Tokyo Rebirth: Start From Picking Up Sayu

After the weekend, it’s March.

At Toyosaki Academy on Monday, the gymnasium was packed with seats.

The early spring sunshine is shining through the windows, and the climate is obviously starting to warm up.

In the solemn air, uncontrollable sobs could be heard from time to time.

The people who appear here are wearing formal clothes and uniforms based on black.

"Graduation Certificate Awarding Ceremony"

If you ignore the eight words hanging on the stage, the scene probably looks more like a funeral.

The teachers were dressed neatly in suits, and their faces were kinder than usual, and mixed with emotion.

The students in the front row wore corsages, which added a touch of color to the scene and told people that this was an occasion worth celebrating.

The girls stood side by side with their friends, holding hands, exhaling softly, trying not to cry, as if it was a prelude to farewell.

Since I couldn't bear to part with my youth of three years in high school, I naturally exuded a similar atmosphere.

Affected by this atmosphere, the students in the lower grades couldn't help but feel a little heavy and restless in their folding chairs.

This year, next year, the year after that.

One day, the protagonist will have his turn.

Once you graduate from high school, it's like being deprived of the privilege of spending your youth.

Even though most of the people present will continue their education and can delay entering society for a few years, the time of high school will never come back.

——"Time is limited."

In such a situation, even the most unruly students can clearly realize this at this moment and can no longer maintain a casual attitude that it has nothing to do with themselves.

A congressman from a certain party gave a serious speech on the stage, looking like he was more concerned about the students' future than the students.

If you ignore the trivial matter of "teachers and parents are natural vote banks", it would be quite touching.

According to the distinction between boys on the left and girls on the right, students in each class are arranged neatly.

Kato Yusuke sat quietly in the class line, his heart still.

At this time, Yamaguchi, who was sitting on the left, came over and whispered to each other.

"Kato, regarding the division of classes in the new semester, have you chosen liberal arts and science?"

"Well, I chose liberal arts."

"Okay, Takei, Kako, and I also chose liberal arts. I hope we can all be in the same class this year."

Kato Yusuke nodded and responded simply with this action.

"Move softly and be careful not to be noticed."

"By whom?"

"Those big shots and teachers."

Yamaguchi glanced at the congressman speaking on the stage and curled his lips in disapproval.

"Okay, those big shots are busy trying to win votes for themselves and won't care about these trivial matters."

"You can't seem to calm down?"

"Because I'm very free... When I think that this boring ceremony will last for two hours, I feel exhausted. Ah, can't you finish handing out the diplomas quickly and end it as soon as possible?"

"Be patient, just think of it as practice in advance. Sooner or later it will be our turn to graduate."

Kato Yusuke lightly shrugged and tried to end the topic, but unfortunately Yamaguchi refused to shut up.

"Speaking of which..."

The other person winked and winked.

"That senior Kasumigaoka is one grade above us. No matter how reluctant you are, you have to watch her graduate with your own eyes. You will be sad then."

Hearing this, Kato Yusuke instinctively looked towards the second-year team, and soon found the target.

Looking at the icy beauty who seemed to be taking a nap with her head down, with smooth black hair and a snow-white face, he couldn't help but show his gentle eyes.

"...Ah, that's right."

"Right? Even a guy like you would probably cry in that scene, right?"

Faced with Yamaguchi's teasing, Kato Yusuke responded calmly.

"However, Xiaoshi comes to the studio basically every day. The only opportunity we lack to meet is at school."

"Well--?"

Yamaguchi's smile froze on his face, and then he immediately made an international gesture towards him, "Damn it now, die for me."

Kato Yusuke raised his eyebrows in cooperation and smiled provocatively at him.

While the two were passing the time, the congressman on the stage finally finished his speech.

He returned to the guest seat from the stage, bowed respectfully to greet a middle-aged man who was not angry or boastful, and finally sat down solemnly.

The middle-aged man was wearing a black kimono and had long hair. He was sitting in the front row of the guest seats, surrounded by the principal and several council members.

"Did you see that? That one is the real big shot. Compared with others, the person who just spoke is just a nobody."

"……you know?"

"Huh? That's right..."

Yamaguchi narrowed his eyes slightly, then turned his head to look at him thoughtfully, and smiled.

"If anything, that person has a close relationship with an acquaintance of yours."

"...?"

Kato Yusuke couldn't help but frown, his eyes lingered on the middle-aged man in the guest seat for a moment, and he asked tentatively: "...Nakano-senpai's family?"

"That's right~"

Yamaguchi grinned and explained for him.

"Nakano Yukihira, the school director of our school, Shenlong Miji, is also the current head of the famous Nakano family, and the father of Nakano-senpai."

"……I see."

Kato Yusuke looked at his friend in surprise and said nothing.

On the stage, Masaru Nakamura, who served as the emcee, stood in front of the microphone and talked.

Although they were all reading congratulatory messages from other congressmen, they were still enjoyable to listen to and successfully transitioned from this boring part. The charm of the handsome guy is evident.

"——Next, let's invite the current student representatives to give a farewell speech."

"yes."

Kato Yusuke stood up from the folding chair, ignored Yamaguchi's teasing "Come on, big shot", walked onto the stage calmly, and took over the position of Masaru Nakamura.

He bowed to the students and teachers in the audience, then straightened his back, moved the microphone to a suitable position, and began to deliver a speech.

"The harsh winter has passed. Under the soft sunshine, we welcome the faint fragrance of spring."

The low and soothing sound spread through the speakers, with a cold and distant feeling, entering people's ears, and the scene naturally became quiet.

The boy was wearing a neat school uniform, with a golden cord representing the student council president tied around his collar, looking clean and decent.

He has broad shoulders and a broad chest, and a slender and tall figure. He stands calmly like a mountain, which is impressive.

The refreshing silver short hair is neatly styled, outlining the heroic eyebrows, and some soft broken hair is exposed around the ears, spreading slightly outward.

The deep and quiet eyes are like a dark starry sky, reflecting the shining lights on the stage, attracting everyone's attention like a magnet.

“Here, we learned knowledge, gained friendship and love.

We sweated hard on the playground, studied silently in the library, and explored unknown mysteries in the laboratory...

All of this will become a shining part of our life. "

Kato Yusuke took the speech and read it calmly.

Her clear and warm voice is full of confidence and calmness, reflecting the image of student president that teachers and parents seek.

Under the stage, Shiyu woke up at some point, his lazy eyes reflected the scene on the stage, proud and proud.

Hui and Eiri were sitting in different places, staring at the same figure at the same time, their eyes shining.

Shinjoka stared at the stage intently, ignoring Rika who kept chanting "I want to die, I want to die, I want to die" next to me.

On the stage, Yusuke Kato continued to speak.

“...Although we will go to our own futures separately, we will always remember this place, the school motto and teachings here, and the friendship and preciousness here.

"Therefore, this is not the end, but a new starting point in life. Here, I would like to share something with all the graduates here."

He raised his head, looked around at the students present in a neither humble nor condescending manner, and slowly said under the eager eyes of everyone:

"The young man always rides fast and sails, but the road is long and difficult to turn."

"It needs to be grand, it needs to be gorgeous, it needs to be uproar, and it needs to use the ideal Titanic to hit the iceberg of reality."

"Be like the wind that burns Red Cliff, not the straw boat that borrows arrows."

"I would climb thousands of mountains just for a piece of sea——"

The sonorous and powerful words contain strength and determination, making people listen carefully and unconsciously, as if being drawn to an infinite starry sky.

At the guest table, Nakano Yukihira looked at the calm young man on the stage with some surprise, with a faint appreciation in his eyes.

A gifted student with both civil and military skills.

National track and field champion.

Individual champion at the National Kyudo Conference.

Creator of popular shounen manga.

Self-made entrepreneur and philanthropist.

…

Put aside the fact that it is a bit of a love affair.

The more I look at him, the more he looks like a qualified door-to-door son-in-law.

He subconsciously stroked the beautiful beard on his chin, and felt a burst of satisfaction in his heart. Then he thought of his only daughter, who was soft on the outside but strong on the inside, and let out a cold snort in his nose.

At the same time, the farewell words also enter the final paragraph.

Kato Yusuke put away the speech in his hand, paused for a moment, then looked forward and smiled.

“Finally, I would like to extend my congratulations.

I wish all the seniors and sisters that the Dapeng will rise with the same wind and soar to 90,000 miles.

Current student representative, Kato Yusuke. "

In an instant, thunderous applause erupted from the audience.

The person concerned seemed to have just completed a performance naturally, bowed deeply to the crowd to end his speech, and then walked off the stage in a dashing manner.

With everyone's attention following, Kato Yusuke returned to his seat. Yamaguchi immediately gave a thumbs up, with great respect.

"It's amazing, it's so radiant."

Before he could open his mouth, the other party answered in a ferocious tone.

"——Don't use this trick when new students are enrolling. The cute school girls belong to everyone. If you try to steal them again, I will kill you!"

Kato Yusuke gave him a look of disgust and had nothing to say.

The applause died down.

"Then, please invite the graduate representatives to come up to the stage and give a speech."

After Nakamura Masaru's announcement, Nakano Ryoko gracefully walked onto the stage.

She bowed in the center and looked around the audience, as if she wanted to see every student.

Then, she raised the corners of her mouth, showed a friendly and warm smile, and then began to read the answer in an ethereal and distant voice.

"On this sunny day, we finally have to bid farewell to this campus..."

Ryoko Nakano read aloud fluently, mentioning various happy memories of campus, clubs, classes and group activities, redirecting the atmosphere that was about to go crazy just now.

In any case, today's protagonists are all graduates.

Although Kato Yusuke didn't mean that, he was still somewhat suspected of taking over the show, and some people would inevitably feel uncomfortable because of it. Fortunately, Ryoko Nakano resolved it without leaving any trace.

Nakano Yukihira looked at his daughter, with admiration and melancholy in his eyes at the same time. Finally, he closed his eyes tiredly and sighed "if Ryoko was a boy" for many times.

Ryoko Nakano didn't know what her father was thinking, so she continued her speech without any distractions.

"From now on, we will use our own feet to move forward on our own paths step by step."

"Even if we encounter huge obstacles in the future, we will still use the memories, knowledge, and honor we received from Toyosaki as the food of life and move forward with strength. Thank you all very much."

She paused here and showed a bright smile like a flower.

Seeing that smile, many people instantly felt sore noses, their vision began to blur, and small suppressed sobs came from their throats.

Ryoko Nakano looked around the audience again, and at a certain moment her eyes met Yusuke Kato's, and she lowered her eyes calmly.

"...Then, based on the speech Yu-kun just gave, I would also like to send you a congratulatory message."

She calmed down for a moment, then continued.

"——I hope you will have wings and become a northern sea fish."

“I would like to express my gratitude to all those who have supported us...Graduate representative, Ryoko Nakano.”

After finishing speaking, Nakano Ryoko bowed deeply and kept her beautiful posture motionless for a long time.

During this period of silence, the only sounds heard were the sobs and gasps of the audience.

Then, all the attendees, including Kato Yusuke, gave thunderous applause to that awe-inspiring figure without hesitation.

After a while, Nakano Ryoko slowly raised her head and showed her signature smile. There is a hint of loneliness in his maturity, which makes people feel friendly but alienated.

She walked off the stage gracefully, without a single tear, and her posture was quite graceful.

"...Oh, it's so fierce here."

Yamaguchi muttered vaguely while wiping his nose with a tissue. He was completely drawn into the sad atmosphere, and lost the careless look before.

Looking at his performance, Kato Yusuke wanted to laugh, but fell silent, and finally just nodded in agreement.

"……yes."

…

When the graduation certificate is awarded, the ceremony officially ends.

Everyone held a simple class meeting and then school was over soon.

Not only for graduates, today is also a day of farewell for current students.

People left the classroom in a hurry and ran to say goodbye to their familiar seniors, including Yusuke Kato.

Leaving aside others, he had to say goodbye properly to the Nakano-senpai who cared for him a lot so as not to appear rude.

I informed everyone through LINE that I would go to the studio later.

He packed his schoolbag and left the classroom, heading to the third floor where the graduates were. The corridor was full of students chatting and taking photos.

Not only did these students not disperse after taking the photos, but they reluctantly started talking on the spot, making the corridor crowded.

But on days like today, even teachers will choose to turn a blind eye and stop talking about those clichés.

Kato Yusuke avoided the graduates and walked along the corridor. On the way, he saw someone holding the graduation album in his arms cherishingly, looking for signatures everywhere, trying to fill the last blank pages of youth.

When he finally arrived at Ryoko Nakano's class, he was told that he was not here and did not know where he had gone.

Kato Yusuke thought for a while, and with the mentality of giving it a try, he came to the Kyudo Club instead.

Smack——

The melodious sound of strings came from behind the door.

Before I saw the person, I heard his voice first.

Kato Yusuke couldn't help but smile, knowing that he had found the right place, so he opened the door and walked in.

In a quiet dojo, a girl with short hair stood. She was wearing the familiar archery uniform, a white robe and a black hakama skirt, which made her look particularly elegant.

Her eyes were fixed on the front, holding an exquisite Japanese bow in her hand. The bowstring swayed gently with the breeze, as if she was telling something.

Kato Yusuke: "...Nakano-senpai?"

"--Huh?"

As if she was startled by his voice, Ryoko Nakano suddenly turned around, with a rare trace of panic in her eyes. When she saw it was him, she was very surprised.

"Yu-kun? Why are you here..."

Kato Yusuke sighed in confusion.

"I went to the class to look for senior, but you were not there, so I came here to have a look. Senior, what are you doing? Many people are looking for you."

"Well, I'm being lazy."

"What……?"

"That is to say, I don't want to be found by everyone, so I stay here. Isn't that okay?"

"...No, it's not impossible."

Kato Yusuke hesitated and said: "I'm sorry, I don't know what senior sister means. If it disturbs you, I can leave first."

"No, it would be too rude to drive away guests. You-kun, please sit with me."

"Well, actually, there's no need to go to such trouble. I just want to say goodbye to my senior sister and thank you for the care I've received. No need..."

"——Yu-kun."

"yes."

Nakano Ryoko placed Wagyu across her legs that were sitting together, stretched out her palms in front of her, and made a gesture of invitation, "Sit down."

"Ah, okay."

Kato Yusuke immediately swallowed the rest of his words, and sat down on the opposite side with an upright attitude, waiting for instructions.

To be honest, he was in awe and fear of the senior student in front of him.

The other party taught him archery, awarded him the honor of student council president, taught him meditation and spiritual practice, hit him on the head with a bamboo knife, and helped him deal with the association and Xiao Xi's affairs.

The two of them don't have much contact with each other, but whenever he encounters a problem, the other party will lend a helping hand, giving off a feeling that the friendship between gentlemen is as light as water.

It's hard to describe this kind of relationship, whether it's friends or seniors, but he is really grateful for the other person's help, and he doesn't hate this way of getting along.

"Yu-kun."

Nakano Ryoko caressed the Japanese bow in her hand, her dignified temperament was like a quiet ancient beauty, full of aura.

"Thank you for the hard work in preparing for the graduation ceremony. You did a great job. The speech was also great, amazing."

"Thank you...? But senior sister's words seem to sound like coaxing a child..."

"The same goes for the previous National Kyudo Conference. Thank you, Yu-kun, for helping our club win the team competition. I like this Christmas gift very much."

"Don't say that."

Kato Yusuke shook his head, "Winning the team competition is the result of the joint efforts of the seniors and other members. It cannot be regarded as my credit."

"As a return gift. If Yuu-kun doesn't mind, I hope you accept this."

The exquisite Japanese bow was held in both hands and handed over.

"Hmm——?? No, how can this be done? Is this my senior's bow?"

"——Please accept it."

"Well……?"

The firm tone made Kato Yusuke hesitate for a moment, then he nodded with a wry smile.

"...I understand, thank you, senior sister, I will cherish it."

He sat up straight, took a deep breath, solemnly stretched out his hands to take the bow, and observed.

This is the Japanese bow used by Nakano Ryoko during the national competition, and it is also the one that the opponent cherishes the most.

This bow and bow are crafted from the highest quality mahogany and teak. The colors are bright, with different shades of tones, like secrets hidden deep within the tree trunks.

The bow body has graceful curves and good elasticity, and is soft to the touch and full of power.

The bow arms and bow strings are made of special high-strength fibers and metals, making the bow stronger and more flexible.

The bow rest on the bow head is made of bone and has exquisite carvings on it.

The bow grip on the tail of the bow is made of precious ivory, which is dark and steady, showing nobility and preciousness.

The whole bow exudes a unique atmosphere, as if it is a piece of art full of aura. It not only has ornamental value, but also has excellent performance.

Kato Yusuke gently touched the bow. It was hard to describe its value, but he just felt it was precious.

"Yu-kun."

Ryoko Nakano looked at him with a calm expression, bent down and bowed beautifully, "Toyosaki Student Union and the Kyudo Club, I will be looking after you from now on."

Kato Yusuke was stunned for a moment, then immediately bent over and returned the greeting.

"Yes, I took it...Senior, please rest assured."

"Yeah~ I'm at ease with you, Yu-kun."

The girl straightened up, smiled and said, "Except for girls' things, you have done a good job in everything else."

"Well……"

Kato Yusuke scratched his cheek and said nervously: "...I'm sorry for making senior sister laugh."

"I don't mean that. You just need to be honest, Yu-kun."

"...With no regrets."

Kato Yusuke pondered the meaning of this sentence and cast a questioning look towards the other side.

Nakano Ryoko had no intention of answering. She looked around the Kyudo Club's dojo lovingly and whispered: "That's good..."

The breeze blew her hair, and her neat black short hair swayed gently, like black jade dotted with precious stones, making her look particularly handsome.

"Senior Nakano..."

Kato Yusuke thought about it again and again, but couldn't help but ask: "Is there anything I can do for you?"

Nakano Ryoko looked at him again, with a rare expression of loneliness, like a caged bird being restrained.

After a while, the master shook his head slightly.

"Thank you, but Yu-kun is probably not good enough now... Maybe one day, I will ask Yu-kun for help."

There was a brief silence.

"……I see."

Kato Yusuke straightened his back and looked directly at the senior, "No matter what, I will definitely help you then."

Nakano Ryoko didn't say anything more, smiled softly, and nodded lightly.

"okay."

She stood up and took steps.

"Then it's almost time for me to say goodbye to everyone. Goodbye, Yuu-kun, take care."

She waved gently, turned and left.

…