He tried to save the fallen girls, but they came after him instead.

Maki kept her head down and didn't say a word.

"Ah, Xiaoxi, don't worry, we'll definitely make it in time." Jieqi quickly walked over and patted Xinggong Xi on the shoulder.

Xing Gongxi sighed and said nothing. After all, they were "friends," so let it be.

"Alright, it's getting late, everyone, let's call it a day!" Jackie said as she passed by Shirakawa.

"I'm leaving Xiaoxi in your care, Xiaobai. Make sure you keep her happy!"

"understood."

Jackie nudged Shirakawa's waist lightly with her elbow and left the gymnasium.

Sakura and Nikaido also left silently, leaving Shirakawa to Maki.

Now they want to take Maki away from Shirakawa? That's just too cruel.

Hoshimiya Shio and Rin did not linger.

Ms. Fukada tactfully walked away.

Soon, only Maki and Shirakawa remained on the stage.

Maki squatted on the stage, burying her face between her black-stockinged legs.

"Um, Maki-nee..."

"Shirakawa, I need some peace and quiet..."

"Okay, then I'll find a place far away to stay..." Shirakawa turned to leave.

"No." Maki gently tugged at Shirakawa's sleeve and pointed to the students below the stage. "There are too many people here. I want to find a quiet place to spend some time with you..."

Maki lowered her head, her eyes and cheeks flushed, and stammered as she spoke.

"Hmm." Shirakawa bent his knees slightly and stretched out his hand. "I know a quiet place."

"Okay~" Maki placed her little hand on Shirakawa's palm, and Shirakawa pulled her up with a little force.

Maki and Shirakawa left the gymnasium together.

227. The Strange Lolita

The video game club's activity room.

As the sun sets, the horizon is already dyed red by the sunset.

The room was decorated exactly the same way it was when Shirakawa came out that morning, except now it was all painted in warm colors.

The TV screen connected to the latest PS5 was still playing game animations.

Shirakawa brought Maki here and gently closed the door.

Fortunately, Ayako wasn't there.

It's this late, I doubt Yako will be back.

They can enjoy some time alone together again.

We need to get Maki in the right spirits and prepare for tomorrow's official performance.

"Shirakawa, where is this..."

"Want to play some games in the video game club activity room and relax?" Shirakawa sat down, crossed his legs, picked up the two game controllers on the blanket, kept one for himself, and handed the other to Maki.

"I've never played it before..."

Maki always studies hard at school and does her homework or reads books at home; she has never played games.

"It looks pretty fun, want to give it a try?"

“Okay.” Maki nodded.

The TV screen was showing an animation featuring a blue-haired porcelain doll girl and an adorable little girl with braids.

To be precise, the cute blue-haired girl appeared rather wooden, and her expressions were not very rich, which felt a bit abrupt.

Moreover, she looks like Ayako.

Maybe it's some kind of sophisticated dating sim, the kind where you can even customize your character's appearance...

Shirakawa clicked the exit button on the controller, wanting to switch to a more relaxing and enjoyable game to play with Maki.

Then, take a moment to chat about what just happened and comfort Maki.

However, when he clicked on it, he found that the screen did not return to the main menu.

Instead, the cute little girl on the screen suddenly turned her head and stared intently at him with her empty eyes.

This startled Shirakawa.

"What's wrong?" Maki asked.

"No, it's nothing, it's probably just a connection problem." Shirakawa pressed the exit button again to finally quit the game.

I took a deep breath, then scrolled through the game menu, finally choosing Mario.

I chose the retro version, which is not too complicated to operate, making it suitable for beginners like Maki.

Next is the game loading time.

Shirakawa didn't know why such a simple game took so long.

"Maki-nee, I'm so sorry. Because of me, you can no longer be a disciplinary committee member."

“Ah,” Maki waved her hand and smiled wryly, “It’s okay. Actually, I’ve been the fan committee member since my first year of high school, and I’m already tired of it.”

But her eyes betrayed her; her brows were filled with sadness, sorrow, and reluctance.

Shirakawa didn't say much, but gently pulled Maki towards him.

Maki leaned to the side, her pretty face resting against Shirakawa's shoulder.

She breathed slowly, inhaling the scent and aroma that belonged to Shirakawa.

I felt inexplicably at ease.

People tend to cherish what they have more when they lose something.

Maki felt the same way, which is why she wanted to be alone with Shirakawa.

Shirakawa understood that now was not the time to pour out their hearts to each other and ruin the atmosphere.

What fragile Maki needs most right now is quiet companionship.

"Please click 'start' to begin the game!" A delicate voice interrupted the ambiguous atmosphere between the two.

Shirakawa looked up at the screen, his brows furrowing instantly.

The little girl was in the corner of the screen, her two tiny hands made of megaphones and placed over her mouth, giving a "cute" reminder.

She has a small braid, a petite figure, a slightly round face, small arms and legs, and big, bright eyes—a typical cute anime loli.

And what opened on the screen was indeed a retro Mario game with mushrooms on top.

What's happening here?

A bug?

Maki was still nestled on her shoulder, and having never played Mario before, she didn't find anything strange about it.

In order not to ruin the beautiful atmosphere, Shirakawa gritted his teeth and pressed the start button on the controller.

Then I selected the two-player game and prayed that the game would return to normal soon.

"Games are most fun when played with two people!" the little girl said with a smile, striking another cute pose.

Just like a real person.

That smile sent chills down Shirakawa's spine.

After loading, Shirakawa went first in the first round.

He controlled the little Mario in red overalls as he walked across the map, his eyes unconsciously glancing at the little girl.

The little girl was crawling in the corner of the screen, only showing half of her face and a pair of chubby little hands; she looked very cute.

"Shirakawa, why is Mario dressed so strangely?" Maki pointed at the screen and laughed.

“He’s a plumber, look,” Shirakawa said, walking down the green pipe to the place where you could collect gold coins.

Before Shirakawa could react, the little girl in the corner of the screen picked up the gold coin in mid-air, stuffed it into her mouth, and took a big bite.

"It's so hard! It hurts!" the little girl said, covering her mouth in discomfort.

"Shirakawa, this little girl is quite interesting too." The loli's comical antics successfully made Maki laugh.

"Ah, yes, yes." Shirakawa forced a smile, but inwardly he was starting to panic.

That little girl is like an artificial intelligence.

"Hey, Cecilia, what's going on? What is that?"

"what?"

"Look at that little girl on the screen!"