Green plums cannot become lovers.

Anna Hanami always surrounded him with energy. She seemed noisy, but she remembered his favorite foods. When the band needed to practice, she would complain about how troublesome it was, but she would also put in more effort than anyone else. Her unusual attention to him regarding "love" had indeed become particularly frequent and persistent lately.

However, looking back, throughout the long years since they met, the girl's words and actions mostly remained within the scope of ordinary friends—joking around, sharing daily life, without much ambiguity or overstepping boundaries. Unlike now, where behind that concern, there always seems to be a subtle tension.

"If...if the system really..." A bold, almost dangerous thought resurfaced uncontrollably from the depths of his mind.

An and Asuka shook their heads violently, as if trying to dispel the thought that questioned their most important reliance. How could their system, which they depended on for survival and had never made a mistake, possibly...?

However, the doubts that apricots had developed in his heart due to their unusually strong reaction clung to him like a leech, clinging tightly to his thoughts and refusing to be dispelled.

Throughout the afternoon's classes, An and Asuka seemed somewhat restless. What struck him as even more odd was that, as if by prior arrangement, Anna and Karen disappeared from his sight as soon as the bell rang, unlike their usual selves who would gather around his seat to share snacks or discuss the interesting things that had happened in class.

They were avoiding him. This realization was crystal clear.

As the school bell shattered the evening's tranquility, An and Asuka turned around almost instantly, their gazes locking onto the pink-haired girl who was about to slip out of the classroom. This time, he couldn't let her get away again.

"Apricot vegetable." He spoke, his voice not loud in the slightly noisy classroom, but carrying an undeniable firmness.

Hachimi Anzu paused in her step, her body stiffening almost imperceptibly for a moment. She slowly turned around, forcing a slightly impatient expression—the same as always—on her face: "What?"

The girl's eyes darted around, and she dared not look him directly in the eye.

"Are you still angry with me?" An and Asuka asked directly, as he disliked beating around the bush.

"Stop being narcissistic," Bana said, her voice rising slightly as she saw Anja immediately deny it, as if to bolster her confidence. "What makes you think I'm angry?"

But her slightly puffed-out cheeks and subconsciously averted gaze betrayed her insincerity.

An and Asuka looked at her obviously hypocritical expression and felt a little helpless. She had avoided him all afternoon; what else could it be but anger? But he didn't intend to argue with her about it.

“Never mind,” he took a deep breath, his expression becoming serious and solemn, “I still want to make things clear.”

He has always been decisive and straightforward, preferring to address problems openly rather than drag things out or let misunderstandings fester in silence and escalate into more complicated troubles.

Of course, having learned his lesson at noon, he would never again blurt out such a cruel probing question as "Do you like me?"

He understood that no matter how cheerful and lively a girl appeared on the outside, she possessed a delicate and tender part in her heart that could not be trampled upon.

"..."

Faced with An and Asuka's sudden seriousness, Banami saw Anna remain silent for a moment, her fingers unconsciously tightening around the bag strap, her nails turning slightly white.

She lowered her eyes and whispered, "...Go ahead and say it."

“I don’t know what you’re thinking,” An and Asuka said, trying to be clear and not hurtful, “but I want to tell you that I’m not going to be in a relationship, at least not at this stage, and I have no plans to be in one in the foreseeable future.”

He paused, looked at her calmly, and uttered the most crucial and resolute sentence:

"Furthermore, I would never date someone I know very well. So please don't worry."

He didn't know if she truly harbored feelings for him beyond friendship. His words were both to completely sever that possibility—if it existed—and to leave himself some leeway—so that if it was all just his delusion and wishful thinking, the situation wouldn't become so awkward as to be irreparable.

They were childhood sweethearts.

In his mind, his childhood sweetheart was like family, someone who had long been integrated into his life. He never thought of including this relationship in the category of "romance," which is full of variables and uncertainties.

That seemed like a desecration of some kind of pure bond.

"..."

As the boy in front of her drew this insurmountable line with a serious, clear, and calm expression, Anna felt as if an invisible hand had instantly clenched her heart, causing it to contract sharply and a pain that almost suffocated her.

I don't know how to fall in love... and I certainly don't know how to fall in love with someone I'm very familiar with.

Each word was like a cold, dull knife, slowly cutting away at her expectations. It wasn't just referring to her, but also to all the "women" who were close to him.

Karen, Marina, Shizuka, Ai

He completely and without reservation isolated them from the "safe zone" of his emotional world.

Overwhelmed by a sudden surge of disappointment and bitterness, she felt a wave of dizziness. She forced her eyes wide open, suppressing the stinging sensation in her nose and the tears welling in her eyes, mustering all her acting skills to force a smile that was almost arrogant, no different from her usual demeanor. In a deliberately exaggerated, nonchalant tone, she retorted:

"What's the point of telling me all this? I don't care!"

"Is that so?" An and Asuka frowned slightly, looking at her overly forceful "indifference."

"Of course!" Seeing Anzu's voice grow louder like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, as if the louder the voice, the more convincing it would be, "Who do you think I am?! Who would worry about someone like you! Stop flattering yourself!"

She dared not linger for even a second longer, afraid that if she looked at him again, the facade she had painstakingly built would completely collapse.

"I can't be bothered with you! I'm leaving!"

Before she could finish speaking, she had already turned around abruptly and rushed out of the classroom as if fleeing, her hurried figure knocking over a chair without her even bothering to catch it.

An and Asuka stood there, watching the direction she had disappeared in. They didn't feel relieved; instead, it felt as if an even heavier stone had been placed on their hearts. Her overreaction was far removed from the "relief that should come after a friend clarifies a misunderstanding" that they had come to expect.

Did he solve the underlying problem? It seems so.

But did he feel at ease? No.

【“No Birds” Encrypted Group (5)】

Hoshino Ai: "What?! Asuka actually said that?! 'I won't date someone I'm very familiar with'?! What does he mean by that? Is he giving us all 'childhood friend cards'?!"

Shizuka Kuze: "It seems the problem is more serious than we thought... He's systematically and preemptively rejecting all of us."

Karen Himegami: "What if he really only, and will always only, sees us as 'childhood friends'...?"

Marina Kirasaka: "Tsk, what a troublesome guy. Let's hold back for now, pretend we don't know anything, and see what his next reaction is."

Marina Kirasaka: "If all else fails... we'll find an opportunity to tie him up! Lock him up and give him a good talking to!"

Hanami Anana: "...Tying, tying her up is too... Iri 1Ⅶ ?4?{五（?九）思??]拔"

The girl weakly retorted, but deep down she inexplicably felt... that it wasn't entirely perfect, was it?

At night, in a small group chat named "No Birds," several girls who had learned of An and Asuka's declaration to "draw a line" were engaged in a heated discussion. The air seemed to thicken with tension, as if it were being circulated through radio waves.

An and Asuka, who were at the center of the discussion, were completely unaware of all this. He was just beginning to breathe a sigh of relief, seemingly relieved that he had successfully resolved any potential misunderstandings about Anja.

And things seemed to be developing exactly as he had hoped.

Since their frank conversation after school that day, Anna Hanami seemed to have truly let go of those conflicting emotions.

She no longer inquired about his love life intentionally or unintentionally, nor did she show that complicated and indescribable look in his eyes when he received love letters or gifts. She returned to her former energetic self, who would bicker with him and chase him halfway across the school building for a piece of pastry—a pure and innocent friend.

An and Asuka secretly observed for a long time, even paying special attention to Anja's reaction when another girl from another class came up to him, blushing as she confessed her love. At that moment, Anja was either chatting and laughing with Himegami Karen or focused on eating her bread, her eyes sweeping over him with a purely amused and mischievous look, without any undisguised strangeness.

It seems he really was overthinking it. Her intense reaction that day was probably just a momentary lapse in judgment on her part, offended by his impulsive joke. Now that the misunderstanding has been cleared up, everything is back on track.

He was completely relieved; the system's values ​​were still reliable, and the cognitive world he had constructed remained stable.

However, just a few days after he thought the storm had passed and life had returned to normal, an unexpected turn of events occurred—

Hanami Anna got confessed to!

The news spread like wildfire during the break. An and Asuka were organizing their notes when they overheard several girls in the front row whispering excitedly.

Volume 1: Chapter 142 I Like You All! [4k]

"Did you hear? Sato-senpai from Class 3-B just invited Hanami-kun to go to the coffee shop after school!"

"Really? Senior Sato? From the basketball club?"

"Yeah! Looks like he's going to confess!"

"Would Banana agree to meet her classmates?"

An and Asuka paused, their pens stilled. Sato? He vaguely remembered him; tall, with a sunny disposition, and a fairly popular upperclassman at school.

He looked up and saw a tall boy at the classroom door, talking somewhat shyly to Anna. Anna nodded with her usual cheerful smile and followed him out of the classroom.

A strange, unsettling feeling, one he himself hadn't even noticed, quietly swept over him. He almost instinctively stood up, hesitated for a moment, and then, as if possessed, followed.

He told himself that it was just out of concern for his friend, to check on things and make sure Apricot wouldn't run into any trouble... Yes, that's all.

Behind the teaching building, in a relatively secluded corner near the horticulture department's flowerbed, was the very place where Xingcai had hidden and cried earlier. Now, the afternoon sun filtered through layers of leaves, casting dappled shadows on the ground.

An and Asuka hid behind a thick cherry blossom tree, watching the two people not far away.

Hayato Sato, the star player of the basketball team, was nervously rubbing his hands together, his cheeks flushed, but his eyes were fixed intently on the blue-haired girl in front of him.

"H-Hanami-kun," his voice was a little hoarse with nervousness, "Ever since the first time I accidentally bumped into you in the hallway and saw you energetically picking things up, I... I've always noticed you. You're like a little sun, you always make people feel better..."

He awkwardly expressed his feelings, his words naive yet sincere.

"I...I know this might be a bit sudden, but...would you like to date me?"

Hidden behind a tree, Anwa and Asuka watched the basketball club senior confess his feelings to Hanami Anna. Sunlight fell on the girl's slightly upturned face, casting a soft glow on the edges of her pink hair. Listening to the senior's youthful yet sincere confession, a subtle yet undeniable bittersweet feeling, like vines growing underwater, quietly wrapped around Anwa and Asuka's heart.

He didn't understand where this inexplicable discomfort came from, but he subconsciously frowned, forcibly suppressing it, and continued to concentrate on the development of the situation.

Fortunately, Anna's reaction didn't keep him waiting long. With a polite but distant smile, she clearly and decisively rejected him.

"Sato-senpai, thank you very much for your kindness. However, I'm very sorry, but I don't have any plans to date anyone at the moment."

Anhe and Feiniao breathed a barely perceptible sigh of relief, and the lingering bitterness in their hearts seemed to dissipate with it. Just when he thought the matter was over and was preparing to leave quietly, the situation suddenly changed.

A hint of resentment and embarrassment flashed across Sato Hayato's face after being rejected. Perhaps feeling that being rejected so directly at such a carefully chosen location was too embarrassing, he suddenly stepped forward and grabbed Banami Anna's wrist!

"Hana-kun! Please, please think about it again! I really like you!" His voice was filled with urgent pleading, but his strength unconsciously increased, causing Anzu to wince in pain and try to break free but failed.

"Sato-senpai, please let go!" Her voice carried obvious displeasure and a hint of panic.

An and Asuka's eyes sharpened instantly. All the inexplicable emotions from before vanished in that instant. The concerns about spying were thrown to the winds. He stepped out from behind the tree almost without hesitation, his figure moving so fast that it stirred up a breeze, and instantly inserted himself between the two.

She said, "Please let go."

His voice wasn't loud, but it carried a cold, undeniable sense of oppression, and his gaze was fixed on the hand that Sato Hayato was holding Anzu.

The sudden intervention startled Sato Hayato, who instinctively released his grip. Banami Anna immediately pulled her hand back, hiding behind An and Asuka, gently rubbing her slightly reddened wrist. Looking at the tall, upright figure of the boy in front of her, a great sense of security welled up within her, and the panic she had felt from being forced instantly subsided.

When Sato Hayato recognized the newcomer as Anwa Asuka, and especially seeing how Hachimi Anna subconsciously relied on her, a surge of anger mixed with jealousy and embarrassment welled up inside him. He stiffened his neck and roared, his voice sharp but his tone weak, "Anwa Asuka! This is none of your business! Get out of my way!"

An and Asuka stood tall and straight like pine trees, motionless, their eyes showing no fluctuation whatsoever. They simply repeated calmly, "She doesn't want to. Please leave."

This blatant disregard enraged Sato Hayato. "I told you to get out of my way!"

He angrily reached out and shoved Anwa Asuka hard in the chest, trying to push this eyesore away.

However, what happened the next second stunned everyone present.

Hayato Sato felt as if he had been pushed against an iron wall cast into concrete, and a powerful recoil force surged forth. An and Asuka remained firmly in place, without even a sway. It was Hayato Sato himself, who had exerted too much force, who lost his balance due to the recoil, staggered backward a few steps, tripped over a protruding tree root, and fell awkwardly to the ground with a thud.

"puff--"

"Hahaha......"

By this time, several students who had been drawn by the commotion had gathered in the distance to watch. Seeing this dramatic scene, they couldn't help but chuckle softly. The tall and imposing basketball team captain had been easily knocked down on his backside by the much thinner-looking An and Asuka—the sight was truly comical.

Sato Hayato sat on the ground, the pain in his buttocks far outweighing the burning shame on his face. Hearing the suppressed laughter around him, he wished he could disappear into the ground. He abruptly raised his head, glaring fiercely at An and Asuka, who remained expressionless, his eyes filled with venom.

"Anhe Asuka! Others may like you, but I don't! You just wait!" He uttered these unoriginal threats, struggled to his feet, dusted himself off, and hurriedly fled the scene, covered in dust and grime, amidst the snickers and onlookers.

An and Asuka watched his retreating figure, their eyes devoid of any emotion.

He paid no heed to such threats. With the system's silent enhancements, his physical abilities had already far surpassed those of ordinary people, whether in strength, reaction time, or endurance.

This level of conflict wasn't even a warm-up for him.

The students who had been watching gradually dispersed when they saw that there was no more excitement to be had, but their gazes toward An and Asuka were now filled with curiosity and discussion.

With the crisis averted, An and Asuka turned around to look at Anana behind them. "Are you alright?"

His gaze fell on her slightly reddened wrist.

"It's nothing!" Seeing Anja shake her head, Bana's face blossomed into a bright and cheerful smile, like the sun after the rain, carrying pure joy and a hint of subtle sweetness.

The boy's unwavering act of stepping forward, his solid and reliable back, and the lingering coldness in his eyes caused by her, all made her heart race.

Looking at his still somewhat serious profile, an irrepressible thought, tinged with anticipation and a touch of mischief, surfaced within her. She wanted to know how he had felt when he saw her being confessed to by someone else.

"Asuka," she leaned closer, tilting her head and blinking her big eyes, her tone deliberately sweet and curious, "Just now... when you saw me being confessed to, how did you feel?"

An and Asuka paused in their steps as they were about to leave.

What are you feeling?

He recalled the initial, inexplicable tingling sensation, the sudden surge of anger when he saw her grab her wrist, and the calm he felt now after confirming her safety.

These conflicting emotions are intertwined, making them complex and difficult to discern.

He remained silent for a few seconds, his thick eyelashes drooping, concealing the fleeting confusion in his eyes. Finally, he raised his eyes, looked at the expectant girl before him, and gave her an honest answer that instantly disappointed her.

"do not know."

His voice was calm, devoid of any emotion, as if he were stating a fact that had nothing to do with him.