Can Lixi look at me alone?

Hailing, who thought she had just bumped into Yuzuki at the music store, decided to check if the rumor was true. But when she got closer, she saw... Yuzuki being forcibly pulled by the arm by Riki.

"Yes! We're very good friends..."

Very good friends...? Would such a physical altercation break out?

Hai Ling skillfully skipped over this topic.

"Um... I'm planning to go to the supermarket to buy some lunch. Chika, would you like to come along?"

She sensed the yakuza heiress staring at her back, so she decided to make the other person believe that she and Yuzuki were indeed good friends.

She took Yuzuki's hand very naturally and led her to the next floor.

Jieyue glanced at their clasped hands with some surprise, and before she could break free, she was pulled upstairs.

"I'm sorry, because just now..."

Shiina-kun is watching from behind. So, in order not to give myself away, I have to…”

It's another one of those times...

I had no choice but to do this, no choice but to do that. I had no choice but to let Riki-chan think you were my good friend.

"It's okay, I... don't hate it."

This guy's fingers seem a bit more dexterous than Riki's, and the temperature when you hold them is about the same as Riki's...

Even if I can't hold Lixi-chan's hand, it feels good to hold it for a while.

Little did Jieyue know what thoughts were swirling beneath Hailing's smiling exterior.

You don't dislike this?

It's truly a naturally vulnerable body... If you're this weak, you'll be bullied by others.

Could it be that this is why he was bullied by the heiress of the underworld?

She recalled Yuzuki's classmates and her own complaints.

"That Shiina in our class! You know her, right? The one everyone's been saying's a yakuza heiress... She forces Chika to cook all sorts of foreign dishes for her every day... and she takes Chika everywhere she goes! It's... kind of scary..."

Can't you?

Hailing bought a loaf of bread, and Jieyue took a lot of snacks.

"Should we bring back a gift for Shiina-kun?"

Surely I wouldn't have to apologize to Shiina for something as trivial as this incident with friends?

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Volume 1 Crychic! : Chapter 31 Poaching

"Yeah, bring some food for Lixi-chan, I'm worried she won't have enough to eat at noon."

Oh, it seems she was bullied because she didn't cook today.

The black-haired girl reached out and took the bag from her hand, putting the items back one by one.

"You don't need to bring so much. Shiina-kun can't finish all of this by herself."

She placed a box of matcha milk into Jieyue's hand, gesturing for her to pay the bill.

"Waste is not a good habit."

Bringing so much will make people think your feelings are cheap.

Yuzuki glanced at the cheap industrial product in her hand, took a new shopping bag from the side, and continued to fill it with various snacks.

"It's not just Riki-chan, there are other bandmates too."

The slightly irritated pink-haired girl forgot to explain to Hailing what band or companions she was talking about. She just wanted to find a reasonable excuse for her behavior so that her act of buying Lixi a lot of snacks would seem normal to others.

She still cares a lot about other people's feelings.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I misunderstood..."

She noticed that Jieyue hadn't put the milk carton back, and she roughly understood what was going on. After helping her pay the bill, she returned to her classroom door... and said goodbye.

"See you next time, Chika, take care."

On the way back, Yuzuki, who had been somewhat quiet because she was thinking about whether Riki-chan would have intimate contact with other girls, paused for a moment, then blinked in confusion.

What safety precautions should we take? Whose safety should we be concerned about, and where is it unsafe?

It was just a casual greeting.

"Yes, thank you, Hachiman-kun."

……

Back in her seat, Hailing tore open the bread packaging and ate while wondering if that idiot had understood what she meant.

But since they're in the same band, the other members must be monitoring their relationship, right?

Anyway, it's their freedom, and I have no reason to interfere.

It's Li Xi's prerogative to ignore Yuzuki, but Yuzuki has no reason not to care.

"Li Xi-chan...?"

When she came back, Lixi-chan turned into this strange girl who crossed her arms and ignored her completely.

After repeated unsuccessful attempts, Yuzuki reached out to make physical contact with her, but was dodged time and time again.

For some reason, Riki, who was sulking, saw Kizuki come back after holding hands with someone else and wanted to hold her hand again, so she wanted to teach her a lesson...

"Li Xi-chan...?"

It sounds like a sob, but it's probably around this time that the illness started.

After all, how could Yuzuki possibly cry because he neglected her? That kind of thing is impossible, right?

My tightly closed heart loosened slightly, but was immediately reinforced again.

As tears began to stream down her face, Yuzuki wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes and made one last attempt... trying to grab onto Riki's body.

"You really are..."

Lixi hugged her and helped her stop crying.

Fortunately, there weren't many people in the classroom at that time, otherwise I wouldn't know how to explain it if my classmates saw me.

"Don't cry, I'm not leaving..."

I really can't do anything about this guy who's faking crying.

"Hmm... I believe in Riki-chan~"

The fact that Yuzuki's voice returned to normal in an instant made her feel like her emotions were being toyed with.

"Hmph, then sit back down, class is about to start."

Riki-chan… is so gentle…?? Even though she can’t see my feelings, it’s okay… that’s just the kind of person Riki-chan is, isn’t it?

"Okay, thank you, Lixi-chan. I'll cook you a big meal tonight."

Knowing that she wasn't mocking her for not being able to cook, Lixi frowned.

"I want to watch you do it. Don't do too much, understand?"

Really?!

Do you really want me to watch you do it?!

"Karishi-chan...don't you need to consider the arrangement for Kasuga Kage?"

Spring Shadow? Is Xiangzi afraid I won't do a good job, so he went to find Jieyue?

"No need to worry about that, Xiangzi is capable enough on his own..."

She lowered her arms and reluctantly took the notebook out of her bag.

"Her composing skills are exceptional, and there's... nothing I can do to help her."

It doesn't matter. So what if she's Mozart reincarnated? Living our own lives well is more important than anything else...?

"After all, this is Crychic's first song, so it's normal for Lixi to be so serious about it."

Yuzuki patted Riki's head reassuringly.

The school bell rang as usual.

……

Yuzuki, who completely ignored the lesson, slept on her desk all afternoon, still draped in Riki's coat. It was as if the two of them were already married…

Ah... I can't think like that! If I get married, I definitely want to travel the world with Riki-chan, to every fun place...

We want to be together forever, forever...

Yuzuki took Riki's hand and went home. This time, she wasn't rejected... but it might also be because she didn't try to hold hands this time.

Yuzuki was making syrup in front of Ritsuki to make konpeito for the lantern, and Ritsuki secretly tasted a little while Yuzuki was cooking.

It looks like golden, shimmering stardust, but it tastes less sweet than store-bought ones.

Perhaps it's because she rarely eats sweets, so it feels a bit bitter to eat them.

"Yatsuki, how long did it take you to work on this?"

For that light that can't even sing...

"It's been about three days, hasn't it...?"

It seems I've found the reason why Jieyue hasn't been cooking for me these past few days... No, wait! It was my own request, and it has nothing to do with the lights.

"We're going to karaoke tomorrow... I'll practice until after school tomorrow."

Jieyue explained as she turned off the gas stove.

"No, it won't work. It needs at least seven or eight more days. Right now, it's just a bunch of sugar granules, nowhere near as good as konpeito..."

Jieyue, having untied her apron, held up a freshly fried...

He handed the chicken leg to Lixi and then went to serve her rice.

"Be careful, don't hurt your fingers again."

Lixi reached out and wiped the sweat from her forehead.

Yuzuki is so attentive to the lanterns... and that Hachiman Kairin today too...

This is exactly what you wanted to see, isn't it?

It was clearly you who thought Yuzuki should have more friends, so you pulled her into the band, wasn't it?

It's not that you think you can't take good care of her on your own, so you...

To shut up!

Now it's Yuzuki who's taking care of them!

Whether it's Deng, Xiangzi, or anyone else, they're all being taken care of by Jieyue. I just want her to not have to take care of so many people all the time. Is there anything wrong with that?

After finding a reason for himself, Lixi put another fried chicken leg into Jieyue's bowl.

"You only had that much soup at noon, Jieyue should eat more."

She heard the pink-haired girl's reply.

"No need... actually at noon..."

You actually ate a lot of things with that Hachiman Kairin, right?

"We are eating now, you are not allowed to talk."

Lixi sealed her lips with his.

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