I save a pathological girl with a twisted love story.

Because the bamboo was inconvenient to carry, I could only write down the address and wait for the shop to deliver it in the evening.

The paper raft was still safely in my hand.

After finishing these tasks, the three of them prepared to go shopping and chat.

There's nothing else to do during summer vacation; these are the only things I can do.

After chatting like this for a while, Chiho finally complained, "It's so boring! Natsugiri, it's really so boring, Aoi."

"I think it's fine."

Aoi touched her sideburns, somewhat puzzled, and looked at Chiho with a questioning expression.

"Well."

Chiho said dejectedly, "The reason why Aoi doesn't feel bored is because Aoi is happy enough as long as she is by Natsugiri's side."

"But I'm not like that."

These words made Aoi Asahi frown slightly. She complained, "The way you're talking makes it sound like I'm someone who's easily satisfied. You're talking as if you're harder to please than me."

"I never expected Aoi to say that." Chiho cried in a fake way, which made Aoi feel extremely troubled.

Having exhausted all other options, Aoi Asahi had no choice but to ask Chiho, "What do you want?"

"I?"

Chiho pointed to herself, her expression slightly surprised.

“Of course it’s you.” Nodding confidently, Aoi Asahi said, “Because only you, Chiho, are complaining about how boring it is, so we need you to come up with a solution.”

"Hmm—" Chiho thought about it carefully: "How about playing games?"

What to play?

Aoi felt that Chiho had ill intentions, so she was on high alert.

"How about the truth?"

Chiho looked at Aoi Asahi with a smile.

"No."

Aoi decisively crossed out her eyes and shook her head firmly: "This kind of game is too childish, so it won't work."

"Is Aoi scared?" Chiho looked at Aoi with a smile.

"It's not that I'm afraid, it's just that it's unnecessary."

Aoi's expression remained unchanged.

Chiho wanted to continue teasing Aoi, but Aoi's attitude was too firm. So, Chiho had no choice but to give up on this very interesting game.

If the two of them had agreed, she would have had a lot of interesting questions! She could definitely have made them blush with embarrassment, but unfortunately, Asahi Aoi interrupted her.

Chiho felt extremely sorry about it.

Then she suggested several more games, like the King's Game, but her wicked intentions were immediately exposed by Asahi.

The three of them sat on a park bench. Chiho looked like she was about to burn to ashes: "Ugh, I can't remember a single game."

Aoi was also a little embarrassed, as she was the one who had been rejecting Chiho's suggestion.

"Feel sorry."

She said it solemnly.

"Well, then I'll propose one last game." Chiho looked at Aoi Asahi: "This time, Aoi absolutely can't refuse. Aoi, will you agree?"

Aoi Asahi was somewhat hesitant, fearing that Chiho would suggest some embarrassing games again.

But I've already turned down so many games. If I keep turning them down, it'll affect our friendship.

He nodded with difficulty: "If this game isn't too outrageous, I definitely won't refuse."

"Then I'll have to say it."

Chiho raised her hand: "How about we play volleyball on the beach tomorrow?"

"beach?"

Aoi instinctively wanted to refuse, but Chiho stared at her and said, "Aoi, this is a perfectly normal game."

“But I don’t have a new swimsuit,” Aoi said, offering another reason for her refusal. “Besides, it’s summer vacation. There will be a lot of people on the beach, and it will be too difficult to play volleyball or anything like that.”

"It's okay, it's okay." Chiho had already guessed that Asahi Aoi would say that. She smiled and said, "We're going to a private beach tomorrow, and we can go buy swimsuits and stuff now."

Now, Aoi had no reason to refuse.

She could only say helplessly, "If that's the case, then there's nothing we can do about it."

"Great, it's a deal then."

Chiho cheered happily, which puzzled Aoi, who wondered why Chiho was so happy.

After resting enough, Chiho looked at Natsugiri Kai with a smile: "Natsugiri, would you like to go shopping for swimsuits with us? Aoi can ask Natsugiri to help her choose one."

Aoi's face turned bright red instantly, as if it were burning charcoal.

"No need."

Xia Wuzhao said, "You guys go buy swimsuits, I have to go back first."

"Okay." Although Aoi Asahi was a little reluctant, she felt shy just thinking about the scene of going to buy the swimsuit.

She felt a little more at ease knowing that Xia Wuzhao wasn't going with her.

As they parted, Chiho waved to Natsugiri Kai and said mischievously, "Look forward to tomorrow, Natsugiri."

Xia Wuzhao didn't answer Chiho's question, but simply waved and watched the two of them go to the station before leaving.

Xia Wuzhao took a deep breath and glanced at the weather.

The weather was bright and sunny, making it an extremely unbearable summer day.

Xiao Ai asked in Xia Wuzhao's mind, "Lord Xia Wu, where are we going now?"

"go home."

As Xia Wuzhao said this, he had nowhere else to go.

"Shall we go home now?" Xiao Ai asked, somewhat troubled. "Lord Xia Wu, aren't we going to look at other places?"

Where do you think I could go?

He asked Xiao Ai in return.

"Chiharu Tokisaka seems to be nearby. Would you like to go and check on her, Lady Natsugiri?" Ai's tone was devoid of emotion, as if she were just mentioning it casually.

"you do this delibrately?"

"Lord Xiawu, what do you mean by 'intentional'?" Xiao Ai replied, somewhat puzzled. "What you're saying is a bit confusing to me."

"Tsk."

Xia Wuzhao clicked his tongue in amazement. He glanced into the distance and said, "If we were to turn around and leave now, it would be quite inappropriate."

"That's right, that's exactly it."

Xiao Ai nodded, full of admiration.

Xia Wuzhao was too lazy to pay attention to Xiao Ai. As for Tokisaka Chiharu, he neither deliberately avoided her nor took the initiative to approach her.

He simply strolled aimlessly through the streets, walking in the shade when the sun was strong and enjoying the cool breeze when it blew.

Chiharu Tokisaka only came out today to relieve her boredom.

—Since the start of summer vacation, she has been studying hard every day. Because she knows that her foundation is not very strong.

If one cannot attend a private school, one can only rely on finding teaching materials online and figuring things out on one's own.

However, this is extremely energy-consuming and can easily lead to fatigue.

So, she came here specifically to relax.

"But why did I run into Xia Wuzhao today?"

She felt incredibly unlucky and really didn't want to run into Xia Wuzhao.

"Although there's no evidence for what Yuka said, and I don't need to deliberately avoid Natsugiri Kai, it's still best to avoid running into her if possible. Now that we've met, all I can do is greet her."

Thinking this through, Chiharu Tokisaka hesitated again.

"Would it seem too forward to greet them first? Perhaps it's better to ignore them. But wouldn't ignoring them be a bit hurtful?"

A jumble of thoughts kept swirling in her mind, giving Chiharu Tokisaka a terrible headache.

"Good afternoon, Tokisaka-senpai."

Xia Wuzhao took the initiative to greet Tokisaka Chiharu, but it was a very ordinary, very casual greeting.

Not particularly enthusiastic, much less excited.

It's like a casual acquaintance you bump into, in a situation where saying hello is awkward, but not saying hello is even more awkward.

The best approach is to say hello and leave immediately, rather than continuing the conversation.

Chiharu Tokisaka thought this was the best approach, but it was Natsugiri Kai who greeted her first.

After greeting everyone, Natsugiri Kai didn't leave, but she also didn't pursue the topic further. Left with no other option, Tokisaka Chiharu took the initiative to bring up the subject herself.

"Xia Wu, what are you planning to do here today?"

"I'm buying some things I'll need for Tanabata." Xia Wuzhao glanced at her. "Has Tokisaka-senpai already forgotten about this?"

"Qixi Festival?" Chiharu Tokisaka was a little dazed. It took her a while to come back to her senses. She smiled helplessly and said, "I really forgot about it, but thank you for reminding me, Natsugiri."

"You're welcome."

"Does Xia Wuzhao even know how to socialize?"

Taken aback by Natsumi Kai's answer, Tokisaka Chiharu glanced helplessly at the calm Natsumi Kai, feeling somewhat uneasy.

"Xiawu, where's Aoi? Isn't she with you?"

Chiharu Tokisaka's words seemed utterly unremarkable. But the underlying meaning was—if you don't have anything else to do, go find Aoi Asahi. Don't waste my time chatting with me; go and get on with your business!

But Xia Wuzhao seemed not to understand. He said, "Qianhui said she's going to play beach volleyball at a private beach tomorrow, so she and Aoi went to buy swimsuits."

"A private beach."

Chiharu Tokisaka murmured to herself, no longer caring whether Kai Natsugiri was sociable or not.

Suddenly, I felt a pang of jealousy, embarrassment, and discouragement.

"Even if I work hard and get into university, will I be able to go to a private beach whenever I want, like Chiho, for the rest of my life?"

"It probably won't work."

"I feel like all my efforts are pointless."

She couldn't help but feel a pang of bitterness; jealousy grew wildly in her heart like weeds, but along with the jealousy came a deep sense of resentment.

"I also want to be like Chiho, I also want to live a more leisurely and carefree life."

She bit her lip, and the loneliness in her heart was swept away.

My heart is now filled with jealousy and resentment, and even with the surging power fueled by these feelings.

"Thank you."

Chiharu Tokisaka said this to Kai Natsugiri.

"What are you thanking me for?" Xia Wuzhao looked at her, seemingly not understanding Tokisaka Chiharu's actions.

She shook her head without giving a reason.

"Anyway, Xia Wu, you helped me. So, I want to thank you." After thanking her again, she smiled and said, "Anyway, I have to go back to school to continue my studies. Goodbye."

She waved to Xia Wuzhao and ran towards the station.

Her steps were light yet heavy, her breathing rapid yet powerful. Just looking at her back, one could sense what she was carrying on her shoulders, and the determination she had made.

Xia Wuzhao watched as her figure gradually shrank until it disappeared around a bend.

He walked toward another station, rarely encountering anyone else along the way.

"This is the first time recently that Lady Natsugiri has gone home alone."