I, who advocate giving up, feel like a disqualified person

"Hmm..." He nodded, "But you got sick this time, which means you didn't take good care of yourself. And your so-called best friend... is Ye Jin, right? But that was our request at the time, so she played with you... Strictly speaking, she can't be considered a best friend you found yourself... And the person who protected you... apart from me and your mother, there should be no one else, right?"

There's no way to refute it...because it's very well said...it seems that I really haven't been taking good care of myself.

If it was sent to me in the past, I would probably think the same way, right?

"dad..."

I spoke.

"Hmm?" he asked inquiringly.

"Being sick can't be used as evidence to prove that I haven't taken good care of myself, because people get sick all the time. If that's used to conclude that I haven't taken good care of myself, then if I got sick while living with you, doesn't that prove that you haven't taken good care of me?"

When my father heard this, he didn't refute it... Very good, keep up the good work.

"Speaking of Ye Jin... let alone her, no one would become friends with someone they just met based on someone else's introduction, let alone a close friend. Friendship only develops after spending time together and understanding each other, and the friendship deepens after working and living together, and only then can we become close friends... So, Ye Jin may not have been found by me, but the friendship was indeed cultivated by me personally."

"Then..."

Then it's... Protect my people...

"The people who protect me..."

Countless images flashed through my mind...and I couldn't help but smile.

“There are a lot…”

It's not just the useless knight.

"Whether it's Ye Jin, her parents, or the classmates and teachers I met at school... they all take care of me in their own way... When I'm with them, I feel very happy... and it always feels more fulfilling than going to school here... Can I understand this as protection for me? So the people who can protect me are not just you, but also the people I know..."

I looked at my father, and I didn't know what he was thinking at this moment.

"So...I think..."

I wanted to continue, but found that I... had nothing to say, so I had to wait for my father's response.

"..." My father looked at me in disbelief, as if he had just come to his senses.

"Did you come up with all that just now?"

"Well... these are all what I wanted to say..."

Although I hid some things without your permission...but who doesn't have some secrets?

“…”

He looked at me, as if he wanted to see through me... Was it that exaggerated?

"You've really grown up..." He seemed to sigh, stood up, came over and touched my head.

"Actually, I missed you... When I heard you were sick, I was worried. After all, you weren't with us. At that moment, I regretted letting you go. I hadn't felt this way before. It's incredible, isn't it?"

He spoke these words as if he was talking to himself.

"But...hearing you say that, I feel relieved."

My father looked at me with approval in his eyes.

Needless to say, I knew what that meant.

"You've grown up..."

No...it's better to say... "You've matured."

..............

The warmth still remains

I love that action.

Extend your hand to the person you care about, then gently hold his hand in response, feeling the warmth of his hand, and slowly walk towards your destination as if guiding him.

While walking, I could feel the warmth of his palms, sometimes warm and sometimes cold...

Just chatting with him, letting time pass by.

In the end...even if I'm reluctant, I still have to let go of that hand and say goodbye to him...but I know that as long as I reach out to him, I will definitely get a response.

I'm looking forward to what kind of response I'll get.

Chapter 6: The Afterglow

Although I feel a little sorry for Xiao Lin, I still want to complete this painting alone.

So at this moment, I felt a little guilty for running out of the art class without permission, but I was also happily painting what I wanted to paint instead of the still life sketches that I was already familiar with.

Maybe it was because we were too familiar with each other and always seemed better than the people around us, so other classmates didn’t seem very willing to stay with me, and I just happened to like someone when I was painting.

Anyway, that's why I skipped classes.

At this moment, there was a rustling sound in my ears.

Although there is a similar sound when drawing with a pencil on paper, it is still different... It is the sound of your feet stepping on leaves.

Is anyone coming...

I turned around and saw a boy standing a few meters away from me, staring at me blankly.

The uneven light reflected on his somewhat tired face.

I can't remember where I've seen him before, but I feel a sense of familiarity... After all, we both ran out during class, so maybe we have something in common, right? And... he doesn't look like a bad person at all.

With that in mind, I greeted him.

"Hello."

"Ohhhh... Hello... Hello..."

A hint of shyness flashed in his eyes when he looked at me, and then he quickly turned away.

I think this action is kind of cute...

But those eyes never looked at my face again.

It wasn't until the end of the conversation that I discovered the reason for the familiarity.

We met before, a long time ago.

...................

Now it seems that there really is such a thing as "fate" in this world.

When I met him that day... no, I should say we met again, I realized it.

Perhaps it was fate that allowed us to meet again. However, he had changed a lot and seemed to have forgotten what happened back then.

"I'm Yi Sajik from Class 13..."

He introduced himself to me like this, as if we were meeting for the first time.

"I wanted to be a hero, but..."

I don’t know what he went through, whether then or now, I can only guess silently in my heart.

Although I felt a little sad, it was overshadowed by the joy of meeting again.

I have gradually come to understand that no matter how you change, you are still you, just sticking to your inner beliefs in different ways.

"I have something on my mind... I have a friend..."

Whether casually mentioning

"I had some conflicts with that friend..."

Still speaking alone with worry

"I've unknowingly gotten myself into trouble again..."

Or a self-deprecating complaint

"It feels good..."

But I always say this sentence inadvertently when solving a problem.

That's it, saying discouraging things while trying to help others. This isn't the way of a hero, it's the way of you.

So, if you don’t remember, then don’t remember. You will always remember it... Compared to the past, I care more about this reunion.

It’s great to have the opportunity to get to know you in more detail.

This time, I will never let you disappear from my sight again.

............................

Time slipped away by unknowingly. When my thoughts were still immersed in the night when I watched the stars with him, I had been with him for nearly half a year.

I think I understand him better now than I did then.

It's hard to describe him in a few words, but it's easy to sum him up in one sentence... he's a very good person.

The most profound impression he leaves on people is probably his gloomy demeanor. After all, anyone who sees him for the first time will sense that.

However, after spending some time together, you will find that the word that can best summarize it is "gentle".

It is not intentional, so it is generally not noticeable. But when you really notice it, you will feel that this person is really good.

"Have you been waiting for a long time?"

He greeted me somewhat sheepishly, which incidentally made me realize that I was distracted.

"No, it's not that boring when I'm thinking about things." I responded and waited for him to walk home with me.

"Really..." He stopped talking and began to look towards the school gate, "Then let's go back."

"Ah."

As usual, I held out my hand to him.

But this time he seemed unaware of it and did not respond.

"Well, I suddenly discovered something yesterday."

As if talking to himself, he inadvertently brought up a topic with me.

"...Hmm?" I seemed a little uncomfortable with the situation just now, so I was stunned for a moment.

But it seems that Sheji has something on his mind.

"What's going on?"

"About..." He scratched his cheek, looking a little embarrassed, "About my childhood sweetheart."

............................

I don’t know what he is like in front of others, I only know that in front of me, he always shows his true emotions very honestly.

Whether it's occasional shyness, inexplicable loss, or usual laziness, they are always displayed in front of me without any concealment, without any scruples.

She even shed tears in front of me.

It wasn't because of weakness, nor was it because of happiness or sadness... I was just crying, but it made me feel different emotions.

Why is he like this...

I pondered this question for a moment and soon found the answer.

Maybe it's because of her...it's about Kanon, right?

As expected... After all, we knew each other before, so it's not impossible for something to happen...

When I thought of this, a feeling that had never appeared before suddenly appeared in my heart.

Just like I don’t understand why he is crying, I don’t understand why I feel this way.

I feel... a little uncomfortable.

............

When Sheji was halfway through telling me about his so-called childhood sweetheart, I noticed something strange.

Whether it was his words or his own heart.