I save a pathological girl with a twisted love story.

"Did Aoi do it?" Kirishima Chiho thought. "It must have been Aoi. Only Aoi would have had access to my phone."

"If she knew I had amnesia, she would definitely delete anything that might remind me of my memories. The group chat is very likely related to my past self, and it is very likely to be important."

"Moreover, the reason she did this was because she knew why I had amnesia, but she couldn't determine the exact scope of my amnesia."

Kirishima Chiho considered many possibilities, took out paper and pen, and wrote down all her doubts.

—Aoi, why did you do that?

—The group chat only includes Aoi, Xia Wuzhao, and myself. So, is my amnesia related to Xia Wuzhao, or perhaps Aoi?

Who was the florist? Who asked her to send flowers to me?

—Is that bouquet of flowers related to Aoi, or to Natsume?

She was thinking about what it looked like when she first saw a flower.

"I was surprised, Xia Wuzhao was calm, and Asahi Aoi was subtly concealing her feelings? She, I, and Xia Wuzhao all went to the flower shop. She should know why she went, but why didn't she say it? Instead, she used other reasons to cover it up."

"It seems that Aoi is the center of all the connections."

The girl tapped her notebook, lost in thought.

She wasn't angry or confused about her amnesia. She was just curious—curious about the difference between herself before and after losing her memory.

The girl was only confused by this question.

"—and that vague sense of confusion in my heart, as if I had lost something important."

Kirishima Chiho closed her notebook and stretched vigorously.

She stepped out of the house and followed the eaves to the backyard. Looking at the courtyard in the rain, she saw the leaves swaying and shaking from side to side, battered by the raindrops.

"Aoi, if you really want to prevent me from regaining my memories, you should do it more perfectly."

-----------------

Xia Wuzhao walked in the rain, holding an umbrella—a transparent one.

"Aoi, something's strange."

Xiao Ai reminded her, "It seems like she's waiting for you on purpose."

"Aren't you organizing your books?" Xia Wuzhao said casually, "Akui is just like that. She's very neat and likes cleanliness. There shouldn't be any problem if you organize your schoolbag before going to the library."

"Moreover, this should be considered an inherent problem of librarians."

"Lord Xiawu!" Xiao Ai called out in dissatisfaction, "You're just giving me the runaround again!"

"Really?" Xia Wuzhao said, walking in the rain. "Am I just giving you the runaround?"

"Don't ask me about things like this," Xiao Ai complained. "Whenever you make up excuses to fob people off, that's when you're lying. I know all your habits."

"so what?"

Xia Wuzhao asked in return.

"Aren't you going to make up with Aoi?"

Xiao Ai asked, and she said, "A-Kui really likes you, Lord Xia Wu."

“Then that’s good,” Xia Wuzhao said. “It’ll all be fine when things reach the right point.”

"This is so discouraging, so lazy," Xiao Ai muttered. "Lord Xiawu, do you really have no feelings for her at all?"

Xia Wuzhao stopped and looked at the rain outside the umbrella.

The rain pattered incessantly, as if isolating the entire world.

He said casually, "Xiao Ai."

"Hmm? Lady Xiawu, what's wrong?" Xiao Ai asked.

"You always say that Aoi Asahi likes me, likes me. But, does Aoi Asahi really like me?" Natsugiri Kai asked.

"Isn't that obvious, Lady Natsugiri?"

Xiao Ai said, "If A-Kui didn't like you, she wouldn't revolve around you. Her heart is almost entirely devoted to you. She sheds tears for you, almost to the point of being heartbroken."

"Isn't this... love for you, Lady Natsugiri?"

Even though Ai said this, listing evidence that Asahi Aoi liked Natsugiri.

But Xia Wu's expression didn't change; she even smiled slightly.

"Do they really like me?"

Xia Wuzhao chuckled softly.

"Isn't it?" Xiao Ai couldn't understand; "Isn't this love?"

“No, they only like the person who saved her,” Xia Wuzhao said. “They don’t like me.”

Hearing these words, Xiao Ai suddenly fell silent.

It took them a long time to say, "How could they not like you? You said it's because you saved them that they like you."

"That's not true, absolutely not, Lord Natsumura."

Xiao Ai said seriously.

"They were saved by you because they like you."

"If Aoi and Chiho don't like you, then you have no chance of saving them. They fell in love with you, they were sad because of you, they suffered because of you. And it is because of your love that they have become strong."

“If they don’t like you, Lord Natsumura, you can’t possibly get into their lives. The walls of their hearts are stronger than anything else.”

"It was because of you, Lord Xiawu, that their hearts were softened and filled little by little, which is why they were able to be saved."

Xiao Ai said earnestly, "In my memory and through my experiences, I still understand what true love is, Lord Xia Wu."

Xia Wuzhao looked at the rain: "Isn't your memory usually not very good? Can you remember everything from the past clearly?"

"Of course, I remember everything clearly. How could I forget?" Xiao Ai said confidently.

"So why did you ask me so many childish questions in the beginning?"

Xia Wuzhao asked this question, and his words surprised Xiao Ai.

She desperately wanted to come up with a reason, but she just couldn't bring herself to say anything.

He could only whisper, "Lord Xiawu, you seem to distrust others."

"But there's no problem now, is there?"

Xia Wuzhao asked in return.

Xiao Ai finally sighed and then stopped talking.

Xia Wuzhao simply continued walking forward, but the rain grew heavier.

My whole body felt like it was being soaked by damp air, and my clothes seemed to be sticking to my body.

Cold, damp, and heavy.

It's like being wrapped in thick cowhide, with a brick pressing down on one's heart.

Wanting to tear something apart, wanting to break free from something frantically.

But there's always a sense of helplessness.

There was even a sense of panic in my heart.

"It seems like there are more rainy days now."

Xia Wuzhao sighed.

"But, Lady Natsugiri, don't you really like rainy days?"

Perhaps it was because he wanted to make up for what he hadn't said before, or perhaps he wanted to ease the tension.

Xiao Ai said this.

"I didn't like it before."

As Xia Wuzhao said this, he slightly turned the umbrella handle: "But right now, I kind of like it."

He slowly walked through the leaves, which were scattered with vibrant green.

Occasionally, I would stand beside them.

Watching the rainwater gather from the transparent umbrella surface, forming a slightly larger stream of water that falls from the edge, making the green leaves sway and shake.

The damp soil carried a peculiar smell.

Xia Wuzhao was very familiar with this place, but he didn't stop and just kept walking.

The square stone bricks are arranged very neatly, but weeds always seem to grow out of the gaps.

After descending the long slope, Natsugiri Kai saw Tokisaka Chiharu hiding under a tree.

She looked around, clutching her schoolbag tightly in her arms.

When Xia Wuzhao walked over, Tokisaka Chiharu looked somewhat embarrassed, but secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

"Senior, are you here to watch the rain too?"

Xia Wuzhao spoke as if nothing had happened.

"Junior, hasn't anyone ever told you that you always say things that make people angry?"

Chiharu Tokisaka smiled helplessly: "If it were anyone else, they might have punched you in the face right now."

She threw a few more punches, signaling the consequences to Xia Wuzhao.

"If you're not watching the rain, are you trying to avoid it?" Xia Wuzhao retorted.

"He's just taking shelter from the rain," Chiharu Tokisaka said. "When you see someone taking shelter under a tree, the normal reaction should be that they're taking shelter from the rain, right, junior?"

“But, if you’re going to take shelter from the rain normally, you should put your backpack on your head.” Xia Wuzhao pointed to the backpack she was holding in her arms: “That way, your hair won’t get too wet, and you won’t catch a cold.”

"Hmph." Chiharu Tokisaka laughed energetically; "You don't understand, do you? Didn't I already say before? I'm a country bumpkin."

"I exercise every day, so I'm in great shape. Even if I get caught in the rain, I definitely won't catch a cold."

"Therefore, the schoolbag is the most important thing. If it gets soaked in the rain and the books inside are completely wet, I don't have much money to buy a new one."

"So, this is the most important thing to me."

Natsugiri Kai looked at Tokisaka Chiharu: "I see. Then why are you still standing under the tree, senpai? You can't completely shelter from the rain under the tree."

"I was standing under the tree because the rain had gotten heavier."

Chiharu Tokisaka explained, "I'm afraid that if I rush out, I'll fall. If I break a bone, it will be even more difficult for me."

Natsugiri looked at Tokisaka Chiharu and said to her, "So, senpai, would you like to come along? This umbrella should be able to cover the two of us."

Chapter 226 Separated by the Rain [4k]

"Okay."

Chiharu Tokisaka nodded, showing no shyness or discomfort.

Other girls would probably feel shy, or at least that.

Because they were walking together under one umbrella, they looked like a couple.

However, Chiharu Tokisaka didn't care, or perhaps she didn't have any ambiguous feelings for him.

She's just that easygoing; even if she's holding an umbrella, she wouldn't consider it an ambiguous thing.

I would just treat it as a normal thing between friends.

The umbrella was small, barely enough to cover two people. If you got too close, you'd inevitably trip over each other.

Both of them walked somewhat awkwardly, and in order to avoid falling, they could only walk slowly and more steadily.

Are you going to the convenience store now?

Natsugiri Kai asked Tokisaka Chiharu beside her, "Are we starting work now?"

"No, no, no, my job is a night job," Chiharu Tokisaka said. "I chose to work at night because the pay is higher."

She said with a hint of pride, "Moreover, there will be many hidden benefits."

“You’ve already said that,” Xia Wuzhao said, stepping over a small puddle. “So, you’re going home now?”

"Hmm." Chiharu Tokisaka yawned, "Because I work the night shift, I'm always very sleepy during the day. My study progress has fallen far behind."