Green plums cannot become lovers.

【ah!!!!】

The system on An and Asuka emitted a silent yet intense scream.

"Asuka, what about me?"

Just after feeding Shizuka, Marina leaned over again, still not satisfied.

"I give up. Shizuka is just embarrassed, but aren't you very embarrassed?"

"I do not care!"

An and Asuka were somewhat helpless, so they picked up another piece of gummy candy, tore it open, and held it to the girl's lips: "Ah."

"Ooh."

Marina took a bite of the gummy candy and squinted her eyes to savor the sweet taste.

The sugar fed to them by birds seemed to be sweeter.

"It's filthy."

An and Asuka looked at the little bit of saliva on their fingers, took out a tissue and wiped it off.

[Host, if I were you, I would have just put it in my mouth and sucked it clean.]

[Silly dog.]

Having long been accustomed to the system's unreliability, An and Asuka cursed once and then ignored it.

Two girls came to visit today, but it wasn't just about eating, drinking, and having fun. The most important task was to help them with their summer homework.

After all, there were only two weeks left of summer vacation. In order to prevent them from being punished by the teacher for careless omissions, he had to check them carefully and teach them the questions they didn't know.

"Flying Bird, what's the answer to this question?"

"91."

"What about this question?"

"1024."

"And what about this one?"

"8848."

Wow, that's amazing.

An and Asuka were already admired by the two girls simply for casually giving the answer to the math problem. This made him a little embarrassed, since it was just a fifth-grade elementary school problem, which was not difficult for him at all.

Do homework in the morning, and relax properly in the afternoon.

The three sat side by side in the shade of the side corridor, immersing their feet in the clear water of the large basin in front of them. A refreshing coolness instantly spread from the soles of their feet to their whole bodies.

They leisurely sipped the leftover snacks from the morning, the gentle tinkling of wind chimes in the breeze. A summer breeze caressed their faces, and in that moment, the world's hustle and bustle seemed to fade away, leaving only a tranquil silence filled with gentle warmth.

An and Asuka enjoyed this time.

Perhaps the time was too leisurely, and before I knew it, the two girls beside me had fallen asleep.

An and Asuka felt the weight coming from both shoulders, and even their breathing unconsciously became softer.

At that moment, he desperately wished that this leisurely state could continue forever.

Volume One: Chapter Nineteen The Last Dance of Summer

The festival is the last dance before the end of summer vacation, and it arrives as scheduled amidst the bright yellow lights.

An and Asuka also wanted to give the two girls a break, so in the evening they took them to the place where the festival was being held.

Marina couldn't contain her excitement as she looked at the bustling crowd, and Shizuka also seemed a little excited.

However, since they had agreed with the boy beforehand not to run around, the two of them obediently stayed by An and Asuka's side.

"Let's go in and take a look."

An and Asuka, not wanting to spoil the fun, led the two girls into the festival street, where they joined the lights of the hundred houses.

Candied apples, marshmallows, takoyaki, fried noodles... the two girls' eyes would light up at the sight of anything, and An and Asuka would naturally buy, buy, buy.

If she could buy their smiles with money, she would be willing to spend any amount of it, not to mention that it wouldn't cost much.

They tried everything from goldfish scooping and whack-a-mole to shooting games, but in the end, they caught nothing.

"Flying birds~~~"

At this point, amidst the bosses' teasing, they would ask him to save face. He wasn't a superman, nor could he do everything; after trying his best, he only managed to win back two dolls.

But the girls were already content, happily following beside her while clutching their dolls.

After walking around for a while, the two of them started to feel tired. So An and Asuka found a place for them to rest.

“o~i~”

The three had just sat down when they heard a call coming from not far away. Looking up, they saw a blue-haired girl waving at them, then immediately running over.

"Shizuka, Marina, we meet again!"

"Apricot."

"Hanami-kun".

The visitor was none other than the girl he had met in the park a month ago—Hanami Anna.

The unexpected reunion after so long made the three girls very happy, and they soon started chatting away. However, Marina and Hanami did most of the talking, while Shizuka listened quietly and occasionally chimed in.

Regardless, the atmosphere was fairly harmonious.

Seeing that the conversation wouldn't turn to them anytime soon, An and Asuka leaned against the railing not far away and waited silently.

Brilliant fireworks suddenly soared into the sky, bursting into bloom more dazzling than the stars, with one after another the sounds of fireworks cutting through the air and exploding.

An and Asuka looked up.

He had been to this festival before and seen fireworks like this a few times, but he didn't find it particularly interesting then; it was just noisy.

But now I have a different feeling, perhaps because there are two more people around me... well, three people.

Aren't you all hot huddled together?

Seeing that they were surrounded on both sides, An and Asuka couldn't help but speak.

"Oh dear, we came because we saw you were all alone."

"I saw Anzu and said with a grin."

"Is that so?" Did he look lonely just now?

Seriously, Shizuka and Marina are one thing, but why is this guy standing so close to me?

"Anhe, why are you looking at me? Are you watching the fireworks?"

An and Asuka looked up again at the fireworks rising into the sky, trying their best not to notice how they were almost touching their bodies.

How long has this guy been making a ruckus? It's so hot; my arms are all sticky and sweaty from her rubbing against them.

An and Asuka couldn't help but look back at Anna Hanami on their right, only to find a blue head munching on a cotton candy in their hand.

"What are you doing?"

An and Asuka asked expressionlessly.

"Huh?" When Bana saw Anna look up immediately upon hearing this, she gave an embarrassed smile and said, "No, it was just right next to my mouth, and I was trying to push it away."

Do you think what you're saying is believable?

"Is it... unbelievable?"

Seeing Anja scratch her cheek, Hana said somewhat shyly.

"I'm sorry, I was too greedy..."

Although she was greedy, she was quite cooperative in admitting her mistake. Seeing this, An and Asuka didn't bother to pursue the matter further and simply handed the cotton candy to the girl.

"Just tell me if you want to eat it, right?"

"Huh?"

"Take it, I don't like to eat it anyway."

He had just bought one for himself while buying some for Marina and Shizuka, but after taking a bite, he found it too sweet and decided to take it home to soak in water.

It just so happens that this guy likes to eat it, so giving it to him saves him the trouble.

Looking at the cotton candy in front of her, Banai saw Anja pause for a moment before taking it with a look of surprise and without any hesitation.

"Thank you so much, you're so kind."

"Of course, Asuka is the best. He just bought us a lot of delicious food, and he also made this doll for us."

When Marina heard someone praising her childhood friend, she quickly chimed in. Her words, however, made Anna envious.

"That's great, you have such good friends as An and Asuka."

If only she had such a wonderful childhood sweetheart, someone who would buy her whatever she wanted to eat, take her everywhere, and stand up for her without hesitation if she was bullied.

"Hehe, aren't you envious?" Marina boasted smugly.

"I'm so envious, I wish I could snatch him away from me."

"That won't do, the birds belong to us!"

Upon hearing her friend say this, Marina immediately became wary.

"Alright, you two stop arguing and enjoy the fireworks. If you don't want to, go home."

Seeing that the two seemed about to argue, An and Asuka immediately cut off the argument.

After watching the fireworks, Banami was taken away by her parents, and An and Asuka took the two girls for a walk.

Finally, carrying Shizuka on his back, he embarked on his journey home.

"If your feet hurt, you should say so sooner rather than later."

"I'm sorry," Shizuka Kuze whispered, resting her head on Asuka An's shoulder.

"There's nothing to apologize for; you're the one who's feeling bad."

An and Asuka bounced slightly, supporting the girl's legs as they walked forward with firm steps, continuing as they spoke.

"Next time, please tell us in advance if you feel unwell, okay? Don't hurt yourself just to accommodate us."

"I brought you out here to make you happy. If you get hurt, I will feel really sad."

Do you want to make me feel sad?

"I don't want to." Shizuka Kuze shook her head.

"If a similar situation occurs again next time, please let me know in advance, okay?"

"..."

Do you know?

Not getting an answer right away, An and Asuka reached out and scratched the girl's thigh.

"Um... I know, I understand."

Kuze Shizuka didn't dare to think too much. She tightened her arms around the boy's neck slightly and nodded repeatedly, her face flushed.

The festival wasn't over yet, and the noise was gradually left behind. The road home wasn't long, and the bright moon in the night sky illuminated the way ahead.

The stars twinkle, cradling the fireflies of the night; the rice paddies ripple, carrying the earth's murmur.

The summer night breeze carried a slight coolness, which touched the girl's heartstrings.

Volume 1: It was recommended in the newspaper.

The author's message:

To be honest, this book was published two months ago, but it didn't get a contract the first time. So I wrote 50,000 words with a nervous heart, but it still didn't get a contract.

With his Dao heart shattered, he ceased updating.

Even under such circumstances, there was still one reader who sent me a message half a month after the book was discontinued: "It's dead. Waiting for the new book."

So in the end, after deleting and revising, I picked it up again.

This time, the editor gave me a chance, allowing me to sign a contract and be featured on the recommendation list. I am truly grateful.