Comet Dragon, breaking into the gravity field

"Then just fly out of the window." With a mischievous smile, Shiina Riki threw this trouble to Naruse Ritsu and asked him to find a way to solve it himself.

After confirming their next itinerary, the two did not continue to visit Ueno Zoo.

On the return tram, the two sat together as they did when they came, and the atmosphere they exuded was no different from those couples they saw at the zoo.

Leaning back, feeling the cool touch on his back, Shiina Riki looked at Naruse Ritsu beside him and said, "We went to look for Nagasaki Suyo before. This shouldn't be your first time there, right?"

"When I took the elevator, I pressed the 14th floor directly. When I was at her house, I was also very familiar with the furniture and rooms." After telling the details he observed, Shiina Riki waited quietly for Naruse Ritsu's reaction.

"Lixi actually noticed it...it's indeed not my first time there."

"You're not trying to hide it at all, are you?"

Giving him a blank look, Shiina Riki put the package bag in his hand on his lap.

After a long while, she said quietly, "I... it's really weird, isn't it? I actually fell in love with the same person as them..."

Looking back now, Shiina Riki couldn't tell whether he made the decision on impulse or decided to express his feelings after careful consideration.

"Even though you say 'a little confusion leads to a happy life,' it's still hard for me to ignore what happened next."

"for example?"

"Like a band, wouldn't it be awkward for us to get together..."

"Regarding this, I believe in Aine and Suye's ability to control the situation."

"what……"

Hearing those two names, Shiina Riki couldn't help but sigh. Leaning her head on Naruse Ritsu's shoulder, the girl now seemed to have completely shed the "tsundere" in her "tsundere" image, leaving only the "tsundere" that she only displayed to her lover.

"I still can't understand why the two of them agreed to something like this."

"Can't it be because I'm so attractive?"

Seeing that his lover dared to say such arrogant words to his face, Shiina Riki's eyes were immediately filled with disgust.

After the joke, Naruse Ritsu put away his slightly frivolous smile and said to Shiina Riki with a different attitude, "Actually, it's normal for you to feel dissatisfied. I'd rather say that I hope you'll be angry."

"After all, this is a lifelong thing."

"A lifetime...are you trying to learn how to speak like a lamp?"

Looking at Ritsu Narose with a sidelong glance, Shiina Riki always felt that the same words spoken from Ritsu Narose's mouth had a completely different feeling.

"Because this is the most important event in your life, I naturally have to prepare well."

"What are you preparing for?" Unable to keep up with Narose Ritsu's pace, Shiina Riki looked at him with some confusion.

"Of course it's about marriage and what happens after that." Ritsu Naruse said with a matter-of-fact expression.

"Get married!?"

The voice suddenly rose, attracting the attention of several other passengers in the car.

She quickly shut up, but the blush on Shiina Riki's face wouldn't fade. Feeling the envious and amazed gazes from those around her, she had no choice but to bend over and bury her face in her shopping bags, isolating herself from the outside world.

It wasn't until Ritsu Narose took her hand that she realized the train had arrived at the station.

Without continuing the unfinished conversation, Shiina Riki bit her lower lip gently, trying to calm her pounding heart. Walking down the familiar street, she soon arrived downstairs with Naruse Ritsu.

The last time he came, he was in a hurry, and it was at an extremely awkward time late at night, so Naruse Ritsu had no time to pay attention to the environment in Shiina Riki's house.

Walking into the living room, Ritsu Narose was attracted by the many trophies displayed in the living room closet.

"That is……"

Noticing Naruse Ritsu's gaze, Shiina Riki was silent for a moment, then said calmly: "Those are my sister's trophies."

"Huh? So, you have a sister, Silixi?"

"She is four years older than me and used to be the head of the wind band at Yugaoka."

"That's it."

Noticing something was off about Shiina Riki's tone, Naruse Ritsu didn't continue the conversation. Instead, Shiina Riki took the initiative to approach him, seemingly ready to introduce these awards that symbolized his honor and glorious past.

It was difficult to stop her, so Ritsu Narose could only step forward and act according to Riki's ideas.

"Shiina Maki..."

Reading out the names on the certificates softly, he discovered that these awards actually covered three stages: elementary school, junior high school, and high school, and among them, the honors in music were the most outstanding.

To be honest, it's a bit scary.

"Could it be that your sister is the legendary King of Rolls?"

"It's only natural for talented people to achieve this level through continuous hard work."

There was no sign of envy, but no sign of jealousy either. Shiina Riki just calmly explained the fact that she had already fully recognized.

"It must be so hard to have such an outstanding sister... Ah, I'm not saying anything bad about her!"

"I know."

The atmosphere between the two of them suddenly became dull. After a while, Shiina Riki looked at Naruse Ritsu and said, "Let's go to my room."

Walking into the room he had visited once before, Ritsu Narose was still filled with strong curiosity.

After all, he came and left in a hurry before, and his relationship with Shiina Riki was not like it is now, so he had no chance to observe her bedroom.

The composition guide was still on the cabinet, showing signs of recent use. The dark blue curtains were drawn aside for a moment, letting in the warm afternoon sunlight.

The overall appearance of the room was no different from the impression in Ritsu Narose's memory, with no significant changes.

She took the panda stuffed animal out of her handbag and initially intended to place it directly next to her pillow. However, when she noticed another person in the room, she silently changed its location to the low cabinet next to the bed.

After putting the panda puppet together with it, Shiina Riki turned around and looked at Narose Ritsu, who was sitting obediently and politely at the low table.

For some reason, the space that she was used to seemed much more crowded in her eyes.

“The room is a bit small…”

"It's enough to accommodate two people."

Muttering to himself, Shiina Riki heard the gentle voice of Naruse Ritsu ringing in his ears. He looked up at her, but he couldn't bear the collision of their eyes.

"Hey you, where did you learn these words?" Trying hard to suppress the shyness in his heart, Shiina Riki's expression at this moment can be described as "gritting his teeth".

"This is the truth." Tilting his head, Naruse Ritsu acted calm and composed. "Who says Riki is so easy to understand sometimes?"

"Huh? Do you think I'm easy to deal with?"

"Because Lixi often restrains himself too tightly."

Hearing this, Shiina Riki fell silent. It wasn't until the sunlight outside the window was obscured by clouds that she asked, "When did you find out?"

"The earliest, of course, was before the live. Back then, Li Xi was desperately trying to catch up on his music, completely pushing himself to the limit without regard for his health."

Combining the image in his memory with the scene he just witnessed, Naruse Ritsu continued, "As for now, I think I understand why Riki seems so anxious."

"Just because an older sister has achieved success in music, it doesn't make sense for her younger sister to be equally successful in it—right?"

That being said, how many people in the world can completely ignore what others say?

Learning to become a better individual and maintaining a positive attitude towards catching up - these are all commendable qualities, but everything should be done in moderation.

Your every move is completely influenced by others, to the point of ignoring your own true will. Even if you succeed once or twice, the final outcome may not be very good.

Once the motivation that motivates you becomes a shackle that restricts your actions, it is not surprising that you will be imprisoned.

So, what was the root cause that led Shiina Riki to take such action?

Recalling the conversation he had with her a few minutes ago, it was not difficult for Ritsu Narose to guess something from her attitude towards her sister.

After all, it was the first time he saw Shiina Riki with such a complicated look.

However, persuading someone with words alone is a bit empty. The dilemma Shiina Riki faces is a long-standing one, and it cannot be shaken by a few words.

If you want her to get rid of her inner inferiority, you must first give her enough confidence and motivation.

So what can I do about this matter?

While keeping this matter in mind, Ritsu Narose started chatting with Tatsuki Shiina about other topics.

Unlike some couples who rush to get intimate when they first enter each other's room, he became calm instead at this time and did not seem to be aggressive at all.

Sitting on her bed with Shiina Riki, Naruse Ritsu just discussed with her the photos taken at the zoo today, selecting the most representative ones.

There is no fiery passion like fire, only a tranquil atmosphere like flowing water in the mountains.

It was not until Ritsu Narose noticed that the light in the room had become a little dim that he took the initiative to end the last goal of today's date.

"Then I should leave now."

"Eh? So early?"

After glancing at the screen of her mobile phone and then at the sunlight outside the window that was beginning to dim, Ritsu Narose decided to give up reminding Riki that her perception of time was distorted.

Carrying a handbag containing records and other return gifts, he walked to the entrance and prepared to leave.

"that--"

"what happened?"

Noticing that Shiina Riki seemed to be hesitant to speak, Naruse Ritsu stopped opening the door.

Facing his gaze, Shiina Riki chose to close her eyes and stretch her arms slightly outward - and the meaning of her action was naturally self-evident in the eyes of the experienced Naruse Ritsu.

Putting the handbag on the ground, Ritsu Narushe made up for the hug that was missed on today's date at the end.

The two of them didn't speak, but just silently felt the warmth of their lover Wen's body.

After a long while, Shiina Riki reluctantly let go of his hand and staggered back a few steps as if he had drunk something strong.

"See you tomorrow~"

"Ah."

However, when Ritsu Naruse opened the door of the Shiina family's house, he saw a young woman who looked somewhat similar to Tatsuki Shiina, but much more mature, standing outside the door.

The other person looked at her keys, then looked up at Ritsu Naruse. When her gaze passed over the boy in front of her and looked at the furnishings in the room and the motionless Shiina Riki, she suddenly realized something.

Finally, the two sisters of the Shiina family reached an agreement on expression management.

20. Ginger Party (Two in One)

With the door blocked by Shiina Riki's sister, Naruse Ritsu had to return to the Shiina family's living room to explain his identity and purpose to this "Shiina Maki".

"Um, Naruse-san, can we chat for a moment?"

"Yes, yes, but..."

"Don't worry, I won't ask you any embarrassing questions~"

Unlike Tatsuki Shiina, although the older sister Maki Shiina looks somewhat similar to her younger sister, she gives people a more friendly impression than Tatsuki who looks a bit strong because of her droopy eyes.

Overall, she is still in a fairly easy-to-talk-to state.

Looking at Shiina Riki who had been silent since her sister appeared, Naruse Ritsu nodded.

Seeing that her sister's boyfriend was so considerate, Shiina Maki, who had long suspected that Riki was in a relationship, immediately turned on the recording software on her mobile phone.

“First of all – how did you and Lixi meet?

"Skipping over information like Naruse Ritsu's personal information and family background, Shiina Maki started by asking about how he and Shiina Riki became friends.

"The first time we met was in the afternoon when Riki was about to finish her part-time job." As he said this, Naruse Ritsu took another look at Riki while Shiina Maki was taking notes.

Then he saw Li Xi looking serious and thinking with his head down, as if he was trying hard to recall the scene at that time.

"I happened to run into Li Xi's friend at the time, and she mistakenly thought I was bullying her..."

Hearing Naruse Ritsu actually say it out loud, Shiina Riki's originally vague memory instantly became much clearer. And when she recalled the conversation at that time, a feeling of near social death washed over her.

"When he saw his friend being bullied, he bravely rushed over - when you think about it, Li Xi is really reliable."

"oh oh!"

Shiina Maki's eyes lit up when she heard about her sister's experience, which she had never told her before. She seemed to have completely forgotten the real business, and only regarded her conversation with Naruse Ritsu as a storytelling session with Shiina Riki as the theme.

"Hey! I'm talking to you guys--" The two of them were having a great time chatting, and the person being praised by them became shy.

"Speaking of which, what does Li Xi usually call you?"

call?