I practiced as a monk alone in Japan.

Chapter 24 Ah Xian
For Kiyono Mizuki, "acting cute" was a word that was both unfamiliar and familiar.

It feels familiar because it seems every girl is born with the ability to act coquettishly, but it feels strange because I've never thought of deliberately acting coquettishly towards anyone.

It was as if it were the last resort after all else had failed, or perhaps an instinct.

Moreover, this situation only happened to a boy named Tsukino Gen.

How should I put it? It should also be considered a kind of dependence.

But things are different now. The topic of acting cute is over, like a discount sale at a supermarket. Once you miss it, it seems you can only quietly wait for the next one.

"Do you feel it?"

on the sofa.

Kiyono Mizuki tried hard to control her blushing and burning sensation.

But it was impossible, because her own legs were now placed straight on top of the other person's legs.

Although the sensation is minimal, almost imperceptible, the visual impact is undeniable.

It was as if an exhibit had been placed in front of him; his long, slender, fair hands were gently kneading his own leg muscles.

It starts from the feet.

It was still daytime.
Even though the morning sunlight still shines through the window onto the sofa, making Kiyono Mizuki's legs, which radiate a milky sheen, gleam.

It would also fall onto Tsukino Gen's jet-black hair, making it look as smooth as silk.

It was a slight warmth, even a comfort she didn't want to admit.

It seems I don't know how to explain it; it's like a miracle.

Because his legs shouldn't have any feeling or reaction, but his hands just happened to cover them.

You can gradually feel a warm current flowing through your legs, as if it were the marks left by his hands pressing down.

".A little."

I should feel excited, but actually I feel more inexplicably shy.

The girl's cheeks turned red, and she didn't dare to look him in the eye.

Gen Tsukino nodded. "It's always a good thing to be able to feel something. Maybe one day your legs will be able to move again if you keep massaging them. A miracle will happen."

The boy was obviously getting a preventative shot.

After all, sometimes creating a miracle is easy, but explaining the source of a miracle is complicated.

However, the girl who was half-lying down, leaning against the sofa armrest, with rosy cheeks and a timid demeanor, clearly misunderstood.

Her eyes, which had been somewhat evasive, welled up with tears as she boldly gazed at Tsukino Gen.

"What miracle? Didn't you press it because you wanted to touch it?"

Gen Tsukino: ? ? ?

"Who do you think I am!"

As she said this, she began to vigorously knead her actually chubby and petite feet.

Each toe has a glossy sheen and no dead skin, indicating that even if it's not used regularly, it hasn't been forgotten to be cleaned.

Kiyono Mizuki felt it even more strongly; she felt a little itchy.

He tried to pull his foot back, but he couldn't muster any strength, and Tsukino Gen was gripping it tightly.

It almost made her weak all over.

How could I have feelings about this? The doctor couldn't get anything out of it no matter how he tapped it with a small hammer. But it worked as soon as he touched it. Could it be that I'm some kind of strange person by nature?
Obscene.

abnormal.

Even desires flourish
"Then let go!"

"I'm giving you a massage, can you please remember my kindness and not think about these strange things?"

Gen Tsukino looked at her with a serious expression.

It's as if I'm some kind of serious teacher who's good at persuading students to study.

"But."

Kiyono Mizuki really wanted to say something outrageous.

She feels she now possesses all the courage she needs.

Especially when she saw Tsukino Gen's hands still climbing upwards, not even sparing her ankles, and her calves were being held in her palms.

"There are no buts. You treat me like a doctor, and you don't shy away from medical advice, you know? My intentions are pure, so don't get any strange ideas. In my hands, I'm no different from pork."

"You're the pig! Stop touching me, I won't let you touch me anymore!"

The girl struggled, but her legs were still immobile, so she could only push and shove wildly with her hands.

Until Tsukino Gen finally seemed to lose patience and accurately grabbed the other's wildly waving hands.

As if a switch had been flipped, Kiyono Mizuki was instantly captured, his hands like Poké Balls.

She stared at Tsukino Gen without moving.

Her cheeks were rosy, and her eyes held a longing she herself didn't understand.

Gen Tsukino didn't smile; his lips were pursed, then he opened them.

"Don't make trouble."

".Um."

That deep, commanding voice inexplicably made Kiyono Mizuki unable to muster any will to resist.

It's like a seemingly wild kitten suddenly being grabbed by the neck.

Then Tsukino Gen released his hand, and the whole room fell silent, with only the soft sounds of the boy gently massaging the girl's fair and delicate legs and rubbing against the sofa remaining.

The sunlight was also fragmented, scattered throughout the room.

With her cheeks flushed, Kiyono Mizuki tried her best to suppress all possible sensations, such as the warm current that spread from her legs to her entire body, even to unknown, hidden corners.

do not know why.

Kiyono Mizuki looked down at Tsukino Gen, who was intently massaging her, and who hadn't shown any romantic intentions since earlier.

She remembered some things from a long time ago.

When I complained of a headache, my mother would always place my head on her lap and gently press my temples. Perhaps back then, the sunlight wasn't as warm and gentle as it is now.

But that was one of the moments when she could feel warmth and care.

Like now.

She might not have believed before that someone would take care of a complete stranger for no reason, and that genuine care and sympathy were genuine, even if it was just sympathy.

But now, she wanted to reach out and touch his face, cup his head in her hands, look earnestly into his eyes, and ask him: Why are you so good to me? And why do I deserve all of this?

My life should have been a pile of shattered mud against the wall, yet he seems to have pieced it back together bit by bit, making me a complete person again. How despicable.

She had grown accustomed to this warmth, because if he were to disappear one day, she would truly be at a loss.

"Tsukiye. String."

"Ok?"

She calls herself by her own name.

The boy looked at her.

"If, I mean if."

She was very careful.

"Well, you said."

"One day, you'll find a girlfriend you love, and who loves you back. Meanwhile, I'll remain the same, with no improvement. If she doesn't want you to have too much contact with me, then you can just live happily with her. I don't care."

Because they feel they don't deserve happiness, they are so cruel even in hypothetical scenarios, refusing to imagine any happy endings.

Gen Tsukino smiled and lowered her legs.

"Is it because you have too much free time that you like to think about heart-wrenching plots from novels to torture yourself and feel better?"

"I'm not overthinking it. You can't be someone who doesn't like you, and you can't be someone who doesn't like you, right? This kind of thing is bound to happen sooner or later."

She frowned in displeasure, seemingly annoyed that the boy always interrupted her carefully crafted emotions at inopportune times.

Gen Tsukino calmly replied, "Nothing is certain to happen. For example, if your legs were perfectly fine and your life hadn't been marred by this accident, you probably wouldn't have felt any anxiety or insecurity about me. You wouldn't even fantasize that I would disappear from your world because of someone else's departure. Even if I did disappear from your world, you probably wouldn't care."

Kiyono Mizuki's eyelashes trembled slightly.

She opened her mouth, but seemed unable to utter a word in rebuttal.

Gen Tsukino lazily stood up and stretched comfortably.

"Alright, go do what you want to do now. I have something to do, so I'll be going now."

The girl didn't try to stop him; she just watched him leave quietly.

After he left, the sunlight in the room seemed to dim a little.

Kiyono Mizuki understood Tsukino Gen's meaning perfectly.

What he meant was that because of his accident, everyone treated him as a nuisance and avoided him. Only this person took care of him patiently and without asking for anything in return.

That's why I feel this way, fear his departure, and also long to repay him, thus causing me to be anxious and insecure.

But
She gritted her teeth and turned on the laptop that Tsukino Gen had used to renew her internet subscription.

She hasn't actually been idle lately; she has things she wants to do. As for why the document she opened doesn't have a single word, it's because she hasn't figured out how to start the story.

Now she seems to have a clue.

She gently tapped the line of text:

[How could he not know that a boy like him would fall in love at first sight?]

……

"Hey."

"Tsukino-san, have you gone out yet? Why didn't you answer the phone just now?"

"There's no need to be so polite over the phone, Kazama-kun. I had something to take care of earlier and I'm already on my way out."

The bus wasn't crowded in the afternoon, and the sun was shining brightly.

In fact, Gen Tsukino really enjoys taking the bus. It's not that Japanese buses are any different from other buses; he simply enjoys the clattering sound of the bus as it bumps along the road.

It makes people easily fall into a drowsy and tender state, just like a baby's cradle.

The girl's voice on the phone was mixed with some background noise, and it seemed to be singing and accompaniment.

"Okay~ By the way, you shouldn't be busy today, right? Will I bother you?"

Gen Tsukino smiled.

"Is it a bit insincere to say this now? Or is it that I really have something to deal with now, and I can go back and resolve it?"

"Pfft, I was just saying, why are you taking it so seriously?"

"Of course we should take your words seriously."

"You're talking nonsense again, Tsukino-san."

"I still prefer the way you call me Tsukino-kun."

"Hmph, no way, I've made up my mind."

"what?"

The sunlight was a bit too bright, and Tsukino Gen turned his head slightly to the side.

Lush, green trees lined both sides of the road, while all sorts of passersby hurried by.

Summer is wonderful.

Everything seemed so vibrant and alive.

The girl's voice on the phone was lowered, and the sounds of the surrounding environment became blurred and inaudible.

She probably covered her phone and then brought it close to her cheek.

Sneaky.

"From now on, when we're not at school, or when it's just the two of us, I'll call you Ah-Xian."

"Hmm? When the two of you are alone together? What inappropriate things are you thinking about?"

"Is this the important point?!"

"Ha ha ha ha."

Gen Tsukino smiled and heard the girl's complaints.

The bus stopped at the station.

He stood up and picked up his phone.

The other party didn't speak, but didn't hang up either; one could faintly hear tense breathing.

He got out of the car and walked towards the brilliant summer sunlight.

"Okay, call me whatever you want, Sakura."

……

(End of this chapter)