Chapter 3
In the following days, I perfectly practiced the highest level of "ignoring".
Keigo Atobe's "Declaration of Settlement" seemed to have fallen on deaf ears, without causing a single ripple in my peaceful campus life.
I still attend classes on time, read quietly, and keep to myself.
As for the love letters that still occasionally appear in the drawer, the way they are dealt with is still simple and crude - trash can.
To those boys who tried to strike up a conversation or show their affection, her response was still a distant and polite rejection, with a calm look without a trace of emotion.
It was as if the girl who said bluntly on the tennis court, "If you're not good at it, practice more," and rubbed his "gorgeous dignity" on the ground in front of Keigo Atobe, was not me at all.
However, this complete and unconditional disregard was like pouring a bucket of oil on the raging fire for some people who were closely following Kiriyamagakure.
As a "war correspondent", Yuushi Oshitari diligently reports the "daily life" of Kiriyamagakure to Atobe who is far away on the "throne".
【Oshitari Yuushi】: Report to the King.
The target person "Wushanyin"'s status: continuously stable.
Awareness of “debt”: suspected to be zero.
Daily activities: classroom-library-canteen in a straight line, efficient and energy-saving.
How to deal with love letters: Still "fallen leaves return to their roots", with amazing efficiency.
How to deal with someone who hits you up: Politely freeze them, it works wonders.
Summary: Your "liquidation" declaration seems... unsuccessful in delivery? (Pushing glasses.jpg)
Atobe Keigo looked at the message on his phone, his handsome face covered with a layer of cold frost.
"Failed to deliver?" His deep, elegant voice was filled with suppressed anger. When had he, Atobe Keigo, ever been so completely ignored, like air?
The way she calmly read, the way she casually threw away love letters, her cold and distant attitude towards other boys...
These scenes played over and over in his mind. Instead of making him feel that she was low-key, they were like thorns piercing his proud heart.
The calmer she was and the more she ignored him, the more it seemed like she was silently mocking how ridiculous and self-indulgent his high-profile "debt collection" operation that day was.
"Very good..." Atobe Keigo laughed in anger, with a cold and dangerous arc at the corner of his mouth, and a completely ignited flame called the desire to conquer and win burning in his eyes.
"Wu Shan Yin, do you think you can get away with it by ignoring me?"
"In my kingdom, no one can escape my sight!"
"Since the 'debt' can't be 'delivered'..." He stood up suddenly, a fierce aura emanating from his body, "Then I will personally 'come' to her house and leave her nowhere to hide!"
It's lunch break today at Hyotei Library.
I was standing quietly in front of the tall bookshelf, running my fingertips across the spines of the books, looking for a reference book I needed.
The afternoon sun streamed in through the huge glass windows, casting a soft halo on her body. A few strands of her inky black hair hung down beside her cheeks, and her profile was as tranquil and beautiful as a painting.
Suddenly, a powerful and familiar presence enveloped the bookshelf area I was in without warning. The air around me seemed to freeze instantly, and the scattered sounds of conversation mysteriously disappeared.
I didn't look back, but my body instinctively sensed the source of the oppressive feeling, and my brows furrowed slightly, almost imperceptibly.
The haunting...
Sure enough, the next second, a tall figure with an aura that could not be ignored stood in front of me, blocking my view of the bookshelf.
Atobe Keigo was lowering his head slightly, with a few strands of silver-gray hair hanging in front of his forehead. His deep gray-blue eyes were fixed on me without blinking, with a strong sense of aggression and scrutiny.
He was so close that I could smell the faint, clear scent on him.
He didn't say anything, but just stared at me in such an oppressive way, as if he wanted to burn two holes in my body with his eyes, forcing me to look at him, forcing me to remember the "debt".
I was forced to raise my head and calmly meet his blazing eyes. There was no surprise or fear in them, only a hint of impatience at being interrupted, and a clear and undisguised question:
What do you want to do now?
Keigo Atobe clearly received this eye signal, and the anger and frustration in his heart instantly soared.
He suddenly raised one hand and, with a "snap," propped it against the bookshelf beside my ear. His tall body completely enveloped me in his shadow, forming a very aggressive and oppressive wall-dong position. His other hand slipped back into his trouser pocket, his gesture powerful and gorgeous.
"Kiyama Hide," his deep and gorgeous voice sounded, and he declared through gritted teeth in an absolute manner, "My patience is limited."
"Do you think you can escape the 'debt' between us by hiding here and reading a book?"
"Look me in the eyes!" His voice was commanding. "Tell me when and how you plan to 'repay' what you owe me?!"
"My 'grace' and 'dignity' are not something you can just trample on and ignore!"
He looked down at me, his eyes burning, waiting for a response.
He just couldn't believe that under such oppression, she could continue to ignore him.
However, to his and all the classmates who were hiding behind the bookshelf and peeking at him, after hearing his "wall-dong declaration", those beautiful almond-shaped eyes did not stay on his "gorgeous" handsome face as he wished, nor did they reveal any of the emotions he expected.
The girl's gaze, very naturally, and even with a little imperceptible eagerness, passed over his arm that was leaning on the bookshelf, and fell on a book on a higher shelf behind him - it was the reference book she had been looking for!
Kiriyama Yin slightly tiptoed, trying to see the number of the book clearly, completely ignoring the Ice Emperor in front of him who was posing like a domineering president and coming to "collect debts" with great momentum.
Atobe Keigo: “……?”
He maintained that handsome wall-dong pose, and could clearly see where her gaze landed. It was above his arm, not even lingering on his face for a second.
An unprecedented, absurd, mixture of anger and embarrassment surged over his head. For the first time, his usually calm and confident face flushed uncontrollably.
The entire corner of the library fell into a dead silence, suffocating awkwardness.
Hiding in the dark, Yuushi Oshitari covered his face in pain, his shoulders shaking suspiciously.
Wushanyin, with its practical actions, perfectly interprets what it means to:
Your 'glamour' and 'dignity' are not as important as the book I'm looking for.
The slightly raised toes and the focused gaze that passed over his arm and was firmly fixed on the higher bookshelf were like a red-hot needle, piercing through the "gorgeous" armor that Keigo Atobe was proud of.
His hands tightened on the bookshelf, his knuckles turning white from the force. Just as he was about to be overwhelmed by the absurdity and embarrassment, Kiriyama finally withdrew his gaze from the damn reference book and returned it to his handsome face, which was obviously flushed and filled with anger.
He sighed almost imperceptibly. The sigh was very light, but it brushed across Atobe's tense nerves like a feather, carrying with it a clear sense of helplessness that was almost overflowing.
"Tetsubo-kun," I said, my voice still that calm that drove Tetsubo crazy, even with a hint of fatigue, "What do you want?"
Atobe Keigo's eyes narrowed instantly, and a dangerous light flashed in them.
He was about to speak, but was stopped by my next words.
"Haven't I already apologized?" He tilted his head slightly, his eyes filled with genuine confusion, as if pondering an extremely profound and incomprehensible question. "Are you still not satisfied?"
After a pause, and seeing his increasingly ugly expression, I seriously thought of a plan that would make him "satisfied".
Then, an extremely absurd idea with obvious irony came to my mind.
I even raised my voice slightly, speaking clearly enough for the students who were listening closely behind the bookshelves around me.
"Don't tell me..." I deliberately dragged out my words, my eyes full of amusement, and said jokingly, "You want me to go to the school broadcasting room and shout to all the teachers and students with a loud speaker—"
"'I'm sorry! Great Master Atobe! I was blind! I offended your magnificent dignity!'"
"Are you satisfied with this?"
The girl's clean voice echoed clearly in the quiet corner of the library.
The exaggerated wording, the deliberately imitated words like "great" and "gorgeous", coupled with the calm face that even had a hint of innocent questioning, formed an extremely strong contrast. This was the ultimate irony.
“…”
Dead silence.
Absolutely dead silence.
It seemed as if even the air had frozen.
Yuushi Ozaki, who was hiding behind the bookshelf, suddenly covered his mouth, his shoulders shook violently, and a layer of white mist instantly covered the lenses of his glasses.
The other students who were peeking at the scene also gasped and covered their mouths tightly, afraid of making any sound, but their wide eyes were filled with laughter that they couldn't suppress.
Atobe Keigo was completely frozen.
His handsome face, which was always calm and in control of everything, now had a wonderful expression.
At first, he was extremely stunned - it seemed that he had never expected her to say such a "bold" thing.
What followed was rage—the rage of being so blatantly ridiculed and humiliated in public instantly reached the top.
Then came the complete explosion of shame—the words "great Lord Atobe" pierced his brain like a devilish sound, making him wish he had felt these words so harsh for the first time.
Finally, all the emotions intertwined together and turned into a surge of blood rushing to the top of the head.
“You…!!!” Keigo Atobe felt his vision go dark and his temples throbbed.
His pointing finger was trembling slightly, and for the first time, his gorgeous voice completely failed, rising to the point of almost losing his voice, with a tone that was extremely angry:
"Kiyamagakure! How dare you...!!"
After saying "you" for a long time, the vocabulary that I was proud of on weekdays seemed to be emptied in an instant. Those gorgeous words and elegant sarcasm were of no use at this moment. Only the most primitive anger and the feeling of being blocked, speechless and suffocated with blood boiling were left.
His flushed face was now as red as a ripe tomato, even his ears were stained red. His eyes were burning with flames as he stared at me, as if he wanted to burn through me!
He had never, ever, ever suffered such a humiliation!
Being ignored!
Being treated like air!
Being used as a roadblock!
Now he was being ridiculed in public like this!
And imitated the self-proclaimed title he was so proud of!
"I... I..." He was so angry that he couldn't even say the gorgeous "I". He suddenly withdrew his hands that were supporting the bookshelf, and his chest heaved violently, as if it would explode in the next second.
At this moment, a low, calm voice sounded behind him:
"yes."
Kachi Takahiro had been standing silently behind Atobe, like a silent mountain. He handed Atobe a clean, neatly folded handkerchief at the right time, as if he wanted to wipe away the sweat or the tears of anger.
Huadi's emotionless voice and the handkerchief handed over were like the last straw that broke the camel's back.
Atobe Keigo turned around abruptly, seeing Karachi's expressionless face and the handkerchief, then feeling the countless hidden but very present gazes of those who were trying to suppress their laughter. Finally, he looked at Kiriyama Hakure, who was still calm in front of him, as if he was just stating a fact...
"Enough!" Keigo Atobe suddenly waved away the handkerchief handed to him by Karaichi, almost gritting his teeth.
His magnificent image and imperial majesty completely collapsed at this moment. He pointed at me, his fingers trembling with extreme anger, and his voice was more uncontrollable than ever before:
"Just wait! Kiriyamagakure!"
"We're not done with this debt!"
"I... I, Keigo Atobe, will follow you... follow you..."
He kept saying "follow you" for a long time, but he couldn't find the right words to express his overwhelming anger. In the end, he could only say harshly, with a tone that was almost sad and indignant:
"I cannot coexist with you...!!!"
After saying this, he could no longer tolerate this corner of the library that had caused him such a setback in his life. He turned around abruptly, not even bothering to pick up his coat that had fallen on the ground. He rushed out of the library with a somewhat staggering step, almost like he was "escaping", and with a look of embarrassment and a raging anger that was almost materializing!
How could that back figure still have any of the imperial splendor?
All that was left was an ordinary boy who was furious and humiliated.
In the corner of the library, dead silence lasted for a few seconds, and then a burst of uncontrollable gasps and low laughter broke out.
Wu Shanyin just calmly looked at the fleeing figure, raised his head, and finally got the reference book.
I brushed off the nonexistent dust on the book cover and thought calmly:
Irreconcilable?
Such childish words...
Does the young master also like to watch idol dramas?
Holding the book, I found a quiet corner and sat down amidst everyone's awed and somewhat suppressed laughter gazes, as if the earth-shaking "Emperor's Defense Breaking Record" just now was just an insignificant farce.
Keigo Atobe's "reckoning project" suffered an epic, socially fatal defeat in the library.
And the "peaceful daily life" of Kiriyama Hidden seems to be still indestructible.
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