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

But she didn't seem to want to tell me.

"It's not fun if you say it out loud. It's like copying the answer. Even though it seems like the problem has been solved, the person who encountered the problem still has no idea what's going on."

"...Now that you say so..."

I'll just ignore that statement altogether. Who knows if she's just spouting some chuunibyou line again...though she doesn't seem to be joking at all right now.

"Okay, after saying so much, I should go prepare some things." She said and pretended to leave again.

"Speaking of which, you need to prepare something."

At least I don't want to think about it.

"Well... first of all, I definitely won't be coming back for dinner, so I'll definitely need some food and drinks, right? Then there's things I can carry with me, like towels... Oh, I almost forgot. If possible, I'll come by bike tomorrow."

"...Of course I can..."

But I always feel that it’s not worth the effort.

"Then there's nothing else to do. And don't you still have summer homework to finish? There's no point in me staying here any longer, so you should just work hard on it from now on."

"Since you said you'd lend me your homework, there's no need for me to rush and do it now."

Yes, such shameless remarks.

"Ah, it's already like this before I even borrowed it... I don't know what you'll become in the future."

"Why do I always feel like your tone is like you're talking to a child who's not doing his best... and you have no right to control what I do."

"Okay, okay, I don't care."

Sounding like she was just going through the motions, she walked towards the door of my room.

"Well, since you have nothing to do, do you want to come and join me?" She suddenly turned around and asked me after opening the door.

"what....."

After I reacted, I found that I had put down the pen in my hand.

Since there is no need to write anymore, I might as well just accompany her.

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

"This is your mount..."

"Sit... sit where..."

It seems that she still hasn't completely gotten rid of her middle school feeling...

"Ahem, it's nothing."

"...Forehead."

I don't know why, but even before we even got downstairs, she suddenly wanted to see my bike, even though I had no idea what was so good about it...

She shook her head. "It seems you don't really enjoy things like car maintenance."

She muttered to herself as she looked at the car in front of her.

It's no wonder she reacted that way. It rained a few days ago and she'd forgotten to put it away. Plus, she'd never taken care of it, so it looked battered and bruised, and it wasn't particularly attractive. But then again, how could a hurried pedestrian pay attention to the condition of another person's car?

"Because it's troublesome. And I don't use it often. I only use it when I suddenly want to go out. It's just an item, so I don't need to pay much attention to it..."

"...That's true...but what if it breaks down when you need it for something important?"

"..."

I really couldn't answer this question for the time being.

"Well, that's your way of survival, and I don't think I'm qualified to judge. But anyway, it's always better to prevent problems before they happen than to deal with them after they happen, right?"

"...Well."

But in reality, only when a problem becomes large enough for people to notice will people wonder why they didn't take precautions in the first place. Since things that have been taken precautions against will not attract attention, they will naturally be treated as if they don't exist.

Ultimately, it's impossible to think about preventing something that hasn't happened before. The saying "every failure makes you wiser" is not just a casual remark; if "learning from your mistakes" is growth, then "every failure" is the corresponding price.

"Since it's already been mentioned, you might as well check your bike when you come back. Otherwise, it will be very troublesome if it breaks down while you're riding tomorrow." Ling Can mentioned it to me very considerately.

"Um... okay." He responded slightly.

I don’t know if this reaction can be considered careless.

What I say is just a law

If possible, I'd like to let more people know about this place. Even though it's a small, unassuming town with no particularly appealing scenery... many people are thinking of leaving and moving to more affluent places. As the saying goes, people strive for higher ground, and it's understandable that they have such a desire.

Even if I haven't thought about it, reality will always push me to go further. Even if reality doesn't push me, my family situation will probably force me to do it.

I already know very well that I will eventually leave here and go to a wider world.

So, I want to record this place in my memory, this place where I once lived. Call it a souvenir, or an excuse to escape the tedium of schoolwork... When I pick up my pen and write down the imprecise outlines on paper, the emotion that arises within me is, perhaps, pride. Even if it's rarely acknowledged by others, that's for sure.

Because I like this place and don’t hate it, I want to record it and do things for this place that others have never done or thought of.

If possible, I'll allow myself to be a bit bold in my notes for once. I hope that those who follow this route will, through my efforts, discover the extraordinary significance of this ordinary land.

【Selected from .??? Notes】

Chapter 40: The words mentioned are just laws

"yawn--"

It's supposed to provide more oxygen to the brain, but now it's happening involuntarily due to my physical sleepiness. I don't want to know why this happens... I just want to know if there are any other solutions besides taking a nap.

"Crash..."

I splashed the water, which wasn't exactly ice-cold, onto my face. Even so, the fatigue and discomfort bred by long periods of laziness weren't dispelled by this slight stimulation. Turning my gaze to the mirror, I saw nothing worth noting except a handsome, slightly tired face.

If I think carefully about what I did in the past, I don't seem to have done anything excessive... Anyway, there is still about an hour until the agreed time, and what I need now is to fill my stomach, even though I have no appetite right now.

"Why are you up so early today? Are you going out?"

My father, who was sitting at the dining table and looking at his phone while waiting for breakfast, noticed me coming downstairs and asked.

"Hmm...something to do...yawn..."

For some reason, my parents always like to get up early, but now it's vacation and they don't have to do anything...so the time saved seems to be spent watching TV and using mobile phones.

"It's a bit rare that you still go out to play."

"I've run away before, okay?" Although he was invited by others, he didn't refuse.

"When are you coming back."

"...Probably around afternoon." I responded, pulling the chair out from under the table and sitting across from him.

"It's taking so long. Where are you going? And with whom?"

"Friends... I don't know where to go either." I responded nonchalantly. "What's with your tone of voice that sounds like you're concerned about your daughter?"

"Nothing, just felt a little strange." His eyes gradually returned to the phone in his hand. If I guessed correctly, he was probably reading the news or something.

"..."

There's nothing strange about just going out.

"Anyway, be careful on the road."

he ordered.

"Oh, I see."

There was a brief silence that followed, and I seemed to smell the fragrance coming from the kitchen.

"You...why don't you leave?"

Just as my appetite was gradually aroused by the fragrance in the air, the father opposite me suddenly asked a question that I didn't know how to respond to for a moment.

"...I...I want to eat breakfast."

Isn't this obvious? It's almost done...

"Didn't you skip breakfast before? I called you to get up a few days ago, but you didn't get up, so I simply didn't make breakfast for you these few days. It's a waste anyway."

“…”

"Who knew you'd suddenly want to eat today..." His eyes were filled with impatience, without a trace of apology. He then nonchalantly pointed at the door behind him and said, "If you want to eat, go to the street yourself."

. . . . . . . . .

If something exists, it will happen. Whether it's luck or misfortune, whether it's fair or probabilistic, everyone will encounter it at least once. However, the world seems to have no desire to teach us about "averages." All we can do is accept whatever happens to us.

And I have reason to believe that as long as something has a bad tendency, it will definitely happen to me.

Nothing is as simple as it seems. This was a random thought I had while lying in bed yesterday. So this seemingly simple map is probably more than just a random doodle, but I have no idea what deeper meaning it holds. It would be nice if I could find out through this random activity...

Everything will take longer than you expect. For example, I'm already quite a bit ahead of schedule now, so it seems like it will take quite a while to get Ling Shen, and maybe even longer than expected.

"Ah, that's Murphy's Law."

I thought about what I had been through so far and couldn't help but sigh.

"Huh? What did you say?"

But unexpectedly, her voice appeared in my ears just in time. This is what they call "collecting the flag in seconds".

Ling Can, standing before me, was wearing a pink athletic short-sleeved shirt with a loose-fitting collar through which a faint glimpse of gray suspenders could be seen... Height really does matter. She wore black shorts, revealing her fair, graceful legs. A white sunhat, paired with a golden ponytail, gave her a vibrant look. Her mount... let's just call it a mount, then. It was a pink mountain bike. It certainly looked better maintained than mine, gleaming even in the less intense sunlight.

How should I put it? It was a real eye-opener. Well, maybe it was because I was used to it, but everyone else seemed to be staring at her intently.

"No, it's nothing."

I'd thought my early arrival would allow me to lean against the statue's pedestal in the center of the square and reflect for a while, but I hadn't expected her to arrive just as early as I had... If I'd arrived late to avoid any mishaps, then what had Lingcan done? For now, it seemed the only explanation was her childlike energy.

"Sheji, you look listless. Were you so excited about this that you couldn't sleep last night?"

She was currently riding on that bicycle, supporting herself on one foot and talking to me.

"...No."

"You're really childish. You're not an elementary school student on a spring outing."

"I already said it wasn't true." He didn't want to explain anymore.

"You look a little haggard... Young people should take care of their bodies."

Her tone was like she was going to pat me on the shoulder in warning, but due to her height, she could only pat my arm. However, I knew exactly what she was trying to say, so I raised my fist and gently tapped her on the head.

"I just got up too early and am not used to it. Don't make random guesses." And the guesses were all a mess... It was obvious that he learned them from Ye Jin.

"Okay, okay, let's get ready to go."

"Yes, yes..." I responded faintly, then put my hands on the handlebars and turned the bike in the direction she was heading. "By the way, where are we going..."

"Hmm... I don't know."

She said some unreliable words calmly, then took out the paper from her pocket and then took out her cell phone for comparison.

"..."

We agreed to make plans right after we got home... So, I didn't do anything at all? I didn't check my car, though.

"Oh, okay, I see." She tapped the screen a few times. "I've found a place very close to here."

“So it’s just close?”

"That's not the point. You just need to follow me closely," she interrupted me abruptly. "I just asked you to follow me. You still need my permission to speak."

"..What the hell."

I hadn't heard of this rule yesterday. Anyway... being able to ride quietly would be a nice experience. After all, it was just her whim, so minimizing consumption was the best thing to do.

"Why are you looking at me with such suspicion? Of course I have made a good plan." She argued defiantly.

But I know...it's strange that she has done it, her expression has already revealed it.

"Okay, okay, I understand. You'll be responsible for everything from now on. I just need to follow you."

In short, according to the law just mentioned,

What can go wrong will go wrong. No matter how much I try to prevent it, it will happen. In this situation, it is wise to be a bystander to reduce my responsibility for the accident.