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

Seeing her pretty face blush, Ba Nai took a deep breath with a slight tremor, pressed her hands on his shoulders, and said coldly: "You are not allowed to be alone with Lemon at night in the future!"

*

While the two were quarreling, the atmosphere between Shaoyan Lemon and Ayano gradually became warmer. After all, the two had a good relationship as childhood sweethearts and had never had any conflicts that led to breaking up their friendship in elementary school. At most, they had spent less time together since they entered high school.

Now seems like a... good opportunity?

In a small jewelry store in the mall, Lemon picked up a strawberry hairpin, secretly mustered up her courage, and said with a nonchalant smile:

"By the way, Mitsuki, I recently read a light novel that's actually all about tanka."

"Huh? There's actually a novel like this? What's it called?"

Ayano Mitsuki was indeed interested. She pushed her glasses and said with interest - his expression now looked much brighter than before when he accompanied her shopping.

Lemon said the title of the book, then turned her head and continued:

"I really like a line from the song. I remember it was called 'It's hard to get what you want in this world. Only when we meet in dreams do we realize how unbearable loneliness is.'"

"Hmm? This is a waka poem by Ono Komachi, right? This female poet from the Heian period loved to use dreams to express love. But... I don't think this sentence is right, but I haven't read the original text..."

The childhood sweetheart answered with a smile, and his tone of voice unconsciously rose. After all, this is a very niche hobby, and it is not easy to meet someone to discuss it with.

"It's possible! Lemon!" Banaijian clenched his fists outside the store.

Qingye also nodded. Starting with hobbies was indeed the most appropriate method.

But at this moment, a soft female voice suddenly sounded in the ears of the four people. The voice was quiet and gentle, with a softness like water, which made people involuntarily think of a literary girl reading a book under the setting sun.

"Eh? Mitsuki? What a coincidence."

A quiet girl appeared in their sight. She had a pair of amethyst-like eyes and a gentle smile that made people feel like spring breeze at first sight.

But at this moment, Banaijian and Qingye seemed to have seen some boss. They took a deep breath and looked solemn.

It wasn't a chance encounter.

Emperor Chaoyun is here after all!

He didn't know if it was Qingye's illusion, but he always felt that the girl glanced in his direction vaguely.

"Chihaya? Why are you here?" Ayano Mitsuki showed a smile mixed with surprise and delight, which made Lemon next to her stunned.

"Come to the mall to buy some daily necessities..."

The literary girl pursed her lips and gently showed the plastic bag in her hand.

"Is this... Miss Lemon, whom Mitsuki always mentioned?"

Asagumo Chihaya walked up to the two of them with an impeccable attitude.

Mitsuki nodded and introduced the two of them to each other, which made Qingye sigh a little - I am playing Extreme Survival here, and you are playing Youth Romance here, the treatment is so different!

"I've always wanted to meet Miss Lemon. You're just as Mitsuki said, a sunny beauty."

Chao Yun's voice came through the headset.

"Well, that's not the case, ahaha..." Shaoyan Lemon scratched his head and looked quite happy. Don't believe what your enemy says easily!

Qingye complained silently.

"Chihaya, I was just talking to Lemon about short poems, but something didn't feel right. You often read poetry collections, could you tell me about them?"

Ayano Mitsuki said curiously.

"Hmm...it's not wrong, just not quite accurate. The original text of the tanka goes like this: Even if reality doesn't go as I wish, I hope we can meet in my dreams. Even if we meet only for a moment, it's better than being separated forever in this life. Doesn't that make it more meaningful?"

(Even if it is impossible to meet you in this world, please at least grant me the chance to meet you in my dreams.)

Chaoyun tapped his chin with his index finger and softly recited the poem in the rhythm and tone of a tanka.

"It's true. Although loneliness can express solitude directly, poetry is better when it is more subtle." Ayano exclaimed.

"Ah, but I don't mean to deny Ms. Lemon's meaning... Tanka can be used in different ways in different media, and it's completely fine to simplify and quote it in the light novel. Please don't mind..."

Chao Yun seemed to realize something and quickly bowed his head to apologize sincerely.

"It's okay, Chihaya, Lemon is not such a petty and sensitive girl." Ayano said with a smile.

"Ha ha ha ha……"

Lemon could only laugh dryly and scratch his cheek.

What can she say?

She stood there, looking at the two people in front of her who had unknowingly stood together, talking and laughing, and gradually fell silent.

There was an atmosphere there that she couldn't get involved in, even though they were childhood sweethearts...

Mitsuki...has a completely different expression when he's with this girl. His smile is gentler and more sincere, and his eyes are always fixed on Asagumo's face, which is a gesture he never shows when he's with her.

I had read novels and memorized a few short poems just to share the same hobbies as my childhood sweetheart, but I couldn't even compare to a single sentence from her...

What was I trying to do before...

"And, compared to this slightly sad poem, I prefer another poem in the collection: 'This feeling is hidden deep in my heart, but no one can listen when I want to express it. If I could whisper it to someone who understands me, why would I need to ponder it all day long?'"

Asa Yun spoke each word with the classical and graceful beauty of a woman from the Heian period. While reciting this sentence, she also gave Ayano Mitsuki a gentle look, which made his face turn red involuntarily and he pushed his eyes away - he could understand this poem.

This is the "Heaven-dropped" type. When childhood sweethearts are still shyly avoiding the gaze of the boys they like, the "Heaven-dropped" type has already made their grand appearance, not allowing the other party to have a chance to escape. They are the heavy cavalry in the love field, and once they start, they are like a torrent, invincible.

Too strong... and too tragic.

At this moment, Qingye sighed and couldn't help but feel sympathy for Shaoyan Lemon. After all, he had always seen her efforts, and she had indeed taken the initiative. However, all her efforts were not as good as the few words she said to the other party during their daily interactions.

Putting himself in his shoes, he felt a little uncomfortable.

Facing this big devil-like literary girl, her chances of winning are almost zero.

He covered his face, unable to bear to watch any further.

It must have been the same when Ba Nai faced 8K... Thinking of this, he glanced at the girl beside him, but found that she didn't seem to have much emotional fluctuation, nor did she have the same hatred for the Sky-drop System as before.

strange.

"Miss Hanaijian, remember to comfort Shaoyan well later." Qingye sighed. This was all he could do.

"Yeah!" Banaijian nodded vigorously.

Meanwhile, Shaoyan Lemon, who was present, looked at the two people talking and laughing in front of him and lowered his eyes slightly.

Oh, so that’s how it is.

They were clearly right in front of her, and they were clearly talking to her all the time, but she felt like they were very far away from her and could only stand there and watch blankly.

There was an inexplicable pain in my heart.

go home.

she thinks.

*

Ever since the failed operation that weekend, Shaoyan Lemon's life seemed to have returned to its old rhythm: school, running, school, running. During breaks, he'd tease his childhood sweetheart a bit, and when he saw her with Chaoyun, he felt quite calm. However...

"Lemon, lemon, little lemon?"

In the classroom, a lively and moving voice rang in her ears several times in succession before she came back to her senses. She looked at her friend who was waving at her in front of her and blinked.

"What's wrong, Ba Nai Nai?"

"Are you really okay, Lemon?"

Banaijian leaned in close to her, her pretty face full of worry. Lemon had been in this state for the past two days, her mind wandering from time to time, completely lacking her usual energy.

...She probably understood the girl's feelings, which was why she was worried.

"Of course I'm fine. I'm a passionate sports girl. How could I be defeated by such a small setback?"

In order to make his friend stop worrying, Shaoyan Lemon moved his right hand like a strongman and said with a bright smile.

However, the emotions that surged in her heart still made her dare not continue to stay with Banaijian. She said something hurriedly and found an excuse to join a club to leave the classroom.

Looking at Lemon's back, Banaijian sighed softly.

*

"Lemon, the competition starts in a few days. Have you been in a bad state recently?"

On the playground, the female coach of the track and field department looked at the time displayed on the stopwatch at the finish line, frowned and said to the girl.

The 100-meter sprint may seem to take only a dozen seconds, but it is also a very delicate sport. The start, posture, acceleration, every detail will affect the time, and it is these few tenths of a second that will determine the outcome of the race.

The lemon used to be impeccable in every aspect, but now it frequently makes some minor mistakes and its quality keeps declining.

"Sorry, I'll practice more!"

Burnt Salt Lemon bit her lower lip. "Has my mood gotten this bad?" Not only are my friends worried about me, but even my running form is...

"I don't think this is what you need right now..."

The female coach scratched her head, but the girl had already started running around the playground.

*

The morning dew dripped down the green leaves onto the asphalt road. Under the bright sunshine, students in uniforms walked leisurely along the river bank, and office workers carrying briefcases walked hurriedly. The air was fresh and cool.

Amid the humming sound of the vending machine, Burnt Salt Lemon was running on the path in the forest. Crystal beads of sweat flowed down his forehead, gathered at his chin, and finally fell into the cracks in the floor.

Trot, speed up, sprint.

Ta-da, ta-da-da, ta-da. The footsteps were extremely chaotic.

"Haha... Let's stop here for today..."

The girl with disordered breathing climbed up the stairs and came to a small shrine. She casually lay on her back on the floor, staring blankly at the sky.

With no one around, she no longer tried to hide her abnormality. If it were the old her, she would definitely relax her muscles and adjust her body condition before lying down, but now she just wanted to empty her mind.

If she used to run for exercise, happiness, and progress, now she runs simply to escape something.

And this situation has been going on for several days.

She knows why.

The images of that day kept flashing in my mind.

And the mood at that time.

"I... lost."

The girl stretched out one hand towards the sky and sighed softly.

Maybe there is still a chance on the battlefield called love, but she knows in her heart that she has already lost in her last confrontation with Chihaya Asagumo, and lost completely.

The frustration of being defeated, the shame of not daring to fight, the deep hurt from trying to reach out...all these emotions swirled in her heart, entwined with each other, and in the end, she couldn't even tell what her own mood was.

The only thing that is certain is pain.

So now she doesn't care whether her childhood sweetheart is dating Chao Yun or not. She doesn't want to care whether they are together or married. She just wants to stay in her own place because she doesn't want to experience such a thing again.

Even though I have made such a negative decision, I am still struggling deep down inside.

Shaoyan Lemon has lived in a privileged environment since childhood, like a princess who was spoiled.

Her family is harmonious and happy. Her elders are elites in various fields, including deans, lawyers, professors... and they spoil her very much. She can get whatever she wants. It can be said that she has had almost no worries in her life.

She also has a good personality. She was the king of the school in elementary school. When she reached junior high school, she gradually grew taller and received confessions of love from the opposite sex every once in a while... She even has outstanding talent in sports.

Ah, when did you start to like running?

This thought flashed through her mind. It was like the sense of accomplishment she felt when she easily beat others in running during physical education class in elementary school, or like the longing she felt when she saw the passionate competitive anime on TV. When she came to her senses, she had already fallen deeply in love with sports.

As long as you work hard, you will achieve success. As long as you have a goal, you can achieve it. Even if you are temporarily frustrated, you will definitely win it back later.

Every process fascinated her.

She has always lived a smooth life like this.

Unconsciously, she thought that she must be like those star athletes and protagonists of sports anime that she admired: passionate, brave, strong, and able to face anything positively.

But she found out she was wrong.

She is far from being that strong. Perhaps one of the reasons why she feels brave is simply because she is in good enough condition and has strong athletic talent. She can see her future winning, so all she has to do is charge forward fearlessly.

But now she was fighting in a different way, and she was extremely scared and terrified just by being hurt and frustrated.

Don't dare to take the next step.