Chapter 11: So I said, my name isn’t “Hey,” Okay?

The moment the teacher finished speaking and dismissed the class, Nayama Hiroki immediately went to look for Kurohara Shouhei.

He and Shouhei were in the same class, but that girl seemed to be in a different one.

“Hey, Shouhei! Let’s go find that girl!”

“Hehe, Hiroki really cares about Ishikawa-san, huh?”

Hiroki, who had never shown the slightest interest in the attention of all the surrounding girls, suddenly couldn’t stop bringing up the name “Yuka” ever since the Ōka Academy entrance interview.

Shouhei found it strange at first, but once he saw her in person, he understood.

Ishikawa Yuka was different.

And not just because she was the heiress of the Ishikawa family, the second most prestigious house after the Nayama family.

More importantly, she dared to speak bluntly to Hiroki—someone admired and followed by almost everyone.

Even Shouhei, who was close to Hiroki, rarely spoke to him so directly.

Of course, if Shouhei spoke, Hiroki would listen.

But whether he would change was another matter entirely.

When Shouhei was harsh, it worked better, but if he only hinted gently, Hiroki usually wouldn’t change.

Shouhei understood this, so he didn’t scold him harshly every time.

He reminded him gently on normal occasions, and only criticized sharply at important moments.

But that girl named Ishikawa Yuka said things directly, even more directly than Shouhei would.

And Hiroki reacted differently than he normally did when others tried to lecture him.

In the past, whenever someone other than Shouhei inexplicably tried to lecture him, he would always shut them down completely—and not with violence.

For example, he would dig into the other person’s weaknesses or mistakes, and use logic to corner them until they had nothing left to say.

Or he would question why they acted that way, whether they had to do it, and thoroughly refute the reasoning behind his own actions as well as the logic of their accusation.

At his core, Hiroki was competitive, and he wasn’t stupid.

He always had reasons for what he did, not just pure rudeness.

And he wasn’t the kind of person who would obediently follow someone just because they said “This is the rule” or “It’s tradition.”

But even so, Hiroki seemed to care a little about what Yuka pointed out.

He would never admit it, and he didn’t fully obey or take it seriously—but he remembered it, faintly, somewhere in his mind.

Shouhei found that interesting.

“So… you said you want to find her, but do you even know which class she’s in?”

“That’s why we’re going to look now.”

Watching Hiroki confidently declare that, Shouhei sighed quietly.

Hiroki wasn’t dumb—in fact, he was very smart.

He had initiative, and once he decided something, he would push it through to the end.

But he somewhat believed that everything would go exactly the way he wanted.

This was one of those times.

Right now, all the classes were being dismissed one after another.

They didn’t even know where she was, so if they ran around like headless flies, it was very possible she would leave before they found her.

Hiroki believed—without any basis—that if he wanted to meet someone, he would meet them.

And until now, it had always been true.

Anyone he wanted to see would come with just a call.

But this time was different.

He and Yuka had no appointment, he didn’t send anyone to call her, and students were walking everywhere freely.

In this confusion, even if Hiroki wanted to meet her, they might not run into each other.

“Haah… Hiroki… Ishikawa-san is in Class 3.”

“Really? Then let’s go to Class 3.”

Hiroki said it as naturally as breathing and walked toward Class 3.

The class assignments were posted in plain view.

If he really cared, he should have checked beforehand.

But Hiroki didn’t even have the awareness to actively do that.

This was also a flaw created by his upbringing.

He rarely wanted to see anyone on his own.

And whenever he needed someone, one call and they would come.

So he lacked the ability to consider others, think about others, or go find others.

And precisely because he never suffered any consequences, it became worse.

If he had experienced trouble because of this, maybe he would have noticed and corrected himself.

But Hiroki never had that chance.

Everything going his way wasn’t always a blessing.

Hiroki himself didn’t understand that, and Shouhei, being young as well, didn’t know how to make him understand it.

“We’re here.”

They passed through the crowded hallway without any obstruction and arrived at the door of Class 3.

Because Hiroki and Shouhei were moving, the already crowded hallway became even tighter.

At Ōka Academy, no one dared to block the path of the Five Noble Houses.

Especially Hiroki and Shouhei—the social scene already knew their faces, and no one in Ōka Academy failed to recognize them.

The two looked into the classroom and found Ishikawa Yuka still inside.

Based on Hiroki’s personality, the moment something ended, he wanted to immediately move on to the next step.

He was impatient—or rather, he hated wasting time.

In contrast, Yuka simply sat quietly at her desk.

The classroom and hallway were noisy everywhere else, but around Yuka, it was as if the sound had been absorbed, forming a quiet space.

Hiroki and Shouhei were drawn in.

Like a scene from a painting or a movie, that unreal atmosphere made them stand still, unable to move.

Normally, Hiroki would rush into the classroom and greet her immediately.

But he couldn’t move.

At that moment, the surrounding noise slowly faded as Yuka stood up quietly and prepared to leave.

And at the door, lost in the sight before them, Hiroki and Shouhei ran directly into Yuka as she came out.

“Hey, look at me.”

“…”

Hiroki spoke stiffly… completely unlike his usual self, his eyes shifting away as if he didn’t dare look directly at her.

“Hey! Don’t ignore me! You heard me!”

But Yuka’s expression didn’t change at all after being called.

She tried to walk past him.

It was unbelievable.

Until now, no girl had ever ignored Nayama Hiroki after he spoke to her.

Even without him initiating conversation, they would crowd around him.

Just a casual response from Hiroki could send them screaming in excitement.

But Ishikawa Yuka—despite being spoken to by Hiroki—did not even respond.

She treated him as if he didn’t exist, completely ignoring him.

Hiroki couldn’t help blocking her path again.

Only then did Yuka show a deeply impatient expression and speak:

“Haah… for the last time, my name is not ‘hey,’ alright?”

“Heh… hahaha… this is the first time a girl has spoken to Hiroki like that. I completely understand why Hiroki cares about you.”

Shouhei had to fight the urge to laugh out loud.

Hiroki, who was always chased by girls and found them annoying, was now the one chasing a girl—and being treated like a nuisance.

He didn’t think Hiroki’s feelings were romantic.

At least not at this stage…

Hiroki did care about Yuka, but it wasn’t love or affection.

It was probably just curiosity and frustration toward someone completely different from anyone he had ever met.

But… Shouhei thought, Hiroki had never shown this level of interest in any girl—or any person.

If things continued developing like this, then maybe…

Imagining that scene, Shouhei found it amusing but also realized a part of him didn’t want to see it happen.

But for now, he was more interested in seeing how this intriguing development would unfold.

“Okay, okay, don’t make that annoyed face. We just want you to come with us for a bit, Ishikawa Yuka-san.”

“Yeah! Come with us!”

“…Haah.”

Hearing Shouhei say that, Yuka reluctantly agreed.

And so the three of them walked through Ōka Academy together.

****

Hiroki and Shouhei brought Yuka to a room with an imposing, heavy door.

Yuka stared at the emblem carved into it.

“This place is…”

The door was even more luxurious than the headmaster’s office, decorated with an emblem of cascading vines surrounding cherry blossoms.

The family crests of the Five Noble Houses were either cherry blossoms or wisteria.

In other words, this door combined both—the cherry blossom and the wisteria.

It was a bit complex and hard to distinguish, but it was the symbol of the Ōka Society.

Not only within Ōka Academy, but across the entire nation, it represented the awe of all the upper class.

From the elementary, middle, high school, and university divisions of Ōka Academy—and even after graduation—the emblem known as the “Falling Wisteria Cherry Blossom” still held tremendous influence.

“You don’t know anything! This is the Ōka Society’s salon.”

Hiroki said as he pushed the door open.

Inside, upperclassmen were casually resting in a luxurious room.

“We’re here!”

“Ah, Hiroki-kun, welcome.”

“Good afternoon, Nayama-sama.”

Without hesitation, Hiroki walked inside as the older students greeted him.

“Hello, everyone.”

“Shouhei-kun came too?”

“Long time no see, Shouhei-kun.”

Following him, Shouhei greeted everyone as he entered.

Everyone already knew each other, so there was no need for introductions—the atmosphere was casual.

But families equal to the Nayama and Kurohara houses were rare.

Most were from the Seven Minor Houses or even lower, and although the upperclassmen acted casual, there was a clear power gap between them.

“Oh? Who is the girl over there?”

“Pardon me. I am Ishikawa Yuka. It is a pleasure to meet all of you.”

The girl who entered last behind Hiroki and Shouhei instantly caught the attention of all Ōka Society members—they stared in a daze, unable to react for a moment.

She didn’t look at all like a first-year student who had just entered.

By the sixth grade, students generally possessed discernment and etiquette.

Yet even to these sixth graders, Yuka’s elegance was extraordinary.

“Ha… so you’re Yuka. When Youta talked about you, I thought he was just being a sister-obsessed brother bragging, but now I understand.”

“Indeed…”

The upperclassmen nodded.

According to Ishikawa Youta, his little sister Yuka was exceptional.

But such claims were common—families often exaggerated out of affection.

Parents boasting about their children only for them to turn out unremarkable was normal in this circle.

But how about the girl before them?

Seeing her in person, Youta’s description almost felt modest.

Her manners, her tone—everything was elegant and refined, nothing like a first-year student.

“Brother?”

“Ah, you’re here, Yuka.”

Seeing her brother, Yuka tilted her head slightly in confusion.

Why was her brother here?

No—since he was the heir to the Ishikawa family, one of the Five Noble Houses, it made sense his name would be on the roster of the Ōka Society.

She had already heard of the Ōka Society, of course she knew.

That wasn’t the issue…

“Today is the Ōka Society’s private introduction event for the children of the Five Noble Houses among the new students.”

“Eh…? I never heard about this.”

The Ōka Society held immense authority within Ōka Academy.

Even the teachers and headmaster couldn’t oppose them.

It could be said that Ōka Academy had been sustained by the donations of the Ōka Society since its founding.

If this was an introduction ceremony aimed at the Ōka Society, it should be an extremely important event.

Yet Yuka had heard nothing about it.

“I already told our parents that I would inform you.”

Even with that explanation, she still didn’t understand.

She now knew why she wasn’t told.

But why didn’t her brother tell her himself?

It still didn’t make sense.

“I asked Hiroki-kun to bring you here.”

“!!!”

Her brother’s shocking confession made Yuka force down her surprise so no one could see it.

“You said you weren’t getting along with Hiroki-kun, right? So… well, you know.”

Know what?! Yuka understood.

Her brother was meddling—and making everything worse.

She silently fell into despair again.

She wanted to shout: she thought her brother was on her side, but this unnecessary kindness was pushing her into a deeper pit.

But she swallowed the words.

“I-I see… I troubled you. I’m sorry for making you worry, brother.”

“No worries. As long as Yuka can live well at Ōka Academy, that’s enough.”

Her brother’s even more dangerous statement made the corner of Yuka’s mouth twitch again—visible only to herself.