My second life is a bit strange?

"I..." Eriri blushed and looked to the side.

"Shota-con~"

Feng teased, "How can someone who's into shota and loli be called a loli-con?"

"Anyway, I'm not a loli anymore." Eriri said unhappily, shaking her head and counting on her fingers, "I'm in high school now, you could say I'm a teenager, I'm not a child anymore."

"Yes, yes, my big kid."

"You're not allowed to treat me badly anymore, I've already made so many concessions."

"Yes." Maple knew she was referring to Kaguya, and placed her hand on his chest. "I will."

They talked until late at night before Feng finally left to find Kaguya, only to be turned away at the door.

"I really can't today."

"Okay." Feng was a little disappointed.

Kaguya tiptoed and kissed him on the lips: "Sorry."

She was really struggling to cope.

Feng returned to his room and tossed and turned in bed, unable to fall asleep for a while. Just then, a figure quietly slipped in.

“It’s me.” Hayasaka sat down by his bedside.

"Can't sleep?"

"Ah."

She patted her leg, signaling him to lie down.

Kaede leaned her head closer. The Hayasaka pajamas were of very good quality, very comfortable against her skin, and she could feel the warmth inside.

Hayasaka stroked Kaede's hair, her fingers gently pressing on acupoints: "Let me tell you a story. A long, long time ago, there were two bears living in the forest. They had many good friends. One day, a lumberjack came..."

Hayasaka's face was expressionless, but she told him stories in the gentlest voice. He could smell a faint fragrance with her breath, and gradually he became sleepy and slowly fell asleep.

Hayasaka tucked him in, then whispered in his ear, "Goodnight, sweet dreams~"

She longed to sleep beside him like this. After gazing at him with affection for a while, she carefully withdrew.

The night was quiet and peaceful. Time passed quietly, and the sky began to lighten. Two figures crept furtively into Feng's room.

Chika and Koko placed a fully inflated balloon beside his bed, exchanged a mischievous glance, and were about to pop it when they saw that Kaede was already awake, staring straight at them with his eyes open.

"Oh!" Chika quickly put the balloon behind her back: "It was so scary to suddenly open my eyes."

Feng leaned to the side, propping his head up with his hand, and looked at her lazily: "What a coincidence, you live here too?"

"Just passing by, just passing by, haha."

Xiao Gui took off her shoes, crawled into bed, and lay in Feng's arms: "Sister Qianhua said she's going to scare you."

"Oh, you've sold me out!" Qianhua grabbed Xiaogui's cheeks and pinched them.

"Why did you wake me up so early?"

"I forgot about the important thing. Weren't we going to go beachcombing today? I saw your room light was off, so I came to call you."

"I'll get up now." Feng carried Xiao Gui off the bed, then pushed Qian Hua out the door and changed her clothes.

After quickly eating a few bites of morning tea, I picked up my tools and went to the beach. By then, the tide had receded, revealing more of the sand.

Xiao Gui took a shovel and started digging into some holes in the ground.

Chika borrowed a large colander from the chef, dug out a large chunk of sand, went into the sea, and shook it like a sieve to filter out the sand, revealing the seashells hidden inside.

Erii, Kaguya, and two others chatted as they arrived at the beach.

Feng took a deep breath, and as the cold air entered his lungs, he felt much more awake. He picked up a metal can from the ground. It was so heavy that he thought there was sand inside, but when he turned it over, not a single grain of sand fell out.

He realized something was amiss, and upon looking inside, he saw a slippery creature with many tentacles lurking there.

“It’s an octopus?” Eriri came to his side.

The octopus also spotted them, and its survival instinct caused it to spray out a large amount of ink. Eriri quickly dodged, as she was wearing all white today.

Feng wasn't so lucky; his face was completely covered in it, with not a single clean spot.

"Hahaha." Qianhua laughed until her stomach hurt, and she plopped down on the beach.

Even Kaguya couldn't help but laugh out loud and took a picture with her phone to remember the moment.

"Hey, Ishigami, laugh if you want to." Kaede wiped his hand helplessly.

"Pfft, fufufu..." Ishigami turned his head away, desperately trying to hold back, his face turning red: "Sorry... but... it's really funny."

Seeing everyone laugh, he couldn't help but laugh out loud too. His face was completely black, and when he opened his mouth, he had a mouthful of white teeth, making him look even more comical.

Laughter echoed throughout the area.

Feng pulled everyone together: "Three, two, one!"

"eggplant!"

The image was frozen in time, becoming eternal; even more than a decade later, it will remain a precious memory.

Before the other classmates arrived, Feng went back and washed his face, removing the ink.

The octopus that had spat out ink lost its vitality and lay limply on the ground, its skin turning into a sandy camouflage color. Xiao Gui curiously touched it with a shovel and then caught it in the bucket.

The trip is coming to an end, just like summer quietly departing.

Chapter 109 Confession

"Ah la~"

Editor Machida, standing behind Kasumigaoka, saw her chatting with Kaede: "Are you chatting with the protagonist of a novel?"

Kasumigaoka turned off her phone and said with a troubled expression, "Spying is not a good habit."

"Well, I guess it's just my curiosity as a reader. What does that perfect guy in the novel actually look like?" Machida Sonoko said with a maternal smile. "Just consider me my number one shipper."

ding dong~

The phone rang again.

Why aren't you looking?

"No need, I'll come back after I've finished taking care of things."

The two walked toward the conference room. On the way, Kasumigaoka's phone rang twice more, and he couldn't resist checking it.

What exactly did he send me?

It's like taking a walk by a lake, and the feeling of a drooping willow branch brushing against your ear unintentionally—it's ticklish.

"God back."

"Sorry." Kasumigaoka tidied the strands of hair that were falling beside her face; the meeting had ended without her realizing it.

"It's okay, that's just how puberty is~"

Seeing Kasumigaoka's behavior, Machida Sonoko patted her shoulder sarcastically, saying, "Your schedule is pretty full from now on, so get ready to go."

"Ah."

After Machida left, Kasumigaoka Utaha immediately opened her phone and looked at the messages sent by Kaede.

“I’m coming right now.” (2:45)

“Where will I wait for you when I fall?” (3:10)

"I've found a coffee shop nearby to wait for you."

Kasumigaoka glanced at the time; there was still time. Grabbing the file folder, she hurriedly ran towards the coffee shop.

Pushing open the door, the wind chimes tinkled. Kaede, who was playing with her phone, looked up and met Kasumigaoka's gaze: "Here."

"Is this the latest volume?"

"Well, the fourth edition has already started to be photocopied and printed, so it can't be modified anymore. I came to you this time to ask you to take a look at this final volume and see if it's the ending you wanted, and the future of the protagonists."

"Of course you can look at it, but is it really okay for me to make changes based on my own wishes?"

"It's okay." Shi Yu stirred her coffee nervously, the ripples in the cup making her despise her own reflection.

There are only two types of novelists: those who cater to the market and write what readers want to read, and those who write what they want to see.

I only want to write what you want to see.

Xia Shizi looked at the boy, his slender fingers brushing across the page as if tracing a line across her heart. She watched quietly, her anxiety steadily building.

"This senior is really amazing. I can't help but want to finish reading it."

His words dispelled the worry on Kasumigaoka's face, restoring his usual confidence.

"The ending is fantastic! The emotional twist is truly beyond imagination, from passionate to peaceful, the foreshadowing is excellent and makes it something to aspire to."

Hearing the praise, Shi Yu's smile widened. She took his hand and said earnestly, "If Junior Brother Feng is so eager to try, why don't you give it a shot with me?"

Leaning forward, her alluring figure was fully exposed. Feng turned her head away with difficulty, pulling her hand out to touch the bridge of her nose: "I already have a boyfriend."

The emotions revealed in Shi Yu's eyes ranged from shock to regret to disappointment.

"You should have noticed by now..." Shi Yu lost all her strength, slumped onto the table, and buried her head in her arms.

"Hmm." Feng looked at the male and female protagonists in the novel, and they were practically modeled after the two of them.

"I should have realized it sooner, it was Eriri who's always been by your side?" Utaha asked listlessly, deflated.

"Not just her."

Her eyes widened, too shocked to speak: "Could it be that you're a... scumbag, junior?"

"No, they know that, and they have a very good relationship."

Shiyu felt her view of love had collapsed; the male protagonist of a harem novel was actually next to her?

Jingle Bell.

Shi Yu's phone rang. Her fingers twitched, but she didn't answer. Her mind was in turmoil, and she had no idea what to do. This world was too absurd.

"Aren't you going to answer the phone?"