Let's do it again, Yukino.

"Um……"

I don't know who answered.

The two figures vanished in the blink of an eye from this eternally existing street.

……

…………

The ramp ends in front of Xiaoxue's apartment building.

After stopping the car, Xiaoxue jumped off the back seat and patted Chunri on the shoulder.

"Cheer up! This is just a mock test. It's actually a good thing to discover your real weaknesses. Work hard, and if you do poorly this time, you can overcome them next time."

Why are you trying to comfort me again? I already told you I'm not that depressed.

"Listen up, Xiaoxue. I'm going to show you what I'm capable of in this test. I've never had any weaknesses. It's just a small test. Just wait and see. When the results come out, I'll give you a real surprise."

Learning is a talent, and this talent truly exists as long as you believe you possess it.

Although it is elusive, it truly exists there.

Chunri slapped Xiaoxue's hand off his shoulder, took out the crumpled piece of paper he had made yesterday from his pocket, on which was written their previous agreement about the exam. Thinking of this, he threw the paper to Xiaoxue and said with a mischievous smile.

"Just you wait, I won't let you down."

"I will wait for that day."

The girl nodded, then turned and walked back towards her apartment.

Springtime sat on the bicycle seat, not leaving immediately, but quietly watching the snowflakes recede into the sunset, like an intersecting silhouette that lingered in Springtime's gaze at that moment.

Until Xiaoxue disappeared behind the apartment building door,

Springtime finally let out a sigh of relief, and he took a can of Max coffee out of his bag.

Simply open the package, and set off again on your bicycle into the passing spring, enjoying this treat from Ms. Hiratsuka Shizuka.

Finally, I can relax and take a sip.

Mmm, it smells delicious!

I don't know if it was Xiaoxue's concern or the sweetness of the coffee,

The boy, trying to moisten his eyes, gulped down his coffee in what appeared to be rather rude sips.

The already sweet coffee tasted even sweeter to him.

I'm feeling pretty good right now in spring.

Yes,

not bad.

(P.S.: Second update delivered. Please recommend, favorite, tip, and leave comments. Although I'm a new author, I hope you can keep the comments as neutral as possible. Reading novels is mainly for relaxation. This is my first time trying to write a pure slice-of-life romance novel, so please don't spoil your fun!)

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Chapter Nineteen: The Person I Long For, An Encounter on a Snowy Morning, A Fleeting Glance Becomes Eternity

"Ah Qing, where did you first truly meet Xiao Xue?"

"Xiaoxue, where did you and Aqing first truly meet?"

"In winter..."

"It must be springtime..."

Sitting at the coffee table, the couple exchanged a glance and replied.

Back in college, a somewhat gossipy and curious Yui Yuigahama asked them a question that sounded like the same one.

But unexpectedly, she received two completely different answers.

Unable to resist, the girl with her brown hair tied in a side ponytail, ignoring the winks the deadpan-eyed young man next to her was giving her, continued to ask with great interest.

"What about completely different answers? Is there some unspeakable secret behind them?"

That really piques my curiosity.

Seeing Yuihama's suspicious gaze, the young man, who always prided himself on their tacit understanding, chuckled dryly, his hand holding the coffee cup trembling slightly.

The young man scratched his head, looking at the pretty girl sitting next to him with some confusion. She simply turned her face away slightly, a blush creeping onto her fair ears.

……

She vaguely remembered that it must have been a cold, snowy morning during her first year of high school.

After having some conflicts with her family, the girl, for the first time, imitated the heroine in a novel and stumbled away from home.

A girl who looked somewhat disheveled was walking aimlessly down the snow-covered street.

She has always been alone; from the moment she was born, it seems that the girl was destined to be alone.

She is often compared to her beautiful older sister, even by her closest family members.

Although the girl did admire her older sister, who was omnipotent and loved by everyone, when she was young, she gradually noticed that the way people looked at her was completely different from how they looked at her sister.

No matter how hard you try, the result will eventually be the same: "She looks just like her sister back then," a sentiment that carries an indescribable emotion.

Unlike her older sister, she has worked hard from elementary school to middle school and now to high school. She has come to understand many things and finally realized that she can never become Yukinoshita Haruno.

Is there anyone like that, anyone will do, to save me from this awful world...?

That same morning, she encountered a bored young man sitting by the coffee shop window.

The person we longed for met on a snowy morning, and that fleeting glance became an eternal miracle.

That was Xiaoxue's description of that encounter after she went to university.

For some reason, among so many people, the boy's figure caught her attention.

She remembered seeing him once at the beginning of the school year. He was the boy who almost beat up a classmate during the grand opening ceremony. Her first impression of him wasn't very good. Later, she heard that the fight broke out because the boy who was beaten seemed to have said something.

At this moment, the boy seemed to be in a daze. He was probably around the same age as her, with a cigarette in his mouth, wearing a gray-black leather jacket, and messy, naturally curly hair. The color must have been dyed at a hair salon. Perhaps it was because of his college-student-like appearance that no one went over to scold him for smoking, the girl thought.

His eyes were somewhat vacant as he stared out the window, lost in thought.

It's a posture that completely separates oneself from the whole world, yet it's also able to do things that one cannot do otherwise.

The girl, who originally had no particular purpose, subconsciously walked into the store.

"Don't come near me, sit further away."

A cold voice rang out.

The boy seemed to notice the girl sitting two seats away from him. His previously blank eyes quickly cleared, and he couldn't help but frown. His somewhat arrogant expression made the girl a little scared.

"He's just an ordinary high school student, yet he's doing things that are completely out of character for a student."

The boy, however, wore a nonchalant expression in front of her, slowly lit the cigarette he was holding, and exhaled a ring of smoke, as if deliberately doing it for the girl to see, looking at the girl who was giving a speech as a representative of the freshmen at the opening ceremony with a hint of provocation.

"My private matters are none of your business."

"But I saw it."

She retorted defiantly, exhaling a breath of hot air that fogged up the windowpane.

Some of the girls, who had forgotten that they had learned iaido, were inexplicably afraid of this rude boy.

Chunri stubbed out his cigarette in the ashtray, gazing at the quiet girl who seemed like a newborn calf. They were from completely different worlds, and the girl's aloof demeanor made him slightly annoyed.

"I'm in a bad mood right now, that's fine, please don't bother me, and please don't come near me!!"

He had another argument with his mother on the phone yesterday, and he was very angry.

"What happened?"

Ignoring Haruhi's words, Yuki, a girl who had just started high school and had not yet become the head of the Service Club, pretended not to hear the other party's threat and continued to ask.

"A day when nothing happens will never exist."

The boy threw the cigarette pack in his arms into the trash can at his feet, gave a cold laugh, and answered curtly.

For some reason, the observant girl noticed that there were still quite a few cigarettes left in the cigarette pack lying in the trash can.

Is it because you've never smoked before, or is it your first time trying it?

Looking at the girl who still refused to leave, Chunri felt a little helpless. He couldn't really do anything to this girl he had just met. After thinking for a moment, he stood up and, feeling warmer, decided to leave.

"You're not leaving, huh? Since you're not going to leave, then I'll be going now."

Although I somewhat like the air conditioning in this cafe.

"Would you like some coffee? It's on me. You haven't been in here long, have you?"

He had just stood up and taken a few steps when the girl behind him...

"A mocha, please."

He quickly returned to his original seat, raising one hand as if nothing had happened or anything had been said.

The girl didn't show any mocking smile. She stood up nonchalantly and walked towards the front desk, responding to the boy's answer with a single hand gesture.

……

…………

"It's best not to smoke anymore."

Standing in front of the coffee shop window, holding a slightly warm coffee cup, gazing at the pristine white snowscape outside, she uttered a soft, ethereal remark.

I vaguely remember that smoking isn't good for your lungs or skin...

"why?"

The boy gave the girl, who had inexplicably forbade him from smoking, a disapproving look.

"Didn't you just drink my coffee?"

"Um...didn't you say it would be free?"