I endured the humiliation and humiliation while being besieged by the ghost story elder sister.

"Hey! You're not even human, so why are you so familiar with the residents here?"

After a long while, Arisa, unable to contain her doubts any longer, asked Yasuie, who was sitting behind the counter playing on her phone.

"Huh? Why are you swearing? Is the girlfriend Xiaomiao found in Xijing really this low-class?"

Instead of directly answering Arisa's question, Hachiko started arguing about the matter, showing no intention of clarifying the whole issue with her.

Just as Arisa turned her gaze to the neatly arranged shelves, looking for some snacks she wanted to eat.

The automatic door behind her suddenly opened, and the "click" sound of customers entering the store rang out. She turned around curiously and saw a familiar figure.

Meanwhile, Hachiko, who had been leisurely sitting behind the cashier, suddenly stood up and exclaimed with some surprise.

"Mio? What brings you here? Judging from your appearance, you probably haven't had breakfast or lunch, have you?"

Looking at Himio, who was wearing a cool white tank top and shorts, as she slowly walked into the store, Yaki immediately realized that she must have been in a hurry when she left, so much so that she didn't have time to properly tidy her hair.

Before Ximiao could answer, Arisa, who was standing next to the shelf, quickly stepped forward and, in front of Yachi, pulled Ximiao into her arms.

"You missed me so quickly? Mio, did you come all this way just to see me?"

"Eh?"

Hiyo was stunned for a moment, not expecting Arisa to say that. He had only come to confirm that Arisa wouldn't fight with Hachi.

Even though he knew that Arisa was a demon, given the difference in their physical strength, he felt that the chances of his girlfriend winning were slim.

But the result was still pretty good. The two of them looked quite harmonious in the store, which relieved Ximiao.

After Arisa released her, Nozomi rubbed her empty stomach and walked towards the cashier, saying to Hachi-nee.

"Um, Sister Baqi~ I'd like a cart noodle soup, a hot dog, and fish balls~"

"Okay, sit down and wait for me for a moment~"

When he heard Nozomi order food, Yasuko just smiled and then got busy behind the counter.

Meanwhile, Xi Ling was wandering around his own shop with Arisa. He hadn't been back for a long time and had almost forgotten what his shop looked like.

Although he doesn't really care about these things, he would occasionally come over to help out at the shop when he was studying here and living in his own home.

While the two were alone, and while Yashiro was busy preparing Nozomi's lunch behind the counter, Arisa, who was following Nozomi, took the opportunity to ask a question.

"Mio, aren't any of your family members coming to help here? Like your parents and the like..."

"Mom and Dad?"

Seeing the puzzled look in Kiyo's eyes, Arisa had a bad feeling. Then, just like yesterday, when she wanted Kiyo to remember the things that had happened before.

Suddenly, Xi Ling squatted down, clutching her head and looking like she had a splitting headache; she was in great pain.

But in order to prevent Yashiro from noticing anything amiss, Arisa quickly stepped forward and covered Himiko's mouth to prevent him from making a sound.

After a long while, Hiyo's eyes gradually cleared. She looked at Arisa, who was covering her mouth, with a puzzled expression, as if questioning her about what she was doing.

Seeing that Nozomi was alright, Arisa slowly released her hand from his mouth and looked at him expectantly, as if waiting for him to say something.

however.

Before Ximio could speak, Yashiro called out softly from behind the counter not far away.

"Sir/Madam, your noodles are ready! Would you like to take them to go or eat them here?"

Just as she was teasing Himiko, Arisa quickly pulled Himiko, who was still slumped on the ground, up and led him to sit in a seat near the shop door by the glass window.

"Arisa, what's wrong? What did you do to me? My head feels a little strange, it keeps throbbing..."

But before he could finish speaking, a generous bowl of cart noodles, along with fish balls and hot dogs as side dishes, was placed in front of him.

Then, a still-warm jade hand suddenly landed on his forehead.

Then, they heard Yashiro, who had appeared behind them at some unknown time, say softly, "You have a slight fever, Mio. You probably have heatstroke. Just rest for a while and you'll be fine."

"Oh? I see... No wonder I felt a little dizzy, so that's why."

After hearing Sister Ba's explanation, Xi Ling understood. She picked up the disposable chopsticks and slowly moved forward, intending to finish the fragrant cart noodles first.

But what he didn't notice was that Arisa, who was sitting in the empty seat next to him, was forcibly pulled to the shelf area by Yashiro's grabbing of her fair and delicate arm.

"What are you doing? Want to fight?!"

Arisa, who thought that Yashiro had brought her aside to settle things with a duel, was also eager to try her hand at it.

Unexpectedly, she acted out of character, placing her slender white fingers against her pink lips, signaling to Arisa not to speak.

Then, they heard Yashiko say in a low voice.

"Please stop talking to Mio about his family... It's for Mio's own good..."

"what?"

Arisa couldn't help but exclaim in confusion, "Wait, are you really this outgoing? We only played a game of Ludo last night, and you've already told her everything?"

Seeing that the girl in front of him seemed to not quite understand what he was saying, Ba Zi sighed helplessly and continued to explain.

“I…didn’t do anything to Mio’s family…they just abandoned Mio and ran away to a foreign country.”

At this point, she looked somewhat annoyed, which puzzled Arisa.

All along, she had regarded Yasuki as someone who coveted Nozomi's secrets and used her abilities to alter Nozomi's memories, making her appear to be very familiar with Nozomi.

But now it seems that the situation is a little different from what Arisa imagined.

"Go on, I'm getting interested. Or, tell me about your background? Judging from your appearance, you're helping Xiaoling with the shop and taking care of him, so your relationship must be more than just ordinary, right?"

"What? You're already acting like my girlfriend and checking up on me?"

Seeing that Arisa seemed to have agreed to his request, Yachi's mood improved considerably, and he even had the mind to tease Arisa in front of him.

Just as she was about to continue speaking, she suddenly shivered, as if she had been frightened by something.

Arisa couldn't help but turn her head and saw Himiko swaying as she walked towards them.

When he saw Arisa and Hachiko chatting in an extremely ambiguous manner, he gave them an "I know" look and pretended to walk by indifferently, muttering to himself.

"I'm just going to get a drink, don't worry about me, you guys continue."

"..."

Chapter Eight: Alone

Yayu and Arisa found themselves in a quiet corner, a perfect spot to chat without Hiyo overhearing their conversation.

After confirming several times, Xi Ling had taken her Ramune soda and returned to her seat to continue enjoying her bowl of deluxe cart noodles.

Arisa then gestured to Yashiro to continue what she hadn't finished saying earlier, and she seemed quite interested in the matter.

then.

After gathering her thoughts, Ba Zi spoke.

“Before, when my power was not enough to appear in front of humans, only Mio could see me and be my friend…but because of this, her family thought she was possessed by an evil spirit.”

“I understand that, that’s how it’s written in many TV dramas or novels, but why would they leave Xiaoling here all alone? As far as I know, they also send Xiaoling living expenses every month… wait, did you send those?”

Seemingly having discovered something important, Arisa looked at Yasuki in front of her with slight surprise, not understanding why she would do such a thing.

Upon hearing Arisa's question, she didn't try to hide anything and simply nodded.

"Although I'd like to give more... but in this rural area, unless it's peak tourist season like summer vacation, this shop doesn't make much money..."

This also explains why Xi Ling's living expenses are so low; his family probably gave up on him, and he's only being supported by Ya Yu.

Thinking of this, Arisa silently turned around and glanced at Nozomi, who was still leisurely eating cart noodles. She had a feeling that Nozomi was hiding a lot from him.

In just a short while, Arisa couldn't help but feel hostility towards Hachi. Although they might still be rivals in love, it shouldn't be to the point of fighting to the death.

a long time.

After Ximiao finished eating and drinking, he pulled Arisa towards the shop door. Before leaving, he didn't forget to say goodbye to Hachi-nee, who was going to stay and watch the shop.

On the way back, Xi Ling's white vest was loose, and the straps kept slipping down his shoulders.

The glimpse that inadvertently came into view was also taken in by Arisa, who was walking beside him, making her lick her pink lips, feeling a little dry-mouthed.

"Hey~ Mio, don't you think it's so hot outside? Wouldn't it be great to take a nice, relaxing bath? You're all sweaty!"

As she spoke, she placed her hand on Ximiao's smooth shoulder and stroked it, the meaning of which was self-evident.

However, because her head was still a little dizzy, Mio didn't understand what Arisa meant and just gave a perfunctory reply.

"Then I'll go back and take a shower... I feel sticky all over. In this kind of weather, it's definitely more comfortable to stay in an air-conditioned room."

Arisa, however, thought that Nozomi had accepted her invitation.

Soon, they returned home. After taking off her shoes in the entryway, Ximiao couldn't wait to run into the cool living room.

As soon as you enter, you see Fanxia and Ami leisurely eating potato chips.

Hearing the noise behind them, the two of them turned around at the same time and saw Xi Ling, whose vest was mostly soaked with sweat, walk in.

Arisa followed closely behind and entered the living room, her fair forehead covered with glistening beads of sweat.

"You're back! It's so hot outside, how come you still have the mood to go out for a stroll? Aren't you afraid of getting heatstroke?"

Just as Fanxia was teasing the two of them, Ximiao quickly walked to the kitchen, took out the large bottle of raw milk that he had left over from last night from the refrigerator, and poured it into his mouth.

After a short while, he felt much more relaxed, and his head was no longer as dizzy as before. It seemed that, just as Sister Ba had said, he had a mild case of heatstroke.

Just as Nozomi was standing in the kitchen, wanting to take a short break, Arisa gestured for Honoka and Ami to come over to her.

Seeing her serious expression, Fanxia and Ami were a little confused, but they still silently got up and walked towards her.

In the corridor, the three of them were gathered together. Honoka and Ami were waiting for the girl in front of them, wanting to hear what she had to say.

then.

Arisa then told the two of them everything that Yashi had told her about Nozomi that she had just overheard in the shop.

As expected, they all looked extremely surprised, as if they had heard some incredible news.

"I was wondering why Xiaoling's allowance was so low, now I know why... Her family is so irresponsible."

"So, it's actually a good thing that Nozomi's memory is a bit off, as it helps him forget those irresponsible family members."