Green plums cannot become lovers.

After a while, once they were sure the person had gone far away, An and Asuka turned around for a look.

The approach to the temple was deserted, except for an umbrella placed behind me.

The patter of rain tapped against the stone slabs and the eaves of the torii gate, weaving a monotonous and cold melody.

An and Asuka looked at the lonely umbrella on the approach, its dark blue canopy like a silent patch that had suddenly appeared in the gray rain.

He stared silently for a few seconds, the emotion welling up inside him not being joy, but a more complex, bittersweet understanding.

Grandpa is still grandpa. Even though his words are like knives and his eyes are like ice, this umbrella... reveals a trace of attachment beneath that hard shell, perhaps one that even the old man himself is unwilling to admit.

"Thank you."

He muttered to himself, a barely perceptible smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.

He didn't immediately grab an umbrella, but instead turned back to gaze at the rain. The rain seemed to have lessened a bit, but it was far from stopping. The plastic bag in his hand had become slippery from the moisture and also carried a slight weight from the rain.

Marina rushed over excitedly, and Shizuka whispered a sincere "thank you" as she took the things.

These imagined scenes, at this moment, possess warmth more than the cold reality, enough to dispel the chill brought by the rainy day. They are his chosen "present" and "future," small corners of light he has personally built in this not always friendly world.

After standing there for a while, the rain subsided considerably.

He ultimately didn't take the umbrella, not because he was angry with the old man's words, but simply because he didn't want to cause them any trouble.

He took the umbrella and will have to return it later, but his grandfather doesn't want to see him. If he comes back and his grandfather sees him, his grandfather will probably get angry again.

[Here you are, host: /weather clear]

【What's the meaning?】

Minecraft cheat codes

【roll.】

Volume 1: Chapter Thirteen: Any infidelity will be punished according to law!

An and Asuka stood on the street, watching the two figures of a man and a woman in front of the love hotel not far away.

He recognized the man; he was Marina's father. As for the heavily made-up, flamboyantly dressed woman, although he didn't know her, he knew what she did for a living.

Even though he's been very careful lately, he still couldn't stop Marina's father from having an affair. Just as the system said, even if he didn't have an affair with Shizuka's mother, he would have had one with Suneo or Gian's mother.

[Host, that woman is Shizuka's mother.]

Upon hearing the system's words, An and Asuka unconsciously clenched their fists, not expecting things to still go back to the way they were before.

Marina's father had an affair with Shizuka's mother.

He had worked so hard to gradually normalize the relationship between the two girls, and if they found out, all his previous efforts would be in vain.

Seeing that the two people in the distance were about to walk hand in hand into the love hotel, An and Asuka didn't care about anything else and hurried over.

Now that he's seen it, he has to stop it.

"Uncle Yunmu Saka, what are you going to do?"

Just as the two were about to step into the hotel, An and Asuka spoke.

The man quickly looked over, and when he saw the boy looking at him calmly, a hint of embarrassment appeared on his face.

"Yes, it's Asuka. What are you doing here?"

"I'm here to buy some things, I'm heading back anyway. What about you, Uncle Yunmu Saka?"

"I just finished a field trip with my colleagues and I'm heading back to the company."

"I see."

An and Asuka's eyes kept scanning back and forth between the man and the love hotel behind him, the meaning of which was self-evident.

The man was even more embarrassed, realizing how clumsy his lie was, and his face turned slightly red.

An and Asuka did not deliberately continue to make things difficult, but said, "In that case, I will go back with you later."

"No, no need."

“It’s alright, I have time.” An and Asuka smiled. “Please don’t be shy.”

"Or would you like to spend a little more time with this lady?"

"..."

The man's expression changed several times, but in the end he nodded helplessly.

"Ok."

After saying that, he took a step as if he had lost all his strength.

Anhe Asuka watched his retreating figure, then glanced at the woman beside him. After a moment's thought, he said, "Auntie, please give my regards to Shizuka when you get back."

"Also, Shizuka and Marina are good friends."

After saying that, he left the woman's side. He didn't care whether she would actually pass on his message; he just wanted to tell her that her daughter had made friends at school.

One is him, and the other is the daughter of that man from earlier.

[Host, good news! Shizuka's mother and Marina's father haven't seen each other for a week.]

An and Asuka were reading when the system told them the news. He was ultimately relieved by the news.

It seems that the woman still had some sense of shame and maternal love in her heart, and couldn't bear to ruin the relationship between her daughter and her friend.

[Bad news: Marina's father has cheated on her with another woman, and Shizuka's mother has also found a new man.]

"..."

Alright, at least those two shameless guys didn't get together again, thus preventing Marina and Shizuka from damaging their fragile friendship that they had worked so hard to build.

He had spent a whole month getting those two girls to become friends, and he didn't want all his efforts to be in vain.

An and Asuka closed the book and let out a sigh of relief.

That man is beyond saving; if things continue like this, Marina's family is bound to break apart sooner or later. He needs to make plans as soon as possible and try to stabilize Marina's emotions, especially her mother's, after the tragedy occurs.

She didn't want to see that woman vent all her resentment on Marina after losing her husband.

As for Shizuka's mother, he couldn't really comment on her. She did that kind of work because it was the only job she could do; otherwise, she wouldn't be able to support her family.

That woman was clearly making money, but she spent very little on Shizuka.

So far, he has only seen Shizuka wearing two sets of clothes. Fortunately, it is summer now. If it were winter, he would not know if Shizuka had any winter clothes at all.

Moreover, Shizuka doesn't get enough to eat at school, even though most of the time the school provides children's meals, and even if they don't, they at least bring their own lunch.

But unfortunately, Shizuka doesn't have any nutritional meals or bento boxes. She's such a terrible mother.

An and Asuka felt increasingly agitated as they thought about it, and they looked up out the window.

The summer sun was scorching the earth, and today was the fifteenth day of summer vacation. After a brief moment of thought, he finally stood up from his chair, tidied himself up, and went out.

[Is the host going to teach those two guys a lesson?]

Do you think I'm that combative?

I think you are.

【Shut up.】

An and Asuka put on their shoes, closed the door, and left the house, heading towards Marina's house.

He quickly arrived at the girl's door, rang the doorbell, and the door opened shortly afterward.

"Flying bird!"

Marina's eyes lit up when she saw An and Asuka. "Why are you here?"

"Aren't you welcoming me?"

"Of course not, come in quickly!"

Marina happily pulled An and Asuka into the house, leading them to the living room.

In the living room, the girl's mother was sitting on the sofa watching TV. Upon seeing him, she immediately greeted him with a smile.

"Flying Bird, come and sit down."

She naturally made room for An and Asuka to sit down.

Seeing the empty seat, An and Asuka forced a smile but obediently sat down next to the woman.

As soon as she sat down, the woman began to bombard her with questions, ranging from summer homework to health.

An and Asuka could definitely sense that the woman beside them really liked them. This was probably thanks to the fact that they had been frequently trying to win her favor over the past month or so.

[Affection Level - Marina's Mother: 80]

[Note: Even the highest level of affection from an adult will not transform into romantic love. Please rest assured, host.]

If the system hadn't assured him so confidently that it wouldn't be a problem no matter how much favor he tried to gain, he wouldn't have acted so recklessly.

"Hey, if only our Marina had half the self-awareness of Asuka."

"No way, Marina is a very nice and cute child. She has inherited all of Auntie's good qualities."

"Oh dear, is Asuka saying that Auntie is cute too?"

"...Yes, yes."

An and Asuka suppressed the twitching at the corner of their mouths and nodded with a smile.

"You silly child, even if you say that, Auntie still won't marry you."

The woman could barely contain her smile.

"No, it's okay."

Volume 1: Chapter 14 You already said thank you

After chatting with the woman for a while, An and Asuka finally found an opportunity to bring Marina out.

The July sun was exceptionally scorching, and there were few pedestrians in the countryside in the afternoon. On one side of the road was a lush forest, and on the other side were endless, bright green rice paddies. On the ridges of the paddies, one could vaguely see farmers wearing straw hats strolling slowly, checking the growth of the rice ears.

This small town has no tall buildings to block the view, no noisy traffic, and the view is so open that it can embrace the entire blue sky, white clouds and the rolling land.

The cicadas in the woods sang with all their might, as if they were shouting with all their might, forming a heavy wave of sound.

However, for some reason, An and Asuka felt an unparalleled tranquility at this moment. Perhaps it was because the noise was a pure sound of nature, which cleansed the distracting thoughts in people's hearts.

As they passed by a small roadside general store made of old wood, An and Asuka couldn't resist the pitiful look in the eyes of the girl beside them that screamed "I really want to eat this!" So they stopped and, unusually, spent a lot of money to buy three of the most ordinary milk popsicles.

The girl cheered immediately, excitedly tearing open the chilled wrapper and eagerly taking a lick. The rich milky aroma and cool sweetness instantly melted on her tongue. She squinted her eyes in satisfaction, like a cat whose fur had been stroked, and even the scorching sun seemed less unbearable.

An and Asuka carefully held the other two popsicles in their hands, feeling the coolness from their fingertips that combated the summer heat.

He watched Marina eat with no regard for appearances, yet with undeniable genuine joy, and a slight smile unconsciously crept onto his lips. This simple contentment touched him more deeply than any expensive gift.

The shadows of the trees swayed, and dappled sunlight fell on the country lanes.

The two strolled slowly along the roadside, enjoying the brief coolness of the popsicles. The air was filled with the scent of sun-baked earth, the fragrance of rice paddies, and the clean smell of sweat from the young boy and girl.

At this moment, time seemed to stretch out, peaceful and beautiful.

After walking for a while, the two finally announced their destination for the day.

Before me was a narrow courtyard, inside which sat a slightly old wooden house—this was Shizuka Kuze's home.

"Shizuka, we've come to play with you!"

Marina stood at the door and shouted loudly into the room, but received no response. Undeterred, she shouted again, but to no avail.

Seeing this, An and Asuka frowned slightly. So he simply opened the gate to the courtyard, which had no security features, and walked inside. Marina followed closely behind.

The girl's home is somewhat special; after entering the courtyard, you're at the side edge, and you can directly reach the living room without having to go through the entrance hall or corridor.

After entering the courtyard, An and Feibiao first glanced at the doghouse in the corner of the yard. Only when they did not see the Border Collie did they turn their attention back to the tightly closed doors and windows.

There was still no sound from the room, so An and Asuka didn't stand on ceremony and opened the tightly closed door.

The girl's home was a mess, with clothes and belongings scattered everywhere, and there was an indescribable smell, like strong liquor mixed with cheap perfume.

An and Asuka immediately spotted the girl lying on the tatami mat, while the little dog lay listlessly beside her.

"Shizuka."

An and Asuka quickly went to the girl's side and grabbed her wrist. He breathed a sigh of relief when he felt her pulse.

It startled him.