pertwk Page 299
Page 299
Seeing that the other party did not react, Mahiru mischievously scratched his palm, her eyes smiling.
"Say it quickly."
"Hmm, would you believe me if I said it was just a coincidence?" Su Qing said without blushing or skipping a beat.
"What do you think?" Mahiru narrowed her eyes in dissatisfaction, then pouted and threatened in a cute tone, "Confess and you'll be treated leniently, resist and you'll be punished severely!"
"I was a little worried that you would come along, so I'm sorry, I didn't ask for your permission."
Su Qing was silent for a moment before explaining.
God knows that Mahiru would meet Yui.
He thought it was Shiina Saya...
"Worried about me?" Mahiru lowered her head and pondered for a while before raising her eyes with a cute, innocent hum.
"Kiyō-kun's controlling nature is actually unexpectedly strong~"
"Ah? It's not like that..." Su Qing wanted to explain, but Mahiru reached out a finger and lightly touched his lips.
"Hey, boyfriend~"
The girl's voice was soft and sweet, like the clouds of midsummer.
"Hmm, what's wrong?" Su Qing knew that the other person's actions meant that she understood, so she didn't explain further.
"I've made a friend!" Mahiru said proudly, linking arms with Su Qing.
"Yuigahama Yui?"
Su Qing read out her full name.
"Hmm. She seems very innocent and an interesting girl," Mahiru said with a smile. "Am I good?"
"Very impressive." Su Qing praised the girl while patting her head.
"I think so too~"
Mahiru actually knew that Su Qing had been helping her make friends.
She understands the reason; she probably doesn't want her to be too lonely.
Just like now, I'm following behind her because I'm worried about her.
Qingjun is quite the worrier!
Oh dear, having a boyfriend like this is really a hassle.
Su Qing glanced at Majutsu, who was inexplicably grinning, but did not disturb her. Instead, she fell into deep thought.
It feels like... Mahiru has become a little dumber.
Was it because he was influenced by Yui, or was it just his imagination?
Oh well, being silly is cute too.
Speaking of Yui, Su Qing couldn't help but frown.
What memories of her did I cover up?
……
Oh well, he must have had some reason for doing what he did back then.
Let's... not investigate further.
"Is there anything you'd like to eat for lunch? If I know how to cook, I'll make it for you as a reward."
After pulling herself out of her thoughts, Su Qing noticed that Mahiru was still grinning foolishly, so she asked her aloud.
"Huh...? Do you want to eat something?"
To be honest, I don't know if it's because I just ate, but I don't feel like eating anything.
However, if you want to reward me, you can reward me by having me cook with you.
I actually quite look forward to the idea of us dividing the cooking duties.
After thinking for a moment, Mahiru took a quick step forward and stood in front of Su Qing, looking up at him with a smile.
"You won't mind that I'm clumsy?"
"Hmm~ As long as you don't burn the food, it won't."
……
After arriving at the apartment, Mahiru did not go directly to Su Qing's house, but returned to her own room first.
My fingertip circled the keyhole, and the drawer slide made a rough, soft sound.
Mahiru pulled out a pink diary from the deepest part of the book.
She bought it when she was in the lower grades of elementary school; this style is no longer produced on the market.
A corner of the window screen was gently lifted by a breeze, and the turning of the pages stirred up fine dust.
When she reached a certain page, Mahiru's finger suddenly stopped.
The childish pencil writing was blurred by water stains, like petals falling in the rain.
December 12.6th, sunny!
Aunt Xiaoxue taught me how to make omelet rice again today, and the smiley face she drew was much rounder than before!
Today is my birthday, so I'll make three bowls of omelet rice for my parents, and give them the two roundest bowls!
Hmm... Mom and Dad should be back today, right?
The diary did not provide an answer at the end, but only left irregular circular water stains in the last few blank lines that avoided the text.
It was as if this would preserve the little girl's last shred of dignity.
Mahiru stared blankly at the page, lost in thought.
This diary was actually something she wrote on a whim when she was a child.
Later on, however, it completely evolved into a record of "evidence" of her parents' neglect of her.
The awkward, dishonest little girl thought that if one day her parents asked her to do something in their capacity, she wouldn't be completely without confidence.
But none of it matters.
No, actually there is.
The act of waiting itself is the greatest meaning.
Mahiru's eyes were gentle, like warm water flowing over pebbles.
Years later, Mahiru ran her fingertips along the uneven paper surface, as if she were caressing her former self.
Hey, let's keep working hard for a while longer, okay?
One day in the future, you will meet a very, very good young man.
It's as if I want to repay all the debts of the past, and treat you with utmost tenderness.
So, please don't cry anymore.
The diary cannot speak, but Mahiru's words resonated across time and space.
pat, pat.
That page of the diary had something added, yet it also seemed like nothing had been added.
They simply overlapped to form a symmetrical circle.
Mahiru lowered her head, pursed her lips, and her shoulders trembled slightly.
In the past, when I thought of my parents, I would only feel a little uncomfortable, like a speck of black ink on a white sheet of paper.
It can be ignored.
But now that little bit of black ink is expanding rapidly at an unusual speed, making people restless and uneasy.
It must be because he met Su Qing that he's like this.
You keep interacting with the other person and keep getting attracted to them.
Mahiru gradually came to understand that there really were such dazzling and sincere people in this world.
Like the first ray of light at dawn, bright and warm.
That's why he makes Mahiru anxious.
She realized it long ago, but was unwilling to admit it:
Even if you force yourself to believe that you have already given up, you still cling to unrealistic fantasies.
The longing for family affection in childhood can become a twisted obsession in adulthood, and then grow up like a thorn deeply rooted in one's heart.
Can someone like me really walk side by side with that boy who looks at her with such tenderness into the future?
Ironically, Mahiru once thought that the light must have grown up in a loving and happy family.
But when a shooting star streaked across the sky that night, the boy's eyes were deep and calm.
When she heard Su Qing say with her own ears that he was an orphan and had no home, she realized that everything was just her self-righteous "willfulness".
But what's even more outrageous, and most intolerable, is:
Even if it was only for a brief moment, she couldn't help but feel a little smug.
They were secretly pleased that the distance between them had suddenly "shortened" a lot.
If it were a warm and happy family, she might not know how to approach the situation.
But such "getting closer" is just an illusion.
Mahiru felt disgusted with her own despicable self; she had never hated herself for a single moment.
So even today, the girl still hasn't talked much about the gloomy aspects of her childhood.
Even though she knew that Su Qing wouldn't care about these things, and would even be happy to listen.
Moreover, as long as the other person is by her side, these gray memories and emotions can dissipate with the wind, allowing her to move forward.
But this is not what she wants.
After talking with Yui today and witnessing that girl's clumsy "courage," Mahiru understands more clearly what she really wants.
At the very least, shouldn't we try our best?
As long as you work hard, you can ask Su Qing for a "reward" again, just like today.
No?
Mahiru carefully closed the diary, then gently pressed it to her heart, faintly hearing a soft sobbing sound.
I do not know how long it has been.
Mahiru slowly took out her phone, opened her meager contacts, and the cursor finally rested on a number without any notes...
……
……
Chapter 353 Winter Trivial Matters
?
Tokyo's late autumn ended with the first snow. As December arrived, the north wind swept across the land, carrying withered ginkgo leaves and rattling the classroom windows.
During this period, nothing particularly noteworthy happened on campus. Instead, a dark horse suddenly emerged in the comic book world in mid-November – "Super Beast Force".
Unlike the current mainstream isekai (another world) genre, this manga, with its setting of seven parallel universes, excellent art style, plot, and dialogue, has quickly become a rising star in the manga world.
The previously little-known Shirayuki Publishing House has gained significant recognition as a publishing house.
As for the promotion that Su Qing and Yang Nai agreed on, it was actually just that the latter would promote the MV he produced on something like Douyin Plus.
The comment section was immediately flooded by netizens.
"Was the background music in the music video an original composition by Tibetan Fox?"
"Wait, isn't this guy a cartoonist? How come he's singing and making his own music videos? That's ridiculous..."
"Enough with the nonsense, take this 'Fire Cloud Technique'!"