Chapter 102 Refusal
Amidst the bustling crowd, Hana's gaze remained fixed on the expressionless boy.
Rukawa Kaede, who always appeared aloof, was now holding a steaming box of takoyaki. His calm, dark eyes shone brightly when they met.
Hanon subconsciously raised her eyebrows and eyes.
"Hello, classmate..."
Suddenly, three girls blocked Rukawa's path.
Rukawa Kaede did not respond and skillfully walked around it.
Ayako raised one eyebrow, a playful smile on her lips: "Looks like your boyfriend is still as popular as ever."
Hana smiled slightly, her tone revealing a hint of pride: "I think he will be popular from birth until he is a hundred years old."
Suddenly, he thought of his "ex" who was missing two teeth, and the ripples that stirred in his heart instantly turned into sour, bubbly sensations.
The girls didn't give up; they enthusiastically surrounded him, chattering and trying to get his attention.
Rukawa Kaede was entangled and had no choice but to stop, a cold glint appearing in his narrow, fox-like eyes.
Ayako, as if struck by a thought, nudged Kanon with her elbow, a gossipy expression on her face: "Kanon, you two don't actually have 'that' yet, do you?"
Hua Yin paused for a moment, a confused look on her face: "Which one?"
Ayako blinked, made a suggestive gesture, and smiled knowingly: "You know, that kind of thing."
Hanon instantly understood Ayako's meaning, and a subtle feeling welled up inside her. She pushed Ayako away, saying, "...No, Ayako, what are you thinking?!"
Ayako looked incredulous. "Wow, are you going to make Rukawa hold back forever?"
"...How could we hold back! Everyone's energy was completely focused on the basketball team!"
Kanon stretched out her hand and pointed at a certain fox who looked ascetic.
Ayako sighed, "I think your energy is completely focused on basketball, my poor junior A-Shuai."
"...It's too early to talk about this now!"
"What do you mean 'early'? Didn't you grow up in America? Why do you sound so old-fashioned? Don't you know that our Shohoku ace has a unique habit every morning—washing his underwear with a cold face? Haha, and also..."
The car was going so fast it was almost impossible to stop. Hana couldn't stand it anymore. She strode forward, pushed aside the girl who was trying to chat her up, and tightly grabbed Rukawa's arm, saying, "Excuse me, my boyfriend and I are going on a date. Please give us some privacy."
Hanon's actions shocked the girls. They watched as his cold gaze suddenly turned fiery, making their relationship obvious.
"Oh, I'm sorry!" The three girls bowed awkwardly in apology and hurriedly fled the scene.
Hana looked away and tilted her head up to look at him.
Rukawa Kaede lowered his eyelids slightly, picked up a takoyaki, and fed it to Hanon's mouth.
Hana took a small bite and nodded in satisfaction, "It tastes good!"
She grasped Rukawa's wrist and pushed the takoyaki towards him, "Want to try some too?"
Rukawa Kaede lowered his head and stuffed the remaining takoyaki into his mouth.
"How is it? Does it taste good?"
Rukawa Kaede chewed expressionlessly and nodded.
Seeing the subtle emotion on his face, Hua Yin was a little puzzled. "Why aren't you saying anything?"
Rukawa Kaede didn't answer, but suddenly wrapped his arms tightly around Kanon's neck and buried his head deep in the crook of her neck.
After a long silence, he said softly, "Why did it take you so long to get here?"
Like an abandoned large pet, it expresses its dissatisfaction and grievances in this way.
"I...I was just talking to Aya about something," Hanon tried to explain.
Rukawa Kaede leaned even closer to her ear and said in a muffled voice, "My heart feels really bad when you don't care about me."
His voice was low and cold, creating a strong contrast with his tone.
Hana felt a tingling sensation in her ears, as if countless feathers were gently brushing against her, causing her to tense up from her scalp to the back of her neck.
Even though he was half a head taller than her, he would still whisper sweet nothings in her ear in a deep voice.
"I know... I won't do it again next time." Hanon calmed her breathing and promised with a smile.
Her heart was racing faster and faster, and she could clearly feel that his heartbeat was in sync with hers.
"You...get up."
He remained motionless.
"Everyone's still here." Hanon turned around. "Eh...where are they?"
Rukawa Kaede turned her head towards him, "A date."
Hana pressed her forehead against his, nuzzled his nose, and smiled sweetly: "Alright, this is perfect for just the two of us."
Rukawa Kaede's lips twitched slightly as he let her lead him through the bustling fireworks display.
At this moment, Okinawa is filled with the vibrant atmosphere of fireworks.
"Look, it's so beautiful!"
The night sky was lit up by colorful fireworks, one after another, bursting forth with vibrant colors.
Hanon excitedly shook Rukawa's hand, pointing to the magnificent night sky.
"Um."
Rukawa Kaede's gaze never left Kanon, his light shining in her light-colored eyes as if the stars had found their home.
Hanon complained, "Hey, you're being so perfunctory! You didn't even look at it!"
"I saw it."
"I didn't look! You didn't even look up."
No need to look up.
Hua Yin pouted, her temper flaring up. "How can you see the fireworks if you don't look up? Don't try to fool me."
"…sorry."
Hanon rolled her eyes, suspecting he didn't understand at all. This attitude clearly meant he didn't know what he had done wrong, but he should apologize first.
She sighed, gave up on communicating, and turned to look at the sky.
The clear, cool voice rang out again, "I saw it, the fireworks shone brightly because of you."
Hana was stunned, her heart pounding.
His expression was calm, his eyes clear and firm, revealing not a trace of provocation.
Okay.
Hana thought to herself, "My boyfriend is such a natural charmer."
Such corny love words, spoken by him on his handsome face, were indeed very touching to her.
Rukawa Kaede lowered his head slightly, his gaze fixed on her, as if trying to decipher her emotions.
His gaze lingered on her lips, burning as fiercely as a raging fire, almost igniting the surrounding air.
"etc!"
Hanon blushed slightly and covered his lowered head, "Before that... you have to answer me honestly..."
Although Rukawa was somewhat reluctant, he still stood up straight and obediently nodded.
She hesitated for a moment, then finally mustered her courage: "Is the person in that photo in your wallet someone very important to you?"
Rukawa Kaede stared at her, a hint of barely perceptible shyness flashing in his cold, dark eyes: "Yes."
His emotions were intense and straightforward, like boiling water, steaming hot.
Hanon suppressed the turmoil in her heart: "What kind of person is she? She must be very outstanding... Please tell me the truth, I promise I won't be angry."
"Yes, she's very nice, beautiful, cute, and very good to me."
Each "very" made Hanon's heart ache as if it were being burned. "...Then...can I see that photo?"
"If you're willing to answer my questions, I'll show it to you."
"What's the problem?"
Rukawa Kaede took out a box of chocolates from his bag. The box was exquisite and carefully tied with a pretty bow.
Hua Yin was slightly taken aback, then accepted the gift. "What's this?"
"I went to the shop to have it made this afternoon."
"Did you make this yourself?"
"Okay, open it."
With a hint of curiosity, Hanon untied the bow and saw neatly arranged pink-wrapped heart-shaped chocolates inside.
Huayin: "..."
Her fox-like eyes sparkled with anticipation. "Romantic, isn't it?"
Kanon: "...Yes, very thoughtful."
Rukawa Kaede took out a piece of chocolate. "The problem is hidden inside."
Hanon's eyes twitched uncontrollably; she felt she had foreseen the problem with the chocolate.
But--
A thoughtful person can be adorable even if they're a little rustic.
A moment later, she slowly opened the pink wrapping paper.
Upon seeing the English letters inside, Hanon's breath hitched as if she had been burned. She quickly shoved the chocolate back into Rukawa's hand and turned to leave.
Taken aback by her sudden reaction, Rukawa Kaede watched her retreating figure and hurriedly chased after her, asking, "Are you angry?"
Hana ignored his question with a blank expression.
Rukawa Kaede was not good with words, and he could clearly sense that Kanon did not want to communicate at the moment. He was flustered and followed her cautiously, his eyes not moving an inch.
Hua Yin turned around and glared at him fiercely, then quickened her pace and walked home.
"Bang!"
Even after being firmly turned away at the door, Rukawa Kaede remained completely baffled.
"What a wonderful night..."
Miyagi blushed and stared at the ceiling.
"Yeah, hehe... This genius went on a date with Haruko today~"
Sakuragi's mouth stretched from the back of his head, and his face turned as red as a monkey's bottom.
Mitsui chuckled and teased, "Sakuragi, your kind of party with four people doesn't count as a date. Rukawa's is a proper date."
"Hehe, it's all the same to me! My heart is only for Haruko-san."
Mitsui shook his head helplessly.
Miyagi blinked and asked gossipily, "Rukawa won't be back tonight, will he?"
Mitsui rested his chin on his hands, his eyes gleaming with smugness. "This kid probably has a more comfortable place to go."
Sakuragi asked in confusion, "Huh? That stinky fox is going home so late? That's impossible, he'll definitely come back, after all, going back and forth would take up his practice time!"
Miyagi and Mitsui exchanged a smile, their eyes simultaneously turning to Sakuragi: "Idiot!"
Sakuragi immediately exploded, and the three of them rolled around laughing and joking.
"squeak--"
The three of them stopped at the same time and turned their gaze to the doorway.
"Um?"
"Rukawa? You're back?"
"See? I told you he'd definitely come back!" Sakuragi immediately put his hands on his hips and smiled smugly.
Rukawa Kaede looked terrible. He casually placed the chocolate on the table and then lay down on the bed.
Sakuragi's mind raced, then he gloated, "Looks like someone's date didn't go well tonight. Did he get dumped...hehe..."
Rukawa remained motionless, ignoring Sakuragi's teasing.
Miyagi and Mitsui exchanged a glance, then leaned closer with concern: "Rukawa, are you alright?"
Although Rukawa Kaede had no intention of talking to anyone, out of respect for his senior, he still gave a brief reply: "It's nothing."
The two were even more puzzled upon seeing this.
You see, Rukawa Kaede went to great lengths for tonight's date. He not only ran out during his break to make some handmade chocolates, but he also changed his clothes several times before finally choosing this "uniform temptation" outfit...
oh.
This means I was rejected.
The two suddenly realized.
Miyagi coughed lightly, trying to comfort Rukawa: "Rukawa, don't take it too hard. A man should be persistent. If you try a few more times, you'll eventually have a chance."
Upon hearing this, Rukawa Kaede frowned, completely unaware of what she was thinking.
Sakuragi was completely confused: "Try what? What opportunity?"
Mitsui sat down on the edge of the bed and patted Rukawa on the shoulder. "It's okay, Rukawa. Maybe you did it the wrong way. Come on, tell me how you did it. I'll help you analyze it."
Rukawa Kaede's eyes flickered slightly as he glanced at the chocolates on the table.
Seeing this, Mitsui immediately picked up the chocolate and examined it closely. "Oh dear, what a pity about this chocolate. You made it yourself and even engraved it, right? Senpai, take a look..."
Before he could finish speaking, his expression suddenly changed. "Holy crap!"
Miyagi and Sakuragi immediately went over, "What's wrong? What happened?"
do…
love?
The three looked at Rukawa in disbelief: "You're burning up..."
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