Green plums cannot become lovers.

All he wanted was for her to hand Shizuka over to him, not to take her life.

"Auntie, let's have a good talk about Shizuka's situation."

An and Asuka said calmly.

"Okay." The woman forced herself to calm down and nodded.

“Auntie, I still have the same request.” An and Asuka expressed their thoughts, “Please let me take care of Shizuka.”

"Anyway, you don't care about her, do you?"

"If you hand Shizuka over to me, I won't ask you for money, and you'll have a more open working environment. Isn't that great?"

He hadn't had the qualities to make the woman in front of him take him seriously before, but now he had a reason to terrify her.

"Or perhaps, you're hoping to get something from Shizuka?"

He clearly doesn't care about Shizuka and has no feelings for her, yet he refuses to let go. There's no doubt that he wants something from the girl.

This is something he absolutely will not allow.

Seemingly having her thoughts read by An and Asuka, the woman gritted her teeth and said somewhat unwillingly, "Then what do you want to get from Shizuka?"

"You and Shizuka are just classmates, so what reason do you have to take such good care of her?"

"Because Shizuka is very cute, I like her very much."

"..."

One sentence left both the woman and the girl stunned.

A shy blush crept onto the girl's cheeks, while the woman seemed somewhat incredulous.

Is that your reason?

"Isn't that reason enough?"

"..."

"Alright, Auntie, make your choice now." An and Asuka were too lazy to say anything more to this woman; all they wanted to do was take Shizuka home as soon as possible.

"Ha, do I have any other choice now?"

The woman resigned herself to her fate, realizing she had no other choice but to agree. After all, if she didn't, she might never be able to leave this house again.

An and Asuka smiled noncommittally.

"Then thank you for your kindness, Auntie."

"Shizuka, go pack your things, we're leaving soon."

"it is good!"

Shizuka Kuze was also very happy at this moment. She could finally escape this terrible family. She would no longer have to face her mother's cold eyes and the stares of strangers every day, and she could be with the boy all the time.

While the girl packed her things, An and Asuka and the woman remained locked in a standoff. Neither of them spoke, their gazes meeting in the air.

The woman's gaze was somewhat cold, while the boy's eyes were filled with a smile in comparison.

So warm, so endearing

As she watched, the woman suddenly shook her head. For a fleeting moment, she felt her heart pounding wildly.

This discovery made her somewhat embarrassed.

"Aren't you afraid I'll call the police after you leave?"

As if trying to hide something, she asked somewhat haltingly.

"Well, the fact that you're asking this question means you're not going to call the police."

"..."

An and Asuka's words made the woman pause again. Sometimes she really admired the young man's ability to read people and get straight to the point.

"Besides, if I were your aunt, I would never call the police."

After all, putting aside the question of who the police would believe between a prostitute with financial ties to a client and an ordinary elementary school student, just the fact that I'm telling you this makes me confident that no one can find any evidence.

"Besides, Auntie just wants to live a better life. If people find out that she has some connection to the death of her client, won't it be difficult to do business in the future?"

"you......"

This time, the woman fell completely silent and stopped speaking.

Seeing this, An and Asuka got up and helped the girl pack her things.

With An and Asuka's help, the girl quickly packed her things: a schoolbag and a box containing clothes, nothing else.

He pulled the suitcase with one hand and held the girl's hand with the other as he walked outside, politely saying goodbye to the woman before leaving.

Goodbye, Auntie.

"Also, if possible, I hope you will not disturb Shizuka's life anymore."

"I will take good care of her."

The woman sat in her seat with a complicated expression, and only after the two had been gone for a long time did she look at the empty room and sigh.

"Clang! Clang! Shizuka, what do you think of this place? Tsubasa is a shrimp."

An and Asuka led the girl to her room, which he had started tidying up earlier. Now they had finally managed to 'lure' the girl back.

Although his parents had passed away, they had at least left him this house, so he didn't hate them too much.

As Shizuka looked at the room in front of her, she found it spacious, clean, bright, and warm, completely different from her cold and cramped home.

"Yes, it's very warm."

"Then you can live here from now on."

Upon hearing this, An and Asuka took the girl's hand and walked into the room, saying as they went, "Although this room used to be where my parents lived, I have already cleaned it once, so it is very clean."

"This is the wardrobe. You can put all your clothes in here. It's empty now, but it will be full in the future. This is the desk. You won't have to work so hard doing your homework anymore. There's also a balcony. If you like flowers and plants, you can grow some of your favorites after winter."

"In short, this will be your new home from now on."

"happy?"

"..."

Why are you crying?

An and Asuka turned their heads and saw that the girl had been shedding tears at some point, even though she hadn't shed a tear when she was in danger and almost lost her life that day.

"Birds..."

Shizuka Kuze didn't know how to describe her feelings at that moment. She thought she would be trapped in that hellish house forever, but now she could live in such a spacious and warm room.

The boy rescued her from hell, led her to heaven, and told her that this was her home.

She never knew she could have such a wonderful 'home'.

"Why are you crying like this? Aren't you happy?"

"happy......"

"If you're happy, you should laugh."

An and Asuka touched the girl's cheek, gently wiping away her tears, and whispered, "I prefer seeing your smile to your tears."

"Waaah..."

Shizuka Kuze wanted to fulfill the boy's request, so she tried to raise the corners of her mouth, but could only manage an awkward smile.

She clearly feels very happy right now, but she can't bring herself to smile.

"Fine, cry if you want to. I'll be here with you."

"Waaah..."

Shizuka Kuze finally couldn't hold back and threw herself into Asuka Anwa's arms.

Volume 1: Chapter 38 Marina's Turn

At night, An and the flying birds lay in bed.

Having resolved a major issue, he felt a rare sense of relief. As his mind relaxed, drowsiness washed over him like a tide.

Goodnight, System.

【Thank you.】

Before falling asleep, An and Asuka spoke to the system in their minds.

This time, he was most grateful to it. Without it, he might have had to pay a much higher price to save Shizuka.

With the help of the system, he was able to minimize his losses.

Therefore, it deserves its own thanks.

Moreover, rather than treating the system as an all-powerful tool, he actually prefers to treat it as his friend.

Of course, friends should express their gratitude to each other.

After An and Asuka finished speaking, they fell into a deep sleep, while the system, which had been quietly recuperating, was also very happy to hear the words of thanks.

He saw himself as a friend, not as an emotionless machine.

It's wonderful to be able to choose him as my host.

the next day.

Kuze Shizuka stared wide-eyed at the pristine white ceiling.

She still felt like she was in a dream. She was in a warm, soft bed instead of a cold, hard floor. The air conditioner in the room was blowing warm air so she didn't have to curl up to keep warm. There was no cheap perfume or smell of alcohol in the air. She didn't even have to face her mother's cold stares and harsh words when she got up in the morning.

She couldn't help but snuggle deeper into the covers, wanting to savor this precious moment a little longer. But then, as if remembering something, she quickly got up, opened the door, and scurried downstairs.

The aroma of oil in the air grew stronger, and when they arrived in the living room, breakfast was already laid out on the table. Just then, the boy came out of the kitchen carrying a pot of steaming porridge.

"Shizuka, did you sleep well last night?"

"You haven't washed up yet, have you? Come on, the washroom is over here."

An and Asuka put down the pot they were holding, walked over to the girl, took her hand, and were about to lead her to the bathroom. They had returned quite late yesterday, and he hadn't had a chance to properly show the girl around the house yet.

But as soon as he reached the girl's side, she hugged him tightly.

"Thank you, Asuka."

"Yes, I received it. Thank you."

An and Asuka were stunned for a moment before hugging the girl, but they quickly let go and pushed her away from their embrace.

"Okay, hurry up and wash up. After we eat, we'll go to school together."

"Um......"

Although she was a little reluctant to leave the boy's warm embrace, Shizuka Kuze obediently nodded.

The boy had prepared almost everything for her, from towels and new toothbrushes and cups to even lip balm and moisturizer.

He's also a great cook. Steaming hot porridge with pickled vegetables, a sip of porridge followed by a bite of a freshly fried egg, warms the body and soul in the cold winter.

Before this boy reached out to her, she barely had anything to eat in the mornings. After he chose to protect her, she ate only the bread and milk he brought her in the mornings.

She hadn't had such a formal breakfast in a long time.

Opening the door, the wind and snow outside were still bitterly cold, and the snow on the ground was thicker than yesterday, soft and fluffy underfoot.

Because she was wearing the little cotton boots the boy had bought for her, she wasn't cold at all.

"Don't just focus on stepping in the snow, be careful, there might be dog poop hidden in it."

"..."

"Bring your scarf too."

The scarf was wrapped around and around, as if to wrap her whole heart.

"Okay, go to school."

Today is December 28th, and school will be out for holiday in two more days.

Leaving the boy's house to go to school was a novel and happy experience for Shizuka Kuze, and she unconsciously moved closer to the boy beside her.