Oh no! They all seem a bit off!

Chapter 157 Dongzi Provides a Solution

"Is there really no way to help Shiraishi-chan?"

Shiina Maki kept wiping away her tears, and said sadly, "It wasn't easy to become friends with Shiraishi-chan, and I don't want to lose her."

"Let's wait and see; there's no other way to solve this right now."

"Woo..."

Afterwards, Shiina Maki was sad for a while before she stopped crying and began to eat dinner with tears in her eyes.

She ate the meal without any appetite, her mind preoccupied with how to help Shiraishi Rin.

But as Makoto Akizuki said, there seems to be no way to deal with this situation, because it falls into the category of superpowers.

Although she possesses superpowers, she cannot interfere with other superpowers.

After finishing her meal, Shiina Maki left Akizuki's house and went back to the neighboring house, where she secluded herself.

Makoto Akizuki couldn't say anything about it; that was just Shiina Maki's personality, and comforting her would be pointless.

"Ugh, this is such a headache..."

Akizuki Makoto covered his head with one hand and sighed deeply. He now had to consider not only how to help Shiraishi Rin resolve the abnormal situation that was happening to her, but also whether his help was really meaningful.

The Shiraishi Rin he wanted to save wasn't the Shiraishi Rin in her original form.

Just as Ji Yexue said, as long as it is left unattended, once the original body dies, the clones will no longer be produced.

"Brother, why are you sighing again?"

Sitting next to him, Dongzi heard his sigh, leaned on his lap, tilted her head up, and said, "Didn't you say before that if you sigh and look gloomy all the time, happiness will slip away?"

Upon hearing this, Akizuki Makoto paused for a moment before smiling and saying, "Yes, that's true. I'm sorry to have worried Touko."

"It's okay, brother. If you have any troubles, you can come to Dongzi. Dongzi will help you solve them."

Dongzi smiled happily and said softly, "I can solve all of your troubles, brother."

As long as Akizuki Makoto speaks up, she can immediately resolve Shiraishi Rin's matter.

But Makoto Akizuki would never do that. Not to mention anything else, he doesn't know that Touko's superpower has evolved from modifying common sense into a power of words that can distort everything.

If she wanted to, she could immediately end the abnormality happening to Shiraishi Rin.

She can also disable all other people's superpowers.

"It's enough that Dongzi has this intention."

Akizuki Makoto smiled and gently stroked Touko's head, saying softly, "But this is my business, so leave it to me."

He didn't take Dongzi's words as a joke to encourage or comfort him.

He had always trusted Dongzi, and Dongzi never exaggerated or lied.

Since Dongzi said there was a way to solve it, there must be a way. However, he didn't want to involve Dongzi anymore, since she wasn't a member of the Light Music Club.

but……

Akizuki Makoto couldn't help but ask, "Touko, what do you think is a way to resolve this?"

He was just asking out of curiosity and didn't really have any hope.

"Well……"

After thinking for a while, Dongzi replied, "The solution is very simple: just get them to acknowledge and accept each other."

Surprisingly, Dongzi actually came up with a solution.

"what?"

Akizuki Makoto's eyes widened in surprise, and he asked with a mixture of astonishment and doubt, "Touko, how did you know?"

He wasn't doubting whether Dongzi's method was feasible; rather, he was surprised and confused because he felt that Dongzi's answer was correct.

When he needed help, Dongzi always gave him the right guidance, and she never made a mistake.

Even at crucial moments, Dongzi would directly help and support him, even if he didn't ask for help.

"Dongzi sensed it."

"Feeling...?"

Akizuki Makoto was at a loss for words. He had a feeling that things weren't so simple and that Fuyuko was hiding something, but he didn't want to suspect Fuyuko.

He never doubted that Dongzi would lie to him, because Dongzi had promised him that they would be completely honest with each other.

If it weren't for the system's obligation to maintain confidentiality, which would result in his elimination if he revealed it, he would have revealed the system's existence to Dongzi without hesitation.

"Brother, give me a hug."

Fuyuko seemed to sense Akizuki Makoto's confusion, so she used a cute tactic to divert his attention.

She sat up and sat on Qiuyue Cheng's lap, hugged him, and nestled in his arms.

Compared to Akizuki Makoto's height of over 1.8 meters, her body appeared quite petite.

She is about 1.58 meters tall, with a small frame and is very thin, truly like a delicate porcelain doll.

Feeling the warmth in his arms, Akizuki Makoto dispelled his doubts and placed his hand on Fuyuko's head, gently stroking it, his fingertips running through strands of her long, dark, and lustrous hair.

Dongzi suddenly asked, "Brother, are you going back to our hometown during summer vacation?"

"..."

Faced with Fuyuko's question, Akizuki Makoto paused briefly in surprise and then sighed softly, "Of course I have to go back. There are reasons why I have to."

"Are you talking about Sister Li?"

Dongzi looked up at the gloom on her brother's face and said softly, "A couple of days ago, Dongzi called Sister Li. She kept apologizing, saying that she had done something to hurt her brother."

Has Li spoken to you on the phone?

Akizuki Makoto's eyes widened slightly, somewhat surprised by the news, yet also feeling speechless.

Even now, Shimizu Rei is still avoiding him and refuses to face him.

Is she really going to run away from this for the rest of her life? If she dared to do it, why doesn't she have the courage to face the consequences?

She has already done the worst and most heinous thing, so why is she afraid to accept the consequences?

The die is cast. Akizuki Makoto didn't want to condemn Shimizu Rei; he just wanted to talk to her and end their relationship.

He couldn't accept Shimizu Rei's actions, nor could he forgive her.

Shimizu Rei not only lied to him, but also used superpowers on him.

"Sister Li told me not to tell you, I'm sorry, brother."

Dongzi looked apologetic, hugged Qiuyuecheng tightly, and rested her little head against his chest.

"What else did she say?"

Akizuki Makoto's breathing quickened slightly, and a hint of tension crept into his heart.

"For example... what specific things did she do to offend me?"

No.

Dongzi shook her head and replied, "Sister Li didn't say anything, she just kept apologizing, and then she hung up the phone."

"That's it..."

Akizuki Makoto breathed a sigh of relief; he was afraid that Shimizu Rei would reveal everything that had happened between them.

...Although he didn't know why he was afraid. Even if Dongzi knew, she probably wouldn't understand.

What he didn't know was that Dongzi actually knew everything all along; she already knew in advance what would happen that day.

But she still didn't stop Akizuki Makoto, because it was a necessary step for him to achieve happiness in the future.

"Hasn't brother and sister Li made up yet?"

"...It seems we'll never get back together; we can no longer be friends."

"That's it."

Dongzi nodded, said nothing more, and quietly nestled in Qiuyue's arms.

Akizuki Makoto quietly held Fuyuko in his arms, enjoying this rare moment of peace.

After hugging for a while, Akizuki Makoto told Touko to take a bath, while he cleaned up the dishes and washed them before taking a bath himself.

Tonight, he didn't practice guitar, nor did he hear the faint singing coming from next door.

Akizuki Makoto went to bed very early, around nine o'clock, but he actually fell asleep, probably after midnight.

He lay in bed early, not to sleep, but to rest comfortably, relax his body, and then think about all sorts of things.

First, I need to think about the solution that Dongzi mentioned.

The original and its copy must recognize and accept each other.

It sounds simple at first glance, but it is actually very difficult.

The original entity cannot recognize, much less accept, a copy.

Even if you tell her that this is the only way to resolve their strange situation, the original Shiraishi Rin would never accept the clone.

If it's not genuine recognition and acceptance from the bottom of one's heart, then it's meaningless.

But to get Shiraishi Rin, who is more jealous and hateful of the clone than everyone else in the world combined, to accept the clone and embrace her, is an impossible task.

No wonder Dongzi said that if I need any help, I should just ask her.

If she were to take action, all she would need to do is use her superpowers to change the common sense about her original self.

However, Makoto Akizuki would never allow Touko to use her superpowers. He would rather be unable to save Rin Shiraishi in the end than use Touko's superpowers.

At least, that's his current thought; he prioritizes Fuyuko over Shiraishi Rin.

For him, Dongzi was always the highest priority, and no one could compare to her.

Just as Dongzi cherished him and regarded him as the most important person, he also regarded Dongzi as the most important person in his life.

While pondering these random thoughts, Akizuki Makoto unknowingly fell asleep, his consciousness sinking into dreamland.

Tonight, he had a dream about Dongzi again, which he hadn't had in a long time, but this dream wasn't about what had happened in the past; it was more like a fantasy.

In his dream, he and Dongzi were forgotten by the whole world. They lived alone, like invisible people. No one cared about them, and no matter what they did, no one noticed them.

……

……

The next day, at 6:45 a.m.

"Well……"

Upon waking up, Akizuki Makoto recalled the events of his dream and couldn't help but chuckle.

He hadn't had such an absurd dream in a long time, dreaming that he and Dongzi were forgotten by the whole world, living a life of loneliness and dependence on each other.

What a joke! They have family and many friends, which they cannot give up.

After he woke up, Fuyuko, who was sleeping beside him and snuggling close to him, opened her eyes a little while later as well.

"elder brother……"

She rubbed her sleepy eyes, called out subconsciously, and then said indistinctly, "Brother, Dongzi had a really strange dream. In the dream, my brother and I became invisible, and everyone ignored us."

"What a coincidence, I had the same dream too. Could it be that our dreams are connected?"

Surprised, Akizuki Makoto laughed again and continued, "Dreams and reality are opposites, you know. Touko and I are remembered by many people."

"Hmm...is that so?"

After giving a confused reply, Dongzi said softly, "It's okay for Dongzi to have a brother, so this kind of dream is fine too."

Her thought remained unchanged: as long as her brother was there, that was enough.

Her brother will take care of her; she only needs her brother to survive.

Without her brother, she didn't know how she would survive.

It wouldn't be an exaggeration to call her a good-for-nothing who relies on her brother.

"What nonsense are you talking about? Get up, wash up, and wake up."

Akizuki smiled dismissively, not taking Fuyuko's words seriously.

"Brother, go carry Dongzi."

Dongzi continued to act coquettishly, opening her arms to Qiuyue Cheng, who then leaned in, allowing Dongzi to hug his neck.

Then, he lifted Dongzi by her legs, carried her to the bathroom, and they washed up together.

After washing their faces and brushing their teeth together, they went back to the bedroom to change clothes, and then went to the kitchen to make breakfast and prepare lunch boxes.

In the past few days, Dongzi seems to have developed a strong interest in cooking. Every time he cooks, Dongzi watches and helps out.

Akizuki Makoto had no objections, but he was worried that Touko might hurt herself. He didn't want Touko to suffer even the slightest injury.

He doesn't want to cut his finger while chopping vegetables or get splattered with hot oil while cooking.

After they finished doing all that, they sat down together to eat breakfast and then went out together.

When Akizuki and her brother left for school, they didn't run into Shiina Maki again. They guessed that she must have had a bad night and tossed and turned all night.

Akizuki Makoto suddenly remembered that he had been spending his lunch break in the student council room for the past few days, so he said, "I haven't had lunch with Touko lately. Does Touko feel lonely?"

“No.”

Dongzi shook her head and smiled sweetly, "Dongzi eats breakfast and dinner with her brother every day, so she won't feel lonely just because she doesn't eat lunch together anymore."

"Does Dongzi eat lunch with friends these days? Besides the Fengling sisters, is there anyone else?"

"Yes, there were two other people. We ate together in the classroom."

"Good……"

Akizuki nodded, and placed his hand on Dongzi's head, stroking it with satisfaction.

Once again, he felt that Dongzi had become a capable and reliable younger sister who no longer needed his worry.

He used to worry that Dongzi would be able to make friends after coming to school, since she was timid, shy, and introverted by nature.

Now it seems that this was completely unnecessary worry; Dongzi is no longer the Dongzi he remembered.

During the year they couldn't meet, Dongzi had changed a lot and grown a lot.

"...Why are you thinking about etiquette again?"

Akizuki Makoto muttered to himself, unconsciously tightening his grip on the hand he was holding with Touko.

When the topic of not seeing each other for a year came up, he couldn't help but think of Shimizu Rei.

(End of this chapter)