[11] The Flamboyant Iroha Isshiki

Chapter 11: The Flamboyant Iroha Isshiki

Iroha flashed an incredibly cute, sweet smile as Shunsuke accepted the towel and water, showcasing her "adorable underclassman" persona to perfection.

However, despite her polished demeanor, Shunsuke, with his keen sense, noticed all the subtle flaws.

Silently, Shunsuke retracted his "Platinum Star."

Sometimes, it's better not to see so clearly in this world.

"Senpai~ do you have a girlfriend right now?"

As Shunsuke was drinking water, the mischievous underclassman tiptoed and tried to get close to his ear, whispering softly.

"Whoa!"

Shunsuke almost spit out his water.

Such a straightforward approach, truly characteristic of her.

If he hadn't used "Platinum Star" to calm himself, his heart might have skipped a beat.

"Why are you asking that?" Shunsuke asked, feigning ignorance.

"Oh, Senpai, you're so mean." Iroha pouted with a shy, somewhat upset expression. "I just want to get to know you better, but if you already have a girlfriend, she might get angry at me."

"...I don't."

Although exasperated, Shunsuke answered truthfully.

It is what it is; whether he has a girlfriend or not, avoiding doesn't help, as it could lead to misunderstandings.

Shunsuke still hopes to exchange more stands, with the small goal being "You all are my wings," so he can't dig his own grave.

Thinking about the stand system, an idea struck Shunsuke, and he checked his points.

Still at 800.

So, once again, it reinforces the idea that sometimes it's better to stay a little ignorant in this world.

Shunsuke secretly decided that from now on, he would avoid digging too deeply.

"That's great, I'm happy." The mischievous underclassman clenched her fist cutely as if she couldn't help herself, "In that case, I'll make my move on you, Senpai."

Points: 800.

Darn it!

—I swear next time, I won't look again!

Shunsuke made up his mind once more. If I do it again, I'll be a fool!

As for responding, agreeing is out of the question, but rejecting seems unreasonable too, as she didn't exactly confess. What's to reject? There's no need to overthink it.

As countless poets have famously put it, "I like you, but it has nothing to do with you."

Similarly, if someone decides to make a move, that's their choice. If you want to reject them, you should at least wait for them to make the first move.

So, in the end, Shunsuke could only reply with a subtly nuanced tone, "Well, good luck then, underclassman."

Iroha Isshiki pouted, "Mou, Senpai, you didn't even ask for my name. That's so dismissive, I'm serious about this."

"Underclassman Iroha Isshiki, right? I didn't get it wrong, did I?"

"Eh? How did you know my name, Senpai?"

Seeing Iroha finally show genuine emotion, Shunsuke smiled smugly, planning to leave her with an air of mystery as he turned away.

"Somehow, this feels a bit creepy and gross. Please explain yourself in detail, or this won't work out, and I might even want to call the police."

"What kind of reaction is that?"

Shunsuke nearly stumbled.

Isn't mystery supposed to be the best weapon, and making a woman curious the first step to her falling for you!?

Thankfully, the gym teacher came to the rescue.

He had initially wanted to approach Shunsuke right after the game ended, but seeing a cute female student offering him a towel, and understanding what matters most to these students, he held back. But once he saw their conversation seemed to wrap up, he quickly approached them.

"Fujii, come play basketball!" the enthusiastic gym teacher directly invited. "With my training, you could make it to the national team!"

"Thank you, Teacher, but my interests lie elsewhere."

Considering him somewhat of a "savior," Shunsuke politely declined.

It's fun to show off occasionally, but there's no way he'd actually play basketball.

The highest-earning athlete on Japan makes at best one or two billion yen a year; you could make that by writing a few more bestsellers.

The gym teacher didn't give up, "But you have a gift, and talent is a gift from heaven, not to be wasted. Trust me, Fujii, you could shine brightly in my hands, becoming a household name, the sixth man to rival the 'Generation of Miracles'!"

—The "phantom sixth man" position is already taken.

Shunsuke looked helplessly at the enthusiastic gym teacher. "Sorry, but I really have no interest in pursuing a career as an athlete."

"No, no, no, I know you have great academic ability, Fujii. If you work hard, you could get into the University of Tokyo. But even as a Tokyo University graduate, the average salary is only eight million yen. If you become an athlete, that number could easily double or triple! With your talent, Fujii, it could even multiply five or ten times!"

"It's not about the money. I'm not interested in money."

"Do you have other concerns? Social status? You don't need to worry about that at all, Fujii. If you—"

"That's enough."

This time, Shunsuke didn't bother being polite.

He recalled information about this gym teacher but couldn't remember anything significant, indicating that he was a mere background character.

To dare boast so brazenly made him seem oblivious.

People around looked at him as if he were a king.

Being scouted by the teacher is one thing, and refusing is another, but to reject in such a bold manner...

Although the phrase Shunsuke used is a bit of a meme in his previous life, on Japan, where even refusals are delivered very delicately, speaking so bluntly to a superior leaves no room for grace.

Even among delinquents, few would dare talk to a teacher like that.

"Fujii, you…"

The gym teacher's expression turned a little sour, but clinging to his dreams for the future, he forced a smile and said, "Well, whenever you're interested, you're always welcome. The basketball club's doors are always open for you."

"Alright, thank you, Teacher."

Feigning politeness, Shunsuke finally managed to send off the teacher, whose mind was filled with thoughts of nurturing a genius to secure promotions and raises.

"Feeling down?"

Next to him, Sakuta noticed Kunimi's expression.

"A little... No, honestly, it's quite discouraging, even a bit envious," Kunimi admitted to his friend. "I should be happy for my friend's talent, but when I think about how something I've always dreamed of achieving is something Fujii just tosses aside, I can't feel happy at all. It's ugly, really."

Knowing how much Kunimi had worked for basketball, Sakuta was at a loss on how to comfort him.

But Kunimi quickly got his head straight. "That annoying guy, wasting his skills like that, I'm definitely making him buy us drinks later!"

"Yeah, let's really take advantage of him this time," Sakuta agreed.

"But I was the one who won, so why does the winner have to treat?"

Privately hearing their conversation perfectly well, Shunsuke pretended not to have heard the earlier part, mock-complaining in feigned dissatisfaction.

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