Green plums cannot become lovers.

"Did he say anything to you?" An and Asuka turned to the girl and asked again.

"He said he wanted to invite me to his agency to become an idol, and that he would make me a lot of money."

"And what about you? How did you answer?"

“I refused!” Hoshino Ai replied proudly, “Because I don’t want to be separated from Asuka!”

Hearing this, An and Asuka couldn't help but smile and praise the girl, "Ai did a great job."

"You must never easily believe lies about others promising to help you make money, or you'll suffer a great loss later."

He's only recently started learning about the idol industry and doesn't know much about it yet. But he understands that the industry isn't as easy or simple as outsiders imagine, and making money isn't as easy as it seems.

Otherwise, there wouldn't be so many idols holding multiple jobs and working odd jobs everywhere to make a living.

"Yes, I understand!"

An and Asuka patted the girl's head with satisfaction and asked, "Besides that, did that person say anything else to you?"

He also said he would give me three more days to think about it and then call him.

"Oh, I see. Then I'll go with you."

“Okay!” Hoshino Ai happily agreed.

Three days later, after school, An and Asuka took the girl to find the man. When they arrived at the coffee shop where they had met, he was taken aback when he saw the man's appearance.

The other person was the man he saw in the gym that day who cried because of Xiao Ai's singing.

Similarly, the man was also taken aback when he saw An and Asuka.

However, neither of them spoke. After An and Asuka sat down with the girl, they fell silent.

This is Xiao Ai's own business, and she can make her own decisions. He just needs to be a silent companion.

"Hoshino-san."

In the end, it was the man who couldn't hold back and spoke first.

"What's your decision?"

"Yes, it's the same answer as before," Hoshino Ai replied, "I will not leave Asuka."

“Asuka…” Upon hearing this, the man turned to look at An and Asuka on the other side.

The boy had also seen the other person's performance that day; he had played the shakuhachi. To be fair, his performance was indeed very good.

But he's only very good; this boy doesn't have the potential to be an idol.

Volume 1: Chapter 69 Let's make a vow for life, young girl.

An and Asuka took a sip of milk, blinked, and looked at the man, appearing like an ordinary young man.

Saito Ichigo glanced at her twice before looking away and turning his gaze back to Hoshino Ai.

“Hoshino-kun, I know you’re too old to part with your good friends, but you need to think this through. The future isn’t something you can decide based on emotions.”

He had seen some idols before who were reluctant to part with their friends, which is only natural and there's nothing wrong with that. But the key question is how to choose between friendship and the future.

If the girl were an ordinary person, he might have let it go. But this girl was an orphan, and her future was entirely in her own hands; friendship was something that couldn't change her life.

"You can only change your future through your own efforts. If you miss this opportunity, you may never have another chance. You need to know that your background is really weak."

“I’m not acting on emotion, I’m serious.” Hoshino Ai looked at Saito Ichigo with a serious expression and replied, “I will not leave Asuka, nor will I ruin my own future.”

She believed that if she were with the boy beside her, the two of them would definitely be able to create a better future.

"..."

The girl spoke with great confidence, but Ichigo Saito had no idea where her confidence came from.

If the girl insists on her own way, he probably won't be able to persuade her today. Saito Ichigo thought to himself, then turned his gaze to the boy beside the girl.

Since she couldn't reason with him herself, she decided to ask the boy to help persuade him. After all, Hoshino seemed to care about him a lot, and she would definitely be happy to listen to him if it were him.

"You must be Asuka-kun."

"Yes."

"What are your thoughts on this matter?"

Instead of directly asking An and Asuka to help dissuade him, Saito Ichigo asked this question.

"I respect Xiao Ai's thoughts and decisions."

He certainly hoped that the girl could have better resources and support at this stage, but if these things were obtained against her will, then forget it.

He wouldn't do something like this: waving a hand to a girl while ignoring her feelings and pushing her away, leaving her feeling depressed all day.

He wants the girl to be better, but not at the expense of her happiness.

"What?" Saito Ichigo was stunned for a moment upon hearing this, then quickly said, "Do you know how serious this matter is?"

“Of course I know.” An and Asuka nodded calmly and replied, “If Ai joins your agency, she will definitely get more resources and more systematic training than she does now. With her talent, she will definitely succeed in the end.”

"Anyway, it's definitely much better than staying here at this stage."

"You know this, why don't you try to persuade her instead..."

He thought the boy didn't know, but it turns out he knew perfectly well what was going on.

"So, I can't do anything against Xiao Ai's wishes."

"Because I think making Xiao Ai happy is more important than success."

"Are you... are you serious?"

“Yes.” An and Asuka nodded slightly and said, “So, since Ai has refused your invitation, Uncle should give up.”

"And what about her future?"

"Of course I will take responsibility for Xiao Ai's future."

As An and Asuka spoke, An glanced at the girl beside him and continued, "Although I am still very weak now, Ai and I are working hard towards a better future."

"Of course, the uncle probably won't believe it."

"..."

Upon hearing this, the man was at a loss for words. The boy's words weren't particularly impassioned, nor did they sound like the illogical pronouncements of an immature child.

He just looked at him with a smile, his words gentle yet firm. If it were anyone else, he might have scoffed and mocked their overestimation of their abilities.

They might even ask, "Are you capable of taking on the responsibility of someone else's life?"

After all, he was just a kid himself; how could he possibly lead a girl with a tragic past to a better future?

But now he couldn't laugh at all. For some reason, he was convinced by the other person's words and even felt that the other person could keep their word.

How could that be? Unless the boy's father is some important figure.

Looking at the boy in front of him, and then at the girl beside him whose heart and eyes were full of him, Saito Ichigo opened his mouth but said nothing.

"Uncle, thank you for the invitation."

Finally, the girl broke the silence. She stood up, solemnly thanked the other person, and then showed a sunny smile.

"If I hadn't met the bird, I might have agreed."

"But now I've met Asuka, and Asuka gave me a new life, so I'm sorry."

Her world was originally broken and dilapidated, but it was this boy's constant patching and mending that made her who she is today.

So how could she leave him? She simply couldn't bear to.

After expressing her gratitude once again, Hoshino Ai left with An and Asuka.

As Saito Ichigo watched the two figures disappear into the distance, a complex mix of emotions welled up within him.

The operation was clearly a failure, but miraculously, he didn't feel too bad. He only felt a slight sense of regret, and a strange hope rose from the bottom of his heart.

For Hoshino Ai, this meeting made her very happy, and even though she was already far away from the coffee shop, she still couldn't suppress the smile on her face.

"Of course I will take responsibility for Xiao Ai's future."

Although I know the boy definitely didn't mean anything by it, it still sounds like a confession no matter how I look at it.

What are you laughing at?

"Asuka!" Hoshino Ai looked at the boy beside her with bright eyes and said, "We must be together forever."

"A lifetime..."

Why bring this up all of a sudden? It feels a bit heavy.

but

"Okay, then let's be together for life."

Shizuka had said "a lifetime" to him, and Marina had said it to him too. It's true that children can easily say something as important as "a lifetime."

With that childlike tone, she describes her hopes for the future. No matter how you look at it, it's incredibly cute, isn't it?

There's simply no way to refuse such words.

"Then let's make a vow!"

How to set it up?

"Pinky promise!"

"Ok."

An and Asuka smiled and reached out their hands, and Hoshino Ai immediately hooked her little finger with his.

"Pinky promise, swear it, and you'll never change your mind for a hundred years!"

What was clearly just a girl's innocent words seemed to have been etched into An and Asuka's hearts, binding them to not break the promise.

The setting sun, accompanied by the fallen leaves of autumn, brought a touch of desolation to the world.

The boy and girl, their little fingers intertwined, wobbled as they walked towards home.

Volume 1: Chapter 70 Mission Completed!

The old air conditioner in the classroom hummed, radiating warmth, while the closed doors and windows allowed the carbon dioxide concentration to gradually rise. Outside, the wind howled in the cold, but inside the classroom, it was warm and cozy, making one feel somewhat drowsy.

An and Asuka lay sprawled on the table, gazing listlessly out the window. The sixth-grade curriculum was of no interest to them, and they had no desire to look at their newly purchased textbooks.

After a long period of hard work, he occasionally wanted to take a short break.

Even when he was resting, his thoughts were still on distant places.

Before the winter break, the girl's school held a grand Christmas celebration, and the girl decided to attend.

This will be a very important opportunity. If the girl performs well, she will definitely gain more popularity, and he will also receive the mission rewards.

December will end in two days, and there are only three months left until elementary school graduation.

Looking back on the past year, it has truly been full of twists and turns. Shizuka, Marina, Nanami, and Ai... each of their problems was so thorny, and if not handled properly, they could have caused them great harm.

However, he resolved them all quite well.

Thinking this, a sense of pride rose in An and Asuka's hearts.

But he quickly calmed down and began to think about their future.

He is now truly carrying the lives of three young girls on his shoulders, so he must be treated with utmost care.

Shizuka's talent for writing has already shown signs, and her writing skills have reached level three. If nothing unexpected happens, she will continue down this path.

Therefore, he needs to guide Shizuka properly to prevent her from making mistakes.

Marina, on the other hand, showed talent in painting. However, painting is more difficult to master than writing. In addition, the girl did not attend any classes and instead studied on her own. Therefore, even though he had shared a painting skill with her, her progress was still slightly slower than Shizuka's.

But it doesn't matter, as long as she can improve, he will support her no matter how fast or slow.

Finally, there's Xiao Ai.

Xiao Ai is perfect to be an idol. As soon as she steps onto the stage, she becomes a completely different person, as if she were born to be an elf on the stage.

So all he needs to do is train Xiao Ai to become an idol. It might be difficult for him to do it alone, but he will try his best.

Moreover, if he completes this mission, he will receive a 'Shining Idol' character halo, which he can then give to Xiao Ai.

After all, he's not an idol, so he doesn't need this.

As for himself, he naturally needs to work harder. Now, many of his skills have reached level three, and his guitar, piano, and shakuhachi are all at level four, reaching the advanced level.