Oh no! They all seem a bit off!

Chapter 128 Loving You Until Death

"That's good……"

After hearing that Dongzi rejected the male classmate's confession, Qiuyue Cheng breathed a sigh of relief, and then earnestly advised, "Dongzi, it's not that I'm against you dating or associating with male classmates. I'm just afraid that you're too naive and will be deceived."

"Think about it, you've only been here for a week. Any guy who's interested in you right now is definitely after your looks. You can't trust guys like that, can you?"

"If Dongzi has any guys she likes, you have to introduce them to me first, so I can give you my opinion, okay?"

After listening quietly to his lecture, Dongzi nodded obediently and smiled, "Okay, Dongzi understands."

"So nice."

Akizuki Makoto laughed, raised his hand and placed it on Touko's head, gently rubbing it.

It seems he'll have to keep a closer eye on Dongzi at school from now on, lest Dongzi get harassed by those young punks.

After that, the three of them finished their meal, and Dongzi, quite tactfully, took the black plush rabbit and went back to her bedroom.

"Wait a minute, I'll clean it up."

"I...I'll help!"

Shiina Maki immediately stood up, wanting to help clear the dishes, but Akizuki Makoto politely declined, saying, "You can sit down, you don't need to help me."

"This……"

Shiina Maki was stunned for a moment, then sat back down on the sofa, feeling utterly disappointed.

Originally, she still had some hope of reconciliation, but after being rejected by Akizuki Makoto, she immediately realized that it was just wishful thinking on her part.

Qiu Yuecheng was merely being polite by inviting her to dinner, but she took it a step further and fantasized that Qiu Yuecheng was sending her a signal to reconcile.

"Indeed, I'd better just die..."

Shiina Maki thought with utter despair, her face becoming incredibly gloomy, and her eyes losing their sparkle and becoming lifeless.

She sat there blankly on the sofa, waiting for Qiu Yuecheng to finish washing the dishes so she could deliver her final judgment.

This process was surprisingly long... perhaps because she felt every minute and every second was agonizing.

However, it didn't take Akizuki Makoto long at all; he finished cleaning up the dishes in just two or three minutes.

He came out of the kitchen, sat down opposite Shiina Maki, and said, "Alright, let's talk."

"……Um."

Shiina Maki nodded slightly, but the words she had prepared during the meal were now completely uttered.

She felt her mind go blank, her thoughts were in turmoil, and a mix of emotions including unease, despair, and sadness caused her to burst into tears before she could even speak.

“Woo… woo…”

Seeing Shiina Maki suddenly burst into tears, Akizuki Makoto was taken aback.

He hadn't even said anything yet, and Shiina Maki was already crying?

"I'm...I'm sorry...Akizuki-kun..."

"Tears... I can't hold them back..."

Shiina Maki sobbed, saying haltingly, "The thought of... being abandoned by Akizuki-kun... makes me want to cry..."

"Hey."

Qiuyue Cheng covered his face with his hands, sighed softly, and his mood became complicated.

He originally wanted to have a good talk with Shiina Maki, but she started crying right away and made things so heavy that he didn't know how to talk to her anymore.

"Shiina, calm down."

Makoto Akizuki tried to calm Maki Shiina down before talking to her, but once Maki Shiina started crying, it was endless.

She will continue to cry as long as her inner anxiety is not resolved.

Even though she could hold back her tears, sadness was something she couldn't suppress.

"Don't...don't abandon me...please?"

"Akizuki-kun... I'll do anything... I shouldn't have done those things to you... I know I was wrong..."

"I'm sorry... I'm so sorry..."

Seeing Shiina Maki sobbing and apologizing to him, Akizuki Makoto couldn't help but sigh again.

"Shiina-kun, how can we talk about abandoning each other? We are not in a romantic relationship."

"Besides, I don't need you to do anything for me. I just want you to stop doing this, crying and saying you'll do anything for me."

"Actually, you can't do anything for me; you'll only add to my burden."

Makoto Akizuki really wanted to reconcile with Maki Shiina to prevent her from having a mental breakdown and something unexpected from happening.

But her appearance left him speechless. He felt a weightless pull, like a black hole, which made his heart heavy.

Crying and apologizing like this won't solve anything; it will only make things seem troublesome.

"Woo..."

Shiina Maki seemed to understand what Akizuki Makoto meant. She tried to suppress her sobs, wiped her eyes hard, and dried her tears.

She then took a deep breath to stop the tears from flowing, but her heart was still filled with sadness and despair.

"Shiina-kun, since you know you're wrong, tell me what you did wrong."

"..."

Faced with Makoto Akizuki's question, Maki Shiina pursed her lips and fell silent.

When it came down to her admitting what she had done, she found it difficult to speak.

Makoto Akizuki wasn't in a hurry and waited quietly. He also poured a cup of barley tea and handed it to Maki Shiina.

After an unknown amount of time, Maki Shiina finally made up her mind.

She raised her head, met Akizuki Makoto's eyes, and said timidly, "I... did something very wrong to Akizuki-kun last Thursday."

"Ah."

Akizuki Makoto's expression remained unchanged; he simply took a sip of barley tea.

If it were just such a frank confession, then Shiina Maki's resolve would not be sufficient.

Shiina Maki understood this as well, so she lowered her head again and said in a voice barely above a whisper, "I... have an incredible ability to stop time, the so-called time stop."

"I acquired this ability about a month ago. I used time stop on Akizuki-kun before and did some disgusting things."

"I'm sorry, Akizuki-kun, I used my superpowers without permission and attacked you without authorization. I'm truly sorry for causing you trouble!"

At the end, Maki Shiina stood up, slid to her knees on the floor at lightning speed, and performed a standard dogeza (a traditional Chinese kneeling posture).

Looking at Shiina Maki kneeling at his feet, Akizuki Makoto remained silent for a long time before saying, "...Shiina-kun, I can forgive you, but only if you can understand one thing and accept it."

Shiina Maki looked up at Akizuki Makoto and whispered, "As long as it's not a breakup with me, I'll accept it."

"I will not break off our friendship."

Akizuki Makoto first made a promise, then said, "I just hope you understand that we are friends. Do you understand what friendship is?"

"..."

Shiina Maki did not respond; she just stared blankly at Akizuki Makoto, tears welling up in her eyes again.

But she didn't cry out loud; she just let the tears flow silently as she looked at Akizuki Makoto, letting the tears blur her vision and slide down her cheeks.

"I'm sorry, but I don't have any romantic feelings for Shiina-san." Akizuki Makoto glanced away with a hint of reluctance, carefully recalling the moments he shared with Shiina Maki, and admitting that there had indeed been times when his heart fluttered.

But those moments were worn away by her morbid side.

Whenever she showed her serious side, he always felt a great psychological burden.

However, this psychological burden cannot be a reason for him to take responsibility for Shiina Maki's life.

He asked himself this question countless times, and the answer he got was always that he had a clear conscience.

Whether it was helping Shiina Maki fight against bullying or breaking free from her family of origin, he had a clear conscience.

Therefore, he was able to break free from the constraints that Shiina Maki tried to impose on him and refuse to take responsibility for her life.

"……I see."

After a long silence, Shiina Maki answered listlessly, even though she already knew Akizuki Makoto's feelings and that he didn't reciprocate her love.

But when Akizuki Makoto actually said it, she still found it hard to accept.

"I find it hard to accept what you did to me, but because we are friends and I understand your intentions, I forgive you."

"But I only forgive you, not understand you. I hope you understand that."

Even today, Akizuki Makoto is still a normal person and cannot understand the morbid and twisted side of the two abnormal women.

Therefore, he naturally couldn't develop feelings of affection for either Himeyasu or Shiina Maki.

He was also afraid that if he understood their obsessive and twisted thoughts, he might become an abnormal man.

"...Yes, thank you, Akizuki-kun, for still being willing to be friends with someone as disgusting as me."

Shiina Maki nodded gently, and even though she was in tears, she still smiled.

Although, it was just a forced smile.

She had long known that someone as twisted and morbid as her would not be liked.

She has always been the one to take advantage of others. Whenever Akizuki Makoto shows her a little tenderness, she fantasizes that she can be loved.

This is ridiculous. Who would like someone as morbid, heavy, gloomy, and insecure as her?

She couldn't even fall in love with herself, let alone make Akizuki Makoto fall in love with her.

Akizuki Makoto had told her long ago that the way to win his favor was for her to trample on him with her own hands.

Driven by jealousy and her own inferiority complex, she began to give up on herself and tried to morally blackmail Qiuyue Cheng into taking responsibility for her.

"...That's all for now, Shiina-kun. Go back and get some rest."

Akizuki sighed and gave them the order to leave; they both needed some private space to relax.

"Yes, goodbye, Akizuki-kun."

Shiina Maki nodded, dragged her heavy and exhausted body to her feet, and walked to the entrance like a walking corpse.

As she opened the door, she suddenly remembered something, turned around, and said with tears streaming down her face, "Akizuki-kun, although it's not appropriate to say such things now, even if you reject me and despise me, I will still love you deeply, until death do us part."

"This sentiment will never waver, no matter what."

"It's my business to love Akizuki-kun. It's okay if Akizuki-kun doesn't respond, but please don't take away my right to love Akizuki-kun."

After saying that, Shiina Maki walked out of the entrance hall and gently closed the door to block the view behind her.

After she left, Akizuki Makoto could only sigh deeply.

Although the result was not satisfactory, it has come to an end.

Maki Shiina may still be sad, but she'll be fine in a few days.

They were already friends, and after clarifying things, they were able to get along even better.

After a while, the bedroom door opened, and Dongzi came out carrying a black plush rabbit.

She sat down next to Akizuki Makoto and said softly, "Brother, let Touko give you a lap pillow."

"Thank you, Dongzi, but you should go take a shower first. We can talk about the lap pillow later."

Akizuki Makoto smiled, placed his hand on the top of Touko's head and stroked it, then hugged her.

He rarely took the initiative to hug Dongzi; it was usually Dongzi who took the initiative to hug him.

His actions also indicate that he is currently in a vulnerable state and wants to whine to those close to him and seek warmth.

Although he felt no guilt towards Shiina Maki, considering her experiences and feelings, he couldn't help but sympathize with her.

But sympathy and responsibility cannot be the reasons for him to take responsibility for Shiina Maki's life.

"Okay, then Dongzi will go wash up first."

Dongzi gently pushed Qiuyue Cheng away, smiled at him, and then ran back to the bedroom, quickly grabbed a change of clothes, and went into the bathroom to take a shower.

Qiuyue Cheng returned to his bedroom, lay on the bed, closed his eyes to rest, his mind a jumble of thoughts.

It's not just about Shiina Maki, but also about Himeyasu and Shimizu Rei.

Now, three girls who are close to him are showing him deep affection, but he doesn't like any of them.

If he could agree to date one of them, things might be much easier for him, but he can't do it.

The best choice might be Shimizu Rei, but they have known each other for too long, and he can't see her as a woman.

As mentioned before, he treated Shimizu Rei as family, like a younger sister.

How could a brother possibly have romantic feelings for his sister?
"...Having just escaped the troubles of being an abnormal woman with superpowers, is she now facing emotional entanglements?"

Akizuki Makoto couldn't help but laugh at himself, feeling that the days ahead wouldn't be too easy.

After that, Dongzi finished taking a shower and casually washed his body as well.

"Brother, come on~"

Dongzi was already kneeling on the bed. After seeing that Qiuyue Cheng had dried his hair, she immediately patted her thigh and happily invited him.

"Dongzi really isn't embarrassed at all."

Akizuki Makoto laughed somewhat embarrassedly. If people who knew him knew that his sister had given him a lap pillow, they would definitely be shocked.

After all, his public image has always been reliable and strong, and the idea of ​​him acting cute with his younger sister is simply unimaginable.

"Because it was for her brother, Fuyuko was very happy and not embarrassed at all."

"Then I'll have to trouble you, Dongzi."

As he spoke, Akizuki Makoto climbed onto the bed and lay down on Touko's lap.

This time, she didn't put a pillow under her legs, but that made Akizuki Makoto feel even softer.

Dongzi, who had just taken a shower, smelled of the same shower gel as herself.

"Brother, you've worked hard today too."

As Fuyuko spoke softly, she placed her small hand on Akizuki Makoto's head and gently stroked it, calming his suppressed and troubled heart.

Under her gentle caress, Akizuki closed his eyes peacefully and fell asleep without realizing it.

"...Goodnight, brother, muah~"

After noticing that Akizuki Makoto had fallen asleep, Fuyuko lowered her head, whispered goodnight in his ear, and then kissed his cheek.

(End of this chapter)