Oh no! They all seem a bit off!

Chapter 119 Shiina Maki's Anxiety

"Why...did things turn out this way?"

As he left the hotel, Akizuki Makoto turned around, looked up at the lights on in the fifth-floor room, and sighed deeply.

Now he understands why Shimizu Rei said he didn't understand her.

A year after he left Takamatsu City, Shimizu Rei had changed a lot and was no longer the childhood friend he remembered.

This is understandable; people always change, but he simply couldn't adapt to those changes.

From tonight's argument, Akizuki Makoto realized that his relationship with Shimizu Rei might really be coming to an end.

Unable to reach a consensus, each sticking to their own version of events and refusing to compromise, the inevitable result was an unpleasant ending.

Akizuki Makoto hadn't expected Shimizu Rei to be so extreme, insisting that he choose between the two, nor had he expected her to have such a strong opinion about Ji Yexue.

Thinking about it carefully, this seems to make sense. After all, Shimizu Rei likes him, and she and Ji Yexue are rivals in love. It's normal for them to hate each other to the point of irreconcilable enmity.

"What a chaotic scene..."

Akizuki Makoto couldn't help but sigh again. In the end, it was still his problem. If he hadn't suspected Shimizu Rei, then nothing would have happened.

He didn't know why he was so sure that Shimizu Rei had done it, and why he questioned her without any evidence; that was very irrational.

Thus, with these miscellaneous thoughts swirling in his mind, Akizuki Makoto returned home.

"I am back."

He pushed open the door, greeted someone inside, and a few seconds later, there was movement from the bedroom.

Wearing a brown bear-patterned pajama, Fuyuko opened the bedroom door, ran to Akizuki Makoto, and said sweetly, "Welcome back, brother."

Akizuki Makoto placed his hand on Touko's head, who was hugging him, and rubbed it gently without saying a word.

But his gloomy expression softened slightly, and a hint of a smile appeared on his face.

"Brother, are you tired?"

Dongzi noticed that something was wrong with Qiuyue Cheng. She peeked out from his arms, looked up at him, and said with concern, "You look terrible. You seem even more unhappy than when you left, and you also look very tired."

"It's a little bit, but I'll be fine after a good night's sleep, Dongzi, don't worry."

To prevent Fuyuko from overthinking, Akizuki Makoto could only force a smile and say that he was fine.

But this backfired. As the person who knows him best, how could Dongzi not see that he was just putting on a brave face?
But she couldn't help. Although she was willing and able, Akizuki Makoto wouldn't allow her to intervene, so she had no choice but to comply.

Otherwise, if it's exposed, Akizuki Makoto will only be angry at her for acting on her own initiative, right?

"Brother, let's go take a bath."

Dongzi released Qiuyue Cheng and said obediently, "Dongzi will wait for her brother obediently and won't cause him any trouble."

"Well, you're so good."

Akizuki smiled, feeling a sense of healing and warmth from the bottom of his heart.

Dongzi has really grown up; she's become a little sister he doesn't need to worry about anymore.

Her willfulness and coquettishness stemmed from their closeness to him.

But whenever he was feeling down, Dongzi could always sense it instantly and offer him care.

After that, Akizuki Makoto returned to his bedroom, tidied up his clothes, and went into the bathroom to take a shower, while Fuyuko lay on the bed, hugging her black plush rabbit, waiting patiently.

It wasn't until Akizuki Makoto finished showering and came into the bedroom with his hair still wet that she sat up, patted her legs, and said, "Brother, Fuyuko can give you a lap pillow."

"Knee pillow?"

Upon hearing this, Akizuki Makoto paused for a moment, then asked in confusion, "Why would you do such a thing?"

“In the past, when Dongzi wanted to act spoiled, she would always hug her brother or lie on his lap to read, right? At that time, no matter how bad Dongzi’s mood was, she would become happy.”

"Forget it, I'm the older brother, how can I let my younger sister give me a lap pillow and act cute? That's a bit strange."

Akizuki Makoto scratched his head, looking slightly troubled, thinking that this was more like an execution than a cure.
He was at least a person with a sense of shame; if people found out he let his sister give him a lap pillow, he would definitely be ridiculed.

Besides, those were things from when they were kids. They've all grown up and can no longer be as carefree as they were when they were children.

"Dongzi...can't you help your brother?"

"No, that's not what I meant. It's just unnecessary. It's enough that Dongzi meant well!"

Akizuki Makoto quickly shook his head and explained, "I'm very pleased and happy that Touko has such a kind thought, but look, your brother is such a grown-up, how can he act like a spoiled little sister?"

"...Dongzi, can't you help your brother? Can't your brother rely on you and share some of your troubles?"

Dongzi was still muttering to herself in a daze, her face showing a hint of self-reproach.

Seeing this, Akizuki Makoto could only sigh helplessly and compromise.

"Okay, then let Dongzi give me a lap pillow while I dry my hair."

I don't know where Dongzi learned this stubbornness from, even though she clearly said it wasn't necessary.

However, he could understand Dongzi's feelings. If he did nothing for her, her delicate and sensitive nature would definitely cause her to overthink and feel useless.

"Uh-huh!"

Dongzi nodded happily, her face instantly beaming with a smile.

Akizuki smiled helplessly, quickly dried his hair, and climbed into bed with a complex mix of emotions.

Dongzi was already kneeling, her legs together, and she thoughtfully placed the pillow that Akizuki Makoto used to sleep on top of her, as if worried that her legs weren't soft enough and might hurt Akizuki Makoto.

But this is good too; with a pillow to cushion the impact, Dongzi isn't so tired.

"Dongzi really has a lot of strange concerns."

Akizuki Makoto laughed, amused by Fuyuko's subtle gesture.

As expected, Dongzi's temperament was still the same as before, no different from a child; he just had too many strange concerns.

"Well?"

Dongzi tilted her head, somewhat confused about what her brother was saying.

She patted the pillow under her lap and urged, "Brother, come quickly!"

"Um……"

Qiuyue Cheng responded and slowly lay down, nervously resting his head on Dongzi's lap.

Dongzi imitated Qiuyue Cheng's way of patting his head, placing her hand on his head and gently rubbing it, saying, "Brother, if you have any worries, you can tell Dongzi. You don't have to keep them to yourself."

"...If Li stops associating with us, will Dongzi be very sad and blame her brother?"

"It will not happen."

Dongzi shook her head. If she had angered Shimizu Rei, causing him to stop associating with them, then he would indeed be very upset.

After all, Shimizu Rei took good care of her, and she also had a good relationship with Akizuki Makoto.

But if it's because of Akizuki Makoto that Shimizu Rei stops associating with them, she won't be sad, and she won't blame her brother.

"What if we add Shiina and Himeya to the mix? If all three of them stop associating with Touko because of her brother, wouldn't Touko feel it's a pity?"

"No, Dongzi has her brother, that's enough. She doesn't need anyone else."

All along, all Fuyuko needed was Akizuki Makoto. He was the only person she relied on and trusted the most. She didn't care about other people's opinions or preferences.

"..."

Akizuki Makoto fell silent, unsure how to respond to Fuyuko's trust. "Did you and Rei-neechan have a fight, brother?"

"Yes, I had a fight with her last night when you went to the social event, and I did something really awful."

Afterwards, Akizuki Makoto recounted in detail everything that had happened between him and Shimizu Rei over the past two days.

Dongzi listened quietly, her warm little hands gently stroking Qiuyue Cheng's head, gradually calming his suppressed emotions.

After saying that, Akizuki Makoto laughed self-deprecatingly and said, "Touko also thinks that her brother went too far. Without any evidence, he suspected Rei without any explanation and hurt her feelings."

"do not think so."

Dongzi shook her head and said softly, "Everything my brother did was right. He must have his reasons for doing it."

"Don't be so blindly optimistic. It's not like I'm some kind of cult leader who brainwashed Dongzi."

Akizuki smiled bitterly, thinking that Touko's thinking was a bit dangerous. He had done such an outrageous thing, yet he still insisted that he was right.

"Hmm... what if Sister Li lies and deceives Brother?"

"That can't be right. How could Li lie to me like that? She's not that kind of person."

Without a second thought, Akizuki rejected the idea. He couldn't possibly doubt whether Shimizu Rei had lied to him anymore; the feeling of suspecting someone close to him was also very unpleasant for him.

"Yes, it was Dongzi who misspoke."

For a fleeting moment, Fuyuko considered whether she should activate her ability to force Shimizu Rei to tell the truth and see if she had lied to her brother.

But then she suddenly remembered that just a few hours earlier, her brother had asked her not to use her powers.

If Shimizu Rei hadn't lied to her brother, she could have acted as if nothing had happened.

But what if she lies to her brother?

If you tell your brother directly that Shimizu Rei is lying, he will definitely realize that she used superpowers.

This not only puts the cart before the horse, but also causes double harm to the older brother.

However, she also seems to be able to directly control Shimizu Rei, making her apologize to her brother and tell the truth.

"Brother, if Sister Li lies to you, will you be very, very sad and very angry?"

"Hmm? Of course, no matter what, this is unforgivable. I can't accept being deceived to this extent."

"Oh……"

Fuyuko nodded thoughtfully. Sure enough, she shouldn't meddle in other people's business and should use her abilities to ask Shimizu Rei.

No matter the outcome, it will be her brother who gets hurt, and she doesn't want him to be sad.

If lies are gentle and beautiful, then the truth must be cruel.

"Okay, go to sleep."

Akizuki Makoto felt much better, so he sat up, smiled, patted Touko's head, and said, "Thank you for giving me your lap pillow, Touko. This thoughtful gesture really makes me happy."

"Yes, Dongzi also wants to be relied on by her brother and to help him out."

Dongzi smiled, genuinely happy that she had been able to comfort Qiuyue Zhen.

After that, the two took turns washing up and then went to bed, thus passing through an extremely tortuous day for Akizuki Makoto.

……

……

The next day, Friday.

As usual, Akizuki Makoto made breakfast, woke up Fuyuko, ate with her, and then went to school together. Then, they "coincidentally" ran into Shiina Maki, who was also going to school.

"morning."

After nodding in greeting, Akizuki Makoto said casually, "What a coincidence, we seem to run into each other almost every day."

"Haha, yes, what a coincidence..."

Shiina Maki smiled awkwardly. She waited at her door every day, and would open the door immediately if there was any noise from next door.

Akizuki Makoto isn't stupid. The first time was a coincidence, but the second time was intentional.

"Let's go."

Akizuki Makoto didn't say anything more. He took Touko's hand and walked into the elevator. Shiina Maki lagged behind the two, following behind, not daring to walk alongside them.

She could sense that there was a distance between Akizuki Makoto and her.

But she didn't understand what caused this. Was it because she was too extreme and scared Akizuki Makoto?
But it shouldn't be like this. When they went to school together yesterday, Akizuki Makoto's attitude wasn't as cold as it is now; it had a sense of distance.

So, the reason things turned out this way is because of the time we spent going to school together until we went home together before school ended.

"...Could it be that I've been exposed?"

Shiina Maki thought to herself with unease, feeling that this was unlikely.

If she were exposed, Akizuki Makoto would probably come and question her directly.

Moreover, Qiuyue Cheng's attitude towards Ji Yexue seems to have cooled considerably. When they left school together yesterday, he didn't give Ji Yexue a friendly look.

She initially thought it was just a bad mood, but now it seems there's a deeper reason behind it.

She didn't dare to ask Akizuki Makoto directly, because she knew that Akizuki Makoto wasn't the kind of person who would vent his resentment on others.

Thus, after arriving at the school, the three parted ways in the teaching building.

It just so happens that the first-grade girls' shoe lockers are next to the third-grade girls', so Shiina Maki and Fuyuko have to walk together for a while.

Taking this opportunity, she tentatively asked Fuyuko, "Hey, Fuyuko, what's wrong with Akizuki-kun? He seems to have been in a bad mood since yesterday."

"Hmm? Oh, right."

Dongzi nodded and then said, "However, my brother's mood has improved."

"Is that so? I feel like Akizuki-kun is still the same as yesterday."

Shiina Maki was a little puzzled, as she hadn't noticed that Akizuki Makoto's mood had improved, even though he had been chatting and laughing with Fuyuko the whole way.

"Different."

Dongzi shook her head gently and said seriously, "My brother was very unhappy yesterday. Although he is not very happy today, he has recovered his mood."

"Did Akizuki-kun say anything to Touko last night? Touko noticed that Akizuki-kun was unhappy, so she'll definitely ask, right?"

"Yes, Dongzi asked, and my brother told her."

"What did you say?"

Shiina Maki's heart tightened immediately, eager to know the reason.

"Hmm... This is something I can't tell Maki-neechan."

To her surprise, Dongzi made it clear that she couldn't tell her the specific reason.

This startled her for a moment, then she quickly said, "I... I'll treat Dongzi to cake, as much as you want! Can you tell me? I really want to know!"

"I'm sorry, Maki-neechan, no matter how many cakes you give Touko, I won't say anything."

Fuyuko turned her head to look at Shiina Maki, whose face was full of anxiety, and still shook her head in refusal.

For her, the things her brother had instructed her to do were absolutely not to be disobeyed.

(End of this chapter)