I practiced as a monk alone in Japan.

Chapter 3 Sunset and Cherry Tomatoes

Chapter 3 Sunset and Cherry Tomatoes
"How's the pressure? Does it hurt?"

"I don't feel anything."

"Still being stubborn? What about here? Does it hurt?"

"Don't touch me!"

"If it feels good, just moan. It's okay."

Kiyono Mizuki is unaware of many things.

They don't understand this world.

I don't understand why I've ended up in this situation when I haven't done anything wrong.

She also couldn't understand why this orphan neighbor, whose background was even more tragic, had become her only support now.

What's even more incomprehensible is that, despite the hospital being helpless and being told she would never be able to stand up again, she felt something she shouldn't have when he touched her legs.

Although it is very subtle.

But it really exists.

Normally, I can't feel anything when I touch them, and I don't feel any strength at all. It's a miracle that my muscles haven't atrophied yet.

But as long as he remains like he is now.

He gripped his legs tightly with his long, beautiful, well-defined hands and began to knead them.

A strange, inexplicable warm current would be generated, giving her the illusion that her legs were still alive.

Is it really just an illusion?

Maybe once, maybe twice, but what about now?

She didn't even care about any sense of shame anymore.

It wasn't just a slight sensation; the warm current felt exceptionally comfortable, making her face flush. She even had to clench her teeth tightly to avoid making any embarrassing sounds.

"To be honest, did you feel anything at all?"

Gen Tsukino raised his head and looked directly into the other person's eyes, which were gradually becoming misty.

Kiyono Mizuki couldn't help but press down on Tsukino Gen's hand. Only at times like this would she reveal such an innocent, soft, and almost pleading look, like a little deer.

"Yes, a little."

"Then try to see if you can move it?"

".cannot."

Finally, Gen Tsukino released his fragrant hand.

He even brazenly sniffed it in front of the other person.

"What are you doing!"

Kiyono Mizuki desperately tried to stop the other person's perverted behavior, but could only make the wheelchair creak and groan, unable to stand up and stop it.

Gen Tsukino then lowered his hand.

"I really can't move an inch."

".What?"

Was he trying to force himself to move his legs?

She withdrew her hand, blushed, lowered her head, and began to haphazardly straighten her skirt, trying to cover her beautiful, shapely, and still muscular legs.

The toes inside the slippers are neatly arranged, and although they cannot be controlled, they still have a crystal-clear texture.

Like a sleeping white silkworm.

Gen Tsukino muttered to himself, "It seems the spiritual energy in this world is still too thin. My cultivation technique needs to be restored by several times before it's possible. But as long as I have consciousness, it means there's a possibility of me standing up again."

Kiyono Mizuki looked up at Tsukino Gen with a puzzled expression. "What are you talking about? Were you speaking Yanxia language just now?"

"Yes, I've been learning this language recently."

Kiyono Mizuki glanced at the handsome young man with her eyes, which had dimmed again.

"Tsukino-kun is really hardworking, learning Japanese. Is he planning to leave Japan?"

Yes, he was an orphan, a talented and unrestrained young man in the prime of his life.

Such a boy should never have appeared in my world. I would have felt ashamed of myself if I had been like that before, let alone myself now.

She was already in hell; she didn't want to become his prison.

Tsukino Gen smiled and looked at the other person, "What will you do if I leave?"

"I've said all that, it's none of your business. Just do what you want to do. I won't be a part of your life, nor should I be in any of your plans."

Kiyono Mizuki put on that cold, hard mask again, and spoke as harshly as possible.

But she was like a hedgehog with thorns growing on her abdomen, curled up and afraid to exert any force, let alone actually hurt him.
Gen Tsukino didn't offer any grand principles or gentle comfort.

He simply picked up an orange with a deft touch, peeled it gently with his beautiful fingers, and then casually asked, "Does Kiyono-nee really want me to leave here? My personality is such that once I leave someone, I'll never appear again. Not even on the day you die."

"I"

It should be a very simple statement.

The cold words that should have been easily uttered were actually lines I had planned for a long time, words I thought were the best choice for him.

The words were on the tip of my tongue, but I just couldn't say them.

It was as if once she said it, everything would come true; the intense pain of losing the most important thing was like countless holes being punched in her heart.

Her chest was filled with howling winds, and air was leaking out from all sides.

All that she couldn't say aloud turned into deep self-reproach, and she realized her own vulnerability and selfishness.

Tears welled up in the corners of their eyes and fell one by one.

The hem of her skirt got wet.

The back of my hand got wet.

But through his blurred vision from sobbing, he saw the boy's fair hand.

He gently wiped away the tears from the corner of her eyes with the pad of his thumb, then looked at her with a smile.

"I used to think you were pretty when you smiled, but now I think you're even prettier when you cry. I'll try even harder to bully you from now on."

"You're so mean!"

Kiyono Mizuki couldn't help but let out a soft, angry sigh.

But it's no different from being coquettish.

Gen Tsukino exclaimed that it was so satisfying! Tsundere, tsundere, that's the right flavor of being both proud and cute!
He sighed, feigning helplessness, "There's nothing I can do. I've put in a lot of effort so that Kiyono-neechan won't think I'm a pushover."

Kiyono Mizuki clenched her hands tightly, her fingers intertwined.

She looked at the boy with some annoyance.

"You're always like this, making it hard to tell if you're telling the truth or not. Don't you know that's really malicious?"

"Is that why I made you cry?" "Yes."

She felt that not only her legs were deteriorating, but her heart was too.

She became increasingly vulnerable, unable to resist relying on him, and acted like a child in his presence.

I'm clearly older.
"I'm sorry I made you cry this time, but what I'm even more sorry about is that this might not be the last time. Because when you can stand up again, you'll definitely cry even harder than this time."

"Don't joke around."

She didn't want to hold a grudge against the young man for making empty promises to her.

After all, this kind of thing is very common. Giving hope to desperate people is about depicting a bright future, isn't it?
In fact, she wanted to say it.

She would rather die in front of him at this moment.

Death is meaningless, and just like me, I am a meaningless product in this moment.

At this moment, Tsukino Gen stood up and reached out to lift Kiyono Mizuki's chin.

Caught off guard, the young girl looked up at Tsukino Gen, who appeared perfect from any angle, with a very humble gaze.

His fingers slid precisely and clearly from her jawline to the corner of her mouth.

Her cheeks flushed uncontrollably, and her eyes began to look timid.

She didn't know what she was expecting at that moment.

But this feeling of palpitation, this urge that seemed to burst through her chest, made her start to moisten her lips and tongue more intense than ever before.

He parted her lips.

Moist and sticky.

Then he put the peeled tangerine into her mouth.

"After eating."

Qingye Mizue:? ? ?
She said, "Never mind!"

What am I even fantasizing about? He's just that kind of wicked person.

That's why I feel so helpless; I don't want to get close, but I can't bring myself to do it.

As Kiyono Mizuki began to chew, she savored the sweet and sour taste in her mouth.

Tsukino Gen had already pulled a brand new fruit knife from her sofa cushion.

Then, looking at the girl whose expression immediately became awkward and perfectly conveyed her guilt, he said, "I've also taken this knife away. Didn't I tell you not to prepare things like this?"

She hadn't swallowed the orange in her mouth yet, so she couldn't speak.

All they could do was puff out their cheeks and glare at each other like a pufferfish to express their dissatisfaction.

Gen Tsukino gently patted her puffed-up cheeks with his palm; it wasn't a slap, but it was enough to make her blush.

Place the remaining fruit in front of the other person.

"Alright, I'll head back now. If you don't want to waste my money, then eat the rest."

"Gurgle. String!"

Finally, I swallowed the orange in my mouth.

In a moment of desperation, Kiyono Mizuki called the boy by his name for the first time.

Gen Tsukino stopped under the lamp and turned around.

The dim light illuminated his clean white shirt, highlighting his perfect jawline and the uncanny profile of his neck.

"what happened?"

"Why are you so good to me? You clearly said you're not a pushover, you said you never give indiscriminately, and you don't covet my body. So why are you so good to me?"

This seems to be Kiyono Mizuki's most pressing concern.

It seemed that she would be willing to die immediately if she got this answer.

Gen Tsukino fell into thought.

It was torture for her.

Fortunately, this ordeal is not an insurmountable winter, but rather a stream gently flowing through the riverbed.

He smiled gently.

"I still remember the first time you knocked on my door after I moved in, carrying a bag of fruit. There were apples, pears, and cherry tomatoes. The sunset that day shone into the hallway and fell on your hair and shoulders. You said to me: 'When you live alone, remember to take more vitamins.'"

He remembers even the different kinds of fruit perfectly.

Tears once again broke through the girl's defenses, irrationally.

She tried her best to hold back, but the dam still broke.

"Is that all?"

“That’s it,” he replied.

"But what is this? Anyone can do this, it's so simple, it's nothing special. Why should you help me like this?!"

Kiyono Mizuki wept uncontrollably, tears streaming down her beautiful, sorrowful face.

But this time, Tsukino Gen didn't wipe it.

He just said.

There's a line in "The Outsider": "I killed someone because the summer sun was too bright. So my reason is, I helped you because the sunset was too beautiful that day."

"But. But"

A tremendous sense of absurdity enveloped my entire being.

But what followed was an inexplicable happiness.

Why can someone like me feel happiness?

Gen Tsukino looked at Mizuki Kiyono with disdain.

"You're crying again. You're so naughty. This time, you'll have to wipe your own tears. Goodbye."

"boom."

When the door was finally closed, she also took the trash from her room with her.

Kiyono Mizuki's tears also stopped.

She looked at the fruit on the table and slowly reached out her hand.

Hold a beautiful cherry tomato up to your eyes and under the light.

I hope to be able to simulate it.