I am the emotional sustenance of your deceased

She doesn't hate people who try to show off, but she doesn't want Chitose to be that person.

Shiina Riki has always been so selfish.

　Ch237. From the blooming of flowers to their withering

　[Then you still show off in front of them? ]

　Li Xi scratched the tip of Qiansui's pen to express his dissatisfaction.

　"hey-hey."

　After a few embarrassed laughs, Qiansui put all the weight of his body on Li Xi's shoulders.

　Whenever this happened, Li Xi felt even more depressed.

　It seemed like Chitose's body was getting lighter and lighter... She couldn't even feel the weight of a high school girl.

　I feel that Chitose is only a little heavier than cotton.

　"Isn't it time for a performance? We can't let everyone see that the coach is unwell right now. It will affect morale."

　"But," Li Xi felt a pang of sadness. "Why only let me see it? I'll be affected too."

　"That's different, Lixi, that's different."

　Chitose jumped around, stood in front of Riki and poked Riki's chest a few times with his fingers.

　"Because Li Xi is a special person, Chitose doesn't want to pretend in front of Li Xi... Talking is so tiring... Li Xi, please carry me and walk quickly."

　What a little girl who loves to act like a spoiled child.

　It’s okay to act tough and it’s okay to act cute.

　There will always be someone who loves you, Xiaosui.

　"I really can't do anything about you."

　【Fool. 】

　Li Xi picked up the ball of cotton, weighed it a few times and found that it had indeed become thinner.

　What should I do?

　As the rehearsal progressed, Chitose's anorexia became more severe.

　It has reached the point where she has to go to the hospital from time to time to get glucose infusions just to survive... Even when eating, she has to use super strong spices to enhance the stimulation of the food so that Chitose can eat even a little bit.

　"Ugh."

　Hope everything will be alright.

　Hope. Hope doesn't cost money anyway.

　"Lixi! In the future... I want to travel abroad, go to France, and see the Cote d'Azur."

　【what is that? 】

　"That's what my mother told me! It was a..."

　……

　That is a place that can never be visited.

　Neither Su Shi nor Li Xi could take Qiansui anywhere.

　That's the way it is.

　……

　There is the sound of piano upstairs.

　The stove downstairs was still burning.

　Shiina Riki leaned on the windowsill in a daze, the unknown song played by Chitose echoing in his ears.

　"That sounds great. Have you improved again?"

　Ever since the restrictions on Qiansui were lifted, the child's playing has become more unrestrained and arrogant.

　Is there really anything in this world that Qiansui can't do?

　She learned Russian, guitar, bass, and piano as a deaf-mute at the age of sixteen.

　If this kind of genius had not been deaf, he would definitely be one of the small group of chosen ones who shine at the pinnacle of the era.

　Drowning...sigh.

　The pot was bubbling and bubbling, and Li Xi had to taste it frequently to make sure Chitose could eat it.

　Although the process is not pleasant, just like this pot of soup.

　When the rich soup slid down the esophagus into the body and warmed the internal organs along the way, Shiina Riki's hair stood on end.

　"It tastes weird, spicy and sour... Ugh."

　But, it's just enough for Chitose to eat.

　What a misfortune.

　Obviously, she was quite healthy at the beginning of her young life.

　Ultimately, there are only two people to blame for the situation.

　The first person to bear the brunt of this is her, Shiina Riki, and this is a crime from which she cannot escape.

　Another one is...

　Click—bang—

　Li Xi was cutting vegetables with a kitchen knife. He only came back to his senses after the tip of the knife had penetrated three-quarters of the way into the chopping board.

　"The other person is you! Toyokawa Shoko..."

　Shiina Riki gets so angry when he mentions Shoko.

　"Toyokawa Shoko, you really deserve to die! You bastard!"

　The force of chopping vegetables increased, and the sawdust seemed to be mixed into the ingredients.

　But the chopping action was not enough to calm Li Xi's anger.

　That guy actually formed a new band! Chitose's suicide that night was definitely because of Xiangzi!

　It’s all that Toyokawa Shoko’s fault!

　Only by beating that bastard up could Li Xi feel relieved.

　"He quit the band he founded without permission, and ended up bringing in a bunch of new people to perform with him... He even poached Mu! If Mu hadn't been still thinking about Crychic, which he had been a part of for a year... Xiao Sui and my current band would probably have disbanded."

　You! Look how much trouble you've added to my life!

　Don't let me catch you!

　After the performance, I will definitely meet you offline for real depending on the situation!

　Lixi poured the chopped vegetables into the pot, savored the soup again, and finally turned down the heat with satisfaction.

　"Humph."

　There are a lot of healthy vegetables in today’s soup, so Xiao Sui should have an appetite to eat some.

　She also bought some soft fruits such as mangoes and blueberries, hoping that Xiaosui would eat more.

　There seemed to be something wrong in the air around.

　Shiina Riki always felt like something was missing.

　"Something's missing..."

　Missing…

　[Wait, why did the music stop? Could it be Xiao Sui?]

　Lixi untied her apron and tried to keep her mind as calm as possible.

　Maybe Xiaosui is resting because he is too exhausted to perform?

　This is the umpteenth time this month.

　"Ugh."

　……

　Oh, it’s not that I’m exhausted and can’t perform, I’m just taking a rest.

　She just fainted.

　Not a big deal... probably.

　Shiheyu Hospital, a place that Shiina Riki is so familiar with that he can even draw a map of it.

　"Ms. Noshiro is awake now. We can't let her be under such high pressure lately... Her condition is even worse than her last hospitalization."

　"Worsened?... I see. Thank you, Dr. Haizuka."

　"I wish you happiness."

　The doctor came, left a meaningful smile, and left.

　Li Xi stood outside the door and wiped Qiansui's hearing aid repeatedly until there was no dust on it before he pushed the door open and walked in.

　【Year-old, are you feeling better? 】

　Noshiro Chitose couldn't see what Riki was gesturing.

　She closed her eyes, and her fingers jumped in the air like carps jumping into the dragon gate.

　"Xiao Sui, you idiot, why did you start playing the air piano right after waking up... Your life is ruined by music."

　In fact, it was Li Xi who ruined it, but Chitose couldn't hear now, so it didn't matter what Li Xi wanted to say.

　She shook Chitose's shoulders, and only then did Noshiro Chitose, who was making a very rock and roll gesture with her fingers, come back to her senses.

　"Lixi! Hug! The doctor told me that you're getting better."

　[Really? Really? Haha.]

　Did the doctor... tell Chitose a white lie? She's such a kindhearted person.

　"Yes, Xiao Sui, it's almost done! Let's go home and eat. I made that soup you said you liked a few days ago... Just heat it up and we're ready to eat."

　Li Xi stroked Qiansui's cheek, and the girl cooperated by rubbing it a few times.

　Do not know why.

　Li Xi always felt that he was experiencing the process of a flower from blooming to withering.

　It's such a... nasty feeling.

　-

　Ch238. The night before our departure, you and I

　"If love needs to be expressed in words, then how do the dumb love each other?"

　Li Xi accidentally came across this sentence and subconsciously asked Qiansui.

　"Just looking at each other like we did, we were surrounded by love."

　Noshiro Chitose smiled without saying a word, she looked at the distant skyline.

　There seemed to be something there, ready to guide her home.

　……

　Five days before the performance, Chitose Noshiro, who had been quietly discharged from the hospital with Riki, continued to join the intensive rehearsal session.

　Everyone was on edge. If it were a year ago, they would still be able to laugh and joke and send each other home after every rehearsal, but now it's different.

　After the rehearsal, some people lie down to rest, some immediately pick up their bags and leave, and some stay there until everyone has left before leaving.

　The last people to leave are usually Chitose and Riki. Incidentally, Riki is the idiot lying down to rest.

　Riki had asked why Chitose stayed until the last week.

　Chitose said she wanted to see more of everyone. After all, it's hard for the band to get together again in its entirety, right?