Oh no! They all seem a bit off!

Chapter 121 Ji Yexue felt she was not being valued

Returning to his home from next door, Akizuki Makoto didn't know what his expression was like, but he was surprisingly calm.

"Brother, you're back so soon?"

Dongzi, who was doing her homework in the living room, immediately put down her pen and moved closer to Qiuyue Cheng when he pushed the door open and walked in, saying as if to ask for praise:
"Brother, Dongzi wants to tell you something. Dongzi is very good. This morning, Maki asked Dongzi what you and Dongzi talked about last night, and Dongzi didn't say anything."

"Hmm, good boy, here's an extra pudding for you tonight."

Akizuki smiled and gently stroked Touko's head. Touko smiled sweetly and cheered.

She didn't care what Akizuki Makoto and Shiina Maki talked about, nor did she care how their relationship had changed.

In any case, her stance is to firmly choose her brother. If it is someone her brother dislikes or doesn't want to get close to, then she will also dislike and distance herself from them.

Conversely, if it's someone her brother likes, she'll also become close to them.

Now that her brother doesn't want to get close to Shiina Maki, she shouldn't get close to her either, and should keep her distance.

Of course, when she was in the craft club, she did teach Shiina Maki how to make dolls properly, after all, it was something her brother had asked her to do.

"Brother, can Dongzi go to Fengling's house to play tomorrow?"

"Ok?"

Faced with Dongzi's sudden request, Qiuyue Cheng was surprised for a moment before nodding in agreement: "Of course, where do they live? I'll take you there tomorrow."

"It's in Ueno. They said it's near Ueno Park, and the apartment is called Ikenohata."

"Okay...did they invite Dongzi over? Or..."

Akizuki Makoto was quite curious about this. In his opinion, the Maple Sisters were rather introverted and reserved, not the type to invite someone to their home after only knowing them for a few days.

"It was Dongzi who asked."

As expected, it was Dongzi who suggested going to Fengling's house to play.

"Really... It's rare to see Dongzi taking the initiative to go to someone else's house to play. It seems you and the Fengling sisters have a good relationship."

Akizuki Makoto smiled happily. It was better than anything that Fuyuko could make a close friend so quickly.

You should know that when she was studying in her hometown, she didn't make many friends, so naturally she wouldn't visit other people's homes.

Of course, this has to be someone of the same sex. If it's someone of the opposite sex, he, as the older brother, can't agree to it.

"Isn't my brother going out tomorrow too? So Dongzi will go to someone else's house to play, so my brother won't have to worry about Dongzi."

Upon hearing this, Akizuki Makoto paused for a moment, then suddenly remembered that tomorrow was Saturday, and he had promised to go on a date with Ji Yexue.

"I almost forgot about that..."

He muttered to himself, feeling a slight headache about tomorrow, unsure of how to face Ji Yexue.

Needless to say, tomorrow's date is bound to be terrible. After all, he won't forgive Ji Yexue or give her a nice look just because it's a date.

He will treat Himeyasuki the same way he treated Shiina Maki, until she is able to confess and recount the crimes she has committed.

Of course, he didn't have much hope. Getting Ji Yexue to admit it was much more difficult than getting Shiina Maki to do so.

Shiina Maki's heart is much more sensitive and delicate than Hime Yuki's. After today's conversation, within a week, she will be overwhelmed by immense fear and guilt and confess her sins to him.

"elder brother?"

Just as Akizuki was thinking about these miscellaneous things, Fuyuko, who had been watching him, tilted her head and called his name.

He immediately snapped out of his reverie and asked softly, "Sorry, I was a little distracted just now. I didn't hear what Dongzi said. Could you repeat it?"

"It's okay."

Dongzi shook her head and smiled sweetly, "Dongzi is hungry and wants to eat the food my brother makes."

"Okay, I'll make it right away. If you're really hungry, Dongzi can have some pudding first."

Akizuki Makoto patted Touko's head, opened the refrigerator, took out the ingredients, and went into the kitchen to cook dinner.

Dongzi, who was still in the living room, happily took out a pudding and began to eat it.

If Akizuki Makoto were to witness this scene, he would likely smile knowingly, feeling a sense of warmth and happiness.

For him now, the time spent with his sister is an irreplaceable source of healing.

Currently, his relationships with Shiina Maki, Himeyasuki, and Shimizu Rei are all strained, leaving him in a precarious situation and feeling frustrated every day.

Because if we are not careful, we will face irreparable collapse.

Ji Yexue and Shiina Maki are alright. These past two days, he has carefully examined their relationship and found that he still can't accept it or ignore it.

Therefore, he wouldn't feel anything if their relationship ended there.

But it's different with Shimizu Rei; she always feels indebted to him.

But he couldn't explain anything. He had said everything he could. If Shimizu Rei still couldn't accept it, then he had nothing more to say.

In short, Akizuki Makoto is mentally prepared to lose the three of them; now it's up to them to decide what to do.

……

……

Saturday, 10:05 AM.

"Dongzi, shall I take you to the Fengling sisters' house now?"

Akizuki Makoto, who was sitting in the living room watching TV with Touko, glanced at the wall clock and asked a question.

Dongzi and the Fengling sisters had arranged to meet at 10:30, and planned to stay until evening.

He and Ji Yexue had arranged to meet at eleven o'clock, at which time Ji Yexue would come to his house to pick him up.

The timing was just right, giving him enough time to send Dongzi to the Fengling sisters' house and then rush back.

"Okay~"

Dongzi nodded and went back to her bedroom to change her clothes. She was still wearing a light white dress and holding a black plush rabbit in her arms.

Seeing this, Akizuki said thoughtfully, "How about we go out together tomorrow? It's also our weekly dessert time. After dessert, we can go shopping for clothes."

Dongzi was, after all, a young girl in the prime of her youth, and her only everyday clothes were a few white dresses—what kind of situation was that?

"I can also arrange to meet with Ms. Komatsu Fireworks tomorrow and talk to her about work."

With that in mind, Akizuki Makoto meticulously planned out tomorrow's schedule.

After having lunch with Fuyuko, I arranged to meet Komatsu Reika at Senbikiya in Ginza. She told me she was available anytime and the location was up to her.

"I'll do whatever my brother says."

Dongzi took Qiuyue Cheng's hand, her face beaming with a smile. Dressed in a white dress, she looked as cute as a little cake.

The two walked out hand in hand, and after a five-minute walk, they arrived at the station and boarded a train bound for Ueno.

Bunkyo Ward is right next to Ueno, quite close, and the apartment where the Maple Sisters live is also very close to the station, only a three or four-minute walk from the station.

They left at 10:11 and arrived at 10:30.

"It's really quite impressive."

Looking up at the towering skyscraper in front of him, Akizuki Makoto couldn't help but sigh. The house prices here must be over 100 million yen. Sure enough, most of the students at Meisei are rich.

The Fengling sisters lived on the twenty-first floor. He pressed the intercom system for the corresponding floor downstairs, unlocked the door, and took Dongzi up in the elevator. When they arrived at the twenty-first floor, the elevator doors opened, and the Fengling sisters were already waiting for them at the door.

The two were wearing identical pajamas and even looked quite similar; if it weren't for their different hairstyles, it would be difficult to tell them apart.

"Hey, senior, good morning."

Seeing that Akizuki Makoto was also there, the Kaede sisters seemed unusually reserved and somewhat troubled, apparently assuming that he was also coming to visit.

"Good morning."

Akizuki Makoto smiled and responded, then said, "I brought Dongzi here."

"Yes, yes..."

The Maple sisters visibly breathed a sigh of relief, but then immediately realized that they had been very impolite, making it seem as if they did not welcome Akizuki Makoto as a guest.

So they quickly explained, "We...we don't mean we don't welcome seniors, it's just...how should I put it..."

"No need to explain, I understand."

Qiu Yuecheng smiled faintly and said, "Then I'll be going now. Have fun."

"Goodbye brother."

"Goodbye, senior."

After Dongzi and Fengling said goodbye to Qiuyue Cheng one by one, Qiuyue Cheng smiled, waved to them, and closed the elevator door.

After the elevator doors closed, the Fengling sisters said apologetically, "I'm sorry, Dongzi, we were rude to your brother just now."

"It's okay, brother won't mind."

Dongzi gently shook her head; she understood that the Fengling sisters weren't unwelcoming to their brother's visit.

On the contrary, they welcome it, but they feel troubled because they are too shy and don't know how to get along with their brother.

……

After leaving the Ikenohata apartment, Makoto Akizuki walked to the nearby station and was about to take the train when his cell phone, which was in his pocket, suddenly rang.

He took out his phone, and the caller ID on the screen was none other than Ji Yexue.

"Moses Moses?"

He answered the call, said hello, and immediately heard an angry question coming from the loudspeaker.

"Where have you been? Didn't you say you'd wait for me at home to pick you up? You're not planning to stand me up, are you?"

"You idiot... it's not even eleven o'clock yet! I don't care where I go, right?"

Akizuki Makoto was speechless. He was being questioned like this right from the start, making him feel like an unfaithful man who was having an affair.

"Arriving half an hour early for a date, isn't that common sense? You're such a dense blockhead."

"What kind of common sense is this? I've never heard of such strange common sense before."

"Enough with the nonsense, where are you now? I'm coming right away."

Ueno Station.

After Akizuki Makoto finished saying the location, the phone call was immediately disconnected.

He looked at the screen indicating the end of the call, sighed, and thought to himself that things wouldn't be as exciting as they were with that person he was dating.

About ten minutes later, Ji Yexue arrived at Ueno Station and stopped directly in front of Akizuki Makoto, who was waiting by the roadside.

As the car window rolled down, Ji Yexue looked at Qiu Yuecheng, who was dressed casually, and said with slight displeasure, "Get in the car."

It's no wonder she was upset, because she had clearly dressed up carefully today.

She was very particular about her clothes, wearing a loose-fitting off-shoulder sweatshirt that revealed her fair shoulders and shapely collarbones.

She wore tight-fitting blue jeans that perfectly showcased the lines of her beautiful legs.

Her usually unadorned, pretty face was given a makeover by her mother.

She not only wore a subtle yet alluring bright red lipstick, but her brows and eyes also appeared more aloof and refined.

In contrast, Akizuki Makoto was simply dressed in a white shirt and loose black trousers, with the collar buttons fastened casually and a few undone. Although he didn't look sloppy, he definitely gave off an unserious vibe.

If Akizuki Makoto went on a date in this state, she really couldn't accept it; she felt like she wasn't being valued.

Are you planning to go on your date like this?

When Qiu Yuecheng got into the car, Ji Yexue glanced at him and was amused by his annoyance.

Akizuki Makoto was still a little confused. He looked down at himself and asked in bewilderment, "What's wrong with me?"

"Hehe, hehe..."

After a few cold laughs, Ji Yexue said, "I spent an hour getting ready for our date, and you're dressed so casually, and you're asking me what's wrong with that?"

Upon hearing this, Akizuki Makoto immediately understood her meaning and retorted defiantly, "So what? I'll also spend an hour getting ready? Would that satisfy you?"

"What I mean is, can't you pay more attention to this?"

Ji Yexue could no longer hold back. She turned her head and glared at Qiu Yuecheng, gritting her teeth and saying, word by word, "Even if it's just a reluctant excuse, you should at least put on a show, right?"

"baffling."

Qiu Yuecheng frowned and said coldly, "I was planning to go back and change my clothes, but you insisted on picking me up, and then you started saying all this nonsense as soon as I got in the car."

"Is it my fault now?"

"Then how can you blame me?"

"If it's not your fault, who else is it? If you had taken it more seriously, wouldn't you have explained it to me directly?"

"Why should I explain to you? Do I owe you anything?"

Within minutes of getting in the car, the two started arguing heatedly, making the driver in the front seat, who was about to drive off, too scared to even breathe, for fear of incurring their wrath.

Faced with Qiuyue Cheng's defiant attitude, Ji Yexue glared at him and said nothing more.

After a long silence, she took a deep breath, suppressing the surging emotions within her, not wanting their precious date to fail from the very beginning.

"Okay, it's my problem."

She rarely lowered her head and took the initiative to admit her mistake, which made Qiu Yuecheng's expression soften slightly.

If it were the old Qiuyue Cheng, he would have explained things to Ji Yexue in a nice and gentle way, just as she said. But now he harbors resentment towards Ji Yexue, so naturally he won't indulge her.

"I don't need you to dress up too formally, but at least change into something more stylish, okay?"

"I'm sorry to disappoint you, but I don't have any of those fashionable and stylish clothes in my everyday outfits."

"It's okay, let me put something together for you."

Ji Yexue smiled, turned to the driver, and instructed, "Drive back to Wenjing District."

"Okay, okay!"

The driver responded with a sigh of relief, started the vehicle, and drove back to Bunkyo Ward.

(End of this chapter)