Green plums cannot become lovers.

The girl was singing and dancing while holding a toy microphone, and the boy not far away was playing the shakuhachi to accompany her.

The sweat that drips down is proof of their hard work. The gentle breeze is an encouragement from the summer sun.

The listless passersby were drawn in by the singing and music, and unconsciously stopped to watch.

As soon as An and Asuka and Hoshino Ai finished their performance, a burst of applause immediately erupted around them. Looking up, they noticed that the small park, which had previously only had a few children playing, now had more than a dozen adults.

This was the first time they had received applause from anyone other than their teammates since they started practicing here.

"Little girl, you sing very well."

"The music is also very good."

"Both little ones are great, very capable."

The girl stood there dumbfounded, looking at the extra crowd, feeling somewhat lost. This was the first time she had heard praise from adults other than the headmistress.

Upon seeing this, An and Asuka immediately came to her side, took her hand, and thanked everyone repeatedly.

"Thank you all for taking the time out of your busy schedules to stop and encourage us."

"We hope our performance will bring you joy, and we also wish all the uncles and aunts happiness every day."

The adults watching couldn't stop laughing after hearing what he said, and An and Asuka seized the opportunity to play two more pieces of music with Hoshino Ai.

The girl was also exceptionally talented; she quickly let go of her inhibitions during the performance and boldly sang and danced.

However, it's impossible to say that a show is as good as one with a professional team like [unclear - possibly a specific company or organization], but as long as it brings smiles to the audience, it's an excellent performance.

Throughout the performance, audience members constantly left while new ones joined. To say that they could start building a fanbase now would be wishful thinking, but at least it would increase the girl's stage experience.

As the sun began to set, An and Asuka rode their bicycles, carrying the girl on their way home.

The roads in the suburbs are not very wide, and some are even potholed. On both sides of the road are large fields of farmland, which ripple with golden waves when the wind blows.

The air was filled with the scent of rapeseed flowers.

The road stretched on and on, with no end in sight. The bicycle slowly moved forward on this road they had traveled countless times.

“Ai, sit still.”

An and Asuka suddenly reminded him, and the girl sitting sideways in the back seat subconsciously gripped the clothes around his waist.

There was a small hill ahead, but luckily An and Asuka had already raised their Strength to 5, otherwise it would have been really difficult, although it wasn't much better now.

Hoshino Ai watched the boy's back as he pedaled hard, the setting sun casting its rays upon him, and a hint of moisture flickered in her eyes.

The boy's back wasn't imposing, nor were his shoulders broad, but he sheltered her in her most vulnerable moment, guiding her forward step by step.

Perhaps no one will ever treat her like this again in her life, and her heart will never be able to hold anyone else again.

Thinking of this, Hoshino Ai couldn't help but loosen her grip on the boy's clothes and wrap her arms around his waist.

The downhill speed was a little faster, and the scenery in front of us kept receding, as if everything in the past was being rewound, finally settling on the entrance of the orphanage.

The past is no longer important to her; what matters most now is her future with the boy.

They must walk together and create a brighter future.

"I'll pick you up again tomorrow morning, remember to get up early."

"Ah."

"Here, divide all of these among those little devils, but don't say I bought them."

Looking at the two large bags of candy in front of her, Hoshino Ai paused for a moment before immediately refusing, "This won't do!"

She thought the boy was bringing it back for Shizuka and Marina to eat.

"Xiao Ai..."

"You should be a hero in front of your younger siblings sometimes."

Go and show everyone your reliable side.

Hoshino Ai looked at the smiling boy before her, her heart pounding. By the time she came to her senses, the boy had already ridden away on his bicycle, his silhouette bathed in the golden sunset.

Perhaps she really can never leave him again in this lifetime.

Volume 1: Chapter 64 The First Day of School

The sun witnesses the children's smiles, and the moon witnesses their efforts.

Life moves forward with its ups and downs, and An, Asuka, and the three girls also make progress, albeit with stumbles and setbacks.

To An and Asuka's surprise, Hoshino Ai's progress was much faster than they had imagined; she was in a completely different state from the beginning to the end of August.

Although he's still far from being a professional idol, he's practically unstoppable in this park area.

What's even more gratifying is that they actually gained some fans. Every time they perform, several familiar uncles, aunts, grandpas, or grandmas would be there, holding round fans and watching them with smiles.

"This girl is very good."

"That young man is not bad either."

Such praise is delightful to hear, and even the sweltering summer heat doesn't seem so unpleasant anymore.

The last day of August is about to end with a festival.

The night breeze brought coolness, the full moon illuminated the way home, and the girls' voices sounded so cheerful and full of life under the starry sky.

As An and Asuka looked at the three girls before them, a warm feeling welled up in their hearts. This time last year, Shizuka and Marina were by his side, and today, Ai was added to the mix.

Will there be one more person next year? It should be even more lively then.

Back home, An and Asuka urged the girls to wash up, while he lay down on the table to continue studying. In order to make the girls stronger, he also needed to take advantage of the time when the learning buff was in effect to learn more professional knowledge and then pass it on to them.

An and Asuka didn't come to their senses until there was a gentle knock on the door.

He turned his head and saw a purple-haired girl peeking out of the doorway, looking at him. Because he had brought Xiao Ai to the festival today, he had already told the headmistress that Xiao Ai would be staying at his house tonight.

Since the house only has two bedrooms and a living room, a young girl will be sleeping in his room tonight.

"Has everything been discussed and agreed upon?"

An and Asuka walked over and led the girl inside, smiling as they asked.

His bed could only fit one person at most, so he let them decide for themselves who would sleep on his side that night, so he wouldn't be accused of favoritism and upset the other two girls.

To be honest, he was a little helpless because the two girls in his family always wanted to sleep with him.

It wouldn't be a problem if they were younger, but they are already twelve-year-old girls, and it's not appropriate for them to sleep with a boy.

Even though their affection level is both '89', they're thinking of doing something that goes beyond friendship. That's not right.

"Yes, everything has been discussed and agreed upon."

Hoshino Ai nodded, suppressing her excitement. What was called a discussion was actually just the three of them playing rock-paper-scissors, and luckily she won, so she got the chance to sleep with the boy.

"Then you should go to sleep."

An and Asuka pinned the girl to the bed, while they ran to the cabinet.

"Asuka, aren't you going to sleep?" Hoshino Ai asked curiously.

"I'll sleep on the floor."

Hoshino Ai remained silent.

When An and Asuka got up after making the bed, they saw the girl's slightly puffed-up cheeks and couldn't help but chuckle, "What's wrong? Aren't you happy to sleep in a bed all by yourself?"

"Don't worry, this bed is much more comfortable than the wooden plank beds in the orphanage. Go to sleep now."

"..."

Upon hearing this, Hoshino Ai took a deep breath, then snuggled into the blankets, turning her back to the boy.

"Be careful not to hold it in."

Seeing this, An and Asuka gave a reminder. When the girl obediently poked her head out, he smiled with satisfaction, then turned off the light and lay down on the mat.

The room was quiet at night, with only the occasional chirping of cicadas coming from outside the window.

When An and Asuka woke up the next day, they felt heavy weight pressing on their legs and waist. Looking to their side, they saw the girl lying on top of them, completely out of bed.

He watched for a while, and finally just sighed helplessly, carefully getting up to make breakfast.

The summer vacation ended, and the first day of school was marked by an exam to check whether students had studied well during the summer break.

Hoshino Ai sat in her seat, looking down at the exam paper on the table. She used to be somewhat resistant to exams, but now she felt no anxiety at all.

Because she has become stronger than before.

At the teacher's command of "Start," she picked up a pencil and began answering the questions. These were almost all questions the boy had explained to her during the summer vacation, and they weren't difficult.

She was even the first in the whole class to finish writing. When the teacher walked over, she seemed a little surprised and stayed for a long time before leaving.

Hoshino Ai knew what the teacher was thinking—she simply believed she was cheating. But what did it matter? She didn't care about any rumors or gossip.

Just as the boy said, to become a strong person, one must learn to endure doubts and boos, and then use one's own strength to refute them.

Elementary school exams are quick; they're over before lunch break.

When Hoshino Ai returned to the classroom after finishing her lunch alone, she immediately noticed that her classmates were looking at her strangely again.

She didn't pay any attention and returned to her seat. As expected, the table she had just painstakingly cleaned was covered in graffiti again.

Plagiarism, thief, orphan... these words are incredibly jarring.

The girl remained silent, took out a damp cloth she had prepared beforehand, and prepared to wipe it clean quietly. However, she used it several times, which drew ridicule from the surrounding classmates.

Oh well, let's just keep it. It's not her property anyway.

Hoshino Ai thought to herself with a carefree attitude, so she simply lay down on the table, closed her eyes, and went to sleep. This reaction surprised the classmates who were originally waiting to see her make a fool of herself.

"It's okay if some students have poor grades, because the most important thing in life is honesty. If you lose your honesty, then your life is over."

What's the use of copied scores? Can you copy them once and then copy them again?

"I'll let it go this time, but if anyone plagiarizes again, I'd better not catch them."

The teachers didn't mention her name, but they were all implying something. They couldn't find any evidence, yet they refused to believe that this was her real talent. It's really despicable.

But it's still okay; she's strong enough not to be scared.

After school, a somewhat tired Hoshino Ai left the office and returned to her classroom. However, she was stunned when she saw the boy sitting in her seat, chatting happily with several other classmates.

She blinked in disbelief, but the boy didn't disappear. Instead, he immediately spotted her and waved.

"Xiao Ai!"

Volume 1: Chapter 65 I'll Stand Up for You

Hoshino Ai paused for a moment, then rushed into the classroom. Standing in front of the boy, she still couldn't quite believe it.

"Birds..."

"No need to look anymore, it's me."

"..."

At that moment, Hoshino Ai didn't care that many classmates were watching, and she threw herself into the boy's arms. All her grievances melted away in the boy's warm embrace.

"Birds".

"You've been wronged again, haven't you?"

An and Asuka patted the girl's head reassuringly, letting her hug them. The surrounding classmates were astonished by this scene, especially the girls who had been chatting happily with An and Asuka earlier.

"Ah."

Hoshino Ai replied in a muffled voice that she had really suffered a great injustice today.

"It's alright, I'll stand up for you," An and Asuka said with a smile.

"Stand out?"

Hoshino Ai raised her head and looked up at the boy upon hearing this, while An and Asuka took the opportunity to pinch her cheek.

"Yes, they stood up for you."

An and Asuka joked that after learning that the girl's school had entrance exams, he guessed that the unfair thing might happen to her again today.

Although he had encouraged the girl to face things bravely, not to care about other people's gossip, and to become stronger, he couldn't hold back after trying for most of the day.

He was particularly upset at the thought that the girl he had worked so hard to protect all summer would suffer on the first day of school.

So he skipped class in the afternoon, went home, and after getting all the tools for the crime, went straight to the girl's school.