Chapter 26: Is it really okay to cultivate under this old man?

“This dress suits you well; it’s very cute.”

“Thank you… Yuka, you’re… quite mature, aren’t you?”

‘What is that supposed to mean… calling a first-grade elementary student mature? Is she just saying whatever because she couldn’t think of anything else to praise?’ Ishikawa Yuka muttered to herself.

However, the dress Anmiya Marina was wearing was indeed exquisite.

It wasn’t the kind of cheap children’s formal wear she had seen in her past life, but a custom piece from a high-end brand.

Despite the fact that children this age grow taller very quickly and clothes soon become ill-fitting, she was wearing a gown worth hundreds of thousands of yen.

As expected of the Anmiya family… and it wasn’t just Marina; the other families were much the same. These were not clothes meant for a first-grader.

Through the commoner’s eyes of her past life, the values of this circle were truly difficult to understand.

But when in Rome, do as the Romans do; she couldn’t act willfully based on her past habits and had to coordinate with her surroundings.

Of course, if she completely lost her commoner’s mindset and became as arrogant as the Lady Yuka in the game, she would likely repeat the same mistakes.

Therefore, she had to maintain both ways of thinking and find a balance.

Keeping a commoner’s mindset would get her ostracized in high society, but she couldn’t be as arrogant as the game character either; she had to survive skillfully.

“Ah… well then, Yuka, I’ll see you later.”

“Alright, see you later.”

Marina, seemingly noticing something, bowed to her and left.

Perhaps she had been called away or had seen an acquaintance.

Although Yuka felt a bit dejected, she could understand.

Unlike herself, who was a loner, Marina belonged to a faction and had her own obligations.

As she watched Marina walk away, she caught a glimpse of Matsuyama Shoko.

Since all members of the Ōka Association had received invitations, it was no surprise that Shoko was present.

Shoko was still surrounded by a crowd, acting as the undeniable center of attention.

Not only were members of her own faction from the Ōka Association there, but other girls were also gathered around her.

With her reliable, big-sister-like style, it was only natural for her to be adored.

Yuka actually wanted to talk to Shoko too, but approaching her now was impossible.

That was the core of a faction unrelated to her, and joining in recklessly would only invite trouble.

While she herself held no factional stance, the Ishikawa family had its own lineage.

Currently, the faction was led by her brother Yota, and she couldn’t completely separate herself from it.

If she rashly contacted Shoko’s faction, it might be interpreted as the Ishikawa family showing weakness to the Matsuyama family’s faction.

The consequences of personal actions affecting the family and faction made her hesitate to interact freely with other factions.

Thinking of this, she couldn’t help but admire Marina’s courage for taking the initiative to talk earlier… which was also why their conversation had been brief.

If they held a long, secret talk, the factions of both families would certainly not sit idly by.

Just as she was enjoying some snacks in a corner, the music in the hall quietly changed; it seemed the party was about to reach its climax.

“Yuka, shall we dance?”

“Yes, Brother.”

The style of the music shifted, and the center of the dance floor was cleared.

The main purpose of this party was a social gathering for the elite students of Ōka Academy, and the segment where the children danced together was the most brilliant highlight.

Whether it was a convention for all parties or a special rule here—the partner for the opening dance held symbolic significance.

Since she had been escorted by her brother and had no other male friends (she had acquaintances, but her friends numbered zero), her first dance partner was naturally her brother.

Thus, she allowed her brother to lead her by the hand toward the center of the dance floor…

“Hey! Dance with me!”

“…Eh?”

Nogami Hiroki marched up to her with crude steps and shouted loudly.

“Um… I’m going to dance with Brother…”

“It’s fine, Yuka, go ahead. Hiroki-kun, I’ll leave Yuka in your care.”

‘Brother! Why are you pushing me onto this troublemaker! Are you betraying me at the final moment!’

…Wait! Yuka suddenly had a realization.

Brother was already a sixth-grade student.

At this age, even if it was just child’s play, people were starting to talk about romance.

Though in the eyes of adults, it was nothing more than playing house…

Could it be that Brother actually had a partner he wanted to invite?

Yet he still accompanied his willful sister and even prepared to have the first dance with her?

Had she been relying on her brother too much… he had his own youth and social circles.

Yet she only thought of herself and took advantage of his kindness. How could someone like her have the right to blame her brother?

“Since Brother has another partner, I’ll just be a wallflower. Well then, Nogami-kun, I hope you enjoy yourself…”

“Stay right there! You think you can escape? Dance with me!”

“…”

‘This guy… his voice is so loud… we’ve completely become the center of attention… and doesn’t the first dance partner have special significance? Go find someone else…’

Wait? Could it be… he wants to make me a laughingstock in front of everyone to thoroughly crush me?

To make me lose face during the most important opening dance?

In that case, refusing now would only lead to more pestering; it was better to settle this here and now.

“Yuka, don’t worry about me; go dance with Hiroki-kun.”

‘Brother… I wasn’t worried about you at all. Please forgive me; I was only worried about myself and almost ruined your youth.’

“I’m sorry, Brother. Please don’t sacrifice yourself for me; don’t keep your partner waiting.”

“…Hmm? I don’t have a partner, though…?”

‘There he goes again. With his outstanding looks, delicate mind, gentle personality, and clever brain, how could Yota-niisama not have one or two girls he likes? I understand! Don’t worry about me! I’ll handle Nogami Hiroki properly!’

“It’s fine, Brother, I understand everything… Now then, it’s time for me to head to my battlefield.”

After bowing to her brother, she turned to face Nogami Hiroki.

Since he wanted a showdown, she would see it through to the end.

“Nogami-kun, I look forward to your guidance.”

She offered an elegant bow.

“Hmph! Come on!”

“Ah…”

He grabbed her wrist and forcefully led her to the center of the dance floor.

The gazes of the entire room converged upon them. As expected, he wanted to embarrass her.

The music paused, and the lights dimmed.

In the darkness, the moment the spotlight suddenly illuminated the center of the dance floor, the music began.

It started as a slow adagio.

But this Nogami Hiroki… his dancing was truly atrocious…

He didn’t understand how to coordinate with his partner at all, only caring about dancing wildly on his own. His rhythm was erratic, his steps were full of errors, and his stride kept changing.

It would be extremely difficult for a first-time partner to keep up.

Those who danced with him often might be used to this unique rhythm… but a normal person definitely wouldn’t be!

But Ishikawa Yuka was different.

After a month of special training under various harsh conditions, adapting to this level was a piece of cake.

When Hiroki took the wrong step, she matched him with the same incorrect stride; when his stride was small, she narrowed hers; when it was large, she widened hers.

Facing his willful steps that completely ignored his partner, she synchronized perfectly without a hint of fluster.

He was definitely trying to dance poorly on purpose to make her fail.

But she refused to slip up, always maintaining her role as the follower to the male partner.

Even if the steps themselves were wrong, as long as she followed the male lead perfectly, no one could criticize her.

That’s right; this was exactly what Father meant by “even if clumsy, reaching the extreme creates a style of its own.”

The music shifted to a fast tempo.

If she could handle the slow dance despite his deliberate meddling, it would surely be harder once it sped up, wouldn’t it?

How naive! Don’t underestimate the special training I did with Sensei!

…For several consecutive songs, she maintained perfect coordination with Hiroki’s willful and unique steps.

Undoubtedly, Hiroki made countless errors in terms of the dance itself, but the coordination between the two was seamless.

She proudly decided—this performance was perfect.

Clap… clap clap… clap clap clap!!!

Scattered applause gradually converged into a thunderous roar of cheering.

“That was wonderful!”

“Those two are quite a match!”

The deafening applause lasted for a long time, to the point where she couldn’t even hear what Hiroki, who was standing right next to her, was saying.

Once the applause subsided slightly, Kurohara Masahira walked over.

“That was impressive, Ishikawa-san. Would you care for a dance with me next?”

Uh… there was no way to refuse this, was there?

It seemed that after Hiroki’s plan to embarrass her failed, Masahira was launching a second wave of attack.

Since she couldn’t decline, she had to accept the challenge.

“Alright.”

“Hey, Masahira! You wouldn’t dare!”

“Ah, it’s not what you think. At least, not yet.”

“?”

After she agreed to dance with Masahira, Hiroki and Masahira began to argue.

She couldn’t hear the contents of their dialogue clearly; perhaps it was some kind of code?

Were the two of them plotting a conspiracy for her social death?

When dancing with Masahira, this “Snow Prince’s” steps were, as his name suggested, somewhat feminine.

Unlike Hiroki’s forceful style, his steps were more delicate.

She still followed perfectly without any mistakes.

“Thank you, Ishikawa-san.”

“You’re welcome…”

She didn’t know how to respond. Where did the thanks come from?

Did he mean “Damn it, I wanted to make you look bad but failed”? Or was it a threat of “Just you wait and see”?

“It’s my turn next, isn’t it, Yuka-san?”

“Inadera-kun…”

Why did she have to dance with him too?

Dealing with Hiroki and Masahira could be considered a decisive battle, but she really didn’t want to dance with anyone else.

If anyone else was going to invite her, it should be her brother.

“Hey, Taichi, how many times do I have to warn you not to touch my sister?”

“Yota… what’s the harm in one dance at a party.”

Her brother, appearing out of nowhere, stepped between her and Inadera.

It was for the best that her brother intervened.

In the end, to prevent her from being pestered further, her brother danced one song with her, after which she withdrew from the dance floor and contentedly became a wallflower.

She felt a wave of sorrow just thinking about how she was forced to dance with males.

If only she could dance with girls, it would be so much better, but she wanted nothing to do with male partners unless it was absolutely necessary.

Hiroki and Masahira were special cases, and her brother was for the sake of the occasion.

Later, a small incident occurred between her and Shoko… but she didn’t regret it.

It didn’t matter even if she was laughed at for being rude.

And so, her social debut concluded with a “fatal error” near the end.

A few days later, she mentioned the events of the party to Toraiwa-sensei.

“So looking back now, my stomach still hurts.”

Her stomach had hurt from nerves before the party, and it still flared up occasionally now.

As expected, someone as delicate as her wasn’t suited for those high-pressure situations.

“A brat with guts like a wildcat like you, getting a stomachache from nerves? It’s clearly from an overdose of poison damaging your intestines. Didn’t you vomit blood during training?”

“…Eh?”

…Wait? So the blood during training and the subsequent stomachaches were all because Sensei kept making me take poison?

“It wasn’t a lethal dose, but taking a large amount in a short time is bound to have that effect. Drink this.”

“Yes…”

Master handed over a packet of powdered medicine, likely stomach medicine.

‘Come to think of it, is it really okay to be training with this old man?’