Green plums cannot become lovers.

However, as more and more students returned from outside and shared their experiences, they had to face the situation squarely.

The three girls exchanged a glance, a hint of wariness and danger flashing in their eyes. But this danger didn't last long, because they believed that the boy wouldn't accept anyone's confession.

He has always been rather indifferent when it comes to 'romance', and even when facing them, he has not shown any emotion in that regard.

Therefore, they firmly believed that the boy would refuse.

Although she felt relieved, Marina still caught up with a classmate passing by and asked with a smile, "Matsuki-san, did you see how Asuka answered?"

Upon hearing this, the other two girls also looked at the girl.

"Anhe, my classmate..."

Upon hearing this question, the girl who had been caught immediately became somewhat embarrassed, her previously gossipy demeanor turning into one of embarrassment.

It's no secret that Anhe from the next class has a very good relationship with these three girls in their class; in fact, many girls in the class even ship them as a couple.

However, the boy's response just now completely shattered her illusions.

He didn't refuse Takahashi-senpai at all; instead, he asked her to meet him later. This clearly meant that she had completely agreed.

"Matsuki-kun, tell me quickly!"

Seeing the girl stammering, Marina quickly urged her on.

"Um..." The girl gritted her teeth and finally whispered what she had just seen.

“Anwa did not reject Takahashi-senpai.”

"Eh..."

This answer stunned the three girls, and then their heads started buzzing.

What does it mean if I didn't refuse? Does it mean I agreed?

"You don't need to worry. Although she didn't refuse, Anhe didn't agree directly either."

Seeing that the three girls were shocked by the news, Matsuki quickly added.

But Marina and the other two were no longer listening to anything; only that one sentence was on their minds.

No refusal

Volume 1: Chapter 137 Crisis

Meanwhile, An and Asuka returned to their classroom, enduring various subtle but persistent glances. The commotion in the hallway had clearly spread throughout the classroom even faster than his footsteps.

As soon as he sat down, he could clearly feel the curious and inquisitive gazes coming from all directions, like fine needles hitting his skin. They didn't hurt, but they made him feel extremely uncomfortable.

He sighed silently. Sure enough, whether he accepted or rejected the confession, the aftermath of such a public confession was always the situation he least wanted to deal with.

He wearily took out his textbook for the next class from his drawer, intending to close his eyes and rest for a moment while the teacher was still away. However, before he could even lower his eyelids, two familiar figures stood on either side of his desk, exuding an undeniable aura of low pressure.

"Flying bird!"

Anzu's voice carried a barely perceptible urgency.

An and Asuka sighed inwardly, resignedly turning their heads to meet the gazes of their two companions, their faces still as calm as ever: "What?"

"Is what they're saying true?" Hachimi asked directly, her azure eyes fixed on him. Himegami Karen, standing beside him, didn't speak, but her slightly pursed lips and focused gaze betrayed her nervousness.

"It's true." An and Asuka didn't deny it. The news had already spread, and there was no point in denying it now, so they might as well admit it.

"Then... then what was your answer?" This time it was Himegami Karen's turn to speak. Her voice was softer than usual, with a cautious probing tone.

Despite having heard the rumors from other classmates, they still held a sliver of hope—perhaps the rumors were false, or perhaps those onlookers were exaggerating. They desperately wanted to hear the most truthful version from the person involved.

An and Asuka looked at their tense expressions and remained silent for a moment. He recalled the embarrassment of being surrounded by everyone's gaze in the corridor, and the unrealistic expectations in that senior's eyes.

He organized his thoughts and stated in as calm a tone as possible:

"I said, senior, you're a good person."

"Huh?" The two girls were both taken aback; this answer was somewhat unexpected.

"And then?" Anna asked.

"What else could happen?" An and Asuka added, their brows furrowing almost imperceptibly. "There were too many people there. I didn't want the scene to become too ugly, nor did I want to embarrass her too much."

He paused, looking at his two companions who were clearly relieved but still had confusion in their eyes, and explained further:

"What I mean is, I rejected her. I just used a rather... gentle approach. I plan to talk to that senior student thoroughly after school when no one is watching, to avoid any unnecessary misunderstandings."

Hearing this, Anzu Hachimi and Karen Himegami finally felt relieved.

Sure enough, Asuka is still the same Asuka.

"Oh... it was all a misunderstanding." Bana saw Anna pat her chest, a smile returning to her face. "You made us worry for nothing."

Himegami Karen nodded slightly, her tense shoulders relaxing.

However, An and Asuka's next words made them relax again.

“However,” he said, his tone still calm but with an undeniable certainty, “even without the misunderstanding, I would have refused anyway.”

His gaze swept past his two companions, then fell upon the clear sky outside the window. His voice was soft, yet it reached their ears clearly:

"Right now, I'm not in the mood to think about dating."

Romance wasn't part of his original plan. At this stage, he was focused on improving his and the girls' lives, rather than trying to experience the bittersweetness of love like others.

The boy's words were like a pebble thrown into a lake, creating ripples in the hearts of the two girls.

The detachment and decisiveness in his tone made them realize more clearly than any explicit rejection that, within the boundaries drawn by the boy, they and the confessing senior, Takahashi, seemed to have no fundamental differences! -Erjiu Niliu*Yishuiba Lutong.

"Why are you all so concerned about this aspect of my life?"

With a hint of pure doubt, An and Asuka's gaze shifted between Anana and Karen. The afternoon sun streamed through the window, casting soft shadows on his handsome profile, his eyes clear and unreadable, revealing no hint of alluring emotion.

If it weren't for the fact that the system panel clearly displayed the two people's [89] favorability rating, he would almost have thought that it was only they who liked him.

This straightforward question was like a pebble thrown into a calm lake, instantly shattering the two girls' facade of composure. They both trembled slightly at almost the same time, jolted awake from their own complex emotions.

"We...we're just concerned about you, afraid you'll go astray!"

Hanami answered first, her voice unconsciously rising a little, carrying a sense of urgency that seemed to be an attempt to cover something up. She subconsciously straightened her back, as if that would increase the credibility of her words.

Those deep blue eyes flickered for a moment before she quickly avoided the boy's probing gaze, burying the unspoken feelings deep within her heart even more tightly. She was afraid—afraid that if she revealed them, she would receive the same, or even more resolute, response as that of her senior, Takahashi.

That gentle rejection from a "good person," in retrospect, is more unsettling than a direct rejection, because it means that even the possibility of starting has been completely erased.

Himegami Karen, standing to the side, remained silent, but her slender fingers unconsciously twisted the hem of her skirt. Her eyes were slightly lowered, her thick eyelashes casting a small shadow beneath them, concealing the turbulent emotions within.

Countless times in the quiet of the night, she secretly imagined a future with the boy beside her that would take them even further. She imagined mustering the courage to take his hand on a slope strewn with cherry blossoms; she imagined whispering her feelings as they walked home side by side after practice; she imagined his surprised expression, followed by a gentle smile.

Those hazy, sweet fantasies, after the boy clearly stated that he had "no romantic feelings," burst like bubbles, leaving only cold, bittersweet vapor. She didn't know whether to be glad that she hadn't confessed and thus avoided embarrassment, or to be sad that her carefully guarded expectations were destined to be dashed from the very beginning.

A brief silence filled the three of them, broken only by the soft thud of someone's pencil case falling to the floor in the corner of the classroom.

An and Asuka observed their two companions' slightly overreacting reactions. Although they couldn't fully comprehend their turbulent inner monologues, they keenly sensed the subtle shift in the atmosphere. He had no intention of delving deeper and instinctively felt that this topic was best left unsaid. He habitually tried to stir up the somewhat stagnant air with a nonchalant attitude.

"Going astray?" He chuckled softly, his laughter clear and pure. "It's just dating, don't make it sound like some heinous crime." He shook his head, his tone tinged with a helpless mockery. "Don't worry, I know what I'm doing. Right now, music and my studies are more important to me."

His words, intended to comfort, struck the two young women like two invisible hammers. They sensed the firmness and detachment in his voice—he clearly placed "love" outside the boundaries of his current life.

"Oh...oh, that's good." Bana responded dryly to Anja's reply, feeling a tightness in her throat.

Just then, the bell rang at the right time, breaking the slightly awkward situation with its crisp sound.

"Class is about to start, go back to your seats." An and Asuka seemed relieved, naturally ending the conversation, turning around to take out their textbooks for the next class, their movements fluid, as if everything that had just happened was just a small interlude that had not left much of a mark on them.

Hanami Anna and Himegami Karen exchanged a glance, both seeing a complex emotion in each other's eyes—a sense of relief mixed with an indescribable sense of loss. They silently returned to their seats.

The lesson was on classical literature, and the teacher was eloquently recounting tales of the Heian period, the poignant love poems echoing in the classroom. However, the two girls sitting in the back row had already drifted off into the distance.

As Hanami Anzu stared at the complicated kana in her textbook, the boy's words, "I have no interest in thinking about romance," kept replaying in her mind.

She recalled the moments they practiced together, his focused profile as he taught her bass fingering, and his rare, approving smile after a successful performance... Could all the goodwill they had built up in those moments ultimately only remain as "companions"?

She was unwilling to accept it, yet felt utterly powerless. An unprecedented sense of crisis gripped her—not from a specific rival in love, but from the boy's heart, which seemed completely closed off from emotions.

Himegami Karen, on the other hand, appeared even quieter. She opened her notebook, her hands unconsciously tracing musical notes on the staff, her thoughts sinking into her own world.

She was always a girl with a rich inner world, and now she carefully folded and hid the feelings that had just begun to blossom but were declared "inappropriate." She told herself that it was good enough as it was, to be able to stand by his side as a companion, to create music together, to share time... This was already good enough.

But in some corner of my heart, a faint voice still rises and falls continuously.

An and Asuka, sitting diagonally in front of them, quickly settled into listening mode. The existence of the system and that distant goal of "saving" acted like an invisible filter, allowing him to exclude most of his distracting emotions.

He wasn't completely oblivious; he could vaguely sense that Anzu and Karen seemed to care about him in ways that went beyond friendship. But their 89% affection level was like a blurry dividing line—it hadn't reached the clear threshold of "love," yet it seemed to be something more than just "like."

He attributed it to a deep bond, akin to "family," that developed from spending so much time together. After all, they were childhood sweethearts who spent every day together, and inseparable bandmates.

Volume 1: Chapter 138 I Hate You Being a Block of Wood

The afternoon classes ended in an atmosphere that appeared calm on the surface but was actually turbulent underneath.

As soon as the school bell rang, An and Asuka quickly packed their bags. He remembered his promise to Takahashi-senpai—or rather, the "clarification" that he felt he needed to fulfill.

"I have to take care of something. You guys go ahead to the practice room," he said to Anna Hanami and Karen Himemiya, who were about to gather around him.

The two girls paused simultaneously. Seeing Anja almost blurt out, "What's wrong? Are you going to see that Takahashi-senpai?"

Her tone carried a nervousness she herself was unaware of.

An and Asuka glanced at her with some surprise and nodded: "Otherwise, I need to make things clear as soon as possible to avoid any misunderstandings."

Himegami Karen gently tugged at Hanami Anna's sleeve, signaling her not to get too excited, then gave An and Asuka a forced smile: "Come over early, we need to rehearse the transition section of the new song today."

"Okay, it won't be long." An and Asuka replied, slung their backpacks over their shoulders, and hurriedly left the classroom.

Watching his departing figure, Bana saw Anna slump back into her chair, muttering, "...Why did you have to make it so clear?"

Himegami Karen remained silent, but she understood that this was simply the boy's character. He disliked ambiguous relationships and valued efficiency and clear results, especially in matters that might "waste" his time and energy. This rationality sometimes bordered on cruelty.

An and Asuka found Takahashi-senpai by a relatively quiet flower bed behind the teaching building. She seemed to have carefully tidied herself up, and when she saw An and Asuka, a blush of anticipation and shyness immediately appeared on her face.

"Junior Anhe, you've arrived!"

“Senior.” Anhe Asuka stopped in front of her, getting straight to the point, her tone polite but distant, “Regarding what happened during lunch break, I think I need to express my meaning more clearly.”

Takahashi-senpai's smile froze slightly, and a bad feeling suddenly arose in her heart.

An and Asuka continued calmly, "I'm very grateful for your kindness, senior. It's an honor to be liked by someone as outstanding as you. However, I have no plans to develop a romantic relationship at present or in the foreseeable future. My time and energy need to be focused on other more important things. I'm very sorry if my words during lunch break caused any misunderstanding."

His words were clear and direct, without any beating around the bush, completely blocking any possible room for imagination.

The light in Takahashi's eyes dimmed quickly. She tried to maintain her smile, but her voice was already choked with emotion: "But you clearly said that I was a 'good person'."

How could this be? She had been looking forward to it all afternoon, and this was the answer she got?

"Am I not pretty enough, or did I do something wrong?" The girl was very depressed.

“No, this has nothing to do with the senior herself.” An and Asuka shook their heads. “It’s purely my personal reasons and choices. The senior is a very good person, and she will definitely meet someone who is truly right for you and will cherish you.”

The standard, complete "friend zone" process. Senior Takahashi lowered her head, remained silent for a moment, and when she looked up again, her eyes were slightly red, but she still maintained her composure: "...I understand. Thank you for telling me all this. Sorry to bother you, Anwa-kun."

After saying that, she turned and left hastily, her retreating figure revealing obvious disappointment.

An and Asuka watched her figure disappear around the corner of the teaching building, and unconsciously let out a sigh of relief. This time, they had finally resolved a troublesome matter. He checked the time, then turned and walked towards the practice room.

When he pushed open the door to the light music club's practice room, he found that the atmosphere inside was a bit strange.

Anna and Karen were both there, and even Ai Hoshino, who usually arrived a little later, was already there. The three girls seemed to be busy with their own things—Anna was tuning her bass, Karen was wiping her guitar, and Ai Hoshino was looking at sheet music—but the moment he entered, all three pairs of eyes focused on him almost simultaneously, and then quickly looked away when he looked back.

A silent questioning and cautious observation filled the air.

"I'm back." An and Asuka greeted each other as usual, and walked to their drum stand to put down their schoolbags.

"Oh...oh." When Banai saw Anja respond, she couldn't help but secretly observe his expression, trying to find some clues.

Himegami Karen also quietly raised her eyes, her gaze lingering for a moment on his calm and expressionless face before quickly lowering it again.

Even Hoshino Ai, with her captivating purple eyes that always shone with starlight, glanced at him almost imperceptibly, her gaze carrying a hint of scrutiny.

An and Asuka weren't oblivious to the eerie atmosphere, but they interpreted it as their companions' curiosity about the "aftermath of the incident." While bouncing his drumsticks, he casually brought it up: "We've explained things to Takahashi-senpai."

The three girls stopped moving at the same time.

"...And then?" Anna couldn't help but ask.

"That's it." An and Asuka held the drumsticks, swung them a couple of times to test their feel, and said in a relaxed tone, "I clearly refused, and she accepted. The matter is resolved."

His tone was too natural, as if he were dealing with a trivial matter.

This attitude made Anna and Karen Hanami breathe a sigh of relief, but a strange bitterness resurfaced—did his clean and efficient handling mean that anyone who had similar thoughts about him would get the same result?

Upon hearing this, Hoshino Ai didn't know what kind of expression to make.