Saijo no Osewa ~ Takane no Hana [LN] - Prologue

Prologue

One of the top three prestigious schools in Japan – The Imperial Academy of Fine Arts.

In the past, the school’s alumni have become prime ministers, presidents of famous corporations, and other people who have played key roles in the nation’s central infrastructure, and even today, lots of children from wealthy families are enrolled there.

The students are almost always divided into two groups: politicians and businessmen. The content of the classes is inevitably advanced. At the Imperial Academy, there are always top-notch classes taught by top-notch teachers.

However, even in such a school, there is still a caste system in place.　

Right now, there is one girl who reigns at the top of the Imperial Academy.

Her total assets are about 300 trillion yen.　

Everyone in the country knows about the financial conglomerate family – the KonoHana Group.

She is the daughter of the aforementioned group: Konohana Hinako.　

[Konohana-san, have a good day.]

[Have a good day.]

Her amber hair fluttered in the wind, and she greeted them with a smile.　

[Ah, she’s beautiful as always… Konohana-san.]

[I’ll be happy for the rest of the year just by being in the same class as her…]

The girl walked through the academy with her back straight, emitting a sense of elegance.

[Hey, Konohana-san! After school today, I’m holding a party at the garden. …If you’d like to join, please let me know]

[Sounds wonderful. I’ll definitely participate.]

[Konohana-san. There was something I didn’t understand in the class the other day…]

[If it’s something I can help with, I’ll be glad to.]

She has a beautiful appearance, is well educated, and is a good student. To some, she is known as the perfect young lady.

She is popular and always surrounded by people, and I was watching her from afar.

[Hey, my friend, you’ve been watching Konohana-san again?]

A male student sitting next to me called out to me.

[…Did I get caught?]

[Stop that. As expected, she’s an unattainable flower huh?] 

Unattainable flower huh…　

As the only commoner in the academy, all the girls here are too high spec for me.

[Anyways, we’re moving to the next class. I want to stop by the bathroom, so I’ll go first]

With that, my friend left the classroom.

It’s now recess time, and after all my classmates left the classroom, I slowly approached her.

[Konohana-san, we need to get moving or we won’t make it in time]

She and I  were the only two people in the classroom.

The girl, who’s known as the perfect young lady, remained still and did not move a muscle.

[Konohana-san?]

[…My name]

[…This is no time to be selfish. Come on, come on]

[My name]

Her tone got stronger.

I made sure that there was no one around, and decided to comply with her request.

[…Hinako. Let’s get going]

When I said this, her face broke into a smile.

[Ehehe~]

She was far from being a perfect lady, and looked full of life.

She slowly raised her upper body and turned her hands towards me.

[Carry me]

[…Please don’t do that. What would you do if someone saw you?]

[I don’t mind…]

[I’ll be killed by the Konohana family]

As I said this, she pouted her lips.　

[I don’t want to go to class]

[This is a waste of time]

[I want to go home. I want to sleep. I want to eat potato chips]

[I’ll get you some chips when we get back to the mansion, just get moving]

[Nooo…]

I let out a sigh as she just wouldn’t move.

It’s no use. I’ll have to pull her out of the classroom.

Just as I was thinking, the door to the classroom suddenly opened with a bang.

[Oh, you’re both still here? Next is moving classes, remember?]

The homeroom teacher said, looking at me and Hinako who remained in the classroom.

[Oh, no, it’s just…]

[I’m sorry. I was talking to Tomonari-kun because I had some questions about the class]

While I was struggling to come up with an excuse, she made up a situation.. The expression on her face was not that of a sweet, innocent girl, but of a perfect young lady known to the students of the academy.

[Is that so? I’m impressed that you still study hard even during breaks]

The teacher nodded satisfied with her response.

[What’s wrong Tomonari-kun? Let’s head to the next class]

[…Yes]

As always, in front of other people, she carries out a perfect performance.

I nodded my head and left the classroom with her.

I’m not smart nor am I a genius, and my family is the exact opposite of wealthy.

How did I, a plain, ordinary, commoner end up attending a prestigious school?

To know that, I need to explain what happened a month ago.

The whole thing started when I became the caretaker of Hinako Konohana.