Heavy girl? I feel worse than Black Hole Trigger!

"It's already raining."

Lost Star Chapter 77 Summer Record: Chapter So, she stepped forward

It's still raining.

The sky seemed to have no prospect of clearing up; the dark clouds were blown away by the breeze, but new gloom gathered elsewhere.

Baodengzheli took back the milk jug, wiped the steam nozzle with a cloth, and put the heated milk aside.

Through the French windows, he could easily see the deserted streets. Rainwater had formed large puddles on the asphalt, reflecting the ever-gloomy sky, as if threatening to crush the human world beneath the spreading ash.

The only thing to be thankful for is that this cafe, Nascita, has good sound insulation.

The endless sound of falling rain could not reach this small space surrounded by leisurely classical music. The icy rain as dense as a curtain could not take away the warmth emitted by the yellow light. Only when the raindrops were heavy enough to bypass the eaves and hit the glass directly, could a slight sound be heard, causing the man at the counter to look up.

The lingering dampness in the air is so sticky that it seems to make time stand still.

The plum rain season is also known as the "mold" rainy season. Just being in such an environment makes you feel like you're getting moldy, and your mood takes a turn for the worse.

During business hours, the store manager always has a faint smile on his face. Under the special lighting at the counter, accompanied by the aroma of steam and coffee, he adds a gentle and elegant temperament - even if this person is actually just pressing a few buttons on the fully automatic coffee machine.

But today, perhaps because the rain was particularly heavy, the sound of rain hitting the window was a bit louder than usual, causing his smile to fall silent in this howling world.

"Bang." "Ding-ling-ling..."

The hurried cry of the hanging bell was followed by a slightly rough sound.

Baodeng Zheli raised his head.

——The cold wind accompanied by needle-like drizzle invaded from the wide-open shop door and brushed across his cheeks wantonly.

A young girl stood there silently with her back straight and proud.

Her pale blue twintails were thoroughly soaked by the rain, leaving each strand, once bright as if blocked from the sunlight, dark and damp. She was wearing the same casual clothes she'd worn on weekends when she practiced piano here, but today was clearly a school day. For example, the friends waiting anxiously in the back room for her appointment were still wearing their school uniforms.

This should have been the girl's cherished casual clothes, but now it was dripping with moisture as if it had been soaked in a swamp.

Yet her expression was incredibly cold and hard. It was as if the chill that permeated her entire body was far less than the something lingering within her, which hadn't shaken her resolve in the slightest.

Baodeng Zheli just looked at that expression for a second, then curled up the corners of his mouth and smiled as usual.

"Welcome, Toyokawa-san. Please come in."

"...Hello. I'm here to see everyone at CRYCHIC."

Toyokawa Shoko took only one step into the shop, a slight break from the rain outside. One hand clutched the other's arm, as if for warmth, or perhaps terrified enough to curl up and flee. Drenched like a drowned rat, she looked utterly miserable, but the will in her eyes still burned fiercely.

The girl first lowered her eyes and stared at the puddle of water at her feet, then raised her head high like a proud swan and looked straight at the very familiar face beside the counter.

This time, she no longer showed her usual smile, but said with a cold face, "Can you allow me to go backstage?"

"Hmm." Zheli crossed his arms and pretended to be thinking, looking down at Toyokawa Shoko condescendingly.

But no matter how unscrupulous his gaze was, the girl's slender and delicate body stood straight as a steel nail, as if she had long been numb to such scrutiny and no longer had any unnecessary emotions.

Seeing that she had no reaction, Zhe Li withdrew his gaze and said casually, "Do you want to join the practice?"

The girl's grip on her arm tightened a little.

"...No. Just a little. I have something to tell everyone. I'll be leaving soon."

"Is that so?" the man replied calmly.

He bent down and rummaged through the counter for a while, then suddenly said, "Here." and threw something to the girl at the door.

The girl, who had a stern face as if she had no more joy or sorrow in her life, finally changed her expression and reached out to catch it in a hurry.

…It turned out to be a tightly tied towel.

The store manager seemed very pleased with this abrupt "prank" and gave a sly smirk, but his tone was serious:

"It's okay in the store, but if you want to go backstage, you need to dry yourself off."

Shoko Toyokawa held the towel and stared blankly at the smile.

After a while, she suddenly lowered her head and said in a muffled voice, "Okay." She began to untie the drawstrings, stood by the door, and carefully wiped every part of the clothes that was still dripping with a towel before looking up at the manager again.

"Is this okay?"

"Ah. That's enough. Give me the towel."

Xiangzi walked to the counter in silence and handed the towel to Zheli.

The soaked towel was heavy, and she had to use both hands to hold it up to the counter, but Zheli grabbed it with just one hand. She could see that the part he was holding was squeezed dry.

"Then, I'll go into the studio."

"Well, let's go."

"..."

His fingertips, wrinkled from being in contact with water for too long, lightly touched the door handle.

Shoko Toyokawa stood quietly in front of the door leading to the backstage, and did not try to turn away for a long time.

The man glanced at her but said nothing. He lowered his head, poured more beans into the coffee machine, and pressed the button to start it.

The silence was replaced by a crackling sound, which then transformed into the fragrant expresso and rich crema, shaking at the bottom of the glass that was held high for scrutiny.

The girl glanced sideways at the figure that seemed as calm as usual in the light.

She spoke in a hoarse voice—

"Mr. Zheli, don't you want to ask me something?"

Baodeng Zheli didn't look at her. He just took out the pre-heated milk and started making latte art.

"Then if I ask, you will answer?"

"..."

"It seems not. So I won't ask."

"……hehe."

The girl couldn't help but laugh, a laugh that was somewhat mocking.

"The so-called adults are really cunning."

Without pausing, the man drew clouds and rain on the surface of the coffee, then covered the delicate pattern with milk foam without hesitation. The vague smile on his face was unclear whether it was a response to the girl's words or a satisfactory compliment to his work.

"That's the benefit of being an adult."

"Indeed."

The girl looked at the back of her hand which had become extremely cold and pale in the rain.

and so--

Click. The girl finally made up her mind and turned the doorknob.

“…Oh, that’s right.”

The sound behind her made her pause slightly.

A man's overly long words were floating in the air:

"This cappuccino is for you, remember to take it later."

“…——————.”

Shoko Toyokawa took a long, deep breath.

Then without looking back,

Towards the studio door that still shines in my memory,

Take a step forward.

Chapter 1 of Lost Star, Summer Time Record: From now on, the ice rain turns into a curse

When I was a child, my mother was always gentle.

"Mother!"

"Xiaoxiang, is get out of class over?"

With a bright smile, Shoko Toyokawa ran towards her mother who had already squatted down with her arms open, showing her soft embrace.

"Mom, the teacher praised me again today!"

"Oh my, this is really amazing."

Her mother stroked her head gently, her voice so gentle that it seemed to melt her heart.

"Then Mother will take Xiaoxiang to your favorite restaurant for dinner today, okay?"

"Yeah!" She looked at her mother and nodded vigorously.

"Where's father?"

"Father is very busy. Can we just go together this time?"

"Um……"

However, the figure of my father is still vague in my memory, but not as strong as that of my mother.

……

"I am back."

The girl gently pushed open the door and walked into the entrance hall. She turned around and waved to the driver before closing the door.

"I'm back... Hey." She shouted again, but no one responded.

The servants who would normally have come to greet them were nowhere to be seen, but they only dismissed them when the whole family was at home—that is to say! The girl felt a little lighter when she thought of this.

Like a free deer, she ran excitedly along the corridor.

Until a sharp word stopped her.

"—What on earth are you thinking about?"

Coming from the front, from the living room door, a little light came out from the crack of the door.

The girl was worried about who her mother was discussing important matters with, so she walked lightly and slowly approached the living room.

But another voice made her stop completely in front of the door.

"I still want to ask you!"

It took the girl a second to remember that it was her father's voice.

"What exactly do you want to do with Xiangzi?"

The mother was closer to the corridor. The girl hiding at the door could clearly hear a long sigh:

"What? It's just a few more ballet lessons. It's nothing to that kid."

"..."

The girl couldn't help but slowly approach the crack of the door——

"'Just'? 'A few classes'?"

Through the crack in the door, I saw that the slightly unfamiliar man had a ferocious expression on his face.

"She's only ten years old, how much free time do you want to take away from her?!"

"Take it away?... Ha! Precisely because we're still children, we need to lay a solid foundation while our learning abilities are at their peak!"

The woman with her back to the door was holding her own arm, her slender, fair, and well-maintained neck proudly raised. Her tone contained no extraneous anger, but was filled with deep disappointment:

"Do you want to see Xiangzi grow up ordinary? Do you want her to be sold as a 'vase' by her family in the future? If you don't give Xiangzi more resources while you still have some influence in the family, how are you going to let her compete with your brothers' children?"

The man's voice choked, his eyes widened, "But, but! That child... "

"how is she?"

A hint of resentment began to creep into the woman's still calm voice.

"When you were working, I was the one taking care of Xiangzi. How dare you criticize my educational policies?"

"You—" The man's excited voice suddenly turned cold and he shouted, "Who's at the door?"