great-warnovel Chapter 393 Happy Graduation
Chapter 393 Happy Graduation
After the graduation ceremony, the students left the auditorium in an orderly manner under the guidance of their teachers.
The sun was shining brightly outside, and many parents and students were already taking photos in the open space in front of the auditorium. Some were holding bouquets of flowers, some were carrying graduation certificates, and others were looking for a spot for their class to take a group photo.
The third-year A group was also arranged to take graduation photos.
Ayako, clutching her graduation certificate, was about to go over with Satsuki and Reiko. But Reiko suddenly stopped.
"Saionji-kun."
Satsuki turned her head.
Ayako also stopped.
Reiko stood there, her fingers gripping the edge of her graduation certificate, but the expression on her face was no longer as fleeting as it had been in the auditorium.
Ayako glanced at Reiko, then at Satsuki, and quickly realized that she should probably leave.
"I'll go check how far the photo-taking line goes."
She spoke very naturally, and even pointed to Sugiura Sawako, who was greeting students not far away.
"Saionji-kun, Reiko, I'll be waiting for you over there."
Satsuki nodded to her.
"Thank you for your hard work, Yoshino-kun."
Ayako whispered that it was okay, then left with her graduation certificate.
Satsuki looked at Reiko.
"Hmm? What's wrong?"
Reiko glanced around.
The crowd continued moving towards the photo spot, and the corridor on the side of the auditorium became relatively quieter. Satsuki didn't let her stay where she was, and turned to walk a few steps towards the corridor. Reiko followed, and the two stopped in a corner away from the crowd.
From here, you can see the lively scene of students taking photos in the distance, and you can also hear the parents exchanging greetings, but by the time these sounds reach here, they have already dissipated considerably.
Satsuki leaned against the corridor, looking at Reiko.
"Speak."
"that is……"
Reiko lowered her eyes, somewhat afraid to look at her.
"Although Saionji-kun may already know, I still feel I should tell you in person."
She paused, as if searching for the most appropriate way to begin.
"The Qinghe Society..."
"The Qinghe Society has sent a high-ranking member, is that right?"
Satsuki interrupted her.
Reiko slowly raised her head.
"So you already knew..."
"Um."
Satsuki responded, but her brows furrowed slightly, as if she was hesitating about something.
Reiko's heart jumped.
She had originally thought that Satsuki would directly ask what had happened, or what Seiichiro Isogawa had to say. But Satsuki didn't ask any of those questions.
She suddenly looked at Reiko and asked:
"And what about you? What are your thoughts?"
Reiko was unable to answer immediately.
"I……"
Satsuki still had a slight smile on her lips, and her tone was about the same as usual.
"Would you betray me?"
Reiko froze.
The words were spoken very casually, without even being raised in volume. Yet, Reiko felt a chill run down her spine, as if she had been dragged out of the graduation ceremony's festivities and placed directly on a dividing line.
She spoke almost immediately.
"Won't!"
She herself felt a little anxious when she spoke.
She looked at Satsuki, her gaze much firmer than before.
"The Isogawa family, including myself, will not betray Saionji-kun."
Satsuki looked at her.
"Then why did you only come to see me now? Don't you trust me?"
Reiko's face paled slightly.
Satsuki narrowed her eyes slightly.
"Or is it because you and Naoto Takashina are old friends, and you can't bear to do it?"
"This...I..."
Reiko's voice lowered.
She wanted to explain, but when the words reached her lips, she realized she had nothing to say. The place Satsuki mentioned was exactly the place she had been avoiding for the past few days.
Satsuki's tone gradually turned somber.
"I understand this time, but what about next time?"
"What if our hesitation causes us to miss another opportunity next time?"
This was the first time Reiko had ever heard Satsuki speak in such a tone; it was completely unlike the gentle and considerate girl she usually was.
This also shows that Satsuki is truly angry this time.
But this actually calmed Reiko down.
Satsuki is right.
She knew that Naoto Takashina had sided with the Seiwakai, and she knew that she should tell Satsuki about this as soon as possible. But when it came time to speak, she was held back by her past memories.
She was just making excuses for herself, hiding her hesitation behind reasons like "wait a little longer," "ask Grandfather first," and "we'll talk about it after the graduation ceremony."
That was the mistake she made.
She didn't separate her emotions from what she really needed to do.
Reiko lowered her head deeply.
"I'm so sorry, Lord Satsuki."
She paused for a moment before continuing:
"Naoto Takashina and I have known each other since we were little. I can't lie to you that we're just casual acquaintances. In fact, we've been very close since elementary school."
"It wasn't until junior high school that our paths started to diverge, and we started to see each other less."
Satsuki did not interrupt her.
Reiko raised her head and met Satsuki's gaze.
"However, when he stands opposite us, our past relationship should have come to an end."
"This has nothing to do with right or wrong, it's just a matter of perspective."
She lowered her head again as she said this.
"My hesitation these past few days has affected my judgment. Thank you for reminding me today."
"Please punish me."
The corridor fell silent.
The photographer's voice, urging the students to come closer, drifted from a distance, along with Ayako's responses when someone called her. The sounds weren't far, but Reiko felt as if she were in another place.
The air in March still carried the chill of early spring.
But her palms were already sweating.
Satsuki remained silent.
Reiko lowered her head, waiting for her answer. She didn't know how Satsuki would deal with her, nor how much of Satsuki's trust she would lose this time.
However, in any case, I no longer have the right to make any excuses for this matter.
After a long time, Satsuki finally spoke.
"Raise your head."
Reiko slowly raised her head.
What appeared before her was a white envelope.
The envelope was very thin, and the seal wasn't even completely closed, as if Satsuki had prepared it all along, just waiting for her to finish saying what she needed to say.
Reiko was stunned.
Satsuki handed her the envelope.
"Happy graduation, Reiko."
Reiko instinctively reached out and took it with both hands.
Before she could ask what it was, Satsuki had already turned and walked towards the direction where the photo was taken.
Reiko bent down and opened the envelope.
There were only a few copies inside.
The title on the top page is very eye-catching.
Complaint Handling Control
Reiko's gaze shifted downwards.
Defendant: Masaomi Takashina.
Related legal entity: Takashige Kosan Co., Ltd.
The allegations include: violations of the Political Funds Regulation Act, false records, roundabout donations, and suspected special dereliction of duty.
The receiving agency is the Special Investigation Department of the Tokyo District Public Prosecutors Office.
Reiko's fingers stopped.
She understood the meaning of the document almost instantly.
The high-ranking families are finished.
Since the Saionji family submitted the documents to the Special Investigation Department, it means they must have been confident in their abilities to do so; and every charge on those documents is enough to bring the Takashina family to ruin.
The document had a second page, and logically, there was no need to read the rest, but Reiko still turned to the second page.
The main text on the second page is quite long and uses a lot of complex terminology. But it can be summarized in one sentence—the Qinghe Society has already cut ties with the higher-ranking families.
The Takashina family reached out to test the Isogawa family on behalf of the Seiwakai, but in the end, the Seiwakai itself removed them from the faction.
The matter that had troubled the Isogawa family for so long was now in Satsuki's hands.
When Reiko looked up, Satsuki had already walked away.
She could only see Satsuki's back.
Satsuki didn't turn around, but simply waved to her.
"Come take your graduation photos!"
Her voice was as composed as it had been on the podium, yet it carried a touch more of the lightheartedness expected of a graduation ceremony.
"Although I didn't spend much time at school, I was very happy."
Reiko stood there, unable to describe the feeling in her heart.
She gripped the document tightly in her hand, looked up at the sky, and took a deep breath.
She didn't want the tears in her eyes to fall.
"Thank you, Lady Satsuki."
She finished speaking in a low voice, closed the envelope again, and hugged it to her graduation certificate.
In the distance, Satsuki had already walked up to Ayako. Ayako didn't know what had happened, but when she saw Reiko still standing there, she quickly waved to her.
"Reiko, hurry up!"
Satsuki turned to the side and looked at her with a smile.
Reiko wiped her eyes and smiled, then jogged after him.
"Yes, Lord Satsuki."