Chapter 59

The early spring classroom was warm. It wasn’t because the weather had become warmer. It was simply thanks to the heater blasting away.

I absentmindedly tore the trivial parent-teacher newsletter into neat squares and tossed it in the trash bin when Yumina peeked from behind.

“Are you throwing it away too?”

Yumina shook her head as if to say no. Since she was living out of the house, she probably had no intention of giving it to her parents. Was it just her habitual good student psychology?

“Show it to Laplace. He seemed interested in reading it.”

“Which school does he go to? I don’t recall hearing about him.”

Since we didn’t have a friend relationship, I rarely conversed with him, so I never got to know his personal life.

“He doesn’t attend school.”

That’s intriguing.

Just then, the back door of the classroom opened, and the homeroom teacher scanned the room. It seemed like they were checking if everyone had left. The teacher’s eyes flickered upon noticing me. As the sound of the newsletter being torn echoed through the quiet classroom, the teacher quietly closed the back door and left. Why did they come?

“Middle school is compulsory education, so not attending is harder than attending. If you don’t go, they might suspect domestic violence and send the police.”

“Apparently, they’re in a completely different area where the police can’t reach. Also, due to the shortage of police, the relevant personnel have been reassigned.”

“Pointless.”

I opened the trash can lid and pressed down on the trash. There was nothing to press today since it was the entrance ceremony, but I pressed anyway. Hmm, it’s not satisfying pressing nothing.

After tidying up the area a bit, I left the classroom.

“I don’t understand why they called us when there were no classes today. They should either have classes or not call us. They’re just making us come to school to take an entrance photo.”

“Don’t say that where the teachers can hear you. Next year, they might start having classes during the entrance ceremony.”

“That’s good. I’m graduating next year anyway.”

“But isn’t it right not to have classes on the first day? From the teacher’s perspective, it’s important to build a good relationship with the students, so they need time to focus on forming that relationship. Public education also has a greater role in socialization than knowledge transfer. So, in that sense, our Young Lady should consider the teacher’s feelings. Isn’t the teacher pitiable?”

These aren’t words I want to hear from a runaway teenager.

“What have I done?”

“Skipping classes or doing something else during class.”

“A teacher should have more courage.”

“Look at this year’s homeroom teacher when entering the classroom; they seemed depressed. Even though they try to hide, it was evident that their eyes dimmed whenever they see our Young Lady. It’s obvious that they didn’t want to be our homeroom teacher.”

“Oh well. Let me wish them well then.”

We left the school and kept walking until the protest of taking the subway at this distance disappeared. We reached a café then.

As Yumina opened the door and went in, the bell rang, and the scent of coffee wafted through the air.

“This is it.”

She was boasting that this was in a secluded place where real estate was cheap, and the interior was spacious. It hit me. The café owner must also be the landlord. There’s a lot of romantic longing here.

“It’s spacious.”

They will eventually start dating here, I presume.

“The good thing about this place is that the interior is calm, so it’s quiet and a good spot for conversation. It’s far from the school district, so not many people come here for study. There’s one person over there now.”

The pointed direction did indeed have someone in the common study scene.

“Still, the number of people is usually half. Recently, a nearby café opened, so the customers have left.”

True to her words, the customers were rather sparse.

“But the atmosphere is good, so why are there so few people?”

Yumina whispered annoyingly near my ear.

“The coffee taste is awful. The desserts aren’t great either.”

“Ah.”

“That’s a harsh comment.”

“How would you know?”

There was nothing to criticize after taking a quick look around the café. The taste being bad is a serious issue, but it wasn’t something I ate anyway.

“It’s fine. But it’s a little disturbing when people are around.”

Since it’s open for business, it’s normal to have customers, but it’s a bit annoying. As I moved a few steps towards the counter, Yumina asked.

“Should I order?”

“Not necessary. We need to rent the place out. Let’s get rid of the customers.”

Yumina panicked and grabbed her school uniform. What is it?

“What do you mean by that?”

“Literal. After renting the café from the owner, we’ll kick out the customers.”

“If you’re apprehended, it’s obvious they will get suspicious with no customers present.”

“If we get caught, we get caught.”

“You can’t do that! I…”

Yumina stopped mid-sentence.

“What’s the ‘I’?”

“I’m trying to think of the right word, so don’t interrupt.”

That’s anticlimactic.

Taking another look around the café, I began looking for a good spot. Since I wasn’t here to just monitor the date, I planned to spy and observe closely. I need to think carefully about where to eavesdrop in advance.

There’s space between the boundary lines where you can’t be seen from other sections, though there’s no partition per seat. After some arrangement, it would be best if I sat deep inside the café while the two were near the entrance. This way, I won’t catch Do-Yugeon’s expressions but can at least see Yumina’s face, which minimizes the downside.

Turning to look at the bodyguard, Yumina suddenly asked.

“What are you up to?”

“Did you come up with the right word yet?”

“Yeah, but our Young Lady might get upset.”

“Go ahead and say it.”

“You idiot.”

“Nothing spectacular.”

Did she hesitate because she was contemplating it? Incredible word choice.

“Excuse me, customer?”

Hearing an unexpected voice, I turned around, and it was a staff member.

“The café’s principle is to order at least one beverage per person.”

Looking towards the indicated wall, the same content was posted. Their roundabout way of saying if you’re not buying anything, stop making noise and leave.

Yumina, blushing, ordered for both of us hastily. Right… why did you make such a racket?

True to her word, the coffee was bad. Somehow, they added pepper to the cappuccino thinking too much could be better.

“He got off at the subway station. He’ll arrive if we wait a little longer.”

Yumina glanced at her phone. It must have been about the content of the chat just now. Time to move positions.

Before that, there’s something I need to do. I pulled out the wiretap from my pocket and attached it to Yumina’s school uniform.

“Hm? There’s dust?”

“It’s the wiretap I attached. I’m moving seats. Keep my line of sight clear.”

Her shocked expression.

“Just in case, you didn’t attach it without saying anything, right…?”

“That’s illegal.”

“Wiretapping someone else’s house is also illegal.”

“Technically, it’s a loophole if the party involved doesn’t know.”

“No, it’s not.”

“You’re not pursuing a career in law, right? Let’s overlook minor matters.”

It seems her expression is weighing whether to report or not. She knows better than anyone that reporting it will be pointless.

“Besides, aren’t you two going to just sit and chatter? Have you prepared a topic to set the date mood?”

“Don’t worry.”

Yumina confidently replied in addition.

“I didn’t prepare anything.”

What?

“But if a budget is given, things could change.”

Although her words were smooth, she was shy and averted her gaze. I do need money, don’t I? About how much cash do I have in my wallet? Not much… But in my case, if it gets urgent, I can use the bodyguard’s wallet, so I took everything out and handed it over.

“Keep the rest as a tip.”

“Yes, yes. Our Young Lady is the best.”

“Of course.”

Yumina happily counted the bills and beamed.

—

After changing spots, it wasn’t long until Do-yugeon opened the door and came in. I turned on the wiretap app and plugged the earphones into my ears.

He sat in front of Yumina and immediately spoke.

“Today, I planned to go to Current Sky’s house.”

Talking about another girl in front of this girl—no mood at all. His mind is entirely that of a friend; whether this can be called a date is uncertain. Hang in there, Yumina.

Yumina chuckled.

“I bet you were chased away at her doorstep. Using the excuse that she wants to be alone on the first day of school.”

Who would do that?

“That seemed plausible, which left me feeling a bit down. I’ll go order a beverage.”

“Okay.”

When he went to the counter, Yumina whispered into the wiretap.

“It seemed plausible.”

No need to emphasize.

Clearly, the wiretap is a wiretap, communication is impossible. I poked my head out and gave Yumina a short glare. She’s not taking this seriously.

After Do-yugeon returned to his seat, Yumina started chatting.

“Today, we’re going to watch a movie and eat dinner. This is what a date course is.”

Are they starting the task already?

“Come to think of it, it does look like one.”

“Isn’t there a thought that this should’ve been done with Current Sky instead?”

What? Suddenly bringing her up, what’s that supposed to mean?

“Must I reiterate that?”

“To be honest, our Young Lady has a bad temper, right?”

“There’s no counterargument.”

Well, yes.

“Ah, that was a bad remark. Apologize to our Young Lady in the heavens above.”

Right now, who are you giving strange orders to?

“What? Haha. Current Sky, sorry.”

The party isn’t here, yet he’s apologizing.

“So, what specifically is good about her?”

“It’s hard to put into words…”

“Do you really like her?”

“Of course.”

This side is overflowing with charm. If a friendship develops, most people would like her. It’s natural to ask.

Do-yugeon, confused, added.

“What are you doing?”

“What?”

A sudden comment. Looking over, Yumina had briefly risen from her seat to glance this way before sitting down again.

“Nope, nope.”

Feels strange. It’s awkward.

“Your word choice feels off. I also like our Young Lady. Let me tweak the question a little. Do you love her?”

Ah, I see. Now I understand your intention.

“Quit being all mushy all of a sudden.”

“Come on, answer fast.”

“Just-”

I turned off the wiretap app. The voice broke off, and a faint silence followed. It’s a bit warm. I finished the cold cappuccino. It’s bitter. The coffee here is genuinely bad, and it’s baffling how they continue selling it this way.

I peeked at Yumina. She seemed to notice as she met my glance immediately. She stealthily pointed towards the restroom with her finger.

I turned into the restroom and not long after, Yumina entered. She seemed both cheerful and a bit nervous.

“How are you feeling?”

“What mood?”

“Hm?”

“The wiretap seems broken, so I called you.”

“Eh?”

Yumina looked deflated.

“But how are you feeling? Did you finally set the date mood? Did you ruin it by calling me during an important moment? What should I do? I’m really sorry.”

“It’s not that. Do-yugeon just confessed his love for our Young Lady a moment ago.”

“Huh? I couldn’t hear. Is it true? Are you lying?”

“I said it! Hmph…”

Even if you clutch your neck, I still didn’t hear it.

“Loving someone for the first time usually leads to confusing affection with love.”

Yumina paused for a moment, then suddenly turned around and loudly mumbled loudly enough for him to hear.

“I’ll prepare to kiss you first, assuming you’ll agree.”

“What?”

Yumina deeply sighed and was about to leave the restroom when I grabbed her arm.

“What did you just say?”

“Just take it at face value. After hearing the reply, I’ll suddenly kiss you and ask, ‘What about me?'”

Whatwhatwhatwhat?

“You’re lying.”

“It’s not a lie, but since you didn’t hear it, there’s no way to prove it. It’s dull. I’m leaving.”

Yumina grinned and then fled as if escaping. She ran, she did. My thoughts paused for a moment, and when I hurried to chase after her, she was already gone. What? What is this? What?

“Are you…?”

Was it due to the commotion or because Yumina fled? Do-yugeon turned to look at me.

“You kissed…?”

He stopped the word about to leave his lips.

“What?”

“What? No.”

“Hmm? In that case, I have two movie tickets right now. Do you want to watch a movie together?”

It’s definitely from Yumina. Damn Yumina.

“Hmm… Sure, why not?”

Honestly, though shocked by the kiss, this is something I can manage.

I can manage this.

Yes.

But I really need to figure out if it happened or not.

Wait a second.

So, was Yumina planning to fail the mission all along while scheming for cash while eating snacks?

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