The Gemini Princess wants me to confess my feelings!

"I heard that a music teacher is coming to the school," Li Changqing said suddenly, holding a glass of milk and sitting in front of him. "And she's very beautiful, with a great figure."

Kirihara Akatsuki didn't even bother to turn her head to look at him, resting her chin on her hand as she gazed at the scenery outside the window, and said perfunctorily, "You're very well-informed."

With a clatter, Li Changqing shifted his position, bringing his large face close to Wuyuan Xiao's, and said earnestly, "And it's very big!"

"..." Kirihara Akira was speechless.

Li Changqing chuckled and said, "I heard she's a top student who graduated from a prestigious art school and occasionally comes to give a few theory lectures. Come to think of it, she's not that much older than us. Why don't we find a chance to get to know her?"

"You're not even letting the teacher off the hook?" Kirihara Akira glanced at him.

"This is a foreign land, it's open, unlike where we are," Li Changqing said lewdly.

"Where you live, if a student confesses their love to a teacher, the teacher loses their job. Here, if a student confesses their love to a teacher, the teacher should be sent to jail."

"..." Li Changqing's face showed visible disappointment: "Are all those movies and TV shows just lies?"

Kirihara Akiki laughed, gritting her teeth, and said, "If this were a movie, you should be in jail."

The two were chatting idly when a classmate suddenly walked over, accompanied by two other girls.

She's the girl who wanted Kirihara Akatsuki to teach her Chinese during the last English class.

Her name is Yoshihara Rena.

"Kirigara-kun, what are you talking about?" she asked.

Kirihara Akira smiled and said, "Let's talk about music. I heard a new music teacher is coming to the school."

Reina Yoshihara's eyes suddenly lit up, and the surprise on her face seemed to say: Could this be the best arrangement of fate?

She said, "Kirin-san, do you like to sing? We're just about to go to karaoke, do you want to come along?"

A classmate chimed in, "The karaoke bar 'Hanagata' in Ueda Shopping Street is very close to the school."

Li Changqing then looked at him with a resentful expression.

Kirihara Akira instinctively wanted to refuse, but upon hearing about Ueda Shopping Street, she became interested.

He pointed with his thumb to Li Changqing, who was eager to try, and said, "This guy sings well too."

"Eh~" Yoshihara Rena smiled understandingly and said, "Li Changqing, would you like to come along and let us hear what's going on?"

The way Li Changqing looked at Wuyuan Xiao instantly changed from that of a class enemy to that of a brother.

……

……

Reina Yoshihara and her circle are a microcosm of many people in the class—or even the school—representing the general impression of those in the middle class.

My grades are average, hovering between going to high school and not going to high school. I study hard when I need to, and I usually enjoy high school life. I can't say I'm good at socializing. I don't resist it, but I don't take the initiative often. I will make some new friends when I feel like it.

Kirihara Akira was someone Yoshihara Rena met on a whim.

Being able to integrate into this circle is certainly a good thing for Kirihara Akira.

Although his soul had weathered the storms of fifty years, he didn't see himself as an incurable, mean-spirited old man. Since he had a second chance, there was nothing wrong with enjoying a new life and a new youth.

It's too tiring to isolate yourself. There's nothing wrong with doing some silly things that teenagers like to do.

Li Changqing, whom he brought along, wasn't originally part of this circle. However, this guy was a lively and outgoing person who knew how to maintain boundaries. He couldn't be said to have truly integrated into any small group, but he maintained good relationships with them all. The only real obstacle Li Changqing faced was probably the difference in nationality, and the lack of an opportunity to break the ice.

At this moment, Li Changqing burst into song, his antics eliciting laughter.

"Who sings like that? It's silly." A girl covered her mouth and laughed.

"This is a singing technique I created myself."

Making a fool of oneself at the right time can quickly build rapport, but it's a skill that requires making people laugh without being offensive or trying to please them. Among these young men, perhaps only a well-rounded international student like him, who has left his hometown, could master this skill.

That's why Kirihara Akira chose to improve her relationship with him first.

Kirihara Akira, standing to the side, occasionally played the straight man, thinking to himself: Youth is truly wonderful.

Rena Yoshihara sat down next to him, smiling broadly, and said, "Kirihara-kun, you sing so well, you could say you're a professional. At first glance, I thought you were an art student."

Kirihara Akira smiled and said, "I practiced secretly in private, just for this moment to be praised."

Rena Yoshihara covered her mouth and laughed, then said, "I've practiced in private too! But I'm nowhere near as good as you. Could you teach me your secrets?"

This time, Kirihara Akira's answer was conservative: "I'm also an enthusiast, at an amateur level. A music teacher will be coming to the school in a few days, and that person is a professional. Let's go and learn from him together then."

Unlike the last time when Yoshihara Rena approached him, he didn't offer to personally teach her Chinese, because Kirihara Akira could clearly sense that if they got any closer, things would go wrong.

A flicker of disappointment crossed Yoshihara Rena's eyes, but she quickly composed herself and pressed on, half-jokingly saying, "You could be a star. There's a talent agency right across the street that trains stars. Why don't you consider it?"

Kirihara Akira paused for a moment, then smiled without saying a word.

Rena Yoshihara said, "I think it's called Suruga Agency. They even contacted me and asked if I wanted to be an idol."

"How did you answer?"

"I'm not really interested, but wouldn't becoming an idol make me more dazzling?" Yoshihara Rena twisted her fingers, lowering her eyelashes, seemingly waiting for his answer.

Kirihara Akatsuki replied flawlessly, "A person's charm is not determined by their status, don't you think?"

She replaced "people's" with "your" as Kirihara Akira had said, her face slightly flushed, and she lowered her head in silence.

Wu Yuanxiao had a headache. She could clearly feel that the effects of Wu Yuanxiao and Song Xinyuan saying the same things were completely different.

Is this what a handsome guy is like? How awful.

He decided to make an excuse to pee: "I'm going to the restroom, you guys sing first."

……

Once outside, Kirihara Akira finally had a chance to catch her breath.

He came here today both to savor the memories of youth and to scout out the location.

Right across from the KTV is the headquarters of the "talent scouts".

That's not quite accurate. On the surface, Suruga's styling agency has no connection with those talent scouts wandering the streets. Unless you're paying close attention, it's hard to connect the two.

Kirihara Akira found this place... or rather, they never intended to hide it at all, they just blatantly put up the "Suruga" sign. It didn't matter whether others knew their background or not, as long as the targets they were deceiving didn't know.

Once you find their firm, things get trickier from there.

The reason is that there is only one Kirihara Akira, and it is unrealistic to track and monitor everyone who enters and leaves the office. The best option is to stake out the place, remember every face, compile the information and give it to Mori Shizue, and then consider the next steps.

This raises a new question: how to stake out locations?

Imagine a high school student who shows up at the same place every day at the same time, keeping watch over the place where gangsters hang out, occasionally taking out his phone to take pictures. What would happen if he got caught?

He needed a secluded place to keep watch, and the commercial building where the KTV was located was a perfect spot.

However, this auspicious place is crowded with people, so you can't come every day, and the location isn't very secluded.

Kirihara Akira stretched heavily, went to the front desk to pay for the drinks and snacks she had ordered, and then walked up the stairs to the fourth floor.

The fourth floor was mostly filled with clothing and jewelry stores. Kirihara Akira browsed through them one by one, looking for a place where she could reasonably appear and keep an eye on the agency.

This shop has a corner by the window where you can see across the street, but unfortunately it's a jewelry store. If you come here to stake out the place, you might be mistaken for a robber trying to steal jewelry.

This is a clothing store, and the location is alright, but he can't go into a women's clothing and lingerie store every day... Hmm, this place is not bad.

Kirihara Akira stopped, looked up, and saw the words: Haruka Music Studio.

A music studio? In that instant, Kirihara Akira thought of many things.

Across the street is a talent agency in Suruga, and here's a music studio. Is it a coincidence? Could they be working together?

Looking at the sign at the entrance that read "One-on-one music tutoring," Kirihara Akira pondered for a moment and decided to go and take a look.

His identity as a student was his best cover.

He knocked on the door, and a commotion came from inside.

After a long pause, a woman's voice came from the other end: "Please come in."