I save a pathological girl with a twisted love story.

The idle girl looked around at the things around her.

"Let's wash the frying equipment first."

She muttered, "Nobody eats fried food anymore."

Convenience stores sell fried food, and this equipment is the most difficult to clean. Because there's so much grease, if it accidentally drips on the floor, it takes a long time to clean up.

The other employees avoided the topic like the plague, but Chiharu Tokisaka felt full of motivation.

She carefully placed it in the sink, put on gloves, and began washing it. The water was cold, and Chiharu Tokisaka kept glancing outside as she washed the utensils.

Even though I believed that no one would come at this time, I still couldn't help feeling anxious, thinking that someone would come.

"I was afraid of being seen as negligent—that I was washing things when there were guests."

After cleaning the items with anxiety and trepidation, she quickly took off her gloves and went outside.

There was still no customer in the store, and the girl slowed her hurried steps a little.

When she reached the counter, she finally felt relieved.

"I shouldn't be so anxious."

She muttered to herself, then couldn't help but laugh at herself.

"Now I've ruined all those tools; they weren't even properly cleaned."

"Ding dong."

The automatic doors slid open to both sides, and Chiharu Tokisaka hurriedly bowed.

She said earnestly, "Welcome."

Chapter 218 A Beautiful Life Reflected in the Eyes

Xia Wuzhao walked into the convenience store and looked at Tokisaka Chiharu, who was bowing and smiling.

He walked up to the counter and said, "Give me a pack of cigarettes."

Okay, which one do you want?

Chiharu Tokisaka straightened up, preparing to turn around and get a cigarette from the shelf behind her.

But when I looked up, I saw Xia Wuzhao's face.

She was clearly stunned for a moment before she reacted.

Chiharu Tokisaka, hands on her hips, puffed out her cheeks: "Junior, minors can't buy cigarettes, you know. You won't pass the age verification."

She pointed to the machine in front of the cashier, which is used by people to verify their age when buying cigarettes or alcohol.

"Then let's not buy it."

Xia Wuzhao looked around.

Rolling her eyes, Chiharu Tokisaka said, "Junior, it's not right to tease your senior. You need to show respect to your seniors, you know? Do you understand?"

“Yes, I understand,” Xia Wuzhao said. “I have great respect for my senior.”

"I don't believe it. Coming here specifically to tease my senior doesn't seem like respect."

Chiharu Tokisaka looked at her incredulously and asked Natsugiri Kai, "How did you get here?"

"I just happened to be here to buy some things."

Xia Wuzhao said, "I had been taking a walk before."

“I see.” Chiharu Tokisaka nodded. “I was wondering why you ended up here.”

"Do you want to buy something?"

She smiled and said, "I'll give you a discount, senior."

Xia Wuzhao looked at Tokisaka Chiharu and felt that she seemed to really like using discounts to promote products.

"Senior, I haven't redeemed the points card at the flower shop yet."

Chiharu Tokisaka's face stiffened instantly, and she muttered embarrassedly, "There's nothing I can do, I was fired."

The girl felt very embarrassed. They had promised to give her a discount, but she didn't expect the flower shop to go out of business before she even got ten discounts.

She glanced hesitantly at Xia Wuzhao, then pointed awkwardly at the oden and said, "Then I'll treat you to oden."

Xia Wuzhao looked at them and pointed: "This one will do then."

"okay."

The girl nimbly picked up the oden, lifted it a little, and handed it to Xia Wuzhao after the liquid had reduced.

Xia Wuzhao chose only simple radish slices for her oden, which were semi-circular in shape and three were skewered on a stick.

Chiharu Tokisaka opened the cash register and paid for herself.

"Okay, that's good then," the girl said with satisfaction. "This way, it's on my treat."

Xia Wuzhao said, "I heard that convenience stores usually throw away oden when it doesn't sell."

“Yes, yes.” Chiharu Tokisaka nodded and said, “There is such a rule. It will be dealt with once at dawn.”

"Then, why don't we just consider this oden as something to be disposed of?" Xia Wuzhao said. "Anyway, these odens definitely won't sell tonight."

"But isn't that stealing?"

Chiharu Tokisaka frowned: "I will not do that."

Xia Wuzhao looked at her and said, "Then what's the difference between giving me these oden tomorrow after they've been thrown away and doing it this way?"

“Of course there’s a difference,” the girl said. “By tomorrow, this oden won’t be a commodity anymore, it will be garbage. Right now, this oden is still a commodity, and if someone takes it from you without paying, that’s theft.”

At this point, she said very seriously, "Stealing is a very serious mistake, you must never do it."

"Don't worry, senior. I won't do that."

Xia Wuzhao waved her hand.

However, Chiharu Tokisaka looked at Natsugiri Kai suspiciously: "Convenience stores nowadays have security doors. If it rings when you go over, it means someone is stealing something."

"So it's better not to steal. If you get into trouble, you'll end up in jail."

“I never lie,” Xia Wuzhao explained.

However, the girl did not believe it.

Xia Wuzhao could only repeat once that she would never do such a thing.

Chiharu Tokisaka looked at Kai Natsugiri and nodded in satisfaction. "That's a good junior. It's quite a coincidence that we met."

"Yes, it is indeed a coincidence," Xia Wuzhao replied.

Chiharu Tokisaka then said, "But don't you have anything to do today? It's getting late, aren't you going home?"

"I'm just taking a walk to kill some time. Besides, I'm all alone at home, so it's never too late to go back."

Xia Wuzhao answered casually.

"so good."

Chiharu Tokisaka sat in a chair, her arms resting on the counter, her hands supporting her chin; "It's so nice to have so much time to shop and go wherever I want."

Her eyes were full of envy, and she couldn't help but sigh.

"Don't you have time, senior?"

Xia Wuzhao asked this question.

“Look at me, do I look like I have time?” Chiharu Tokisaka complained, pointing to herself: “After school, I rush home to shower and sleep, then wake up at this time to work the night shift, and don’t wake up until six o’clock tomorrow.”

"I don't have time to play. I'm so sleepy during the day that I can barely keep my eyes open."

"I see." Xia Wuzhao nodded thoughtfully. "That's truly tragic."

"well enough."

Seeing Xia Wuzhao say those words, she actually comforted Xia Wuzhao instead.

"It's just a job. Although the tight schedule makes my schedule very chaotic, at least I get paid and I can make a living, which is good enough for me."

As she said this, she smiled again: "You can earn 1100 yen an hour, which is pretty good, isn't it? That's about 8,000 yen a day."

"Yes, there are indeed a lot."

Looking at Tokisaka Chiharu, who was smiling happily, Xia Wuzhao said, "In that case, wouldn't it be enough for you to rest for half a month and then work for half a month to make a living?"

“Oh, not at all,” she said, waving her hand. “The rent is fifty or sixty thousand yen a month, not to mention other expenses. If I only work for half a month, it would only be a little over one hundred thousand yen. That’s not enough to cover my expenses at all.”

"This kind of job is hard to find. I went through a lot of trouble to find my current job. If something happens again like before, my life will become very difficult."

"Besides, I also need to give money to my parents."

The girl said, "My hometown is in the countryside, and even if you farm, you don't earn much money. And although we don't have to worry about food and drink, there are always things that cost money, like medical treatment."

"So, I give my parents a little bit of every month I earn."

Xia Wuzhao looked up at her: "Did your parents ask you for it on their own initiative?"

"No, that's not true."

Chiharu Tokisaka stuck out her tongue: "I gave it to them voluntarily. My parents don't want my money. Every time they give me money, I have to talk to them for ages, and they're always fuming."

"You don't have enough money, yet you're giving money to your parents?" Xia Wuzhao looked at her. "Don't your parents know your situation?"

"I have enough money, it's not a big deal."

As the girl said this, she smiled brightly at Xia Wuzhao; "As long as I'm still working, I'll always earn money."

"You make it sound like money is easy to earn."

Xia Wuzhao asked in return.

“It’s not easy to earn money.” Chiharu Tokisaka shook her head. “Money is not easy to earn at all. You can only earn a little bit of money even if you work yourself to death every day.”

"To earn more money, you have to put in twice the effort," the girl sighed. "I see people on the tram dressed in suits, and they all look numb from exhaustion."

"If possible, I hope my future won't be like this."

She was a little down, but quickly smiled again; "Although my grades are only average right now, I should be able to get into a decent university. Once I get into university, I should be able to find a job."

Xia Wuzhao glanced at the girl, but he didn't say anything.

The employment rate in New Tokyo isn't very good, mainly because most of the area is mountainous and difficult to develop. Companies are only located in the plains, although schools and other educational institutions are also in the mountains.

The surrounding streets are lined with shops and the like. If you were to actually work there, it would only be in the service industry, like being a cashier or something similar.

Many students dream of living in the glitz and glamour of the city, dressed in suits and ties.

But reality is often cruel.

He said, "Are your grades really that bad right now?"

"Not too bad."

Chiharu Tokisaka said, "It's just not good."

The girl corrected her, "He's not a good student, but he's not a bad student either."

"But isn't that the most painful part?"

Xia Wuzhao said, "If you are a poor student, you can accept this fact. You won't place your hopes on the impossible, and you will see life more clearly."

“If they are good students, they don’t need to worry about this kind of problem at all, because for them, a bright future is within reach.”

"Only average students lack the courage to fall to the level of bad students, yet are also unable to become good students. They can only maintain the sense of relief and confidence that comes from being better than bad students, and the confusion and helplessness about the future caused by not being able to catch up with good students."

"So, I think this is what's really painful, isn't it?"

Xia Wuzhao looked at Tokisaka Chiharu in front of her.

Chiharu Tokisaka didn't answer Natsugiri Kai's question. Instead, she looked at Natsugiri Kai and tried to say, "Chuunibyou?"

Xia Wuzhao fell silent. He looked at Tokisaka Chiharu in front of him and asked, "What do you think?"

"I think it's like having chuunibyou (middle school syndrome)."

Chiharu Tokisaka laughed and said, "And it's a really depressing kind of chuunibyou, always saying things that are confusing."

Xia Wuzhao looked at the pitch-black outside the door: "Then let's just call it chuunibyou (middle school syndrome)."

The girl smiled and said, "Junior, the world is still a wonderful place, at least it is for us right now."