ate heartily without any regard for appearances.
Karupin suddenly spoke up. "Are you really going to join the basketball club?"
Hearing Karupin's words, Ryu nodded. "Of course, didn't the coach invite me yesterday?"
"You're just going to join the basketball team like this? Aren't you afraid that jerk will cause you trouble?"
Hearing Karupin's words, Ryu just chuckled. "Heh… I think Coach Shirogane will handle this. Otherwise, he wouldn't deserve to be the head coach of the basketball team."
Regarding Shirogane Kozo… Ryu didn't know him very well. But as the head coach of a prestigious basketball team, his overall perspective and character were reliable.
"You trust that old man that much?" Karupin asked doubtfully.
Ryu shook his head and said, "It has nothing to do with trust, I just know him quite well."
His experience playing basketball on the amateur courts for the past two months gave him a thrill he had never experienced before. So when Shirogane Kozo invited him, he agreed without hesitation. He found that he seemed to have fallen in love with basketball.
Clang…
Just then… The rooftop door was pushed open. A person and a cat were drawn by the sound of the door opening. When they saw the pink hair, Ryu froze.
"Momoi-san?"
Momoi Satsuki greeted Ryu with a happy smile. "Ryu-san, I finally found you! You were here after all."
"Looking for me?" Ryu's mind was full of question marks. Why would she look for me in the middle of the day?
Momoi Satsuki jogged to Ryu's side. She was also carrying a lunchbox. "I came to have lunch with you."
Ryu looked completely bewildered. "You came for this?"
Momoi Satsuki narrowed her eyes, smiled, and shook her head. "That's not the main reason! I came to tell you about the basketball club's handling of Takahashi-senpai."
Hmm?
"Takahashi?" Ryu couldn't immediately remember who that was.
"It's Takahashi Kento-senpai."
Hearing this, Ryu suddenly realized. He had subconsciously overlooked such a minor character. However, he was also somewhat curious. How did the basketball club deal with Takahashi Kento?
"I see! How did the basketball club handle him?"
Momoi Satsuki paused, then said, "Takahashi Kento-senpai abused his position for personal gain, maliciously targeting Ryu. Because this incident was too serious, the coach has decided to expel Takahashi Kento from the basketball club."
Ryu simply nodded, without any further emotion. After all, he was just a small fry. He didn't care at all.
"The coach made this decision; it seems you have investigated the matter thoroughly."
"Yes." Momoi Satsuki nodded. "I'm truly sorry that Ryu was wronged."
Ryu smiled slightly, saying nonchalantly, "You don't need to apologize to me. This isn't your fault, nor is it the basketball club's fault. Takahashi Kento is only representing himself. Besides, I didn't take this to heart."
Although he said this, he was still secretly pleased. This is arguably a case of reaping what you sow!
However, this guy was kicked out of the basketball club. This might have a significant impact on him in the future. In Japan, being expelled from a club is a serious matter. It's recorded in your personal file. It will significantly impact your employment prospects after entering the workforce.
Momoi Satsuki extended her delicate hand to Ryu. She smiled and said, "Welcome to the basketball club, Ryu-san."
Seeing Momoi Satsuki's enthusiasm, Ryu smiled slightly and extended his hand to shake hers. "Thank you..."
Feeling the softness and smoothness of her hand, Ryu thought to himself, 'It feels so wonderful to be looked after by such a beautiful woman. A sweet voice, a cute face—she's practically a perfect goddess.'
He admired everything about her, never tiring of looking at her. While it wasn't love at first sight, Ryu was filled with affection and fantasies about Momoi Satsuki. Perhaps, with more time spent together, sparks might really fly between them.
Ryu had unconsciously fallen into deep thought.
"Ryu-san, Ryu-san…"
Hearing someone call him, Ryu snapped out of his reverie. "Huh? What's wrong?"
"Ryu-san, I've been calling you for ages, but you were just spacing out. Are you feeling unwell?" Momoi Satsuki asked with concern.
Ryu scratched his head awkwardly. "I'm not feeling unwell. I was just thinking about something and didn't hear you. I'm so sorry."
"Oh, is that so?" Momoi Satsuki believed him.
Looking at her adorable, dazed expression, Ryu couldn't resist reaching out to pinch her cheek. Ryu shook his head, suppressing the urge, and quickly changed the subject.
"By the way, Momoi-san, could you tell me about the basketball club right now?"