Chapter 34: Could You Touch Me?

Momo Hinamori stood at the office door, her expression stiff as she gazed at the two people inside.

In truth, if Rukia had said nothing, it would have been fine. But her guilty demeanor made Hinamori feel particularly uneasy. Rukia desperately wanted to explain, but she knew that in such a situation, the more she explained, the more suspicious it would look. It would be tantamount to revealing Hinamori’s feelings right in front of the President, and it might even invite his disdain.

She had never paid much attention to it before, but now that she thought about it, the act of the President patting her head was indeed quite ambiguous. Had she really not noticed, or had she noticed long ago and simply not resisted it? Had the President not noticed either?

She felt like crying.

Hinamori quickly composed herself, a smile appearing on her face. "President, Rukia."

Rukia, having weighed her options, decided it would be better to leave. She took the initiative to say to Shin, "President, if there’s nothing else, I’ll take my leave." With that, she hurried out of the office as if fleeing. Once outside the door, she pressed herself against the wall, her chest heaving. How did things suddenly turn out like this?

Seeing Rukia take the initiative to leave and give them space, Hinamori felt slightly better, thinking that perhaps the earlier scene had truly been a misunderstanding. The President was just a kind person to everyone.

Shin returned to his seat and said casually, "Someone from the Kuchiki house of the Four Great Noble Clans came by earlier. They said they wanted to see Rukia."

Hinamori was stunned, her attention immediately captured by this news. "Why are they looking for Rukia?"

"I don’t know. They didn't wait for her and just left."

"Eh?"

Shin asked again, "How is it going with your friend? Is he willing to come to the Academy of Spiritual Arts?"

Hinamori pondered for a moment and nodded slightly. "But he has to wait until next year. Toshiro blames himself; he feels that his grandmother’s declining health is his fault."

"Fortunately, it was discovered in time, so there is still time to make things right."

"I have to thank you for that, President."

Shin chuckled softly. "You have already thanked me."

Hinamori pressed her lips together tightly, looking at Shin as he sat there. She had so many things she wanted to say, but when they reached her lips, she didn't know what to utter. Everything she thought of seemed abrupt and presumptuous. She had tossed and turned all night, but fortunately, she had come to a realization: what Senior Kani-sawa did was her own business; what mattered was the President’s attitude.

How could someone like the President not be admired? She was one of them, Senior Kani-sawa was another, and there would be many, many more in the future. Finding a way to become the most special person to the President among all of them was what she should be focusing on. Fretting over the intentions of others was meaningless; she couldn't change that. What she could change was how the President viewed her.

Mustering her courage, she suddenly asked, "President, there is a question I have actually been wanting to ask you."

"Go ahead."

"Why did you choose Rukia to be your assistant?"

Rukia, who hadn't actually left, was listening outside. She was terrified that the two might argue, though she felt in her heart that Momo had no reason or qualification to question the President about such things. Hearing the question from inside, she was momentarily stunned. It was a question she wanted the answer to as well. But why would Momo ask that? Was it because of what happened earlier?

Shin laughed and countered, "Why do you ask so suddenly?"

Hinamori said, "I feel that Rukia isn't particularly special in any regard. She has her merits, of course, but did you see those merits from the very beginning, President? Rukia told me about the student council evaluation; I feel my performance back then was no worse than hers, and, I..."

She wanted to say that she was more suited for the position of presidential assistant than Rukia, that her personality was more outgoing and she was more passionate about her work. She wanted to ask if Shin had special feelings for Rukia, if he liked her.

As for Senior Kani-sawa, Hinamori had spent months with the President and could clearly feel that he had no special feelings for her. If one truly loved someone, it was hard to hide it. The President’s attitude toward Senior Kani-sawa was no different from his attitude toward anyone else. Therefore, the senior was not a threat; she was only relying on the President’s kindness and that old promise to dare to make such excessive demands.

By contrast, the President’s treatment of Rukia was clearly special.

Shin glanced at the favorability rating for Hinamori on his system interface; it was fluctuating wildly. He leaned back in his chair, honestly finding this kind of interrogation tiresome. Tilting his head slightly, he said slowly, "I did see Rukia’s merits from the start, but I also saw her shortcomings. That is why I thought she needed to be in this position to be tempered. If she were just an ordinary student council member, her flaws would certainly not improve in the short term. Hinamori, you may be more capable than Rukia right now, and everyone likes you, but Rukia needs this opportunity more than you do. As her good friend, you should understand this."

Hinamori couldn't help but speak up: "President, but I... I..."

She clenched her fists tightly, but ultimately said nothing more. She was both shy and afraid—afraid that she wouldn't be able to bear the consequences of speaking her mind.

Shin suddenly chuckled again. "Hinamori, I still owe you a promise. Have you decided what you want?"

"..."

Hinamori was speechless, her heart in turmoil. Ever since that promise was made, she had been thinking about what she should ask for. Excessive, reasonable, ambiguous, practical... She had thought the most appropriate thing would be to ask the President to teach her *Kaido* in his spare time. It would increase their time alone, bring them closer, and serve as a perfectly reasonable excuse. The President was heading to the Fourth Division, and her wanting to learn *Kaido* in depth provided enough of a hint...

But why was Senior Kani-sawa able to make such excessive demands? Could she do the same? But would she be as pathetic as the senior? And what would the President think of her if she did?

Hinamori bit her lip, her beautiful eyes shimmering. She stared intently at Shin, even though they were separated by nothing more than a desk and a few steps. Yet, she truly didn't know how far the distance between them really was. Was it really just those few steps, as it appeared on the surface? Was it just waiting for her to make the first move?

"President..." Hinamori’s voice trembled. "Can you... pat my head, just like you did to Rukia?"

Outside the door, Rukia walked away.