CHAPTER 75: CHAPTER 74: IS PURE LOVE SUCH AN INCONVENIENCE (PLEASE FOLLOW)

Aozawa finished breakfast.

He noticed Morimoto Chiyoda across from him, still engrossed in the matter of having seen a panda.

The fried egg on her plate had been diced into tiny pieces; to say it had suffered death by a thousand cuts would be no exaggeration.

Aozawa stood up, braced his hands on the counter, and swiftly leaned forward to tap Morimoto Chiyoda on the forehead.

The intermingled scent of shampoo from her hair and perfume from her body wafted into his nostrils. The pleasant aroma made the blood in his veins seem to reverse course and pool downwards.

A woman’s perfectly balanced fragrance can powerfully stimulate a man’s hormones.

Morimoto Chiyoda’s hand, mid-slice on the fried egg, paused.

Aozawa quickly straightened up and smiled. "Don’t worry. If the sky falls, I’ll be here to hold it up for you."

A smile graced his well-defined features, as bright as the sunshine outdoors, illuminating the doubt in Morimoto Chiyoda’s heart.

She suddenly had a realization: rather than agonize over whether it was an illusion, she could simply go to the hospital for a full-body check-up to see if there was a problem.

Morimoto Chiyoda regained her composure. Propping her cheek with her hand, she said, "Hmm, not bad. That display of manliness just now earns ninety points from me."

"Don’t worry about me getting arrogant; just give me a hundred."

"No way. You had such a golden opportunity, yet you only dared a sneak attack on my forehead, not my lips. That alone proves your manliness is still lacking."

"Understood! I definitely won’t make such a mistake next time!"

Morimoto Chiyoda didn’t speak, just smiled, her eyes as tender as water. Her expression made it somewhat difficult for Aozawa to maintain his composure.

However, her fist was clenched tight.

That sight dissuaded Aozawa from any further surprise maneuvers. "I’m off to school, Chitose."

"Mm-hmm."

Morimoto Chiyoda unclenched her fist. A crafty smile flitted across her face, the look in her eyes seeming to say, You’re still too green to mess with me.

「 」

Aozawa closed the door behind him and took the elevator downstairs. His right hand brushed his lips as he savored the memory of the delightful sensation of Morimoto Chiyoda’s fair forehead.

Instantly, he forced himself to stop thinking about such things; his pants were suddenly feeling rather tight.

DING. The elevator doors slid open.

Aozawa took small steps out of the elevator and exited the apartment building.

Faint morning light spilled onto the street, illuminating the motorcycle’s exhaust pipe, its silvery gleam reflecting in his eyes.

The person sitting on the motorcycle made Aozawa’s eyes widen in surprise.

"Tetsuji, you’re back from the uninhabited island?"

The long-unseen Hojo Tetsuji supported his motorcycle with one foot. He wore a black leather jacket, indigo blue jeans, and black shoes. He wore sunglasses, his face etched with the rugged, world-weary look of an older man. "I used trees on the island to build a simple raft and set out to sea. I ran into a storm, and the waves smashed the raft to pieces. I clung to a log and drifted for some time. Eventually, I floated to Tokyo Bay. I went ashore there, got help from a kind woman, went home, showered, changed clothes, and then rode my bike over to find you."

His simple words glossed over the nearly fatal journey.

Hojo Tetsuji didn’t see this as something to brag about. He pulled a yellowed notebook from his leather jacket and said, "Give this to Yoshikawa Sayuri."

Aozawa, full of curiosity, asked, "Is this a love letter you wrote to her on the uninhabited island?"

"No, it’s her father’s diary. I decided to brave the sea just to deliver this."

In Hojo Tetsuji’s mind, the uninhabited island was quite rich in resources—fresh water, food, fruit—enough for a person to live there for a lifetime. He hadn’t planned on returning until he found this diary, which instantly filled him with a sense of mission.

Aozawa took the diary, his expression puzzled. "Why don’t you give it to her yourself? This is a chance to earn some goodwill."

"Aozawa, I’ve seen through the illusions of this world. In that storm, I attained enlightenment. I’m going to become a monk." Hojo Tetsuji spoke as he twisted the motorcycle’s throttle. With a serious expression, he said, "Farewell. The next time we meet, it will be at the pinnacle of a temple."

"I have no interest in becoming the Monk King," Aozawa grumbled to himself, still unable to fathom his friend’s line of thinking. Still, what mattered was that he was alive.

He watched Hojo Tetsuji leave, then stuffed the diary into his school bag and started his morning run.

Even though he was dying of curiosity about the diary’s contents, Aozawa wouldn’t let it disrupt his training schedule. He could always read it after his morning exercise.

「 」

Class was about to start.

Phoenix Academy Maggie closed her book, her timing impeccable. Right then, two figures burst in through the back door of the classroom: Ayatsuki Ayaka and Aozawa.

For three consecutive days, the two of them had arrived at the back of the classroom together.

Ayatsuki Ayaka’s intentions were as clear as day. If she didn’t harbor *those kinds* of feelings for Aozawa, Phoenix Academy Maggie refused to believe this Hot Girl would bring him vegetable juice so punctually every day.

Aozawa walked to his seat and pulled out his chair.

Phoenix Academy Maggie couldn’t help but ask, "What are your thoughts on Ayatsuki Ayaka?"

Aozawa blinked and said, "Good friends, under the same blanket."

"Do you really not understand, or are you pretending not to?" Phoenix Academy Maggie’s eyes narrowed, a blade-like sharpness glinting within them.

Aozawa just smiled.

Of course, he knew Ayatsuki Ayaka was interested in him. He also liked the ever-smiling Hot Girl and didn’t want to reject her. In Aozawa’s view, liking Morimoto Chiyoda didn’t mean he couldn’t also like Ayatsuki Ayaka. ’Liking’ can be categorized in many ways. For instance, a person might like Nami from Pirate King, Tsunade from Naruto, Rukia from Bleach, and so on. As long as you pour enough love into it, it’s ’pure love’ no matter how many people you love. If Ayatsuki Ayaka were to confess to him, he would definitely accept. However, he would have to make it clear from the start that he wouldn’t give up Morimoto Chiyoda. If Ayatsuki Ayaka could accept that, then all would be well. If she couldn’t, there was nothing he could do. Aozawa could not possibly give up Morimoto Chiyoda. It was precisely this non-negotiable condition that made Aozawa decide not to actively pursue Ayatsuki Ayaka. To put it another way, he wouldn’t pursue any girl; he would only respond if they made the first move. The day Ayatsuki Ayaka officially confessed would be the day of reckoning—when all cards were on the table.

He couldn’t openly share these thoughts with Phoenix Academy Maggie.

Aozawa changed the subject, saying, "Don’t look at me like I’m a criminal. Tetsuji gave me a diary this morning. Want to see it?"

A hint of curiosity appeared on Phoenix Academy Maggie’s face. "How did he leave the uninhabited island?"

"He built a raft and sailed out to sea. Then he encountered a storm but was lucky enough to drift to Tokyo Bay. Now he wants to become a monk."

...Phoenix Academy Maggie hadn’t experienced what Hojo Tetsuji had, nor did she wish to comment on his decision to become a monk. She asked, "What’s written in the diary?"

"It’s supposedly related to Yoshikawa Sayuri’s father." As Aozawa said this, he opened the first page of the diary.

"March 23rd, 1910. I was ordered to proceed to the Great Qing Dynasty. En route, I encountered a storm..."

1910?! Aozawa was stumped by the date. Is Yoshikawa Sayuri’s father a hundred-year-old vampire or something?

Turning to the second page, he saw entries that only noted the month, which made him ponder.

Knowing Tetsuji, he probably just forgot the earlier years. This isn’t Yoshikawa Sayuri’s father’s diary at all!

He grumbled to himself but read on anyway.