Don't you guys dislike me?

"What happened? Didn't you say something was wrong? Why did it become like this? Did someone bully you?"

After spending some time together, Katsura Kotonoha has already regarded Chizuru Amamiya as a friend, and her anxious concern is evident in her words.

The caring words one after another made Chizuru Amamiya a little dazed. It turned out that... the friends in cartoons really exist... they will not kick you when you are down, nor will they put on a false smile to curry favor.

She was looking at me with a worried look on her face. I felt warm in my heart, my nose was sore, and I felt like crying.

Damn it... If she kept thinking about it, wouldn't she be able to be cruel? In order to get rid of those guys, she didn't allow herself to be so vulnerable.

"I'm fine. I just accidentally fell down the stairs while moving things."

Chizuru Amemiya pulled the corners of her mouth into a smile, her smile was forced and funny.

"It must be very painful, right? Can I help you to the infirmary? I just don't know if the school doctor is still there."

"It's okay. Falling is common. It's just a superficial injury. It will heal in a few days. Don't worry."

"But...", Gui Yanye's brows did not relax, and he stared at her straight.

"If you want to help me, just take me to the tram station?"

"Well... I see. Do I really not need to see a doctor?"

"no, I'm fine."

"Then remember to take good care of it when you get home. If you feel uncomfortable anywhere, remember to send me a LINE message."

"Yes, yes~ Mr. Gui is the same as Baba (old woman)."

That sincere friendship was already held in the palm of Amamiya Chizuru's hand, and it was obtained so easily that she could hardly believe it.

This pure emotion is like a mirror. Chizuru dare not accept Katsura Kotonoha's kindness. It seems that as soon as she accepts it, her hypocrisy and ugliness will be reflected in the mirror.

Chizuru Amemiya put her hands on Kotonoha Katsura's shoulders. Even though most of the weight had been placed on Kotonoha, the pain she felt when her legs touched the ground still made her frown.

She should be used to it. She has always silently endured all the pain and tears with gritted teeth. Why is she so fragile today?

……

……

Taking advantage of the last ray of light of the day, Youyi walked into the store, greeted the manager, and started his day's work.

Her eyes intersected with Yumiko's several times, and her eyes were full of confusion, but she couldn't express it because of work hours, so the girl seemed to vent her dissatisfaction with her gaze.

The wind chimes rang softly, and the pleasant sound gave Youyi an excuse to excuse himself, "Welcome."

"Good evening~ I'm here, Yuichi."

The gentle voice followed the ringing of the phone and reached Youyi's ears. When he turned around and saw the guest clearly, he didn't know for a moment whether he should be happy or not.

"Good evening, Sister Yang Cai, you are here again?"

Yumiko Miura squeezed next to Yuichi and greeted Tachibana Haruna.

"Yes, because the coffee in this shop tastes just like my taste."

Tachibana Haruna sat at the bar with her face propped up, chatting with Yumiko with a sweet giggle. Her eyes kept wandering to Yuichi, and her smile grew even wider.

"Isn't your boyfriend here?"

"I told you, he's not my boyfriend! He's married, and we don't have a good relationship."

In front of You, Tachibana Haruna's smile faded and her expression became a little serious.

“I see… I’m sorry.”

"It's okay, it's okay~ It's also thanks to him that I was able to find Yuichi."

Tachibana Haruna no longer concealed her gaze, she smiled freely.

"Hey, you two have a really good relationship..."

Youyouko also raised her eyes, and the two pairs of beautiful eyes looked at each other with meaningful light in their eyes.

"Is it appropriate for you to chat like this while you're still working?"

Yuichi raised his eyebrows, the manager coughed cooperatively, Yumiko went to greet the customers reluctantly, and Tachibana Haruna smiled and said sorry.

"Yuichi, shouldn't you entertain me?"

"What can I do for you?"

"An Irish coffee."

"I want whiskey in my coffee. Are you sure you want it?"

"I know, aren't you here?"

129. Heartbeat is not only the result, but also the beginning of the story

After drinking half a cup of coffee, patches of red appeared on Tachibana Haruna's fair and tender face. She had a poor alcohol tolerance to begin with, and she was still vulnerable to the whiskey mixed with coffee.

Being away from home left her with a bit of sanity left, but in this half-asleep state, she inevitably said some inappropriate words, making Miura Yumiko's eyes more dangerous.

Yumiko didn't say anything, but she could already get too much from what Tachibana Haruna said casually. The most surprising thing for her was

——Yuichi once confessed his love to Haruna Tachibana, but was rejected by her. Now for some reason, she is pursuing Yuichi again.

Fortunately, Youyi didn't seem to have any interest in her now, and his drunken appearance made him look quite defeated.

No wonder she stayed at Yuichi's house all day to help when Yuichi was sick. No wonder Tachibana Haruna's expression was so serious when she mistakenly thought that man was her boyfriend. It turned out that she was afraid that Yuichi would misunderstand...

"Hmph...you like this type?"

Miura Yumiko curled her lips and snorted.

"What type?" Yuichi was confused.

"nothing……"

Yumiko Miura hugged her chest and didn't want to continue this topic. She kept throwing tantrums to attract Yuichi's attention.

……

Working hours pass quickly. After making a few cups of coffee and hearing the gentle ringing of wind chimes, when I look up again, it is already dark.

Not long after the drunkard lying on the bar fell asleep, the store manager Sang told Youyi that he could go home.

"Hey, do you want me to help you carry her to the tram stop?"

Miura Yumiko came out of the staff lounge and saw Tachibana Haruna who was still refusing to leave. She suppressed the urge to try in her heart and asked reluctantly.

"No need, I'll just carry her back."

"Oh…"

The opportunity to spend time together was rejected by Yuichi again. The girl felt an unspeakable irritation in her heart. Did she want to spend a wonderful time with Tachibana Haruna? He must think that she was an eyesore and refused to let her go?

Yuichi simply rejected Yumiko's suggestion because he thought that being supported made walking too slow. He never thought that his meaning would be misinterpreted like this.

Miura Yumiko, who was rejected by Yuichi not long ago, just woke up from a dream. She didn't know what she had done wrong, so she was anxious and worried. Today, a strong rival in love, Tachibana Haruna, appeared, and she was the person Yuichi had confessed to before.

After being rejected again, she felt anxiety and bitterness bursting in her heart, impacting her already weak heart. Her eyes became hot without her permission, and the girl bit her lips, fearing that tears would fall.

The index finger was wrapped around the hair, pulling it so hard that it hurt the scalp. An emotional breakdown often only requires an opportunity, or even a single sentence.

"I'm going back first..."

Youyouko carried her schoolbag and left with her head down. The darkness swallowed her slender figure, which made people feel sorry for her.

"Hoshino-kun, what happened to you?"

The store manager felt pity for the flower and couldn't bear to see it bloom alone without anyone appreciating it, so he couldn't help but mention it.

"..."

Seeing that Yuichi didn't say anything, the manager continued to talk to himself: "Miura also worked here before. The boy who came with her seemed to be Hayato. At first, I saw them calling each other by name and seemed very intimate. They looked like a normal student couple, but a little different."

"That boy would also come to pick up Miura when his part-time job was over. They would greet him with smiles, but it was more like a fake smile at work, whether it was Miura or that boy."

"Except for calling each other affectionately when they first met, there seemed to be nothing else that could be called a couple. They were too restrained and had a good sense of propriety. They always had a faint smile on their faces every day. For a time, I thought that this was the way they got along with each other."

The store manager pushed his glasses up on his nose and continued:

"It was not until I saw Miura and you together that her emotions were no longer dull, and she no longer had the same fake smile. I saw her ups and downs, and how she could be sad or happy. Only then did I dare to assert that Miura and that boy were not a couple."

"I just realized that the child was really trapped."

The store manager glanced sideways, his eyes fell on Yuichi and Tachibana Haruna beside him, and opened his mouth:

"I accidentally said too much... Sorry, forget it."

It is somewhat self-righteous to want to act as a navigator and guide young people from the perspective of a person with experience. They will not listen to the advice of others and will not turn back until they hit a wall.

Therefore, this taste of youth without any impurities is unforgettable, no matter whether it is bitter or sweet...

"Manager-san, you can't take back what you've said." Yuichi's tone was light and faint.

"That's why I'm sorry." The manager said with a bitter face, feeling that this boy was a little difficult to deal with.

Yuichi carried Tachibana Haruna on his back and looked at her with purple eyes:

"How about you answer a question for me as an apology?"

"That's not a problem."

"Can two people who have completely different social circles and interests be together?"

The purple eyes looked slightly dim under the bright light.

The man blurted out almost without thinking:

"can."

"Well...thank you for your answer."

Yuichi opened the door with Tachibana Haruna on his back.

"But there's a condition."

Youyi paused and looked back. The man with a haggard face stood up and raised a finger.

"What conditions?"

"Then the two people have to like each other. Only when they like each other will they want to know more about each other and make up their minds to enter each other's circle. Only in this way can two people who don't have any connection with each other get together."

Yuichi asked back: "How can two people who have no intersection fall in love with each other?"

“Love doesn’t need a reason; long-term companionship and daily interactions can foster love; but often a glance, a glance back, a moment of impulse, and a fleeting beauty are all that is needed to make one’s heart flutter.

The man who was nearly fifty years old seemed to recall his youthful days. The corners of his mouth lifted unconsciously, and he smiled like a withered leaf. There was a hint of youth in his smile, not much, but there had been...

“Heartbeat is not only the result, but also the beginning of a story.”

Hoshino Yuu lowered his eyelids. Although he asked the question on a whim, the manager's views on youth seemed to be quite good.

"Without any intersection, it would be even more difficult to be moved."

"So we should cherish it even more, right?"

Youyi suddenly laughed, as if admiring the man's rhetoric.

"After all the twists and turns, you still mean the same thing."

"It's really unfair. It was clearly Hoshino-kun who asked me the question first."

The store manager stroked his chin with a smile. Talking about this youthful topic again after so many years seemed to make him feel a lot younger.

130. Keep each other warm?

Yuichi walked slowly on the street with Tachibana Haruna on his back. The summer night had a unique sense of casualness and leisure, with occasional gentle breeze blowing by, pleasant and gentle.

The delicate body on his back was almost scalding warm under the catalysis of alcohol, and the touch of skin made him feel the heat contained under that delicate layer more clearly. The sweat on Yuichi's neck was the best proof of this.

"Is it about time to wake up?"