Heavy girl? I feel worse than Black Hole Trigger!

Su Shi narrowed her eyes and smiled.

Baodeng Zheli was originally quite reserved, but when he saw that his host was even more nervous than him, the guest, he had to cheer himself up, try his best to appear relaxed, and picked up the teacup to take a sip.

"Hmm? It's Earl Grey tea."

Zhe Li looked at Su Shi in surprise.

He was deeply impressed. The first time Su Shi visited Nascita, he ordered a cup of Earl Grey tea.

"Yes. This is my favorite flavor." said Su Shi.

"That's quite a coincidence." Zhe Li sighed, "Just like every time we meet."

“…….”Su Shi suddenly became quiet.

"Shigasaki-san really likes black tea, right?"

Baodeng Zheli shook the teacup slightly to dissipate the heat of the black tea, staring at the ripples in the cup, as if reminiscing.

"I often see you coming out of the convenience store with a cup of black tea."

"Yes, that's right." Su Shi replied in a low voice.

Zhe Li exhaled gently to dispel the heat, but when he raised his cup, it seemed too hot. He put it down in dismay, then looked up at the uneasy-looking girl and asked casually:

"Do you go to Ikebukuro often?"

"Occasionally—"

"So you just hang out occasionally! We're destined to meet." The man sighed, "I thought you lived nearby, that's why I see you so often."

Su Shi forced a smile, "Yes, yes!"

"By the way, Nagasaki-san, why did you go shopping at the supermarket near Tsuki no Mori last time? You live so far away."

"..."

Su Shi, who was already nervous, became even stiffer after hearing this.

Zhe Li squinted one eye at her and slowly smiled: "What's wrong?"

The girl was on pins and needles and didn't even know what expression to use to face him.

"Nagasaki-san is really good at acting," said Baodō Oori.

But he is only good at acting.

As for writing scripts, that's not so good.

……

When Suyo first visited the cafe "Nascita", Zheli had already noticed that Nagasaki Suyo was observing him from afar, and after they officially got to know each other, "coincidences" began to increase -

Passing each other in the morning, greeting each other is just basic.

Sometimes he was not in a hurry to go out, and would leave for Ikebukuro to set up his stall a little later than usual, but he could still see Su Shi "just happening" to walk out of the convenience store at the corner of the alley carrying a cup of hot tea.

This is not a big deal, after all, it is still within the normal range of commuting to school.

...But when school is over, all means are used.

For example, he just returned from Ikebukuro and got off at Mejiro Station——

"Hey, Mr. Manager? Are you going back home? ...Hehe, I'm sorry to bother you."

For example, he spent the entire afternoon strolling through the shopping district in Ikebukuro and was about to take a bus back home.

"Oops, I took the wrong seat. I thought I'd come over for a stroll. Mr. Manager, did you just come out of the KTV? Turns out you didn't."

For example, he wants to change his taste and buy some food at the supermarket near the coffee shop.

"Mr. Manager! Oh, I'm here to do some shopping too."

'...'

It's okay if it happens once or twice, but if it happens every day, even the most insensitive person would notice it.

That impeccable smile might fool him once or twice, but it couldn't erase his memory.

But Zheli is, after all, the gentlest creature on earth (self-proclaimed), and although Su Shi's behavior is strange, it is not disturbing, so he did not say it directly: when he returned to the cafe with Lenai not long ago, he was not surprised at all by the appearance of Nagasaki Su Shi, and this is the reason.

Now that Su Shi has opened her heart and invited him to her home, he feels it's time to speak out.

Seeing that she couldn't get away with it this time, the girl lowered her head, looked at her fingertips, and stammered:

"Did I bother you...?"

"No. On the contrary, I think you're quite cute."

Zhe Li took another sip of black tea, savored it carefully, and then continued:

"Besides, it's quite fun to guess every day where and how you will 'coincidentally' run into me."

He put down his teacup and glanced at Su Shi who was muttering "cute..." under his breath.

"But there's no need for you to follow me so stealthily. I'm not some big star."

Even in the world of Build, when he was wanted by Dongdu, he was never followed by paparazzi - or in fact, he was followed by paparazzi, but because one of his companions was a female reporter who had undergone professional agent training, those people were dealt with.

Nagasaki-san allowed him to experience this special situation.

"I'm worried that it will cause you trouble..." the girl said shyly.

"...Normally, only stalkers would cause trouble to others."

Zheli was a little suspicious whether he had arrived in a pirated BanG Dream world.

Can this kid really be the protagonist?

With her thinking pattern and mental strength, I'm really worried that she might be ruined by a quarrel with her band members.

"Mmmmm!" After hearing this, Su Shi pressed his chest, looking as if he had suffered great harm.

To be honest, just like Baodō Zeri's true feelings, Nagasaki Suyo's actions could barely be considered as overstepping the bounds.

But in the past week, every time Su Shi felt that she could no longer hide the truth and was about to make a little joke to ease the awkwardness, she would see Zhe Li's surprised expression, as if he was sincerely happy for their chance encounter.

Time and time again, it happened every time, and gradually, uh, I felt that my IQ had taken the upper hand!

In the end, it turned out to be just my wishful thinking...

Seeing the girl in front of him was wondering what she was thinking about, her expression becoming increasingly gloomy, Zhe Li sighed softly: "If you just want to meet me and talk, then you can just tell me directly."

Nagasaki Suyo suddenly looked up.

Zhe Li was puzzled: "Why that expression? It's such a small matter, I wouldn't refuse it."

Su Shi clenched his fists, "Because..."

The voice hung in the air for a long time, but no further words came out.

"Disgusted? Disgusted? Refusing to have any contact?"

"..."

The silence symbolized acquiescence, causing Zhe Li to gradually stop smiling and stare at the girl's face seriously.

"Do you think I would think so?"

"..."

"How sad! I never thought you would think I was such a petty person..."

"No! ...Not like that."

The girl's lips trembled, but she couldn't say anything else.

The silence cut like a knife through the throat, making the air between them thick with tension.

Baodeng Zheli supported his cheek with one hand, hesitated for a while, and suddenly stood up.

...Then he reached out and viciously ruffled the girl's hair into a mess!

"W-What are you doing?!"

Nagasaki Suyo screamed and reflexively ran away, curling up on the sofa.

She covered her head timidly and looked up.

Baodeng Zheli was seen standing with his hands on his hips, looking down at Su Shi from above, humming a few times and saying:

"You're just a child who hasn't grown up yet. Don't act like you have a heavy past."

"I..." Su Shi wanted to refute, but his mind was blank.

There is a vague idea in my mind, but it cannot be expressed as characters at all.

Instead, Zhe Li suddenly squatted down and looked at Su Shi who was sitting on the sofa.

"...Please introduce yourself once again."

He stretched out his hand towards Su Shi.

"My name is Bao Deng Zheli, I'm 24 years old, and I'm the manager of a cafe."

"...Huh?" Su Shi didn't understand what he wanted to say.

Zhe Li didn't wait for her response and continued talking to himself:

"I fled from my hometown and came to the big city, but now I'm old and have accomplished nothing."

"I'm the manager of a coffee shop, but I can't make coffee and I do nothing all day..."

"Just a smile."

"I can only watch my friends suffer and be powerless to help them."

"They only try to make up for it secretly after they make a mistake."

"I'll just cover my ears and pretend nothing happened..."

As if he suddenly realized that his emotions were too intense, the man paused for a moment.

"... Compared to the beautiful, adorable, well-educated, and well-mannered eldest daughter, Nagasaki Suyo, Hoto Oori is a completely useless adult."

Nope—

Faced with the increasingly serious expression on the man in front of her, Su Shi subconsciously straightened up and almost opened her mouth to shout something.

"……but."

As the gradually rising voice suddenly cooled down, Baodeng Zheli's expression also calmed down.

Just like brewed tea leaves, after being poured into boiling hot water, you will first taste a bitterness and then a faint sweetness.

"Even a useless adult like this knows—"

"The girl named Nagasaki Suyo has devoted all her energy to her own life."

The man, who was kneeling on one knee, was extending his hand to the girl in front of him.

"Can you do me a favor?"

"……What?"

The man suddenly laughed.

The expression that was so calm that it seemed scary the moment before was replaced by a smile that was so bright that it even made people feel a little silly.

"I would like to ask you to pay more attention to yourself in your future life."

“————…….”

The girl slowly opened her eyes and looked at the smile in front of her that was gradually becoming blurred.

just like.

The thoughts and wishes hidden deep in my heart turned into words and were spoken out from the mouth of the person in front of me.

...That made her extremely shaken.

"Even if that's very willful?"

"Even if it's willful."

"Even if...that's selfish?"

"Even if it's selfish."