You say this is a love game?

Listening to the sound of water splashing in the bathroom, I realized that it was Mai Yajima who was washing her feet with the shower head. When she tried to find a hair dryer, she couldn't find it, so she could only wipe her hair with a towel.

According to Mai Yajima herself, the environment of the apartment she lives in is very similar to that of Makoto Mizutani's apartment. At this time, she actually feels a sense of familiarity, as relaxed and comfortable as if she were at home.

"Alright, Zhenyi, I'm back to full health!"

While she was shouting like this, she went out and saw Mizutani Makoto who was cleaning the room. Two wooden swords were placed in the corner of the wall. At the same time, the little ghost girl she had seen before was sitting on the tatami, looking at her with scrutiny.

She pretended not to see.

A monster like Satori Yoshiko...isn't it just like a stray dog ​​on the side of the road? Even if she was interested, it would be the fox's aura on Mizutani Makoto's wrist. She only took a quick look at Satori Yoshiko's existence and didn't intend to delve into it.

"You're still practicing sword?"

The girl was surprised and came forward, circling around Mizutani Makoto's wooden sword.

Mizutani Makoto corrected him: "It's to practice kendo."

"Bravo……"

This woman, is she going to praise him stiffly again?

Mizutani Makoto glanced sideways, but Yajima Mai had a thoughtful look on her face. She said, "I don't know anything about kendo. Even if you give me a knife, I can just casually swing it a few times to pretend. So I think Makotan, who knows kendo, is really amazing!"

Have you already assumed that he is proficient in kendo?

"I'm suddenly curious about what image I have in your mind..."

"You want to know? But I don't want to tell you yet."

"Ok?"

Mai Yajima picked up the wooden sword in the corner, held it with both hands, made a handsome pose, and pointed the blade at Mizutani Makoto's forehead.

Look at her weak forehand, unskilled backhand, loose steps, and none of the poses she makes are decent. How dare she hold a sword?

Well, in Japan, there is no distinction between swords and knives, so it doesn’t matter whether you call it a knife or a sword.

Mizutani Makoto flicked his finger and deflected the wooden sword.

"Don't point your sword at people."

"This is a wooden sword!"

"Even wooden swords are not allowed. This is a matter of basic etiquette."

Hearing this, Yajima Mai put down her wooden sword obediently, but the girl's curiosity had just begun.

Outside the window, the rain is misty.

In the cheap apartment, Mai Yajima explored the Mizutani family with great enthusiasm, especially after discovering a pile of comic books stuffed in the cabinet, her eyes lit up. After asking, "Can I touch them?" and getting permission, she began to flip through Mizutani Makoto's collection.

But it was obvious that she was looking for another kind of "treasure".

"How could there not be any?"

The girl suddenly became depressed when she failed to find her favorite little uncle.

"Aren't teenagers all adolescent monsters with raging hormones? How could there be a teenager who isn't interested in Sese?"

Hearing this unabashedly bold statement, Mizutani Makoto slapped his forehead.

"Consider the presence of a certain teenager."

joke!

Does he look like the kind of craftsman who enjoys his life every day?

Mizutani Makoto secretly complained and remembered the remarks made by Ikusa that he had seen before.

Earth OL is a boring and rubbish game, but the built-in deer tube mini-game makes up for it very well.

Is this, is this right?

Is the Deer Tube game really fun?

But in this life, Mizutani Makoto really has no such thoughts, not to mention that in the past half month, Satori Yoshiko has moved directly into his house, making the boy's already dull life rhythm even more difficult to create any sparks.

Think about it from another perspective - he vented all his energy on his favorite Crevice Warmth. He loved the little monsters in it very much. Each of them was a talent, and their howling was damn beautiful. Returning to the Crevice every night was like returning home. The blood splashed on his face was hot and extremely warm.

"It's okay. I already knew this physiological knowledge! There's nothing to be ashamed of. Isn't this how humans reproduce?"

"This is the birth of a new life! It's a very sacred thing!"

The girl had a serious expression on her face.

This tone.

Mizutani Makoto glanced at her and felt that she was going crazy.

Yajima Mai suddenly stood up, and Mizutani Makoto became alert and sat up straight, asking, "What do you want to do?"

"Come with me outside to watch the rain."

"Watching the rain? Is that true?"

Mizutani Makoto was dumbfounded, pointing at the rain outside the window, his expression gradually distorted.

"Do you still like getting caught in the rain?"

"No, it just came to me on a whim. I'm bored, and you seem to have a lot of free time too. Anyway, you're free anyway, so you have to find something to do, right?"

That's correct.

Mizutani Makoto is the type of person who can't sit still. When he has free time, he will exercise, look up information, or do some internal work. Now that Mai Yajima proposed the idea of ​​watching the rain, he felt that this girl was probably suffering from a second-year syndrome, not to mention that she looked like she had been caught in the rain... He had just thought so when he went out and saw a transparent umbrella leaning against the security door.

So how did you get your hair wet?

Makoto Mizutani held an umbrella, and the girl behind him followed closely.

It's fun to step in puddles, right?

My feet are getting dirty again.

A rainy night in Night Light City is like being immersed in an ink bottle, with asphalt-like clouds rolling like a sea overhead, and the darkness is so thick that not a trace of light remains.

Of course, it is impossible for Makoto Mizutani to really follow Mai Yajima and act recklessly for no reason.

He had his own ideas, and now he walked to the vending machine with an umbrella, intending to buy a can of Coke to toast this gloomy rainy night.

This isn't for Mai Yajima.

Across the street, the sign of the 24-hour convenience store was blurred by the rain, turning it into a patch of orange light, far less clear than the cold light of the vending machine in front. Mizutani Makoto bent slightly, his umbrella leaning against his shoulder, and the raindrops caught by the umbrella fell off in a rustling sound.

Behind him, the girl's shoes crushed the puddles, and the translucent umbrella swayed gently to the rhythm of the song she was humming.

"What drinks are you planning to buy?"

Mizutani Makoto asked without turning his head.

"Qiangqiang-"

She suddenly peeked out from under her umbrella, her eyelashes adorned with water droplets. "Come, let me choose... or how about you help me choose? I want to see if you remember what I like to drink."

The coin fell into the metal slot. Mizutani Makoto grabbed a can of Coke and a bottle of lemon tea.

Mizutani Makoto bent down and took out the still cool can of soda, and the carbonic acid bubbles made tiny popping sounds in the silence.

With drinks available, Mizutani Makoto felt a little better.

After a long silence, Mizutani Makoto asked, "What is it about me that you like?"

Mai Yajima was originally drinking lemon tea happily, but when she heard this, she was stunned for a moment.

Turning around, I found Mizutani Makoto looking straight ahead, apparently staring at the 24-hour convenience store across the street.

Yajima Mai lowered her head and thought for a moment before speaking truthfully:

"That's a lot to praise. He's self-disciplined, kind-hearted, courageous, careful, and consistent... I can't praise him enough."

"Of course, the most important thing is, it's just like a knight!"

Mai Yajima raised her index finger, and the part of her wrist exposed from her coat sleeve was so white that it was almost transparent, as if it was about to melt in the cold bluish-white light of the vending machine.

"knight?"

"Yes, if the Makotan I liked at the beginning was just a kind-hearted person, then after he beat up Rika and the others, Makotan has become like my knight!"

"A girl always hopes that at the most dangerous moment, a knight on a steed will appear like a hero, slaying all obstacles to rescue her... Some never see that day, but some have."

As she spoke, Yajima Mai lowered her head.

The girl's umbrella was also leaning against her shoulder, and silver threads were constantly dripping from the edge of the umbrella.

The roar of the last commuter train came from the direction of the distant train, and the sound waves caused a slight tremor as they rolled over the rain curtain.

In the past, Mai Yajima seemed to have fantasized, just like her mother, that a knight would come to save her from danger.

Mai Yajima's mother devoted herself to her true love and followed her knight without hesitation, staging a drama of a princess eloping with a knight for the head of the Yajima family. Until now, the stubborn old man still cannot forgive his daughter's actions.

But reality is often helpless, and beautiful love stories often end in tragedy.

The knight who took her mother away from the Yajima family was also powerless when his wife was suffering from a genetic disease. Even when he kowtowed to the old man, he could not get his forgiveness. After all, he was a social elite, but the money he earned could not even extend his lover's life.

After the princess's death, the knight could only dejectedly bury himself in his work and career. Eventually, he became ill from overwork and passed away chasing after his beloved.

Only their helpless daughter was left, wandering alone in the world... until the last hope was extinguished, and the family was reunited.

"Is a princess who meets a knight happy or unhappy?"

Mizutani Makoto just listened slowly as the girl told him about her love for him and her parents' love story.

The boy unexpectedly discovered one thing - she treated him as a knight, but he failed to treat her as a princess.

He doesn't like to play dumb.

As early as the day when Yajima Mai confessed her love to him, he had already rejected Yajima Mai and told the girl clearly that he only wanted to be friends with her.

But in retrospect, this kind of reminder is only better than nothing.

The girl's pursuit was still relentless. No matter how many times he showed his indifference, she remained unmoved and kept chasing after him stubbornly.

As the pursuit went on, he actually started to have some inappropriate feelings.

After nearly a month of contact and interaction, Mai Yajima was actually the person he had the most contact with since he entered the first year of high school. Counting the records of the girl chatting with him whenever she had time, the number of times they talked even exceeded that of his good adopted son Shinji Kubo.

This is a very dangerous signal.

Mizutani Makoto also vaguely realized that things were not developing as he had imagined. He should have been the most steadfast anchor in this relationship, but people's adaptability always seemed so strong that he had become somewhat accustomed to Mai Yajima's nagging and pursuit.

Moreover, at certain critical moments, he would be touched... This beautiful girl who was funny in daily life could really attract him when she was really quiet.

From the moment his heartbeat suddenly quickened, his mood became somewhat out of control.

Of course, despite his active mental activities, Mizutani Makoto still maintained his aloof demeanor. He leaned against the vending machine, looking into the distance with an extremely focused expression, making it impossible to guess what he was thinking.

Mai Yajima opened her eyes slightly and looked at the beautiful boy with admiration. The wet rainy day always gave off a musty smell, and she willfully dragged Mizutani Makoto outside, and the musty smell seemed to be covered by some sour and sweet taste.

Oh, it turns out to be the smell of the lemon tea in her hand.

Upstairs in the apartment building, Yoshiko Satori was leaning against the window with her little face pressed against the window glass. Her tender little face even looked a little deformed.

She just looked at the scenery under the window with an OVO look on her face, extremely curious about how this broad-minded older sister planned to win over her older brother.

Or, is there a high probability that it cannot be won?

Mizutani Makoto finished answering the questions, and it was Yajima Mai's turn. She tilted her head slightly and asked quietly, "What about you?"

Mizutani Makoto put down the Coke can and asked curiously, "What me?"

"Why don't you want to like me?"

So-called observation is never one-way.

As the saying goes - when you stare into the abyss, the abyss also stares back at you.

The same principle applies to Makoto Mizutani and Mai Yajima.

Makoto Mizutani was observing Mai Yajima, but in the girl's eyes, she was also taking this opportunity to observe him.

Facing the thick wall of someone's heart, Yajima Mai caught a glimpse of a clue... He was not an ascetic with a heart of stone, nor was he unaware of the girl's closeness.

It’s not that he doesn’t like her, but that he doesn’t want to like her.

A look of distress flashed across Yajima Mai's pretty face. The misty rain outside the umbrella splashed down diagonally, wetting the ends of her hair, which she had finally dried. She curled her wet hair and waited a little longer before Mizutani Makoto sighed in silence.

She looked up and saw Mizutani Makoto glancing at her, looking at her as if she was an idiot.

"Haven't I already told you the reason?"