All the people who like me are other people’s girlfriends! ?

Tuesday.

After the beginning of June, the plum rain season will soon arrive. The muggy and sticky air has dissipated considerably, and the evening breeze feels comfortable and pleasant against the skin.

This cool feeling proves that summer has not yet arrived.

Under the sycamore trees in the park, a street lamp clearly illuminated a bench. A blue-haired girl sat on the bench, wearing a blue ruffled dress that just covered her knees, revealing her fair and slender legs stretched out.

However, at this moment, Toyokawa Shoko's posture was slightly stiff...

Her hands unconsciously rested on a square, delicate blue pastry box on her knees. The box wasn't big, but it felt a little hot to her touch.

She made this herself.

It will be delivered to Kiyono soon.

The thought made her heart race, and the box felt like it was glued to her palm—so this is what it's like to give a gift in person! Why didn't she feel this way before!

The girl was lost in thought.

The next moment, footsteps sounded from afar, getting closer.

"Sorry, have you been waiting long? I was a little late for work tonight." Qingye's voice, slightly out of breath from jogging, rang in her ears.

"No, no..."

Toyokawa Shoko's body trembled suddenly, and she lowered her head for no apparent reason, speaking in a soft tone, so gentle and tender that it was as if a bride-to-be had seen her groom coming to greet her.

Kiyono sat down next to her, put the lunchbox aside, and looked at her strangely. Why did Teacher Daisho seem softer and more gentle than usual today?

Kiyono's gaze suddenly fell on the box on the girl's lap. After staring at it for a few seconds, he seemed to understand something and blinked.

"Ahem." Kiyono cleared his throat, his voice filled with doubt, but with a deliberately suppressed smile, as he brushed lightly against the girl's earlobe like a feather.

"Xiangzi...this box looks really fancy. Do you want some snacks?"

Her drooping head swayed left and right a couple of times, and her swaying ponytail seemed to follow suit.

Toyokawa Shoko was somewhat dissatisfied. "So, in your eyes, I'm the kind of person who only thinks about myself?"

"..."

Kiyono leaned closer, and the girl immediately smelled the fragrance of grass and dew. She stared intently at the cake box. "Let me guess, did you buy this from a cake shop you passed by?"

The girl shook her head again.

"Is that the new sample that Teacher Xiang works at? We didn't sell out today, so we splurge a little."

Kiyono's expression took on a mischievous smile, making no attempt to hide his teasing, but unfortunately the girl didn't look up and couldn't see his face.

This time, the girl didn't shake her head; instead, she spoke directly:

"no!"

She felt even more resentful. "I did this especially for you..."

Seeing Xiangzi's attitude, Qingye's lips curled up uncontrollably.

"Eh?"

His feigned confusion drifted into Toyokawa Shoko's ears.

"So what exactly is this? It's packaged so cutely, could it be..."

At this point, Kiyono paused for a moment.

Toyokawa Shoko subconsciously looked up, only to meet the boy's eyes.

Her breath hitched.

Those clear, bright eyes were brimming with a gentle smile that seemed about to overflow, like a sweet mountain spring.

Then, she heard the boy say seriously:

"Could it be that Xiangzi secretly practiced for a long time before finally making this secret weapon full of his heart, just so he could give it to me?"

Toyokawa Shoko's eyes widened as she stared at Kiyono in front of her, a startling pink color rapidly taking over her face.

At that moment, she finally realized that Kiyono had done it on purpose! He was just teasing her! That rascal!!

She pursed her lips, giving him a light glare of dissatisfaction and shyness. However, Toyokawa Shoko was no ordinary girl. After a brief moment of passivity, she flicked her ponytail, blushing as she looked directly at the boy.

"It's a return gift for you, but it can't really be called a weapon..."

"Come and eat together."

Kiyono smiled, took the box that still held the girl's warmth, opened it, and found a small cake knife, plate, and fork inside. He cut off a large piece of cake with strawberries and handed it to the girl.

"Ah."

Toyokawa Shoko smiled and quietly moved closer to the boy, as if they were snuggling together.

...

The two ate their bento boxes and shared about two-thirds of the cake. Kiyono planned to take the rest home to eat later.

Kiyono glanced at the gentle girl who was drinking water, pondered for a while, and felt that now was the time to bring up a more in-depth topic.

"Xiangzi, have you ever thought about making money through music?" he asked casually. "That would be easier, and I'd make more money too."

music……?

Shoko Toyokawa closed the water bottle—the water for Kiyono was all poured from here—and her eyes became complicated. Music had a special meaning for her; it was a dream she truly loved, and a collection of memories with her mother.

Moreover, when she talks about music, she thinks of bands.

crychic.

A name she no longer wanted to mention, one that would sting her just to think of.

Those beautiful scenes are still vivid in my mind. They were a team connected by her vision, the clumsy yet more moving singing voice of the lantern, the gentle and caring Sose, the best childhood friend, and most importantly, Kiyono.

We all moved forward together in one direction, chasing the stars, our hearts incredibly close, as if we were truly a community of shared destiny, but...

She remained silent for a while, then said softly:

"Yes, I'll think about it carefully."

This is a very positive response. At the moment, she doesn't have the energy or money to play in a band, but she's not very opposed to working with music.

Kiyono glanced at the girl. He didn't know what Xiangzi thought of Crychic. As for whether to reform or change to a new band, he felt it didn't matter, as long as Xiangzi was willing to face it and resolve the issues in everyone's hearts and her own. Even if it was done slowly, it was fine.

He didn't pursue the topic further, and continued with a smile:

"If you want to work as a piano tutor, you can tell me anytime. I've recently met a lot of excellent young ladies from bands. Many keyboardists are struggling to improve their skills. If you, Xiangzi, are willing to teach them, they will definitely be very happy."

Toyokawa Shoko suddenly stopped, her expression strange.

—What's with this feeling of seeing a wife going out and silently bowing her head to someone else, begging her incompetent husband to give her a job?

Kiyono carried the remaining cake, ready to take Xiangzi home.

But at that moment, Toyokawa Shoko's pupils twitched.

--etc.

—She hasn't said anything important yet.

--so.

"Kyono-kun!"

Kiyono turned around and saw that Toyokawa Shoko had already stood up. The girl's hands were clenched into fists in front of her chest, her body trembled slightly for a second, then she took a deep breath, calmed down, and revealed an elegant expression like the white moonlight.

"Can we go out together this Sunday?"

What to say?

Toyokawa Shoko's seriousness is somewhat similar to Yukino's, but she doesn't reveal the sharp edge of a sword like Yukino. Instead, she is as shy as a flower. Seeing such a girl always makes people want to tease her and see her shy or complaining face.

Kiyono raised an eyebrow, seemingly somewhat embarrassed, and said:

"I think I had something to do that day..."

"That's not OK!"

At that moment, the girl's eyes were filled with both embarrassment and unwavering determination: "I want to be with you!"

Kiyono's heart skipped a beat. "...Then I can only try my best to arrange the time properly."

"Okay! Do it that way!"

The moonlight was like water, but the girl's smile was even gentler than the bright moon.

*

"welcome--"

"That's 2380 yen in total. Thank you for your patronage."

Please come again next time—

Inside the convenience store, a female customer blankly accepted the plastic bag, but her gaze was still unconsciously fixed on the blue-haired girl in front of her. She felt that the girl's smile seemed to be shining with dazzling light, deeply attracting people's attention.

Those who came to buy snacks and drinks dared not look at her smile and could only blush and subconsciously buy more things.

As the end-of-night shift notification sounded softly, Xiangzi breathed a sigh of relief and went into the small staff room to change out of her uniform. When she came out in her regular clothes, the store manager—the always smiling, kind old lady—was already waiting at the door, holding a simple paper bag in her hand.

"You've worked hard, Xiao Xiangzi. Here's your salary from last week."

"Thank you very much." Toyokawa Shoko politely accepted the gift with both hands.

“Xiao Xiangzi has been working very hard lately, and the shop has seen a lot more customers. Everyone is praising you, so we’ve given you an extra fifth of your salary. You deserve it, so please accept it.” The old lady’s smile lines deepened.

Toyokawa Shoko was taken aback. She subconsciously squeezed the paper bag containing the cash and found that it was indeed thicker. This time, she did not refuse and showed that pure and kind smile, like sunlight piercing through the clouds, enough to warm the heart of anyone who saw it.

"Yes! I will work even harder!"

Turning away from the convenience store, the crisp night air brushed against his face. Clutching the stack of wages that was thicker than he had expected, Xiangzi's thoughts had already drifted to the weekend.

With this extra money, she could sit with Kiyono-kun in the newly opened café with huge floor-to-ceiling windows in front of the station on a sunny weekend. She could confidently order the limited-edition dessert she had been secretly eyeing for a long time, and then the two of them could share the sweetness together.

We could also buy Kiyono-kun more things at the mall, hmm... like new clothes? He seems to always wear the same two T-shirts, and...

The imagined scene gently rolled in her heart, overflowing with a sweet and sour yet incredibly alluring aroma.

To protect the sweet anticipation that fills her heart at this moment, Toyokawa Shoko decides to take life more seriously.

What a bright future!

The young girl harbored beautiful dreams.

However, something she never expected happened quietly...

029. Toyokawa Shoko, Who Challenged Fate [Two-in-One]

A potted plant appeared in Xiangzi's living room.

It was a somewhat wilted pothos plant, planted in a small flowerpot made from a discarded water bottle, which the girl had decorated simply with stickers and paint.

She picked it up a couple of days ago. On her way back from shopping, she saw this abandoned seedling that was still stubbornly blooming by the roadside. Something in her heart was suddenly touched, so she took it home and threw away the original flowerpot.

Before going to school in the morning, Toyokawa Shoko carefully watered it, then squatted down, took a picture with her phone, and sent it to Kiyono with a smile.

"It's like me, a troublesome child that needs a little time to become independent. Kiyono-kun, would you like to watch it grow up with me?"

After sending this message, the girl began a brand new day.

Going to school, attending classes, coming home from school, working... In her spare time, Toyokawa Shoko would think about how to spend the weekend with the boy, feeling that it would become a memorable day.

Time passed silently. After finishing work in the evening, the girl returned home carrying a plastic bag and turned on the light.

"Father, I'm back. I've bought dinner for you tonight."

The blue-haired girl called out softly, and as soon as she entered the room, she smelled a strong odor of alcohol. She covered her nose with one hand and frowned.

That damn old man is drinking at home again...

Shoko Toyokawa sighed, put the bag on the table, and prepared to tidy up the room. But just then, she suddenly felt something was wrong. Why was her father so quiet today? Usually, when he saw her come home, he would at least ask her a few questions.

"Father?"

There was still no response, and her heart jumped. She rushed to the bedroom and saw her father, who was pale and covered in sweat.

In that instant, the face of his father before him overlapped with the image of his mother lying weakly on the hospital bed in his memory.

My mind goes blank.