"Yo, everyone's here, how convenient," The iron-fisted female teacher in a white lab coat glanced around the room, her smile slightly awkward.
"Hiratsuka-sensei?", Kaito raised an eyebrow and put away the manga in his hand.
"Is there something you need?"
"Can't I just come to check on you all?", Hiratsuka Shizuka lightly coughed, feigning dissatisfaction, "After all, I am technically the advisor of the Supernatural Research Club."
"As you can see," Kaito waved his hand, and Bocchi obediently came over to sit beside him. Miura Yumiko wasn't to be outdone and took the seat on the other side.
"The club is doing well, and the members get along harmoniously. There's nothing that needs concern."
It was more than harmonious. With the sisterly love and respectful vibes, it wouldn't be strange if you called it the shogun's inner palace.
Hiratsuka suddenly hesitated, 'Was coming here today really the right choice?'
'But after thinking it over... that child's situation is already terrible, it can't get worse than it already is, right?'
'Besides...'
Her eyes subtly swept across that flawless face.
Even if something did happen, who's taking advantage of who is still up for debate.
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Chapter 21: I Dont Understand, I Cultivate the Path of Ruthlessness
[ Shoutout to Ryan & TheHealerOfPleasure for joining patreon. Thank you very much.]
"So Hiratsuka-sensei, if you've got something to say, just say it," Seeing her hesitating and fumbling, Miura Yumiko felt a bit of a headache.
As a normie, she had lots of friends, and naturally among them were the type who wouldn't say things straight, but had to first ask, "Can I ask you something?"
Answering "You can," might lead to a troublesome request, which would then be hard to refuse cleanly.
But ignoring it wouldn't help either. Leaving a message on read without replying only makes things more awkward, who even invented the "read" function? They should be sacrificed to the gods!
"Was it that obvious?", Hiratsuka Shizuka scratched her head and decided not to beat around the bush anymore, putting on a serious face, "There's indeed something I need your help with."
Then she turned to look toward the door, and raised her voice, "Yukino, come in."
As her voice fell, a long-haired girl in uniform walked in, her expression seemed somewhat helpless, "Hiratsuka-sensei, I appreciate your good intentions, but I really don't"
Her sapphire-blue eyes happened to lock with a certain figure sitting on the sofa, and it was like ten thousand stars of Pegasus fell down, her breath caught.
"Haha, what did I say? I didn't lie to you, right!", Hiratsuka Shizuka let out two loud laughs and gave the long-haired girl's soft shoulder a firm slap, looking smug, "Didn't I tell you, just follow me and you won't be disappointed. Hmph! So how do you feel now? How do you feel, huh!?"
All her awe and amazement were scattered to the wind by that merciless slap.
Yukinoshita Yukino rubbed her shoulder, and her usually cold and calm face briefly showed a flash of pain. Her voice was as cold as ice, "Hiratsuka-sensei, using violence on students at will; I think I need to reassess whether you're still qualified to be a teacher."
"Sorry, sorry, forgot to hold back," Hiratsuka Shizuka was covered in cold sweat, trying to please her by massaging her shoulder, like a lackey serving a noble lady.
At a key moment, Miura Yumiko stepped up and changed the topic.
"Yukinoshita Yukino?", The blonde girl had a strange expression on her pretty face, "Didn't expect to see you here."
"Miura-san?", Yukinoshita also slightly frowned, though her demeanor seemed a bit calmer, "It's been a while."
Speaking of which, this was a bit of a twisted fate.
They had been classmates in elementary, middle, and even high school.
There had been some conflict when they were younger, though it ended quickly with Yumiko's defeat.
Since then, their relationship had always been lukewarm, never developing into the deep friendship typical of childhood companions who grew up together.
Later in college, Yumiko heard Yukinoshita had gone abroad to study and thought she wouldn't see her again for the next four years.
Who would've thought, after all the twists and turns, they'd end up reuniting at Shuka.
So many years had passed. The minor friction from back then had long since become history. Yumiko wasn't that petty.
She just didn't expect, that Yukinoshita, always cold and proud like a flower on a high peak, would actually have a day when she got lovestruck over a boy?
"No need to look so surprised," Yukino's pale cheeks faintly showed a blush, but it vanished in an instant.
"Humans are shallow creatures obsessed with appearances. The instinct to reproduce with stronger and more beautiful mates is deeply embedded in our DNA. It's just like how we eat when hungry, or drink when thirsty. It's only natural."
"The biggest difference between humans and animals lies in our ability to suppress instincts through rationality. I do the same."
Sounds reasonable on the surface.
But it still felt like she was going on a rant just to save face?
Beside her, Hiratsuka Shizuka instinctively tried to pat the girl's shoulder again, but shrank back under Yukino's terrifying death glare and quickly changed course, patting Kaito beside her instead, "Anyway, Yukinoshita just transferred here recently. As you can see, because of her personality, she still hasn't made any friends and is always alone. It's honestly pretty pitiful."
"Hiratsuka-sensei, please don't describe me like I'm some kind of problematic child."
Yukinoshita sighed, "I'm simply used to being alone, that's all."
'That might fool the older ladies, but don't deceive yourself too.'
'We'll believe you, sure. It's not like it costs us anything. But just hope you don't cry yourself to sleep hiding under the covers tonight.'
Hiratsuka Shizuka pouted, then turned to Kaito and said, "So, I hope you can help her fit in better with her surroundings. Ideally, even make a few friends."
"Of course," she paused, then added, "If you find it troubling, it's totally fine to say no. I'll figure out another way."
Hiratsuka-sensei's attitude was very good, with no sense of forcing him.
Plus, considering her huge help in creating the club, it was a favor that couldn't be ignored.
Kaito rubbed his forehead, "Since it's Hiratsuka-sensei's request, of course I can't just sit by and do nothing but for this kind of commission, I don't think I can help much, honestly?"
If it were a request to exorcise evil spirits or monsters, that'd be no problem, right up his alley.
Sadako, Kayako, whatever. Just hit them with a Five Thunder Curse and poof, all evil gone.
But helping a transfer student fit into class
'I don't understand, I cultivate the Path of Ruthlessness.'
"After all, you're the most popular person in our class," Hiratsuka Shizuka said this like it was obvious, "So this kind of thing shouldn't be hard for you wait a second."
She suddenly realized something, and looked a bit regretful.
Back then, she didn't think too much about it, she just naturally assumed that since Kaito was so popular at school, he'd definitely have lots of experience with this kind of thing.
Helping Yukinoshita integrate and make friends should be a piece of cake, right?
But thinking about it more carefully now, the reason he was popular seemed to be purely because he looked really good.
Even if he did nothing and just sat there quietly, people still liked him.
That kind of experience wasn't something others could use for reference. Even though Yukinoshita was also beautiful, her beauty was still within the realm of human standards.
At most, people would look and say, "Wow, what a pretty girl," and that's it. It didn't make people dazed and awestruck.
Plus, the male-to-female ratio at Shuka was one to four, the school had no shortage of pretty girls.
"Looks like Hiratsuka-sensei also realized the root of the problem."
Kaito gave a helpless smile, "I really don't know where to start, but I'll try my best."
"No worries, the fact that you're willing to help already means a lot."
Hiratsuka Shizuka waved her hand, a bit embarrassed, "Then I won't disturb you two anymore. Yukino, I'll leave her in your hands."
''Leave in your hands', what kind of weird phrasing is that?', Yukino was already tired inside. After confirming that Hiratsuka Shizuka had left, she turned to face Kaito.
The girl, beautiful like falling snow, lowered her gaze to avoid looking at that face that made her heart race, and spoke with deliberately distant politeness, "About Hiratsuka-sensei's earlier request, just pretend you didn't hear it. As the subject involved, I have no intention of engaging in pointless socializing."
"Of course, I'll also inform Hiratsuka-sensei of the cancellation. Sorry for the sudden disturbance."
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Joining Patreon keeps me motivated and eager to work diligently, so please consider joining. You can access upto 20 advance chapter through Patreon.
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Chapter 22: The Cat Under the Snow
The warm spring sunset spilled into the quiet corridor along the window sill, as if laying out a golden carpet.
After leaving the Supernatural Research Club's clubroom, she walked alone through the empty hallway, accompanied only by the sound of "tap tap" footsteps.
Yukinoshita, however, did not feel lonely. On the contrary, she preferred the quiet environment.
Because it was helpfull in thinking.
Thinking, that is the secret by which humanity has come to stand above all other living beings.
'A silent, deserted afternoon is the best time to ponder profound philosophical questions. Like the end of the universe, or the meaning of human existence.'
'...As if.'
She couldn't forget, absolutely couldn't forget.
Whether her eyes were open or closed, that stunning face always lingered in her mind.
Yukinoshita had already been trying hard to divert her attention, but her hippocampus clearly had ideas of its own.
'The pursuit of beauty is indeed human nature, and emotions born from beauty will eventually transfer to another object when a more beautiful one appears.'
'Such feelings are, without a doubt, fake, and extremely shallow.'
Yukinoshita patted her face, trying to snap herself back to reality.
It was at that moment that a rustling sound suddenly came from not far away.
Yukinoshita returned to her senses, and only then realized that, at some point, she had walked into a secluded garden.
The sound came from behind a nearby shrub.
Yukinoshita didn't want to meddle in other people's business. Although she had trained in Aikido and knew a bit of martial arts, her physical strength was rather poor, she wasn't athletic.
If something truly happened, relying on Aikido alone would hardly be enough to protect herself in a dangerous situation.
But
"Meow~ meow~"
A faint meowing sound, seeming very weak.
Yukinoshita stopped in her tracks instinctively, suddenly unable to move forward.
As a devoted cat lover, her affection for cats had already reached a hopeless level.
Though her mother strongly objected to keeping cats, so she never had one, she often came to the garden to feed stray cats.
'Such a faint meow, could it be injured?'
'I have to check.'
With this thought in mind, Yukinoshita walked toward the source of the sound and soon arrived at the shrub.
She parted the messy branches, and the moment she saw the small figure curled up in front of her, she instinctively held her breath.
'It is a kitten.'
It looked not quite fully grown yet, kind of like a silver shaded breed, with silver-white fur all over, not a single trace of impurity.
Only its paw pads were tender and pink, the kind that made people want to reach out and touch them.
Judging by its appearance, it was undoubtedly extremely cute, but Yukinoshita's gaze became serious.
The kitten's hind legs seemed to have been bitten or torn by something, a bloody mess, extremely horrifying.
Just looking at it made her feel pain. With such a serious injury, it had to be treated immediately.
Yukinoshita took a deep breath and softened her voice, "Kitty, don't be afraid, I'm here to help you."
Injured cats were prone to stress reactions and might attack anything approaching indiscriminately.
Yukinoshita did want to help the injured kitten, but she couldn't just pick it up directly. Getting scratched was no joke.
First, she had to soothe the kitten's emotions, at least confirm that it wouldn't attack her before she could take action.
The kitten did seem afraid, its small body trembling slightly.
But it showed no intention of resisting. As if it had intelligence, it quietly stared at the unfamiliar human in front of it with big, glistening eyes.
It didn't bristle or hiss, so obedient it made the heart ache.
Yukinoshita tentatively reached out a hand, 'Good, the kitty isn't showing any sign of attacking.
"Meow~", Hearing this meow that sounded like a plea for help, Yukinoshita finally couldn't hold back anymore and carefully picked up the kitten.
Then she hurried to the nearest pet hospital, paid the fees at lightning speed, and waited anxiously.
.
.
.
.
A long while later.
A female doctor in a white coat walked out of the examination room and gave her a small nod, "It's been basically treated. Judging from the marks, it looks like it was bitten by some animal. Fortunately, you brought it in just in time."
"As long as it's okay," Yukinoshita was relieved and quickly asked, "Can I go in and see it?"
"Of course you can," The female doctor stepped aside, a bit emotional, "The kitten you brought has a really good constitution, and it's very obedient. It's the first time I've seen such a sensible cat."
During the wound treatment, it didn't make a fuss at all, as if it knew these humans were helping it. It didn't resist in the slightest.
Compared to those Hakimi cats that make a scene just from getting a bath, this one could be called a legendary, supreme cat.
'It really is well-behaved,' Talking about this, even Yukinoshita couldn't help but smile.
But she quickly restrained her expression and turned to walk into the ward, seeing the kitten whose hind legs had already been bandaged.
