They are still close to me today despite their negative feelings

"Shh!" An Yu quickly gestured for the girl to whisper.

"...Actually, I'm just a lot of trouble. Every time he gets involved with me, he gets hurt. I know all that."

An Yu lowered her eyes, trying hard to force a smile, but it was filled with lingering sadness and self-blame.

That expression is so unsuitable for you.

Hu Dan felt as if an invisible hand had gripped her heart, yet she didn't know how to ease this knot of frustration.

“It’s not your fault. You were clearly trying your best to help,” Hu Dan comforted her.

"........."

"But, was I any help?" An Yu looked up and asked softly.

Hu Dan was speechless. She wasn't involved; she didn't know what had happened—she couldn't answer.

"Yep."

A firm and decisive male voice rang out.

"...Class monitor?"

“If it weren’t for you, we wouldn’t have been able to find the location so quickly. Without your efforts to negotiate, we wouldn’t have been able to hold out until our rescue. An Yu, you’ve done a great job.”

"I'm not trying to comfort you, I'm just stating the facts."

Chen Di said with a smile.

"So, go check on that guy. He's always been sharp-tongued, but deep down he probably thinks you've done him a huge favor."

An Yu paused for a moment, then slapped his cheek hard with his hand.

"I understand! Then I'll go and cause him trouble!"

The girl regained her usual liveliness and cheerfulness and stood up.

Hu Dan glanced gratefully at Chen Di, who seemed thoughtful and nodded with a smile.

"...Ahem. Hey, hey, hey! Ning Ruoyu~ are you okay~~"

A weak, feeble sound came from inside the room.

"The moment I saw you, I knew something was wrong."

"!"

"That's outrageous! Even someone as good-tempered as me thinks that's excessive!!"

……

As Hu Dan emerged from Ning Ruoyu's room, she glanced at her friend, who had just been smiling.

Once she stepped outside, her smile vanished quickly, replaced by a lingering sadness and unease in her eyes.

"...So, shall we go to the dessert shop for dessert?"

She said that on purpose.

"You've survived this ordeal, can I treat you?"

"!"

"real?!"

Hu Dan looked at her friend, whose eyes were wide open, and a smile unconsciously appeared on her face.

Indeed, this carefree, dreamy, yet lively and energetic expression suits her best.

"Really~ After all, you've mentioned it so many times, and our An'an helped others, didn't she do something amazing? I can take this as a reward."

"........."

An Yu's silence surprised Hu Dan.

"...Never mind, I'll stay here a little longer."

An Yu said with a smile.

"Eh?"

Hu Dan looked incredulous.

"After all, there will definitely be other people coming to visit that guy later. Well, I'll just tag along and see how things go."

“Ning Ruoyu is very good at lying and hiding things. I plan to go and keep an eye on him in a while, so he won’t just put on a brave face again.”

An Yu said in a complaining tone, but her expression didn't look like she was disgusted or annoyed at all.

"...An'an, you've really changed a lot."

"Eh?"

"If it were you in the past, you would probably happily go out for dessert with me. Or if you were really worried, you would just stay in the ward."

"Oh, that's because I was afraid of bothering him."

An Yu nervously fiddled with the ends of her hair.

"He's injured and definitely needs to rest. If he goes in when someone else comes to visit, it wouldn't be considered a deliberate disturbance, would it?"

"Although that guy will probably still find me annoying..."

Hu Dan smiled gently.

"You've become timid~"

"No, no, it's not that. It's that I've become more sensible! Please call this social graces! I'm a mature adult who can read the room and understand situations!"

An Yu retorted, blushing.

Hu Dan gently patted her head.

"Alright, alright, Miss Socially Aware. I have to head back now. Hmm, I'll be back later with some desserts for you."

"Really!? Hehe, Hu Dan, you're so kind!!!"

An Yu smiled sweetly, looking a little silly.

Hu Dan smiled wryly and rubbed her head.

"Who told me to have such a silly best friend like you?"

Midsummer is a wonderful time of year. There are gentle breezes that seem to come out of nowhere, sudden downpours, warm and gentle sunshine, and colorful rainbows.

From everyone's perspective, each person's life has its ups and downs. Yet, each person also has enough to bury their own worries and secrets.

Next chapter preview:

Qiu Luxi looked up at me and said, "Nobody wants to look at you twice."

“…So easy to bully,” Qiu Luxi interjected.

Ah, I understand completely now.

"Hey, I want to talk to you about something."

What, you're planning to write a novel too?!

Author's Note: After some thought, I decided to release this chapter as a side story. Although it provides a different perspective and supplements the plot, it's unrelated to the main storyline. This is probably my first side story, and I hope it serves my original purpose of fleshing out and refining the characters' growth arcs. Originally, the side story was supposed to be released next month along with the bonus chapters, but thank you all for your subscriptions and efforts in keeping this book alive… There will be a main story update later today, so please continue to support me!

Chapter 59: The Familiar Cat Returns!

What happened now? What happened now?!

Can't people even have a moment's peace?!

As we walked out of the clubroom, Ling Qingxue, who was idly admiring the scenery in the corridor, was ignored and passed by us before she could even speak.

Ignoring Ling Qingxue's calls of "Hello, hello?" behind me, I reluctantly made my way to the playground.

There, two people were on the verge of exchanging blows, making me instantly want to disappear.

"The president and senior Chu Guyin? Why?"

An Yu said in surprise, and even Chen Di showed a rare look of doubt.

Well, although the situation is tense, it seems that the president is mainly angry with Chu Guyin.

"...?"

Qiu Luxi, whose face was covered by a cat-ear hood, peeked out from behind me.

"...Aren't you going to hide behind Chen Di now?"

"You don't attract attention."

Qiu Luxi looked up at me and said, "Nobody wants to look at you twice."

Can I spank her?

Qiu Luxi glanced at me warily and quickly distanced herself.

"So what happened?"

Ge Lanlan seemed to be trying to persuade him, but the chairman's expression remained very unpleasant. I could only ask Hu Dan for advice.

"..."

Hu Dan glanced at me.

"Senior Chu Guyin just went to apologize to those classmates."

"what?"

I was baffled.

"Those classmates?"

An Yu asked curiously from the side.

"Some girls were talking badly about Senior Chu Guyin behind the sink, and she overheard them. She went over to apologize to them herself."

When facing An Yu, Hu Dan's explanation was noticeably more patient and detailed.

Why did the senior student apologize?

An Yu and I both wore expressions that were hard to describe.

“…So easy to bully,” Qiu Luxi interjected.

"And it seems that when she apologized, she upset those girls again."

Hu Dan sighed.

"The senior's attitude, 'Although I don't know why you're angry, since you're angry with me, I apologize,' sounds a bit condescending, to be honest."

...I can understand it to some extent. This doesn't sound like an apology at all; it sounds more like a show.

"Then Senior Wu Yuehua was right next to me and heard the whole story with her own ears."

This is a big problem. I still remember that hidden quest that I avoided.

"The relationship isn't actually that good..."

Is my life a linear game? Will I eventually return to the flow of life, going around in circles?

"What did Senior Wu Yuehua do?"

I asked with a wry smile.

"She scolded those girls, and after they left, she started arguing with Chu Guyin." Hu Dan glanced over there. "But although it was called arguing, it was actually just the president complaining to senior Chu Guyin on her own."

“…After all, that’s just how she is.” I said, expressing my understanding.

"I don't care about you!"

A furious shout came from the courtyard, and Senior Sister Wu Yuehua walked over.

We met awkwardly.

"...Sorry, please excuse my poor performance." Wu Yuehua took a deep breath, trying her best to appear normal. "Chen Di, I have some documents that need to be corrected and sent. Could you come to the student council later?"

"understood."

"...My immaturity has caused you trouble," she said apologetically, bowing her head, before leaving.