Chapter 147: The Musical Novice Saori Amamiya

Page 1/3

After Anhe and Chie Hoshino finished their morning run and returned to the villa, the others were waking up as well. Following a simple breakfast, Anhe, Saori Amamiya, and Chie Hoshino went to school as usual, while Saori’s younger sister, Sayo Amamiya, stayed home to keep Eri Tachibana company.

Sayo had taken a few days off due to her menstrual period, leaving her company duties to others. On the train ride to school, Anhe and Chie kept glancing at Saori, noticing the severe dark circles under her eyes—more pronounced than the two who had been up half the night.

When asked, Saori only claimed she couldn’t sleep due to insomnia, but Anhe knew better. This girl could sleep soundly even with a party going on nearby. The journey passed in silence.

Upon arriving at school, the bell rang just as they entered. Both Anhe and Saori struggled to stay awake throughout the morning’s lessons, a consequence of a restless night. Anhe didn’t mind; ever since Nobue Itou left, he often napped in class. But seeing Saori so drowsy immediately piqued the curiosity of their classmates.

During nearly every break, some nosy students would ask Saori if she was feeling unwell. Eventually, even the teachers assumed she had caught a cold and insisted she rest in the infirmary. Meanwhile, Anhe received little attention except from a few close female friends and Keiko Kitajima, as well as Ryoukei Kaedehara and a few others.

Anhe didn’t mind; in fact, he preferred it that way so he could catch up on his sleep without being disturbed like Saori, who was woken up as soon as she fell asleep. Sometimes, being too popular wasn’t necessarily a blessing.

At noon, the bell for the last class rang. Groggily opening his eyes, Anhe saw Keiko Kitajima and Ryoukei Kaedehara standing before him. Stretching and yawning, he asked:

“Class is over already?”

“Just ended,” Keiko replied, blushing as she placed a lunchbox on the desk. “My mom made this. She heard you’ve been looking out for me at school and wanted to say thank you.”

“You went home?” Anhe was surprised, remembering that Keiko had been renting her own place.

Keiko nodded softly, then lowered her gaze, hesitating before explaining, “I ran away from home in a fit of anger, but last week my dad had an accident at the construction site, so I went back.”

“Is he okay?”

“He was hit on the leg by some object, but the doctor said it’s not too serious—just needs a month of rest.”

“That’s good. If you need help, don’t hesitate to ask me.”

After his reminder, Anhe glanced at Ryoukei, who looked hesitant and shy. Smiling lightly, he teased, “So, Ryoukei, what brings you here? You don’t usually come find me.”

Ryoukei looked a little hurt. “You’re the one who always avoided me. I didn’t want to bother you.”

Seeing him almost on the verge of tears, Anhe awkwardly scratched his head and shifted the topic.

“So, is there something you need today?”

“No, I just saw you sleeping all morning and got a little worried.”

“Huh? I’m fine, just didn’t sleep well last night, so I’m a bit sleepy today.”

Anhe said casually, but inwardly he sighed. If Ryoukei were a girl, his personality alone would surely make a group of boys go crazy.

[Yes, surely you understand now, King! Always alone, he sees no need for friendships. Anyone without value can be discarded. So why not take this handsome youth before you? A change of pace can be refreshing for both body and mind. With his personality, he’d make a devoted wife.]

The voice in his head spoke again, making Anhe grind his teeth. It was one thing for the narrator to encourage him to commit crimes before, but now it was trying to alter his sexual orientation!

The more he thought about it, the angrier he became. Yet, he was powerless against this persistent inner voice.

Taking a deep breath to steady himself, he decided to stop dwelling on it.

Scanning the classroom, he noticed most students had already left, but Saori was still absent. He stood up, intending to check the infirmary and maybe snag a quick nap.

With that in mind, Anhe and Keiko said their goodbyes and leisurely walked toward the infirmary, carrying the lunchbox.

Opening the door, Anhe prepared to greet them, but his gaze was immediately captured by two figures on the bed in the center of the room, making him swallow his words.

At the same time, hearing the noise, Saori—who had been atop Chie—suddenly turned her head. When she saw Anhe standing in the doorway, a flash of surprise and panic crossed her face. Quickly recovering, she withdrew her mischievous hands from beneath Chie’s clothes and folded them behind her back.

Page 2/3

[Stealing from a sleeping girl? Such behavior is unacceptable—especially without including you! Thinking this, your eyes flash fiercely: since Saori likes to play this way, why not tie her up and take it further right before her eyes? Perfect timing, you still have the pair of shorts Chie changed out of last night in your pocket—they’ll make ideal restraints! Surely Saori will be eager for this.]

The narrator spoke again.

Sighing helplessly, Anhe entered the infirmary, locking the door behind him, and approached the bed.

Meanwhile, Saori climbed off Chie.

Seeing Anhe approach, her cheeks flushed crimson with shame. She lowered her head, hesitating before meeting his gaze, then asked hopefully:

“If I said I was just curious about why Chie’s… you know, is so big, would you believe me?”

“What do you think?” Anhe sneered but didn’t argue, instead bending down to pull down Chie’s half-lifted shirt.

“I really was just curious! Just curious!!”

Saori insisted, her voice rising, prompting Anhe to quickly cover her mouth.

“Keep it down, Chie’s still sleeping,” he reminded her.

Seeing her nod, he released her mouth and sat on the bed, watching the sleeping girl with curiosity.

“When did she come to sleep?”

“Around the same time as me, I think? I only remember she arrived shortly after I fell asleep. Apparently, she dozed off in class, and the teacher thought she was unwell, so they sent her here.”

Suddenly, Saori’s expression changed. Hands on her hips, she scrutinized Anhe seriously.

“Tell me honestly! Did you sleep with Chie last night?”

“Yeah~” Anhe said without concealment, pinching Saori’s pouting cheek as he teased, “What’s the matter? Someone jealous?”

His casual tone and playful attitude deflated Saori’s defenses instantly. Tears welled up in her eyes, and she clenched her fists, swatting at him repeatedly.

“You jerk! You promised I’d be next!!”

Though angry, she whispered low to avoid waking Chie.

Seeing her so upset, Anhe couldn’t help but laugh and pulled her into a gentle embrace, soothing her softly.

“Alright, alright, I’m just teasing. Chie and I haven’t gotten to the part you think.”

Hearing this, Saori struggled a bit, then looked up with red-rimmed eyes, sniffing as she asked again:

“Really?”

“Of course.”

Anhe kissed her smooth forehead gently and continued:

“Don’t you know a girl’s walk changes after the first time?”

“How would I know that?”

Saori mumbled quietly but then wrapped her arms around Anhe’s neck, resting her head on his chest. After a moment, she whispered:

“You promised, next time it’s definitely me.”

“Mm-hmm, it’s a promise.”

Anhe rested his chin on her head, answering softly.

Perhaps because she had stayed up so late, Keiko didn’t wake until one in the afternoon. Opening her eyes, she was surprised to find two figures lying beside her: Saori and Anhe. Just as she raised her hand, she dropped it again.

“Geez, you didn’t even say you were coming—scared me,” Chie muttered, placing her hand over Anhe’s face.

Her fingertips gently stroked, feeling his warm skin. A smile blossomed on her face, but it quickly turned shy as Anhe opened his eyes and stared at her without blinking.

“Did I wake you?”

Chie said apologetically. Anhe shook his head, burying his face in her chest, inhaling the soft scent of milk that emanated from her.

“Just woke up naturally. But now I want to sleep some more.”

“You scoundrel, Saori’s still here, you know.”

Chie grumbled helplessly. Seeing Saori still asleep, she didn’t push Anhe away but rested her hand on his head, stroking gently as she gazed at the ceiling, softly murmuring:

“Then, let’s sleep a little longer~”

…

Time slipped by like flowing sand, and soon the day’s classes ended.

At 3:30 p.m., Anhe woke from Chie’s embrace. Looking around, Saori was gone, replaced by a note.

Picking it up, Anhe chuckled.

“You two, sleeping together and still showing off your lovey-dovey side—really too much! I’m heading to the music club. If you don’t bring me three ice creams, I won’t talk to you all day!”

“That guy…”

Smiling wryly, Anhe tucked the note in his pocket.

Just then, Chie also woke, blinking drowsily.

Their eyes met, and a blush of embarrassment crossed the girl’s face. Turning her head, she shyly said:

“Anhe, can you not look at me like that? It’s embarrassing.”

“Heh, I’ve already seen everything, so what’s there to be shy about?”

Anhe chuckled but looked away.

Getting off the bed, he straightened his clothes, then asked as he noticed Chie also tidying up:

“By the way, are you in any clubs?”

Shaking her head, Chie said with a hint of disappointment:

“No, I’ve been working part-time after school.”

“I see~” Anhe nodded, then leaned closer with a suggestion.

“How about joining the music club? Saori and I are both in it.”

“Huh?”

Chie was taken aback. Before she could respond, Anhe pulled her up and headed toward the door.

Outside the music club, Chie remained hesitant, her past isolation and self-esteem issues making her wary of socializing.

Anhe had noticed this and insisted on bringing her along.

“Don’t worry, just think of it as a visit. If you don’t like it, you don’t have to join.”

Reassuring her, Anhe held Chie’s hand and pushed open the clubroom door.

Before they entered, an ear-piercing screech like nails on a chalkboard assaulted their ears.

Almost instinctively, both covered their ears and looked toward the source.

There, a girl with golden twin tails was playing the violin with abandon—her blissful expression starkly contrasting with the pained looks of the other music club members covering their ears.

Perhaps having noticed Anhe and Chie at the door, or unable to endure the grating sound any longer, one club member pointed dramatically and exclaimed:

“Look! It’s Senior Anhe!”

At his words, the music abruptly stopped.

“Anhe, you finally showed up!” Saori cheered from the center, setting down her violin.

The other members sighed in relief and turned to Anhe with grateful eyes.

“We’re saved!”

“Finally, it’s stopped~”

Anhe thought he even heard such murmurs.

It was clear they had endured great suffering.

Of course, it wasn’t only Anhe who heard this; Saori, standing amid the group, blushed furiously and seemed flustered, clutching her violin and unsure what to do.

Anhe smiled and approached, taking the violin from her. He inspected it silently and then placed it on his shoulder, grasping the bow in his other hand.

(End of chapter)