Heavy girl? I feel worse than Black Hole Trigger!

"How about we go have some dessert later?" Zhe Li suggested.

"That seems good!" Su Shi's eyes lit up, and he looked at Gao Songdeng with a smile: "Xiaodeng, do you want to come too?"

"Ah. No—"

The gaze from Su Shi seemed to make Takamatsu Deng feel a little uncomfortable.

She avoided Su Shi's gaze, lowered her head and stared at the rice on the table. After a while, she continued, "I... made an appointment... for the planetarium..." The whisper-like voice forced Su Shi to listen attentively.

But soon, Gao Songdeng looked up as if he had finally mustered up the courage and looked straight at Su Shi.

"Su Shiye, do you want to come together?"

"Eh? ...Together?"

Su Shi was slightly stunned and looked at the girl in front of him with slightly wide eyes.

Gao Songdeng had short hair that barely reached her shoulders, but her bangs were very long. If she lowered her head even slightly, her curtain-like bangs would cover her eyes. At that moment, she looked up, almost as if looking up at someone, and Su Shi suddenly realized that her eyes were actually quite beautiful.

Amber eyes held a moist sheen. Within those clear, perhaps vacant or ignorant eyes, a figure was vaguely reflected.

She looked at herself intently, as if her eyes were filled with starlight.

Being stared at with such intense gaze, Su Shi actually began to feel panicked.

"I, I don't really understand stars..."

She didn't mean what she said.

After hearing this, Gao Songdeng opened his mouth to say something, but for a long time, only cold silence flowed from his chest.

In this silence, the light in her eyes seemed to gradually cool down to its usual dimness, once again buried in the too-long gray—

"I don't really understand stars either."

At this time, Bao Dengzheli spoke casually while mixing curry.

"But I did like stars when I was a kid... although I never really went stargazing."

The casual tone of his voice made Su Shi feel more at ease. She breathed a sigh of relief, tried to smile, turned to Zhe Li, and asked, "You like the stars even though you don't watch them?"

Zhe Li was about to answer, but Deng suddenly spoke at this moment -

"Because it's delicious?"

"...?"

This sentence was so absurd that Su Shi couldn't wrap his head around it.

"Oh, I said it was just a joke at that time." Zhe Li glanced at the lamp happily.

Should I say this was within my expectations? Takamatsu Deng still remembered the casual words he had said when they first met.

He thought for a moment before speaking slowly: "What I like... well, it's not the stars themselves, but the stories behind them."

After hearing this, Su Shi withdrew his surprised gaze from Deng and looked at Zhe Li again.

"Like the story of Orion and Luna?"

"No. I told you it was when we were kids. How could a little boy possibly understand the beauty of tragic love?" Zhe Li waved his hand self-deprecatingly, looking up at the ceiling as if reminiscing. "What I like is the concept of 'light years'."

Su Shi looked puzzled, "Light years?"

"Yes. Just think about it, the stars in the sky are so far away, so far away that the light from them has to travel for several years to reach Earth. The universe is so vast, so desolate and lonely..."

"But even so, if you look up, you can still see the stars."

It's as if it's countless light years away.

There was a lonely child who met another lonely child through the stars.

"I think it's romantic."

Surrounded by family and friends since childhood, he never seemed to have a day off, and he understood loneliness through the stars.

Because of loneliness, it is brilliant.

Because it is brilliant, it is beautiful.

Because it is beautiful...so, when you are alone, just having the stars is enough.

As for people, let’s just be happy and lively.

Su Shi held her cheek and whispered with a sigh: "Romance——"

"...Romance." Gao Songdeng murmured as if he was deep in thought.

Zhe Li couldn't help but reveal a strange expression.

The two junior high school kids in front of him repeated what he said in a serious tone, as if they had suddenly decided on the values of life for the rest of their lives, which made him feel a little pressured.

"What's going on between you two? I'm just saying it casually, don't delve into it."

Gao Songdeng said slowly: "I think it's very romantic too."

Su Shi said in a light tone: "Because what Zhe Li said makes a lot of sense~"

But those eyes never left Zhe Li.

...What else can I say? I can't ask them not to agree with what I say.

Zhe Li shook his head and stood up. "Alright, stop worrying about it and eat. I'll go get you some drinks."

"Ah, let me do it." Su Shi stood up and basked in his gaze. She pointed at her empty plate and smiled at him. "I've already finished eating. It's a good time to take a walk to digest the food."

"Okay. I don't want to eat anymore, let's go together."

Su Shi covered her mouth and laughed, "Oh? It's not good to waste food."

"Don't worry, we'll finish eating together later." Zhe Li didn't wait for her response and walked straight to the counter. "The light will be here for us."

Gao Songdeng had been looking back and forth at the two of them with his head raised in a daze, and only lowered his head a little slowly when he heard his own name.

"Uh-huh……"

……

"Are you feeling better?"

"Eh?"

On the short walk to the counter, Baodeng Zheli suddenly spoke.

Su Shi paused, as if her brain, filled with distracting thoughts, was trying to process the sudden influx of information. After a moment, she smiled at the man beside her.

"What? I've always been in a good mood. Today is a rare day for me to go out and play."

"Really? That's good." Zhe Li also smiled.

Although I clearly feel that you have been worried since the light appeared.

'As if, jealous.'

……

Everyone knows Nagasaki Sushi's intentions.

Bao Deng Zheli naturally would not pretend to be confused like the male protagonist in a romantic comedy.

In any case, Su Shi likes him, and he doesn't hate her - no, he also has a good impression of Su Shi.

Then, as an elder, we must respond to this feeling well.

However, before that, he must first understand his own thoughts.

"..."

The man narrowed his eyes slightly and walked in the midday light.

Bao Deng Zheli didn't know why he came, nor did he know when he would leave.

So at the beginning, he just wanted to wait until Su Shi could really muster up the courage to face him, and then seriously and straightforwardly reject this girl.

Rejection may make her depressed for a while, but a short pain is worse than a long one.

This may be a better outcome than letting this already fragile girl bear the risk of being "betrayed" again in the future.

but--

"Zheli, what would you like to drink?"

"Please order me a cup of milk tea."

"Haha, the same as always." The girl covered her mouth and laughed a few times before turning to the counter to place her order.

Zhe Li withdrew his gaze from her and slowly looked out the window.

The blazing sun made the world seem covered with a layer of white mist, blurring all outlines in the light.

The smile on his face faded slightly.

...Actually, I'm still very scared.

Is the peace we see now only temporary?

Is the peace of mind only temporary?

Will this third life of mine be taken back by a more powerful existence at some point?

It was precisely because fear still lingered in the depths of his mind that he always acted like a distant bystander, pretending that as long as he didn't touch anything, it wouldn't hurt anything anymore...

"Zheli, here is your milk tea."

"Ah." Zhe Li reached out to take it, and stared quietly at the girl's figure as she walked away excitedly.

——But, we have an appointment.

Since I had already made a vow and promised to return to her even if it meant risking everything.

Since that uncertain future is no longer a problem, let alone an obstacle...

"What's wrong? Let's go."

“…Ah. Right on cue.”

A faint smile appeared on his face.

There was a young girl looking back gracefully in the light not far away.

It's so beautiful that it seems like she just walked out of a dream.

Lost Star Chapter 43 Summer Record: Episode Even so, the smile is still beautiful

"That's all. This show ends here. Because there are stairs in the venue..."

"..."

Following the venue rules, Baodeng Zheli slowly walked out of the planetarium "Mantian" and stretched his body.

Su Shi followed him quietly, and waited until he returned to the corridor before turning his head to look at Zhe Li:

"It feels... unexpectedly quite interesting."

"I think so too," Zhe Li nodded in agreement, raising his hand to pinch his chin, looking thoughtful. "My previous impression of astronomy was that a group of people would spend their time on a rooftop looking around with super-sized telescopes, then engage in rap battles using all sorts of fantastical names of stars and constellations—"

Su Shi chuckled softly, "What kind of weird imagination is that?"

"...Do you find it interesting too?"

Gao Songdeng then slowly caught up with the two of them, as if he had secretly heard their conversation, and asked cautiously.

Su Shi turned around and looked back at the girl who was huddled up and looked particularly petite. She smiled broadly at the look that vaguely showed anticipation or perhaps trepidation.

"Well, that's very interesting. Xiao Deng, thank you for the invitation."

"That's great." Deng smiled a little slower than usual.

"……really,"

When Su Shi saw this, he narrowed his eyes slightly and raised the corners of his mouth in a subtle arc.

"Xiao Deng is so cute when he smiles."

Deng then clutched the shoulder bag strap tightly and lowered her head to avoid Su Shi's gaze. "I, I'm not cute at all."

"Oh, places like this are the cutest~" Su Shi said with a smile.