The Stand User Of The Daily World

Chapter 127: Kirari Momobami's Escort Invitation

The next day, Shunsuke initially didn't want to get out of bed and even considered taking the day off.

However, remembering that little troublemaker Mashiro was still at home, he had no choice but to drag himself up.

After finishing his morning exercise, Shunsuke prepared breakfast and then left the Izumi household.

Once he dropped Mashiro off at school, Shunsuke headed to the teachers' office to request leave from Shizuka.

"Fujii, it's only been a short while since the semester started, and you're already asking for leave repeatedly. At this rate, your attendance might not meet the requirements. Even if your grades are excellent, you'd still have to repeat the year," Shizuka said as she lit a cigarette, her tone carrying a hint of admonishment.

"Mrs. Izumi is sick today. I'm taking leave to take care of her," Shunsuke lied without batting an eye.

"Mrs. Izumi is sick?" Shizuka frowned as she considered the situation with the Izumi family. Then, she dialed Mrs. Izumi's number.

The phone rang for quite a while before it was finally answered. A weak voice came through the receiver, "Hello, this is Izumi speaking."

"What? You're really sick, Izumi? I'll approve Fujii's leave immediately so he can go back and take care of you," Shizuka said, convinced by the frail voice on the other end. She was about to hang up, knowing it wasn't good to disturb a sick person's rest.

"W-Wait a moment!" Mrs. Izumi's voice suddenly shot up several octaves.

Shizuka asked, puzzled, "What's wrong?"

"I-I'm fine, really. Schoolwork is more important. There's no need to trouble Shun-kun."

"That won't do," Shizuka rejected firmly. "What's the point of studying? Isn't it for yourself and your family? If you can't even prioritize your family's health, then good grades mean nothing. Enough said—I'll send Fujii back to take care of you right now."

Mrs. Izumi was on the verge of tears. I'm trying to keep Shun-kun from coming back to 'take care' of me!

At this moment, Chihiro, who had been sitting quietly nearby, suddenly spoke up. "I don't have any classes this morning. How about I take leave and go look after Mrs. Izumi instead?"

"No way!" x2

Both Mrs. Izumi and Shunsuke shouted in unison.

Chihiro was startled. "What's going on here?"

"N-No, that would be too much trouble for you, Chihiro," Mrs. Izumi stammered, panicking internally.

If Chihiro actually came over, she'd rather have Shunsuke return.

At least with Shunsuke, even if things felt like dying, she wouldn't actually die.

But if Chihiro came, the sheer embarrassment might socially kill her for real.

Shunsuke added, "Don't worry, Mrs. Izumi. I'll make sure to study on my own after I come back. And I'll ensure you get plenty of 'rest.'"

Hearing Shunsuke's reassurance, Mrs. Izumi quickly gave in. "Alright, Shizuka, please approve Shun-kun's leave."

Shizuka frowned slightly, sensing something was off, though she couldn't quite pinpoint it. Surely it can't be that Mrs. Izumi, as the parent, is covering for him on purpose?

No matter how far her imagination stretched, Shizuka couldn't figure out the true reason behind the leave or the subtle power struggle hidden within.

After successfully securing a day off, Shunsuke headed straight for Hyakkaou Private Academy.

As for Mrs. Izumi, was he really going to go back home? If he did, she'd likely be so exhausted she'd feel dehydrated even if she weren't sick in the first place.

And acting so cocky toward me? Even I would feel hurt, you know!

Furious, she decided to punish him. Fine, I'm ignoring you! Let's see how you like going a whole day with proper meals, but no extras. You'll regret it soon enough.

Of course, everyone could take her words with a grain of salt.

Meanwhile, Shunsuke entered Hyakkaou Private Academy using nothing but his face. To his surprise, the students were all in regular classes. There was no sign that this was a school where gambling reigned supreme or where lives were wagered so recklessly.

"What? So I came here for nothing?"

Disappointed, Shunsuke had initially wanted to call out Runa for a new play, but seeing how things were, he couldn't just drag her out.

Letting things flow naturally, he found himself at the student council room. Pushing the door open, Shunsuke was greeted by the sight of Kirari Momobami striking a pose.

"Do you even have to attend class?" he asked bluntly.

Shunsuke couldn't help but voice his complaint.

Kirari glanced at him in slight surprise, as if puzzled by why he would say something so foolish. "For people of our status, Shunsuke, do you really think studying is necessary?"

"Don't drag me into that. You, as the leader of the Hundred Devouring Families, naturally don't need to study. I'm the one who said something stupid," Shunsuke replied as he sat down beside Kirari.

"Oh? Did that venomous snake sneaking into my garden tell you that?"

"This has nothing to do with her. Yumeko isn't the type to gossip about such things."

"Heh. That only makes me more curious about you, Shunsuke. Yumeko Jabami's true identity is something even I only discovered upon her enrollment," Kirari said with a charming smile. "From an identity standpoint, you're just an ordinary person. Yet you seem to know things that not even someone like Sayaka would. You're truly mysterious."

"Oh, by the way, you wouldn't be angry about me investigating you, would you?" Kirari added nonchalantly.

"If you were really sincere about that, you'd either not investigate me or at least let me know beforehand," Shunsuke shot back.

Kirari smiled faintly, choosing to drop the topic.

Shunsuke clicked his tongue in annoyance.

He was certain that Kirari wasn't the only one who had investigated him.

Ririka Momobami, Itsuki Sumeragi, Kaede Manyuda, Yumemi Yumemite, Yuriko Nishinotoin—one way or another, anyone with the means had probably looked into him. If he got mad about it, he'd run out of energy.

So, as long as none of them actively provoked him or his family and friends, Shunsuke had no interest in taking things personally.

And so far, it seemed that none of them had resorted to underhanded tactics. Even Kaede Manyuda, who he had openly antagonized, hadn't tried anything against him outside of the academy.

As for Runa and Yumemi, it was the same with them—everyone was such a good kid.

"Shunsuke, coming during class hours in the morning—has your mind changed? That's fine, Hyakkaou Private Academy always welcomes you."

"Do you believe me if I say I came because I was bored?"

"Is it fate's guidance?" Kirari murmured, then turned to look at Shunsuke. "In that case, it's perfect. I'm lacking a male companion, so I'll leave it to you."

"Isn't the topic changing a bit too abruptly? What male companion?"

"A companion for a boring party," Kirari said casually as she pulled an embossed gold-foil invitation from her desk and handed it to Shunsuke.

"In that case, you could just not go. Who in this country could force you to attend a boring party you don't want to?"

Shunsuke then opened the invitation and quickly realized something felt off.

"Hmm, if this party wasn't hosted by the Shinomiya conglomerate and didn't have the Four Major Conglomerates plus other powerful families attending, I could easily skip it."

Shunsuke paused in his movements.

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