Oh no! They all seem a bit off!

Chapter 168 Changes in Akizuki Makoto
After playing with the cats at the pier, Akizuki Makoto drove her to the sea breakwater and strolled along the beach with her shoes on.

The cool seawater washed over my ankles, and the hard, gritty feeling of my feet sinking into the sand was incredibly comforting.

"By the way, how have you been lately? Are you alright?"

Akizuki Makoto suddenly realized that he hadn't taken the initiative to inquire about Ji Yexue's recent situation, so he asked her about it.

"Why ask this now? Your sudden concern for me makes me feel a little uncomfortable."

Ji Yexue glanced at Qiu Yuecheng walking beside her and sneered, "Don't worry, how could this little bit of pressure possibly break me?"

"I believe you."

Akizuki nodded slightly, but felt that this was not quite right, so he added, "But I will always worry about you."

"you……"

Upon hearing this, Ji Yexue's eyes widened slightly as she looked at Qiu Yuecheng in astonishment, quite surprised that he could say such a thing.

Akizuki Makoto realized that what he had said was quite embarrassing, so he lowered his head and awkwardly touched his nose to hide his embarrassment.

At this moment, Ji Yexue's heart fluttered, pounding like a drum, filling her ears with the noisy sound of her heartbeat.

"..."

"..."

For a long time afterward, Ji Yexue and Qiuyue Cheng fell into a deathly silence, an indescribable and ambiguous feeling spreading in their hearts.

Ji Yexue truly felt that she had entered Qiuyue Cheng's heart, and Qiuyue Cheng also began to realize and accept her existence.

"Let's go back, it's almost time."

After walking around, Akizuki suggested going back, breaking the silence.

Ji Yexue nodded gently, turned her body to the side, sat on the back of the motorcycle, wrapped her arms around Qiu Yuecheng's waist, and pressed her face against his broad back.

She closed her eyes, enjoying the hot summer breeze and the sense of peace she felt as she nestled against Akizuki Makoto.

The only convenience store on the island is located inside the residential area. It is run by an elderly woman and has many simple snacks for five or ten yen. There is a freezer and refrigerator at the entrance.

The freezer was full of ice cream and popsicles, mostly from unknown brands, and very cheap, costing only around 100 yen.

"I miss watermelon popsicles so much."

Makoto Akizuki took out a watermelon-shaped popsicle from the freezer and exclaimed, "I've never seen a popsicle like this in Tokyo before, not even in every convenience store."

"When we get back, I'll buy this brand and let you eat your fill."

Ji Yexue also took a watermelon popsicle, remembered the brand on the packaging, and decided to mention to her mother when she got back that she wanted to buy it so that convenience stores in Tokyo could sell this kind of watermelon popsicle.

"That's too much, please don't do that."

Qiu Yuecheng was startled; he had no doubt about the truth of Ji Yexue's words.

This young lady's assets are probably enough to buy half of Tokyo. Buying a small ice cream brand would be a piece of cake for her.

"Hey, isn't this Xiao Cheng? Long time no see."

While the two were buying popsicles and ice cream from other customers, an elderly woman sitting behind the counter noticed them and came out to greet them.

"Grandma, it's been a long time! How have you been?"

Akizuki Makoto responded with a smile, inquiring about the health of the nearly eighty-year-old woman.

"Hehe, that's great."

The old lady looked at Ji Yexue next to Qiu Yuecheng and asked with a smile, "A new face, huh? Would you like to get this child some Hawaiian shaved ice?"

"Ah, then I'll have one."

Akizuki Makoto immediately understood what the old lady meant and nodded in agreement.

"Okay, I'll take one million yen from you."

"One million yen?"

After the old lady quoted the price, Ji Yexue frowned, wondering if she had misheard.

What kind of shaved ice is this? It can sell for a million yen. Is it made of gold?
"Here, one million yen."

Akizuki Makoto took a 100-yen coin out of his pocket and handed it to the old lady.

Upon seeing this, Ji Yexue suddenly realized that the two of them were joking.

She said, "How could a serving of shaved ice possibly cost one million yen?"

The moment she had this thought, the old lady nodded and said slowly, "Yes, you still owe 999,900 yen."

"Are you serious? You're not joking?"

Ji Yexue couldn't help but ask a question, but Qiuyue Cheng just laughed and explained, "This is the old lady's two-part joke. If people from our island bring their friends, they will make this kind of joke."

"I see."

Ji Yexue nodded, secretly thinking to herself, "It seems like the people on this island have no sense of humor at all; they only have a morbid sense of humor."

This two-part joke isn't funny at all; it just makes people feel scared, like they've stumbled upon a shady business.

Especially on a small island surrounded by the sea where you are unfamiliar with the place.

"What flavor of shaved ice would you like? We have four flavors: Hawaiian, strawberry, honeydew melon, and blue Hawaiian."

"Hmm... let's go with Hawaii."

"Hehe, actually they all taste the same, only the coloring paste is different."

The old woman chuckled as she took ice blocks from the freezer, returned to the counter, and started shaving ice with a shaver.

Akizuki Makoto, who was standing nearby, explained, "This is a three-part joke."

"Haha...this joke is really funny."

Ji Yexue gave a forced laugh, her smile devoid of any genuine joy, leaving her speechless.

"Should we buy some more snacks to take back? I'll bring some for Dongzi, she loves them."

As he spoke, Akizuki Makoto walked into the store and came to the shelf.

The shelves here are filled with a wide variety of simple snacks, things you'd never find in Tokyo's convenience stores or supermarkets.

Such as kabayaki tarou, fruit mochi, pickled plum, kelp rolls, delicious sticks, soybean sticks...

These are all individually packaged, with each one priced between five and fifty yen.

Here, you can buy a whole bag of things for 500 yen. Fuyuko used to love coming here to buy snacks.

From a young age, she was a glutton, and it's unknown whether her tastes became more discerning after moving to Tokyo.

Ji Yexue looked at the pastries on the shelf with little interest, but still picked up a few, even though she wasn't interested.

She's already tired of even the most delicious snacks, and she's not a glutton, otherwise she wouldn't have such a perfect figure.

She strictly controls her weight and daily calorie intake to ensure that her body has no unnecessary excess fat.

Not only does she prevent excess fat from accumulating in areas like her stomach and abdomen, she also strictly controls the muscles in her legs.

"Xiao Cheng, the shaved ice is ready." While the two were choosing snacks, the old lady had also finished making the shaved ice, pouring a full bowl of blue sauce and condensed milk on top.

"Thank you, mother-in-law."

Akizuki Makoto took the shaved ice, handed it to Hime Yuki, then paid for the snacks and popsicles he had bought for them and left the convenience store.

The convenience store wasn't far from Akizuki's house; it only took them five or six minutes by motorcycle to get home and distribute the things they had bought to the girls who had been waiting for a long time.

Akizuki Makoto bought a lot of popsicles and ice cream. Since he couldn't eat them all, he could store them in the refrigerator and avoid waste.

"Why is it that only the student council president gets shaved ice!"

Rie Niijima noticed that Himeya Yuki's shaved ice was unique, and she protested in dissatisfaction.

Upon hearing this, Ji Yexue glanced at her and chuckled, "This shaved ice costs one million yen a serving, do you want some?"

"One million yen?!"

Upon hearing this, the Shiina trio's eyes widened in disbelief as they looked at Akizuki Makoto and asked, "This shaved ice really costs one million yen?"

"Yes, you really want to. If you want to eat it, I'll take you to buy it."

Akizuki Makoto suppressed a laugh and nodded in agreement with a serious expression.

Fortunately, Qiuyue's mother is not here, otherwise she would have scolded Qiuyue Cheng for joking without any limits.

Clearly, the Shiina trio had completely misunderstood, believing that this shaved ice should cost one million yen, but at the same time they were also curious as to why it could be so expensive.

After that, Qiuyue's mother heard about the incident and laughed as she explained the reason to them. Only then did they realize that they had been tricked!

……

night.

After dinner, everyone said goodbye to Qiuyue's parents and prepared to return to the yacht in the harbor for the night.

Akizuki's house is still too small, with only four rooms in total, including an uncleaned storage room.

Come again tomorrow!

Qiuyue's mother watched the group leave, her gaze filled with warmth and a gentle smile on her face.

As she watched Akizuki Makoto walking in the center surrounded by a group of beautiful young women, she couldn't help but feel a surge of emotions once again.

"Only when it comes to relationships, he's a troublesome child..."

She muttered to herself, turned around to go back, but heard the neighbor's gate creak open.

"A small gift?"

Akizuki's mother instinctively stopped and turned her head to look. When she saw that the person coming out of the yard was Shimizu Rei, she exclaimed in surprise.

"what……"

When Shimizu Rei heard someone calling her, she immediately turned around and her eyes met those of Akizuki's mother.

At that moment, she panicked a little and hurriedly called out with her head down, "Good evening, Auntie."

Good evening, Xiao Li.

Qiuyue's mother nodded slightly and said softly, "Xiaoli, I'm so sorry that my foolish son has hurt you. I apologize to you."

When Akizuki Makoto returned last time, Shimizu Rei went directly to the port of Takamatsu City to pick him up, but this time, not only did she not pick him up, she didn't even visit him.

How could she, as a mother, not know that the two of them had a fight and were having a disagreement?
"No, that's not true! Auntie, please don't say or think that way!"

Shimizu Rei lowered her head in trepidation and bowed ninety degrees to Akizuki's mother, saying apologetically, "I should be the one apologizing. I'm sorry, Auntie, for making you worry."

What happened that day was something that not only Akizuki Makoto couldn't let go of, but she was also trapped by it.

She also deeply regretted doing such a despicable and shameless thing in a moment of impulse.

What's the point of doing that? It would only be the final blow to completely destroy the relationship and leave scars on each other's hearts.

Akizuki Makoto wouldn't develop any feelings for her because of her forceful advances; he would only feel disgust towards her.

After all, what he hates most is deception and coercion; these are two things he cannot tolerate.

If it were her, and she suffered such treatment, she would probably be traumatized for the rest of her life.

Her actions were undoubtedly blatant crimes; she was a criminal without a doubt, and even she herself could not forgive herself for what she had done.

Therefore, when Qiuyue's mother, who was completely unaware of the situation, bowed her head and apologized to her, she felt only regret and pain.

Ever since returning from Tokyo, she has been avoiding the Akizuki family, because every time she sees Akizuki's parents' faces, she is reminded of how ugly and filthy she is.

"Xiao Li, if possible, give Xiao Cheng a chance and let him talk to you."

Qiuyue's mother smiled gently, still wanting to help the two reconcile.

Looking at that smile, Shimizu Rei felt on the verge of collapse, but she could only force herself to force out an extremely ugly smile.

"Yes, thank you, Auntie, thank you for your trouble."

After saying this, she bowed deeply to Qiuyue's mother again, then turned and fled into the courtyard.

The moment she entered the courtyard, she could no longer hold back and broke down. She squatted on the ground, covered her head with her hands, and kept muttering to herself.

"sorry Sorry…"

"Auntie...I'm so sorry...I'm so sorry..."

"I'm sorry... Acheng... I'm sorry..."

At this moment, Shimizu Rei's mind was filled with the gentle smiling face of Akizuki's mother, which caused her great torment and pain.

If Qiuyue's mother knew the truth, she couldn't imagine what kind of terrifying expression that gentle person would show.

The thought of such a thing made her tremble with fear, her stomach clenched, and a strong feeling of nausea made her dizzy.

It took her a long time to calm down, and she finally stood up from the ground, her body trembling as she walked into the courtyard and returned home.

She walked straight through the living room, went into the bathroom, took off her clothes, and became completely naked.

then……

She touched the row of clear and deep bite marks on her shoulder, and could still vaguely feel a trace of pain.

These bite marks were given to her by Akizuki Makoto, and she also asked for them willingly.

She was the one who left Qiuyue Cheng with a scar on her body that would never disappear until her death, wanting to remember him and this day.

After all, from this day forward, she would lose Akizuki Makoto forever.

Having committed such a crime, she could no longer face Akizuki Makoto and could only live her life filled with guilt and pain.

But one by one
When she went outside and saw Akizuki Makoto walking with a group of beautiful young women, she felt a nameless self-mockery and despair rising within her.

She had thought that Akizuki Makoto was also unable to let go of what happened that day, but it seemed that she was overthinking it.

She was treated as if she were insignificant; Akizuki Makoto neither tried to contact her nor took the initiative to look for her, completely ignoring her.

He even brazenly brought his ambiguous female friend from Tokyo back to this island filled with their memories.

(End of this chapter)