Don't you guys dislike me?

Perhaps because she had been pent up in emotion for a long time, the girl was slightly excited, and her soft voice rose slightly, melodious and crisp.

Tomoya Horie keenly smelled the beginning of drama, and withdrew his eyes from his hands, thinking that the melon from his good friend was the most delicious.

Gui Yanye's words dispelled Youyi's idea of ​​getting up. He put the phone back into his pocket regardless of its vibration, raised his eyebrows slightly, and cast away the laziness in his purple eyes.

"Yuu-chan... I can actually teach you English. My mom made me learn all the high school knowledge in junior high school. If you don't mind..."

The girl lowered her head, her slender fingers intertwining worry and expectation in front of Yuichi. Her deep purple eyes raised from time to time, and her long bangs fell in front of her eyes, allowing Katsura Kotonoha to secretly peek at Yuichi's expression.

Hearing this, Hoshino Yuichi slowly closed his eyes, the wind gently brushed past his ears. This was another issue that made him feel troubled and he had to make a choice... It seemed that the other party would be hurt no matter what, and the only compromise seemed to be to let Kotonoha Katsura and Yumiko Miura go to the library for tutoring together?

But it is a bit too inhumane to put the cowardly little deer under the nose of the big tiger. Kotonoha Katsura and Utaha Kasumigaoka have completely different personalities. Not everyone can compete with the Queen.

Youyi could only make the choice he thought was right. He did not favor either side. This feeling was indescribably strange and made him irritated.

"I'm sorry... Kotonoha, thank you for thinking of me, but tutoring is assigned by the teacher in charge, and we are both responsible to each other. It's more like mutual assistance than tutoring. It would be somewhat unfair to Yumiko if we change in the middle of the course."

The shadows of the trees covered the girl's bright eyes. The proposal she had finally mustered up the courage to make was rejected again. Their intertwined fingers paused at a certain moment and then completely closed and interlocked.

"That's right... I didn't think it through. Sorry, I said something weird."

Katsura Kotonoha raised her face, her snow-white cheeks mostly covered by the shade of the tree. She knew clearly that Yuichi's mutual tutoring was assigned by the teacher, and she knew clearly that she could not be replaced in the middle of the class, but... she still spoke out the idea that was lingering in her mind.

Was it because the rejection in the classroom deepened her loneliness and intensified her desire to get along? But... she had been going through this since elementary school and junior high school.

Or is it because he saw that Yuichi and senior Kasumigaoka were close, and he was afraid that his friend would be taken away?

still is……

Sadness and loss are intertwined in the girl's confusion, and different emotions take root and sprout in her heart. Friends...will they also feel sad because You-chan is getting along with other girls?

Katsura Yanye couldn't answer, and she wouldn't say what was in her mind. As an introvert, she might be trapped in her own messy thoughts, and who knows, she might die of entanglement~

"Midterms will be here soon, and then we'll have time to hang out together."

Yuichi rarely spoke in such a soft voice, as if he was afraid of disturbing the pampered flower. His hands forgot the lesson and the distance between them. He wanted to gently pat the girl's delicate shoulders, but the concern and comfort that was about to come out fell into emptiness before he touched her...

95. Fear of Losing

Kotonoha Katsura held her hands in front of her chest, her long skirt fluttering to the side and then falling down, as if to protect herself from Yuichi's touch. The shadows of the trees and her bangs covered her, so Yuichi couldn't see the girl's expression at the moment, but he was roughly sure of one thing, that was Kotonoha Katsura's feelings for him.

Yuichi's hand fell into the air, like a floating duckweed without any support, or like an unrequited wish that was not responded to, and slowly drooped down. It shouldn't be too much to pat each other on the shoulder between friends, right?

It was somewhat embarrassing when he took it back, but he concealed it well. Yuichi respected Katsura Kotonoha's choice, and all the unreasonable things could be explained by her sensitive and fragile heart. In this way, Yuichi could also view their relationship with a purer friendship.

The girl held her hands and lowered her head. Perhaps it would be a better choice not to ask any more questions and to leave at the right time.

"I'm sorry, I didn't control my emotions just now. I'm leaving now. Yumiko is urging me again."

Before Yuichi finished speaking, Horie Tomoya couldn't wait to leave. He wanted to be the one to take the brunt of the show and let a paper-sexist like him clean up Yuichi's emotional mess? Unfortunately, he couldn't obey your order.

"Also, I want to buy some hand-made lemon tea, too."

Tomoya's voice faded away, and his figure disappeared into the forest path, leaving Gui Yanye alone at the stone table in the shade of the trees. The soil under her feet was hard and cracked, and a few green leaves could barely cover the deep cracks.

The girl's hands, which were protecting her chest, dropped weakly, her delicate body swaying along with the wind and tree shadows. She sat upright in front of the stone table, carefully packing the lunch box on the table. The empty box felt heavy in her hands.

Yuu-chan will definitely be very sad...

Gui Yanye stared at the purple pattern on the lunch box in a trance, and remembered Youfang's eyes that had just changed from surprise to confusion. She pursed her lips lightly, and a slight bitterness and dryness spread in her mouth.

She just wanted to comfort me but I avoided her, as if she was afraid that You-chan would touch her. In order to prevent her from bullying, she had conflicts with her classmates. In order to protect her, You-chan had offended many people, but she...

It was just a normal pat on the shoulder, why did she subconsciously want to avoid it? ! Yuu-chan must think she is an ungrateful bad girl...

The helplessness that flashed across those purple eyes reappeared in Gui Yanye's mind, making her heart twist into a ball. She was used to giving, and she naively believed that as long as she gave her heart, she could gain close friends. However, those so-called friends became more and more demanding, using her endless giving as a threat, forcing her to give more, but they did not regard her as a friend at all.

Since then, she has started to close her heart, thinking that she could live in peace by avoiding socializing, but Gui Yanye's beautiful face and proud figure are too eye-catching, girls are jealous of her, and boys covet her. Refusing to socialize cannot make her invisible, but instead pushes her to the opposite side of the class.

She was the target of public criticism, and her refusal of her classmates' invitation was misinterpreted as an arrogant and cold top student. Kotonoha Katsura was originally a docile sheep. She could not intimidate those gossipers with the same cold aura as Kasumigaoka Utaha. From another perspective, Kotonoha Katsura's heart was more sensitive and fragile than that of a normal student.

Yuichi is her first friend, so Tomoya is half a friend?

But no matter what, Yuichi is a boy. Because of the trauma of her childhood, even Yuichi is not immune to Katsura Kotonoha's androphobia. The fear hidden in her heart makes her unable to accept physical contact with men, just like what happened just now... She is scared from the bottom of her heart, and her body moves away uncontrollably, even if Yuichi's hands have no malice.

In the past, Kaede Kotonoha didn't pay much attention to her symptoms. Not to mention that many men's explicit and undisguised gazes made her feel sick before they even got close to her, she herself also adhered to the principle of avoiding the opposite sex as much as possible, so the chances of symptoms occurring were very rare.

But now... For the first time, Katsura Kotonoha felt that she was sick, or perhaps she was not fully aware of her illness. Her illness had hurt her best friend, and their relationship had been affected to some extent. Yuichi was her only remaining friend, so how could she just sit there and watch this precious relationship fall apart?!

After finally picking up the lunch box, the girl's hands had already fallen to her thighs, her small hands grasping the hem of her pleated skirt and trembling slightly.

That kind of thing must never happen... If she loses You-chan, she will have to go back to being alone. In that case, she will lose the hope for noon every day, and will have to take her light lunch box to the toilet to eat alone. The pungent smell of disinfectant will make the delicious food bland and difficult to swallow. This is the taste of loneliness...

In the huge campus, she was like a homeless ghost. No one cared about her, no one cared about her. The girls in her class wished she would disappear.

The girl's eyes were filled with indelible sadness and sorrow, and a hint of fear made her already dim eyes even darker.

…………

"Bagayou, why do you think she's so sensitive? Logically speaking, aren't you on good terms? It was just a pat on the shoulder, but she reacted so strongly... should I say she's being pretentious or self-respecting?"

Tomoya Horie rubbed his round chin and asked in confusion.

"Well... even if they don't know each other well, those popular girls will hug each other and put on a warm face. But when something bad happens, they will run away. From this point of view, the conservative type like Katsura Kotonoha seems to be not bad, but no matter how you look at it, this is too conservative!"

"Who knows..."

Yuichi quickened his pace as the time he had agreed to meet Miura Yumiko was approaching.

"It's not nice to talk about people behind their backs, even Fatty."

"I know, I know~ I just don't quite understand. I said a few more words, just ignore it."

…………

In front of the library gate, as midsummer approaches, the space left for Yumiko Miura to cool off is gradually decreasing. The girl leans in the cramped but cool corner, watching the time ticking on her cell phone.

"Yuichi, you're late!"

Yumiko Miura lifted her loose blonde hair and held the phone in front of Yuichi. The pink bunny theme filled the phone interface. He didn't know if it was his illusion, but Yumiko's slightly angry voice seemed to be mixed with uncontrollable joy.

Yuichi admired the Queen's contrasting themes. His focused comparison finally made Miura Yumiko's face turn pink. The girl hurriedly took back her phone, turned her face away, and the gold thread lightly covered the faint pink stain.

She curled her lips and said angrily:

"It's disgusting to stare at a girl's phone like this..."

"It just occurred to me that your phone and room are both of this style."

“What’s the problem?!”

She pretended to be angry to hide her shyness, but was also a little worried that Yuichi would think her style was too childish.

96. Stranded

Yuichi was not interested in judging others, not to mention that the aftermath of what happened just now had not completely disappeared from his mind.

"It's so hot outside, let's go inside first."

The blush on Miura Yumiko's face had not yet faded, and the little expectation of evaluation in her heart was not heard. Her arrogance did not fall into Yuichi's eyes. The boy's eyes were filled with messy thoughts, and it seemed that there was no room for her to throw a tantrum.

The girl felt that she was a little too sentimental. Yuichi didn't continue the conversation. She was singing a sour one-man show by herself. Miura Yumiko bit her silver teeth lightly, and her long golden hair danced in the wind like a cape. The queen never admits defeat!

She followed closely to Yuichi's side, and the slightly overbearing fragrance on her body attracted Yuichi's attention, making him turn his head away.

"Yuichi, you're late, aren't you?"

"really……"

"Since you didn't keep your promise, if you agree to one condition, I will forgive you. How about that?"

The angry and stiff words passed through the filter woven by emotions, added a little sugar and a little tweaking, and finally softened in the little mouth, and what came out was the candy of the girl's youthful innocence.

Perhaps she felt that what she said was too soft and might easily cause Youyi to misunderstand, so she added a layer of crispy coating on this green candy.

"This is a punishment! You can't refuse it!"

Youichi raised his eyebrows slightly. After spending some time together, he had a general understanding of Miura Yumiko's personality and knew that she would not make excessive demands. On the contrary, some of her requests were even unexpectedly simple.

"Tell me."

"That's right! After school this afternoon, accompany me to the shopping street!"

The girl raised her melodious voice, as if trying to push away the remnants of other women's thoughts in Youyi's eyes, and let her voice and appearance be reflected in those magnificent purple eyes.

As expected, Miura Yumiko did the exact opposite under the pretext of punishment. Was it because she saw that he was in a bad mood and wanted to drag him out to relax?

Yuichi's thoughts fluttered for a moment and then he immediately retracted them. It is better not to have unrealistic fantasies. There will be no disappointment without expectations. If you dance in the misty clouds and fall down, you will be shattered to pieces.

"Ah."

…………

In Class A of Grade One, the pot-bellied math teacher was spitting as he explained the geometry problems on the blackboard. Most of the students were serious, but he noticed that the usually serious Katsura Yanye kept looking at the clock above his head today.

The seconds ticked by and Gui Yanye's heartbeat unconsciously quickened. She didn't even have the patience to listen to the important math class, even though she knew how to solve the problems.

In the afternoon, she thought about it for a long time. Yuichi was her best friend and helped her a lot. It was easy for Katsura Kotonoha to remember the good things others had done for her and ignore her own efforts. The psychological imbalance put her in a weak position, not to mention that Yuichi pulled her out of the difficult class atmosphere and saved her from the troubles of her classmates.

This was the first time she received warmth from someone other than her relatives. She was like a person holding a carbon basket in the cold wind and cherished it very much. However, she hurt the person who delivered the carbon to her. Her chips kept falling and the balance was completely tilted. This unequal psychology was greatly magnified.

So! Katsura Kotonoha made up her mind to find Yuichi after school, apologize to him, and treat him to his favorite cheesecake... Although she might not be able to get Yuichi's forgiveness, but, but Yuichi's heart will be more or less relieved...

The girl's hope that their relationship would be restored gave her a sense of security. She stopped complaining and finally did something for her good friend with her courage.

Kotonoha! You have to work harder! You must apologize to You-chan and never make You-chan unhappy again. We must definitely be good friends for life!

The girl nervously but excitedly clenched her fists against her long skirt, her snow-white face flushed with excitement, and beautiful wishes were woven in her heart. In her eyes, Yuichi's preference for her was a gentle and tolerant harbor, which was the foundation of Katsura Kotonoha's wishes. She had enjoyed Yuichi's gentle treatment and basked in Yuichi's protection, so she firmly believed that Yuichi would definitely forgive her, he would definitely...

Because we have known each other since childhood and are best friends.

Gui Yanye lowered her head, smiled sweetly and warmly, interlocked her fingers, and the warmth in her palms was her only but solid friendship~?

The ticking clock is her beating mood, and the melodious and compact bell for the end of get out of class is the accompaniment of her singing on the voyage.

The pot-bellied math teacher was just about to remind Gui Yanye about her attitude in class, but just as he was about to open his mouth, he saw the girl running out of the classroom with her schoolbag.

Her black hair flutters, carrying hope and light.

When going upstairs, the crowd began to crowd, and Gui Yanye, who was going upstream, was pushed aside. She was anxious, her beautiful deep purple eyes were a little troubled, and her brows were drooping.

If this continues, You-chan will leave...

I finally found an opportunity and ran to the second floor, but it was already five minutes later.

Students from various classes walked out in groups one after another, and Gui Yanye went straight to Class B of Grade 12.

The girl stood at the back door, looking towards the back row - no... no?

She did not see the familiar figure. The shadow of bad luck lingered in her heart and her eyes twitched.

Podium? No...front row? No...in the corridor? No.

Most of her courage was gone, and she felt a little lost, afraid that she would lose the determination and courage to apologize to Youichi.

"Gui-san?"

When she heard someone calling her, Gui Yanye's heart moved, but after confirming the name and the voice, that tiny hope sank to the bottom again.

"Horiie-san?"

The girl raised her eyes, her gaze a little empty.

Horie Tomoya narrowed his eyes and knew that the lost girl couldn't find the direction to go forward. He sipped a sip of sweet lemon tea and said:

"Oh! If you want to find Yuichi, he has already gone to the library with Miura. You can send him a LINE message to let him know."

"OK, thanks."

"Need not."

Horie Tomoya smiled naively and passed by Katsura Kotonoha. After walking a distance away, he smacked his lips, as if he was savoring the fragrance of lemon, or as if he was lamenting whether the fruit on the vine called youth was more sour than lemon.

Gui Yanye stood there, picked up her phone several times and put it down, looked at the note from Youjiang on LINE, pursed her lips, or... or wait outside the school gate for Youjiang to finish studying...