Chapter 18: Why Is Miss Qingling So Quick to Give Herself Away?

“This is just ridiculous.” Haruhi Harano was left speechless by Yoji Heisuke’s antics. Now, only he and Miron Seiryo remained in the classroom.

The empty classroom was eerily quiet.

The girl sat at her desk, legs crossed, her fair right hand resting on her smooth thigh as she propped up her chin, boredly watching the boy mopping the floor.

Haruhi mopped diligently, a touch of simple, endearing charm on his round face.

As the mop drew closer to her, Miron Seiryo, without a second thought, planted her foot right on it.

“Lift your leg,” Haruhi looked up into her beautiful face, sighing helplessly.

Miron Seiryo’s elegant brows furrowed, her pout mischievous like a stubborn child as she pressed down even harder on the mop.

Seeing her like this, Haruhi couldn’t help but laugh. Straightening up, his tall frame—over six feet—suddenly seemed even more imposing.

“Seiryo, are you jealous or something?” Haruhi raised an eyebrow, smiling.

“You disgusting fat idiot!” Miron Seiryo exploded, lifting her leg to kick Haruhi.

But as if expecting it, Haruhi deftly dodged her attack, and with a swift motion, landed a hearty smack on her fair thigh.

A crisp sound echoed in the classroom, and a red palm print blossomed visibly on her creamy skin.

“Bastard! I’ll kill you!” Miron Seiryo’s face flushed red, whether from anger or embarrassment, it was hard to tell.

There was no one else in the classroom. The two of them wrestled and played, and the accidental brushes and contact made Haruhi’s heart itch with excitement.

As they tussled, Miron Seiryo suddenly sensed something was amiss—Haruhi’s broad figure had cornered her against the wall.

Pinning her arms with his left hand, he gazed down at her delicate, furious face and kissed her without warning.

“Mmm! Mmm!” Miron Seiryo’s wide eyes struggled in Haruhi’s embrace.

But as his large hand gently caressed her, the rebellious girl’s resistance gradually faded.

Just as Miron Seiryo surrendered completely, that detestable fat oaf released her, their lips parting.

She opened her eyes in confusion, only to find Haruhi grinning wickedly at her. She was still lost in the moment, her cherry lips parted, tongue peeking out, eyes dreamy and unfocused.

In an instant, a wave of shame and anger crashed over her.

“Idiot!”

Ten minutes later,

Haruhi Harano, clutching his stinging cheek and shouldering his backpack, walked out of the school.

Miron Seiryo strode ahead, her long legs and swaying hips making quick work of the distance. Her expression was thunderous, radiating an unapproachable aura, as though the world owed her a fortune.

She couldn’t believe she’d let herself be seen with such an expression—utterly mortifying!

That wretched Haruhi Harano, laughing at her expense! She swore she’d make him pay for this humiliation! Infuriating, absolutely infuriating!

The more she thought about it, the angrier she became.

Passersby, captivated by her beauty, could only risk glances from afar, wary of her fierce demeanor.

Haruhi obediently followed behind her, inwardly summoning his Romance Assistant.

Checking Miron Seiryo’s current status:

[Miron Seiryo’s current status: Burning with shame and anger! How could this fat oaf have taken advantage of me so many times! Annoyed! Desperate to teach him a lesson! But secretly delighted—the feeling just now was surprisingly pleasant...]

Oof. Looks like Lady Seiryo’s feelings are a tangled mess.

The two walked in silence, neither speaking first.

Miron Seiryo refused to break the ice—it would be far too humiliating—so she maintained her icy silence, waiting for the fat oaf to come groveling, begging for forgiveness, clinging to her long legs and pleading with her not to leave him... The thought alone was satisfying!

Haruhi, meanwhile, busied himself with the system tasks. Seeing Miron Seiryo’s favorability already at 59, he grew uneasy—one wrong word and it might hit sixty.

Even when Miron Seiryo deliberately slowed her pace to let him catch up, Haruhi pretended not to notice.

If she sped up, he sped up; if she slowed, he slowed; if she stopped, he stopped. The two maintained a perfect seven-meter gap.

At the station, Miron Seiryo glanced over at Haruhi, who was basking in the sun on the other side, grinding her teeth in frustration.

The train soon arrived and the doors opened in front of Haruhi. Without a moment’s hesitation, he boarded, swept along by the crowd.

By the time Miron Seiryo got on, only one seat remained—by the window, right next to Haruhi.

She walked over and stood beside him.

The fat oaf sat like a mountain, blocking the aisle to the window seat completely, making no move to let her pass.

“Um, classmate, you can take my seat,”

Perhaps unable to stand it any longer, a scrawny boy with black-rimmed glasses—his uniform marking him as a student from neighboring Kanagawa High—stood up awkwardly, stammering.

Miron Seiryo ignored him, glaring furiously at the immovable Haruhi.

Haruhi hesitated, checked the favorability that had dropped to 58, and finally shifted to let her in.

Without the slightest hesitation, Miron Seiryo sat down, leaving the boy with glasses standing awkwardly in the aisle, feeling as if the whole train was laughing at him.

The train rumbled down the street. Miron Seiryo, head bowed, furiously tapped at her phone, the sharp clicks of her fingers a clear protest to the fat oaf beside her.

Haruhi gazed out the window, troubled. This couldn’t go on—should he just give up on the task? Or maybe, find a way to win her over once and for all?

He brainstormed possible approaches: get her drunk? Use brute force? Or seduce her outright?

What a headache! Why was it so easy to raise Lady Seiryo’s favorability, anyway? Wasn’t this just a freebie?

Oh well, he thought, let things take their course. It was just a task—the system was there to serve him, not the other way around.

Ten minutes later, the train reached their stop.

The two of them got off together, heading home. This time, Haruhi didn’t go out of his way to avoid Miron Seiryo.

“Let’s go in and buy something,” Haruhi said, pointing at a nearby shopping center.

The young lady snorted haughtily and followed him, convinced she’d won—after all, the foolish oaf couldn’t resist in the end.

They entered the store, surrounded by dazzling displays. Having made up his mind, Haruhi reached out and took Miron Seiryo’s small hand in his.