In Academy City, the Paradise Project begins.

Page 163

Saten Ruiko crossed her arms and squinted: "Oh? Higashino-senpai, you just casually asked for other girls' contact information in front of the three of us girlfriends?"

Even in early spring, she puffed out her cheeks, the little flower on her head swayed, and her tone carried a hint of accusation: "Senior... is very suspicious!"

Misaka Mikoto simply snorted, her eyes flashing with a dangerous light: "Your credibility with me isn't high to begin with! Tell me, are you up to something again?"

Faced with the "tripartite interrogation" of his three girlfriends, Higashino Yu spread his hands innocently: "I'm innocent! It really was for cleaning the villa! Such a big house is actually quite hard to clean, so hiring a professional maid is more efficient."

His tone was sincere, and his eyes were clear.

Ruiko looked him up and down suspiciously: "Are you really just looking for a cleaner? You're not trying to use the guise of 'job evaluation' to try and woo that professional and cute maid, are you?"

Haruhi chimed in softly, "...If it were someone senior, they might actually do that..."

Mikoto added insult to injury: "That's right, your record is bad, and your motives are suspicious!"

Looking at his three girlfriends' united front, Higashino sighed helplessly, rubbing his forehead: "Sigh, is my image in your eyes really that unreliable...?"

This time, Higashino truly doesn't have any other ulterior motives, at least not right now, probably...

Chapter 198 The Summer Festival Auction

After Tsuchimikado Natsumi left, Mikoto also said somewhat awkwardly that she needed to prepare something before leaving in a hurry, leaving the two girls and Higashino looking at each other blankly.

"Is Misaka-senpai going to prepare for her next performance?"

Chu Chun watched with anticipation as Mikoto's figure gradually disappeared. Although nothing was revealed about her upcoming performance, it was sure to be the kind of role perfectly suited to a young lady of high society.

"Eh, they won't reveal anything at all. Could it be because of the senior here?"

Ruiko glanced at Higashino, whose expression hadn't changed, and teased him.

"Actually, it was a violin performance. It's listed in the performance announcement."

There was nothing to hide, so Higashino directly told them what Mikoto's next performance would be. The four of them had been busy wandering around, and Haru and Ruiko hadn't even noticed the performance announcement.

"Huh, it's a violin!"

I'm even more excited for early spring.

"A violin? She can even play... Hey! It looks lively over there, senior, let's go check it out!"

The commotion nearby instantly drew Ruizi's attention.

"It looks like there's some kind of event going on over there; there are so many people."

"Shall we go take a look, senior?"

In early spring, I was also curious about what was going on over there, the atmosphere was so lively.

Higashino nodded and, following the direction of the sound, led Haru and Ruiko over.

They soon arrived at a small hall that had been temporarily set up as an auction venue.

Girls dressed in Tokiwadai school uniforms or maid outfits gathered around a long table covered with red velvet, enthusiastically participating in the bidding. The auctioneer was a slightly older-looking girl.

"Wow, is this an auction? I didn't know Tokiwadai had events like this!"

Tears welled up in her eyes as she curiously peered inside.

She usually only saw events like auctions on television.

"I heard they'll be selling some really cool stuff that you can't buy anywhere else! Designer bags? Limited edition jewelry?"

Her tone carried a hint of longing, but then she seemed somewhat discouraged.

"But I can't afford these with my allowance."

"Hmm...it feels very formal."

Chu Chun echoed softly, her gaze sweeping over the auction items on the table, most of which were exquisite stationery, works of art, or limited edition books.

Just then, their gazes fell on a familiar figure at the edge of the crowd.

The girl with medium-length dark hair and glasses was none other than Disciplinary Committee member Kofumi Miwa. She seemed to be intently looking at an item being auctioned, holding a bidding paddle in her hand.

"Ah! It's Senior Gu Fa!"

Chu Chun exclaimed in a soft voice, full of surprise.

Hearing the sound, Kofumi looked up and saw Higashino and the other two. A fleeting hint of panic crossed her face, especially when she saw Higashino, her ears turning bright red. She instinctively hid her bidding paddle behind her back.

"Higashi... Higashino-kun? Haru-kun, Saten-kun?"

Kofumi pushed up her glasses, trying to maintain her usual composure.

Are you also interested in the auction?

"I just heard the noise and came to check."

Higashino explained with a smile, his gentle gaze falling on Kofuku, making her cheeks burn even hotter.

"Senior Gufa, what good thing are you looking at?"

Leizi leaned closer, wanting to see what Gu Fa had been focusing on before.

"Nothing...nothing special."

Kofumi quickly waved her hand, changing the subject.

"This auction is quite interesting. It mainly features student works or rare collectibles, not all luxury items. You can take a look; you might find something you like."

She pointed towards the auction stage, trying to distract the three of them.

Lei Zi pouted, clearly a little disappointed by the "non-luxury item": "Well, I'll just watch the show."

Just then, the auctioneer's clear voice rang out: "Next item, a Swiss-made Chirp Bear stationery set! Includes a limited edition ballpoint pen, notebook, and notepad! Starting bid: 1000 yuan!"

This stationery set was exquisitely designed and immediately caught the attention of some girls. However, they only symbolically added a few tens or hundreds of yuan.

"1500 yuan!"

"2000 yuan!"

Just as the price was slowly climbing to around 3000 yuan, a firm voice rang out:

"10000 yuan!"

The entire room fell silent instantly, and everyone turned around in surprise. There stood Shirai Kuroko, her pink twin tails swaying as she approached, her face radiating an air of unwavering determination.

The auctioneer was also stunned and asked, "Young man, are you sure it's... ten thousand yen?"

"That's right!"

Heizi walked to the table and glanced at the stationery set.

"That's it."

She readily took out her wallet to pay, accepting the stationery set amidst a chorus of surprised and puzzled glances.

"Kuroko? What are you doing?"

Ruiko couldn't help but whisper to Higashino and Hatsuharu who had followed her.

"These stationery items aren't worth ten thousand yuan at all!"

Although it's said to be imported, its actual price is nowhere near ten thousand. Leizi thinks that even if this thing were auctioned, it should only fetch a maximum of one thousand yuan.

Haru looked puzzled: "Shirai-kun... doesn't seem like the type to make impulsive purchases."

Higashino watched as Kuroko carefully packed away her stationery, and then looked at her cautious, almost treasuring expression, and he understood.

He whispered to his two curious girlfriends, "The pencil case was probably provided by Mikoto. Only something related to my one-sister could make Kuroko go to such lengths."

The reason why Tsuchimikado Natsumi couldn't find Kuroko earlier was because she was worried that Mikoto's things would be bought by someone else, so she deliberately sneaked over here.

"Oh!"

Ruiko and Hatsuharu both suddenly realized, and their eyes filled with understanding as they looked at Kuroko.

It's not surprising at all that Kuroko would do something like this for something her "older sister" had used.

"Oh my, isn't this Kofuku-senpai? And there's also Hatsuharu-kun, Saten-kun, and Shirai-kun. What a lively scene!"

A beautiful voice with a unique, rising intonation rang out. Everyone looked in the direction of the voice and saw Mitsuko, holding a folding fan, walking over with a reserved smile on her face.

Behind her followed Wannei Juanbao and Paofu Wanbin.

The three young ladies from Tokiwadai were all dressed in maid outfits, but the style was completely different from Mikoto's!

The outfit that Guangzi was wearing was clearly custom-made, blending classic British black and white with delicate Japanese elements. The intricate lace trim and ribbon decorations were just right, and paired with her signature "princess cut" hairstyle and folding fan, it did not look out of place at all, but rather had a wonderful sense of luxury.

Wan Nei and Pao Fu were also dressed in similar styles of modified maid outfits; one was gentle, and the other was quiet, yet both were equally eye-catching.

"Classmates after marriage! Classmates in the bay! Classmates floating in the water!"

Chu Chun and Lei Zi quickly greeted each other.

"Master You!"

After the marriage, when Mitsuko saw Higashino, her eyes lit up noticeably. She snapped her folding fan shut with a "snap" and naturally took a few steps closer, her face filled with undisguised joy.

Wannai Kinuho and Awafuki Manbin also showed happy smiles and followed closely behind to greet Higashino.

Ever since kissing Higashino in front of so many people yesterday, Mitsuko directly changed her form of address to the one she had been longing for.

Mitsuko very naturally took Higashino's arm, while Wannai and Awafuki surrounded him. Although there was no physical contact, their intimacy and dependence were evident in their eyes.

Three beautiful girls dressed in gorgeous maid outfits surrounded Higashino, creating a somewhat idyllic scene.

Seeing this, Haru and Ruiko instinctively moved closer to each other, their lips slightly pouting, their eyes filled with a barely perceptible hint of jealousy.

The way the two of them acted after the game ended yesterday clearly showed their feelings for Higashino.

However, the three of them behaved very appropriately, showing only closeness without doing anything more inappropriate.

Leizi secretly poked Chuchun's waist, and the two exchanged a knowing look.

Gu Famei watched from the side, her eyes behind her glasses flickering slightly, and she silently pursed her lips.

She actually wanted to naturally go over and get closer, but she couldn't, she simply couldn't. The junior members of the disciplinary committee were right there, and she just couldn't bring herself to do it.

"After the wedding, in the bay, on the water, your outfits are truly eye-catching."

Higashino smiled and praised them, his gaze sweeping over the three of them with admiration.

“Especially for Photon, this fusion-style design suits you very well.”

"Oh ho ho ho! Thank you for the compliment, Master Yu!"

After the marriage, Mitsuko smiled broadly, half-covering her mouth with a folding fan.

"This is a style I carefully selected! It's to showcase the most elegant side of the Tokiwadai maids at the Summer Festival!"

"My classmate looks very good in it after getting married."

Wan Nei Juan Bao softly echoed, and Pao Fu Wan Bin also nodded in agreement.

"Speak of it."

Bubble looked at the pencil case in Kuroko's hand.

"Shirai-san, that was quite a big deal. Was it for Misaka-senpai?"

Mentioning Mikoto, Kuroko immediately straightened her back, her voice filled with pride and a touch of shyness: "That's right! These are stationery items that Onee-sama used! They might just be ordinary items to others, but they're priceless to me! I'd pay any price for them!"

She carefully touched the box.

"What a touching sisterly bond."

Mitsuko tapped her chin with her folding fan, then changed the subject, looking at Higashino expectantly.

"By the way, Lord Yu, where's Misaka? She should be performing soon, right? I'm really looking forward to that 'Railgun's' violin performance! It's sure to be a breathtaking show!"

Wannai Kinuho and Awafuki Manbin nodded immediately, their eyes sparkling with anticipation: "Yes! We're also really looking forward to Misaka-senpai's performance!"

Chuchun and Ruiko temporarily put aside their slight jealousy and looked expectant.

Higashino felt the eager gazes of the girls around him, and a meaningful smile appeared on his lips.

"She..."

Higashino's gaze seemed to pierce through the crowd, landing in a certain direction.

"She should be almost ready by now. I believe her performance today will be very... 'wonderful'."