Green plums cannot become lovers.

Aki Tomoya felt a burning shame and unease.

Finally, he glanced back at the top of the hill. The girl had already started walking down, her white skirt and red cardigan standing out against the cherry blossom rain. He then looked at An and Asuka, before silently turning his bike around and riding away.

His back looked somewhat disheveled, as if he were fleeing something.

An and Asuka watched him leave without saying a word. He understood Aki Tomoya's complex feelings, but that was all. Everyone has their own path to walk, their own hurdles to overcome, and no one can do it for them.

His attention returned to the slope. The girl was jogging down the slope, her steps light but not hurried, her brown hair fluttering slightly with her movements.

An and Asuka also started walking uphill, and the two met about a third of the way up the slope.

"Here you go." He handed over the hat.

The girl took the hat, gently brushed off the few blades of grass and petals clinging to it, and said in a voice as calm as a spring lake, "Thank you, Anhe."

The address made An and Asuka pause. He looked closely at the girl in front of him—shoulder-length brown hair swaying slightly in the spring breeze, her face delicate and clean, her features without any particularly outstanding features, but together they created a strange sense of harmony.

The white dress was tied with a light blue ribbon at the neckline, and the red cardigan worn over it stood out against the backdrop of cherry blossoms.

He recognized the face, but it seemed slightly different from his memory. The classmate he remembered always sat quietly in the front row by the window, his back slender, rarely speaking, his presence as faint as the lightest shadow in a sketch.

"Kato-kun?" Anwa Asuka tentatively called out the name, her tone tinged with uncertainty.

Kato Megumi's eyes widened slightly. It was a very subtle change in expression, almost imperceptible if An and Asuka hadn't been watching her closely. A hint of genuine surprise flashed in her eyes, like a pebble suddenly thrown into a calm lake.

"Huh?" Kato Megumi uttered a short syllable, then tilted her head. "Does Anwa-kun know me?"

This time, it was An and Asuka who were stunned.

He blinked, making sure he hadn't misheard: "Aren't we classmates? I sit right behind you, didn't you know?"

He and Kato Megumi had spent a whole year together in Class E of the first year. Although they had only interacted a handful of times—probably just borrowing notes, passing test papers, and a few necessary conversations during group activities—surely they should have known each other's existence, right? Besides, as a "special person" in the class, he should have been more easily remembered.

Kato Megumi shook her head, her brown hair swaying gently with the movement: "No, that's not it."

Her tone remained calm, yet carried a subtle hint of helplessness: "I was just surprised that Anhe could recognize me."

An and Asuka were truly speechless this time. He stared at Kato Megumi for a few seconds, trying to find any trace of a joke on her face, but her brown eyes were clear and calm, without any hint of mockery.

"So," he couldn't help but press, "why do you think I don't recognize you?"

This question seemed to give Kato Megumi a moment to think. She pulled her beret back up, carefully adjusting the angle, her movements unhurried and deliberate. Cherry blossoms were still falling from the slope, a few petals landing on her shoulder. She gently brushed them away before speaking again:

“Because many people will inadvertently overlook me,” she said, as if stating a fact such as “the weather is nice today.”

"Sometimes the teacher skips my name when calling roll—not intentionally, it's just a natural glance that misses it. During group activities, sometimes they forget me, and I have to raise my hand to hear, 'Oh, Kato-kun is here too,' and there was even one time..."

She paused, as if choosing a suitable example: "I arranged to meet a friend at a coffee shop. I was already sitting across from her when she texted me on her phone, asking, 'Have you arrived yet?' Then she looked up, saw me, and realized that I had been there for ten minutes."

An and Asuka listened quietly. Kato Megumi spoke without any self-pity or complaint, simply calmly recounting the events that had happened to her. Her voice wasn't loud, but it was exceptionally clear on the slope where cherry blossoms were falling.

“So,” Kato Megumi concluded, “I was genuinely a little surprised that Anwa-kun recognized me so quickly. After all, even though we were in the same class for a year, we probably didn’t speak more than ten times, right?”

She tilted her head, looking at An and Asuka, as if waiting to confirm the number. An and Asuka quickly calculated in their minds—borrowing notes three times, group discussions twice, duty handover twice, and once when she picked up his dropped sheet music... eight times.

It was indeed less than ten times.

“I still remember the faces of my classmates,” he said, then added something he himself felt was somewhat superfluous, “And you’re not so easily overlooked, are you? At least I can clearly see you here right now.”

As soon as she finished speaking, An and Asuka realized that her words might not have been appropriate. But Kato Megumi simply nodded slightly, a very faint, almost imperceptible smile appearing at the corners of her mouth.

"Really? Thank you, Anhe. This is probably the second time this week that a classmate has accurately identified me."

How should he respond to that? An and Asuka were momentarily speechless. He suddenly realized that he knew almost nothing about this classmate who had sat in the front row for a whole year.

He knew her name, her seat, her average grades, and that she didn't seem to participate in any clubs—but that was all.

A gust of wind blew by, and the cherry blossoms on the slope fell again. This time the wind was slightly stronger, and the petals rained down, shimmering in the afternoon sunlight. Kato Megumi looked up at the fluttering petals; her white dress and red cardigan created a serene scene amidst the cherry blossom rain.

An and Asuka noticed her profile—a straight nose, long eyelashes, and a soft jawline. Actually, upon closer inspection, Kato Megumi was quite pretty, even cute. But that sense of "ordinariness" or "transparency" was so strong that it made her appearance unremarkable at first glance.

"Are you also taking this road home?" An and Asuka changed the subject.

"This is my first time walking here." Kato Megumi turned her gaze away from the sky. "I usually take the bus. But today I wanted to take a walk, and that's when I discovered this slope."

She paused, then asked in return, "Does Anhe often walk this way?"

"I only recently started here. I like the quietness."

“It was really quiet,” Kato Megumi agreed. “And the cherry blossoms were beautiful. I wanted to take some pictures, but I realized they weren’t very good, so I gave up.”

There wasn't much regret in her tone; it was as natural as saying, "I forgot my umbrella, but luckily it wasn't raining."

After hearing this, An and Asuka thought for a moment and said, "Do you need me to take a few pictures for you?"

This suggestion elicited that slight look of surprise from Kato Megumi again. She blinked, seemingly considering the feasibility of the suggestion, then nodded: "Then I'll trouble you, Anwa-kun."

An and Asuka took the phone she handed them—a very ordinary model, without a decorative case, the screen so clean it was almost reflective. He stepped back a few paces, finding a suitable angle.

Kato Megumi stood under the cherry blossom tree, not deliberately posing, but simply standing naturally with her hands gently placed in front of her, her face displaying her usual calm expression.

The moment Ni Er pressed the shutter, a gust of wind blew, and petals fluttered down. The girl in the photo stood in the cherry blossom rain, her red cardigan like a warm splash of color in the snow, her serene face creating a wonderful contrast with the dancing petals.

"It's done." An and Asuka handed the phone back, glancing at the photo. It was unexpectedly good—not because of any particularly advanced technique, but because the image itself possessed a serene beauty.

Kato Megumi took the phone, glanced at it, and nodded: "Very well taken, thank you Anwa-kun."

"You're welcome." An and Asuka put away their phones. "Do you take pictures often?"

“Occasionally,” Kato Megumi said. “Mainly taking pictures of landscapes or things I find interesting. But I’m not very good at editing photos, so I save them as is.”

This answer perfectly reflects the impression she gives off—unpretentious, unadorned, and keeping things as they are.

An and Asuka suddenly asked curiously, "Then can you take portrait photos?"

“Rarely,” Kato Megumi said honestly, “because not many people ask me to take their pictures. And…”

She paused for a moment, then said, "When I take pictures of people, they often seem uncomfortable. Maybe it's because I'm not good at guiding their poses."

Silence fell between them again. But An and Asuka found that silence didn't make them uncomfortable when they were with Kato Eizanji. She didn't try to fill the silence with topics, nor did she seem awkward because of the quiet; she just stood there naturally, as if silence itself was a form of communication.

"Was that person on the bicycle just now," Kato Megumi suddenly spoke, her gaze fixed on the direction where Aki Tomoya had disappeared down the slope, "our classmate Aki?"

“Yes,” An and Asuka nodded.

"Is your relationship with him bad?" Kato Megumi's tone remained calm. "I've noticed that you two don't interact much, and Aki seems to be a bit hostile towards you."

An and Asuka were somewhat surprised by her observational skills.

“I guess so,” he said simply. “We’re a bit…competitive.”

"Competition regarding games?"

This time, An and Asuka were genuinely surprised: "You knew?"

“Everyone in the school knows that Anwa is the producer of ‘Where the Stars Lie,’” Kato Megumi said, then added, “And I’ve played it too. It’s a really good game, especially the music.”

This was probably the most understated compliment Anhe Feiniao had heard all day, yet it inexplicably felt sincere. There was no exaggerated amazement, no deliberate flattery, just a simple and natural compliment.

"Thank you." An and Asuka smiled and asked, "So, what stage of the game are you at?"

"I've finished the game," Kato Megumi replied calmly. "I also unlocked the hidden ending. The final monologue was really well written: 'The stars will eventually fade, but the process of pursuing their light is itself meaningful'—was that written by Anwa-kun?"

An and Asuka nodded. He hadn't expected Kato Megumi to remember such specific lines, much less that she would discuss the game's content so naturally. Most people who knew he made games either focused excessively on his age and achievements or lacked genuine interest in his work itself.

“I really like that viewpoint,” said Megumi Kato, looking down at the road below the slope. “Often, the result isn’t that important; what matters is the process of moving in a certain direction.”

As she spoke, a slightly stronger gust of wind blew by, and a few cherry blossom petals landed right on her hair. An and Asuka instinctively reached out to brush them away, but he quickly stopped, as the gesture seemed too intimate.

Kato Megumi, however, raised her hand and gently patted away the petals. Her movement was natural and fluid, as if she hadn't noticed An and Asuka's momentary hesitation.

"Is Anhe still making new games?"

“In preparation,” An and Asuka replied. “It’s a roguelike game.”

"Oh." Kato Megumi nodded, not pressing for details, but said, "That must be very hard. Making games, writing music, and going to school."

"It's alright, I'm used to it."

"That's really impressive." The girl's tone was nonchalant, whether it was praise or sarcasm was unclear. "I definitely couldn't do it."

"..."

"Oh, by the way, I watched Anwa's concert." Kato Megumi suddenly changed the subject and said, "There's a recording online. That new song, 'If I Can Shine,' is really good."

An and Asuka were surprised again. They had thought that Kato Megumi was the type who wasn't very interested in pop culture, after all, she gave off a very... indifferent vibe.

You saw it too?

“Yes.” Kato Megumi nodded. “A friend recommended it, saying it’s perfect for listening to when you’re calm and focused, and it really is.”

She spoke calmly, but An and Asuka detected a genuine appreciation in her tone. It wasn't the fanaticism of a fan, but a pure recognition of the music itself.

"I see. It would be my honor if you like it."

An and Asuka exchanged polite words, after all, the other party was also one of their fans.

The two chatted for a while until it was getting late. An and Asuka looked up at the sky and said, "I should go."

Kato Megumi nodded: "Me too. Thank you Anwa-kun for picking up my hat and taking pictures today."

"You're welcome."

The two of them naturally walked down the slope together.

Footsteps echoed on the quiet street, some light, some heavy, yet strangely harmonious. An and Asuka noticed that Kato Megumi's strides were not large, but her rhythm was steady, and she walked with her back very straight, giving her an indescribable sense of uprightness.

He glanced at it and then looked away; the two parted ways at the bottom of the slope.

One person goes left, and the other goes right.

"Goodbye, Anhe."

Kato Megumi gently waved to An and Asuka.

"Okay, goodbye."

Volume 1: Chapter 189 Another story begins

That encounter with Kato Megumi on the cherry blossom slope was like a gentle breeze in March, leaving a faint trace but not disrupting the original rhythm of An and Asuka's lives.

Time flows on as usual. During spring break, Tokyo sheds the bleakness of winter, with roadside trees sprouting tender green buds and the air filled with the fresh scent of everything coming back to life.

An and Asuka's lives continue along their established path: music, studies, game development, and daily interactions with the four girls. Though seemingly busy, their lives possess a quiet order and rhythm.

In terms of music composition, he maintains a pace of one new song every two weeks to one month. Some of these works will be included in the next album, while others will be released as singles first. At the same time, he also takes on the task of composing idol songs for Xiao Ai.

This was his original intention, but Akane Akane was initially worried that he would be overburdened, so she formed a dedicated music team for Ai.

However, after several of the team's works received lukewarm market response, Akane Akasaka pushed a document directly in front of him during a meeting: "The title track for Ai's next single is in your hands."

An and Asuka took the documents without hesitation: "Okay."

In fact, he had already prepared. That very night, back in his apartment, he sent a demo of a song called "Love Fortune Cookie" to Xiao Ai's email. The upbeat melody, catchy lyrics, and girlish arrangement—this song seemed tailor-made for Xiao Ai. A week later, the studio version was released, quickly climbing to the top of various music charts, and its online streams surpassed one million within three days.

Akane Akasaka showed a rare expression of satisfaction when she heard the data report, and even took a short break: "It seems that some work should have been handed over to the right people from the beginning."

During their spring break, An and Asuka devoted more of their energy to developing their personal game project. This roguelike game, titled "Ember Knight," is over 70% complete after several months of independent development and system assistance.

That afternoon, he was focused on debugging the combat logic of the second boss.

Just as he was concentrating on testing the timing of skill activation, there was a gentle knock on the door, followed by a crack in the door. Marina poked her head in, her ponytail swaying with the movement: "Asuka, playing games again? Why don't you take a break?"

An and Asuka didn't look up, their fingers rapidly tapping on the keyboard: "What?"

"Eh? Now?" Marina deliberately misinterpreted his words, her voice laced with a mischievous laugh.

An and Asuka then realized what was happening, reluctantly stopped what they were doing, and turned to look at her.

"Haha, just kidding." Marina walked into the room and sat down at his table. "Kaoru just called and asked you to go to her house."

"what's up?"

"She didn't say exactly, but she sounded pretty happy." Marina rested her chin on her hand. "Maybe she wrote a new song and wanted to play it for you."

An and Asuka thought for a moment, saved the project file, and shut down the computer: "Understood."

He stood up and walked outside. As he passed the living room, Xiao Ai, who was practicing her new dance steps, stopped and looked at him with bright purple eyes: "Feiniao, are you coming back for dinner tonight?"

An and Asuka put on their coats and thought for a moment: "We'll see. If it's late, we'll send a message in advance."

Stepping out of the apartment building, the afternoon sun shone brightly. The cherry blossoms lining the streets had passed their peak bloom, but some late-blooming flowers still swayed on the branches, their pale pink petals falling like a gentle rain in the breeze. An and Asuka walked along their familiar route towards "Ma Fille," their steps unhurried.

When they arrived at the cake shop, Kaori Miyazono was already waiting at the door. Today she was wearing a light green cardigan and a white long skirt, and her light blonde hair was tied in a loose side braid. When she saw An and Asuka, her eyes curved into crescents: "You're so slow, Asuka."

“Maria is slow at relaying messages.” An and Asuka naturally took the violin case from her hand. “Where are you going?”