After their confessions were rejected, they regretted it for the rest of their lives.

"sorry..."

"You've apologized to me countless times since I got on the bus. My ears are practically calloused."

Xia Weichan adjusted the bird feathers hanging from the tree, looking at Zhou Juzi sitting in the passenger seat.

The girl hunched her legs together and shrugged her shoulders like a punching bag.

Looking at him like this, you'd think he was the one who almost got hit by a guitar this morning.

Although Xia Weichan really wanted to ask where your aura from back then had gone, she thought better of it and decided against using such a teasing tone...

Xia Weichan changed her tone and said:

"Didn't Tsuruo Kurimaki teach you what posture to use yesterday afternoon?"

Upon hearing this, Zhou Juzi seemed to be electrocuted, slightly straightening her back, but her gaze still drifted towards the window.

"I'm a little curious, why did you almost get into a fight just now?"

"..."

Zhou Juzi pursed her lips and quietly turned her gaze to Xia Weichan, speaking hesitantly in a low voice:

"After I answer, could you answer one of my questions too?"

"?"

They've started haggling over the price?

Xia Weichan rolled her eyes at the girl, then said calmly:

"What do you want to ask?"

"...So, why are you so... nice to me?"

"..."

Why do people keep asking such pointless questions?

Is this something that must be asked of the objects bound to in each playthrough?

Xia Weichan used one hand to tap on the car window:

"Because I want to be good to you. I don't want a beautiful girl to gradually fall into a quagmire for various reasons. It's that simple."

"that's all?"

Zhou Juzi looked at Xia Weichan's serious profile, paused slightly, and then her heart couldn't help but flutter.

She patted her flushed cheeks:

"But all that money you spent..."

"You value money too much!"

Xia Weichan raised her voice, interrupting the girl.

However, as soon as he uttered those words, he remembered how he had risked his life to ask the Ke family for money...

It's inevitable that some of them will contradict themselves.

So he coughed lightly twice:

"Some things can't be measured in money. Like your old guitar, if I offered tens of thousands to buy it, would you sell it?"

"..."

Even if I said I'd buy you a new guitar now, didn't you still carefully put your broken old guitar in the trunk?

Xia Weichan glanced at Zhou Juzi's gradually changing expression out of the corner of her eye; her look shifted from confusion to sudden understanding.

His brows, which had been furrowed in the middle, gradually relaxed.

Indeed, playing the guitar that her mother gave her was the right thing to do:

"Value is determined by people, so... I even think that collaborating with you is actually a win for me, you understand?"

"Is that so...?"

Zhou Juzi vaguely sensed an answer, perhaps it came from her own heart...

Well, since Xia Weichan has said that, let's not dwell on it too much. Let's train as much as possible and debut as soon as possible to repay him...

[The affection level of the character being nurtured increases]

"?"

What did you get promoted to?

Upon arriving at the music store, Xia Weichan parked her car on the side of the road.

But he didn't get out of the car, instead giving Zhou Juzi a strange look. The girl, who was about to unbuckle her seatbelt, felt that gaze upon her...

"Forehead..."

Zhou Juzi was stunned for a moment.

Then she obediently and properly sat back in the passenger seat, even re-fastening the seatbelt.

He wiped away non-existent cold sweat from his forehead.

Her mind raced with thoughts... Why would Xia Weichan make that face?

Then she suddenly remembered that she also had something to explain.

"Um... about today's events, I was just overthinking it."

"What does this remind you of?"

"Well, although... I've never been ostracized by my teammates because of my abilities, the way Lin Wan trained despite being injured and still put in so much effort, yet was still marginalized, still reminds me of that time..."

Zhou Juzi was already in a bad mood because of the broken guitar, and then she saw Lin Wan, who had taken the initiative to show her kindness, being indirectly ostracized by her group members because of her.

When she tried to persuade them, they used her to belittle Lin Wan, causing her to become emotionally overwhelmed.

That's why Zhou Juzi couldn't help but swing her guitar to the ground.

Just as An He said, this girl's personality is indeed very sensitive...

But for Xia Weichan, being sensitive is much better than being indifferent and unresponsive.

"It's not important anymore. Don't worry too much about other people's business. You only have one task: to train hard. If anything happens, just tell me."

"Um..."

Zhou Juzi somewhat enjoyed the sense of security and inexplicable relaxation she felt by Xia Weichan's side.

Looking at the girl whose mood had lifted after he had comforted her,

Because of the recent positive feedback notification, Xia Weichan took another look—

[Affection Level: 2]

......

Just as Zhou Juzi lowered her head and was about to unfasten the safety buckle for the second time, Xia Weichan's calm voice rang out again:

"Zhou Juzi, how do you feel about me now?"

"Eh..."

Hearing this, Zhou Juzi blinked blankly, her mind starting to wander.

Her thoughts were like stiff gears, causing the girl's voice to falter and pause:

"Well, I feel so comfortable around you because you're so gentle, right?"

I need a more specific answer.

Xia Weichan coughed lightly twice, and his gaze made Zhou Juzi involuntarily look away.

He spoke calmly:

"Enemy, stranger, friend, best friend, lover, the man you want to marry, the person you'd want to die for even in death... choose one."

"what?"

What kind of answers are these?

Isn't it a bit too early to say that?

What else is meant by "thinking of dying for love"?

"Uh...ah..."

It felt like a fire was burning my throat, instantly draining all the moisture.

This made Zhou Juzi feel incredibly dry in her throat. With almost no time to think, she spoke:

"Good...good friend!"

"OK."

The favorability rating is approximately 32.

It's more comfortable to just ask directly...

Even with garbled system data, Xia Weichan, with her exceptional emotional intelligence, could still obtain specific data through this method.

Based on the previous three playthroughs, he simply didn't believe that he could raise Aya's affection level to over 40 in just over a week without actively trying to increase it.

This is a bit far-fetched. If the favorability rating could really increase that quickly, wouldn't that be admitting that there was a problem with the way he developed the character in the first three playthroughs?

However, Xia Weichan was somewhat surprised by the 32 favorability rating.

If they grow up together and become lovers, that's definitely not okay.

Xia Weichan will eventually run away to enjoy her peaceful time alone.

One should not prematurely enter the grave of being controlled by love.

Xia Weichan was not overly worried about this.

Although it's true that Azusa Tachibana's personality is a bit sensitive.

But she acted perfectly normal when she was with him, which was in line with the early dating agreement they had signed.

Xia Weichan could still keep a cool head over a girl like that.

As long as both parties still acknowledge the contract and it remains in effect, he will always have room to back out.

Do not worry.

"Alright, let's get off the bus."

Thinking this way, he got out of the car on his own initiative.

Seeing Xia Weichan get out of the car, Zhou Juzi breathed a sigh of relief and unbuckled her seatbelt.

She had to unbuckle her seatbelt three times before she finally got out of the car...