Can Lixi look at me alone?

Woolen cloth…"

"I still miss you all a little, but I can't give up on my study abroad plans like this! So I hope you take good care of yourself, Xiaojie! And please don't forget about me!"

"Hey, I subconsciously thought Yuzuki would reply to me right away. I forgot about our time difference... It should be early morning in Japan now, right? Well then, sweet dreams, Yuzuki~ Goodnight!"

He then added a happy emoji.

What seemed like a lively and enthusiastic message to most people took on a completely different meaning in Yuzuki's eyes.

The girl gently put down her phone and then left directly through the back door of the classroom, completely disregarding the potential consequences of her actions.

She needs a mirror, a mirror that will allow her to communicate more smoothly with the angels.

Fortunately, it was during class time, and the restroom was empty. Yuzuki could finally stand in front of the mirror and look at herself, something she hadn't done in a long time. Then she held up her phone and showed the message to the other person.

Although they understood every word on it, they still calmed down and read it again.

"..."

Yuzuki looked at the angel, and the angel looked at Yuzuki in return.

They put down their phones.

A feeling of unease slowly filled their hearts; they didn't know what to do, what they could do, or what there was to do.

A restless feeling tinged with emptiness made them pull at their hair.

The message on my phone wasn't a blessing to let people know I was safe, nor was it some meaningless chatter.

The stinging pain helped Yuzuki regain some consciousness.

Those messages were cries for help.

It was a distress call from Chihaya Aine.

The emotions hidden between the lines are repressed, sad, painful, and lonely.

This looks completely different from the ones Chihaya sent.

She is far more sensitive to emotions than the average person, which makes her more susceptible to emotional influences than most people.

We need to do something.

She reached an agreement with the angel.

But what can we do?

You know.

They discovered a heartbreaking truth: there was nothing they could do to help Chihaya, who was far away in England.

Powerless.

There's nothing we can do.

Just as they were about to be swayed by their emotions and prepare to take things further, someone successfully found her and pulled her directly into his arms to comfort her.

Seeing Yuzuki get up and leave the classroom without even saying goodbye, someone felt a strong pang of fear.

Perhaps Yuzuki just went to the restroom?

But she noticed the unusual expression on Yuzuki's face when she stood up—her warm, gentle smile was replaced by calmness; the last time she had seen such an expression was…

No, stop thinking about it.

Yuzuki needs me; I need to go find her.

Maybe…

Shut up! Yuzuki needs me! I need her too! I need to see her every moment to make myself feel at ease!

Hailing glanced worriedly at the two who had skipped class one after the other, but after thinking for a moment, she decided not to chase after them. She sent a greeting message to Jieyue on her phone and then continued listening to the lesson.

Whether it was lucky or unlucky, Li Xi pulled the most important person in her life into her arms just before Jie Yue was about to smash the glass.

"It's okay. I'm here."

She tried to suppress her trembling voice, making herself appear very calm and reliable, hoping that this would give Yuzuki some sense of security.

Lixi hugged her as he backed away, stroking her head to comfort her.

"Did something happen?"

She reached into Yuzuki's pocket and took out her phone, whose screen was still lit up.

Yuzuki only ran out after seeing this.

Li Xi sighed and, in front of Jie Yue, forced her to read the contents of the book, regardless of whether she would refuse.

Jieyue stayed quietly in her arms, and while she was reading, she looked up and kissed Lixi's lips, asking for a kiss.

The drummer, his face slightly flushed, took a deep breath and returned the phone to Yuzuki.

Is this a joke?

Her face looked a little ugly.

If Yuzuki wants her to do something, she should just say so. Why make jokes like that?

And if I had arrived any later, would I have gotten hurt again? Aren't the messages Chihaya sent on the screen quite normal?

That guy was just letting you know he was safe in England, why are you reacting like this, Yuzuki?

The bewildered drummers could only attribute it to Yuzuki's usual pranks. Somewhat annoyed, they looked to the side, waiting for her explanation.

"...Lixi-chan, really, can't you see anything wrong?"

It wasn't a cheerful consolation, nor a coquettish apology. Instead, it was a calm and serious explanation that was completely unlike what Yuzuki would usually give.

"Xiaoqian would never talk to me like this."

She read the message aloud, word by word.

"She kept telling me that she was doing well, but she also seemed to really want me to talk to her."

"She just mentioned the nine-hour time difference herself, so why did she forget about it and bring it up again so soon?"

Yuzuki gently tapped the screen.

"I still miss you all a little, but I can't give up on my study abroad plans like this! So I hope you take good care of yourself, Xiaojie! And please don't forget about me!"

That's the key point.

"Xiaoqian misses me a lot, but she can't give up her studies abroad, so she has to stay there. She needs me now, she really needs me... but I... I don't know what to do..."

Unlike normal people, Yuzuki has an exceptionally keen awareness of emotions.

The forced smile on Xiaoqian's face had already appeared in her mind along with these words.

“She told me that the teachers and classmates were all very nice… It must be because they bullied her. Otherwise, Xiaoqian wouldn’t have said that; she would have just said that everything was going smoothly.”

Two pink-haired girls, separated by a nine-hour time difference, began to cry one after the other.

"She might be able to wait nine hours, but I can't... I really want to help her; the thought of her suffering over there makes me..."

Li Xi sealed her lips with his, and the other's exquisite features were deeply imprinted in their minds.

"Don't think so."

Li Xi wiped the liquid from the corner of Yuzuki's mouth and gently comforted the very fragile girl.

"Chihaya isn't stupid. She'll definitely find a way to solve this situation. Even if she can't solve it, she'll think of other ways. The reason she said that to Yuzuki is probably just because she doesn't want Yuzuki to worry."

A warm hand brushed across the back of Jieyue's head, helping her stop her tears.

"So, don't let Chihaya's efforts go to waste, okay? She really didn't want to see Yuzuki like this, that's why she chose to lie, you know?"

And

I don't want to see you like this either.

After washing Yuzuki's face to make her look less disheveled, Riki prepared to take her back to the classroom.

"I want to go home."

The drummer's legs stiffened.

Skipping class on the second day of school is never a good thing, but it was, after all, the last day of the semester…

She tugged at Li Xi's clothes, as if she were both being coquettish and threatening.

"I want to go home."

Lixi made a decision.

"Um,

Then let's go home.

But how do they leave the school? On her second day there, unaware that the security guards wouldn't actually stop them, Riki unconsciously tightened her grip on Kizuki's hand.

If she doesn't know which way to go, should she just climb over the wall and jump out...? But can Yuzuki really do that?

Tsk…

"Let's go, Riki-chan."

Having calmed down a bit, the girl took the initiative to pull Lixi towards the stairwell.

……

Hailing tidied up her stationery, making sure to take notes and prepare them for Lixi and Jieyue later.

Why haven't they come back yet? What are they doing?

Class is about to start, and if she doesn't come back soon, Yuzuki will have to interrupt the teacher's lecture if she wants to come back later... Then everyone will be watching Yuzuki, right? Wouldn't that be even more unbearable for her?

"Hachiman-san? Is Chika-san alright...? Sorry, I just felt you two were close, so I came to ask..."

Hai Ling shook her head at the classmates who tried to get close to her, indicating that Jie Yue was alright, and stood up to go find them.

...?

She sat down again.

Then he stood up again.

It's confirmed, I wasn't mistaken... That pink figure outside the window is Yuzuki, considering there's a black-clad Riki next to her for reference...

So, are you two planning to skip class?

With a slight frown, Hai Ling unlocked her phone and sent a message to Li Xi.

"Is something wrong with Yuzuki? Do you need me to come?"

Lixi was a little worried about letting Jieyue go to call a taxi alone, as the security guard hadn't even looked at her before letting her through. She pulled her back, stroked her soft hair to soothe Jieyue's increasingly tight grip, and then accompanied her to call a taxi.

The moment the school bell rang, Lixi opened the car door and waited for Jieyue to finish before getting in and sitting next to her.

Upon hearing the school bell, Hai Ling gently bit her lower lip and once again inquired about Li Xi's situation on Line.

But how could the drummers, who were always thinking about how to appease Yuzuki, have time to look at their phones?

All that is known is that the two of them skipped class for unknown reasons, and the support musician was forcing a smile as she took notes.

If nothing serious happens in the end month, then Lixi should copy the notes herself.

Unaware that Hai Ling had already spoken ill of him in her mind, Li Xi gripped the hand of the girl beside him tightly.

Soft, smooth, yet surprisingly cool.

Her bright, azure eyes stared blankly at the toes of her shoes, lost in thought. Her usually gentle and comforting aura had become unusually oppressive, even sending a chill down the spine of the driver.

Lixi didn't know what Yuzuki was thinking, but she knew that she should pull Yuzuki out of this state as soon as possible.

How should we do this...?

I'm speechless, and I've been tolerating Yuzuki all this time. What can I say to get Yuzuki to come out of this mess...?

Just as she was pondering what to do, the sense of inferiority that lay deep within her personality began to surface once again.

If I say something wrong again, will Yuzuki... hate me?

No, I can't think like that... But, but what if I do nothing...

Then Yuzuki won't hate me anymore?