Anime Heart

Chapter Seventy-Six: Stolen Kiss

As the violin piece ended, Arima Kento looked at his girlfriend with a hint of admiration. If she hadn't been plagued by illness, she might have made an even bigger name for herself than Kousei!

The three children, having fulfilled their wishes, happily waved goodbye to the two.

Seeing the three mischievous kids leave, Yu Ma Xian Dong finally breathed a sigh of relief. He didn't want their time together to be disturbed by others.

He released the cat, put the ants back on the ground, took the violin and bow from Kaori Miyazono, and carefully put them back in their case.

It was only then that Arima Kento noticed that Kaori Miyazono's forehead was already covered in sweat; playing musical instruments was indeed quite physically demanding.

After putting the violin away, Yu Ma Xian Dong quickly pulled the girl to sit down next to him, rummaged through his pockets, took out a pack of tissues and handed them to her, as the feeling of sweat sticking to his body was not pleasant.

"Hurry up and wipe your sweat! I'll go buy you a bottle of water. Sit here and wait, don't wander off." Gently squeezing the girl's hand, he pulled out a tissue and placed it in her palm before getting up and heading towards the vending machine.

Listening to Arima Kenji's words and watching him run to buy water for her, Kaori Miyazono felt that this was the best version of Arima Kenji.

She enjoys being pampered, especially the feeling of being held in the palm of someone she likes.

A few minutes later, Arima Kento rushed back, holding two bottles of mineral water. He opened one and handed it to Miyazono Kaoru, then opened the other and took a few sips.

Kaori Miyazono took the water, took a sip, and frowned, saying, "Why isn't it a beverage?"

"Why drink beverages! They're all carbonated compounds, what's so good about them? Besides, you're already sick, just drink some mineral water!"

Does Ma Xiandong not have money? No, he's just worried that Miyazono Kaori might not be able to tolerate the ingredients in some drinks. Even if he really doesn't have money, he won't be short of a few dollars to buy drinks.

Hearing what Arima Kento said, Miyazono Kaoru pouted but didn't say anything, instead taking small sips of mineral water.

Seeing that there was still sweat on the girl's forehead, Yu Ma Xian Dong took out a tissue and carefully wiped the sweat away for her.

Having been rejected several times before when he helped girls wipe their sweat or tears, Arima Kento acted this way.

The girl was touched by Arima Kento's actions. She had only made a casual comment before, but he had remembered it.

"Alright, no need to bother anymore. I'm almost done sweating!" After putting down the water bottle and screwing on the cap, Kaori Miyazono took Arima Kenji's hand, picked up the crumpled paper and the tissue she had used earlier, and threw them into the trash can.

As they walked, they said, "Do you think I smell bad? Why do you keep wiping myself with a tissue?!"

"How could that be? It smells wonderful!" Arima Kento quickly said. Even without Miyazono Kaori's 'If you dare say it, I'll explode' expression, he would have said the same thing.

Because he really didn't smell anything bad. He hadn't believed the term "sweating profusely" before, but when Kaori Miyazono sat down, he secretly sniffed and found a light scent of soap and a faint milky smell.

Not knowing the reason or the principle, Ma Xiandong didn't dare to ask any more questions. Even with their current relationship, he didn't dare to openly say, "Hey, I just smelled your body odor, and it smells a bit like milk. What's going on?"

If he were to say that out loud, he might get beaten to death.

"Hmph!" After throwing away the trash, Kaori Miyazono acted a little haughty, sitting down next to Arima Kento without looking at him or holding his hand, like a sulking child.

Arima Kenji tried to reach out and hold Miyazono Kaoru's hand. The girl flinched slightly, but it was almost as if she wasn't flinching at all as her fair hand was grasped.

After fiddling around a bit, they resumed their previous intertwined state, and only then did Yu Ma Xian Dong see his girlfriend as a little girl.

Well, compared to her past self, she was indeed a little girl, but in this life, she's only fourteen! So it makes sense!

"Hey, don't be so stingy! How could I possibly dislike you! Besides, you don't smell bad at all! Don't worry about it!"

As Ma Xiandong repeatedly emphasized this, the girl became suspicious of her own scent. She lowered her head slightly to sniff, and only after confirming that there was no other smell did she feel relieved.

However, this action gave Arima Kento an opportunity. He had used his left hand when he held the girl's hand, and the girl was sitting close to him on his right. So he took advantage of the opportunity to put his arm around the girl's shoulder again.

Kaori Miyazono blushed immediately, but thinking about what she had just said, she didn't really want to break free from his embrace, so she let her boyfriend hold her.

However, she still turned her head away, looking as if she hadn't forgiven Arima Kento.

Looking at the girl's profile, Yu Ma Xian Dong's heart stirred, and he said, "Xiao Xun, I have something for you, do you want to see it?"

As he spoke, he brought his mouth close to the girl's cheek, but instead of kissing her, he stayed there, waiting for her to come to him.

He released Kaori Miyazono's hand and deliberately pretended to take something out of his pocket to attract the girl's attention.

Sure enough, within seconds, Kaori Miyazono couldn't contain her curiosity any longer. She stopped pretending to be aloof and turned her head to see what Arima Kenji would pull out of his pocket.

"Mwah~~", she only felt two slightly damp things pressed against her cheeks, and then she was just kissed like that?

The girl, realizing what was happening, looked at Arima Kento in surprise, while her hands continued to move, gently tapping his chest a few times.

I'll literally punch you in the chest with my little fists!

Arima Kento pretended to be in great pain, and the girl pouted, saying, "Hmph! You secretly kissed me, and you react like this! If you keep this up, I'm leaving!"

"Hey, hey, I was wrong!" Yu Ma Xian Dong quickly grabbed the girl's hand. Even though he knew the girl was doing it on purpose for him, he was still willing to fall for it.

After much coaxing and gentle persuasion, the girl finally smiled again. She wasn't actually angry; she just found it amusing.

I glanced around and saw that there was hardly anyone around. Before I knew it, it was already past eleven o'clock.

"Xiao Xun." Yu Ma Xian Dong called the girl's name, then turned the girl's upper body around, and turned himself slightly so that the two of them were sitting face to face.

Black eyes stared intently into the girl's pale blue eyes, everything unspoken.

Kaori Miyazono seemed to understand what was about to happen. Unlike ordinary girls, she didn't panic; instead, she felt a sense of anticipation.

A faint blush appeared on her fair face, making the girl look even more charming and adorable.

Seeing this scene, Arima Kento did not hesitate, he held the girl's chin and kissed her directly.

"Well!"

Chapter 77 Stupidity is Contagious

"Hey! Xian Dong, Xiao Xun! You're here!" Ze Bu Chun's loud voice rang out, and the two who were called out quickly separated as if afraid of being discovered.

They had just kissed, but Arima Kento wasn't satisfied and wanted to do it again when Sawabe Tsubaki appeared.

"Hey, why are your faces so red? Is it too hot?! It doesn't seem that hot!" Tsubaki Sawabe couldn't help but ask when she saw the lingering blush on Arima Kenjiro and Kaori Miyazono's faces.

Kaori Miyazono finally blushed. It wouldn't be a big deal if it were strangers around, but it felt different when her friends noticed.

Wow, I'm so worried that Tsubaki will find out! It's all this guy's fault! Thinking this, Kaori Miyazono rolled her eyes at Arima Kento and then kicked Arima Kento's heel hard with her little leather boot.

Arima Kento winced as he was kicked, but dared not complain. Noticing Sawabe Tsubaki's increasingly curious gaze, he quickly changed the subject, saying, "By the way, where are Kousei and Watari? Why are you the only one here?"

“They went looking for you elsewhere, so I was looking this way. Uncle Ma called to say that you two were in this park, so we came back here.”

"Oh, right, I need to call them and tell them they don't need to look for me anymore!" Tsubaki Sawabe quickly took out her phone and dialed a number.

Arima Kento came out after having breakfast, while Arima Kousei chose to continue practicing the piano after having breakfast.

He had originally planned to pick up Kaori Miyazono, but when he thought about how he had only ever been a high-powered third wheel, he gave up on the idea.

Time and distance are powerful forces. After Arima Kousei was prevented from meeting Miyazono Kaori by time and distance, his pursuit of her gradually faded. Or rather, after the initial passion died down, without any embers to fuel it, the temperature in his heart naturally dropped.

This is something that cannot be avoided.

The reason why Arima Kento and Miyazono Kaori's relationship remains so passionate is because their connection is much closer than with others. They also talk on the phone and chat via email every day, which is an excellent way to maintain their relationship.

As the initial passion in his heart gradually cooled, Kousei Arima began to confront his own feelings. He realized that his feelings for Kaori Miyazono were merely at the level of liking her, with no signs of deepening, and he had no opportunity to get to know her better.

He felt a sense of despair, especially when he learned that Kaori Miyazono was seriously ill, with the same illness as his mother.

It seems like every woman connected to me is plagued by that disease. Am I born with a curse?

Although Sawabe Tsubaki immediately overturned this conclusion after learning about it, and even said, "Then why am I okay! Am I not a woman?"

However, Arima Kousei still felt somewhat gloomy.

Fortunately, Kaori Miyazono is now saved. But if this method had come about sooner, wouldn't her mother have been spared from dying?

However, no if.

Now, what I need to do is break free from the curse of not being able to hear myself play the piano and clear my name for my mother.

Kaori Miyazono, my first love... Today is also the day of finality. After the performance, I will make my decision! Kousei Arima thought with determination.

Seeing that it was already past eleven o'clock, I decided to skip lunch and find Kaori Miyazono first, since we needed to get back into sync, otherwise the performance might not go very well.

He called on Sawabe Tsubaki, Watari Ryota, and his girlfriend Aota Keiko, and the four of them got ready and boarded the train to the location Arima Kenji had told them about.

Since that dinner party, Keiko has successfully joined their little group, so today is an important moment for the two of them. As a friend, Keiko naturally wants to go and see them and cheer them on.

They were familiar with Ishigami Park, having visited it before, so after arriving at the park entrance, the four of them split up to look for Arima Kenjiro and Miyazono Kaoru.

When all six of them had gathered, Yu Ma Xian Dong couldn't help but say, "Then why didn't you just call me or Xiao Xun directly? Why did you have to use manpower to look for them? Isn't it more convenient to make a phone call?"

Hearing this question, Kaori Miyazono, who was standing nearby, also looked at Tsubaki Sawabe and the others with curiosity. All six of them had each other's phone numbers.

"Uh, really! Why didn't I think of that at first!" Tsubaki Sawabe patted her head, somewhat annoyed, and said, "Why didn't you guys remind me!"

"It's all because you, Tsubaki, started yelling and ordering people around as soon as you got here that we didn't react in time, and now you're blaming us! What an idiot!" Only Watari Ryota could say such things without any mercy.

Although Arima Kousei was closer to Sawabe Tsubaki, he didn't dare to say such things, fearing that Tsubaki would beat him to death.

"Ha! Ryota Watari, are you tired of living?! Isn't it good to be alive? Why do you have to be so reckless!"

"Alright, alright, stop it!" Arima Kousei skillfully acted as a peacemaker, trying to soothe the two furious guys.

This scene made Arima Kento laugh out loud. The embarrassment from being disturbed earlier slowly dissipated. At the same time, he was also thinking about whether he should distance himself from Tsubaki in the future!

This "Camellia" style of intelligent subtraction is truly amazing! Indeed, stupidity is contagious.

Thinking this, Arima Kento subtly took Miyazono Kaoru's hand and quietly pulled her back a little distance away. He couldn't let his little Kaoru become a fool too!

Character: Arima Kousei

Occupation: Student/Lost Pianist Prodigy/Peacemaker...

If this were an online game, Arima Kousei's character panel would definitely have these two descriptions. After Kousei tried to persuade them, the two finally stopped arguing.

"Alright, we didn't come here early to argue. We came so that Miyazono and I could get to know each other better, so let's not waste time!"

With that sentence as the conclusion, Kousei Arima watched as his friends stopped arguing and exchanged snorts before turning to Kaori Miyazono and asking, "Can we play a duet now?"

Kaori Miyazono blinked her big eyes and looked at Kousei Arima, saying, "That's possible, but what about the piano? I carry my violin with me all the time, but you can't carry your piano with you all the time!"

"Ah!! Tsubaki, you've infected Kousei with your idiocy!" Watari Ryota must be bored, that's why he keeps stirring up trouble for Sawabe Tsubaki.

Before Sawabe Tsubaki could speak, the girl beside him reached out and smacked Watari Ryota on the head with a 'Duang'.

"Shut up!"

Keiko, who had been a passerby all along, suddenly made her presence felt.