Substitute Toyokawa Shoko, you can become stronger by breathing

Besides, she hid so many things.

She knew that the "Xiangzi" was not Xiangzi.

She knew how bad that man was.

She knew everything, but she could only watch as Aiyin fell into the carefully woven trap called "tenderness" like a moth to a flame.

Thinking of this, Nagasaki Suyo sighed softly, and the thought of gloating completely disappeared.

She slowed down her pace, aligned herself with Aine, and reached out, gently poking her arm.

"Hey."

"..." Chihaya Aine didn't respond. She continued to lower her head and count the gaps between the tiles on the floor.

"Chihaya-san." Nagasaki Suyo emphasized her tone a little.

"...What are you doing?"

Aine's voice was muffled and nasal.

"So, what are you going to do now?"

Nagasaki Suyo's gaze fell on her still bulging arms:

"You can't just hold onto that 'precious' box of cookies in your arms forever, right? By afternoon, they'll really turn to stone."

"have no idea..."

“Ah…”

Nagasaki Suyo was both angry and amused:

"Isn't it just a day off? It's not like we'll never see each other again. If someone doesn't know you, they'd think you were dumped."

"I, I wasn't dumped!"

Chihaya Aine raised her head suddenly like a cat whose tail was stepped on and retorted loudly.

"I just feel that...it took a lot of effort to make it..."

As she spoke, her voice lowered again:

"I just thought, if Xiaoxiang could eat something hot, he would definitely be very happy..."

Seeing her like this, Nagasaki Suye's heart finally softened.

She couldn't stand other people showing this kind of expression in front of her.

"ok, ok, I got it."

She reached out and patted Aine's back somewhat awkwardly. Her action was more like brushing off dust from her clothes than a soothing gesture.

"It's not like there's no other way."

"Eh?"

"Take it to the band's activity room during lunch break."

Nagasaki Suyo looked away, looked out the window, and suggested in a calm tone:

"Wouldn't it be nice if we could all share the food? It's better than you sitting here feeling sorry for yourself."

"To everyone?"

Chihaya Aine was stunned for a moment.

"Why, don't you want to?"

Nagasaki Suyo raised an eyebrow: "Is what you made something shameful that can only be eaten by certain people?"

"of course not!"

Aine immediately retorted:

"My cookies are super-delicious! They're not something to be ashamed of!"

"That's okay."

Nagasaki Suyo retracted her gaze, and a faint smile appeared on the corner of her mouth, which she herself had not noticed:

"It's settled. I'll go with you during lunch break."

"...Um."

Chihaya Aine nodded. Although she was still in a bad mood, she finally regained some vitality compared to the despairing look she had just now.

The two walked side by side in the quiet corridor, looking at each other in silence for a while.

The sunlight filtered through the windows, casting long shadows on the ground.

Nagasaki Suyo's mind was working rapidly.

Looking at the girl next to her whose emotions fluctuated greatly because of a small matter, she suddenly felt that this was an opportunity.

A perfect opportunity to test the waters without leaving any trace.

She has always been curious, and even a little afraid of Chihaya Aine's so-called "labeling ability".

Although Aiyin's words were unclear and sometimes effective, to Su Shi, it sounded like a terrifying ability comparable to mind reading.

She was scared.

She was afraid that one day, Chihaya Aine would suddenly come up to her, point at the top of her head, and say in that innocent yet cruel tone, "Soyorin, why is your label [Kujo Renji's accomplice]?"

Just imagining that scene, Nagasaki Suyo felt a chill on her back.

She cleared her throat, trying to make her tone sound like a casual chat.

"Speaking of which, Aine-chan."

"Ok?"

"How's your...weird ability lately?"

She used "weird" instead of "label" to make it seem less deliberate:

"Can you still see all that mess?"

When Chihaya Aine heard this question, she was stunned for a moment, and then her face, which had just relaxed a little, was filled with distress and annoyance again.

She sighed heavily, as if she was trying to spit out all the sorrow of the entire winter.

"Don't mention it, Soyorin..."

She slumped her shoulders and her tone was full of complaints:

"I think it seems... there's a bug."

Bug?

Nagasaki Suyo's heart suddenly jumped.

She patiently played the role of a qualified listener, using her eyes to signal the other person to continue speaking.

"What do you mean...a bug?" she asked in feigned confusion.

"It's just...stuck! Delayed! Not updating at all!"

Chihaya Aine waved her arms as if accusing an irresponsible game operator.

"I'm telling you, it feels like my abilities haven't been updated in a month!"

A month?

Nagasaki Suyo quickly calculated the time in her mind.

A month ago, around the time of the Live performance, the "accomplice" relationship between her and Kujo Renji was completely established.

This timing is too coincidental.

Her heartbeat involuntarily skipped a beat.

"How did you know?"

“I didn’t notice it before!”

Chihaya Aine scratched her hair in distress:

"After all, many people's labels don't change very often."

She paused, wrinkled her nose, and continued:

"But wasn't the midterm exam a while ago?"

Nagasaki Suyo nodded.

"The week before the exam, many of my classmates, as well as some from the class next door, had labels on their heads that read things like 'Preparing for the exam!', 'Don't want to fail!', and 'Forget physics!' I thought it was pretty funny at the time; it felt like I was hearing everyone's inner cries."

"and then?"

"And then! That's where the problem lies!"

Chihaya Aine clapped her hands:

"It's been over a week since the exams ended! The transcripts have been handed out! But...but those people still have the 'Preparing for Exams!' labels hanging on their heads!"

"So..." Chihaya Aine folded her arms and made a concluding statement:

"I just realized that my abilities seem to be severely delayed! Many people's labels are still stuck in the early autumn, and haven't changed at all!"

"..."

After listening to Chihaya Aine's detailed and vivid explanation, Nagasaki Suyo fell silent.

She breathed a sigh of relief.

The sigh of relief was so complete that she felt as if all her nerves that had been tense all morning were soaked in warm water and relaxed.

Great.

That's...great.

Although this answer was different from what she expected, such as "the ability disappeared" or "it's not that magical at all", "a month's delay" was enough.

At least for now, Chihaya Aine has not yet realized her "accomplice" relationship with Kujo Renji.

This feeling of relief was quickly replaced by a deeper sense of unease.

Delay does not mean it will not arrive.

One month.

What if this "bug" is suddenly fixed one day?

What if this "delayed" data packet is suddenly loaded one day in the future?

By that time, would Aiyin be able to see all the accumulated and updated tags from the past month in an instant?

Will she see the labels above her head changing step by step from [Old CRYCHIC resident] to [Threatened collaborator], then to [Accomplice of Kujo Renji], and even...even the label that might appear on the Live, something so shameful that she dare not even think about it, like [A dog blowing a kiss to its owner]?

"Do not..."

Nagasaki Suyo shook her head violently, as if trying to shake this horrible, concrete image out of her mind.

Her movements were a bit too big, drawing a confused look from Chihaya Aine.

"Soyorin? What's wrong with you?"

"...nothing."

Nagasaki Suyo quickly adjusted her expression.

She paused, looking at Aine's face that was still troubled by the "ability bug", and for some unknown reason, she brought the topic back to the topic, with a hint of a deeper temptation that she herself had not even noticed.

"Then...where's Xiaoxiang?" she asked.

"Did you see the label on her head...wasn't it from a month ago too?"

After asking this question, she immediately regretted it.

She felt her heart rising into her throat once again.

"Xiao Xiang...?"

She subconsciously looked away, not daring to look at Nagasaki Suyo, and her fingers helplessly rolled up the corner of her school uniform.

"Well, I...I haven't dared to look closely lately."