Green plums cannot become lovers.

After wandering around for half a day, An and Feibiao had no idea where they were. When they finally stopped, there were hardly any people around.

He looked around and confirmed that he was in front of a teaching building, then decided to go back the way he came.

But just then, he suddenly heard several discordant sounds...

"You orphan, didn't I tell you not to come to school today?"

"What a despicable guy! It's one thing if it's normal, but with so many people visiting today, what if you embarrass our class?"

"How annoying, orphans should stay in orphanages."

"You stay right here and aren't allowed to go anywhere. You can only leave after school!"

Did you hear that?

"My older brother is asking you a question!"

"It was a cruel punishment, but I heard it."

"This is... huh?"

wrong!

The boy, who was about to nod in satisfaction, immediately turned around when he realized the voice was coming from behind him.

This unexpected sight led him to an old acquaintance, who was looking at him with a smile.

"Uesugi-kun, it really is you."

"..."

An and Asuka walked confidently up to the boys, looked them up and down, and then said, "It's been so long, but you're still pretty much the same as before. However, your bullying skills have improved."

"You, Anhe..."

Looking at the boy in front of him, Uesugi's memory was immediately pulled back to the summer of a year ago.

He was only eleven years old at the time, and it was this person who slapped him twice that day, causing deep emotional damage.

"It's me! Long time no see."

An and Asuka extended their hands in a calm tone, but the boy in front of them instinctively flinched.

"There's no need to be so scared. I didn't mean to hit you that day. You went too far."

"..."

An and Asuka spoke kindly, but to Uesugi, their tone carried a hidden murderous intent.

This person must want to take advantage of his momentary lapse in vigilance and slap him twice more.

They are utterly inhuman!

Volume 1: Chapter 54 The First Hand-Holding

An and Asuka looked at the group of people in front of them, who were like frightened birds, with amusement. It seemed that the two slaps that time had indeed caused them considerable psychological damage.

But you can't blame him that time. Generally speaking, he's a very reasonable person. If that guy hadn't pushed Shizuka, he wouldn't have been so angry.

"Okay, I won't hit you, relax."

Although he also disliked this bullying behavior, he was not inclined to intervene in matters of justice, nor would he put himself in danger.

Ultimately, this girl was a stranger to him, and he didn't need to go to great lengths for her.

However, he would be willing to help if he could do so without paying any price.

As An and Asuka walked towards the group, the boys stood still, too afraid to move.

In fact, they could have joined forces and used their home advantage to avenge their previous defeat. But for some reason, they couldn't muster even the slightest thought of retaliation.

I'm a little scared of being beaten.

They watched as the other person walked up to the girl they had just bullied.

"Excuse me, are you alright? Are you hurt anywhere?"

An and Asuka looked the girl up and down. Relieved that they did not see any obvious injuries on her body, they then reached out their hands to her.

"Can you get up?"

The girl lowered her head and did not respond, and the scene fell silent for a moment.

"Hey, orphan, I'm talking to you!"

For some reason, Uesugi suddenly started yelling and cursing from the side. An and Asuka clearly saw the girl's body tremble because of the cursing.

"..."

An and Asuka's expressions froze. They turned to look at Uesugi and said, "Don't say anything. Leave here."

"Okay, okay."

Seeing that Uesugi and the others had disappeared in an instant, An and Asuka turned to the girl again and asked with concern, "Classmate, are you feeling unwell anywhere?"

"The person who bullied you has left, so you don't need to be afraid now."

As An and Asuka spoke, An walked over to the girl and offered to help her up. This time, the girl responded, stood up with the help, and looked up at him.

"Thank you......"

"......It doesn't matter."

An and Asuka stared at each other's unique, star-like eyes for a moment before shaking their heads.

He now had to question the steely resolve of those boys; how could they possibly bully such a cute girl?

"Is there anything that's bothering you?" An and Asuka asked again.

He didn't witness the entire process of the girl being bullied, so he couldn't be sure whether she had been harmed.

"No."

"Really? Don't push yourself. If you're not feeling well, you should go to the infirmary as soon as possible."

"Really, no." The girl's tone became a little more energetic as she said, "Those people just pushed me a few times, they didn't hit me."

"I see, then okay."

Seeing that the girl didn't seem to be forcing herself, An and Asuka stopped arguing and simply said to her, "Then let's go."

"Go? Where to?"

"I'll take you back to your classroom," An and Asuka said. "Otherwise, if you stay here any longer, those guys might come back and bully you again."

Although those guys probably won't be coming back, it's always safer to be in a crowded place than in a sparsely populated one.

Since he has chosen to take action, he must be responsible to the end and not give up halfway.

"Going back to class... I think I'll pass."

An and Asuka thought the girl would follow them, but they never expected to hear her say such things.

"why?"

Looking at the girl, he realized that there was no lingering fear on her face after being bullied, but rather a relaxed and relieved expression.

"Because everyone will be unhappy if they see me, which is why I'm so upset."

The girl's voice was as light as a breeze, and disappeared just as quickly.

But these words had a very strong impact on An and Asuka.

"why?"

Despite already having some suspicions, he still pressed for an answer. He wasn't entirely confident in his guess; after all, the girl was undeniably adorable, and just looking at her could bring joy. How could anyone be unhappy because of her?

"Well, is that even a question? It's because nobody likes me."

"..."

The girl had a smile on her face, as if she were talking about something trivial.

"If that's the case, then you're really unlucky," An and Asuka said after a moment of silence.

"You're so cute."

Hearing his words, the girl was taken aback for a moment, then smiled and said, "After all, being cute can't put food on the table."

Not only can it not be eaten, it will also bring her a lot of trouble. For example, girls will target her because they are jealous of her appearance, and boys will always play pranks on her.

Because of her family background, even her teachers wouldn't care about such things, so she actually had a very hard life because of her appearance.

Ultimately, the root cause is her family. If she had a strong support system, she wouldn't have had such a hard life.

"What you said is true."

He understands perfectly that those who excel in a particular area are more likely to be treated unfairly.

However, understanding is one thing, but that doesn't mean it's correct.

"So I'd better just find somewhere to stay and not cause any trouble for everyone."

"Hmm... okay then."

An and Asuka could only agree with what the girl said. If it were at their school, he could help more, but now he was just a guest and couldn't help with everything.

"Then I'll be going now. Find yourself a safe place."

"it is good......"

The girl responded softly, her voice quickly drowned out by the noise outside. An and Asuka glanced at her one last time before turning and leaving.

Watching the boy's departing figure, she could no longer hide the loneliness in her eyes.

Only after the boy disappeared around the corner did the girl reluctantly turn away and prepare to leave in another direction.

She really wanted to attend this grand event; after all, it was filled with laughter and joy, and the air was brimming with celebration, making it hard not to feel a sense of longing.

But there's nothing we can do. Nobody in the class likes her, and nobody wants to play with her. This place is practically no different from an orphanage.

When will she be able to get out of this predicament?

Thinking this to herself, the girl prepared to find a secluded corner to spend the day, otherwise those guys would definitely cause trouble for her again.

Just as she was thinking this, she heard hurried footsteps behind her.

Those guys are back so soon? That's terrible.

The girl sighed inwardly, bracing herself for another round of bullying. But the next moment, she felt her right hand being gripped.

"Come on, I'll take you to the celebration."

The boy's gentle voice rang in her ears. Turning her head, she saw him smile at her. Then, disregarding her wishes, he forcibly pulled her out of the shadows of the teaching building and into the sunlight.

The sunshine at the end of June is so warm.

Volume One: Chapter Fifty-Five: I Am the Sun

An and Asuka couldn't leave the girl alone. As they said before, since they had chosen to take action, they couldn't just give up halfway.

At least leave her with a good memory today, so that she won't have only unpleasant memories of her elementary school days later.

So he took the girl to many places, to various toy stalls and snack stalls, and also to the stadium and open-air stage to watch performances.

After visiting so many places and talking to so many people, he realized just how famous the girl was at school.

Everyone they met seemed to know her; under normal circumstances, she would definitely be a big star at school.

Unfortunately, the girl's condition was somewhat abnormal; when people saw her, they mostly looked at her with disdain and ridicule.

This situation made him even more curious about what had happened to the girl that led to her being treated this way.

After leaving the stadium, An and Asuka wanted to take the girl to see other places. But then, the girl suddenly broke free from their clasped hands.

An and Asuka stopped and looked at the girl. He thought his behavior had annoyed her, and was about to apologize when the girl spoke first.

"That's about enough..."

"What can I do?"

"Our trip should come to an end now." The girl pursed her lips and said, "You can explore on your own from now on."

She was already very content. She thought she would only be able to stay in a dark corner and listen to everyone's laughter and joy, but his sudden appearance brought her a ray of light.

That's enough, she's really satisfied, so she can't continue like this, otherwise others will only think that this boy is just like her.

"Why?" An and Asuka could tell at a glance that the girl had some psychological issues, so he asked in return, "Aren't you happy?"