Chapter 231 Encounter

Encounter

School had ended, and Ai-san said she would head home first before we parted ways.

Well, she did stay over last night, so she probably has things to take care of. But since we promised to have dinner together at my place, we’ll be seeing each other soon. Just thinking back to last night’s sweet moments makes my heart race.

A third-year student approaches from the opposite direction, and we pass each other. Lately, I’ve been slowly getting used to walking alone. Ai-san and Satoshi have been looking out for me, making sure I’m not left on my own too often, but when I do end up alone like this, I can’t help but feel tense.

“Hey, that’s the guy from the rumors, right?”

“Yeah… but I heard that rumor wasn’t true after all.”

“Who knows? You can’t be sure.”

“Eh?”

“They say there’s no smoke without fire.”

I knew it… people were bound to say things like that. I let out a quiet sigh without thinking.

Once a bad rumor starts spreading, it never truly disappears from people’s minds. No matter how much the teachers or those around me deny it on my behalf, there will always be people who insist on seeing things through a cynical lens.

There’s no smoke without fire.

It sounds convincing, and that’s exactly why people are inclined to believe it. I was prepared for this, and more than that, I have plenty of people who trust me and reach out to me, so it’s not like I’m drowning in despair. But still, it leaves behind an uncomfortable feeling, like a tiny fishbone caught in my throat.

When I brought up something similar with Satoshi, he warned me, “Watch yourself. Those rumors were already bad enough… and now there’s another one going around about how you managed to win over Ichijo-san, the school idol. A lot of guys are jealous of you. And the worst part? You haven’t even done anything wrong, which makes it even more frustrating for me. People who believe in that kind of gossip don’t care about the truth—once they latch onto something that suits them, they refuse to let go, no matter how much everyone else tries to deny it.”

It’s probably best to keep my distance from people who are set on doubting me. Honestly, going out of your way to make someone hear bad things about themselves is pretty messed up.

“No point in dwelling on it. Maybe I’ll stop by the bookstore and check out some new releases.”

Lately, I’ve been so busy that it feels unreal how I used to visit the bookstore almost every day during summer break.

I ended up buying a lot. There are always so many new books coming out that even a short time away from the bookstore leaves me surprised at how many titles I don’t recognize.

Realizing I was about to be late for my promised meeting, I thought about running—but just then, a black luxury car pulled up right in front of me.

It looked similar to Ai-san’s car, but the license plate was different.

The window slowly rolled down, revealing a familiar face smiling at me.

“It’s been a while, Eiji-kun.”

That voice… it was nostalgic—gentle, and one I hadn’t heard in years.

Letting my guard down, I gave a somewhat awkward smile.

“It’s been a while, Uncle Ugaki.”

He was my father’s best friend and closest ally, someone who had cared for me since I was little.

A high-ranking politician, a key figure in the government.

And—the father of the girl I love.

“I’ll give you a ride home. I’d like to talk to you after all this time.”

His expression wasn’t the stern one he wore while working, but the kind and familiar face I had always known.

“Alright. I have a lot I want to talk about too, so I’ll take you up on that.”