I save a pathological girl with a twisted love story.

Even though she felt a little awkward, she still reached out and took it.

Her body was so weak that she couldn't refuse, even though she was apprehensive.

She tried her best to maintain her dignity with a joking tone, saying, "Xia Wuzhao, your excuse is too far-fetched."

Xia Wuzhao simply said, "You're overthinking it, Asahi Aoi. Just like at the beginning, you even thought I was only bothering you because of my looks."

“I still think so, Xia Wuzhao.”

Asahi was smoothing her hair.

"If only that were really the case."

She pulled out the wooden chopsticks: "Because you have no way to go to Second New Tokyo in the first place. The prices there are unimaginably high. If you have your parents, it's okay, but without their financial support, you simply can't go to school in Second New Tokyo. So, you're just making excuses."

"As I said these words, I found it laughable. Even with parents, I might not go to school in Tokyo Second. Not all parents are willing to pay that kind of money for their children."

"Because it's obviously a losing proposition."

"Especially myself."

Thinking this, Aoi opened the lunchbox in her hand.

Inside was a steaming hot lunch: three or four neatly arranged tamagoyaki (Japanese rolled omelet), a large, crispy, thick fried pork cutlet coated in breadcrumbs, four or five small octopus sausages piled in the corner, and one or two small fried fish.

There were even two golden-brown tempura pieces on top.

In the adjacent compartment, there are vibrant green broccoli, sweet and sour cherry tomatoes, and rolled-up cucumber slices.

The steaming rice emitted a white mist, perhaps because the mist was so hazy.

For a moment, her vision blurred, and the corners of her eyes became slightly moist from the mist.

For a moment, Asahi was at a loss, her throat feeling as if it were an iron lock corroded by acid rain.

His cheeks flushed red, and his fingers gripped the chopsticks so tightly that they almost left white marks.

—This is something that only appears in dreams, something that only exists in fantasy.

"I should feel immense happiness at this moment, but instead I am filled with sorrow."

"Why did I have to encounter these things at this particular time?"

"—When lunch break ends, when we get back to the classroom, when Risa Yajima discovers that her mother's name is on the card, she will definitely expose everything."

"One's own lies cannot ultimately be sustained."

"Will Natsumi still be the same by then?"

"Will I have to go back to my old life tomorrow?"

My heart felt as if it had been drenched in the juice of bitter melon and honey, half sweet and half bitter.

But the sweeter it is, the more bitter it seems.

Aoi felt a sharp pain in her heart, and she pursed her lips.

She thought to herself that perhaps she should thank him.

But his lips only moved slightly, and a hoarse sound came out of his throat.

How shameful, how panicked!

Xia Wuzhao turned to look at her: "I'm in Tokyo, and I own a house. As long as I have a place to live, I can support myself by working part-time."

—Just make a wish using the Yokai Seed.

Aoi forgot to even say thank you, because a bittersweet feeling welled up inside her.

—Can I go to Tokyo Second New Tokyo by myself? Even if I can go, where can I live?

She finally said, "Really? Then you are really lucky."

After saying these words, she lowered her head and ate the bento box she had never eaten before.

The tamagoyaki was delicious, soft, warm, and sweet.

Fried pork cutlets are so delicious; they're crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside.

The tempura was very crispy, and you could hear a crunching sound when you bit into it.

The fried fish tastes salty.

The yellow curly cabbage was refreshing, the broccoli was crisp, and some of the cherry tomatoes were sweet while others were slightly sour.

She ate her lunch very slowly, bit by bit.

It's like savoring the hard-won yet fleeting happiness.

Tears, hidden by her cascading black hair, dripped into the lunchbox, carrying a subtle salty taste.

She finally finished her lunch, even though half of her lunch break had already passed.

Xia Wuzhao stood up, preparing to leave with her lunchbox.

But Aoi called out to him, "Natsugiri Kai, we talked about joining the horticulture club before."

"Now?"

Xia Wuzhao looked at Asahi Aoi.

Asahi stood on the steps, sunlight streaming across her face, making her leaden hair shimmer with iridescent colors.

She had a smile on her face, but her eyes were slightly red.

The eye makeup looks like it's been smudged by steam.

"That's right, now. To prevent you from changing your mind, I think it's better to fill out the application form first."

She spoke so fluently.

"it is good."

Natsugiri Kai responded casually, which did not surprise Asahi Aoi.

He put the chopsticks into the lunchbox and then closed it. After that, he wrapped the lunchbox with a blue square cloth, but he did it casually, tying it into a knot.

But the sunflower did it seriously and tied a pretty bow.

Upon seeing Xia Wuzhao's lunchbox, Asahi Aoi mocked her, saying, "You made it look awful."

"What you've done is futile; it will still need to be solved later," Xia Wuzhao said calmly.

But Asahi Aoi snatched it back, rewrapped it, and handed it to Natsugiri Kai: "It's just a waste of time, not a waste of effort."

This time, Xia Wuzhao didn't say anything, but simply picked up her lunchbox and left the cramped space.

The horticulture department is located in a corner on the top floor, using a room that isn't very large as its office.

In addition, both the rooftop of the club building and the rooftop of the teaching building belong to the Horticulture Department.

However, Asahi no longer had any control over that area.

Asahi and Natsugiri walked side by side on the corridor.

The midday sun shone down on the two of them from the courtyard. Since there was no one else there, Aoi looked up at the sun.

Her charming face shone brightly in the light.

Chapter 30 The Tender Sprout Emerging from Beneath the Stone of Despair

The horticulture department is neither large nor small.

Perhaps it was because there were too many farm tools and flower pots piled up here that this room, which was larger than a normal department room, seemed a little small.

Further inside, there are horizontal tables, flower display cases, and special cases for displaying trophies.

In a corner that can be seen at a glance as soon as you enter, there is a large bag of fertilizer.

This space is filled with all sorts of odds and ends, and even if you try to clean it up, you can't get it completely clean.

However, the lighting here is excellent, with large windows at the very back. Even without turning on the lights, the place is bright and warm.

Asahi placed the lunchbox on the table by the door, where there was already a bowl.

It was meant to hold keys, but now there's nothing there except for the key that Asahi Aoi just put in.

The sunflowers returning to the horticulture department are like fish returning to water.

She stretched vigorously and then yawned casually: "I usually eat here."

"It's quieter here, and there's a small folding bed that you can use to sleep in."

Sunflower enthusiastically introduced everything in the gardening department as if it were her own home: there was a microwave, a bookshelf, a long table, potted plants, and air conditioning.

These weren't things that Asahi bought herself, but rather things left behind by the senior members of the horticulture department. Generation after generation, they've accumulated and become what they are today.

There's a group photo of the Horticulture Department hanging on the wall, but there aren't any sunflowers in it, so it's probably a group photo from a few previous years.

The girl rummaged through a drawer and found an application form, placing it on the table: "Here, all you have to do is fill out the form."

Xia Wuzhao looked at the application form and kept tapping it with the tip of her pen.

"What's wrong?" Aoi asked worriedly, urging, "Natsugiri Kai, have you changed your mind?"

“No,” Xia Wuzhao said casually, “I never regret what I’ve promised. It’s just that I feel this application form is a bit outdated; the dates and formatting on it are probably unusable.”

"Ha, so that's all there is to it."

She seemed to breathe a sigh of relief.

Asahi was overly attentive, giving Xia Wuzhao a new application form and urging her to finish it quickly.

As Xia Wuzhao filled out the application form, she said, "You're really wary, Asahi Aoi. You really don't trust anyone else?"

"Do you think I should trust other people?"

Asahi Aoi replied to Natsugiri Kai in a sarcastic tone, "Whom do you think I should believe?"

Her words were so sharp, like a hedgehog with its quills sticking out.

Yet it seemed as if it was covering something up.

Xia Wuzhao did not answer, but casually filled out the form and handed it to Asahi Aoi.

"Here you go, the application form you wanted."

"This isn't the application form I wanted; it's the one you promised to give me," Aoi Asahi said clearly.

Xia Wuzhao didn't say anything, but simply gestured for Asahi Aoi to take the application form away.

Asahi Aoi's fingers were still trembling when she took the application form.

She could barely contain her pounding heart, and her breathing was so rapid that it could be clearly heard.

She probably didn't even realize it herself.

"Your hands are shaking, and your heart is pounding so loudly that even others could hear it." Xia Wukai turned her head to look at Asahi Aoi: "Aoi, you seem very excited?"

"This isn't excitement, it's anger." Asahi Aoi didn't look at Natsugiri Kai, but stubbornly said, "Your handwriting is terrible."

Xia Wuzhao did not argue, because he could easily see that it was an excuse.

His quietness, however, made Asahi Aoi somewhat uneasy.

"Did he figure it out?"

Her expression changed repeatedly, and even though her fists were clenched tightly, Aoi Asahi didn't dare to ask the question.

She knew that this was not Xia Wuzhao's problem, but her own.

Even for such a small matter, I lack the courage to do it; instead, I treat it as a major event that needs to be taken seriously.

So she pointed to the small folding bed inside and said, "If you want to take a nap, you can sleep there."

To prevent Natsugiri Kai from refusing, Asahi Aoi said, "I am the department head, and you are just a new member. You have to obey my orders."

Xia Wuzhao did not refuse or even decline. Instead, she lay down on the small bed, closed her eyes, and soon fell asleep.

The horticulture department finally quieted down again, just like usual.

But here there was a second breathing sound.

The girl closed the door to the gardening department and drew the curtains that faced the corridor.

The air was so quiet it was as if time had stood still. Asahi Aoi carefully placed the application form on the table.

She ran her fingers lightly across the uneven surface of the paper, which was embossed with printed words, her face displaying a complex expression.