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

Father…is sick? What kind of illness? It should just be a common fever, right? Hopefully, it won't turn into something like Mother's.

Toyokawa Shoko felt a chill run through her body. Even though she outwardly disliked her father’s drinking and decadence, she still felt a deep affection and love for him. No matter how hard things got, she never thought of abandoning her father. He was her only close relative in the world!

She was momentarily bewildered and flustered, unsure how to solve the problem. After all, she was still essentially a naive young lady. Even though she had gained a lot of life experience in the past two months, she still panicked when faced with this unexpected situation.

No, I have to pull myself together.

The most important thing now is to call an ambulance and take my father to the hospital...

"Xiang...zi, don't worry about me, I'm fine," Toyokawa Kiyoko murmured as he turned over.

——!

Her father's words actually brought Toyokawa Shoko to her senses. She took a deep breath, took out her phone, and dialed the ambulance number—this was the best solution she could think of.

Then came the waiting. The hospital was very efficient; she had just applied a towel to her father's face when the ambulance arrived. The accompanying nurse helped her take her father into the ambulance, measured his temperature and blood pressure, and Xiangzi naturally followed beside her. The sharp siren of the ambulance reminded her of the past.

Upon arriving at the hospital, Toyokawa Shoko quickly completed the formalities. It was her first time experiencing anything like this, but thankfully, thanks to the nurse's reminder, she had brought her health insurance card and wallet.

The father was having an X-ray examination, while the girl sat on a cold chair outside, looking somewhat tired.

When her mother was hospitalized, she could still rely on her father and grandfather, but now she can only rely on one person. She subconsciously held her phone, not knowing how to tell Qingye about it.

But all her emotions quickly dissipated, because her father was fine; he just had a common fever and was too weak from not eating all day. When she learned the result, Toyokawa Shoko was both amused and annoyed, but in short, she calmed down.

With her bastard father alright, Toyokawa Shoko's heart ached instead—even though the ambulance was free and insurance wouldn't have cost that much, a trip to the hospital still eroded a significant portion of her hard-earned savings.

She knew it was due to her lack of life experience. Her father didn't need to come to the hospital at all; she could have just cooked him some porridge and given him some medicine. At that time, she didn't think about anything else.

"Don't drink so much next time, Father."

After giving her father instructions while he was receiving an IV drip, Toyokawa Shoko thought about the money she had saved and her original 'date plan', and silently clenched her little fist.

The only thing I can do is try harder!

If her father's health were to deteriorate, she certainly wouldn't be thinking about her anymore. As for now... Hmph! I would never sacrifice my happiness for that bastard father!

It's decided! She's going to earn more money in the next few days! That way, she can do the things she wants to do with Kiyono-kun!

*

Going to school, working part-time.

Working, going to school.

This life was incredibly dull, yet Toyokawa Shoko kept going through it. Her savings for dating were being drained, and her father's attitude always gave her a strange sense of anxiety—could she really live with Kiyono-kun?

With this in mind, she sacrificed some of her morning sleep and took on a part-time job delivering newspapers. She felt like she was floating, and couldn't help but take a nap after arriving at school.

This made Toyokawa Shoko, who always strictly adhered to the rules, feel somewhat ashamed.

In the evening, the two ate together as usual. Today, the main dish at the Kiyono family canteen was sushi, which looked excellent and contained tuna specially prepared to supplement the girl's nutrition.

However, today, Toyokawa Shoko seemed somewhat lost in thought. She picked up some sushi with her chopsticks, put it in her mouth, and looked dazed, showing no sign of enjoying the food.

Seeing this, Kiyono seemed to be deep in thought, and then said:

"Xiangzi, what do you think of the sushi?"

"Mmm, it's delicious! Kiyono-kun's cooking skills are getting better and better."

Toyokawa Shoko responded by saying that the emotional value she provided was the same as always.

"Do you think there's anything that wasn't done well enough?"

"No."

Kiyono asked a few more questions, then suddenly spoke up:

"Xiangzi, have you secretly found another job?"

Upon hearing this, Toyokawa Shoko's eyes widened adorably, and her previous drowsiness vanished. She unconsciously uttered:

"How did Kiyono-kun know?"

Kiyono looked at the tired-looking girl and shook her head helplessly. Teacher Daisho was good in every way, but her excessive sense of responsibility and pride was something that made people helpless. Of course, this was also the unique characteristic that set her apart from other girls.

"I just want to earn more money..."

Toyokawa Shoko belatedly covered her mouth, then lowered her head shyly and whispered, but deep down she felt a little smug, because the boy had keenly noticed any slight change in her, and that he cared about her.

After a few seconds of silence, Kiyono made a move. He gently placed his hands on the girl's shoulders, gazed into her eyes, and his tone became unusually serious.

"Xiangzi, go find a job related to music."

This time, Toyokawa Shoko did not refuse.

She also realized that she couldn't continue like this, not only for herself, but also for Kiyono.

"Then, Ms. Xiangzi, could you teach me piano privately first? Just to practice a bit," Kiyono said solemnly.

However, the girl was still mostly innocent at this time and did not understand the meaning of individual instruction. She simply tilted her head, parted her cherry lips slightly, and spoke in a gentle tone.

"If Kiyono-kun wants to learn the piano—you can do it anytime! I can play for you anytime!"

*

6 month 12 day.

Saturday.

The rainy season has officially arrived. A light drizzle gently patters against the windows of the house, and the sky is covered by a thick layer of leaden-gray clouds, making the dark scenery seem as if night has come early.

Today is the day she and Kiyono had agreed to meet.

From a dating perspective, it was clearly not a good day, but the girl was still in a bright mood. She had been looking forward to this day for a long time, secretly planning countless itineraries, saving up every penny behind the convenience store checkout counter, and even her dreams were filled with the scene of the two of them traveling together.

Unable to contain her excitement, she opened the window just a finger's width, and the sound of rain and damp air seeped in through the crack.

Shoko Toyokawa used to hate rainy days.

She can't say she likes it now, but at least today, she doesn't hate rainy days anymore.

What should I wear today?

Toyokawa Shoko was somewhat troubled—actually, there was nothing to be troubled about. She had left the Toyokawa family in such a hurry that she had only taken three or four sets of clothes with her, leaving her with only these two outfits to choose from. Yet, the down-on-her-luck young lady was now displaying an even more focused attitude than when checking sheet music, earnestly comparing and contrasting the outfits.

In the end, she still chose her usual gray lattice skirt and beige top, paired with black Mary Jane shoes and pure white ankle socks with delicate lace trim. The lace trim perfectly wrapped around her slender ankles, making her small, delicate feet look even more exquisite and lovely.

Then, she tied a cute bow on her chest and began to slowly comb her long hair in front of the vanity mirror. She patiently separated the tangled strands of hair with her fingers, then picked up the comb and combed upwards little by little, starting from the ends.

The blue-haired girl in the mirror pursed her lips slightly, her eyes focused, and her long eyelashes trembled gently as the comb rose and fell.

"Should it be tied higher or lower...?"

She tried to gather her hair up and muttered to herself.

During this time, the girl's gaze inadvertently drifted to her father's bedroom, and she frowned. It was empty; her father had disappeared again early in the morning...

She looked away, trying not to think about it too much.

Shoko Toyokawa tied her hair into a ponytail, twirled gently in front of the mirror, and nodded in satisfaction.

"That should work!"

Finally, she grabbed her bag and phone, headed to the entrance, picked up her umbrella, and prepared to go to her date.

But she blinked, and her movement of taking the umbrella unexpectedly stopped.

Because a beautiful image suddenly appeared in her mind:

On a rainy day, a man and a woman share an umbrella.

—You and Dian are like the sleeves of a matching hat, leaning on each other.

This is a scene often seen in shoujo manga! But since Kiyono-kun is so thoughtful, he must have brought an umbrella in advance. How can she naturally share an umbrella with Kiyono-kun?

—The once innocent young lady has learned to be cunning without any formal instruction.

That's it! I'll just have him pick me up! I can just say I accidentally lost my umbrella!

Shoko Toyokawa pursed her lips happily, thinking she had come up with a great idea. Just as she was about to take out her phone to send a message to Kiyono-kun—

Ring ring ring ring ring.

Her cell phone rang.

Ring ring ring ring ring, ring ring ring ring ring.

A bad feeling suddenly rose in her heart, because Kiyono-kun loved to tease her, and he would never call her on his own initiative at times like this.

Ring ring ring ring ring, ring ring ring ring ring, ring ring ring ring ring.

The icy voice sounded like a death knell, and Toyokawa Shoko looked at her phone with trepidation.

On the screen was a somewhat familiar number.

That's the Metropolitan Police Department's public telephone.

in other words.

don't want……

I don't want to become like that...

Shoko Toyokawa stood there stunned, feeling a sudden dizziness.

Why, why did it have to happen at this time of year?

She suddenly thought of the past. Although it had only happened in the last two months, it felt like a very long time ago, as if it were a memory that had resurfaced a hundred years later.

It was a gloomy night, just like today. Thick clouds covered the stars and the moon. Back then, she hadn't given up on Crychic yet; she couldn't bear to. When she got home, she saw a message from Su Shi—

Xiao Xiang, we're all waiting for you. We really want to see you.

I'm so sorry, I'm afraid I can't make it today.

Are you alright? Everyone was worried about you.

Please tell everyone that there is no need to worry.

[Xiao Xiang, can you come today?]

【I'm so sorry for everything so far, but I'm sure I'll be able to see everyone today...】This sentence will forever remain in the chat box.

She received this phone call in the past.

Now, it's as if she has traveled through time.

She encountered the same thing again.

fate.

She bit her lip, and then, with a sudden realization, forced the word out of her mouth.

fate.

Humans cannot resist fate, and this was her fate. Her beloved mother left her, and she thought she had found warmth and a place to belong, but she had to grit her teeth and leave with a broken heart, facing life alone and supporting her father alone.

—What should I do next?

At that time, I gave my answer: to give up everything—my beloved music, my like-minded friends—in order to survive.

—Should I give up now too?

She abandoned Kiyono-kun, abandoned all the little things she had shared with him, the curiosity brought about by their fateful encounter, the gradual attraction to his gentleness, the thrill of receiving his paintings, the happiness of eating bento boxes together... and, every night wrapped in a blanket, secretly sketching out the future.

Although this thought was very naive, she genuinely believed that she was the female protagonist in a love story.

But she could not escape her "fate".

Then there is only one answer——

That is to challenge it.

【Sorry, Kiyono-kun, something came up and I might be an hour or two late. Could you please wait for me? No matter what happens today, I will keep my promise!】

Toyokawa Shoko put away her phone and let out a soft breath.

The message that wasn't sent to Su Shi that day finally reached her.

030. Live with me, Xiangzi [Two-in-One]

A light rain fell on the umbrella, and fallen leaves swirled in the rain.

Shoko Toyokawa no longer cared about the umbrella; she held it up and walked quickly toward the police station, the rain splashing up under her feet mercilessly staining her carefully chosen white lace stockings.