novellhall Chapter 30 Jade Princess
Chapter 30 Jade Princess
……
"Miyazawa-kun, this is for you."
This was the morning of the following day.
When Miyazawa Itsuki was ready to leave, he stepped out of the room.
In the corridor, Tsukimi Sakuna, dressed in her uniform, was already standing there quietly. She seemed to have been waiting for some time.
Upon seeing him appear, she handed over the box she had prepared.
"This is……"
Miyazawa Itsuki accepted it with some surprise.
Two rice balls wrapped in seaweed can be vaguely seen in the upper layer of the plastic box, and there is also a small piece of fried fish and pickled plum in the small compartment.
"These are the breakfast and lunch boxes. Since it's the first day, we didn't have time to prepare much, so they might be a bit simple."
"No, I still know it's a lunchbox... but why? Did our agreement include anything other than dinner?"
Miyazawa Itsuki thought that he was responsible for taking care of Tsukimi Sakuna during her part-time job and when she went home, so getting a free dinner was the limit.
"Although there are no explicit regulations, this is what I want to do."
Tsukimi Sakuna lowered her gaze: "...If Miyazawa-kun doesn't want it, he can do with it as he pleases."
"I have absolutely no such thoughts; I will accept it with gratitude."
He was so grateful to have someone make him a lunchbox, especially since it was by the Holy Maiden from the academy; how could he not want it?
He hadn't even fulfilled a single promise yet, but he had received so much kindness. Miyazawa Itsuki also felt the pressure.
He was completely convinced of the title "Saintess." What a genius! What a brilliant predecessor who came up with this code name.
From then on, he became the first Templar Knight before the Virgin.
Tsukimi Sakura smiled gently.
"Since Tree-kun has accepted it, I should go to school now."
"...Thank you for waiting for me here, Tsukimi-kun." Miyazawa Itsuki felt a little embarrassed, then suddenly remembered something.
"Tsukimi-kun, how about we exchange LINE contacts? That way we can contact each other in advance if something similar happens in the future."
"Furthermore, Tsukimi and I aren't in the same class, so having LINE would make communication outside of school very convenient."
Tsukimi Sakuna seemed to have been reminded.
"Yes, it was my oversight. Let's switch."
The two added each other on LINE.
Tsukimi Sakura's ID is her own name [Sakura], and her profile picture is a crescent moon.
Following Japanese social customs, Miyazawa Itsuki sent a greeting sticker.
Tsukimi Sakuna seemed a little clumsy with LINE, awkwardly clicking around for a while before replying with a "Nice to meet you" sticker.
She breathed a sigh of relief after confirming that she had successfully sent the message.
"That's fine then. I'll contact Tsukimi-san after school today."
Miyazawa Itsuki said this.
"I will wait for news from Miyazawa-kun." Tsukimi Sakuna bowed slightly.
"Well then, I'll head to school now. Miyazawa-kun, don't let your worries about missing me delay your schedule."
"I'll be careful. Be careful on the road, Tsukimi-kun."
Miyazawa watched her figure disappear at the end of the corridor.
He glanced at the time; there was still plenty of time.
Miyazawa Itsuki simply returned to his room and opened the lunchbox.
Let's have breakfast first.
Miyazawa Itsuki took a bite of the rice ball first.
As expected of the Holy Maiden, even a simple rice ball can be made to look like a high-class dish.
It looks beautiful and neat.
The taste is also very good.
The aroma of seaweed combined with a small amount of salt creates a distinct and layered aftertaste.
Miyazawa Itsuki chewed on his rice ball while browsing the news on his phone.
By chance, an entertainment news story caught his eye.
[STAR COLORS member Cho Akanishi's long-awaited tweet has caused a huge stir!!]
Miyazawa Itsuki generally doesn't pay attention to entertainment news.
Actors and idols are things that are too far removed from him. He doesn't have a hobby of following celebrities.
Aside from initially learning about some female-oriented celebrities, he stopped putting in much effort after realizing that his work rarely involved such content.
So normally, Miyazawa Itsuki would skip over these news items.
but……
Shiori seems to have some interest in idol culture.
Miyazawa Itsuki would carefully research topics that interested his younger sister, trying to make her as happy as possible when they chatted.
Whether it's shoujo manga or astronomy and geography, he accepts any knowledge that can keep Shiori from getting bored.
However, it must be admitted that he lacks understanding of idols, especially teenage idols.
Shiori wasn't very familiar with the boy groups mentioned at the time.
Perhaps it's time to change direction and learn a little more about teenage idols?
Miyazawa Itsuki hesitated for a moment before clicking on the news.
The news had a high number of views and the discussion was quite heated. It took him a while to understand the general information.
This appears to be an idol group that has risen to fame in recent years, and all the members are still high school girls. The protagonist of this news is one of the members, "Akanishi Cho".
It is said that this idol has reduced his activities in recent months due to health issues, leading people to believe that he is about to graduate.
Last night, she posted a tweet after a long absence, and later announced that she was fine, which excited her fans.
"It's unbelievable that a single tweet can generate such a huge response."
Miyazawa Itsuki was impressed by the enthusiasm of the idol industry.
He glanced briefly at the tweet that was rumored to have caused an earthquake in the industry. The text was nothing special, and the accompanying picture was just a very ordinary sunset photo.
That alone could move fans to tears. He was a little envious.
If the panel relaxed its requirements and didn't restrict itself to dating, but instead allowed spending money on him to earn points, Miyazawa Itsuki would definitely enter the idol world without hesitation.
Maybe I'll get so many points that I can't spend them all.
"Um?"
Miyazawa Itsuki paused as he swiped across the screen.
It was then transferred back.
The picture accompanying this tweet has a strangely familiar feel to it.
Miyazawa Itsuki looked puzzled.
He clicked on the picture.
It was just an ordinary sunset, and the photography was terrible. I really can't praise that idol's photography skills.
Although he wasn't very good at taking photos before, he's no longer the same Miyazawa Itsuki since he acquired the photography skill.
Judging from this photo at an amateur level (the pinnacle of amateur photography), many flaws can be seen.
The composition is haphazard, the color temperature is too dry, and it's even a bit out of focus.
In short, the photo was utterly unremarkable.
But what was it about this seemingly ordinary photo that gave me such a special feeling?
Miyazawa Itsuki stared at the photo with suspicion.
He quickly realized the source of the familiarity.
This... must be the view from the rooftop of their school building.
After careful recollection and comparison, it should be correct.
Even if it's not the East Campus, it must be in a similar location.
Upon enrolling, to satisfy Shiori's curiosity about her brother's school, Miyazawa Itsuki took a lot of random photos.
During the shoot, I ran into a senior from the photography club who pointed out that the rooftop of the school building had a nice view, and that students often went there to photograph the sunset and distant scenery.
So he took the opportunity to go to the rooftop to take a picture and used it as the accompanying image for his post.
"Has this idol ever visited Sakura Ridge?"
Miyazawa Itsuki tried to recall, but couldn't find any memory of any popular idols visiting Sakura Ridge.
If it really existed, just looking at this idol's popularity tells you what kind of chaos it would cause.
That's probably because some of the fans are students from Yingling, who uploaded photos of the school's scenery.
It couldn't possibly be a stolen photo that you took yourself.
Miyazawa glanced at the photo but didn't pay much attention, continuing to read the news.
The idol group STAR COLORS also has two other members, named Akane Aoike and Shiri Hoshimiya.
Shiri Hoshimiya is the absolute core of the group and has been the most popular girl idol in recent years. Despite debuting only a year ago, she's already almost a household name—a truly terrifying charm.
The group is currently on a short break after recently finishing a national tour.
It seems that a new event will be held in Tokyo in June.
……
It was all information that only people in the industry would care about, so Miyazawa Itsuki quickly lost interest.
He exited the news, his gaze sweeping over the name "Shiri Hoshimiya" one last time.
……
The morning classes were unremarkable.
During breaks, Asahina Mimi remained the center of attention in the class. The girls surrounded her, discussing the latest trending topics, while the boys tried to get closer to her using all sorts of clumsy excuses.
Miyazawa Itsuki sat in the corner of the classroom as always.
The morning's World History class has already filled up my experience points in [Shorthand] and [Calligraphy].
He is considering whether to join some sports clubs to hone his experience in basketball and street fighting.
Basketball is alright, but the latter is the main problem, as there are very few ways to gain experience.
During his lunch break, Miyazawa Itsuki went to the club building and talked to some of the seniors.
Sakura-ryo School has a basketball club, a soccer club, a baseball club, and a kendo club.
These clubs are among the most competitive and confrontational sports clubs on campus.
The basketball club is the ace of Sakura Ridge, having led the team to numerous victories, including the national youth championship.
He also contacted someone he knew from the basketball club.
The senior told Miyazawa Itsuki that it might be difficult for him to join the basketball club at this time.
Because it is a popular club, the basketball club has very strict requirements for recruiting new members.
Most importantly, seniority is heavily dictated within the organization. Newcomers are often treated unfairly.
If you're not starting in high school to build up experience, it's best not to join.
If you just want to find someone to play ball with, there are channels on campus for like-minded people to connect.
Having obtained the information, Miyazawa thanked the senior and left the club building.
"I just wanted to level up quietly. I guess clubs and stuff aren't for me after all."
Miyazawa Itsuki sighed.
Although he could easily join the basketball club with his skills, things outside of basketball were not something he wanted to deal with.
As a long-established prestigious school, Yingling's clubs are not just casual hobby groups, but more like professional clubs.
The club is primarily composed of elites aiming for the national competition. They are teammates, but also rivals.
Perhaps, as the senior said, if one simply wants to find someone to play ball with, one can easily make friends with one or two partners and play a game regularly every day.
Miyazawa Itsuki walked towards the Green Shade Garden.
As they passed by the west side of the club building, Miyazawa Itsuki heard a series of energetic shouts through the window.
The members of the kendo club are practicing. Even though it's lunch break, they're not relaxing.
Miyazawa Itsuki glanced at it through the window.
Young boys and girls in protective gear brandished bamboo swords, and the crisp clanging sounds echoed through the air.
It is said that the Kendo Club is also a long-established club in Sakura Ridge, but its performance in recent years has been dismal.
Among the top schools in Tokyo, it is basically at the bottom.
The members are under a lot of pressure.
You can definitely tell from the fact that they practice this even during their lunch break.
It's a bit of a shame about Miyazawa Itsuki.
It's a pity I don't have any kendo-related skills to train, otherwise it would have been easy for me to join.
Cultivating swordsmanship to a legendary level and becoming a sword saint feels pretty good.
Miyazawa Itsuki withdrew his gaze and took a step.
As he approached the shady courtyard, before he could even get close, he heard a familiar voice.
"Yu Ji~ You're being so good today too."
Miyazawa saw a wisp of golden, slightly curly hair.
Asahina squatted on the ground, affectionately stroking a snow-white kitten—the same kitten that Miyazawa Itsuki had seen yesterday.
The cat closed its eyes, enjoying the petting, and purred softly.
Oh, that's a bit unfortunate.
Miyazawa Itsuki remained silent, intending to quietly leave with the lunchbox.
But the snow-white cat suddenly opened its eyes and meowed softly in the direction of Miyazawa Itsuki.
Asahina also noticed Miyazawa Itsuki because of this.
"..."
Naomi Asahina was somewhat stunned.
It seems they never expected to be found by someone they knew here.
"Hello, Chairman," Miyazawa Itsuki broke the awkward silence.
"I just wanted to find a quiet place to eat. Since the chairman is already here, I'll take my leave."
Miyazawa Itsuki explained it this way.
Seeing that he was about to leave, Asahina quickly said:
"Please wait a moment."
Miyazawa Itsuki stopped in his tracks.
"Why does Miyazawa-kun want to leave as soon as he sees me? Also, I would prefer Miyazawa-kun to call me by my surname."
Miyazawa Itsuki said, "Okay... because this is Asahi-kun's territory, isn't it?"
"No, this is a public area. What do you take me for, Miyazawa-san?"
"The BOSS guarding the territory?"
"What is that?" Naomi Asahina was amused.
That's how it is for me.
"Am I some kind of monster in Miyazawa's eyes?"
"More terrifying than floods and wild beasts, a slight misstep can lead to social death."
"I can't understand a word Miyazawa-san is saying."
Miyazawa Itsuki was exhausted.
"I really have to go now, Asahi-kun."
"Why are you leaving? Didn't Miyazawa-kun come to see Tamahime?"
"Jade Princess?"
Naomi Asahina picked up the kitten, her smile sweet.
"That's Tamaki, isn't she super cute?"
It turns out she was a female kitten.
A cat named Yu Ji is shaking its body in protest.