I save a pathological girl with a twisted love story.

She looked somewhat haggard.

Whenever Xia Wuzhao was about to do something, she would always look at Xia Wuzhao's back.

"What are you going to do now?"

She always asks this question.

It's already mid-October.

Asahi Aoi is busy again, working at the library every day.

The only time I could spend with Xia Wuzhao was in the evenings and in the classroom after class.

Every time Xia Wuzhao sees sunflowers at home.

The girl always seemed a little tired, but she always smiled when she saw Xia Wu.

"Home is my last bastion. Only here will the world consist of just Xia Wu and me."

"As long as I'm here, I feel at ease."

That's what the girl was thinking.

Chiho, on the other hand, relaxed.

It seems that she has already finished her work at her company.

Previously, it was just a casual encounter, a chance to make a splash in front of people at the company and let others know her.

Now, she doesn't need to do that anymore.

After all, her father is still relatively young, so there's no need to rush her taking over.

Every day, Chiho would sit in the club for a while.

After parting ways with Aoi Asahi once again, Natsugiri Kai headed towards the club.

As he passed by the recruitment bulletin board for student clubs, he glanced at the flyers posted there.

The promotional leaflets for the Helping Department were already yellowed, and all four corners were curled up, making them look like they were about to fall over in the wind.

Xia Wuzhao merely glanced at it and did nothing about it.

We simply walked through the corridor connecting the club building and the teaching building to reach the club building.

It's already around four or five in the afternoon, and there are already wisps of reddish-yellow tinges on the horizon. The clouds are also broken up in large patches, like individual entities.

The once pristine white sky, like a torn curtain, revealed its azure depths.

When Chiho arrived at the club, she was already lying on the table, idly fiddling with her phone.

She was energized when she saw Xia Wu arrive.

"Ah, you've finally arrived. Natsugiri, you're so slow."

The girl complained.

“This is the earliest I’ve arrived,” Xia Wuzhao said; “but you’re just too impatient.”

"If I really didn't have patience, I wouldn't be here now."

Chiho blinked, her crimson eyelashes trembling.

"If I lack patience, I might do something with very serious consequences."

"Yes, I believe you."

Natsugiri Kai said, "I believe you, Kirishima."

Kirishima pouted: "You're lying again, Natsugiri."

"I was actually telling the truth."

Xia Wuzhao retorted in this way.

But Chiho just wouldn't believe it, and kept saying that Natsugiri Kai was lying.

Xia Wuzhao, on the other hand, was saying that what she said was true.

The two of them were bickering, saying meaningless things.

But Chiho seemed quite satisfied; it seemed she had been looking forward to this for a long time.

So she said, "We're like lovers now, Natsugiri."

"I think we're more like friends."

Xia Wuzhao said, "Friends who argue with each other are probably good friends, while lovers shouldn't argue."

"You might be mistaken; it's not like that at all."

Chiho said, "Only lovers argue like this because lovers are intimate and can show their true selves. But friends always seem to have a layer between them. They always hold back a bit, so friends don't argue."

Xia Wuzhao simply said, "I don't think so."

"Hmm?" Chiho waited a moment, but Natsugiri Kai didn't say anything more. Chiho asked in confusion, "What's the reason after that?"

There was no further explanation.

Xia Wuzhao said, "This kind of thing doesn't need a reason."

Chiho just scoffed at this and looked up at Natsume.

He rested his palms on his cheeks, strands of hair flowing down the table through the gaps between his fingers.

She smiled and said, "If we were friends, would I be looking at you like this?"

"Isn't it normal for friends to look at each other?" Xia Wuzhao didn't look at Qianhui, but only at the dried bouquet of flowers placed in the corner.

"However, the way I look at you is different from the way friends look at each other."

Chiho corrected her.

"They're all just glances, so what's the difference?"

Xia Wuzhao retorted.

"If that's really the case, why don't you look at me?"

Chiho smiled sweetly: "Or are you afraid to look me in the eye?"

Xia Wuzhao did not answer Chiho, but only said, "It seems someone is coming."

The wooden door creaked open, and standing outside was Chiharu Tokisaka.

She awkwardly combed her long gray hair, her light golden eyes filled with hesitation and trepidation.

Chiho looked at her and sighed, finding it somewhat amusing.

"Tokisaka-senpai, is there something you need?"

"Ah, nothing's wrong." Chiharu Tokisaka breathed a slight sigh of relief, walked in, and then closed the wooden door again.

"I just feel like I have nothing to do."

Chiharu Tokisaka walked over, expertly pulled out a chair, and sat down.

With her hands on her lap, she sighed and said, "Lately, it seems like there are absolutely no requests. I wait next door every day, just waiting. But no one ever comes."

"This week, only three or four people came to me for commissions. I only earned about five thousand yen, which feels like less than what I make working part-time."

The girl sighed, "I'm thinking about whether I should go back to work."

"If you were to go back to work, you probably wouldn't be able to find any jobs, Tokisaka-senpai."

Xia Wuzhao said this.

"Well, as long as you try, maybe it will work."

Chiharu Tokisaka gave a tentative answer.

“I’m telling you.”

Xia Wuzhao looked at Tokisaka Chiharu: "Tokisaka-senpai, no matter how hard you try, you still won't be able to find a job. Besides, it seems like you treat hard work as some kind of wish-granting machine. You're always saying 'try hard, try hard.'"

"It's as if as long as you work hard, you can turn something that is destined to fail into something that will succeed."

"But that's impossible, isn't it?"

Xia Wuzhao looked at Tokisaka Chiharu, who seemed very embarrassed.

Chiho looked at Tokisaka Chiharu and said, "That's right, Tokisaka-senpai. I also think Natsugiri is right. No matter how hard you try, sometimes you still can't find a job. Because the economy is not good now, everyone is only willing to hire people for long-term jobs. If it's a short-term job, then it's too unstable."

"But if we do nothing, won't we lose even that sliver of hope?"

Chiharu Tokisaka retorted.

“Actually, that kind of opportunity doesn’t exist.” Xia Wuzhao said slowly, “Senior Tokisaka, you think success is like a door that you can open as long as you work hard.”

"However, success is not a door. It is about choosing the door that represents success from among countless doors. If success is not behind that door, then you cannot open it."

"And even if you successfully find a job, how much money will you be able to earn?"

"First of all, a job under normal circumstances will only pay around 800 or 900 yen. Only some jobs can earn more than 1,000 yen. During your school years, you cannot work more than 28 hours per week. During school holidays, you cannot work more than 8 hours per day and more than 40 hours per week. Also, working at night is prohibited, which is between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m. the next day."

"Last time, Tokisaka-senpai, the length of your part-time job and how long you worked completely violated the rules. If the school investigates, you'll be in big trouble."

"Unless you're working several part-time jobs, that might avoid the time restrictions. But if the school finds out, do you understand the consequences?"

Natsugiri Kai said to Tokisaka Chiharu, "And what about your studies?"

Chiharu Tokisaka lowered her head, her fingers fiddling with the hem of her skirt: "But, but what else can I do? I always have to do something, I always have to earn some money."

"Why do you have to make money, Tokisaka-senpai?"

Xia Wuzhao asked that question.

Do you need a reason to make money?

Just as Chiharu Tokisaka was about to say those words, she saw Kai Natsugiri's indifferent expression.

She paused for a moment: "Because I want to help reduce the stress on my parents."

The girl looked up, smiling helplessly again: "Because, well, my family—"

“Your family is very poor.” Xia Wuzhao interrupted Tokisaka Chiharu rudely.

"So what if that's the case? Tokisaka-senpai, you always say that your family is poor. You always seem to use this reason as proof that you need to work. But actually, your family's poverty has nothing to do with you having to work now."

"Because your purpose in going to school is not to alleviate your family's poverty, but to learn and to have a possible bright future."

"But your grades are declining, aren't they? Tokisaka-senpai, you've complained many times about your grades falling behind and how you're gradually falling behind in your studies."

"But right now you're not focused on your studies, you're worried about finding a job."

"So what if you find a job? So what if you ease the burden on your parents? It's just wishful thinking. After all, you're only earning a small amount of money to make you feel at ease, while still paying a huge sum for tuition and living expenses."

"How is this any different from a waste, Tokisaka-senpai?"

“Your family might not even need you to work this hard,” Xia Wuzhao said. “Because your parents will do everything they can to support you.”

Tokisaka-senpai listened, and it looked like she was about to refute.

But in the end, there was no rebuttal.

"Because I might need their help in the future. Right now, I still need to be their friend."

So Chiharu Tokisaka said helplessly, "But that's how it is. I always want to do something within my power. I can't just sit here and do nothing."

"Then how about we study hard?"

Xia Wuzhao said, "Because, for you, senior, making money is not a worthwhile thing."

"No, that won't work, Xia Wu."

Chiharu Tokisaka shook her head and said, "I need to work to earn money, and I need that money to help my parents."

"Because whenever I think about what my parents said or recall what they did, I feel a pang of sadness and a sense of guilt."

"I feel guilty towards my parents, even though they've done so much for me."

"But why should I still ask them for things?"

"I always have to do something, I always have to help my parents."

"After all, my family is so poor. I still spent their money, so if I don't repay them, am I still a child?"

She looked at Natsugiri and Chiho: "Do you have any ideas?"