I save a pathological girl with a twisted love story.

"call--"

She finally turned on her phone, opened Line, and looked at her extremely few friends. She clicked on the one at the very top.

"Should we go see Mizuki tomorrow?"

She pressed the send button and waited with a little impatience.

"I'm not going."

Xia Wuzhao replied to the message very quickly, so quickly that Qianchuan Yao was now feeling a mixture of surprise and confusion.

"Is this the same answer again?"

Asakawa Yo tossed her phone next to her pillow and lay on the bed staring at the blank ceiling.

"How did someone like Natsugiri Kai get involved with girls like Asahi Aoi and Chiho?"

He murmured to himself, trying to find an answer.

—But, I couldn't think of any reasonable explanation.

"Perhaps I can inquire about them later?"

Despite saying that, Asakawa Yo had not yet made up her mind.

"I always feel like this is the way I'm actively trying to get close to him?"

Subconsciously, she resisted this approach.

My mind was racing with thoughts, but I wasn't doing anything.

"Go to sleep."

She said this to herself.

After waking up, Xia Wuzhao washed up and ate breakfast made by Asahi Aoi.

I'm going to the school.

Natsugiri Kai said to Asahi Aoi, "Yokokawa Jun-sensei has something he'd like me to help with."

"it is good."

Aoi tossed her hair; "But, are you coming back at noon today?"

"The teacher is treating, so we'll just eat out."

Xia Wuzhao offered an explanation and then left.

The weather was nice and warm this morning; I didn't feel cold even wearing light clothes.

—It's the perfect time to sleep in.

Xia Wuzhao did not see Qianchuan Yao; all the curtains in her house were drawn.

While waiting for the car, Xiao Ai thought to herself, "Lord Xia Wu, didn't you say you weren't going to see Mei Yue?"

"I've changed my mind."

Xia Wuzhao said calmly, "After all, helping the police is something everyone should do."

"I've never heard of such a thing."

Xiao Ai thought to Xia Wuzhao, "It's just that you can find any excuse you want, Xia Wuzhao."

"Then let's just take this as an excuse I came up with randomly."

Xia Wuzhao didn't care: "Being disbelieved is no different from making up a random excuse."

Xiao Ai could only mutter, "Alright, alright. I'll just trust Lord Xia Wu."

She complained softly, "Lord Natsugiri always says all sorts of things that make people very sad."

—And so, we chatted leisurely on the tram until we got off at a certain station.

Using the power of "wishes," he easily found Mizuki's location.

It's located in a slightly old town in the mountain area, some distance from the school, but not too far.

Everything here looks dilapidated, and most of the signs are covered in rust and dust.

The road is lined with lush trees, which occasionally provide shade for people.

This shop is located behind the greenery. The signboard is so old that it's almost illegible, and most of the lettering has faded.

The only way to identify this shop is by the faded traces – “Family Ramen Shop”.

The door opened to both sides, revealing two tall flowerpots planted with ornamental pine trees.

Several potted plants of various kinds were placed around the pine tree.

Mizuki was wearing a white apron and had a white cloth wrapped around her head.

She stood outside the door stretching, holding a watering can in her hand, perhaps preparing to water the flowers.

But the moment she saw Xia Wuzhao, she turned around and ran into the store.

Chapter 404 is a terrible chapter title.

The kettle fell to the ground with a thud, and the water inside soaked the already gray cement floor, turning it into an unsightly black stain.

It's shiny and annoying in the sun.

The piles of green plants at the entrance are quite nice, but they also look rather old-fashioned at this moment.

Xia Wuzhao bent down, picked up the water bottle, held it in her hand, and poured all the water into the green plants next to her.

Once inside, there were only five or six tables, arranged in two rows against the wall.

At the far end was the kitchen, filled with several large pots and pans, with five or six long strainers hanging from the edges. Xia Wuzhao placed the kettle on another table and glanced at the menu.

"Could I have a bowl of soy sauce ramen?"

"Okay, just a moment."

An elderly woman spoke warmly; she looked very old, her back hunched. She wore a clean apron and a mask.

Besides her, there was another woman who was a bit older. She was probably the old man's daughter, and she was very quick and efficient.

She was in charge of cooking the ramen, while the old man was in charge of preparing the ingredients and serving the soup.

The broth for soy sauce ramen is very simple, and the old man makes it skillfully. After preparing it, he places it on the counter next to him. After the ramen noodles have been simmering in the pot for a while, he takes them out, shakes them dry a few times, and puts them in a bowl.

Then add a piece of pork chop and half a soft-boiled egg, and finally some chopped green onions.

The old man placed the ramen on the counter by the window and called out, "Mizuki-chan! We have a customer!"

Mizuki, who had initially run off somewhere, reluctantly came out.

He went to the window, placed the ramen on a tray, and then put it in front of Xia Wuzhao.

Mizuki was somewhat anxious and afraid.

However, Xia Wuzhao didn't look at her. She simply picked up her chopsticks from the tray and slowly ate her ramen.

The ramen wasn't bad, but it wasn't particularly special either.

It was just okay, but not particularly memorable.

After finishing her meal, Xia Wuzhao placed a crumpled 10,000 yen bill on the table.

This time, Mizuki seemed to have adapted a bit, though she was a little puzzled by the money. After paying the old lady, Mizuki came to Xia Wuzhao with a large wad of loose bills.

Xia Wuzhao glanced at her before taking the banknotes and putting them in her pocket.

"Alright, let's go."

Mitsuki muttered.

But Xia Wuzhao seemed to have something on her mind, and remained seated without showing any intention of moving.

The old lady had already looked over, and she asked in a very warm voice, "Mizuki-chan? Is this your friend?"

"No."

Mizuki shook her head.

But Xia Wuzhao just watched her quietly, which made Meiyue extremely embarrassed.

In just a moment, she made her decision.

He took a deep breath and said softly, "If we need to discuss something, let's go outside."

Xia Wuzhao then silently stood up and walked outside.

The old woman watched this scene with a puzzled expression: "Aren't they friends?"

Her daughter said helplessly, "Who knows what young people do? Maybe they're just having a disagreement."

The two stood on the desolate street, with few people around them.

The silence was so unsettling that it made Mizuki extremely anxious.

"What exactly happened?"

"Nothing much," Xia Wuzhao replied casually. "I just happened to be passing by, so I thought I'd come here to take a look and have a meal."

"That's such a flimsy excuse."

Mizuki muttered to herself, then said loudly, "If there's nothing else, could you please leave? I'm perfectly fine here."

"I don't care whether you're doing well or not here." Xia Wuzhao put his hands in his pockets and looked at Meiyue: "I'm just a little curious, did you go to such lengths to escape your hometown just to live this kind of life?"

"After all, this place is really small. There are only two floors in total. Besides those two people, there are also storage rooms, and is there even room for you to stay?"

"It's none of your business."

Mizuki pursed her lips; she did indeed live in what was originally a storage room.

“Even so, it’s enough for me.” Mizuki looked somewhat serious. “For a girl like me, being able to find a place to live and a job is already something to celebrate. As for the size of the living environment, I don’t care about it.”

"And then what?"

Xia Wuzhao retorted, "You should still be in school, right? Are you planning to keep working here like this forever?"

Looking at the ramen shop in front of him: "Considering you live and eat here, your salary must be very, very low. You're probably just starting out, so you think it's acceptable."

"So, what about the future? What are you going to do in the future? If it's just about living this kind of life forever, I think you shouldn't bother trying to escape."

"We'll talk about the future later."

Mizuki took a deep breath; "Even though I know there may be this or that problem here, I have to adapt to life here before I can think about how to live a new life."

"That was really reckless."

Xia Wuzhao commented, "Actually, you probably already regret it now. If you were still at home, what difference would it make even if you went to a new family?"

“You can go to school during the day and rent a cheap place to live at night. Your parents shouldn’t object to that kind of expense, right?”

"You're taking a completely roundabout route now."

Listening to what Xia Wuzhao said, Meiyue's eyes were somewhat uncertain.

But in just a moment, her gaze hardened.

"Now that I've made my decision, I won't hesitate or regret it anymore."

“Besides—” she emphasized, “I don’t need your guidance. You’re poor too, aren’t you? After all, you brought a crumpled bill here, so you’re not much better off than me.”

"There's no need for you to pretend to be an adult and tell me completely useless things."

“That bill—” Xia Wuzhao said calmly, “I found it.”

Seeing Mizuki's slightly surprised expression, Xia Wuzhao smiled and said, "This place is actually quite magical. If you're lucky, you might occasionally find money that someone dropped."

"And my luck can only be described as very good."

"So money isn't such a difficult thing for me," Xia Wuzhao said slowly. "Besides, I can work in legitimate places and I have my own house to live in."

"So, we are different."

Chapter 405 A Path Covered with Flowers Like Mud

Under the midday sun, the air here seemed to be mixed with sand.

Just standing on the street for a short while makes me feel hot all over, and it's almost unbearable.

Mizuki was anxious and restless. She wanted to change the subject, but she couldn't think of anything to say.