Can Lixi look at me alone?

No, no! How can I trouble them? This was my own choice... So I'll just have to bear it all myself.

Miaomeng took out her phone at the opportune moment and 'casually' waved it in front of Jieyue.

Such a prominent suggestion yielded a very successful result.

Knowing that her materials would definitely be useful to Miaomeng, Yuzuki grabbed the young female streamer's wrist.

"~"

……

It was so easy for Yuzuki to agree to appear on camera so readily.

As Miaomeng uploaded the video to her computer, she felt relieved that she had successfully taken advantage of the young lady's kindness.

"Hmph, edit it like this... then add the script and post-production voiceover... then give Xiaojie a few close-ups... finally delete all the parts where Xiaojie loses control of her emotions, and all the parts that are detrimental to Miaomeng!"

Ms. Yutenji kept clicking the mouse, deleting all the video footage that would make viewers think that Meowmu was using Yuzuki.

Alright! The final result is...

A short story lasting a few minutes, it tells the heartwarming story of Miaomengqin encountering the crying young lady Xiaojieyue at night, taking her home for a meal, and then washing the dishes.

A simple and easy-to-make beef rice bowl for students, taking about ten minutes to prepare.

A short video recommending high-quality, cost-effective detergents.

There are enough videos to fill three days' worth of content, and with the runaway heiress Yuzuki as the gimmick, these videos are sure to get a very good response!

"Deduct a few meow meows from you~"

Meanwhile, Yuzuki, who had just returned home and was scolded by Xiangzi, lowered her head and endured the blue octopus's reprimands.

"Do you know how dangerous this is? If you had encountered a middle-aged alcoholic and abusive man instead of her, what would you have done?"

Xiangzi looked at Qingmei, who was at a loss, and his tough attitude softened little by little.

"I know you didn't do this on purpose, but what happened, Yuzuki?"

What exactly happened? How can I explain it? How can I express this pain that is incomprehensible to ordinary people?

Xiao Xiang wouldn't want to hear me say things like "because of Hai Ling, Xiao Mu, Su Shi, Xiao Deng, Miao Meng, and Qin."

The pink-haired girl raised her head and gave a bright smile.

"My phone just happened to be out of battery... so I went to Miaomeng's house to charge it."

Xiangzi wouldn't easily believe her lies, so he tapped her on the head and began his interrogation.

"Your phone just died? Then why didn't you go home? Instead, you went to the house of a friend you've only known for a few days?"

In front of her, Xiangzi took out his phone and found Miaomengqin's video page.

"Don't tell me you're her fan. I know Yuzuki doesn't wear makeup at all. Besides, Yuzuki probably wouldn't try to learn her cooking style, right?"

The two, who knew each other inside and out, had no way of hiding secrets from each other. Yuzuki, who had fallen silent again, took a step back and increased the distance between herself and Shoko.

It's not a pleasant feeling to have your lie exposed, especially when... the person who exposed your lie is Xiao Xiang, whom you dislike.

"I just enjoy watching Miaomeng's videos. Isn't Xiaoxiang being a bit nosy? We're just..."

To Yuzuki's surprise, Shoko didn't react. She wasn't angry, nor did she apologize; she just stood there silently watching her complete her lie.

Knowing she was in the wrong, Yuzuki, unable to continue, looked away and handed the power to resolve the issue to Aome.

"I don't care what Yuzuki likes, and I don't care whose house Yuzuki wants to stay at."

Xiangzi's calm voice reached Jieyue's ears, making her feel somewhat surprised and...fearful.

"That's Yuzuki's own business; I have no right to interfere."

The little blue octopus went back to the bedroom in a huff, leaving his mentally ill childhood friend alone in the living room.

Similarly, Yuzuki, who had also started to sulk, gave up on apologizing directly. Instead, she went to the bathroom to wash up and returned to the sofa. There, she sat down and watched one of Miaomeng's videos after another.

Even though she was basically just staring blankly at the video.

Why can't I watch Miaomengqin's videos anymore? Why can't I like Miaomengqin anymore?

Why should I listen to you? What right do you have to order me around?

Her doubts and dislike for Xiao Xiang motivated her to stay up and continue watching videos. The pink-haired girl naively wanted to use this method to tell Qingmei that her guess was wrong.

On the surface, Xiangzi was calm and collected. As soon as he returned to his room, he closed the door, covered his face with both hands, and threw himself onto the mattress, rolling around to relax.

The things she had just said to Yuzuki made it impossible for her to maintain her composure, so she had to quickly escape to a place where Yuzuki couldn't see her to relax.

"Honestly, how could this happen? I should have made Yuzuki correct her ways, but I still couldn't bring myself to be harsh with her..."

This is different from the saying "he who eats another's food is bound to him, he who stays with him is bound to him." If things are relatively better for Jieyue, then she must be made to correct this problem.

Otherwise, who knows what might happen?

...?

And why isn't Riki by Kizuki's side today? Did they have a fight?

Xiangzi touched his long hair with some regret.

If Yuzuki and Ritsuki had a fight today, then she must be in a bad mood right now... I really shouldn't have said that; I should have said it tomorrow...

Octopus Xiaoxiangzi gently opened the door and looked at Qingmei, who was still forcing herself to watch videos in the living room.

Yuzuki's unfocused blue eyes were completely unaware that the video in her hand had automatically paused due to network lag.

Her mind is now filled with the hurtful things she just said to Xiao Xiang.

It was clearly my fault that Xiao Xiang didn't even have lunch... and even had to eat out for dinner. Then Xiao Xiang had to worry about me... and then I had to trouble him to bring me back...

Did what I said hurt Xiaoxiang? Although she's usually so carefree and always bothers me, this was definitely my fault, wasn't it?

Should I apologize to her?

At that moment, their thoughts coincided.

Perhaps this is the tacit understanding between childhood sweethearts.

Xiangzi, wearing slippers, walked step by step to her side. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Jieyue shift her body to make room for her to sit down.

In the dim light, two girls, who were entangled in conversation, watched a review video of cheap cosmetics.

"July".

Shoko, her tone softening, poked the back of her hand, and Yuzuki, with her usual gentle demeanor, nodded.

"I'm here, what's wrong with Xiao Xiang?"

Xiangzi noticed her noticeably low body temperature. After considering whether to take her directly back to the bedroom, he took her hand.

"It's getting late, we should rest."

It's not you or me who need to rest, it's us.

Shoko, who had just put away her phone and followed Yuki to bed, playfully stuck out her tongue.

It's better to act cute with Yuzuki like this.

The two, embracing each other under the covers, closed their eyes and drifted off to sleep, enveloped in the scent of Qingmei…

……

Jieyue opened her eyes and gazed at Xiangzi's sleeping face in the bright moonlight.

"sorry."

Unwilling to apologize to the awake Xiaoxiang, Yuzuki closed her eyes contentedly.

Once her breathing became even, her golden eyes slowly opened.

"It's ok."

Xiangzi pinched Jieyue's soft cheek and forgave her mistake.

and also…

"Thank you."

Thank you for your trust in me, thank you for taking care of me all this time, and thank you for still being willing to stay by my side.

And so, going to school every day, coming home, working, and spending time with Yuzuki was a pretty good life.

I can play on the keyboard every day and I don't need to worry about my father... It's just that my mother's health has always been poor. I hope nothing bad will happen to her.

Okay, that's settled. I'll be able to support myself after I get into university in a few years.

She once again felt hope for her future.

……

Aiyin, who throws away a lot of express delivery boxes every day, wiped the sweat from her forehead and took out several bags of food from China or France from the boxes once again.

"This is way too much... Yuzuki really knows how to fill the fridge!"

Ai Yin sat on the edge of the bed with her arms crossed, pondering how to deal with the bag of Chinese sugar-free bread in her hand.

It's lunch break now, which should be early morning in Japan... and this is exactly the time when Nyanmeng updates her videos!

Aiyin tore off a piece of food, put it in her mouth, and chewed it before putting on her headphones.

"This sugar-free bread from China seems to have no flavor..."

After complaining for a moment, Ai Yin wondered if she should eat it with some food while opening YouTube to watch the bloggers she followed.

Sure enough, Miaomeng updated early!

"Huh? What should I do if I've picked up a rich young lady? Has Meow Dream picked up any rich young lady yet?"

Aiyin opened a can of soda. Listening to that familiar "Kou Ni Ji Miao Mu Miao Mu," she prepared to see what kind of antics her adorable cat-dreamer would pull today.

Aine's leisurely enjoyment of the soda Yuzuki had given her came to an abrupt halt the moment she clearly saw the features of the pink-haired girl on the screen who was constantly shedding tears.

"Yuzuki...?!"

Is that Xiaojieyue?

Ai Yin, who was immediately surprised, put down the can, rolled around on the bed a few times, and then held the phone screen in front of her eyes to examine it closely.

"It really is Yuzuki!"

Aine, who was originally in the mood to continue watching videos while eating, lost her appetite. After turning off the video, she found Yuzuki on Line, who kept reminding her to receive packages.

What happened? Why is Yuzuki crying like that?! And judging from the background of the video, it must have been really late! Why is Yuzuki crying outside so late?!

Without realizing it, Aine had come to regard Yuzuki as extremely important. Just as Yuzuki had given her her sincere heart, she would reciprocate with her own sincere heart.

She also noted the prices of all the gifts Yuzuki had sent. She planned to return them, along with her friendship, to Yuzuki once she returned to Japan!

Because Yuzuki provided her with companionship and help when she needed it most, this is something Yuzuki deserves.

However, the most urgent task is...

"Little Yue? Has something bothering you lately?"

After pressing the send button, Aine typed many more caring messages, but since Yuzuki was still resting, she deleted them all.

She had already left her lunch on the table, and the girl, who was holding her phone with both hands and watching Miaomeng videos, wanted to look at her friend's face a little longer...

I wanted to find even the slightest bit of positive emotion in it.

But she failed.

Xiaoyue must have encountered many, very serious, and insurmountable difficulties... which is why she was crying in the street late at night...

Where is Li Xi? Where is Hai Ling?

Where did they all go? Why was Yuzuki left alone on the street?

More and more doubts arise, but they all point to one thing: she, Chihaya Aine's most important friend, is in trouble and may be helpless...

The school bell rang, and Aiyin, who had rushed from her dormitory to the classroom, listened to the lesson absentmindedly.

What happened to Yuzuki...?

Should I... stay by Xiaoyue's side now?

Dividing line