You are Toyokawa Shoko, then who am I?

"……I'm back."

Push open the creaking door.

A familiar warm light came towards me, and then I saw a girl leaning against the wall, sitting at the entrance with her legs hugged and her head buried deep in her thighs.

She heard the sound of the door opening and the voice she had been looking forward to all day, and her reaction was almost subconscious.

But she didn't dare to raise her head so directly, for fear that it was an illusion caused by her inner weakness breaking through the limit. However, her inner desire for that dependence intensified her desire to see the other person.

So she finally raised her eyes slowly, cautiously, with a little fear and vulnerability, and looked towards the open door.

Her eyes were red and swollen, and her pink cheeks were filled with a heartbreaking fragility, just like Juliet who knelt beside Romeo's body, covering her face and crying, tears streaming down her face.

Her thin pink lips were a little pale, as if all her energy for the day had been taken away by crying and weakness. She hadn't eaten well, and might even have forced herself to go to work.

"Xiang...?"

She saw the person standing at the door, her voice trembled slightly, and then uncontrollable tears began to well up in her eyes.

She bit her tongue hard, but tears still flowed uncontrollably from her amber eyes.

Sore nose.

The head turns white.

The girl, who had been daydreaming for a whole day, was finally broken down by countless weaknesses, revealing the vulnerability that she should have been able to show openly at her age. Moreover, in her eyes, the person in front of her did not need her to pretend or to force herself.

You can tell him about any distress or pain you have.

Because this person was her most special bond, she stood up and wanted to walk to that person.

However, her ankle had not fully healed yet, and she had been sitting here for too long, so her legs were a little weak. She lost her balance for a moment and was about to fall to the ground.

She subconsciously closed her eyes, but what she felt was not pain, but a pair of strong arms.

This real touch dispelled all her worries.

When he saw the ribbon that symbolized their fate and bond placed on the table in the morning, the pain and anxiety he had been feeling all day long collapsed in an instant.

She hugged the man tightly.

I’m so afraid that the other person will disappear again.

I am so afraid that the dependence I have found with great difficulty will disappear.

She buried her tear-stained face in the other's chest. There were so many things she wanted to say before they met, but now that she saw him, all her words could be condensed into one sentence.

"Welcome back……"

Toyokawa Sho was so disoriented by this heart-touching hug that all his thoughts were disrupted.

The scripts and lines he had prepared in advance, as well as the smile he tried to force, were all useless at this moment.

My mind went blank.

Only her intermittent whispers rang in my ears.

Every word she said seemed to be a thorn piercing his heart. The depressed Toyokawa Sho was unable to utter a word. He only felt a blockage in his chest, a sharp pain in his heart, and his breathing was involuntarily disrupted again.

He knew clearly that both of them had a proud side.

It is precisely because of this that this embrace, which abandons the usual pride of never letting go and shows one's weakness without reservation, is so deafening.

He lowered his eyes, his expression extremely complicated.

Reason told him that he should push the girl away from his arms. They were not the same person and should not be so close. But emotion held down his hands, telling him that he should take responsibility at this time and comfort the other person.

The emotions churning in my heart were like a tube of fireworks, which were ignited by this hug and then exploded with a bang in my heart.

pity.

Blame yourself.

mercy.

All kinds of complex and heavy emotions rise to the sky, and then explode at the highest place. Those gorgeous traces turn into fragments of memory, the tides rise and fall, the flowers bloom and fade.

Toyokawa Sho remembered the powerlessness and suffocation he felt as he stood in front of the mirror in the morning, and also remembered every event and every person he met that day.

Finally, what echoed in his mind were the true words he told the boss in the store: he wanted to muster up the courage again and see Toyokawa Shoko as himself ten years ago.

Although this process will be very slow, the essential difference between the two people is like two stars hundreds of light years apart. Perhaps they will never be able to reach the destination where they can move forward together in their entire lives.

But we can't not do this just because it's difficult.

At least, he couldn't just irresponsibly abandon Shoko Toyokawa.

It was he who encouraged Shoko Toyokawa to face life squarely, and it was he who took Shoko Toyokawa to the shrine to watch the moon.

This story started with him, so naturally he should also bring it to a perfect end.

"...I'm sorry. I made you worry all day."

Toyokawa Sho whispered, putting the bag he was holding underneath, and gently patted Toyokawa Shoko's delicate back with both hands while stroking her slightly tangled long hair.

"I'm right here. You can hold me as long as you want. I shouldn't have made you so upset. It's my fault for not regulating my emotions well this morning and not considering your feelings."

"No need to apologize... You must have realized something, and that's why I'm like this. I understand you, so there's no need to apologize..."

Shoko Toyokawa shook her head in her arms.

She rarely showed such disregard for etiquette. Even though her tears soaked other people's clothes, she still refused to leave.

Just like a traveler who was shivering in the cold night and now finally walked into a warm house and stretched out her hands to warm herself in front of the fireplace, she could almost be said to be greedy and eager, wanting to hold tightly for a while longer, clinging to this embrace that made her feel at ease.

"But from now on, can you please not leave...?"

She pleaded in a low voice.

Her slender fingers tightly grasped the white shirt on Toyokawa Sho's chest. She was really afraid that the person in front of her would leave her again.

"I can listen to your advice, and I can make up my mind to face everyone at Crychic... I will work hard and not let you down... So, don't leave... Just stay by my side, okay?"

"..."

Toyokawa Sho opened his mouth slightly, opening and closing it.

The girl's extremely fragile, almost clinging plea was like a sharp knife stabbing into his chest.

He was deeply aware of how much of a blow the ribbon he left behind in the morning had caused to Toyokawa Shoko.

He opened his mouth, wanting to respond to the girl's wish, wanting to just nod and agree, and continue to live a simple life with her.

But the inner barrier does not allow him to accept everything about the girl right now. This is destined to be a road that will take a long time to reach the end.

Perhaps one day in the future, he will put on the ribbon again and continue to dance the duet of their own destiny with Shoko Toyokawa.

But, not yet.

He swallowed the words that were stuck in his throat, then lifted Shoko Toyokawa's shoulders and gently pushed her away from his arms.

"...Okay, stop saying such weak words."

Watching her sobbing from time to time, biting her lower lip with her white teeth, she looked cute and pitiful.

Toyokawa Sho stretched out his hand, wanting to wipe her tears like he did last night, but halfway through he realized that their relationship was no longer as pure as before, so he paused in the air, his eyes filled with hesitation.

Shoko Toyokawa sniffed, and seeing Sho Toyokawa's hesitant hands, she gently held them.

Toyokawa Sho was stunned for a moment, then he saw his hand being lifted up by her and placed on her cheek.

The girl's face was soft and tender, and it felt almost as smooth as if you were sinking your fingers into it. It felt a little cold, but warm when it touched the palm of your hand.

Toyokawa Sho was stunned for a while.

Finally, feeling somewhat helpless and guilty, she used her thumb to wipe away the tears from the corners of her eyes.

"Have you eaten? I'll go make you some food."

Toyokawa Sho changed the subject, but then realized that there was probably no food left in the refrigerator.

"Ah... I'm sorry. I promised to take turns cooking with you yesterday, but I didn't go shopping."

"It's okay, I've already bought it."

Toyokawa Shoko shook her head slightly, her rosy cheeks flushed again as she smiled sweetly, "I've been waiting for you to come back and do it."

The words "I'll wait for you to come back and do it" were like an arrow piercing Toyokawa Sho's heart.

He lowered his eyes, then put on a cheerful face and spoke to Toyokawa Shoko with a smile.

"Is that so... Then let me guess, potatoes, tomatoes, and eggs? You still want to eat the tomato, egg, and shredded potato that I made for you on the first day, right?"

"Besides this, there is another reason."

Toyokawa Shoko also raised a finger.

“They’re all sold very cheaply.”

Toyokawa Sho guessed the answer effortlessly, as he remembered that his family had a supermarket points card.

"Congratulations, you got it right."

Toyokawa Shoko clapped her hands. "But there's no reward."

"Oh, the organizer is so heartless. They didn't even prepare any rewards in advance."

Toyokawa Sho showed a hint of disgust.

"After all, the organizer just found out that he has become the organizer."

Shoko Toyokawa held up a protest sign.

"Then can the organizers allow the contestants to decide their own rewards?"

Toyokawa Sho asked.

"As long as it's within the organizer's capabilities."

Toyokawa Shoko nodded slightly.

"Then, please close your eyes, organizer."

Toyokawa Sho whispered.

Seeing that Shoko Toyokawa closed her eyes cooperatively, he bent down and picked up the bag he had thrown on the ground.

"Okay, you can open it now."

Toyokawa Sho handed the bag in his hand to Toyokawa Shoko, which contained two skirts that he had bought with an advance of 600,000.

"The reward the contestant wants to ask the organizer for is that after accepting the contestant's gift, the organizer will be magnanimous and forgive the contestant's mistake."

Now it was Shoko Toyokawa's turn to be stunned.

She looked at the bag pushed into her arms, opened it dazedly, and saw inside was an exquisitely packaged box. When she opened the box, she saw two skirts of different styles.

A dress with comfortable, elegant and fresh colors, delicate patterns, and decorative ribbons, making it very suitable for everyday wear.

One of them uses red and black as the main colors, with matching sleeve flowers and gloves, and a small gem tied at the collar, just like the protagonist on the stage. It is colorful.

You can understand it at a glance.

This must have taken a long time to choose.

Each one is beautiful and exactly what she wants.

Toyokawa Shoko's pupils gradually dilated, and the tears that she had just suppressed with great difficulty seemed to be flashing in her eyes again.

Which girl doesn't love beauty, let alone her who once lived such a dreamlike life.

She also wanted to wear beautiful dresses like before, but all her dresses were at Toyokawa's house, and she was unwilling to go back or take anything from there.

She was prepared to wear the only dress she had for a very long time, and maybe someone would point it out later, asking her why she was still wearing it when it had faded.

Because this is the only skirt she can wear openly and meet people.

And now.

She doesn't have to be trapped in this only thing anymore.

Shoko Toyokawa lowered her head and gently leaned it against Sho Toyokawa's chest. Her two little hands held the two pieces of clothing tightly in her arms. This was the best gift she had received in the past month of walking on thin ice.

"...I'm not angry, I'm just worried that you won't come back. So, there's no need to send me off."

She murmured softly.

She really liked the two pieces of clothing, but she cared more about Toyokawa Sho than the gifts.