Let's do it again, Yukino.

"Alright, now that you've received the first gift, please close your eyes again before giving the second one."

"..."

Looking at the obedient Chunri, Xiaoxue hesitated for a moment, a blush inexplicably spreading across her fair cheeks.

Looking at Yukino's shy expression and hearing those somewhat ambiguous words, Haruhiko, who seemed to understand something, nodded blankly while wearing his glasses.

It seems the girl hasn't finished giving out all her gifts.

And so——————

A gentle breeze wafts through the quiet health care room.

Arrived as promised.

The bandages on the boy's face were still on.

Even when I breathe through my nose, I can still smell that indescribable medicinal odor.

but,

Her lips touched his lips.

The boy's dry lips, which hadn't felt moist for so long, felt as if they had encountered sweet rain.

The moisture from the dampness is like sweet rain after a long drought.

In that fleeting moment of spring, I was no longer able to think normally.

Bajiquan and Tieshankao, all of them, fly away!

Excitement, elation

The lips overlapped, then separated, overlapped again, then separated.

Take the trouble.

Only in the infirmary where they exist

The boy and girl absorbed each other's unique characteristics and incorporated them into their own bodies.

Silently sensing each other's colors, warmth, feelings, and the indescribable tenderness,

"This is my first kiss in this life, please accept it."

"In this life, please hold on to me tightly, Ah Qing."

In the darkness with my eyes closed

In a trance,

The tender-hearted young man heard the sweet voice of the girl who had captivated him for half his life.

She had only prepared the first gift,

But then, with doting affection, he gave her a second one.

Because she always understood this boy.

If he can change for me, why can't I take a step towards him?

(P.S.: Just like yesterday, for every 500 more recommendations, I'll add an extra chapter beyond three. Hey, this is the cry of a hardworking and conscientious newbie author!! Please add more favorites, recommendations, votes, and rewards, thank you.)

Chapter Thirty-Two: After the romance, life will test you.

Minor Snow is the kind of snow that makes spring deeply aware of just how hectic her daily life can be.

Every time Chunri saw Xiaoxue's smile, as beautiful as a snow lotus, blooming only in front of him, he felt a strange sense of emotion.

Although he couldn't shake off his self-delusion, Xiaoxue had always loved him since his past life. Even though their life was poor back then, and although they constantly argued and insulted each other, and even resorted to domestic emotional and physical violence, they never truly gave up on each other.

In this life, the moment he touched the girl's lips again, he felt something he had never seen in his previous life—a belief that remained steadfast. Haruhi was certain he saw it very clearly.

This feeling is something he can't find in other girls, like Nagato and Isshiki. For Haruhi, it's just a simple kind of affection; he just feels that they have a nice temperament and are good female friends he can chat with, at least they can help him relax his tense nerves.

That afternoon,

Light snow and spring in that small infirmary

They didn't go anywhere. One of them sat quietly by the bed reading a book, while the other sat in front of the bed, chatting with the girl about something intermittently.

They talked a lot.

But despite their mutual understanding, they didn't talk about the future at that moment.

If only time could stand still at this moment.

That was a wish that no one mentioned until school was over.

……

…………

When school was over, the quiet atmosphere in each classroom instantly became lively again, and during this time, Chunri returned to the classroom from the infirmary.

As I tiptoed in through the back door, I ran into Nagato Yuki, who was about to leave.

Just as Nagato was about to go to the club, he saw Haruhi suddenly appear at the door and wanted to greet the boy as usual.

The girl slightly raised her calm, expressionless eyes, and in that instant, she noticed that the spring day seemed somewhat different from the morning.

No, it's that everything has completely changed, from top to bottom.

Although his face was still covered in bandages, the new sight on the bridge of his nose caught Nagato's eye.

"Kasuga-kun's glasses look really good."

"Am I handsome now?"

Haruhi stroked her chin and half-jokingly raised an eyebrow at Nagato, who was carrying a schoolbag.

Even Xiaoxue felt that she looked better with glasses on than before.

Just now in the corridor, there seemed to be a few younger female students who didn't recognize her and were secretly looking at her while blushing.

After all, a large part of his appearance was inherited from his mother.

"Hmm, he's somewhat handsome, but—"

Nagato nodded quite honestly in response to Haruhi's question, but judging from her expressionless face, it seemed that the girl was hesitant to speak.

"But what?"

"I'm a little curious, how did Kasuga-kun get that lipstick mark on his neck?"

"Forehead……"

Haruhi immediately wiped away the slightly noticeable mark on her neck and explained.

"I bit it myself."

"Oh, could you teach me? Or demonstrate it again? I'm a little curious."

"I won't teach you! Please, just leave already."

Spring, annoyed and embarrassed, sent away the inquisitive and somewhat cunning girl with no connections.

……

The sky wasn't a very uniform color at the moment.

In the dim sky that didn't belong to me, there were very uncertain points of light twinkling, perhaps stars, or perhaps several planes flying to various parts of the world.

Because her phone had recently been completely destroyed due to Ms. Haruno, and she didn't have the spare money to buy a new one, Kasuga chose to wait for a while at the entrance of Soubu High School.

After finally waiting for Yuki's Service Club activity to end, Haruhi watched as the girl came out of the school gate with Yui and Hikigaya. He thought for a moment, then, imitating Nagato's action, pushed up his non-prescription glasses. In the end, he didn't go forward, but nodded gently to Yuki, who had already noticed him.

With just a glance, Yukinoshita understood everything and nodded almost imperceptibly, as if agreeing to something.

The brown-haired girl next to her was still smiling and talking. Haruhi, who hadn't heard what they were saying, turned and left again.

Clouds, tinged red by the setting sun, floated in the sky, which was somewhat brown. The stars embedded in the sky were also faintly visible above people. Some stars even seemed to be right in front of them, shining very brightly. The light they emitted penetrated the starry sky in the form of a cross. Clouds shaped like contrails drew spirals as they stood in the sky.

Instead of heading home immediately, Chunri rode her bicycle through the streets, slowly searching for something.

Speaking of which, I mentioned Yoshiteru Zaimokuza before. Even though the fat guy wasn't discouraged by the deliberately restrained Yuki, he still didn't give up his passion for writing novels.

Maybe he just wanted to write something casually to pass the time when he couldn't spend his free time, or maybe Zaimokuza really loves writing novels. But Kasuga always felt that it was also possible that he was still determined to marry the female voice actress of the anime.

"I think it's better for Zaimokuza not to give up. Not having a clear destination doesn't mean you can't go anywhere. Similarly, even if Zaimokuza doesn't feel any progress, it doesn't mean there's no progress at all."

"As long as you persevere, you will definitely reach a certain level. In my opinion, regardless of the level, the process of 'persevering all the way' is also an achievement. Even if you don't reach the final expected level, taking steady steps towards the future is itself a different kind of 'gain'."

This is what Yukinoshita said to Haruhi at that time. Yukinoshita's thinking has always been like this. Just like her service to the department's philosophy of teaching people how to fish rather than giving them fish, she prefers the process to the result.

"But we all know what will become of that guy Zaimokuza, yet we still don't try to stop him. That's truly the behavior of a friend."

Of course, Haruhi didn't say anything unnecessary like that to Yukinoshita.

After all, Yoshiteru Zaimokuza is indeed a complete "lonely person" now, similar to Hachiman but fundamentally different.

From a somewhat pathetic yet not pitiful perspective, the reason why Zaimokuza writes novels these days is simply because it's the only thing he can do. Since it's the only thing he can do, and it might even change his humble aspirations, then Zaimokuza is eager to try. And the feeling of repeatedly failing and trying again that continues into the future is not so puzzling.

Well, since he has chosen this path no matter what, Haruhi doesn't intend to ruin the future he has woven.

……

…………

Night quietly rose.

More and more pedestrians began to appear on the streets, and the surging tide of people slowly rose and fell in the city.

"I just saw a job posting for part-time workers outside the store. Do you need any help?"

"Oh dear, although the sign does say that gender is not a restriction, our store manager prefers to hire women aged 16-25. I'm really sorry."

"I understand, sorry to bother you."

Springtime bowed slightly to the rather elegant waitress in front of him, offering an apologetic smile, and then quietly withdrew from the store.

……

Fifteen minutes later