Anime Heart

The Old Man Under the Moon, also known as Yue Lao, is a deity in Taoism who is in charge of marriage between men and women. He is traditionally regarded as the "God of Matchmaking".

Japan has been an inseparable part of China's territory since ancient times, so Taoism naturally had some contact with it.

However, due to certain methods employed by Buddhism, Taoism was unable to survive in Japan, and as a result, Taoist priests are now rarely seen in Japan.

Buddhism is very popular in Japan, and almost everyone has a certain fondness for Buddha. It is believed that after a person dies, he or she can become a Buddha. This shows the extent of Buddhism's influence.

However, for the Arima clan, whose ancestral home is the mainland, Taoism is the main focus of their understanding.

Almost every newborn in the Arima family receives blessings from a highly skilled Taoist priest when they reach 100 days old.

Arima Kento and Arima Kousei are the same. Even though they were born in Japan, they returned to the mainland when they were 100 days old and received blessings from the enlightened master worshipped by their families.

This rule has been in place for hundreds of years, and no one has been able to break it, or rather, no one has been willing to break it.

People are always a bit superstitious, and they're willing to believe that this can bring good fortune and a good life to their children.

However, Arima Kousei didn't believe this at all. Otherwise, why would he ask what was wrong with his mother's illness? And why had he been living such a painful life for so long?

But even if he didn't believe it, he knew a lot about Taoism, including the introduction to the Old Man Under the Moon and his stories.

"Hey~~ that's not what we meant." Arima Kenjiro used his quick wit to think of a solution and said, "Isn't the Old Man of the Moon a matchmaker god? We were just thinking about real matchmakers in reality, aren't they just like the Old Man of the Moon?"

“Yes, yes!” Watari Ryota quickly agreed. He glanced admiringly at Arima Kento and then added, “Matchmakers vary in skill, so naturally there’s the question of ‘which matchmaker is better’!”

"That's it!"

Arima Kousei then understood, and this explained things. However, he had a new question: "Why are you talking about this again? Does Watari have grown tired of the old and wants to find a new girlfriend?"

Arima Kousei stared at Watari Ryota suspiciously, which aroused Watari Ryota's dissatisfaction. "Wow! Is that how you see me, Kousei? Don't talk nonsense, or Keiko will kill me!"

"Also, why not say it's Xian Dong? He could be one too! That's just too unfair!"

Hearing this, Kousei Arima rolled his eyes and said, "I know you two. It's highly unlikely that Xian Dong would do something like that! On the contrary, you, with your criminal record, are more suspicious."

"Ha! Kousei, I think we should really start practicing boxing!" Watari Ryota exploded. "And besides, it was consensual, how can that be considered a prior offense! We really need to practice my combination punches!"

As he spoke, Watari Ryota made a fist-and-palm gesture, and then a crackling sound came from his hands. Even if he didn't know kung fu or anything like that, Watari Ryota's physical abilities were enough to overwhelm Arima Kousei.

"Alright, alright! Class is about to start, be quiet, do you want to be kicked out by the teacher?" Seeing that the two might start fighting, Ma Xiandong quickly intervened to stop them.

We were supposed to help Arima Kousei, but it seems Watari Ryota is a bit angry now!

However, playful bickering between friends doesn't ruin their relationship; on the contrary, it can bring them closer.

After the second class, their relationship returned to normal.

However, Arima Kousei didn't quite understand the material he was learning in class, so he didn't rest after class but continued studying it.

This was a perfect opportunity. Ryota Watari gave Arima Kento a hand signal, and Arima Kento immediately understood. The two left the classroom together without disturbing Arima Kousei.

Keiko's class was Class 3, which wasn't far from here either. As soon as the two of them stepped out of the classroom, they saw Keiko's obviously excited face.

During a break in class, Ryota Watari told his girlfriend his thoughts over the phone and then appointed her as 'Matchmaker Number Three'.

That's why Keiko was so excited; she took this matchmaking business very seriously.

You know, it's incredibly rewarding to bring a couple together!

"Everyone knows the situation now, so what should we do? Let's all give some ideas!"

Ryota Watari looked at the other two and asked.

The three of them arrived at the corner of the corridor. During the ten-minute break between classes, no one usually passed by here, so it was a relatively secluded place.

Keiko looked at her boyfriend. Since he had spoken, she, as his girlfriend, should respond to him; otherwise, he would be too pitiful.

"I think we should first figure out what the obstacles are between them."

Keiko said, "Only by understanding the obstacles can we find a way to remove them; otherwise, we'll just be like headless flies, flying around aimlessly and bumping into walls."

"Yes, as expected of Keiko, I think she's absolutely right!"

His girlfriend's opinion needed to be supported unconditionally, and besides, Ryota Watari also felt that Keiko was right.

Arima Kento nodded and said, "Then let's talk inside!"

"The first obstacle must be that senior who took the initiative to ask Tsubaki out and then confessed his feelings!" Arima Kento said with burning eyes, "He was Tsubaki's crush to begin with, and he could very well become Tsubaki's boyfriend."

"So, I think he's the number one obstacle!"

While Arima Sento felt that this senior was unlikely to become a real obstacle, someone had to start the conversation.

Sure enough, Watari Ryota said something different, "But Hitoshi, there's something you need to pay attention to. When that senior confessed to Tsubaki, Tsubaki didn't show any excitement."

"This shows that although Xiaochun admires that senior, she no longer has any feelings of love for him. Maybe she did before, but there is definitely not much left now."

“So, this obstacle is not difficult to overcome. All we need to do is get Tsubaki to reject that senior, right?” Keiko echoed her husband.

"How can we help Tsubaki reasonably refuse that senior?" Arima Kento raised the crucial question.

Keiko tossed her long, slightly curly second-generation hair and said confidently, "Leave this to me! I can definitely convince Tsubaki!"

Arima Kenjiro glanced at Watari Ryota, who also had a 'what the heck' look on his face, and said, "If you could, could you tell us how you plan to persuade Tsubaki?"

Chapter Ninety-Two: Get it! My friend!

"Oh, I see!"

After hearing Keiko's reasons, Arima Kento exclaimed in surprise, "Keiko's method is indeed feasible."

According to Keiko, there is a high chance of success!

When he asked that question, Keiko didn't hide her method and told the two of them directly.

"As expected of Keiko, you're amazing! I really admire you!" Ryota Watari said, and was about to pounce on his girlfriend.

Keiko blushed and pressed her hand against his chest, saying, "Oh dear, Arima-kun is still watching!"

"Hehehe, does that mean it'll work if no one's around?"

Arima Kento had a dark face. These two were completely ignoring his presence and were showing off their love like crazy!

It's a pity that Kaori Miyazono isn't here. Otherwise, she and Kaori could have showered each other with tons of PDA, several times more than the two people in front of them, and then buried them in a terrible PDA!

"Alright, now that this obstacle is mostly overcome, let's talk about the others!"

Arima Kento offered his 'kind' reminder.

"As for other obstacles, everyone should be aware of them! Keiko may not know because she hasn't been in our little circle for long, but you, A-Du, definitely do."

As Arima Kento spoke, Keiko looked at Arima Kento curiously, then looked at her boyfriend, waiting for him to explain.

Without hesitation, Watari Ryota said directly, "The second obstacle should be that they don't know each other's feelings for each other yet!"

"Actually, a long time ago, I noticed that Tsubaki's attitude towards Kousei was gradually changing. At the time, I thought something had happened."

"But after asking Kousei, we didn't get any reply, and the same thing happened with Tsubaki."

"And when I had my first girlfriend, hey hey hey! Keiko, don't hit me! I'm just explaining the situation, I'm definitely not reminiscing about my first girlfriend!! You have to believe me!"

Ryota Watari grabbed his girlfriend, who was about to pinch the soft flesh on his waist, and quickly began to explain.

"Alright, go on! I'm not ungrateful!" Keiko pouted, refusing to look at Ryota Watari's face.

"Hehe, my girlfriend is so sensible!" Watari Ryota flattered her before continuing the previous topic.

"When I had my first girlfriend, I realized that the way Tsubaki looked at Kousei at certain times was very similar to how that girl looked at me. Even Tsubaki herself didn't realize it."

"I only noticed this because I found that Tsubaki's attitude towards Kousei was different from her attitude towards me."

“At that time, I knew that Tsubaki liked Kousei very much. However, she herself was not aware of this liking.”

"But I can't quite tell with Kousei. However, the fact that he's willing to take such good care of Tsubaki means he probably doesn't dislike her!"

"Therefore, they liked each other, but they didn't know how the other felt. They weren't even clear about their own true feelings."

After listening to Ryota Watari's analysis, Keiko nodded thoughtfully and said, "This must be what they mean by 'the onlooker sees more of the game than the player.'"

"Yes, yes, that's right! That should be it!" Arima Kento looked at Keiko and praised, "Keiko, you understand it very well!"

"Actually, I felt it too. Although I haven't been back for very long."

Arima Kento said, "I didn't pay too much attention to it at the time; I figured these things should just take their natural course. But now it seems like either Kousei or Tsubaki needs to come to their senses!"

“That’s right. As Tsubaki and Kousei become more and more sought after, if they don’t quickly express their feelings for each other, someone else might beat them to it,” Watari Ryota said.

"Just like that senior from the baseball club this time, who knows if another one might pop up? If it's someone Tsubaki falls for, that wouldn't be good!"

"Yes, yes, and Kousei too. Now that he's out of the shadows, his talents will shine through, and he'll naturally attract a lot of girls, so we need to hurry up with this."

"But have you thought about how to get them to understand?" Arima Kento asked the crucial question.

Ryota Watari and Keiko looked at each other and shook their heads, indicating that they had no clue.

To be honest, Ma Xiandong didn't have many options either. "I'm in a similar situation, so everyone should observe first and see if there's any breakthrough or something."

"There's still time, at least this week. We don't need to worry about anything until Xiaochun responds to that senior. But we have to be careful afterwards."

"Well then, that's all for today! Class is about to start." Arima Kento said, taking out his phone and glancing at the time.

"Alright!" Watari Ryota said, "We're really good friends, aren't we? Worrying so much about their fate..."

"Well, what can we do? We're the closest of friends!"

Back in the classroom, Kousei Arima was still writing furiously, and it was clear that he was working very hard.

As expected, the current Kousei is the real Kousei; the previous one was a fake!

Arima Kousei had no doubts about where his younger brother and Watari Ryota went or what they did.

They didn't go to the toilet during the last break, but maybe they will during this break!

Arima Kousei didn't ask, so neither of them brought up the topic.

The last class was a home economics class, which is essentially a home economics skills course. It mainly consisted of two parts: cooking and sewing.

This lesson needs to be conducted in a designated classroom; it cannot be completed in the original classroom, since the necessary equipment is not available there.

Because they were quite good at cooking, Arima Kento chose cooking as his project, while Arima Kousei chose sewing, as did Watari Ryota.

Speaking of which, most of the people who choose to cook are girls. In the entire cooking class, apart from Ma Xiandong, there are only four boys.

However, the sewing classroom had a balanced gender ratio, because there were actually more girls in their class.

After several sewing lessons, Arima Kousei has mastered several techniques for mending clothes, and is even more skilled than some of the girls.