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

Xia Weichan's last words were like a thunderclap in the silence; after a brief moment of shock, all was calm again.

After he said those words to draw a clear line, Zhou Juzi seemed to quiet down a lot.

However, while the amplitude of the leg shaking decreased, the frequency actually increased.

The sound of those tiptoes was rapid, like the ticking of a bomb countdown.

But the sound stopped abruptly without warning.

For some reason, after that rhythmic pattering sound disappeared…

Xia Weichan's heart skipped a beat.

"..."

He glanced at the passenger seat and could see the girl's quiet profile. She was looking down, her eyelashes trembling slightly, and stray hairs partially obscuring her eyes.

Nothing happened.

[Develop Favorability Rating]

"..."

nerve…

Xia Weichan's emotional journey toward this broken system can be described as going from love to hate, and finally to a helpless reconciliation.

Even if this thing explodes the next second, he'll still say "Good riddance!"

Although system garbled text is annoying

But based on the context of the conversation, Xia Weichan could easily guess that it was because the affection level of the person he was raising had decreased...

Unlike last week when this icon popped up, Xia Weichan doesn't really care about it this week.

After all, these are two different situations with different mindsets. He has already completed the confession route in this playthrough, so he doesn't care about affection levels anymore.

Some even hoped to play the music a few more times to gradually lower Zhou Juzi's favorability rating, so that she would focus more on her career.

This way, we can avoid internal conflicts.

Dating will only hinder a musician's career.

However, Zhou Juzi's sudden and unusual outburst of temper today took him somewhat by surprise.

Xia Weichan attributed it to an afternoon of irritability, and perhaps a touch of jealousy stemming from a slight attraction.

He wasn't surprised, after all, his three previous girlfriends had all done the same thing, and had thrown all sorts of tantrums at him because of it...

But this time was different from the other times; Xia Weichan had a reason to suppress the girl's temper.

I was really smart to sign that relationship contract in the first place...

Essentially, it's about not wanting to repeat the same mistakes.

Setting the timeframe at three months, coinciding with the current cycle, and maintaining as much distance as possible from the girl, is all to avoid a situation like Kurimaki Tsuruo's.

The inability to declutter not only torments the young woman herself but also disrupts Xia Weichan's emotions.

He personally dislikes internal strife.

Zhou Juzi likes herself and doesn't care.

However, this kind of affection can only remain within the scope of a regular romantic relationship.

Even if they break up, it will only make the girl sad for a while.

Xia Weichan didn't want her to like him to the extent that she liked the other three men, to the point that after it was all over...

This lingering regret will continue to affect his mood.

The girl, who was bound to the deceased, became depressed because of her own "death."

At first, it might comfort Xia Weichan's heart after being rejected, but over time, it will inevitably cause some moral burden.

In this playthrough, whether he successfully raises the child and then pursues his own life, or he fails and dies,...

This inevitable event will only bring more pain to Zhou Juzi.

All three ex-boyfriends had already nipped Xia Weichan's idea of ​​marrying her intended partner in the bud.

The objects selected by this nervous system are all quite troublesome.

But the cicada in summer is a bird that wants to fly away, and doesn't linger too long.

Therefore, for Zhou Juzi, it's better to have a short pain than a long one. She should set a limit as soon as possible before the affection level gets too high.

However, after experiencing something like this, the girl will inevitably re-examine the relationship between the two.

This is excellent.

As for the girl who has truly been raised to a high level of affection and wants to marry him, Xia Weichan will still refuse.

After all, he harbored a resistance to the object of his bond, an instinct stemming from his three deaths…

.........

It was already late when I got back to my university dormitory.

Zhou Juzi got out of the car without saying a word.

The dim, yellowish light from the streetlights fell upon the two of them.

Looking at the girl who seemed a little down, her silent figure standing to the side appeared somewhat lost and dejected.

Seeing this state inevitably evokes feelings of heartache and worry.

"It's inconvenient to bring the guitar, so I'll leave it in the car tonight and put it in the practice room tomorrow..."

"Um…"

Zhou Juzi pursed her lips tightly, her gaze fixed on her toes. The sound she had just heard had come from deep within her abdomen.

She felt suffocated and seemed very aggrieved. Then, despite the tightness in her chest, Zhou Juzi pursed her lips and pleaded:

"Tomorrow... I want to take a day off..."

"..."

What he said was a bit too extreme.

Indeed,

Putting yourself in Xia Weichan's shoes, if someone you consider a good friend told you directly that you weren't familiar with each other and shouldn't have much interaction at all...

He'll probably be very sad too.

Understanding is one thing,

To put it bluntly, the two are partners; he nurtures Tachibana Uta, and in return, he receives a reward.

But if the girl continues in this state, how will the training proceed?

He remembered that An He had specifically emphasized that Zhou Juzi was a particularly sensitive girl and that her emotions were easily volatile.

After thinking about it,

Xia Weichan sighed, and finally made her decision.

Let's have a reward system.

However, the "reward" is rather unusual...

"Here's what we'll do: after your official debut, I'll give you a new contract, and it will be updated every time you achieve a goal."

"…contract?"

Upon hearing this word, Zhou Juzi finally raised her head and looked at Xia Weichan in front of her with a puzzled expression.

"...A trainee contract?"

"Although this one will probably be replaced, I'm talking about another one."

Xia Weichan made a small promise:

"The contract with the additional agreement between the two of us."

"Eh?"

"The reason I had you sign that contract was essentially because I didn't want it to affect your musician training. Your excessive curiosity about me, or any other miscellaneous emotions, will lead to poor training efficiency, or even a disconnect."

The reasons are reasonable and sufficient.

Although the initial signing of the contract was simply to put the girl at ease and prevent her from bothering him.

But since it's all just empty promises, the more appealing they sound, the better.

Xia Weichan continued:

"But now, I've changed my mind. The contract we initially signed was indeed a bit unreasonable."

"...Indeed, it's a bit unreasonable."

For a moment, Zhou Juzi didn't know how to respond, but she unequivocally agreed with the point that it was unreasonable.

And the fact that Xia Weichan realized this brightened Zhou Juzi's previously gloomy heart a little...

Her fingers rubbed together, and she cautiously probed:

"Should we... make some changes?"

"It depends on the situation. Indeed, I might have been too autonomous, even a bit dictatorial, in the contract, which led to a skewed balance of interests between the two of us..."

"As I mentioned before, I care a lot about your career as a musician. How about this: if you can develop smoothly according to my plan, the contract will gradually become more lenient within my principles, what do you say?"

Xia Weichan's words startled Zhou Juzi, but then her eyes gradually brightened.

The girl blinked, her eyes flickering, and her snow-white throat bobbed up and down:

"Does a girlfriend... have the right...?"

"No, I don't plan to have a formal relationship. I will allow you to interfere in my life to a certain extent in the future, but I still don't want to be interfered with too much. For example, just like friends, you can invite me to go somewhere you want to go, or we can have a heart-to-heart talk."

Xia Weichan gave an example,

It was a win-win solution he came up with using his keen emotional intelligence.

This reward system,

to be honest,

It means giving up a reasonable portion of his originally absolute autonomy as compensation to Zhou Juzi.

Xia Weichan had originally planned to establish a reward system for Zhou Juzi's hard work a long time ago.

However, the girl seemed a little embarrassed to accept monetary rewards.

This contract change seems to be more likely to motivate Zhou Juzi.

As for the concern that the girl might gradually become like the first three playthroughs—without distinguishing between "you" and "me"—as boundaries blur,

It doesn't really matter...

No way.

Xia Weichan didn't actually try to increase her favorability.

Moreover, the basic framework of the contract is still intact.

As the one who sets the rules and takes the lead, no matter how much she tries to loosen the boundaries in their relationship,

This boundary still exists.