The Mastermind is a Middle School Student (KHR FF)

Yukimura's Tanzaku

(25: )

[-1-]

Time has indeed been cruel to Yukimura, many-a-times before.

This does not prevent him from smiling.

Or shouting, or waving an old newspaper over his head while he directs the flow of incoming and outgoing high school volunteers.

“--Make way make way, cabinet is coming innnn–”

From outside the community center, a slightly flushed ex-classmate of his smiles appreciatively at Yukimura-Style-Traffic-Control and sighs with the weight of the cabinet in his hands, “Yukimura-san is as radiant as ever.”

“Junmei, you can drool over Yukimura-san anytime after this, please don't stop moving.” The other guy grumbles, his hands shaking from the weight of a singular cabinet. Despite his apparent struggle, he still kept a cool facade; it's either him or this cabinet who would fall today, and he will die a man!-- He continues his complain, despite unable to see the so called Yukimura-san, “It's not only you who wants to see him, if each of his fan stops smackdab at the entrance, they'd cause a traffic jam in this whole town.”

– And so did Junmei move, causing this complaint faucet to stop in surprise. His ordinary black eyes widen in surprise, his pupils dilated. His own foot almost failed to catch him as he stumbled clumsily over the doorstep.

Inside the centre, the hustle and bustle of townsfolk is evident. Various familiar faces trot around with a rhythmic urgency, each of the individuals being lost in the strong current of footsteps. It turns murky, it turns damp. The unbearable smell of sweat is the first thing that assaulted his nose; but his attention is elsewhere.

There's girls here.

There's A LOT of girls here.

The invisible flames of passion burn bright in his eyes, powered by the overwhelming need to show off to the group of girls around him– especially the one with loose collar, oversized shirt, and a cute blue strap peeking through on her shoulder!

The girl in question faces away from him, moving a rolled up newspaper in an enchanting dance, repetitive but oh so desirable. With each of her loud hollering, the shoulder would tense ever so slightly. From the back, he watches the slight peek of a nape from between strands of tied black hair; and he's starting to drool.

Junmei sneered at him, tugging on the cabinet until he almost fell with it, “Oi, who's complaining about me earlier huh?”

“Shut up Junmei, I just saw the love of my life.”

“You're so brave, do you have the guts to win the love of your life from his bajillion fans– including me by the way– in this sweaty center?”

“Of co– …. Including you?”

Junmei sneered even louder, “Tanaka, you're not deaf are you? Yukimura-san can hear you from here.”

Tanaka felt like his brain was melting.

On cue, the girl, the love of his life, turns around. First it was the side of her reddened cheeks, then it was her tall nose bridge, and then her fox eyes.

It would've been this part where his heart go do-ki-do-ki, if it weren't for the very prominent Adam's apple on ‘her’ neck. This time, ‘she’ flashed a gentle albeit practiced smile towards the two of them. ‘She’ spoke up, and now that he's actually paying attention, the neutral soft tone has an undeniable masculinity entrenched in it, “Ah, it's Junmei-san. Where are you delivering the cabinet?”

Tanaka feels the ground beneath his feet cave in.

“---Ah? Are you okay? Sir?”

“Oi Tanaka! Tanaka!”