I save a pathological girl with a twisted love story.

Every morning.

She was awakened by the stiff, almost broken neck, the almost unbearably painful arms, the numb, almost broken legs, and the waist that was almost impossible to straighten.

Every day, the sunflower is awakened by the pain it can create.

With great effort, the stiff, rusty machine creaked and groaned as it began a new day.

Pain is extremely unpleasant; no one likes pain.

But Aoi Asahi enjoys this kind of pain.

—Or more accurately, she relied on these painful experiences that caused her to struggle.

If an ordinary girl were born into such a family, she might have already collapsed from the torment and pressure, and the final outcome might have been to end her own life.

But Aoi Asahi was deliberately torturing herself, causing herself even greater pain.

Perhaps only in this way could he bear his mother's scolding.

Only in this way can one calmly accept one's mother's scolding.

After all, what can compare to physical pain?

Only by pushing the body to its limits can the brain be brought to a state of stagnation.

Only in this way can the soul become numb.

How can a person who is in a daze be interested in their surroundings?

How could one be driven to the brink of collapse or even suicide by the difficulties around them?

At most, I'll feel sad or upset for a while.

But it can soon be covered by a sluggish brain and a numb mind.

This is probably a kind of evolution.

Just like a person running on a rocky beach, their feet are always harder than those of a person in the city.

But besides these, she may also have other unspeakable thoughts.

But these thoughts are ultimately unspoken.

After washing herself thoroughly, she rinsed her hair with water and carefully examined her appearance from left to right.

Asahi Aoi's hair is very long, almost reaching her waist.

Because haircuts are an expensive expense, most people trim their own hair or simply grow it long in order to save money.

Aoi is the same; she can't afford to spend money on haircuts.

Because her hair is too long, she needs to wash it frequently. And the tool she uses is the cheapest soap, a kind of soap with very little fragrance.

I changed into a new school uniform and soaked the old one in a bucket. That way, I could wash the uniform as quickly as possible when I got home from school.

The clothes dried overnight in the cold wind.

Only in this way can we keep our clothes clean and tidy.

When it rains occasionally, she worries about not being able to change her socks after they get wet.

Fortunately, socks dry more easily than clothes. Even if it rains at night, as long as you put them under the sheets, they will always be dry by morning.

After preparing what she needed to do that evening, Aoi left the room.

When people leave their homes, they say, "I'm going out."

This is to remind family members and prevent them from worrying about me.

But in this room, who is worried about me?

Aoi felt no, so she put on loafers. The hard texture made her clearly aware that she had left home.

The weather was sunny today, and her mood was as bright as the sunshine.

—Because a warm sun appeared in the leaden sky.

She would smile in the deserted station.

I was fantasizing about what to say and what to do at noon.

I thought about it a lot, and I wondered what Xia Wuzhao would be like today, and what excuse I could use to get her to not go to work.

She smiled when no one was around. But as she got into the car, her smile gradually faded.

The weather was sunny today, and the bus was crowded.

Fortunately, there were still seats available, so she sat in the corner. The train was quiet today; no one spoke.

The driver remained silent, even though it was the same driver we knew.

But the atmosphere was completely different.

People always hope to showcase themselves and impress those who see them. But very few people can actually do that.

They may even need to undergo training to erase their shyness, shatter their naivety, and then be reshaped into a new, popular person using something called "sensible" as a binding agent.

But the version of myself that I loved was also killed at that moment.

And silence is probably a way of missing one's former self.

Looking at the lush green vegetation outside the window, Asahi felt a little better.

It's like grease dripping between rusty gears, making the rusty machine start to turn.

After the tram swayed and rattled for a while, we finally arrived at the station.

The crowd silently disembarked from the tram and walked in all directions.

Sunflowers were mixed in with the greenery; leaving the station, I saw the lush green path to school.

At this time, there were many students here.

Laughter and noise are the main themes of the journey to school, and also a daily occurrence.

As Asahi strolled along her way to school, her silent and gloomy demeanor stood out.

But Aoi didn't feel sad; she was just thinking—

She was a little disappointed that she didn't run into Xia Wuzhao this time.

That's precisely why she looked forward to meeting Xia Wuzhao even more.

After changing into indoor shoes, she couldn't wait to run to the classroom.

Before entering the classroom, panting, Asahi Aoi adjusted her bangs.

She secretly glanced at Xia Wuzhao through the gap in her hair that had been parted.

Xia Wuzhao also glanced at Asahi Aoi.

Although Xia Wuzhao did not show any other expression or make any other movements.

But Aoi felt a touch of sweetness. When they exchanged glances in the classroom, she felt as if it were something extraordinary.

This sweetness made Asahina somewhat intoxicated, even causing her to become a little dazed.

When class actually started, the teacher had to remind me several times before I finally snapped out of it.

Although the people around him sneered, Aoi Asahi didn't care at all.

Because my heart is filled with sweetness.

This sweetness slowly seeped into my scarred heart, and the warmth gradually softened the hardened crust.

The morning passed in the blink of an eye.

During the 40-minute lunch break, most students will go play for a while.

Sunflower couldn't wait to run to the horticulture department.

Normally, she would take a nap during these forty minutes.

Use sleep to stave off hunger.

Sometimes I take care of the plants on the roof, but it rained yesterday, so I'll have some free time for the next few days and won't need to take care of them.

Her steps were light, as if she were defying gravity.

But as soon as she pushed open the door, the girl fell heavily to the ground, almost breaking her bones.

The place was empty; Xia Wuzhao had not come here.

"It turns out, it was all just my imagination."

"It was all just my own wishful thinking."

She sat in the chair, head down, silent, fiddling with her fingers.

Those delicate threads of happiness, at this moment, are corroding my heart like poison.

Chapter 36 Happiness Amidst Thorns and Blossoms

She was plagued by anxiety and self-pity.

Just like her, even though her heart was filled with pain, she dared not vent it.

She acts tough in front of people she likes, but becomes cowardly in front of people she dislikes.

In the end, she hesitated and looked back.

They dare not take the initiative, yet they lament while waiting.

She was overly delicate and sensitive, and would be terrified by the slightest disturbance.

But she felt utterly powerless and could only sit here and grieve alone.

She was almost in tears; her eyes were moist and the corners of her eyes were red.

Aoi thought to herself, "Perhaps shedding a tear would be a good thing."

Anyway, there's no one else here.

The more she thought about it, the sadder she became, and the more bitter she felt in her heart.

I felt wronged, but I couldn't blame anyone else.

He could only blame his own cowardice, just as he dared to torment himself when faced with Huizi's scolding and cursing.

Just as she was about to burst into tears.

The closed door, the one I'd been longing for, was finally pushed open.

The closed and oppressive room suddenly felt spacious. The stuffy room suddenly felt fresh air.

It was as if a barrier had been torn away, as if a scroll had been unfurled before me.

"What are you doing?"

Xia Wuzhao glanced at Asahi Aoi's moist eyes and asked softly.

"Oh, it's just because I've been studying too hard lately. That's making me a little sleepy."

Asahi hurriedly tried to find an excuse: "So I yawned just now, and my eyes were almost watering."

Xia Wuzhao glanced at Asahi Aoi but didn't ask any further questions.

I just took out lunch.

Asahi Aoi concealed her overwhelming joy and excitement, saying casually, "Natsugiri Kai, what were you doing just now? If you don't make the most of every minute, you'll definitely lose to me during the test."

"I was just trying to sell a boxed lunch once." Xia Wuzhao took out the lunchbox. "But I didn't sell any. As for what you said about losing to you, you're overthinking it."

"Hmph." Aoi Asahi said smugly, "If that's really the case, then that would be great. But if you can't even sell a single boxed lunch, then don't talk about things that can't be achieved."

Xia Wuzhao ignored Asahi Aoi's words and simply summarized the reasons for today's failure: "It's probably because today's dishes weren't good. We can try something new tomorrow."

Xia Wuzhao placed the extra lunchboxes on the table and glanced at them.

I looked at the sunflowers again.

Xia Wuzhao said, "I'll sell it to you for one hundred yen."

Asahi opened it and found that it was mostly fried fish and tempura. The pork cutlet was also crispier and more fragrant, but there were not enough vegetables.

She paused, then said, "One hundred yen can't buy all these things."

"The leftover bento boxes are all like this," Xia Wuzhao said calmly. "If you don't want them, just leave them here for now, and you can throw them in the trash later."