Chapter 23: Someone will come save you

Heaven and earth as my witness!

Yoji was purely, innocently interested in that milk bottle on the ground.

It was only because his mouth was dry and his tongue was ridiculously salty that he wanted to drink water so, so badly!

—He really just wanted to drink milk!

Why are you covering your chest so tightly?!

Aikawa Yoji was certain that if Kurosawa Shizuku hadn’t lost her strength from the chaotic brawl just now, his end would definitely have been even more tragic than that ‘Bootleg Tanaka’.

Fortunately, the current Kurosawa Shizuku was a battle-damaged version.

Standing here, he could bathe in the moonlight, enjoying only the contemptuous glare of this black-haired beautiful girl without fearing a beating.

Aikawa Yoji waved his hand: “Classmate Kurosawa Shizuku, food shouldn’t be eaten recklessly, and words shouldn’t be spoken carelessly.

I, Aikawa Yoji, may have been a bit mischievous in my life, but simply slandering me isn’t very reasonable, you know.

I was just interested in that milk bottle in your pocket.

I see its shape—is it a limited edition?”

Kurosawa Shizuku still covered her chest tightly: “It’s limited, the only one in the world, but it only belongs to me.”

“…”

We’re never getting past this hurdle, are we?

“I told you, it’s not about your chest!

Milk, milk!

Milk!”

“Aikawa Yoji, I’ve heard it from others!

You yelled at Liyue on the rooftop at noon, saying you fell in love with me at first sight and had feelings for me!

I’ll tell you clearly right now—there’s no way between us.

I could never be together with a scumbag!”

Oh, shit.

‘Why does the flag I used to push the plot forward get heard and misunderstood by the female lead?’

Aikawa Yoji clutched his head in agony, taking several deep breaths: “You listen to me clearly, Kurosawa Shizuku.

I don’t care which blind, bratty kid’s mouth you heard it from that I fell in love with you at first sight.

I can tell you clearly right here and now.

I, Aikawa Yoji, don’t have a single bit of interest in those impoverished breasts of yours…”

‘Swoosh!’

Before Yoji could finish speaking, a sharp pebble grazed past his cheek.

It struck the trash can behind him, making a dull sound.

Aikawa Yoji: “…”

Kurosawa Shizuku: “…”

“Uh, ahem, actually, I am still quite interested in smaller ones.”

Kurosawa Shizuku shook her head: “I won’t accept, perverted senior.”

‘Oh, damn it! What on earth do you want!’

Aikawa Yoji spoke no more.

He was afraid that if he said two more sentences, he would transform from a spectator into an actor in the show.

Shaking his head, he walked into the 24-hour convenience store to the side.

Stepping through the automatic doors into the air-conditioned room, Yoji felt this didn’t quite fit his character persona, so he turned back, stuck his body out of the automatic door, and gave her a thumbs-up (middle finger).

“…”

Kurosawa Shizuku ultimately didn’t have the same impulsiveness as Classmate Sasaki, merely glaring at Yoji.

—She didn’t throw the stone in her hand again.

Yoji then walked into the store to shop happily.

…

…

Entering empty-handed, he came out carrying a full, heavy plastic bag.

Except Classmate Kurosawa Shizuku was still rooted at the convenience store entrance without leaving.

Moving from the middle of the street earlier to a corner on the side, she leaned against the trash can with her body curled up, tightly clutching the thermal bag, burying her head between her legs.

Illuminated by the streetlamp, the cakes that had miserably passed away on the ground earlier had vanished without a trace.

Yoji could catch a glimpse of Kurosawa Shizuku’s dirty hands and roughly guess that she had cleaned up the street herself.

Bearing one’s own mistakes was a rule of life for Kurosawa Shizuku.

“…”

He should have just walked away; the female lead’s private life had nothing to do with him, a villain.

After watching a good show, he should just go home.

Yet, strangely enough, he sat down beside Kurosawa Shizuku once again.

It felt like sitting next to a mirror, sitting beside Luo Xiao.

“…”

“…”

“Perverted senior, can you please roll far away?”

Yet Kurosawa Shizuku was ultimately not him.

The moment his butt landed, that little bit of imagination completely vanished.

Yoji kept a cold face, pulled out a bottle of milk from the plastic bag, and handed it to Kurosawa Shizuku.

“…Perverted senior?”

“It’s warm.”

“…” Kurosawa Shizuku raised her head slightly. “I won’t accept things from a perverted senior.”

“?”

“Who the hell was giving it to you?! Are you insane?” Aikawa Yoji cursed furiously on the spot.

“I was trying to explain clearly to you!

I just saw that you had another bottle of milk in your bag that wasn’t broken, and I wanted to come over and drink it!

This is an explanation, do you understand explanation?

Only someone with a problem in their brain would think I sat next to you specifically to comfort you!”

“!!”

Angry.

Yoji could almost see comic-like anger tic-marks on Kurosawa Shizuku’s head!

Her clenched fist swung up several times, but it never fell on Yoji’s head.

“Right, haha, I must be insane, my brain has a problem to think a scumbag like you would come over to comfort me.

Haha, hahahaha.”

The cap of the warm, hot milk was popped open by Yoji, instantly filling the surroundings with a rich milk aroma.

Yoji raised it and fed a large gulp into his mouth.

Phew, refreshing!

The mouth full of bitter, salty taste was finally diluted.

Holding up the milk bottle, he raised it toward the gentle moon as if asking the sky with wine.

“Are you unable to be friends with Liyue and the others anymore, Kurosawa Shizuku?”

“…”

“Don’t want to answer me?

Or do you think only insane people would pay attention to me?

As expected, it’s about your dad’s business?”

Kurosawa Shizuku’s gaze turned cold, matching the night’s temperature: “What exactly do you know?”

“Haha, no, I don’t know anything.” Yoji took another gulp of milk into his mouth to swish his tongue.

“I just think, based on how you kids have conflicts, most of it comes down to parents’ issues.

Rebellious phase, not listening to mom and dad, or secretly using New Year’s money to buy expensive toys.”

“Perverted senior, you still think I’m a kid? Using such a ridiculous reason.”

“Aren’t you?” Aikawa Yoji smiled.

Being called a brat by a perverted waste, the fire in Kurosawa Shizuku’s heart was ignited once again.

Turning her head, she was about to refute.

Yet as her gaze shifted over, the man beside her had become unfamiliar.

It was no longer that usual disdainful, despicable expression that recklessly mocked others.

—It was just a kind of sentiment.

…

A man sitting under the moonlight, holding a beer bottle in his hand.

A kid from next door sitting beside him, chatterboxing about today’s troublesome matters.

Didn’t do well on the exam and got scolded, lost the pocket money in their pocket, or the vase broken a while ago was discovered by mom.

The child couldn’t understand—why didn’t parents understand a child’s pain at all?

Piles of homework every day, endless class knowledge, returning home only to get scoldings instead of comfort from parents.

After complaining for half a day, down at the root, they concluded that it was this era’s fault, that children of this era lived a miserable life.

‘Do you think this is a miserable life?’

‘Is it not?’

‘Is it really?’

There was no mock tone whatsoever, nor was it a question from the bottom of his heart.

He was just dragging a body tired from a busy day, a busy week, a busy few years, picking up the beer bottle to pour mortgage, car loan, and bride price down his throat, watching the troubled child with sentiment.

Lightly chuckling: “Maybe it is, you’ve really had it hard.”

Aikawa Yoji blinked: “I’ve never argued with my family, you’ve really had it hard.”

‘But rest assured, someone will come save your future.’

—But that will definitely not be me.

Aikawa Yoji stood up, patting his face to turn his expression back to mock.

“What a pitiful child.”

“Tsk, this milk tastes a bit bad, here.”

Yoji pulled out another bottle of milk from the plastic bag and tossed it in front of Kurosawa Shizuku.

He turned and left.

The moonlight was beautiful. Kurosawa Shizuku stared blankly at Aikawa Yoji’s departing back, dazed for a long time.

“Was that… Aikawa Yoji just now?”

“…”

“So disgusting.”

Kurosawa Shizuku shook her head and threw the milk bottle in her hand straight into the trash can beside her.

Standing up alone, she remained silent for a long time.

In the end, she chose to give up, throwing the thermal bag along with several pink letters into the trash can.

“Let’s not meet again.”

…

…

…

Aikawa Yoji curled his fingers, and the milk bottle that hadn’t even touched the wall of the trash can floated up.

Yoji kept one hand behind his back, letting the milk bottle float back into the plastic bag: “Seriously, why do you all like taking your anger out on food?”

“You don’t even want the ticket money for watching the show?”

Floating up along with the milk bottle were those pink letters.

Under the streetlamp, Yoji saw the names written on them clearly.

To Keiko, To Liyue.

—I’m sorry.

…

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