Heavy girl? I feel worse than Black Hole Trigger!

"You have a point in saying that."

...would you mind refuting it?!

Even if she didn't turn around, this feeling of thorn in her back made Xiangzi clearly aware that the two people who were playing the double act over there were waiting for her to attack.

"Ugh."

The girl reluctantly put down the rag, and took her time to fold it into a square. After calming down during this brief break, she turned her head expressionlessly and walked to Nagasaki Suyo - by the way, Suyo was now sitting at CRYCHIC's exclusive table, the bassist's exclusive seat.

Opposite her was the keyboardist's seat, which, it was said, had been vacant for a long time.

Xiangzi only glanced at the chair that seemed to have not been moved for a long time, and then recalled Zheli's simple advice not long ago. He took out the menu from the table, placed it in front of Su Shi in a neat and tidy manner, and asked in a slightly cold voice:

"Sir, what would you like to order?"

"Hmm." Su Shi picked up the menu, glanced at it pretentiously, then closed it and said, "Same old as always."

"...Excuse me, what does 'same old' mean?"

Is this woman here to cause trouble?

"Manager! Where did you hire this rookie?" Su Shi waved at Zhe Li with a look of dissatisfaction. "You don't even know my old self, how can this be possible?"

Zhe Li was amazed: "Wow. What a classic picture of a bad guest."

Xiangzi was amazed and sighed, "Mr. Manager, how should we deal with this situation?"

"First check if I'm here. If I am, just punch the evil guest." Zhe Li raised his fist and gestured, "Hit the center of the face, aiming at the bridge of the nose. If I'm not here, just bear with it and wait for me to come back. Of course, don't back down too much, we just need to avoid deliberately provoking the other party."

Fortunately, Café Nascita has not encountered any truly bad customers so far...or perhaps it's simply because there are very few customers.

However, when it comes to employee education, Zheli will definitely not treat his own family members unfairly.

In his territory, the rule is that you don't have to spend money to be the boss.

"I understand."

Xiangzi nodded to the store manager, then looked at Su Shi calmly and slowly raised his fist.

"Mr. Sushi, please grit your teeth."

"?"

Were you a little rude to your future boss lady?

Chapter 4: Autumn Frost and Falling Maple Leaves, Snow Clears and Meets the Toon Tree: Chapter : Dumplings

"welcome."

When Shiina Riki pushed open the door of the shop, she was greeted by a clear voice.

Li Xi didn't react at first, "Well. Let's-"

She immediately stopped talking and just stared at the person coming towards her with her eyes open.

A familiar girl was wearing a simple uniform with a sky blue base and leather fabric, and was carefully stitched together. At this moment, she was holding the familiar Nascita menu and standing by the door, looking directly at the visitors.

"...Xiaoxiang?" Gao Songdeng, who was following Li Xi, spoke during Li Xi's silence.

Deng's voice finally brought Li Xi back to his senses, and he looked closely at the clothes that Toyokawa Shoko was wearing.

This guy……

"You, work here?"

Li Xi crossed his arms, stared at Xiangzi with a condescending look, and said coldly:

"Junior high school students can't work part-time yet."

Lixi had considered applying for a part-time job at Nascita after entering high school. After much deliberation, she abandoned the idea. Even if she still wanted to, she planned to wait until she graduated from junior high and entered high school before considering it again—because it's illegal for junior high students to work part-time!

Rather than considering whether it was illegal or not, Li Xi cared more about: This guy Xiangzi actually needs to work?

"Exactly."

Li Xi stared at Xiangzi with scrutiny, but Xiangzi seemed to have no sense of aggression from those eyes. He lifted his skirt with a smile and bowed to the visitor:

"So, please don't spread this to anyone, Li Xi."

Li Xi snorted coldly, "I wouldn't do that kind of thing."

No matter how much she hated Toyokawa Shoko, they were, no, they were still, "companions." Shiina Ritsuki was not one to abandon her companions. Though she felt a tinge of curiosity about Shoko's current state, she didn't even bother to ask. After all, she knew she would be like that rainy night, saying nothing and walking off into the distance, carrying something on her back.

"Thank you so much, then."

Xiangzi seemed unimpressed by Lixi's remarks. However, she did not continue on this topic. She stepped back to make room for everyone and said:

"Please come in."

According to Baodōzeli's instructions, Toyokawa Shoko should be responsible for guiding guests to their appropriate seats. However, CRYCHIC already has its own dedicated seating area, so asking Shoko to take care of it seems redundant.

So, after Xiangzi said the greeting, he turned and walked towards the table.

"…Is it really okay?"

Deng looked at her stern back and couldn't help but murmur.

If it was just like before, staying away from them and CRYCHIC, then the current Takamatsu Deng would be able to understand it: they were not people from the same world, and the accidental encounter formed a bond, and Xiangzi just chose to cut the bond and return to her original world.

However, Xiangzi is now, although he has not "escaped", he still resists returning to the past.

"No problem." Baodeng Zheli waved his hand and said with a smile, "I'll guarantee it."

It's just that the little girl can't get over the threshold of her heart yet and is upset. Time can heal all this.

"Promise?" Li Xi glanced at him, only to find that confident smile quite annoying. "You have no evidence at all, yet you dare to say such a thing."

"Oh, don't worry about such trivial matters."

While they were talking, Su Shi walked over and took Li Xi's arm.

Amid Li Xi's weak resistance, Su Shi followed Xiangzi and led everyone to their familiar seats.

In this slightly awkward silence, Xiangzi still seemed completely unaffected by the atmosphere. After everyone was seated, he placed the menu in front of Lixi and said with a subtle business smile:

"What would you like to order, sir?"

"..."

For some reason, the perfect coldness in Toyokawa Shoko's tone made Shiina Riki feel even more uncomfortable than the undisguised malice in the past.

Li Xi sighed silently: At least this is much better than the situation that we once thought was irreconcilable.

A waiter's job only lasted until the order was taken. After Xiangzi conveyed the order to the store manager, he turned around and started tidying up other tables. Lixi stared at the girl's back for a moment, but ultimately said nothing, closing her eyes to rest. Deng, like her, stared at Xiangzi from afar, her expression complex, as if she was about to speak, but as always, she chose silence.

As usual, they chatted, had some drinks and rested, and it was even the same six people.

But the girl who once flashed an invincible smile, writing the undecided next steps for everyone around the table, a girl who was brighter and more brilliant than the sun, now stood alone in the shadows with her back to everyone...

"Okay, it's almost time to start practicing."

After a while, Su Shi clapped her hands, announcing that their daily life would continue in the summer as well.

Before stepping over the threshold, Takamatsu Deng finally seemed to have made up his mind. He suddenly raised his head, turned around and walked to Toyokawa Shoko.

"Xiao Xiang."

This low call made the shop assistant pause for a moment.

Or, in fact, she had already subconsciously stopped when the girl's footsteps reached her ears.

Toyokawa Shoko slowly turned around with a polite smile on her face: "Is there anything else, Deng-san?"

"Want to practice together...?"

"————."

Xiangzi's smile suddenly froze on his face.

The lamp was looking at her quietly, as if it was illuminating the starlight that resided in its eyes.

Yes. This girl is no longer the coward who only wrote down her feelings.

She didn't know how long the courage surging in her heart could last, but at least at this moment, she was still the "star" that would desperately shout to someone - she still stood on that star-studded avenue, reaching out her hand to someone who had escaped into the shadows, just like someone who had extended an invitation to her on a day when flowers were falling in the distant past.

"I……"

Xiangzi opened his mouth to say something, but his words were lost in the intense gaze.

She could only speak hastily in the end: "I still have work..."

This was just a casual excuse, but it was enough to make the naive girl's expression dim.

Deng lowered his head, "I understand..." He slowly turned around and looked at his teammates who were still waiting for him at the door.

When Shoko Toyokawa looked at Takamatsu Deng in that state, she felt both sad and relieved.

at this time.

"Work? I think I'm pretty free right now."

A clear voice rang out brightly, like ripples on the lake of the heart.

The store manager leaned lazily against the counter, but the sarcasm in his smile was so obvious that it didn't even require any effort to discern.

"The recording studio is kind of a Nascita facility. Toyokawa-san, you must be tired of cleaning that desk for so long. Go clean up the studio for me and check on the keyboard." He grinned, gazing at Xiangzi and saying, "Do your best to meet the boss's needs within the scope of your job. That's what a qualified employee should do."

"Xiaoxiang...!" These words were like a spark, making Deng, who was quite lost a moment ago, suddenly look back.

Toyokawa Shoko looked at Zheli, then at the lantern, and finally turned her gaze to Su Shi, who looked like she was enjoying the show.

Seriously, I've already quit CRYCHIC...

I don’t have time to play in a band now!

Making money, studying, and getting scholarships are just the first step.

Deciding to put aside my boring dignity and make peace with everyone doesn't mean I'm going back to playing in a band.

"I understand. Just this once!"

……

……

This was repeated several times afterwards.

Chapter 5 of the Box: Autumn Frost and Falling Maple Leaves, Snow Clears and Meets the Plum Tree: Chapter : Beloved

"So hot."

Kaname tugged at her collar, and a drop of sweat slid down her cheek.

"Really? That's very unladylike of you." Nagasaki Suyo hurriedly took a tissue and wiped her face. After hesitating for a moment, she didn't reach into her clothes to wipe the sweat off her face. She turned to the store manager and said, "Zheli, can't you turn up the air conditioner a little stronger?"

Baodeng Zheli shook his head, "If it gets any colder, you'll catch a cold."

In the height of summer, the afternoon heat was already unbearable, and with Tokyo's heat island effect added to the mix, and Lena loved wandering around, she was practically sweltering by the time she reached Nascita. The fact that she could speak and move normally now was thanks to a cup of matcha ice cream that Ori had fed her earlier.

"Just bear with it for a while. It won't be so uncomfortable once your body cools down."

"Hmm." Le Nai took the towel handed to her by Zhe Li, and without any shame, she reached into her clothes to wipe the sweat off her face, which made Su Shi, who was standing next to her, look very conflicted.

……

After the summer vacation, the girls' frequency of visiting the Nascita cafe has increased significantly.

The reason is naturally that I have nothing to do during the holidays.

Needless to say, the free-spirited stray cat Yao Lenai was a good example. Nagasaki Suyo, with her small social circle at school, spent most of her long vacations secluded in the air-conditioned room of her luxury apartment, watching the world suffer under the scorching sun. This year, she had a new place to go, which was a new experience for her.

While watching Lenai wipe herself, Sushi casually asked, "Didn't Xiaoxiang come today?"

"Today is her day off." Zhe Li said.

With the tacit approval of the store manager, the new employee of the cafe often joins the girl band CRYCHIC's practice as a support keyboardist (emphasis should be placed here) when business is slow (approximately all the time) - although there is no legal effect, Zheli specially wrote a contract for this purpose so that Xiangzi can deceive himself.

Technically speaking, Shoko Toyokawa now works two jobs at the same place and therefore receives two salaries.

Zhe Li felt that this was a bit like supporting a junior high school student.

But Su Shi said it’s okay, so let’s just assume it’s okay.

"Oh……"