I save a pathological girl with a twisted love story.

"Hmm, is that so?" Aoi Asahi stretched. "However, you've cut the conversation off again, Natsugiri Kai."

"I know."

"I'm probably a beautiful girl," Aoi said. "What do you think?"

“He’s an arrogant person,” Xia Wuzhao replied calmly.

“Then let’s just call her a self-important pretty girl, since I lost to you.” Asahi Aoi looked at Natsugiri Kai: “Now, I have a question for you, Natsugiri Kai.”

"What kind of person is someone who frequently interrupts a pretty girl, deliberately ruins the conversation, and makes it impossible for the conversation to continue?"

Xia Wuzhao didn't even look up, simply saying, "Someone who's worried about when the tenant living in his house will go looking for a job."

“Then he’s probably not a normal person,” Aoi Asahi commented. “Do you think that’s the truth or a lie?”

"What difference does it make?"

Xia Wuzhao turned the pages of the book.

The girl bit her lip, suddenly feeling somewhat defeated.

She said, "Could I borrow two hours of your time?"

Xia Wuzhao looked up at the girl.

The girl held up two fingers: 'I'll give you two more days.'

“That sounds like a pretty good deal,” Xia Wuzhao said. “So, what are you going to do?”

"The question should be, if you had these two days, what would you do?"

Asahi Aoi blinked at Natsugiri Kai.

"I'll find you a job so you can leave here."

That's what Xia Wuzhao said.

"Well then, I'll let you do it this way for now." Asahi Aoi finally stood up and walked towards the shoe cabinet.

She was bent over, her legs tucked in.

After taking a pair of loafers out of the shoe cabinet and putting them on, Asahi Aoi stood at the door.

She looked at Xia Wuzhao: "What are you waiting for?"

Xia Wuzhao closed the book and put it back on the bookshelf.

After changing her shoes at the shoe cabinet, she prepared to go out with Aoi Asahi.

The stairwell was extremely dark, and no sunlight could get in.

But as soon as you step off those stairs, you'll feel hot and bothered by the sun.

I felt much lighter all over.

Standing on the street, the two people were somewhat conspicuous.

Sunflowers, in particular, look especially charming when they tilt their chins up and look at the green leaves above them.

However, Natsumi Kai didn't react at all, which annoyed Asahi Aoi.

She looked at Xia Wuzhao and thought to herself that she should have been angry.

But now, it's just a bit of annoyance, not anger.

After looking you over for a while, Xia Wuzhao finally said, "Let's go. You should be able to find a suitable job on this street."

"What if we can't find it?" Asahi Aoi seemed to be deliberately making things difficult for Natsugiri Kai.

"Then, there will always be a time when we can find it."

Natsugiri Kai's reply was rather curt, but Asahi Aoi simply responded with a single word: "Then it will probably take a lot of time, Natsugiri Kai."

Is time something precious to you?

"It will probably be very precious, so precious that I myself would not want to waste my own time."

Chapter 75 The Tiny Ash in the Palm of My Hand [2/5]

She cherishes every moment, and her heart beats with every breath.

Standing in the sunlight, I combed my waist-length hair.

"If I can't find a job, maybe I can sell my hair; I should be able to make a lot of money from it."

Asahi Aoi looked at Natsugiri Kai and asked, "What do you think?"

"You've probably asked the wrong person. I don't know anything about this kind of thing." Xia Wuzhao walked along the street with Asahi Aoi.

"Hmm~~~" the girl murmured, "I thought you knew everything."

Touching her long hair, she said, "If I sold my hair, what hairstyle do you think I would want to have?"

"Why are you asking me this?" Xia Wuzhao said. "I don't know anything about girls' hairstyles."

"Then just say one at random." The girl twirled a strand of hair between her fingers and said in a nonchalant tone, "That way I can eliminate a wrong answer."

"Then let's go with braids."

"Oh? Braids?" Aoi pulled out a strand of her hair and looked at it. "You really like braids?"

"No, all I know is braids."

“Then let’s rule that out,” Aoi said. “Brackets are more suited to vibrant colors.”

The street the two were walking on was a dark street, lined with shops such as hardware stores and offices.

The street opposite is called Yang Street, which is full of restaurants and similar establishments.

The Yin Street was sparsely populated, while the Yang Street was bustling with people.

Two people can walk side by side on this side of the dark street, leisurely and without caring about anyone.

But the people on Yang Street flowed by like a river.

However, whether it was the sunny street or the shady street, there were very few girls wearing school uniforms, and it could even be said that Asahi Aoi was the only one.

Every now and then, eager girls wearing pretty dresses would walk past the sunflowers, but since it was the transition from spring to summer, they were dressed very lightly.

When the wind blows, it feels light and airy.

Asahi Aoi still needs to wear light-colored knitted yarn provided by the school for warmth, which makes her look loose and baggy.

"Did you know that many elderly people nowadays have joint problems?" Asahi Aoi said, "After investigation, we found that a large part of the reason is that they didn't keep warm when they were young."

"Some things may not be apparent when you're young, but they can all come out at once when you get old."

"So?" Xia Wuzhao looked at the shops on both sides.

"So why do people know that all sorts of problems will arise when they get old, yet still ignore them when they are young?"

“Because some things are perhaps more important than the future,” Xia Wuzhao replied.

Is wearing a pretty dress more important than your future body?

"If everything is about living for your future self, then who is truly living—your future self or your present self?"

“You always say such strange things,” Aoi said. “It’s always the same.”

She still remembers the fireworks that day, how dazzling they were, how grand they were.

It was so large it almost covered the entire sky, and its splendor seemed to illuminate the whole world.

"Perhaps I shouldn't have paid attention to Keiko back then. If I had, the fireworks might have bloomed forever instead of fading away little by little after their brilliance, leaving me with only a tiny bit of ashes in my hand."

"I desperately want to go back to that day, but I can never do it. No matter how hard I try, I'm always just a little short."

Asahi looked up at the clear sky and said, "Summer is almost here, and it's going to get hot soon."

"By then, we won't be here anymore."

"But it's pretty good, isn't it?"

"This is probably something to be thankful for."

Aoi said, "But you'll probably be very reluctant to leave, since this is your house."

“It’s not my house,” Xia Wuzhao said. “It’s that old man’s house.”

Aoi Asahi didn't understand what Natsugiri Kai was saying, but she listened attentively.

It doesn't matter if you don't understand, because you just need to listen.

It wasn't because of those words that she reacted this way.

It is this clear sky, this sunshine, these sparsely populated streets, and him.

That's why Aoi Asahi felt that way.

The light, almost weightless warm breeze made her feel relaxed.

The two arrived at an old-fashioned dessert shop, where only elderly people worked.

"Mother-in-law."

Xia Wuzhao called out to the old man.

"Hey—" The old woman looked up: "It's Xia Wu. What brings you here today?"

"Grandma, can she come here to help?"

"Huh?" The old woman was a little hard of hearing. She looked at the sunflower in front of her.

After looking at it for a while, he said, "Sure, sure."

Asahi pursed her lips and smiled at her mother-in-law.

Seeing that she had found a job for Aoi Asahi, Natsugiri Kai turned and left.

Asahi Aoi glanced at Natsugiri Kai's retreating figure, somewhat hesitant.

"Come in quickly, young lady," the old woman greeted Asahi Aoi. "Since you're Natsugiri's friend, I'll give you a higher salary."

"Do you consider us friends?" Asahi Aoi asked, looking at the frail old woman.

"Of course," the mother-in-law said with a smile. "You see, he left without stopping. That shows he trusts you."

"It's also possible that they'll be indifferent."

“How could it be indifference?” the old woman corrected. “I’m very good friends with that child’s grandfather. I practically watched Xia Wu grow up. If he weren’t a very, very good friend, he wouldn’t have brought you here.”

"Did you watch him grow up?" Aoi asked curiously.

“Of course.” Grandma pulled Asahi Aoi to sit down on a chair. “When we were little, when that old man said he had picked up a child, everyone thought he was crazy. But in the end, he still brought back the little bundle of flesh. That was Xia Wuzhao.”

"Xia Wu is really easy to take care of. His favorite thing to do every day is to lie by the window and look outside."

“We all thought he loved the outside world. But when he got a little older, although he was able to go outside, he always preferred to sit on the steps and watch the passersby. He didn’t run around or make a fuss.”

"Everyone felt that he was someone behind glass, or even wondered if he was sick. But Xia Wu is really a good kid."

The old woman said, "That old man was a blind and unlucky fellow his whole life. He worked his way up from the Second New Tokyo to this remote little place."

"Who knew that our luck would turn around in the end, and we found such a child."

"We all say he had bad luck for half his life, but it turned into good luck in the end."

Chapter 76 Envious of the Blooming Tiny Flower Buds [3/5]

My mother-in-law makes old-fashioned pastries; they look ordinary and taste just as sweet.

There aren't that many flavors, nor that many styles.

The shapes are either square, round, or have wavy edges.

The fillings are mostly red bean or sesame.

It's easy to make, but kneading the dough is a bit tiring.

The old woman taught Asahi Sunflower how to knead dough and how to mix the filling.

Asahi Aoi practiced on her own, while she kept massaging her lower back beside her.

"Mother-in-law, tell me more about Xia Wuzhao."

"Okay," the mother-in-law said with a smile. "That child, although he doesn't seem close to anyone, is always very kind-hearted. You rarely see him usually, but if something important happens, just call him and he'll definitely help."

"Really? I didn't see that at school." Aoi kneaded the dough vigorously. "At school, he was always barely noticeable. He didn't care about anything. Only after each exam did his name become known to everyone. He was a bit arrogant."