Oh no! They all seem a bit off!

Chapter 34 Shiina Maki's Rescue Journey!
Time goes back to fifteen minutes ago.

Akizuki Makoto unlocked the apartment door and disappeared behind it.

"Hehe, another day of following Akizuki-kun around~"

Shiina Maki, who had been hiding in the shadows and silently following Akizuki Makoto, watched his figure disappear into the apartment and couldn't help but laugh.

Lately, whenever she has time, she follows Qiu Yuecheng, ostensibly to escort him home, because she's worried about his safety and potential dangers if he's alone.

There are many perverts in Tokyo, but there are also quite a few perverted women. Akizuki Makoto is so handsome, and so gentle and kind. If he were to encounter a perverted woman or a girl who is obsessed with gods, he would definitely be unable to refuse.

Her duty was to prevent Akizuki Makoto from being deceived by these wicked women.

She had been following Akizuki Makoto for the past two days, and she also knew that Akizuki Makoto had helped a girl at the coffee shop yesterday.

At that time, although she was a little unhappy and jealous, she also liked the gentle Akizuki Makoto very much.

This is a very contradictory mentality.

She liked Akizuki Makoto's gentleness, but she didn't like that he was too gentle.

She hoped that Akizuki Makoto would only be gentle to her, but that was clearly impossible.

She wasn't that trusting, nor did she have the courage to make such a request.

"Ah, it'll be another two days before I see Akizuki-kun..."

Shiina Maki suddenly realized that tomorrow was the weekend, so she decided to stay a little longer. She was reluctant to leave, even if it was just standing downstairs at Akizuki Makoto's house, gazing at the light coming on in the window of his room on that floor.

Then, she would imagine what Akizuki Makoto was doing right now, and what it would be like if she were by his side.

The thought of cooking together with Akizuki Makoto and sharing a bed with him the night before filled her with excitement and joy.

They looked like a newlywed couple back then, and she dreamed of experiencing that sweet, dreamlike time again.

"Heh, heh heh... Akizuki-kun..."

Whenever she thinks of Makoto Akizuki, Maki Shiina can't help but smile.

But this feeling of happiness did not last long.

Just as she was lost in thought, the apartment building door was pushed open, and a very familiar figure, holding a black umbrella, stepped into the rain.

Although it was now completely dark, she recognized the figure at a glance as none other than Akizuki Makoto, whom she had been longing for day and night!
"Eh?"

Shiina Maki blinked, stunned, her mind filled with confusion.

Her confusion wasn't about why Akizuki Makoto had left again so soon.

What truly puzzled and confused her was—why was there another person accompanying Akizuki Makoto?
She couldn't make out the person's exact appearance, only that they were very tall and had long, black hair that reached their waist. Apart from that, their body seemed... somewhat blurry and unreal.

The person leaned affectionately against Akizuki Makoto, wrapped his arm around him, and rested his head on his shoulder.

"Who...is that?"

Shiina Maki's mind went completely blank for a moment. Her face, which had been beaming with happiness, was now filled with confusion.

Her lips were trembling, her body was trembling, and her heart was trembling to the extreme.

Seeing that woman leaning so intimately against Akizuki Makoto, sharing an umbrella with him, an extremely terrifying thought surfaced in Shiina Maki's mind.

"Is she...your girlfriend?"

When this thought arose, Shiina Maki didn't know how she felt. It was as if the sky had fallen. Feeling wronged, sad, desperate... all sorts of negative emotions mixed together, making her eyes immediately sting and tears flow uncontrollably.

So, Makoto Akizuki already has a girlfriend.

Come to think of it, with his outstanding qualities and gentle personality, it would be strange if he didn't have a girlfriend.

My long-held dream shattered completely at this moment.

She was just being delusional and indulging in wishful thinking.

He had been trying to keep his distance from her, but she shamelessly wanted to get close to him.

Shiina Maki bit her lip tightly, clenched her hands, and tears streamed down her cheeks. Yet, a sense of resentment rose within her, as if things had reached a turning point.

Yes.

Not reconciled.

Really unwilling.

When it comes to liking Akizuki Makoto, she possesses confidence that is second to none.

She would do anything for Qiuyue Cheng. If he asked her to, she would die willingly without a single complaint.

"Akizuki-kun, I won't give up. I want to see if she's good enough for you..."

If Akizuki Makoto truly loves the woman beside him, Shiina Maki will give up her own feelings and bless them both.

But the premise is that the woman is worthy of Akizuki Makoto, and that she truly, truly loves Akizuki Makoto, and is devoted to him wholeheartedly.

Thinking this, Shiina Maki hastily wiped away her tears, opened her umbrella, and jogged to catch up with Akizuki Makoto, who was almost far away. She followed behind them, quietly observing them.

Unfortunately, she didn't dare get too close and couldn't hear what they were saying. She could only gaze at their backs as they walked intimately down the road.

This made her even more heartbroken.

For her, every second is agonizing, because no matter how you look at it, they seem very much in love.

Such a scene was no less than having a knife plunged into her heart and then brutally ripped out her flesh.

Even though she was in so much pain that she couldn't breathe and tears kept streaming down her face, Shiina Maki still followed closely behind them, still clinging to a last sliver of unrealistic hope.

She had to admit that she was too dark and too twisted.

She was now constantly praying that Akizuki Makoto's "girlfriend" was a bad woman who was toying with his feelings. Then, she couldn't help but fantasize that if she knelt down and begged that woman, gave her all her money, and then let her beat her up, she could beg her to break up with Akizuki Makoto and not take him away from her.

Even if it would hurt Akizuki Makoto, she wanted to do it.

Because she would comfort Akizuki Makoto, soothe his inner pain, dedicate everything to him, and tell him that no matter what, even if it meant death, she would never abandon him.

Shiina Maki loves Akizuki Makoto so much that she would never give him up to someone else.

The so-called blessings were just a fleeting thought that gave me a legitimate excuse for following him.

Thus, she followed Akizuki Makoto into the station and waited for the train with them on the platform.

At that moment, she suddenly noticed something strange.

Specifically, Akizuki Makoto's "girlfriend" stopped holding his arm and instead lay directly on his back, wrapping her arms around his neck.

"Why do we have to memorize things now that we're here, and..."

Rather than saying that Akizuki Makoto was carrying his girlfriend on his back, it would be more accurate to say that his girlfriend was forcefully clinging to his back.

Akizuki Makoto didn't support his girlfriend's thighs or bend down; he simply let her wrap her arms around his neck.

Moreover, he seemed completely unaware of this, staring at the tracks ahead and not talking to his girlfriend.

Logically speaking, shouldn't he be bothered by his girlfriend's willful behavior?
This unusual scene made Shiina Maki feel a little suspicious.

Doesn't Akizuki Makoto feel uncomfortable with his girlfriend lying on his back and hugging his neck like that?
He was standing upright, and his neck was being strangled.

The girlfriend, who was clinging to Akizuki Makoto, had nothing to hold onto, so she could only rely on hugging his neck to keep herself from slipping off.

"No, was that really... a person?"

Shiina Maki was startled and squinted as she carefully examined the "girlfriend" lying on Akizuki Makoto's back.

At first, it was too dark and raining, so she didn't really notice that Akizuki Makoto's "girlfriend" body was actually semi-transparent!
She was like a phantom ghost; no wonder she didn't react when she lay on Akizuki Makoto's back and wrapped her arms around his neck.

So, Qiuyue's "girlfriend" isn't human?!

At the same time that Shiina Maki suddenly realized what was happening, she saw the transparent figure lying on Akizuki Makoto's back make a new move.

As if playing a prank, she reached out and rubbed Akizuki Makoto's face, ruffled his hair, and brought her face close to his ear, whispering sweet nothings in his ear.

Akizuki Makoto did not resist or even take any action.

"So... it was a cat that stole fish?"

Shiina Maki instantly understood everything. She realized that if she had superpowers, there must be other strange phenomena in the world.

For example, ghosts and monsters often appear in urban legends.

Without a doubt, the woman clinging to Akizuki Makoto's back was such a ghost, and it was she who was unilaterally entangled with Akizuki Makoto.

Akizuki Makoto was completely unaware of this, as if he had encountered his own time stop.

Thinking of this, Shiina Maki breathed a long sigh of relief, her heart, which had been filled with grief, was instantly filled with this unexpected joy.

It turns out she had misunderstood everything; Akizuki Makoto wasn't taken away, and she still had a chance.

"Fortunately, I followed Akizuki-kun today..."

Shiina Maki couldn't help but feel happy about her actions, after all, she was finally able to help Akizuki Makoto.

She needs to activate her abilities to dispel the ghost, or at the very least, take Akizuki Makoto with her.

Then, he would keep his achievements hidden and remain in the shadows.

Although this might puzzle Akizuki Makoto, making him wonder how he could teleport, it didn't matter, as long as he could get rid of the ghost.

Even if it means risking the exposure of her superpowers, she will save Akizuki Makoto!
"Akizuki-kun, I've come to save you. I will never let anyone hurt you."

"I want to protect you, just as you protected me. Now it's my turn."

"Hehe, I'm so happy! Can I protect Akizuki-kun now?"

Shiina Maki muttered to herself, clenching her fists tightly, her eyes gradually hardening.

Although Makoto Akizuki would never know that Maki Shiina had also saved him, Maki Shiina felt a sense of satisfaction at the thought of being able to help Makoto Akizuki.

She didn't need Akizuki Makoto to know, nor did she need his thanks.

Being able to help Akizuki Makoto was already a great honor for her.

"Time to stop!"

As Shiina Maki parted her cherry lips and activated her ability, time froze at that moment, the noisy voices instantly faded away, and the whole world fell silent.

She emerged from the shadows, came to Akizuki Makoto's side, took his arm, and pulled him slightly, causing him to lose his balance and break free from the embrace of the "ghost" that was clinging to him, instead leaning against her.

"Hiss...ha!"

As Shiina Maki felt the weight of Akizuki Makoto's body and smelled his scent, her suppressed emotions instantly began to stir with excitement.

However, now was not the time for her to be in heat. Knowing the importance of the situation, she suppressed her desire to defile Akizuki Makoto, picked him up, and slowly left.

Before leaving, she glanced back at the "ghost" hovering in mid-air and found that its appearance was blurry, and she could not see its face. Only its body outline could be seen, which proved that it was a woman.

"Heh...you thieving cat, Akizuki-kun is mine, and I won't let you have any of him!"

Shiina Maki stuck out her tongue at the "ghost," made a face, and then left triumphantly with Akizuki Makoto in her arms.

As she turned to make a face at the "ghost," she didn't notice that Akizuki Makoto, in her arms, blinked, his calm expression revealing a hint of joy and excitement.

(End of this chapter)