Chapter 54: Meeting Yoshimi Uehara

But if things continue like this, Haruhi certainly won’t feel sleepy anymore. She’ll be munching on popcorn, watching the drama unfold, and before she knows it, the class will have ended. He was eager to see what earth-shattering event Yutaka Eto might pull off! Don’t let me down, Eto!

“Do you have something to say, classmate?” Even the Japanese teacher was startled by the aura radiating from him, adjusting her thick glasses and sighing inwardly. Students were getting harder and harder to manage these days.

Just as everyone was curious about what Yutaka Eto would say, a small, breathless figure appeared at the doorway.

“T-teacher, I’m so sorry, please forgive me for being late.”

Yuriko Ogata stood at the door, clutching the doorframe, barely able to catch her breath. Her petite body rose and fell slightly, not too noticeably, but sweat had already dampened her pure, white forehead, strands of hair sticking to her skin. Her cheeks, plump with youth, were flushed red—whether from exertion or the embarrassment of being late, it was impossible to tell, but her rosy little face looked undeniably adorable.

She had run all the way here.

“T-teacher, I’m really sorry for being late!” she said, bowing awkwardly to the Japanese teacher. This was the first time in her life that model student Yuriko had ever been late to class.

Her voice trembled, and her pitiful, fragile appearance made even the teacher feel that to not forgive such an angel would be an act of sheer cruelty.

“Ahem, just be more careful next time. Go back to your seat,” the teacher coughed, eager to let the matter pass.

He knew Yuriko Ogata well—a well-behaved, obedient student who rarely made mistakes. Being a minute or two late was nothing serious.

But that Eto boy—his earlier energy had given the teacher quite a scare. If he stood up and couldn’t give a good explanation, then the teacher wouldn’t be so forgiving.

“Th-thank you, Sensei!” Yuriko bowed deeply again, then hurried back to her seat. As she picked up her books, her gaze couldn’t help but drift toward Reimi Kiyosuzu and Haruhi Harano.

Reimi, as always, propped her chin on her right hand and gazed out the window, as if completely indifferent to the commotion in class.

Haruhi, on the other hand, stared at Yutaka Eto with amused curiosity, her eyes burning with the spirit of gossip.

Seeing Yuriko Ogata suddenly return, Yutaka Eto’s mind went blank. Wait, this isn’t how things were supposed to go!

How did it end up like this? All that momentum he’d built up just fizzled out, like a balloon deflating from a pinprick.

“Eto, do you have something to say?” the teacher asked.

Feeling all eyes on him, Yutaka Eto’s brain grew even foggier.

What could he say? Should he claim Yuriko Ogata had been bullied?

But she seemed perfectly fine now, even better than before.

Yet if he couldn’t give a proper reason, the teacher might just throw him out of class.

“I... I...” Eto stammered, unable to come up with a legitimate excuse.

Haruhi felt a pang of disappointment. Ah, so there would be no show after all.

All that excitement for nothing.

Eto, why did you lose your spirit at the last moment?

The morning classes passed in this way, and Yutaka Eto was made to stand for an entire period as punishment for disrupting class.

Yuriko Ogata kept sneaking glances at Haruhi, making him feel a bit uncomfortable.

During the lunch break, the young lady Reimi still hadn’t returned to normal. She sat alone, puffing her cheeks in silent anger, staring at her now-stale slice of cake as if hoping it might reveal the answers she sought.

After school, she hurried off alone, asking Haruhi for the house key before departing in a rush—clearly, she had something urgent to do.

“What is it?” Haruhi asked, alone in the empty hallway after school, watching Reimi hold out her small hand in a silent request.

“Key,” she replied simply, palm open, her skin fair and delicate.

“You’re going home?” Haruhi asked, reaching into his pocket for the key.

“Yes.” Today, the young lady seemed to have returned to her cold, distant self. Even during lunch, they had hardly spoken.

Haruhi glanced at her affection meter, which had crept up two more points, then handed her the key without hesitation.

He didn’t bother checking her current status. Sometimes, it felt like a mind-reading tool—useful, but using it too much robbed life of its surprises and excitement.

With the key in hand, Reimi twirled the key ring around her finger twice, then left with a smile, as if she had some urgent matter to attend to.

With her gone, Haruhi felt a newfound freedom. Humming a popular tune, he made his way toward Uehara Convenience Store for his part-time shift.

Yuriko Ogata, meanwhile, stood bewildered in the classroom. She had planned to walk home with Haruhi, but in the blink of an eye, everyone had disappeared.

QAQ!

Uehara Convenience Store was only three or four train stops from the National Middle School. At this time of day, aside from a few members of the “Go-Home Club,” the train was nearly empty.

After getting off, Haruhi hurried toward the convenience store.

A teenager who’s had a taste of excitement would never be easily satisfied—especially after acquiring a miracle like the Mighty King Pill, which had no side effects.

From a distance, Haruhi could see a familiar figure carrying boxes outside the store.

Her long brown hair was tied back, with a single lock falling against her cheek. Her refined face was beaded with sweat, droplets sliding down her slender neck. Her emerald-green dress was filled out in all the right places, both top and bottom—her figure was devilishly alluring.

Over her dress, she wore a sheer white mesh shirt. Perhaps tired from moving boxes, she leaned one hand on the stack to rest.

This posture only heightened Yoshimi Uehara’s appeal. How could a restless, hormone-driven high school boy possibly resist?