Green plums cannot become lovers.

She thought that all she had to do was get closer to him, but instead he grabbed her hand.

"Will this make it warmer?"

"......Um!"

Despite the snow and ice, the boy's smile was as warm as the spring sunshine, illuminating her gloomy sky.

As soon as they arrived at Marina's house, the girl came out from inside with her schoolbag on her back.

The three of them walked towards the school together as usual, but Marina seemed a little down.

The girl keenly sensed her friend's emotions.

An and Asuka naturally noticed that Marina wasn't in good condition, so even after Shizuka resolved Shizuka's problem, their battle wasn't over yet.

He must save Marina from that hell.

In his view, Marina's family situation was even worse than Shizuka's; the pressure from her parents' constant arguments was eroding the girl's heart.

In order to help Shizuka escape her suffering and deal with her troubles, he has hardly paid any attention to the girl these past few days.

So for a long time afterward, he had to focus all his attention on Marina, otherwise he was really worried that the girl would break down.

An and Asuka were thinking this, but then something else happened at school.

"Matsuzuki-sensei, please allow me to refuse."

"Huh? Why?"

Matsue Sakura clearly hadn't expected the boy in front of her to refuse her suggestion, and for a moment she almost didn't react.

"This is a great opportunity for you, and Aoyama-san has agreed to participate. As her partner, are you going to back out?"

“We should back down.” An and Asuka nodded, unaffected by the provocation. “I have very important things to do.”

During the spring break, the school surprisingly decided to hold a charity performance at the shrine, hoping to bring warmth to the elderly people who have no one to rely on.

He would have participated under normal circumstances, but now is not the time. Besides, the shrine hosting the benefit performance is run by his maternal grandparents.

In their eyes, he was a descendant of a 'sinner,' and they could never be happy about it.

So he shouldn't get involved in this kind of thing.

"What is it?"

Faced with An and Asuka's retreat, Matsue Sakura persisted in pressing the matter. This was truly a great opportunity for the young man before her, as many of the elderly were highly respected figures in their respective fields.

"I'm not at liberty to disclose that, so please don't ask, teacher."

"No, I have to ask! Tell me now!"

"Teacher, do you really want to know?" An and Asuka asked helplessly. He knew that his teacher was doing it for his own good, so he couldn't force her.

"miss you!"

"Alright then... Actually, I haven't touched a musical instrument in a long time, so participating in a performance now would definitely embarrass the school."

"What did you say? 1?? Cold 7 Dad Siqi sι Wu"

Upon hearing this, Songyue Ying's eyes widened in disbelief.

"You haven't practiced for over two months?"

"Ah."

Volume One: Chapter Thirty-Nine - New Year, New Look

After a moment of surprise, Matsue Sakura quickly calmed down.

The boy in front of her clearly had such high musical talent, yet he had neglected practice for two months, which she found unacceptable.

But she felt that this was probably not the boy's intention.

After all, the joy that flashed in the boy's eyes when he first touched the guitar that day seemed genuine, and she vividly remembered the month of hard training he had undergone.

He must really like music, and the reason he hasn't practiced for two months must be due to other unavoidable reasons.

Sakura Matsue suddenly remembered the conversation she had with the boy that afternoon when he came to her office to borrow her guitar.

It turned out that he had already said he would give up after the competition ended, and when she pressed him for an explanation, he looked gloomy and didn't tell her why.

At that time, she suspected that it was due to the boy's family background, and now it seems that her guess is even more certain.

The boy was exceptionally talented, but due to family reasons, he could only practice through television. Even so, he still managed to win third place in a competition full of top competitors.

She thought that after achieving such a good ranking, all the problems would be solved, but now it seems that she was too naive.

In an instant, Songyue Ying filled in a story in her mind about a genius boy who had to give up his talent because of the constraints of his traditional family background and eventually became just an ordinary person.

No, this absolutely cannot be done!

"Teacher, what are you imagining?"

An and Asuka could tell from the woman's constantly changing expression that she was probably imagining things.

"Anhe, don't be afraid, I will definitely save you," Songyue Ying said with some pity.

An and Asuka said somewhat helplessly, "Teacher, I'm really fine. I have a happy family, a fulfilling life, and I'm free. I really don't need you to save me."

"real or fake?"

Songyue Ying was somewhat puzzled, but seeing that the boy in front of her did not show any 'hidden sadness' in his eyes, she had no choice but to believe that he was not lying.

Did I really overthink it?

"real."

"Then what about last time...?"

An and Asuka naturally knew which time the other party was referring to, so they said directly, "Oh, that was to soften the teacher's heart so that I could achieve my goal."

"..." Song Yueying was stunned for a moment, then a dangerous glint flashed in her eyes.

"You little rascal, come here!"

An and Asuka rubbed their sore cheeks, which had been rubbed raw, and returned to their classroom after exhaling.

But not long after he left, Songyue Ying also came out and walked towards the homeroom teacher's office.

Marina's condition is indeed not good. She used to be cheerful and lively, but now she has become listless and can't even eat a few bites of food.

"Marina."

Looking at the girl, An and Asuka felt immense tenderness in their hearts. Ever since they met two years ago, he had considered her his best friend.

"Would you like some soup?" Anhe Feibiao took out a thermos containing radish soup that he had cooked that morning.

"Mmm...I want to drink..."

The girl didn't refuse, but she also showed no intention of moving. Seeing this, An and Asuka had no choice but to resign themselves to pouring the drink for the girl and handing it over.

"Drink."

"Ah."

A sip of warm soup slightly dispelled the chill in her limbs and helped Marina to perk up.

Fine snowflakes drifted outside the window, turning the whole world into a monotonous white.

After two days of school, winter vacation officially began, and two more days later, December ended.

January 1st.

There were no firecrackers, no children playing, and no people celebrating everywhere during the New Year, so it wasn't very lively.

Stepping outside, the world remained quiet, and the snow continued to fall silently.

An and Asuka, carrying a New Year's gift package, left with Shizuka. They soon arrived at Marina's house, but before he could ring the doorbell, they heard a loud argument coming from inside.

"What an unreasonable woman!"

"That's my money, I can spend it however I want!"

"I really hate you, I really do."

The shouting grew louder as the door swung open. An and Asuka, quick as lightning, pulled Shizuka aside, watching the man's angry figure disappear into the distance.

"Birds..."

"It's alright, let's go inside."

An and Asuka comforted the girl and then led her inside.

The house was eerily quiet, yet interspersed with the faint sound of a woman's sobs. Walking through the narrow corridor into the living room, An and Asuka saw a woman sitting on the sofa, her face buried in her hands, weeping.

Marina sat on the other side and also cried silently.

The living room was a mess, clearly having been through a lot of trouble.

Seeing this, An and Asuka, despite being somewhat prepared, still couldn't bear to witness such a scene.

Today should be a joyous day for any family. However, the young girl is experiencing the grief of a broken family.

The atmosphere was incredibly oppressive, but he couldn't just leave like that.

He placed the large gift bag on the table, and despite his carefulness, it was still noticed by the perceptive Marina.

Her eyes were filled with tears as she looked at her, tears streaming down her cheeks, carrying a sense of heartbreak.

"Birds..."

Marina opened her mouth but didn't make a sound, but An and Asuka knew she was calling them.

He walked over to the girl, patted her head, and then wiped away her tears. But the more he wiped, the more the girl cried.

Finally, An and Asuka embraced the girl. Tears soaked his clothes, seemingly flowing into his heart.

It's unclear how much time passed before the girl gradually stopped sobbing. An and Asuka held her for a while longer before handing her over to Shizuka, who was standing nearby.

"Why don't you two go back to your room first? I'll come find you later."

"Um......"

Marina nodded obediently, glanced longingly at An and Asuka, and then took Shizuka back to her room.

An and Asuka breathed a sigh of relief, then looked around the living room again. The broken vase, the scattered cigarette butts, the overturned chair... these things were enough to prove how intense the argument had been.

Finally, he turned his attention to the woman who was still weeping with her face covered.

Marina's father's infidelity was inevitable, and the complete breakdown of her family was only a matter of time. The only way to prevent her from suffering the abuse and ultimately turning to the dark side as the system predicted was to work on the woman right in front of her.

He certainly wouldn't listen to the system's nonsense and actually try to win over this woman, but he should at least give her some basic comfort.

As An and Asuka thought this, they walked to the woman's side and silently handed her a handkerchief.

Volume One: Chapter Forty - Steady Improvement

"I'm sorry, Asuka, for showing you such an indecent side of your aunt."

The woman said this while wiping away her tears.

“It’s okay.” An and Asuka shook their heads. “Auntie must be very sad right now, so it’s okay if you cry loudly. I will stay by your side.”

"..."

Upon hearing this, the woman's grief was immediately replaced by a surge of emotion, a bittersweet feeling that nearly brought tears to her eyes again.

At this moment, nothing is more direct and effective than 'being there for someone'.

The woman fought back tears, her body trembling slightly. Seemingly not wanting An and Asuka to see her vulnerable and embarrassing side, she quickly changed the subject.

"Auntie will get you some water. Please sit for a while."

She was about to get up when the boy stood up first.

"I'll take care of this. Auntie, you should get some rest."

An and Asuka were talking when they walked toward the kitchen without giving the woman time to react. He had been to the girl's house many times and knew where the kitchen was.

After An and Asuka left, the woman looked at the mess on the ground and recalled their conversation. She couldn't hold back her tears any longer and they fell again.

The faint sound of crying echoed in the living room again, and it took a while for it to subside.

Just as the woman wiped away her tears, the boy came out of the kitchen carrying a glass of water.

"Auntie, I'm sorry to have kept you waiting. I saw that the water bottle was empty, so I boiled another kettle."

"Here, be careful, it's hot."