In the anime series, Goto Ichiri is actually my childhood sweetheart?

Gao Qiaofeng curled his lips. He felt it was better to speak less in such occasions.

"Xiao Feng, why are you so obedient? Come, give me a kiss—"

"Uh-huh——"

He struggled to prevent Ryoko from picking him up, and the two of them went home playing and fighting.

At night, Takahashi Feng stayed in the room and concentrated on carving. Seeing that he was very careful in the afternoon, Ryoko did not interfere too much.

While looking at the introductory book on carpentry and worrying about how to improve learning efficiency, Gao Qiaofeng suddenly slapped his head.

I also have a talent system!

The talent system came in handy at this time. With the door closed and the system's light screen on, Gao Qiaofeng used half an hour as a cycle. At the end of the time, he would check whether his proficiency had increased. Then, based on the increase in proficiency, he would infer the most suitable learning method for him.

Moreover, the results of learning can be reflected so intuitively with numbers. Such a powerful positive and negative feedback system makes Gaoqiao Feng enjoy carving.

Time always passes quickly when you concentrate on doing something. Gao Qiaofeng suddenly wanted to carve for a longer time at a time to see how much his proficiency would increase. However, while he was carving, Ryoko ran in and pulled his ear, telling him to go to bed quickly.

When I looked at the time, it was almost eleven o'clock.

With the mentality of having to grow up well and not staying up late, Gao Qiaofeng went to bed obediently.

The days that followed became regular. He went to school and played with Goto Ichiri during the day, and came back home at night to concentrate on practicing sculpture. He also learned theoretical knowledge from books and recited Ryoko's experiences.

There are many techniques and skills in the book, as well as some tools that Takahashi Feng has never heard of that can help him. He asked Ryoko about it, and the answer he got was "Don't think too much about it first, start with the most basic tools."

He understood what Ryoko meant. When encountering a problem, start with it first. When encountering difficulties that cannot be solved, see if there are suitable tools. Don't think so far at the beginning. Most of the students with the most stationery are poor students.

Following the book, he drew a design drawing relying on his rich painting experience in his previous life. The model of the tumbler he was going to make was clearly drawn on it with great precision. After discussing with Ryoko, the size was decided to be the size of an adult's palm.

The piece of wood he used to practice with at the beginning had been carved into an irregular sphere. He didn't know at which step the problem started, but as he was carving, pieces were missing here and there, and it couldn't take shape at all.

Looking at his proficiency, the increase was not satisfactory. Takahashi Feng gave up the plan of making a tumbler directly and instead made carving out a regular sphere his primary goal.

It sounds simple, but it took him nearly two weeks to successfully carve out a small wooden ball. Takahashi Feng polished it with the sandpaper he got from Ryoko. The polished ball was placed in his hand, and the light in the room illuminated it with a dazzling halo.

The excited Takahashi Feng handed the ball to Ryoko. Ryoko took the ball and looked at it again and again under the light. The surface was smooth and there was almost no flaw to the naked eye. The whole ball was very round, like a real sphere.

This is quite exaggerated.

"You're amazing, Xiao Feng. You've reached this level in such a short time. I originally thought that even you would need to work hard for a month or so."

Ryoko was indeed a little surprised.

One is Takahashi Kaede's perseverance and patience. He said he wanted to learn sculpture, so every day after cooking, he would stay in the house and practice seriously. He even missed several episodes of his favorite character, Hanzawa Naoki.

The second is this outstanding talent. She had seen clumsy children before who could hold the wood in their left hand and scrape it with their right hand, and they could scrape it into the air several times in a row. Even smart children need a long time of practice, but Gao Qiaofeng can improve faster than anyone she knows.

And most importantly, he is good at correcting his mistakes and always puts himself in the lowest position when asking questions, which is a precious quality.

"The next step is the irregular ellipsoid at the bottom of the tumbler. This is the most critical part because the center of gravity must be directly below the center of mass. It's useless to know about this kind of thing. You have to grasp it yourself when you make it."

Ryoko had told Takahashi Kaede about this academic aspect at the beginning, and Takahashi Kaede nodded at this moment.

"If it's you, Xiaofeng, I believe you can do it, come on!" Ryoko touched Takahashi Feng's head and encouraged him with very positive words.

Takahashi Feng thought that this was not a talent, it was just the help of the system. However, he still cheered her on with Ryoko. It had been a long time since he had worked so hard, so he had to show some results to himself.

During the time he was practicing, Goto Ichiri was always hesitant, as if he wanted to say something but was holding it back, as if he was hiding something from him.

But whenever Takahashi Kaede asked, Goto Ichiri would run away in panic, saying "I can't tell you that!" as he ran.

"What? Is there anything you can't tell me?"

Takahashi Feng didn't quite understand what Goto Ichiri was hiding, but he didn't care too much. After all, Goto Ichiri's train of thought was difficult for a mere Takahashi Feng to understand.

In order to make an excellent lower part of the tumbler, Takahashi Kaede spent much more time than making the sphere. It was almost December, which was close to Christmas, before he successfully made a qualified product that would not fall over.

When he placed the lower half of the tumbler that he had carved with so much effort on the table, and saw it slowly stand up on its own and not fall down no matter how he moved it, Takahashi Kaede was so excited that he almost wanted to cheer.

But he still held back, after all, Ryoko was sleeping.

During this period, Takahashi Kaede's studio was also moved from the bedroom to Ryoko's processing room. There was a lamp hanging above the work table surrounded by an iron frame, which always shone the light directly on the object to be carved, making it very eye-catching.

"Just like a little carpenter's apprentice."

Ryoko would occasionally pass by and come in to see what was going on. Every time, she would find that Takahashi Kaede was concentrating on carving something or thinking.

When she became interested in this kind of mechanical work, she was far from being as enthusiastic as Takahashi Kaede.

He might be born to do this.

As Ryoko was thinking this, Takahashi Kaede's first finished product came out.

Chapter 37 Christmas Eve

This is a trial work. It is smaller than the finished product, but it already has the shape of the finished product.

Regarding the connection between the head and the body, Takahashi Kaede adopted a special structure.

A part of the head extends out from the bottom and can be inserted into the hole in the upper part of the body. Then, you pinch it with your hand and turn it, just like using a key to open a door, and the head and body will be firmly fixed.

Takahashi tried it a few times and found no mistakes. The size and details were perfect. When he showed it to Ryoko, she said, "Wow - it was made so quickly?!" and took a photo and sent it to others.

It must be Machida Sonoko.

With this successful experience, Takahashi Kaede's skills and techniques have met the requirements. All that remains is to design according to the original design drawings and polish the details, striving to do his best.

The result was that the finished product was born just a few days after the prototype came out.

The head of the finished product is not designed to be solid. Instead, it is hollowed out inside and then filled. A hole is dug outside so that the filling inside can be seen. A small rotating mechanism is installed on the top. When the mechanism is turned, the filling inside will rotate.

Takahashi Kaede wanted to make this tumbler look like Goto Ichiri in a cartoon style. The part of the head that can rotate is her cheek. By turning the mechanism, Goto Ichiri's expression will switch between happy and reserved. The outermost wooden shell was also carved by him into the shape of hair.

The body was painted with her wearing a school uniform with her hands in her pockets. When thinking about what Goto Ichiri usually wears and what she looks like, Takahashi Kaede would always burst out laughing, as if he had thought of something happy.

The finished product was a little heavy, so Takahashi Feng carried it with both hands and brought it to Ryoko who was watching TV in the living room.

There was a 'bang' sound.

Goto Ichiri's tumbler was placed on the table, and it made a heavy sound the moment it touched the table.

"Ryoko, how is it?" Takahashi Feng asked with a little passion and a little nervousness.

Ryoko first touched it and found it very smooth, as if it had been carefully polished with sandpaper, and there were no thorns at all.

The shape is also perfect, and Takahashi Kaede is very particular about the colors she uses in her painting, especially Goto Ichiri's pink hair and sky blue eyes, which make the tumbler come alive and does not look at all like a cheap industrial product.

Ryoko sat upright, showing due respect for the work of art.

"I think it's perfect, Xiaofeng. If you give this to Yili, she will definitely be very happy!" Ryoko said firmly. No one would refuse to be given a handmade handicraft, let alone one so big and delicate.

"That's good...Okay, the next step is packaging." Gao Qiaofeng felt relieved, finally finishing one thing...

As Christmas approaches, the temperature is getting lower and lower, and people on the street are wearing thick down jackets, cotton hats and gloves.

Goto Ichiri also put on a Christmas hat, with a red body and a white brim, and a small white ball on the top that swung as he ran.

"Feng! The day after tomorrow is Christmas!"

Running to Takahashi Kaede, Goto Ichiri spoke excitedly with his little face flushed.

Today is December 12rd, the last day at school, and the day after tomorrow is Christmas, which is the day they agreed on.

"Time flies so fast, and it's almost vacation time."

Gao Qiaofeng sighed that the past two months passed like a flash, and he hadn't even felt anything clearly yet, and they had passed in a daze.

"Let's come over the day after tomorrow in the afternoon, and I'll ask Ryoko to call your mother then."

Actually, Ryoko still had to go to work that day, but she was able to finish her work early and leave work early.

"She said she could come pick you up."

"Hey, is it okay? Will it bother Auntie?"

"Not at all. On the contrary, mom is very happy because Ms. Ryoko is here."

Goto Ichiri shook her head. When she told her mother about this, Goto Michiyo was also very happy that Takahashi Kaede's family could come and celebrate Christmas together.

"Mom, she also bought a big Christmas tree with all the little colored lights on it! She told us to exchange gifts there and said we can make a wish when we do so. As long as we make a wish in front of the Christmas tree, it will definitely come true!"

Takahashi Feng smiled. He didn't quite believe in such wishes, but if Goto Ichiri was happy, he could still act it out with her.

During this period, the two of them stayed together almost every day. They did all the activities together, such as drawing together, sliding down the slide while Takahashi Kaede watched Goto Ichiri slide, and even on the swing, one person sat on it while the other pushed it.

Of course, it is usually Takahashi Feng who pushes the bike. He is embarrassed to let a girl help him push the bike.

The most obvious change in Goto Ichiri is that she never acts sullenly again. She smiles foolishly in front of Takahashi Kaede all day long, and she laughs non-stop whenever Takahashi Kaede praises her.

But there was still no improvement in how he treated other people. Sometimes when other children came to play with them, Goto Ichiri would quickly hide behind Takahashi Kaede.

Although he hopes that Goto Ichiri can overcome her social phobia, Takahashi Kaede never wants to force her. After all, with her around, she can help solve many problems.

He also knew that this was not a long-term solution, and Goto Ichiri would have to face everything on her own in the end, but every time he saw her evasive eyes, Takahashi Feng couldn't bear to do anything to force her.

"Would you like to hang out together tonight? I heard there will be a party and maybe fireworks."

"Yes, yes, yes!"

Looking at Goto Ichiri's excitement, Takahashi Kaede suddenly remembered what he had said before about taking Ryoko to watch the fireworks. He didn't expect that he could do it this Christmas.

......

"Students, this semester has officially ended. You can start enjoying your vacation now. Remember to stay safe during the vacation and don't trust strangers!"

As soon as the teacher finished speaking, there was cheering in the classroom. Many parents were waiting for their children outside the school gate. After all, it was the last day, and it was normal to take the children out for a good meal at the end of the day.

"Feng, let's go back!"

Goto Ichiri walked over and naturally took Takahashi Kaede's hand, pulled it twice, and looked at him with a smile.

"Well, go back."

Holding Goto Ichiri's hand slightly tighter, Takahashi Kaede led her out from the crowd of children.

After leaving the crowd, Goto Ichiri still didn't let go.

"Do you like holding my hand so much?"

"Because Feng's hands are warm."

As I walked out of the classroom, a biting cold wind blew towards me, and it felt like being cut by a knife when it brushed across my cheeks.

It was very cold outside, and what Goto Ichiri said made sense, so Takahashi Kaede let her hold the boy's hand.

Chapter 38: Just Get Through It

Since it was the last day of the semester, school ended especially early today. When Takahashi Kaede got home, it would take a long time for Ryoko to come back.

Ever since he started learning carpentry in order to make a figure for Goto Ichiri, Takahashi Kaede felt that he was becoming more and more interested in this kind of work. He began to wonder if he could make things more refined, to the level of a figure.

But to reach that level, the required skill level is definitely very high. The seven-head-body figures are usually made based on a freeze-frame of the anime character at a certain moment, including fine movements, the shape of the clothes, and details of the expressions, body shape, and hair. These all need to be paid attention to.

Wood itself is hard in texture, and even cork is certainly not as good at shaping as professional clay.

Gao Qiaofeng plans to develop this as a long-term hobby, and maybe he can make some money from it in the future.

Shaking his head, Gao Qiaofeng stopped thinking so far and began to practice attentively.

Once you concentrate, time passes quickly. Before Takahashi Feng realizes how much time has passed, it is time for dinner and Ryoko is almost back.

Takahashi Feng stood up, stretched his muscles that were stiff from sitting for a long time, and then went to the kitchen to prepare dinner.

He was basically responsible for preparing meals for the past two months. He had secretly glanced at the system, but his proficiency level had not improved at all.

The possible reason he could think of was probably his talent. After all, he had been cooking for his entire life, so it was normal that his talent had reached its limit and he could not improve further.

After he figured it out, he no longer paid attention to the things that upset him.

While humming a song, she quickly prepared the meal. Then she heard the sound of high heels outside the house. It seemed that Ryoko was back.

"Ryoko, you're back!"

He went to greet him as usual, but Ryoko didn't hug him and rub his head as usual. Instead, she made a tired 'hmm' and lay down on the sofa.

Recently, there were some wrong decisions made by the top management of their company, which resulted in a lot of unnecessary losses, causing great risks to cash flow and necessitating layoffs.

Ryoko was not laid off because of her ability and reputation, but a reduction in the number of employees does not mean a reduction in the content of work. The remaining employees have to share the work of the laid-off employees.

Although this is extremely unfair, no one dares to mention it. The remaining old employees have all been in this company for a long time. If they lose this job, it means that their career life may have to start all over again.

This is something no one wants to see.