Don't you guys dislike me?

"What a coincidence, Yuichi."

Miura Yumiko rested her face on the bar, looking at Yuichi with a smile, and the unexpected surprise instantly filled her heart. This must be the blessing of God!

"It's a coincidence."

Yuichi nodded noncommittally.

Yumiko Miura seemed to remember something, her smile faded slightly, and she looked at the store manager with graying hair.

"But by the way, Manager-san, does Yuichi's part-time job start at three o'clock? Isn't that too early? I used to start working at this time too. It's not nice to treat me differently, Manager-san!"

The girl's beautiful voice was deliberately prolonged, becoming mournful and gentle, as she spoke up for You.

Youyi paused while wiping the cup, calmly took the coffee from the store manager, and walked towards the table by the window.

"How could that be?" The store manager frowned, his withered fingers twisting the temples of his glasses and trembling slightly: "The time that Hoshino-kun and I agreed to meet was clearly 7pm, and we will work until pm."

"Miura, where did you hear that? I'm not so poor as to exploit high school students, and I won't discriminate against them."

"Starting at five? Isn't that the same as before?"

"Yes, I have had students working part-time here for a long time. Although my salary has fluctuated, the time has remained the same."

The store manager stroked his stubble in distress:

"Could it be that the neighbor is jealous because my shop is doing better than his?"

Yumiko's pretty face froze and she exclaimed, she had believed in Yuichi unconditionally, but she didn't expect...

"Then... maybe I heard it wrong..."

Miura Yumiko was a little embarrassed and turned her face towards Hoshino Yuichi who came back with the food. Behind her bright smile was a hint of anger:

"Isn't that right, Yuichi?"

"Well, maybe you heard it wrong."

Yuichi took the plate back and responded calmly.

Miura Yumiko's smile faded a little, and the fingers holding her face tightened unconsciously. It was obvious that she was very dissatisfied with Yuichi's reaction.

Clearly, in order to invite him, she turned down her friend's invitation and lied to herself with a fabricated excuse, but she was still so calm and didn't even bother to explain!

Unhappy! Very unhappy!

The anger and resentment turned into impulse. The girl stood up and looked at the store manager and said:

"Manager-san, I want to work here too!"

The store manager was in a dilemma, as his small store could be run by two people. But when he looked through his reading glasses at the store full of customers, he nodded slowly.

"Then Miura, tomorrow you..."

"Manager-san, I can work today!"

…………

When You looked out the window again and again, the glow in the sky had been dyed black by ink, and the star pendant on the roof was shining with starlight. Was that a chandelier?

After finishing their part-time job, Yuichi and Yumiko packed up their things, said goodbye to the store manager, and left together.

The location of the cafe is a bit remote. After walking through the quiet alley, the dim vision is instantly awakened by the brilliant night view.

Miura Yumiko couldn't hold back the silence all the way, so she angrily reminded:

"Hey! Yuichi! Don't you have anything to say to me?!"

Yuichi said uncertainly:

"Is it because I rejected your invitation on the grounds of working part-time?"

"Yes!" The girl's grievances were finally resolved: "I turned down Hayato's activities and came here specially to invite you."

"But why did you lie to me and say you were going to work? It's obviously not time to work yet!"

Perhaps because she had been deceived, the girl felt too aggrieved and when she spoke she blurted out too much at once and accidentally let out her tears.

"Do you hate being with me so much?"

Tears welled up in my eyes, and the clear water was dotted with green buds.

Miura Yumiko is not strong, and the character she worked hard to create is gradually collapsing. It doesn’t matter anymore, because it’s not the first time that Yuichi has seen herself like this...

Youyi sighed softly. He never expected that his plan would be thwarted by such a dramatic coincidence. Every time he tried to escape from the tangled red ropes, the god would pull him back as if playing a prank.

Since she refused with that reason... doesn't that mean she doesn't want to get involved in other trivial matters? Didn't Yumiko think about it? Well... she really didn't think about it. She only cared about Yuichi's attitude.

118. The grudge that cannot be dispelled

Youyi didn't say the words hidden in his heart. The girl was crying so hard that she wouldn't listen even if he said them.

He didn't hate being with Yumiko Miura, he just wanted more private space.

The corners of Yuichi's clothes were pulled into layers of wrinkles, and the surging emotions broke the girl's heart into pieces. She was worried about gains and losses, like a flower standing on a cliff, without a trace of security.

She was obsessed with seeking answers, regardless of whether the result was what she wanted.

"I don't hate you. Kotonoha and the others also asked me if I wanted to hang out after school. I gave them the same answer. I didn't know you turned down Hayama's activities in order to invite me. I can only say a belated apology to express my regret."

Youyi walked slowly, and the girl who was holding onto the corner of his clothes followed him slowly. There were a few tear marks on her pretty face, like a few drops of dew on the petals, which made her look even more pitiful.

The girl was very lucky, the answer she found was what she wanted. While feeling grateful, her rationality that had been overwhelmed by her emotions also returned a little.

Miura Yumiko walked quickly to Yuichi's side and took his arm. Her crying voice washed away her pride. When she spoke, it was more like a spoiled child:

"Bad Yuichi!"

She cursed softly, trying to relieve the remaining emotions in her heart, and asked again:

"Then why did you reject the invitation from Gui Yanye and me?"

His arm was held in the girl's arms, wrapped in warmth and tenderness. The distance between them was somewhat ambiguous. The faint fragrance tickled his nose and plucked his heartstrings.

Yuichi thinks this is a sign of insecurity.

"It's not because of Kasumigaoka-senpai, is it?"

Yumiko's tone dropped again, and she hugged her arms tighter and tighter, as if she was afraid that he would leave.

Yuichi realized that the sensitive girl had started to fantasize again, and did not give her time to continue her fantasy:

"No, it's for myself."

"What's wrong with Yuichi? Are you feeling unwell? Or are you being bullied?"

"Nothing... I'm just a little tired and want to relax by myself."

"Relax?"

"Well... I want to play games or watch anime by myself sometimes."

"puff--"

The sudden laughter broke the calm surface of the water. Yuichi frowned slightly and cast a puzzled look at Miura Yumiko.

"What's that? Can you really relax by playing games and watching cartoons by yourself?"

There was a smile in those emerald eyes, and tears welled up from the corners of her eyes. I wonder if it was because of the remnants of crying just now, or if she was really laughing and crying?

Is it really that ridiculous? Yuichi feels uncomfortable and denies other people's hobbies on his own. Isn't that a bit self-righteous...

"You can't just let it go if you refuse my invitation for something like this!"

She pouted and jokingly asked Yuichi for compensation, ignoring and even somewhat belittling Yuichi's hobbies.

That’s right, Miura Yumiko’s social circle is quite different from mine, but even if I comfort myself in this way, the uneasiness in my heart still shows no signs of disappearing.

Yuichi did not mention the discomfort in his heart, and asked:

"What are you going to do to me?"

He spoke without any fluctuations, just like usual. Miura Yumiko vaguely sensed something but did not care and everything remained the same.

"Hey~ Don't say it so harshly, I just want to spend more time to strengthen our friendship."

The girl's smile was like the warm sun in winter, but Yuichi was standing in the middle of summer.

"For example... let's go somewhere after school. Anyway, you told others that your part-time job starts after school."

As she spoke, the corners of her mouth kept rising, that was the secret joy of being alone. The lie Yuichi made up became the wedding dress for her budding love. Only she knew that she was the only one by Yuichi's side.

Yumiko Miura doesn't understand games, just like Yuichi doesn't understand cosmetics. She has long forgotten about the relaxation that Yuichi was willing to lie for, because in her concept, those so-called anime and games are a waste of time.

The girl didn't see Yuichi's lowered eyelids, her emerald eyes were filled with the time they spent together after school.

…………

The next afternoon, school was over.

Surrounded by a group of young people, Miura Yumiko pouted unhappily and said:

"Oh - what a shame, I really want to go... but I have to work."

"Really? What a shame. The clothes there are really to my taste. I really want to let Yumiko go and have a look."

"Maybe next time. I've already made an appointment with the store manager, Sang. Otherwise, I'd also like to go and see the clothes you mentioned."

"Okay, this is the only way."

Yumiko Miura waved to her friends with a forced smile, her brows full of regret, as she watched them leave.

Then he picked up his schoolbag and trotted excitedly to the place where he had an appointment with Yuichi. All the expressions he had just shown seemed to be just a show.

…………

On the streets of Shibuya, Yumiko Miura and Yuichi are walking through different shops.

From dessert shops to clothing stores, and even lingerie shops, he didn't let them go. Of course, Yumiko Miura was not bold enough to ask him if it was appropriate for her to wear revealing underwear that exposed her breasts.

She was more enjoying the assumed identity when the two of them entered the store together, and the slightly raised corners of her mouth never stopped.

You watched helplessly as the azure blue sky was dyed red by the sunset glow. Going shopping with girls has always been a physical job. The originally scheduled personal leisure time turned into physical labor, which was like falling from heaven to hell.

Although the girl's charming smile somewhat alleviated the tiredness, it was ultimately a temporary solution. When he thought about having to drag his tired body to work later, his legs became heavier.

Maybe I should find a reason to reject her invitation... but the things that come after this rejection will probably be more troublesome than they are now.

Another clothing store. Which one is this today? Youyi is not interested in clothing. In his eyes, the styles and patterns are all the same. The repetition is gradually wearing away his patience.

But when he thought that this was compensation for deceiving Yumiko, he temporarily suppressed his impatience. Maybe it was because Yumiko was happier today.

Youichi was actually somewhat glad that he seldom smiled. Thanks to this, he didn't have to force a smile, like wearing a stiff and cold mask.

There was still some time left before the part-time job was over, and Miura Yumiko finally noticed something was wrong with Yuichi. After walking around for the whole afternoon, she stretched her body contentedly and asked:

"Yuichi, what's wrong? Although you don't like to laugh, I can feel that you are not very happy~"

She smiled, as if she was finishing her main course, savoring some dessert, and watching some entertainment.

"Nothing, I just suddenly want to go somewhere."

"Well... there's still some time before the part-time job, let's go together~"

Mutual understanding is the prerequisite for being friends. Perhaps it was because of Miura Yumiko's performance yesterday that caused some resentment in Yuichi's heart, and Yuichi wanted to get rid of that discomfort.

Passing by the game store, the light novels displayed in front of the bookstore, and the video game arcade, Yuichi skipped over these things he thought Yumiko couldn't understand and stopped in front of the figure counter.

Thinking about the exquisite workmanship and small costumes of these figures, Yumiko's words can be understood to some extent.

"What are these? Children's toys?"

She looked around and finally looked at Yuichi with a smile.

"Nothing... Let's go."

119. Reject