Green plums cannot become lovers.

"..."

Although she didn't know how the boy would stand up for her, those words alone filled her heart with immense sweetness.

"How will the bird stand up for me?"

You'll find out then.

"what?"

"Hurry up and take me to your teacher."

Without saying a word, An and Asuka grabbed the girl's hand and walked straight out of the classroom. However, when they reached the door, they stopped to say goodbye to the students inside.

"Birds..."

Hoshino Ai snapped out of her initial surprise and looked at the boy beside her with some worry. He wasn't joking; he really was going to stand up for her, and the person he was dealing with seemed to be her teacher.

That's impossible, and even if it were possible, the boy would get hurt. Their teacher is known for being unreasonable.

"It's okay, trust me."

An and Asuka smiled and comforted him, saying that he hadn't actually prepared much for this operation and didn't know how high the success rate was.

But no matter what, he had to do it; he was the only one this girl could rely on now. If he didn't step forward, no one else would be willing to stand up for her.

Hoshino Ai felt the warmth emanating from her palm, bit her lip, and ultimately chose to believe.

She just needed to follow this boy and teach him everything she knew. Even if the outcome wasn't what she expected, she wouldn't be sad or blame him.

Because they are now one, sharing both prosperity and adversity.

The two quickly arrived at the office.

When the homeroom teacher saw the girl who had just left return with a strange boy, she couldn't help but frown.

"Hoshino-kun, what are you doing here? And who is he?"

Before Hoshino Ai could speak, Anwa Asuka answered first, "Hello teacher, I am Ai's family member, my name is Anwa Asuka."

"family?"

The woman thought about it for a moment but didn't suspect anything, since families with different surnames really existed and the two seemed to have a close relationship.

"So, what brings you here?"

“Of course there is,” An and Asuka smiled, “but there is something very important to do before that.”

"What is it?"

"Happy birthday, Mr. Ueda."

An and Asuka took out a small box of cakes they had been carrying and placed it on the woman's table, offering their blessings.

He was indeed furious about the unfair treatment the girl received at school and wanted to teach those who bullied her a lesson.

But he couldn't actually do that, because the girl still had to continue her studies at the school, and she would still have to face her teachers and classmates every day. If he dared to do that, it would be tantamount to pushing the girl into an even deeper abyss.

So all he could do was seek the protection of the girl at the school, and the woman in front of him was the best choice.

As the girl's homeroom teacher, she naturally has no shortage of prestige and power. As long as she takes the lead, the girl's environment will change rapidly.

Unlike other teachers, she never made sarcastic remarks towards the girl. Her biggest mistake was choosing to turn a blind eye when the girl was being bullied.

Although it was still excessive, it was relatively kind compared to others. Furthermore, through the system's prompts, he learned that this woman had experienced family discord and felt empty inside since entering middle age.

Therefore, choosing her as the breakthrough point was undoubtedly the most correct choice.

The woman was stunned for a moment when she saw the cake suddenly placed on the table, and almost didn't react.

"What are you doing? Are you trying to bribe me?"

"How can a student's small gesture of appreciation to a teacher be considered a bribe?"

Anhe Feiniao smiled slightly and began to use sweet talk.

"This is really just a small token of our appreciation to thank you for taking care of and guiding our little Ai."

"You don't know, do you? Our Xiao Ai really likes you. She says her school life would be much harder without you."

"So, when she heard that it was your birthday today, she wanted to send you a cake to express her gratitude."

"Therefore, we really hope that you can accept our sentiments, because it will be very difficult to see you again after this year, and we would be very disappointed if that happened."

An and Asuka spoke with a smile, holding the girl's hand tightly. He wasn't worried about being exposed; the woman's birthday was listed on the bulletin board outside as an outstanding teacher.

"Yes, yes, Professor Ueda, I am very grateful to you, and I wish you a happy birthday."

Hoshino Ai realized what was happening and immediately echoed her sentiment.

"..."

An and Asuka spoke with such sincerity and without any flaws, and coupled with his own 'lovable' quality, the woman actually believed him to a great extent after hearing his words.

She looked down at the cake on the table, her mind filled with a myriad of thoughts.

Since turning thirty-five, her relationship with her husband had gradually cooled, her young children were not very sensible, and her colleagues were indifferent to her.

Therefore, she hadn't seen a birthday cake or heard such heartfelt blessings in a long time.

This is the first birthday cake she has received in recent years.

Looking up at the two children in front of her, the girl she had once ignored now seemed so sensible.

The boy beside her was even more endearing the more you looked at him.

Volume 1: Chapter 66 Be brave and do it, girl.

Seeing that the woman's attitude had softened considerably, An and Asuka decided to press their advantage. After saying a few more sweet words and coaxing her into a smile, he decided to unleash his final trump card.

"Mr. Ueda, there is something else I would like to show you."

The woman was both happy and touched, and asked, "What is it?"

An and Asuka put down their backpacks and, under the watchful eyes of the woman and the girl, pulled them open and took out a thick stack of test papers.

He placed the exam paper on the woman's desk, and under her surprised gaze, said, "Ms. Ueda, I'm sorry to say this when you're in a good mood, but I still want to take this opportunity to say it."

"I already know about Xiao Ai's situation at school. Her grades have improved a lot, haven't they? But many people don't want to believe that these are her real grades and think she is cheating."

"..."

Upon hearing this, the woman's expression stiffened, for she did indeed know about this matter. The girl's academic improvement was undeniable, but many were unwilling to believe it was her true achievement, given that she had consistently ranked near the bottom before, and that she herself hadn't studied particularly diligently.

Therefore, it was really unexpected that she suddenly achieved a score in the top ten of the class. It's normal that people didn't believe it, and even she herself thought that this was not the girl's true performance.

So, is this the reason the boy came here?

The woman looked at the exam papers on the table; the stack was quite thick, at least fifty pages.

“Xiao Ai did not plagiarize.” An and Feibiao added at that moment, “All the test papers here are proof of Xiao Ai’s previous efforts.”

"There are eighty test papers here, all of which Xiao Ai did during her summer vacation."

To improve the girl's grades as quickly as possible, he wrote her at least one test paper every day during the summer vacation. Although it might be hard work for the girl, the test papers were the most direct way for him to identify her weaknesses.

The girl lived up to his expectations; she improved every day, going from getting half of her test papers wrong to now having an accuracy rate of at least 80%.

These are all proof of her hard work, and he kept them all.

"What did you say?" The woman looked incredulous after hearing this.

“These test papers were all done by Xiao Ai during the summer vacation.” An and Feibiao said seriously, “She put in a lot of effort this summer in order to get good grades and not let you and the class down.”

"Teacher, isn't it heartbreaking to see such a student's hard work being falsely accused of plagiarism?"

When students' hard work is negated, who will be willing to continue to work hard?

The woman was deeply troubled. She looked at the beautifully decorated birthday cake next to her, and then at the stack of exam papers.

Suddenly, that piece of cake seemed a bit jarring. Indeed, this birthday was anything but easy.

"Teacher, please help me."

Just then, the girl's pleading voice rang in her ears again. She looked up and saw the girl's pleading eyes, and her heart trembled.

"I......"

"Okay, I'll help you."

Later, An and Asuka heard from the girl that their homeroom teacher had personally distributed those dozens of test papers to everyone and even praised her to everyone.

Since that day, although there were still many classmates who disliked her, they were no longer as audacious as before, and she finally enjoyed a peaceful campus life.

An and Asuka were also happy with this outcome.

In that case, the first step of making the girl popular would be successful. The second step is to present her in a positive light to a wider audience. It's time for labels like "the thief's daughter" and "orphan" to disappear.

To achieve this, the most important thing is to have a large stage, and with the annual performance coming up soon, they must seize this opportunity.

"Hey, do you want me to participate in the singing?"

When Hoshino Ai heard An and Asuka's arrangement, she was also taken aback. She never expected that she would be given this task by the boy.

"Hmm, would you like to participate?"

"Well......"

Hoshino Ai fell silent. She did enjoy singing, but she only sang in front of boys or in places like parks. Singing on such a big stage was too difficult, although she really wanted to try.

When An and Asuka saw the girl hesitate, they knew that she wasn't actually against it; she just lacked confidence or was afraid.

"Xiao Ai, would you like to participate?"

"I...I..."

"If you want to, then be brave and do it." An and Asuka looked at the girl and encouraged her, "Instead of cowering here, you should bravely do what you want to do."

"It doesn't matter if you fail or are ridiculed, because you have countless chances. If you don't succeed once, try again until you succeed."

Rather than shrinking back from failure, he would rather see a girl who repeatedly fails in her pursuit of success.

"So, will you participate?"

Hoshino Ai paused for a moment before finally asking. She knew the boy had also participated in the competition last year and had even won third place. However, she hadn't seen him perform on stage that time, and she never imagined they would miraculously end up together.

"Of course."

An and Asuka affirmed that they had no reason not to participate. Last year, they came in third place, for which the school awarded them 50,000 yen and granted them free access to the school's music classroom and instruments.

Today, Ms. Matsue said that if he can go even further, he will be rewarded with 100,000 yen, and the school will give him a musical instrument that he wants, as long as it is within the school's acceptable range.

Therefore, he had no reason not to participate under these conditions.

"Really? That's great!"

Hoshino Ai looked delighted upon hearing this.

"So we both need to practice hard. As long as we work together, the championship will be ours for the taking."

Whether they can win the championship is still uncertain, after all, some people were too abnormal last year. But no matter what, they can't boost others' morale and diminish their own. Whether they can win the championship is another matter; right now, what they need to do is work hard for the championship.

"Ok!"

The girl naturally had no doubt about An and Asuka's confidence.

However, she soon realized that she and the boy were not in the same school, so they could not work together to participate in the competition.

Regardless, even if she couldn't compete as a partner, she would be content as long as she could stand on the same stage as the boy.

She will definitely try her best; even if she can't win the championship, she at least won't let the boys down.

Volume 1: Chapter 67 Become an Idol, Girl.

The girl's singing voice and smile have a magical quality that draws people in unconsciously.

This was a phenomenon that An and Asuka had discovered a long time ago. At first, he thought it was just his imagination, but later, during the time they performed in the park, he confirmed that the girl did indeed have this trait.

Therefore, if used properly, a young girl can easily win everyone's favor. Of course, the prerequisite is that her singing and smile can be heard and seen by others.

The competition in October has officially begun.

As usual, few people from Anhe Asuka's school participated this year, and the contestants from other schools were still incredibly strong, each with their own unique skill.

But what's even more difficult is that he didn't have a suitable partner this year, so he had to rely on himself for everything. He used all his skills, including piano, guitar, shakuhachi, and singing, to barely make it into the final round.

The girl's school also fared poorly this year. Of the nearly twenty participants, only two remained.

However, the girl lived up to expectations and became one of the remaining two, thus becoming the hope of her school.