Heavy girl? I feel worse than Black Hole Trigger!

"Then tell her to go home and take a shower and change her clothes quickly to avoid catching a cold."

Zhe Li opened his eyes exaggeratedly, "Didn't you want to ask something just now?"

"Xiao Xiang, you probably don't want to answer anything right now. So I won't ask anymore." Su Shi put her hands on her hips and hummed smugly, "Besides, I'm your... girlfriend, so I won't give you the chance to chat with other girls. I'll be back as soon as you give me the umbrella!"

"You might as well just tell me not to go."

"If you don't go, it's my turn. You beat me to it after all!"

The girl watched him put on his windbreaker and seemed to see something she was not satisfied with. She went over to him and tugged at it on the left and then on the right, not knowing what the difference was. After fiddling with it for a while, she nodded seriously.

Finally, she stood on tiptoe, straightened his collar with her hand, and smiled widely.

"Bon Voyage."

"...Ahh."

He smiled and waved his hand.

"wait me back."

Chapter 80: The Morning Star Opens the Door to Summer

It's still raining.

Shoko Toyokawa found a bus stop and sat down on the cold bench.

The bus shelter was a bit small, and the flying rain had already soaked the bench, but she thought that since she was soaked all over, it didn't matter, so she sat down directly. After she got used to the cold feeling, she raised her head and looked outside the shelter.

The cityscape on a cloudy day is like being covered by a gray filter, and the humid weather makes people reluctant to travel.

The gloomy streets were empty, and the continuous drizzle was like a curtain.

I didn’t feel it when I was walking in the rain just now, but now sitting in the bus stop, I suddenly feel that the world in front of me seems so unreal at this moment, as if I shouldn’t be here at all, and this place doesn’t belong to me at all.

"...I just said it."

The girl stared at the rain in a daze.

The incessant sound of rain outside the bus shelter made the world inside the shelter seem particularly quiet.

A few drops of rain seemed to have fallen on her bangs, and she quickly raised her hand to wipe them away.

"Yo."

——When I opened my eyes again, there was a tall figure in front of me.

She was still wearing a simple trench coat that highlighted her slender figure.

It was still a casual smile that seemed to never be shrouded in shadow.

The man named Baodeng Zheli stood in the rain, holding an umbrella. His shoulders and arms were noticeably wet, but his complexion was so bright and cheerful that it didn't seem like he was walking through the rainy season, but rather like he was strolling through the green grass of spring.

Toyokawa Shoko was stunned for a moment.

But soon, she shook her head, returning to her indifferent demeanor. She slowly stood up, nodded slightly to the man as a greeting, and said, "Mr. Zheli, why are you here?"

"I brought you an umbrella." Zhe Li shook the umbrella in his hand. Raindrops fell from the edge of the umbrella.

Toyokawa Shoko's drooping eyelashes fluttered slightly, "...I told you it wasn't necessary."

"But I didn't agree." The man walked into the bus stop.

The pavilion was not wide, so he moved slightly past the girl, walked to the side, folded his umbrella, and handed the umbrella handle to her.

"Give."

"..."

The girl's blue hair, drenched in raindrops, clumps of hair, like scattered seaweed or a dancing octopus, draped awkwardly over her shoulders. She didn't follow Baodeng Zheli's lead and turn, remaining oriented toward the thick, foggy rain outside the pavilion. Her gaze was like raindrops falling silently into the earth.

"...Shigasaki-san, do you want me to have a message?"

After a while, she spoke in a dry voice.

"Yes." Zhe Li didn't react much to her coldness.

He held the umbrella, still smiling.

"————."

Toyokawa Shoko heaved a long sigh that sounded like a sigh, and then turned her head. With an expressionless face, she faced the man's smile that looked particularly strange in the rain, and spoke softly:

"Then I'm all ears."

Zhe Li's smiling face finally showed a bit of other emotions at this moment. It was surprise.

"Do you really want to hear it?"

"That's right." Shoko Toyokawa turned around slowly.

The damp clothes clung to her skin, and the overly cold touch made the smile on her lips tinged with pain; the curves outlined by the clothes were unexpectedly thin, and one could vaguely see her body trembling slightly.

But the coldness contained in those eyes was frighteningly strong.

It seemed that Nagasaki Suyo made her even more angry than this icy rain—

"It seems I wasn't clear enough before. I need to make Nagasaki-san give up completely."

"……oops."

Baodeng Zheli tilted his head, carefully examined the girl's expression, and raised an eyebrow:

"I feel like you've misunderstood something. But, never mind—"

"She told me to tell you, 'Go home quickly, take a shower and change your clothes, or you'll catch a cold.'"

"..."

Toyokawa Shoko blinked.

"Eh?"

"Hey what?"

Zhe Li rolled his eyes and stuffed the umbrella handle into her hand, making her take it in a daze.

"I really don't understand why you little brats always like to be bitter and vengeful."

The man took off his windbreaker and put it on Xiangzi.

The clothes she had just taken off were still a little warm, and they immediately warmed her gradually numb body.

Baodeng Zheli folded his arms across his chest as she looked at him, feeling lost. He snorted coldly and, imitating her earlier behavior, looked up at the sky outside the pavilion. "Getting caught in the rain isn't really a 'punishment' for myself. It's just pure stupidity."

"...Woo."

The girl's eyes twitched and she turned her face away silently.

Zhe Li bent down and wiped the bench, and the remaining water on the chair magically disappeared.

He patted the chair and said, "Sit down. I think the rain has lessened a bit, and it might clear up soon. Take out your cappuccino and drink it first. It should still be warm, just right to warm you up."

“Oh, oh…”

Toyokawa Shoko replied in a low voice and sat back on the bench obediently.

The rain was still falling, occasionally a few needle-like drops of rain would escape into the pavilion, leaving a slight chill on my cheeks.

But the warm coffee in her mouth and the coat draped over her shoulders made her unfazed by the cold. In fact, she even felt a strange sense of security in this small world...

In a trance, the man leaning against the pavilion spoke again:

"I don't know what happened to you, but I know Su Shi is worried about you."

"......" Shoko Toyokawa held the coffee cup in silence.

"Sudden absence, sudden appearance, then sudden withdrawal from the band... It's normal to be worried. You should be aware of this." Zhe Li spread his hands, then shook his head when he saw Xiangzi still keeping his head down and silent. "Don't worry, I won't ask if you don't want to. Just by not caring, you can stay out of it. That's the cunning of adults."

"But, I still have something to say. ...Although, given my situation, it doesn't seem like it's my turn to speak."

He was silent for a moment.

The unbearable silence made Xiangzi raise his head, but he only saw a smile on his face as he slowly turned his head to face him.

"--Thank you, Toyokawa-san."

That smile was simple, as ordinary as if it was talking about something insignificant.

The tone was serious but not so matter-of-fact.

"Whether it's Sushi or Deng, the fact that they can smile like this now is thanks to you and the band you founded."

——Su Shi thought that as long as she had the official seal, it would be enough. But this was not true.

They are all learning to become better people, so they can't just be with each other: Zheli, for example, pursues the hero in his memory, while Sushi builds confidence in CRYCHIC. This time together is indispensable nourishment for Sushi, which is why she is saddened by Xiangzi's sudden decision.

However, Su Shi's growth seemed to have slightly exceeded Zhe Li's imagination.

"Xiao Xiang probably doesn't want to answer anything right now. So I won't ask."

Although that graceful figure still had some lingering distress, that unique smile was so bright that it seemed to be able to dispel all the haze.

If it's her, there's no problem. ...Such a smile that makes one deeply trustworthy.

The man grinned.

A smile as bright as ever.

It was as if she was imitating the appearance of the girl in her memory—

"So, as a friend, I want to thank you on their behalf."

"————."

Shoko Toyokawa was momentarily distracted by the somewhat dazzling smile.

...Even me.

Even so, these are hands that can't hold anything.

Also, did you really accomplish anything...?

"Well, I'll take my leave then. Goodbye, Toyokawa-kun."

The man waved to her and turned to face the rainy world.

It was clearly an ordinary back view, but for some reason it seemed unusually tall.

It was as if the damp chill in the air had been completely swept away by a gentle breeze, bringing the midsummer sunshine to replace the spring, making up for the unfinished regrets and allowing this gray world to regain its rightful color...

"wait wait wait!"

Toyokawa Shoko called out subconsciously.

But when she really saw the other person slowly turning his head, she only uttered fragments:

"umbrella……"

"Umbrella? Oh, that's all right. I have another one."

The man smiled and pulled out another folding umbrella from his pocket. He opened it casually, only to find it was quite small. But he didn't care at all. He just hummed a tune and walked into the rain with an umbrella that couldn't even fully cover his shoulders.

The girl just watched him go away until his figure was covered by the drifting mist, and then she came back to her senses.

Tick, tick.

Water drops were still falling from the eaves of the bus stop like tears, and in the distance, sun rays were already falling from the clouds.

The girl just stared blankly at the sky that looked like the dawn.

...The rain gradually stopped.

Lost Star Chapter 81 Summer Time Record: Chapter Sour

The slender fingers held the guitar pick and tapped the strings quickly.

The electric guitar, which was not connected to the wires, only made a faint sound, and the girl who was plucking the strings had a calm expression.

She faced the window alone, the clear sky casting light upon the earth. Her pale green hair seemed particularly ethereal in this brightness, as if she were an elf that did not belong to this world, invisible to everyone, invisible to everyone...

Shiina Riki stopped looking at Wakaba Mutsu, put down the phone that he was using to hide his gaze, and turned to the door of the recording studio.

Meanwhile, Nagasaki Suyo pulled up a chair and sat by the door, a smile playing on her lips as she fretted the fretboard. Riki had always found her somewhat noisy and annoying, but now, like Wakaba Mutsu, she was as quiet as ever, her head lowered as she practiced her bass. Looking at her from behind, Riki felt a certain dread.