Let's do it again, Yukino.

The boss smiled politely and shook his head slightly.

"..."

Just as Chunri was hesitating whether to leave all her money behind and run away,

Just then, a voice rang out beside him that he would never forget, even if he turned to ashes.

“I’ll pay for him. It’s three thousand yen short, right?”

A slender hand reached out from the side, and Yukinoshita politely handed the shopkeeper three thousand-yen bills.

……

Suppressing their inner thoughts, the boy and girl walked out of the bookstore.

But they hadn't gone far.

The boy couldn't help but take two steps back, putting some distance between himself and Yukino Yukinoshita, and looked warily at the girl who had suddenly appeared beside him.

"Xiaoxue, tell me honestly, did you start following me after school? Let me tell you, this time after being reborn, I will never look at you again."

"Who would want to be interested in someone like you? The money you just received was just a temporary loan. Remember to pay me back tomorrow."

Looking at Haruhi's self-deluded appearance, Yukinoshita couldn't help but sneer.

"You lent me money for no reason, Xiaoxue, and you still say you don't have feelings for me anymore."

"Use your empty brain to think back. When you first came to this bookstore to buy books, wasn't it me who brought you here?"

"..."

As soon as this word comes out,

An unusually awkward silence followed, after a long while

"Um... thinking about it now, it does seem to be true. I'm sorry, I misunderstood you. But you really are heartless. Do you really need me to pay back such a small amount of money?"

With just one sentence, Chunri seemed to understand something. She stuck out her tongue and silently put the books she had bought into her schoolbag.

As I recall, it was indeed Yuki who brought me to this bookstore, and later I developed the habit of coming to this bookstore to buy books. However, Yukinoshita, you, the second young lady of the Yukinoshita family, are too stingy. Not only did you not give me a breakup fee, but you also care about this little bit of money.

"Have you forgotten? Didn't Kasuga-kun tell me that Kasuga-kun's money is my money, and my money is still—my money?"

Yukino answered with a straight face, her expression showing no sign of lying.

The veins on Chunri's forehead throbbed as she made that transition.

"No way! Are you Gian from the Yukinoshita family? Or did you make me make some weird promise when I was drunk?"

"It was you, Kasuga-kun, who knelt down and begged me to agree, and that's why I reluctantly agreed to your request."

"Definitely not!! I never said anything so shameful."

"If you have it, then I say you have it."

"Shut up, you Yukinoshita family!!"

The path under the moonlight

Fireflies fluttering,

The young couple walked slowly, but they kept arguing about their private property.

They were less than five centimeters apart, yet they were arguing earnestly, naming names.

This atmosphere is wonderful.

What do you all think?

(P.S.: This is my third update since I started writing! Please leave comments and add this to your favorites, thank you so much! There's also a post in the book review section titled "Fifty Little Secrets for Another Time," please recommend it if you like it.)

Chapter Eight: Afraid You'll Be Lonely

Haruhi lived in an apartment.

At first, his mother would deposit some living expenses into his card, but as time went on, the woman would occasionally forget about it in a certain month.

The apartment was rented. He had been used to living alone since junior high school because he had been abandoned by everyone since childhood. He was happy to try this kind of free and independent life.

He had argued with his mother about living independently, because although she didn't like him, they were still blood relatives, and she wanted to raise him anyway. However, since his junior high school was very close to his apartment, his mother eventually agreed to let him live alone after he argued his case.

The rented apartments are generally geared towards single young people, and occasionally there are a few teenagers like him who live alone away from home. Therefore, both the interior decoration and the exterior design of the apartment are quite exquisite and beautiful. Moreover, there is a bay window-like structure in the apartment, and there are several locks on the door. Overall, he is satisfied with his material life, which is not too demanding. Not to mention, he can walk directly to Zongwu High School.

However, compared to the high-end apartment where Xiaoxue lived alone during high school, it was far inferior.

He pushed open the door, changed his somewhat worn-out shoes in the entryway, put on a pair of slippers, and hurried into the living room.

Turning on the TV, Chunri poured himself a full cup of rye tea from the refrigerator, sat on the sofa, and leisurely watched the news on TV while drinking his beverage.

Of course, Yukinoshita has now broken up with her, and the two have returned to the time before they dated. So, at the crossroads where they were on completely different paths, they glared at each other fiercely, and then tacitly left in the direction of their respective apartments.

The information broadcast on the news was like the lessons he listened to in class during the day—it made him drowsy.

As for dinner? Don't even think about it. For a delinquent like him, it's already quite an achievement that he can muster the energy to make himself a cup of instant noodles. The bookstore's budget has exhausted all his savings at the time, and he's too embarrassed to borrow some money from Yukino to buy a fast food bento at the supermarket. So he can only go back to his apartment with the thought that "maybe there's something left in the fridge."

It turned out that there was only a bottle of rye tea, a few bags of sugar (from some unknown source), and basic ingredients for cooking oil in the refrigerator.

However, who says you can't have dinner without ingredients? On a slightly hungry spring day, I remembered a scene I once read in a romance novel.

A few minutes later,

In the dimly lit living room, the boy frowned slightly.

Some menacing gazes shifted to the new rye tea in front of them, which contained sugar, salt, and some cooking oil.

The taste alone is so subtle that it's unforgettable.

He pinched the tip of his nose, took a deep breath, and then gulped down the cup of filling rye tea.

As the murky liquid flowed into his mouth, esophagus, and stomach, his furrowed brows suddenly relaxed, and he even let out a comfortable moan from time to time.

"Um... Hmm? Hmm!!! This indescribable taste, but once you get used to it, it's actually quite nice, just a little greasy."

He touched the few drops of oil that had seeped from the corner of his mouth and let out a long sigh.

It turns out that light novels aren't all lies after all; you can actually survive perfectly on just cooking oil, sugar, and salt.

See? Even without you, Yukinoshita, I can still live a perfect life.

A smug smile seemed to be forming on the boy's lips as he comforted himself.

But her voice grew softer and softer, and in just a few seconds...

His smug smile eventually crumbled, and he buried his face in his arms, his voice low and bitter.

"Only a ghost could get used to this smell, which is like gutter oil. How could anyone like it?!"

"If possible, I would still like to eat Xiaoxue's cooking."

In the dimly lit apartment, the lights flickered.

A boy's low, powerless roar quietly echoed in the apartment.

……

And on the other side,

The luxury apartment where Yukinoshita lives.

Looking at the steaming dinner on the table, which she had spent a long time preparing, the girl, dressed in a loose white house dress, nodded in satisfaction and took off the apron she was wearing.

Her long black hair was tied into a ponytail, revealing her fair and delicate neck, which was very attractive. Her breasts trembled slightly as she went in and out of the kitchen. Although there was no visible movement, it gave her a natural and unadorned beauty.

Yukinoshita, who had subconsciously picked up two sets of bowls and chopsticks, seemed to realize something was wrong when she reached the dining table. She smoothed a few strands of hair that had fallen down while she was busy, but did not take one of the sets back. As she placed the bowls and chopsticks on the table, Yukinoshita smiled self-deprecatingly.

Honestly, although I really don't want to admit it, like that guy, some habits are hard to break once they're formed, and even the proud and aloof Yukinoshita is no exception.

Just like before, she didn't really like using cosmetics. But one day in college, Haruhi, like an idiot, used a month's worth of money she earned from her part-time job to buy herself a whole set of expensive cosmetics. After that, she, who was so proud that she never liked to decorate her face, gradually started to get used to makeup, even though her makeup skills were really bad. In the end, she had to find Yui and have her teach her step by step.

The saying "A woman dresses up for the one she loves" perfectly describes Yukino Yukinoshita at that time.

Enjoying the sumptuous dinner slowly under the bright lights, for some reason, some of the girls, who found the food tasteless, could only take a couple of bites before giving up.

Two days ago, the two of them were sitting around a small table in their apartment, enjoying sake and dinner. But in the blink of an eye, a strange time travel caused them to break up again and even return to their original state.

If she said she wasn't afraid at all, she would be lying, especially in front of Haruhi; she couldn't show her vulnerable side.

Setting down her chopsticks, Yukino Yukinoshita rested her chin on her hand, staring blankly at the night view outside the balcony window, her mind unsettled. She had no appetite whatsoever.

She is different from spring.

If Yukinoshita is a person with clear goals and the courage to forge ahead into the future, then Haruhi is the opposite, with her future goals sometimes vague and sometimes clear, and she always acts without thinking.

"Too bad I'm a fool too..."

The girl suddenly felt a little lonely in the empty room.

……

Just as I was thinking this, a series of urgent doorbell rings suddenly filled the clean and bright living room.

"It's so late, it must be your older sister..."

Her thoughts were startled by the sudden ringing of the bell. Before leaving the dining table, she tiptoed toward the door.

What appeared in the cat's-eye view was not her sister, but—

"Yukinoshita, open the door! I know you're home. Don't hide inside and stay silent! Open the door! Yukinoshita, open the door!! Don't hide inside and stay silent!!"

"Shut up and explain yourself. What are you, a guy, doing barging into the girls' dormitory so late at night?"

Looking at Haruhi appearing outside the door through that door, Yukinoshita's lips trembled slightly.

Or is this guy a mind reader...?

"Um... I was worried you'd be lonely at home alone, so I came to keep you company. I'm very kind, so please let me in."

On the other end, the previously noisy voices suddenly softened, and the boy outside the door struck a thoughtful pose, revealing a row of bright white teeth.

"And what about the truth?"

The door opened slightly, revealing half of Xuexia's pretty face, with a hint of suspicion on her face.

"I'm here to freeload a meal."