Green plums cannot become lovers.

"Asuka, you've really worked hard."

Sakura looked at An and Asuka with a touch of heartache. This boy was working so hard for their school that she felt a little embarrassed.

This is practically child labor.

"It must have been tough." An and Asuka took a sip of water to moisten their throats and said, "But it's what I should do."

He looked at Matsue Sakura and smiled, "After all, Ms. Matsue and the school have given me a lot of help, so I will do my best no matter what."

A good ranking is not just a school honor; it also greatly helps with student recruitment. And to repay the school for its support since February, he was determined to give it his all.

Songyue Ying was touched by his words. She knew what the boy in front of her meant: "You, we didn't force you to repay us."

They just wanted the boy to have a better life; they never intended to ask for anything in return.

"Oh, I see. Then I won't participate in the next competition. I'm exhausted."

"That won't do!"

Upon hearing this, Songyue Ying immediately became anxious, but when she saw the smile on the boy's face, she knew that he was just teasing her.

"You brat, you really need to be taught a lesson. I'll have your homeroom teacher give you extra homework later."

"That's possible, but then I won't have a chance to practice. Teacher, do you want to see me overwhelmed by homework?"

"..."

Upon hearing this, Matsue Sakura held her breath for a while before finally exhaling.

"The teacher won't tell on you, so don't forget your practice."

She realized that she really had no way to deal with the boy in front of her. Why was she, as a teacher, so easily manipulated?

Matsue Sakura pondered and pondered, but still couldn't figure it out.

"Don't worry, teacher, I will practice hard and live up to your expectations."

Anhe Asuka revealed a faint smile, which made Matsue Sakura's heart skip a beat.

Anhe Asuka Jiu? Ling Liu??? Lu Qi Ba Er Pa watched the girl on the stage and silently cheered her on.

This time, she sang "Hotaru no Hikari," the same song Nanami sang last year. The same song, sung by different people, has a slightly different feel.

The girl sang perfectly, without any problems; it sounded wonderful. However, he felt that the girl wasn't suited to this particular song.

Her smile is like a sparkling little sun, and her voice is incredibly sweet, making her perfect for singing sweet idol songs.

Should we specifically guide Xiao Ai down this path from now on? After all, it really suits her perfectly.

Just as An and Asuka were thinking this, they suddenly heard a faint inhalation. They turned their heads and saw a blond man wearing glasses crying uncontrollably.

When Nanami sang this song last year, it brought tears to the eyes of many judges, and this year it actually made people cry.

As the girl's song ended, An and Asuka heard the man's crying grow louder, and unsurprisingly, the other judges also had tears in their eyes again.

It seems these middle-aged men really do fall for farewell ballads.

An and Asuka thought to themselves that the girl should be able to get a very good ranking this time.

And the result was indeed surprising. She won second place in her first competition, making her the only contestant from her school to make it into the top three!

When the rankings were announced, the teachers who led the girls' school stared wide-eyed, their faces filled with disbelief.

An and Asuka were naturally happy, but more than the honor of second place, they were happy that the girl's situation at school would be better in the future.

After all, she really brought honor to the school, and with so many people having seen her performance, apart from a few particularly annoying individuals, the other ordinary students had no reason to continue to harbor malice towards her.

As they climbed onto the podium together, and seeing her sparkling eyes, An and Asuka, who had been worried about her, finally felt a great sense of relief.

And he's still in third place this year.

Last year's third place was shared with Nanami. At that time, they were both novices who had just started learning music, and it was already quite an achievement to get that ranking.

He's still third this year, which is satisfactory, considering he's the only one competing and no one can share the pressure. So, getting this ranking is really good.

The first place still belongs to the blonde girl from last year; her violin playing is absolutely amazing, no doubt about it.

After the first-place girl finished giving her acceptance speech, it was the girl's turn.

"First of all, I am most grateful to one person for being able to stand on this stage. His name is Anwa Asuka!"

The girl held the microphone and spoke loudly. An and Asuka didn't expect her to mention them in her first sentence.

Idiot, you should at least thank all the judges here first.

An and Asuka looked at the girl's back with some helplessness. The girl seemed to sense his gaze, turned around abruptly to meet his eyes, and then ran over to take his hand and led him onto the stage.

"He guided me through the hardships when I was at my most desperate, and eventually brought me to this stage!"

"I am so grateful to him. Without him, I would never have been able to see such a view!"

From her very first performance, she fell in love with the feeling of being on stage. After enduring countless cold stares and mocking glances, she saw anticipation and praise in the eyes of so many people for the first time.

Without the boy beside her, she might never have had this experience in her life.

The girl chattered on and on, and in the end she couldn't help but shed tears, but her voice was still full of energy.

This is the sound of joyful crying.

An and Asuka listened quietly, occasionally chiming in with a few words. Finally, after giving their own remarks, they followed the others off the stage.

Just as the two stepped off the stage, the girl who won first place came over.

"You guys are all amazing!"

"Especially you!"

The girl first praised both of them, and then looked at An and Asuka beside her with sparkling eyes.

However, before the two could say thank you, she turned and left.

"Strange guy."

In response, An and Asuka simply commented.

After the match, everything was moving in a positive direction.

The girl's grades improved with each exam, and no one accused her of cheating anymore. After her performance that day, she also successfully entered the public eye.

The school awarded her a certificate, praising her progress and growth, and strictly forbade anyone from speaking ill of her behind her back.

However, the girl had a little trick up her sleeve. When the school made it mandatory, she did the opposite and said in front of everyone, "If talking badly about me behind my back makes everyone happy, then it doesn't matter how nasty it is."

This tactic of retreating to advance successfully boosted the girl's standing among her classmates.

An and Asuka couldn't help but laugh as they listened to the girl's somewhat smug description.

November arrived, a cold wave swept in, and temperatures plummeted.

After finishing their performance in the park, An and Asuka asked the girl to watch their guitars while he ran to a nearby convenience store to buy two hot drinks for her to soothe her throat.

Hoshino Ai sat obediently on a wooden bench in the park, holding her guitar and strumming it. When she heard the sound of the guitar, a sweet smile involuntarily appeared on her face.

However, just as she was pretending to be a guitarist and happily strumming the strings, a shadow suddenly fell in front of her.

Looking up with some confusion, he saw a blonde woman wearing glasses standing in front of him.

"You must be Hoshino-kun? (The rest of the text appears to be nonsensical and unrelated to the previous sentences.)"

Upon hearing the man accurately state her name, Hoshino Ai became alert. She stared intently at him, ready to shout for help at any moment.

Seeing this, the man realized he might have frightened the girl, so he quickly said, "Don't misunderstand, I'm not a bad person."

As he spoke, he took out a business card from his pocket, handed it over, and introduced himself.

"I'm a talent scout and also the head of an idol agency. I've contacted you, Hoshino-kun, to invite you to join my agency?"

"Huh?" Hoshino Ai's eyes widened in surprise. She never expected to receive such an invitation one day.

The head of an idol agency... well, that should be quite attractive to the average young girl.

“I know it’s hard for you to believe, but I am indeed the head of the firm, and my name is Saito.”

"The reason we invited Hoshino-kun this time is because we heard you sing in the gymnasium half a month ago."

"Hoshino-kun, you have a real talent for being an idol!"

Volume 1: Chapter 68 Know Your True Feelings, Young Girl!

"Talent?"

'Yes, talent!'

"No, I don't have this kind of talent. (Six?) (Nine?) Ying Shan's father Liu."

Faced with the man's praise, Hoshino Ai shook her head and said, "Uncle, you should go find someone else. I'm not interested in idols."

The man became a little anxious upon hearing this. He was certain that this girl was very talented in idol making. Although her singing was only average, it had a strange appeal.

And that's exactly what idols need. An idol may not have much talent, but they cannot lack appeal.

He believed that if properly nurtured, this girl's future would be immeasurable, and she would definitely become a popular idol.

"Hoshino-kun, please believe me, you definitely have the talent to be an idol," Saito earnestly advised.

"Really, no, Uncle." Hoshino Ai waved her hand. "I'm just an ordinary person, not as amazing as you say."

Saito felt somewhat helpless after being rejected by the girl again.

"Hoshino-kun, if you could become an idol, you could make a lot of money, and right now you're in a situation where you really need money, right?"

Before he actually found the girl, he investigated her background and learned about her tragic past.

Her parents divorced when she was very young. She was raised by her mother but suffered domestic violence. Eventually, her mother went to prison for theft and she was sent to an orphanage, where she remains to this day.

It's fair to say that her life is terrible right now, and she has many expenses.

"Do you really want to live such an ordinary life forever? You need to know that as you grow up, your life will become increasingly difficult, and you'll find it hard to get by without money."

"As long as you become a popular idol, you can earn a lot of money, be loved by many people, and your status will rise accordingly, so not many people will look down on you."

You really need to think about this carefully.

Hoshino Ai simply nodded dismissively at the benefits the man mentioned: "I know all of that, Uncle."

In fact, the boy had already said almost everything to her, saying that he had the potential to become an idol and also talking about the many benefits that would come with becoming an idol.

Therefore, she was not interested in what the man in front of her was saying.

If the other person had found her before she met that boy, she might have chosen to go with him and join that idol group.

But it's pointless for her to say these things to herself now, because her heart has already been saved and belongs only to that boy, and she doesn't want to leave him like this.

The bird had told her that they would share joys and sorrows and grow together. Therefore, she wouldn't be so easily tempted.

"But I really have no interest in it. Could you please stop bothering me? Asuka will be back soon, or I'll tell on you."

"..."

The man was truly surprised that the girl was so clear-headed. Did she understand, or not?

After a moment of silence, he let out a soft breath and said, "How about this, Hoshino-kun, think it over again, okay? You can keep this business card for now, and call me back in three days. Whatever decision you make then, I won't bother you anymore."

"What a hassle, uncle." Hoshino Ai felt it was a lot of trouble for him, but she still accepted the business card he handed her.

Seeing this, the man said a few more words to her and told her to think it over carefully before leaving.

Hoshino Ai looked down at the business card in her hand and saw the agency and the man's name printed on it.

Berry Production

Saito Ichigo

The location is actually in Tokyo!

When An and Asuka returned, they saw the girl looking down at a small card intently. This immediately made him nervous, fearing that the girl had picked up some inappropriate card.

He quickly went over and asked, "Xiao Ai, what are you looking at?"

"Asuka." Hoshino Ai's eyes lit up when she saw the boy return, and she replied, "This is a business card that an uncle who was passing by gave me."

As she spoke, she handed over her business card.

An and Asuka took the photos and were somewhat surprised. Ai had actually been chosen by the management company!

Has that uncle already left?

"Okay, I'm leaving."