Can Lixi look at me alone?

"You really hate me, don't you? You hate me, don't you? Come on, pinch me here, squeeze hard... and I'll die!"

She placed Chu Hua's palm on her throat and then made a pinching gesture for Chu Hua.

"Hurry up, hurry up! If you hate me, just strangle me like this! That way no one will say bad things about Xiao Xiang anymore, how about that? Isn't that a good deal?"

To exchange the life of a despised person for the honor of Xiao Xiang, who will no longer be insulted.

This is an incredibly good deal. If it were up to Yuzuki to choose, she would definitely pinch hard.

But Chu Hua disappointed her.

The teenage idol gently stroked her delicate neck, and, seeing the longing in her eyes, put her hands back in their place.

Her purple eyes revealed no emotion, at least not Yuzuki's.

All she wanted to know was why this good-for-nothing in front of her didn't even dare to strangle her.

"Are you so worried that Xiao Xiang will hate you if you strangle me? Or do you not even have the courage to help Xiao Xiang kill someone, yet you dare to say you like Xiao Xiang?! You piece of trash, you don't even dare to kill someone you consider mentally ill, where did Xiao Xiang find such a stupid dog like you?"

Chu Hua calmly gazed at the girl in front of her, who was crying and loudly scolding herself.

She needs to take good care of Jieyue.

Because this is what Xiao Xiang wants her to do.

Therefore, she will definitely take good care of Yuzuki.

After enduring her beatings and scoldings for a while until he was exhausted, he finally moved his body, covered in grease and soup stains, toward the bathroom to clean it.

However, this seemingly humble yet arrogant attitude angered Yuzuki.

What are you pretending for? Even at a time like this, you still want to say you don't hate me that much?

You just want me dead, don't you? Then why don't you kill me...

She picked up the sharp metal fork from the ground.

I'm going to kill you.

Anyway, I'm mentally ill.

Chu Hua flung open the door with her arm, and a silver fork gleaming under the light caught her attention.

She reached out to snatch Yuzuki's weapon, but worried that Yuzuki would cause more trouble. So she raised her arm in defense, and Yuzuki didn't care where she might bleed. She just wanted to teach this dog who dared to call her mentally ill a lesson.

The dog bit Jieyue, and Jieyue looked around to see if anyone was there.

nobody.

Yuzuki is about to bite the dog.

The sharp iron teeth pierced the skin, and drops of scarlet blood flowed out along the fork.

Does it hurt?

Chu Hua felt her injured arm.

It's a bit less serious than the injuries caused by bumping into things in the rehearsal room.

What is Yuzuki doing? Is she taking revenge on me?

Before she could react, the pink-haired girl, seeing Chu Hua's blood flowing from the fork onto her hand, dropped what she was holding as if she were startled.

Yuzuki overestimated herself a bit.

For Yuzuki, the thought of causing physical harm to others was enough.

But she did it anyway, and even...

The slippery red liquid on her palm reminded her that she had deliberately hurt Chu Hua.

She is getting closer and closer to mental illness.

If things continue like this, no one will stay with her anymore.

Fear, panic, and regret, mixed with a mad urge to continue chopping Chu Hua to pieces, emotions that had been suppressed for who knows how long, kept assaulting Jieyue's rationality.

Her crying and laughing at the same time made the teenage idol forget about treating her own wounds and hurriedly hugged her and took her back to the hospital bed.

Surprisingly, Jieyue didn't struggle at all. She obediently let Chuhua carry her back.

You can't hurt anyone. If you're caught hurting someone, you'll be locked up and no one will be with you anymore.

Kill her, kill that bastard who called us mentally ill, chop her up and feed her to the dogs, how about that?

Yuzuki tried her best to control her body to avoid doing anything irreversible.

But she simply couldn't do it.

Every time she heard Chu Hua's voice or saw Chu Hua's face, she would think of Chu Hua's words about her being a 'mentally ill person'.

She would think of it whenever she saw or heard it.

What she least wanted was for Chu Hua to expose her mental illness to the public.

She might be able to suppress her emotions for a short time, but she can't endure them for much longer.

This is why she was unable to attend school normally.

Her ruined life tormented her constantly, until... she met that person.

That person did not discriminate against her; that person gently approached her, became her support, and was willing to put his coat on her to keep her warm.

"Yuzuki, wake up... Can you hear me?"

Chu Hua kept trying to bring back her rationality, but... perhaps Yuzuki is the rational side right now?

Accepting the fact that you are mentally ill... that can be considered a rational side, right?

Completely at a loss for how to face Yuzuki, and fearing that her sudden movements would tear her wounds open, Hatsuka could only reach out and grab both of Yuzuki's wrists, pressing them against her...

Both sides of the body.

The two people's posture thus became unusually ambiguous.

"I won't resist, come on~ you can do whatever you want~"

Yuzuki's words left her speechless, so she could only try to comfort her softly, but it was no use.

Because she is none other than Misaka Chuka, who not long ago kept calling her mentally ill.

"Didn't you always say I was mentally ill? Why, why are you comforting me like this? Do you think I would believe such a simple lie as you liking me? Or are you trying to use my feelings to torment me?"

No, she's completely irrational. Communicating with her is useless…

While relieved that Jieyue's body didn't have much strength, Chu Hua forcibly restrained her limbs. He pressed his entire body against Jieyue, their beautiful eyes less than five centimeters apart.

From the outside, it looks like Chu Hua is forcing the struggling Yuzuki.

Who's outside?

Before Chu Hua could figure out what to do next, she had already been thrown aside.

His body slammed heavily against the wall, and a bleeding wound appeared on his head from the impact.

Despite the pain and dizziness, try to concentrate and observe what is happening.

A black-haired girl with her back to her hugged Yuzuki and comforted her.

It's a scene that looks so heartwarming, but why... is she the only one who suffers all the injuries?

Chu Hua, who was rubbing the painful spot and preparing to leave the ward, bumped into Xiang Zi who was rushing towards her.

In the hospital room, Yuzuki, realizing that she was enveloped by that person's warm body and fragrant scent, kept shedding tears.

It was like finding a safe haven for a child in the darkness, and she poured out all her grievances to Lixi.

The black-haired girl, who held her tightly and let her snuggle in her arms, was glad that she had returned relatively early.

She knew perfectly well that Chu Hua wouldn't do such a thing, but why should she use such forceful methods against Jie Yue?

It really was Xiang who found these two friends; they just have a talent for making people dislike them.

While wiping away Yuzuki's warm tears, Riki, who also had time to check her wounds, kissed her cheek to comfort her.

"It's okay, Riki is next to Yuzuki."

Li Xi is next to me...

"Why, why did you leave me here! Why did you leave me with that person! I hate her, didn't you know she called me mentally ill?! Why... why did you let her stay with me?!"

While enduring Yuzuki's constant biting on her body, Riki softly apologized and comforted her, promising it would never happen again. He reached out and wiped the dirt stuck to her hair.

The pink-haired girl, who had been crying and clinging to her, gradually lost her remaining energy in her arms and was gently patted on the back by Lixi to fall asleep.

However, some people will definitely not be able to sleep tonight.

With a pale face, Xiangzi turned his back to Chuhua, not wanting her to see his emotional changes.

Mutsu, who could clearly hear Yuzuki questioning Ritsuki from outside the door, naturally didn't want to say a word to Hatsuka.

Afraid of being disliked by Xiao Xiang, Chu Hua didn't dare to speak easily, and an awkward silence fell over the corridor.

Don't you know she called me mentally ill?!

Xiangzi didn't know, and neither did Mu.

Chu Hua also understood why Yuzuki treated her that way.

"Chuhua..."

Xiangzi looked at her with a complicated expression.

Knowing that she would question her for saying those things, the teenage idol gave an apologetic smile.

"I'm sorry... Xiao Xiang. I shouldn't have said that."

He confessed his mistakes, hoping that Xiangzi wouldn't hate him.

Beneath Chu Hua's apologetic smile lay a heart filled with extreme fear.

Please don't hate me because of this, okay? Didn't Xiao Xiang also say she hates that guy? And hasn't she been bothering Xiao Xiang the whole time?

Xiao Xiang...please don't hate me because of this person, okay?

Xiangzi pulled her to sit on a seat to the side. Chu Hua, who was too scared to feel happy that Xiangzi was holding her hand, heard her tired voice.

"From now on, Hatsuka should try not to say these things in front of Yuzuki..."

Mu suddenly interrupted.

"Not try, not want to."

Xiangzi nodded, agreeing with her statement.

Yuzuki was right. She had no idea what Yuzuki's life was like, or even that Hatsuka would say such things to her, and she hadn't warned her...

This was her dereliction of duty.

Chu Hua had already done more than enough by helping her, yet she failed to offer Chu Hua any crucial hints.

It couldn't possibly be because Chu Hua said that on purpose, after all, she knew what kind of person Chu Hua was.

Therefore, this must have been an accident, and she should bear the primary responsibility for it.

That was her fault.

"Yes, that's right. Hatsuka, please don't say things like that about Yuzuki anymore... it will make her very sad."

It wasn't just Jieyue who was sad; she was sad too.

All of Yuzuki's problems are because of her, and Yuzuki's transformation from a healthy child to what she is now is also because of her.

Throughout Yuzuki's life, Xiangzi didn't know how many times he had hurt her. But she knew she could no longer continue.

She must bear the burden of Jieyue for the rest of her life.

This is her responsibility.

The children of the Toyokawa family would never shirk their responsibilities.

Similarly, it is her responsibility to help Chu Hua, who was hurt because of her.

Xiangzi, who was taking Chuhua to find a doctor to bandage her wounds, temporarily left the vicinity of the ward, and the girl who was sleeping soundly in Lixi's arms was put back on the hospital bed.

Lixi quietly began to clean up the lunch boxes that had been scattered on the floor, and Mu took the opportunity to sit down next to Yuzuki.