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

"It's Shirakawa, it's Shirakawa! All this arguing, besides past grievances, is all because of Shirakawa! No matter what your bargaining chips or advantages are, you have to consider Shirakawa's choice."

This statement made the two of them fall into deep thought.

"Or, if... I mean if, Shirakawa really wants to serve him at the same time as you, just like before, are you really able to accept that?"

Nikaido and Maki exchanged a glance and said nothing more.

"So there's no point in you arguing anymore. Let's all just enjoy the school festival first," Jackie suggested.

The two women did not answer, but both nodded, tacitly agreeing to Jackie's suggestion.

Phew~~ Finally solved.

Jackie wiped the sweat from her forehead.

These two are really dangerous.

I have to coax his girlfriends.

That's good, though, at least the two girls shouldn't be arguing for a while.

"So...where are we going now?" Nikaido asked.

"Hmm, go check out the haunted house in your class, or go to other classes. Some of the buildings on our floor have opened maid cafes."

"We're running out of time." Sakura glanced at her phone. "The bonfire party is about to start. How about we go to the open space and grab a spot while we wait for Shirakawa and the others?"

“Okay.” Maki nodded.

“Agreed.” Nikaido deliberately used a different way of answering than Maki.

So, everyone went together to the open space in front of the teaching building.

274.

As night approached, twilight descended.

In the open space in front of the teaching building, members of the student council gathered together, moving long strips of wood and gradually building them into a square tower.

The wooden tower is already taking shape, about a meter tall. According to the usual practice of Sakura High School, it will be built to at least three meters tall.

Some dry sawdust should be stuffed inside to make it easier to start a fire.

These pieces of wood are also coated with a special accelerant, so they can ignite instantly upon contact with a spark.

The students sat around the tower, some in pairs, some in groups of friends, chatting and joking, waiting for the bonfire party to begin.

Jackie and three other girls found an open space to sit down.

"Yo! Sakura, Maki." Midori Kana waved to them from a distance as she walked towards them.

She was holding an ice cream cone in her hand, and her mouth was covered in cream.

She doesn't seem to have the air of a mother at all; she's more like an adorable, naturally naive female student.

"Mom~~"

Nikaido and Jackie were still there, and Maki and Sakura felt a little shy and embarrassed when they saw their mother approaching like this.

Aunt Mido, however, didn't stand on ceremony and plopped down next to Sakura and Maki.

Nikaido couldn't help but marvel; their mother was truly... voluptuous, and still young and beautiful.

The aunt greeted Nikaido and Jackie with a smile.

We've all met at the entrance of the hospital's ICU, so we're acquainted, but we haven't had a chance to get to know each other better.

Miike followed closely behind, holding a small box of unfinished oden.

“Hey, let the kids have some alone. It’s not appropriate for adults to come here.” Miike patted Kana on the back.

"It's alright, we're all family here." Kana took Miike's hand. "Sit down too, let's all chat."

Unable to refuse Miike's hospitality, she sat down next to Kana. Suddenly, she remembered something and whispered a few words to Kana.

Kana got up and left with her, returning a little while later with a large pile of snacks and treats she had bought at the stall, which she spread out in front of everyone.

"I didn't expect students these days to be so skilled. Everyone, please have a taste."

Kana took out a small sushi and put it in her mouth.

"Yeah! It's delicious."

"Mom, could you... make it a little more formal?" Maki nudged Kana.

"Oh, it's alright. We've all met before. Everyone was there when Shirakawa was sick... Oh, right, where's Shirakawa?"

"He should come over right away."

"So, did you have a good date with Shirakawa today?" Kana asked quietly.

"It's...it's alright," Maki replied, blushing.

Actually, I didn't play much today; I mostly worked on AI.

......

The group of girls chatted happily.

Jackie somehow got hold of a red bean bread and started munching on it.

"Jackie!" Ayako suddenly appeared behind Jackie and patted her on the shoulder.

"Ah! Ayako!" Jackie excitedly grabbed Ayako's wrist. "You, you're alright?"

"I'm alright, Jackie!"

"Wow, Shirakawa is that amazing?" Jackie looked Ako up and down. "Tell me quickly, what kind of magical ritual did he use?"

"No, no. Let me think, where should I begin..."

Yako and Jackie chatted for a while before returning to their picnic spot and sitting down.

The girls' seating arrangement was: Ayako, Jackie, Nikaido, Sakura, Maki, Kana, Miike, and then Ayako.

After a day of sightseeing, Kana and Miike, two adults, had noticeably improved their relationship. They talked about their younger days, reminiscing about how their high school festivals were held and how lively they were.

As Ayako and Jackie chatted, Ayako was surprised to learn that Shirakawa had told Jackie about his experiences in the world of memories.

Jackie is also so accepting of these supernatural and bizarre events.

Come to think of it, they were both people who had experienced major hypnosis events, so the two naturally started talking about Ako's chaotic memories.

Most memories are only fragmented, but Jackie listened attentively, offering advice and solutions to her good friend's worries.

Sakura was caught in the middle between Nikaido and Maki, which made her very uncomfortable. She didn't know who to talk to.

Just as she was worrying, she noticed that Nikaido was looking around.

"What's wrong, Nikaido?"

"It's nothing," Nikaido said nonchalantly, continuing to eat his snacks with his head down.

She became alert when she saw several delinquents from Chenghuang Middle School wandering around the playground.

But thinking about it carefully, what kind of delinquent would cause trouble during someone else's school festival?

They probably came to Sakura High School to visit their friends or lovers.

Let's not spoil the harmonious atmosphere...

.....

Akita, as the teacher, coordinated the ignition work while secretly observing everyone.

All the girls in this group had some connection to that scumbag Bai Chuan, and for some reason, these girls who were ambiguous with him were able to sit together and chat happily.

Only he himself knows Shirakawa's true nature.

He's a shameless scumbag who threatened me and almost made me look bad in public...

“Ms. Fukada, the stage is set up,” a student council member said, interrupting her reminiscence.

"Okay, let's get ready to ignite it when it's time."

"Ok."

Akaza found a pillar to lean against, placed her cane aside, and took out a pack of cigarettes from her pocket. She took one out, put it in her mouth, and lit it.

While puffing on his cigarette, he gazed at the girls having a picnic in the distance.

Seeing the happy faces of these girls who were connected by Shirakawa, I no longer looked down on Shirakawa as much.

Especially Nikaido, during the time he spent with Shirakawa, although he was often sad, he also started to smile more.

Overall, I spent much more time laughing than sad.

Akaza was at a loss as to what to do with Shirakawa. This scumbag had managed to make his cousin so infatuated with him that she couldn't live without him.

Sigh, young people these days have such warped views on love.

Meanwhile, on the other side...