Toyokawa Shoko doesn't want to become a witch

"It's already eleven o'clock." Xiangzi cupped Chuhua's face and rubbed it vigorously. "How come I didn't know you liked to stay in bed?"

Chu Hua's innocent eyes gradually cleared up.

"Yawn... Now Xiao Xiang knows." Chu Hua let go of Xiangzi and rubbed his arm, which had gone numb from being pressed. "I've always been a punctual person because I don't get enough sleep."

"Hailin told us to meet at the church at 12 o'clock, the one Miaomeng went to yesterday."

Xiangzi got out of bed, walked to the wardrobe, and took a clean set of clothes.

"Good~"

Chu Hua rolled off the bed from another direction and stretched out a big yawn.

Just then, Xiangzi turned around, and sunlight streamed through the window, illuminating Chu Hua's surroundings. Chu Hua herself became a silhouette in the shadows, her clothes becoming transparent, revealing her beautiful curves.

That's really shameless.

Xiangzi blushed and clutched his clothes as he walked toward the bathroom.

=========

Xiangzi walked ahead, while Chuhua followed behind, humming the tune of "Season In The Sun," her smile as bright as the smiley face on her clothes.

She had just called out to Xiangzi, pointing to the pattern on her knitwear.

Originally, it was a bitter smile with both eyes showing an X.

Xiangzi recognized the logo; it was the logo of a band Chuhua really liked, and the listless "Season In The Sun" they played that morning was their song.

Chu Hua made a "no" gesture with her finger, shook her head, and then swept her hands down, turning her black, bitter smile into a bright yellow one.

Does it mean I should stop always having a long face and smile more?

"How's it? New clothes."

Chu Hua, in a tone that seemed to be seeking praise, gave a thumbs-up.

"not bad?"

Xiangzi gave an ambiguous, smirk.

Is this considered a laugh?

......

None of the shops in Kabukicho were open, but the night shift workers had all gotten up, and the depths of Kabukicho became lively, with the snack shops and ramen shops in the alleys doing brisk business.

Walking through the back alleys of Kabukicho, a place that was narrow and crowded, was a first for Xiangzi and Chuhua. The two little girls were quite eye-catching walking in such a place.

However, since it was lunchtime, everyone was busy eating, so no one paid any attention to them.

Xiangzi and Chuhua walked for an unknown amount of time through the narrow streets, when suddenly, as if seeing a glimmer of hope in a dark place, they came across a relatively open space.

Hailing leaned against the entrance of the small church, holding a paper box of chocolate milk jelly in her hand and a straw in her mouth.

It looks like we've been waiting for them for quite some time.

The Tale of Nirvana: Keeping to Your True Self: Chapter 79 The Free Lunch

The bars and nightclubs locked their exquisite glass doors, and sunlight streamed through the gaps between the city's skyscrapers, spilling onto the street.

In the back alleys of Kabukicho, where sunlight struggles to penetrate, there is a small, well-lit open space.

This is where the church is located.

Good afternoon, Toyokawa, Hatsuka.

Hailing greeted them.

Good afternoon, Hachiman.

Good afternoon, Hailing.

"Where's Meowmee?"

"do not know."

"Maybe we shouldn't wait for her."

"That's true, anyway, she already came yesterday."

"Wait! I'm here! Ha...ha...ha—!"

Miao Meng staggered to a stop, leaning on her knees and panting heavily in front of them.

"I...I'm not late, am I?"

Chu Hua glanced at the time silently.

It's 12:15.

"Didn't you get up very early? What did you go to do?"

"Hai Zi only said she was going out at 11 o'clock. Doing makeup takes a lot of time, you know!"

Miao Meng pouted and carefully wiped away the sweat without ruining her makeup.

"Today I wanted to try out that new brand that I used to work with for commercial orders, but as expected it turned out to be a counterfeit, so I had to redraw it. Otherwise, it wouldn't have been this difficult."

"Chuhua, can you hear the singing?"

"Hmm, it seems to be coming from inside the church."

"Hey, why are you suddenly ignoring me?"

"What brand is it? I'd better avoid it."

"Ugh, it's that brand XXX's latest base layer, Hai Zi, whatever you do, don't buy it. If it weren't for their generous advertising fees, I wouldn't even bother..."

"It's okay, I don't buy cosmetics anyway."

"...Then Hai Zi, what are you asking?"

"It's kind of pathetic to feel like nobody cares about you."

"I don't need your pity! Doesn't this just make me look more pathetic?"

"Ignore her, where's the nun?"

"Hey!"

“Mary is still leading the choir; she’ll be done in a few minutes. Would you like to go in and take a look?”

"I knew I could hear singing inside."

"You can't hear clearly through the door, let's go inside and listen."

Hailing pressed her hand on the door panel and pushed it open.

The singing, no longer restrained, poured out.

"It will never change~ Until the end of time~ Let us be friends for life~"

Xiangzi and her friends entered the church, which was filled with singing.

Rows of neat wooden benches are placed on both sides of the central aisle. At the far end stands a huge statue of the Virgin Mary, surrounded by stained glass windows depicting Christian religious stories. Sunlight pours in through the skylight above the statue, as if casting a thin layer of holy light upon it.

Ono Mari stood in front of the statue, her back to it, holding a folk guitar, and led a dozen or twenty children in singing with the sound of the guitar.

The children's pure and clear singing voices echoed within the church's dome, resonating with the entire church structure, and a sense of holiness washed over us.

"Facing the arrival of tomorrow, we are full of hope, walking on a journey of hope, like birds soaring in the sky, living freely."

Xiangzi found a bench behind them and sat down.

Chu Hua and she stood close together.

Even Miaomeng kept her mouth shut, not wanting to break the sacred scene.

Hailing seemed used to it, and sat down in the row in front of them, quietly singing along.

"At this moment, we bid each other farewell. Until the day we meet again, let us always trust each other and cherish every joy in our hearts."

Hailing turned around and lowered her voice.

“This is a song I learned when I was in the orphanage. Mary and I sang it together back then, standing right next to each other.”

"Then you two must have a very good relationship."

Miaomeng lay on the back of the seat in front of her, tilting her head to look at Hailing.

“It was great back then, but we haven’t seen each other for many, many years,” Hailing said softly. “We reunited last autumn, and since then I’ve come to the church to help out whenever I have time.”

Just like in the song.

Chu Hua was in a great mood today, and she listened to all the lyrics.

"Always trust each other, cherish every joy in your hearts, until the day we meet again."

Hailing's lips curled up in a very slight, uncommon smile.

"Yeah, just like in the song."

—"When the nannies at the orphanage taught us this song, they said that everyone can only accompany you for a part of the journey. The road ahead is long, and you must learn to walk it on your own."

Chu Hua just sang along to the last line of the song.

Then the singing stopped.

Mary clapped her hands to let the children go to the cafeteria for lunch, then put down her guitar and walked towards Hailing.

"But there are always crossroads in life. Keep your heartfelt words to yourself and tell them to your friends when you meet again in the future."

Mary said.

"I taught this song to the children here in the hope that they could understand this principle."

She bent down slightly in Xiangzi's direction.

"I already met Miss Meow Dream last night. Are you Miss Toyokawa and Miss Misumi?"

"I am Sister Ono Marie, from this little chapel. It's a pleasure to meet you."

"Hello, Sister."

Xiangzi also stood up and politely returned the greeting.

“Just call me Mary.” Mary chuckled. “The kids were a bit noisy this morning, so practice started late and ended a little late as well. You must all be hungry by now. I’ll take you to the cafeteria now.”

Mary turned around gracefully, gesturing for them to follow.

Hailing stood up first and waved to Xiangzi with a blank expression.

Come over here, it's a free lunch.

These words are written in Hailing's eyes.

"Hai Zi, you were so aloof yesterday, don't ruin that image the very next day..."

Am I aloof?

"Well, it's nothing."

Miao Meng sighed and followed.

Xiangzi and Chuhua exchanged a glance and followed.

......

When they arrived at the cafeteria, Mary led them to sit down, said she would go get the food, and then disappeared.

After a while, a little girl brought a plate and placed it on the table.

"This is eggs, tofu, shredded bamboo shoots, and the main dish is plain porridge."

The little girl was about eleven or twelve years old, with a tender voice, like a flower bud that had not yet bloomed, and she spoke politely, imitating the adults.

The plate was probably still too heavy for her, so she tried to carry it with one hand like a waiter, but before she could even bring it over, she was swaying like a building about to collapse.

"Simple food and drink, nothing to offer... Hey hey hey————!"

"Be careful."