Oh no! They all seem a bit off!

Chapter 169 Qiu Yue's Sincere Doubts and Contradictions

Back on the yacht in port, everyone packed their changes of clothes and went to the showers.

In this sweltering summer heat, even doing nothing will make you sweat profusely, especially since they had walked a long mountain path around noon and were already covered in sweat.

Qiuyue's family didn't have air conditioning either, so they could only use a fan, but it was still unbearably hot.

Akizuki Makoto took a shower to refresh himself, and then, with his hair still wet, walked to the railing by the deck, enjoying the cool sea breeze of the night as he gazed at the boundless, deep sea.

“Autumn Moon Lord”.

Just as Akizuki Makoto was staring blankly at the sea, a soft voice suddenly called out from behind him.

Looking back, there was Shiraishi Rin, wearing a pink bunny pajama set.

She walked slowly with her long hair down, leaving a pleasant fragrance in her wake.

"It's Shiraishi."

Akizuki nodded, withdrew his gaze, and continued to look at the deep, boundless sea in front of him.

Although he was somewhat puzzled as to why Shiraishi Rin would come to him alone, he didn't need to ask to find out the answer.

Maybe he just wanted to see the sea. If he specifically asked Shiraishi Rin what he wanted, wouldn't he seem presumptuous?

A few seconds later, Shiraishi Rin walked to his side and gazed at the sea with him, saying, "Akizuki-kun, do you remember what I said before?"

"Ok?"

Upon hearing this, Akizuki Makoto tried hard to recall, but he really couldn't remember what Shiraishi Rin had told him before.

However, it's normal that he doesn't remember, since the "things that Shiraishi Rin mentioned before" happened a long time ago.

After pondering for a long time without coming up with a solution, Akizuki Makoto could only look apologetically and say, "I'm sorry, I don't remember."

"It's nothing, it's really not a big deal, and it's been a while since then."

Shiraishi Rin waved his hand and chuckled, "Actually, as I mentioned before, I wanted to repay Akizuki-kun, but I didn't know if you could give me that opportunity."

"How do you plan to repay me?"

Akizuki Makoto smiled and said, "I don't lack money, nor do I want anything. It seems I don't need you to repay me."

"I know that Akizuki-kun has nothing to lack, but I just want to thank you and Fuyuko. It is you who gave me a new life."

Shiraishi Rin lowered his head and said sincerely, "So please give me a chance to repay you. I will do anything."

"Then you should just focus on doing your job well. You can't just say things like 'I can do anything.' What if the other person has ulterior motives? That would be a real problem."

Upon hearing this, Shiraishi Rin looked up, blinked, and smiled, "Is Akizuki-kun worried about me? Don't worry, I would only say such things to Akizuki-kun, because I believe that Akizuki-kun is not that kind of person."

"Don't think too highly of me."

Akizuki Makoto sighed helplessly. He wished he could have a lower moral standard, so he could have done whatever he wanted to Shiraishi Rin, who had said "I'll do anything."

"Akizuki-kun is a gentle person, and he does things in a gentle way. I can't help but think too highly of him."

At this point, Shiraishi Rin paused, then continued, "In my memory, Akizuki-kun has helped me a lot, even when it came to the side of me that I disliked, he still extended a helping hand without holding a grudge."

"..."

When this topic came up, Akizuki Makoto fell silent.

Occasionally, when he saw Shiraishi Rin, he would wonder if this outcome was really the best.
In the end, he couldn't save the two Shiraishi Rin he knew.

He couldn't save either the original or the clone.

Although this is the best-case scenario in terms of the outcome, because Shiraishi Rin has a very good personality now, her parents are very pleased and happy.

Even the people at school have changed their opinion of Shiraishi Rin, and have made up with her and become friends.

"I'm sorry, Akizuki-kun."

Shiraishi Rin realized what Akizuki Makoto was thinking, and immediately lowered her head to apologize, saying softly, "Whether Akizuki-kun needs it or not, I want to repay Akizuki-kun. I will wait for that day to come."

After saying this, she bowed to Akizuki Makoto and turned to leave.

"Hey, if I accept your thanks, wouldn't that be tantamount to admitting that I'm a murderer?"

Looking at the dark, boundless sea, Akizuki Makoto let out a long sigh.

Although his thinking seemed like he was getting stuck on a rut, the original Shiraishi Rin was indeed erased because of his and Touko's involvement.

The current Shiraishi Rin is a completely new Shiraishi Rin; she is neither the original nor a copy, but a new product born from their fusion.

No sooner had Shiraishi Rin left than Ji Yexue followed closely behind, walked up to Akizuki Makoto, and casually asked, "What did Shiraishi say to you just now?"

"It's nothing, I just wanted to thank Dongzi and me for saving her."

Qiu Yue answered Ji Yexue's question truthfully; it was nothing to hide.

"How did you answer?"

"Of course I refused. She mentioned it to me a long time ago, and now she's brought it up again."

"You're really persistent, aren't you? Could you be interested in me?"

Ji Yexue's words were merely a lighthearted jest and did not carry any other meaning.

Ultimately, even if Shiraishi Rin likes Akizuki Makoto, that no longer poses a threat.

Rin Shiraishi was already out of the running; her only opponents were Maki Shiina or Rei Shimizu.

However, Shimizu Rei deceived Akizuki Makoto, and Akizuki Makoto's feelings for Shimizu Rei were not like attachment or reluctance, but rather a very complicated feeling.

"Haha, please spare me."

Akizuki Makoto gave a wry smile; he certainly didn't want to be entangled with any more abnormal women.

He already has enough of a few, and he doesn't dare to imagine what it would be like to involve more abnormal women.

"You're such a hypocrite. You clearly enjoy being fawned over and watching girls fight over you, don't you? Otherwise, why don't you choose a way to solve the problem once and for all?"

"What kind of solution is this that solves everything once and for all?"

"Choose to be with me, and no one will bother you anymore."

Ji Yexue chuckled. Once she had the identity of a girlfriend, she would have a reason to take action against those persistent philanderers.

"The atmosphere during the confession was so awkward and sudden! You can't just agree to something like that so easily."

"Tch, I knew it would turn out like this..."

Ji Yexue pouted, thinking to herself that she had been fooled by Qiuyue Cheng again.

She doesn't care about the atmosphere or whether it's sudden or not. It's as if if she confessed to Akizuki Makoto in a certain atmosphere, he would agree.

"Let's talk about this after we've finished dealing with everything. I still have things to take care of."

Akizuki Makoto's smile vanished, and his expression suddenly became more serious than ever before.

He turned his head and looked at Ji Yexue beside him, staring at her stunningly beautiful profile.

The sea breeze blew, ruffling her long, black, and shiny hair, which fluttered in the wind.

Noticing Akizuki Makoto's gaze, Ji Yexue also turned her face, looked up, and met his eyes.

"Cheng, if you can firmly choose me, then my problem will be easily solved."

Qiu Yuecheng knew perfectly well that Ji Yexue didn't need anything except his unwavering choice to support her throughout her life.

As long as his promise remains, preventing Ji Yexue from being overwhelmed by immense pressure, with her abilities, she will definitely be able to gain a foothold in the Ji Ye family.

"...As I said, if you get lost on the river of life, I will always reach out to you."

"Hehe, having you say that now is enough."

Ji Yexue laughed, turned and left, saying, "Don't just stand here in a daze. Everyone else has probably already showered. Come and rehearse. Don't forget why we're here."

"it is good."

Akizuki Seiya smiled and followed Himeya Yuki into the cabin.

As Ji Yexue said, everyone else had already gathered here, and they were all tuning their instruments, preparing to start rehearsing.

After this summer ends, it will be their first preliminary round, and their training time is running out.

As for their original songs, they haven't decided yet, but there's no need to rush. As long as they can finish them before the finals, that's fine.

Because of Ji Yexue's intervention, the 100 million yen sponsored exclusively by the Ji Ye family was divided into three parts. The first part was the competition prize money, which cost less: 10 million yen for the gold prize, 5 million yen for the silver prize, and 3 million yen for the bronze prize.

The remaining money will be used for advertising and promotion, as well as to produce a music video for the Gold Award.

After this operation, high schools across the country were in an uproar and began flocking to register.

To date, no fewer than a hundred high schools have participated, and this number is being updated daily. It is estimated that by the registration deadline and the start of the preliminary rounds, no fewer than three hundred high schools will have registered to participate.

……

……

Their training continued until 11 p.m. before it finally came to an end.

Ji Yexue has already made arrangements for tomorrow's itinerary. They will not go to the island again, but will stay on the yacht. They will probably stay here for the next few days as well.

Of course, staying on the yacht doesn't mean training non-stop until death; their daily training time is set at six hours.

Aside from the six hours of training, you are free to do whatever you want, whether it's swimming, enjoying a beach bath, or fishing.

"Good night."

"Good night~"

After exchanging greetings, Makoto Akizuki left the recording studio and returned to his room.

At this moment, he was quite exhausted. He had been traveling back to his hometown since early morning, and a lot had happened since he arrived on the island. In addition, he usually went to bed early, around ten o'clock.

He should have felt incredibly tired, but Akizuki Makoto lay in bed, staring at the unfamiliar ceiling, without a trace of sleepiness.

He felt like something was missing, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it.

"Knock knock."

After a while, a soft knock sounded at the door. Qiu Yuecheng got up from the bed with a puzzled look and went to open the door. When he saw the petite girl standing outside, he suddenly realized what the missing thing was.

"Brother, let's sleep together."

Dongzi, holding a black plush rabbit and wearing brown bear pajamas, timidly spoke to him.

This scene caused Akizuki Makoto's thoughts to wander, reminding him of the distant past when Fuyuko had once clutched that large diary and asked him for help.

"come in."

Akizuki Makoto stepped aside to let Fuyuko in, then closed the door.

Dongzi sat on the soft bed and asked softly, "Brother, can Dongzi sleep with you? I can't sleep alone."

"of course can."

Akizuki Makoto smiled gently, sat down next to Fuyuko, and gently stroked her little head.

Dongzi also nuzzled his hand, as docile as a kitten she had petted with Ji Yexue at the port that afternoon.

Only in his presence did Dongzi become like a kitten, docile and obedient.

Although others see Dongzi as innocent and adorable, they always feel a strange distance from her and can never get close to her.

While stroking Dongzi's little head, Akizuki Makoto asked, "Is it because you were so happy to be back in your hometown and see your parents that you couldn't sleep?"

"Not."

Dongzi gently shook her head and said softly, "I just can't sleep if I'm not with my brother."

Like a cat, she is particular about her bed and prefers to sleep in her usual place.

Without a doubt, Akizuki Makoto's embrace was the place she was used to.

She couldn't fall asleep unless she was sleeping next to Akizuki Makoto.

Although she could use the power of words to force herself to fall asleep, since Akizuki Makoto was right beside her, why would she need to use the power of words?
"Dongzi is so clingy to her brother, what will happen to her in the future? And her brother too..."

As Akizuki Makoto was speaking, he suddenly stopped, and the smile on his face froze.

For some reason, when he wanted to say, "Even my brother can't sleep with Dongzi forever," a sense of contradiction suddenly welled up in his heart.

He remembered that he had promised Dongzi that he would live with her forever, but why did he suddenly have doubts about it?
Can they really live together for a lifetime and never be separated?
"Brother, what's wrong?"

Fuyuko noticed the pause in Akizuki Makoto's words, and looked up at him in confusion.

Akizuki Makoto shook his head and said in a low voice, "N-nothing, I just suddenly felt strange, maybe I'm tired."

"Then let's go to sleep, brother. You should rest well if you're tired."

Dongzi laughed, took Qiuyue Cheng's hand, and they lay down together on the soft bed.

Then, she nestled into Qiu Yuecheng's warm arms, and in his embrace, she closed her eyes peacefully and whispered:
"Brother, we'll be together forever, we've already made a pinky promise."

(End of this chapter)