Chapter 12: How about we go On a Date Next Time?

Being brought here by Hiroki, she discovered that it was actually the Ōka Association salon and from her brother she heard a shocking truth.

What on earth was this brother doing…

Of course, he himself might have done this out of good intentions.

He probably heard that she didn’t get along with Hiroki and wanted to create an opportunity for them to reconcile.

But to her, this was only making things worse.

She didn’t want to have any contact with Hiroki or Shōhei at all.

She originally intended to avoid contact as much as possible, and there was no need to become close.

But now her brother’s meddling had only increased the opportunities for contact with Hiroki and the others.

This was not what she wanted, and she had never asked for it.

Even if she had to endure this childish goodwill, she still found it difficult to completely hide her anger, speechlessness, and shock.

“Yuka probably thinks I’m being nosy.”

Oh no!

Her brother leaned over and whispered.

And he hit the mark…

Was she that obvious?

She clearly wanted to maintain a poker face…

“This year is still fine. But I’ll graduate next year. If you have a bad relationship with Hiroki-kun and the others by then, it will be very troublesome.”

“Yes…”

She understood what her brother meant.

Or rather—was this brother really just an elementary school student?

Sharp-minded and considerate.

But she had planned to keep a polite distance from the Ōka Association after her brother graduated next year.

There was no need to force herself to be close to Hiroki and Shōhei.

She was surprised that her brother could think so far ahead and even take action for her.

But she wished he would at least discuss it with her first.

If he had asked, she would have refused immediately.

“Yuka, come over here too. Let’s all chat together.”

“Okay.

Coming.”

Called over by the upperclassmen, she could only walk over.

The families in the Ōka Association were all from the top aristocratic families in the country.

Although the Ishikawa family ranked among them, they did not have an absolute position.

In fact, in the game, Lady Yuka Ishikawa was disliked by the Ōka Association for being too arrogant and willful.

In some routes, she would even be punished by other families in the Ōka Association.

The key was not to forcefully oppose or become enemies.

Maintain a moderate low profile and keep surface-level relations.

She planned to keep an appropriate distance from the Ōka Association and avoid getting deeply involved.

After all, the Ōka Association was basically controlled like puppets by Hiroki and Shōhei… or rather, they were under their influence.

Everyone inside was essentially their supporters.

In the game, Lady Yuka Ishikawa stood in an opposing or disliked position toward Hiroki and Shōhei.

Naturally, the Ōka Association that followed them would also treat Lady Yuka the same way.

It was easy to understand.

“Yuka is really cute~ You haven’t had a marriage meeting yet, right? Is there a boy you like? Or someone you’re interested in?”

“No… I don’t have that kind of…”

What was wrong with this person…

Asking so directly.

Couldn’t he change the topic?

How could she possibly be interested in men?

Even if she were arranged into a marriage meeting, she would definitely refuse.

Also, her mother didn’t want her to show herself in public.

Because her image was too far from the ideal daughter she envisioned, she was always kept away from those occasions.

Of course, that aligned with her own wishes, so their interests matched.

Her mother worried that if she went out, she would damage the Ishikawa family’s reputation, so she avoided letting her attend events.

She found playing the role of a lady exhausting and hated men approaching her, so she didn’t want to attend those occasions either.

Their interests aligned perfectly, and as a result, she had never appeared in any social circles or parties.

“Then how about going on a date with me next time?”

“…Hah?”

Was he stupid? Yes, they were elementary school students, but a sixth grader flirting with a first grader?

Was his brain functioning properly?

Were kids this precocious nowadays?

“Hey, Taiichi… You know what will happen if you make a move on Yuka, right…”

Brother…

It was good that he protected her, but wasn’t there something wrong with him too!?

What kind of space was this!?

She really wanted to go home!

“Taiichi! What are you doing!”

“What? Hiroki is interested in Yuka too? But I already reserved Yuka first.”

Hey… What was this reservation nonsense.

Reservation… How could he say something like that to a girl…

Couldn’t he use a different wording?

And she didn’t remember being reserved by anyone.

Who even was he…?

“Yuka, be careful of that guy. He’s Inadera Taiichi. He’s known for playing with girls. Don’t let a man like that trick you.”

“Sigh…”

Seriously…

Would any woman really be fooled by someone like this?

Appearance-wise, fine, he wasn’t bad.

Even though he didn’t appear in Love 100%, he looked like someone who could be a capture target in the game.

But his personality was too frivolous.

He was completely different from the Ōka Association members she imagined.

“How could I possibly care about that kind of guy!”

“There you go.”

The guy called Taiichi brushed off Hiroki easily.

She didn’t expect there to be this kind of character…

In the game, there shouldn’t have been anyone who dared to oppose the “Arrogant Crown Prince”.

Even though Shōhei would sometimes admonish Hiroki, he couldn’t control him completely.

But this Taiichi guy dared to tease Hiroki.

Was that okay?

Not that she cared about him, but if the “Arrogant Crown Prince” exploded because of this and she got dragged in, that would be terrible.

She just wanted them to not cause trouble so she could stay quiet.

Well, the game only covered the upper school years.

This Inadera Taiichi, who was in the same grade as her brother, wouldn’t be in the Ōka Association once they entered middle school or high school.

Even if he didn’t appear in the game, it wasn’t strange that in reality, a few people existed who could talk to Hiroki.

“The Inadera family and the Noyama family have a strong relationship.

They’ve known each other since childhood.

Since there’s an age gap, Taiichi is like an older brother to Hiroki-kun.”

“Oh… I see.”

Simply put, he was like the older cousin brother figure.

Someone who had known him since childhood, with a big age difference, and was unbeatable when they were young.

Whether that relationship could remain after they became adults, or whether the difference in family status would change their relationship later, no one could know.

But for now, Hiroki still couldn’t defeat this older brother who was five years older.

After that, several people came to speak to her.

She introduced herself and chatted a little.

Hiroki and Shōhei seemed to be the center of the crowd.

While Yuka stayed a little away, quietly drinking tea and observing the situation.

Sure enough, Hiroki and Shōhei were famous wherever they went.

Everyone seemed like acquaintances, forming a clear contrast with her, who knew no one except her brother.

Even her brother got along well with Hiroki and Shōhei.

It was obvious that Hiroki was extremely favored.

No wonder—being disliked by Hiroki meant becoming an enemy of the Ōka Association.

In her eyes, the “Arrogant Crown Prince” from the game was a very troublesome and hateful character.

But in reality, he didn’t seem that way.

Or maybe it was because they were still in the first grade.

Either way, it was best not to draw attention or make enemies here.

She needed to keep her head down…

Be a shadow, quietly staying in the corner.

Today seemed to be the day for introducing the children of the Five North families, but once school officially started, Kochi and Satsuki should also appear at the Ōka Association.

If possible, she only wanted to drink tea with those two quietly in the corner.

However…

Among the upper-grade girls in the Ōka Association, there were actually a few cute ones.

And some who were unfortunately a bit lacking.

But that couldn’t be helped.

Not everyone could be a beauty.

Some elementary school girls dressed extravagantly.

Some retained the traditional appearance of old noble families.

She couldn’t mind those things.

Most families that could enter the Ōka Association were ancient noble houses, so having a slightly old-fashioned appearance was inevitable.

And although they weren’t exactly nouveau riche, some had a similar vibe, so flashy dressing was understandable too.

Among them, a few would probably grow up to be real beauties.

She really hoped she could get along with girls like that…

“Yuka, how is it? Are you getting along well with everyone?”

“Well…”

If Hiroki and Shōhei weren’t here, then yes…

Her only concerns were those two, but based on how things went today, as long as she didn’t approach them, they wouldn’t approach her either.

The two stood at the center, chatting and laughing.

She stayed slightly away, and they didn’t seem likely to come bother her.

Just like that, on her very first day, she appeared at the Ōka Association in an unexpected way and finished the entrance ceremony.

****

The entrance ceremony was over.

Her introduction at the Ōka Association was also over.

But Yuka’s day had not ended yet.

Master Toraishi ordered her to come immediately because school ended early today.

If she disobeyed, her training would only increase.

She didn’t dare resist.

“Um… Master Toraishi… What is this?”

“Training.”

“No…”

She knew that much.

But what was the point?

Right now, there was a bowl filled with hot water placed on her head.

Master ordered her to walk like this.

She was terrified of breaking the bowl, so she walked cautiously.

If she dropped it, the hot water would pour over her head.

“Too slow! Walk faster!”

“Eek!”

She was scolded for being slow and careful.

She was already walking as fast as she could.

Any faster, and the bowl would fall.

“Faster!”

“A-any faster and it’ll spill…”

“What? It’ll spill? That means you’re walking wrong! Watch closely! Like this!”

Master placed a bowl on his own head, and began walking swiftly.

His pace was unbelievably fast.

What was that…

And the bowl didn’t tremble at all.

No shaking up, down, left, or right.

It was like it wasn’t even moving.

“What meaning does this even have?”

“Tons of meaning!”

“Ah…”

He skipped the explanation again…

Master rarely explained the purpose of his training.

Well, there were types of training where you wax floors or polish wood and unknowingly get stronger.

This probably had a meaning too.

Once, she was sitting correctly practicing tea whisking, and suddenly Master hit her on the head with a bamboo sword.

As she wondered what happened, he yelled, “You’re supposed to dodge.”

He said it was to train her to react instantly no matter the situation.

But she wished he would explain beforehand.

She thought she was doing something wrong with the tea whisking, so she obediently took the hit.

If she could dodge, she hoped he would say so beforehand.

Even after learning she should dodge, she never managed it once.

Master’s strikes—his hands—were too fast.

Seeing and dodging was impossible for her.

“Too slow! Ten more laps!”

“Wah!”

Just when she thought she had reached the end of the dojo, the bowl was replaced.

Because the hot water had cooled, it was exchanged for fresh boiling water.

And this time, she had to place bowls on her shoulders too.

Just having one on her head had required her full focus and caution.

Now that she could see the ones on her shoulders, she became even more nervous.

“Don’t sway your body! Don’t lift your feet! Step steady! Bend your knees!

Lower your hips! Faster!”

“That’s too many demands!”

She was already going as fast as she could.

She couldn’t do more.

And she had gone back and forth across the dojo for so long in a half-squat that her muscles were trembling.

She clearly remembered that excessive training was bad for child development, so she had mostly done swimming at the gym club…

Was this training really okay?

“And you still have time to think about other things? That means you’re relaxed? Faster!”

“It hurts! It’s hot! It hurts! It’s hot!”

Pak!

The bamboo sword struck her leg.

She flinched from the pain.

Hot water spilled down her head and shoulders.

Then she reflexively moved from the heat, spilling even more hot water.

It was a vicious cycle.

“Add water.”

“Eek!”

The spilled water was refilled.

Just when she thought it was finally cooling…

“Starting now, dodge the bamboo sword too. Watch out! Here it comes!”

“Ahh! No! I can’t!Wait!” Pak! Thud!

Master swung the bamboo sword.

Of course, he held back.

Dodging it shouldn’t have been that hard.

But if she tried to dodge, water would spill.

If she tried not to spill, she would be hit.

His control of speed and strength was terrifying.

He perfectly calculated her limits.

If she dodged, water spilled.

If she protected the water, she got hit.

And once she was hit, she reflexively moved, spilling the water anyway.

And spilled water would be added back again.

What was this!?

What kind of torture!

Wasn’t this child abuse!?

To do this to a first grader!

“Looks like you still have strength left.”

“N-no I don’t!”

“When you think you can’t, that’s when training truly begins!”

Just like Master said, she was forced to walk until her legs couldn’t stand anymore.