Chapter 180: Umaru Doma: "It's Alright, One Must Maintain Elegance at All Times."
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"Forget it, it's fine."
Yukino Yukinoshita shook her head, then simply lay back down.
The surrounding students understood the situation in a heartbeat! After all that drama, it turned out Yukino liked Seito too.
Otherwise, there was no way she'd let him sleep in her futon. Seeing this, the other girls stopped chatting and crawled into their own covers.
Some girls fell asleep peacefully, but others kept stealing glances at the pair, finding it impossible to drift off.
As for Yukino, breathing in the familiar scent beside her made her feel incredibly at ease. Watching Seito's sleeping profile, she couldn't resist reaching out and hugging him.
"Silly..." she whispered, her red lips curling into a tiny smile as she closed her eyes.
The night passed in silence. It was now around five in the morning. The amber-red light of the sunrise filtered into the room, gently nudging Seito awake.
"Is this... Yukino?"
Realizing his current state, Seito found himself wrapped in Yukino's embrace. He didn't get up immediately; instead, he turned his head toward the window.
"Is the sun not fully up yet?"
The sky was breathtaking. The sunrise stained the clouds at the edge of the world a brilliant crimson—a scenery as radiant as a sky on fire. Seito took one long look before turning back, pulling Yukino closer, and going back to sleep.
Another hour passed.
"Mmh..."
Yukino gradually blinked into consciousness. Sensing something, she looked up to find Seito staring back at her.
"You're awake." Seito reached out and ruffled her hair.
"Mm... yeah..." Her voice was as tiny as a mosquito's buzz. Her face flushed as she scanned the room. Seeing Maple, Asuna, and Yui starting to stir, she quickly whispered, "Time to get up."
"Yeah." Seito nodded and sat up. He stretched his limbs, feeling exceptionally refreshed—likely due to the long hours of rest.
Yukino scrambled out of bed as well. As the leaders rose, the rest of the room began to wake. Seeing the girls starting their morning routine, Seito stood up to leave. They needed to change, and if he stayed any longer, he'd probably be arrested.
Walking down the hallway, he suddenly heard Honoka's voice coming from outside the ryokan. Without hesitation, he headed out.
In the crisp morning air, he saw the "Second-Year Trio"—Honoka, Umi, and Kotori—doing their morning exercises.
"You guys are up early," Seito said, walking over to them.
"You aren't exactly a late riser yourself, Seito-kun," Honoka said with a bright smile.
"I suppose so." Seito chuckled.
Just then, another figure emerged from the ryokan. Umaru Doma, wearing a mask of perfect, elegant grace, approached them.
"Good morning, everyone," Umaru said with a gentle smile. The radiance of that smile made the three girls' eyes light up.
"Good morning, Umaru-san!" Honoka chirped. Umi and Kotori followed suit with polite greetings.
"And what are you up to?" Seito looked at Umaru, skeptical. He didn't buy for a second that she was out for exercise. This was a "closet hamster," after all.
"Seito-kun, come over here for a second."
Umaru maintained her elegant smile as she led him toward a secluded corner.
"I'll go check it out." Seito waved to the girls and followed her.
Once she was sure no one was around, Umaru's elegance vanished instantly. She looked at Seito with pitiful, pleading eyes.
"Seito, you have to help me!"
"What now?" Seito's eyelid twitched.
Umaru pulled out her phone and scrolled through a chat log. "I contacted a seller yesterday who's parting with a limited-edition Misaka Mikoto figure. I'm going to buy it today—can you come with me as backup?!"
"A limited Railgun figure?" Seito glanced at the messages and nodded. "Sure, why not."
"Wah! You're the best~" Umaru beamed.
"Let's go, hurry!"
Seito had no objections, and the two set off together.
The morning streets were filled with salarymen rushing to work. They grabbed quick breakfasts, their faces tight with the pressure of the daily grind. But today... they were different.
Whether men or women, they all stopped in their tracks. Every gaze aligned in a single direction.
There, Seito and Umaru walked down the street, both exuding an air of effortless grace and beauty. Such a handsome youth and stunning girl walking together made people flush; they looked like a match made in heaven.
Feeling the admiring gazes from all around, Seito remarked casually, "Seems our charm is working overtime today."
"It's alright. One must maintain elegance at all times," Umaru replied.
Hearing Umaru's response, Seito shot her a look of genuine appreciation. A fellow traveler on the path of aestheticism, I see.
They soon arrived at the meeting spot—a private booth in a small restaurant. Finding the seller hadn't arrived yet, they sat down to wait.
However, they had no idea they were being watched. A group of individuals in black hooded robes—the FFF Inquisition—had tracked their movements.
In the booth right next door, the Class C boys sat huddled together in their robes. Though their faces were hidden, the oppressive atmosphere spoke volumes of their suffering.
"Why is Goddess Umaru out with Seito from Class D?" Inquisitor A whispered.
"I don't know, but anyone brave enough to date our Goddess must face judgment!" Inquisitor B said solemnly.
"But he's the leader of Class D and friendly with all the other classes... have you guys already forgotten the beating we took yesterday?"
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Thank you for reading.