Green plums cannot become lovers.

He couldn't change other people's opinions, nor could he answer their questions about relationships. All he could do was maintain a proper distance, offer the respect they deserved, and continue to live happily with the people he loved.

If Kasumigaoka Utaha and Eriri can accept it, then they will remain friends. If not, he will still treat them as friends—but that friendship will have an invisible barrier between them.

He didn't want to cause trouble for anyone, especially those who had treated him sincerely.

However, unlike An and Asuka's "go with the flow," Marina, Shizuka, and Ai are feeling anxious about the increasingly subtle atmosphere in the activity room.

After school that day, the three girls arrived at the activity room early. The setting sun slanted in through the west-facing window, bathing the entire space in a warm golden hue. Fine dust particles floated in the air, slowly swirling in the beams of light, like particles embodied in time itself.

“This can’t go on.” Marina spoke first, unusually abandoning her usual carefree smile. She sat at one end of the long table, her hands supporting her chin, her amber eyes sweeping seriously over her two companions. “Although Kasumigaoka-senpai and Eriri are still participating in the event, the atmosphere is clearly different.”

Kuze Shizuka nodded gently, her long, dark brown hair slipping down her shoulders with the movement.

She was making tea, her movements still elegant and composed, but her slightly furrowed brows betrayed her inner worry: "Yesterday I saw Eriri meet Asuka in the corridor. She clearly had something to say, but in the end she just nodded and walked away quickly."

“Kasumigaoka-senpai is the same,” Hoshino Ai continued, her purple eyes filled with sorrow. “When she talks to us lately, she always unconsciously distinguishes between ‘you’ and ‘he’... as if we and Asuka are a whole, and she is isolated on the outside.”

A brief silence fell over the three of them. The subtle sound of the tea boiling was exceptionally clear in the quiet room, and wisps of steam rose from the spout, forming a hazy pillar of light in the setting sun.

They all remembered what the activity room looked like not long ago, the heated debate between Eriri, An, and Asuka about character design, the sharp observations of Kasumigaoka Utaha when she pointed out plot holes, and the laughter and joy when everyone ate the sweets made by Shizuka.

That harmonious and loving atmosphere is still vivid in my mind. How could things have changed so drastically in just a few days, with everyone drifting apart?

"We disagree."

Marina suddenly stood up, placed her hands on the table, and said with a determined look in her eyes, "This absolutely cannot go on."

"Then what method should we use?" Hoshino Ai asked, her voice filled with anticipation.

Marina pondered for a moment, then her eyes suddenly lit up: "I've got it! Let's invite them to the amusement park together!"

"An amusement park?" Shizuka and Ai both looked confused.

“Yes!” Marina beckoned to the two of them, and when they came closer, she lowered her voice and told them her plan.

"Let's pretend it's just a normal club team building activity, and then find a chance to slip away once we get there, leaving Asuka and the two of them alone. Maybe in that relaxed environment, we can rebuild natural communication?"

Shizuka seriously considered the suggestion: "But...wouldn't that be too deliberate? What if they realize our intentions? Wouldn't that make things even more awkward?"

"And will Asuka agree?" Xiao Ai also raised a question.

Marina put her hands on her hips and said confidently, "I'll talk to Asuka, he'll definitely cooperate. As for Kasumigaoka-senpai and Eriri—even if they realize it, they should understand our good intentions, right? After all, we really want everyone to be well."

Shizuka and Ai exchanged a glance. Although they still felt the plan was somewhat risky, they ultimately nodded. They couldn't think of a better way.

So, when Anwa Asuka, Kasumigaoka Utaha, and Eriri arrived at the activity room one after another, Marina took a deep breath and stood in the center of the room.

"Listen up, everyone—" she tried to make her voice sound light and natural, "How about we go out and have some fun this weekend? Consider it a club team-building activity!"

A brief silence fell over the activity room.

Kasumigaoka Utaha raised her eyes, her wine-red pupils scrutinizing Marina through her glasses: "You suddenly suggested going out? Is there a special reason?"

"It's just... I just wanted everyone to relax a bit!" Marina avoided her gaze somewhat guiltily. "Everyone's been so busy lately. Asuka's preparing for her new album, Eriri's working on her manuscript, and Kasumigaoka-senpai's writing a new work, right? It's a good weekend to change things up!"

Eriri hesitated, then looked at An and Asuka: "Asuka, what do you think?"

An and Asuka's gaze swept across the faces of their three childhood friends, seeing the pleading in Marina's eyes, Shizuka's gentle expectation, and Ai's prayerful gesture with her hands clasped together.

"I'm fine with anything," An and Asuka nodded calmly, "if everyone has time."

Kasumigaoka Utaha and Eriri exchanged another glance. Although they were still somewhat hesitant, they finally agreed.

“Okay.” Kasumigaoka Utaha closed the book. “I don’t really have any plans for the weekend.”

"I...I'm fine too," Eriri said. "As long as we don't meet too early..."

Marina immediately cheered, "Then it's settled! We'll meet in front of Shibuya Station at 10 a.m. on Saturday!"

Saturday's sky was a clear, azure blue, with wisps of white clouds floating as lightly as feathers. The warm spring sunshine shone on the streets of Tokyo, and the new leaves of the roadside trees swayed gently in the breeze, casting dappled, shimmering shadows.

A large crowd of people had already gathered in front of Shibuya Station, heading out for the weekend. An and Asuka arrived ten minutes early, carrying a simple dark gray canvas bag containing a water bottle and some essentials.

Marina, Shizuka, and Ai arrived almost on time. All three were dressed casually today—Marina wore denim overalls with a yellow sweatshirt, Shizuka wore a beige knit sweater and a light brown long skirt, and Ai wore a pinkish-purple tracksuit with a white baseball cap on her head.

"Feiniao!" Xiao Ai waved and greeted him from afar, then jogged over, her purple ponytail bouncing playfully behind her head.

"Good morning," An and Asuka replied with a smile.

A few minutes later, Kasumigaoka Utaha and Eriri arrived. Unusually, Kasumigaoka wasn't wearing her signature black stockings today, but instead opted for light gray casual pants and a dark blue knitted cardigan. Her long hair was loosely tied back, giving her a softer, less sharp look than usual.

Eriri wore a white shirt and a plaid suspender skirt, and her golden twin ponytails were carefully braided into fishtail braids, making her look more refined than usual.

"Is everyone here?" Marina excitedly counted the number of people. "Okay, let's go!"

The amusement park they chose was located in the suburbs of Tokyo, about a forty-minute train ride away. The carriage wasn't crowded; the six of them sat scattered around, and the scenery outside the window gradually changed from dense high-rise buildings to low-rise residential areas, and finally to open fields and distant, faintly visible mountains.

Marina kept the atmosphere lively throughout, sharing anecdotes about her recent manga creation; Shizuka occasionally added gentle details; and Ai excitedly shared her new experiences from idol training. Kasumigaoka Utaha and Eriri, though not very talkative, responded appropriately, making the atmosphere much more relaxed than expected.

It was 11:00 AM when we arrived at the amusement park. The number of visitors on this spring weekend was just right—neither deserted nor crowded. A brightly colored model of a fairytale castle stood at the entrance, cheerful music flowed from the speakers, and the air was filled with the sweet aroma of popcorn and cotton candy.

"What should we do first?" Marina asked, her eyes sparkling as she held up the amusement park map.

"A roller coaster!" Xiao Ai immediately suggested.

"I... I think it's better to start with something gentler..." Eriri said softly.

Finally, they decided to start with the carousel. Colorful horses rose and fell to the melodious music. Kasumigaoka Utaha chose a pure white horse, while An and Asuka rode the dark brown one beside her. As the rotation began, sunlight streamed through the stained glass ceiling, casting dappled patterns of light on the ground.

Over the next few hours, they played on the pirate ship, the haunted house, the mirror maze, and the shooting game... Marina and her two friends cleverly carried out their "plan": in the haunted house, they "fearfully" hid at the back of the line; in front of the spinning teacups, they "felt dizzy" and left early; and while queuing to buy crepes, they "suddenly remembered that they had left something in the locker."

Around 3 PM, An and Asuka's phone vibrated. He took it out and saw a message from Marina:

"We have to head back now, Asuka, good luck! ^_^"

This was followed by a playful wink emoji.

An and Asuka looked up and around, only to find that their three childhood friends were nowhere to be seen. He smiled helplessly and put his phone away.

Just then, Kasumigaoka Utaha and Eriri, who had just come out of the restroom, also noticed something was wrong.

"Where are Marina and the others?" Eriri asked, puzzled.

“They had to go back first,” An and Asuka answered truthfully, then added, “If you feel uncomfortable, we can go back too.”

Kasumigaoka Utaha and Eriri both fell silent. The afternoon sun was a bit too bright, and Eriri raised her hand to shield her forehead, her golden eyelashes casting a faint shadow on her cheek.

The noise from the amusement park became exceptionally clear at this moment: the roar of the roller coaster rushing by in the distance, the laughter of children chasing and playing nearby, and the tinkling melody played by the ice cream truck.

The atmosphere was subtly awkward for a few seconds.

Then, almost simultaneously, the two girls said in unison:

"no need."

“Since we’re already here,” Kasumigaoka Utaha pushed up her glasses, “why don’t we continue playing?”

“Exactly,” Eriri turned her face away, her voice muffled, “We did pay for it after all.”

An and Asuka looked at them and finally nodded: "Alright then."

For the rest of the time, they rode the Ferris wheel together. When the cabin reached its highest point, the entire amusement park was laid out before them—the winding tracks resembled colorful ribbons, the lake shimmered in the sunlight, and the Tokyo Tower stood silently against the azure sky in the distance.

“It’s beautiful,” Kasumigaoka Utaha whispered.

“Mm,” An and Asuka replied.

Eriri gripped the armrests in the cockpit tightly, her eyes closed, until An and Asuka reminded her, "You can open your eyes now, we've descended," at which point she cautiously opened them a crack.

At the shooting game booth, Kasumigaoka Utaha displayed amazing accuracy, hitting all three shots and winning the grand prize. She accepted the prize with a calm expression, but then casually shoved the plush toy into Eriri's arms, saying, "Here, take it. I don't have room in my dorm."

Eriri hugged the giant plush toy, her expression somewhat blank, then muttered softly, "Who...who asked you to give it up..."

An and Asuka watched from the side, the corners of their mouths unconsciously turning up. The atmosphere had indeed eased considerably during their play, and the deliberately maintained distance was gradually melting away.

As the sun began to set, the three finished their last round of activities and prepared to leave. The sky was dyed a gentle orange-red, the clouds edged with gold, and the amusement park lights gradually lit up, like stars scattered across the earth in the darkening sky.

They slowly walked towards the exit, their shadows stretching long behind them. The air was filled with the cool scent of evening, mixed with the smell of engine oil from the closed amusement park rides and the aroma of food wafting from a distant restaurant.

"That's enough for today," An and Asuka said softly.

Kasumigaoka Utaha nodded: "Yes, it's time to go back."

"Today..." Eriri said, hugging the giant rabbit plush toy, her voice coming from behind the plush toy, "Not bad."

She paused, as if carefully choosing her words: "At least it's better than I expected."

“But…” Kasumigaoka Utaha, unusually, picked up on her words, a very faint, almost imperceptible smile curving her lips, “It’s a little of a pity.”

Eriri paused, her fingers tightening unconsciously around the doll. She understood what Kasumigaoka Utaha meant—what was it a pity about? Was it that such moments couldn't become the norm? Was it that they could never fully integrate into that tightly connected little world? Or was it that she herself had lost the right to express her feelings before they were even spoken?

“...Yes.” Eriri responded softly.

An and Asuka looked at them, a complex mix of emotions welling up inside them. He knew what they were talking about, and he knew the resentment and helplessness hidden behind that "pity." But all he could do was keep his distance, offer respect, not give false hope, and not cause unnecessary harm.

The sun had completely sunk behind the fairytale castle on the west side of the amusement park, the sky transitioning from orange-red to deep purple, and the first star faintly appeared on the eastern horizon. They walked to the plaza near the exit, preparing to part ways there—Kasumigaoka Utaha was taking the tram back to her dormitory, Eriri's family had a car to pick her up, and An and Asuka were going back to their apartment.

Just then, a voice pierced through the evening hustle and bustle, clearly reaching Anhe and the birds' ears.

"Ash, slow down, be careful not to fall."

It was a gentle female voice, filled with doting and concern, its tone as soft as the breeze that caresses cherry blossoms in April.

An and Asuka's bodies suddenly froze.

My blood seemed to freeze instantly, my heart clenched, and then began to pound wildly at double the speed.

That voice... he thought he had long forgotten it, that it was sealed away in the deepest part of his memory and would never be touched again, yet it struck his eardrums so vividly at that moment.

Every syllable, every pause, was exactly the same as when that woman left her last words, "Mom will be back soon," on that autumn morning eight years ago in the entryway.

Time seemed to flow backward at that moment.

One morning in fourth grade, the house was empty, a note on the refrigerator read "Birds should eat well," and then came countless nights of unanswered calls. He sat in the entryway waiting for her, from sunset to sunrise, from autumn to winter, until he finally understood—she would never come back.

"Asuka, what's wrong?"

Eriri noticed his unusual behavior. The boy's previously calm expression froze instantly. His usually clear and determined eyes widened, his pupils slightly contracting, as if he had seen something impossible. His lips pressed into a stiff line, his jawline tightened, and he looked like a statue suddenly frozen in time.

An and Asuka shook their heads with difficulty, their voices so dry they could barely speak: "It's nothing."

He lied. How could nothing be wrong? That voice was like a rusty key, suddenly plunging into the door to his heart that had been locked for years, each turn bringing a tearing pain.

Just as he was trying to look away and pretend nothing had happened, the owner of the voice looked in their direction.

She was a woman in her thirties, wearing a beige dress, her long hair loosely tied back with a few stray strands falling beside her cheeks. She had a beautiful face and gentle eyes, and was holding the hand of a five- or six-year-old boy. Beside her, a man in a casual shirt, with a mild demeanor, was smiling at her, carrying a shopping bag with an amusement park logo in his other hand.

—A complete family. Father, mother, and child, all at the amusement park on the weekend, getting tired and heading home. So ordinary, so happy, yet so...heartbreaking.

The woman was talking to the child with her head down, but when her gaze inadvertently swept across An and Asuka's faces, she froze as if struck by lightning.

Time stretched out infinitely in that one second.

The amusement park's background music continued to play cheerful melodies, the lights of the distant carousel flickered, and the children's laughter was muffled as if through a layer of glass.

But amidst this clamor, a vacuum formed between An, Asuka, and the woman, isolating them from all sound, leaving only their heavy heartbeats and almost stagnant breathing.

The woman's eyes slowly widened. She released the child's hand, which unconsciously rose to her chest, her fingers trembling slightly. Her lips moved, as if she wanted to say something, but no sound came out. Only those eyes, with the same deep brown pupils as An and Asuka, stared intently at him, filled with shock, disbelief, and some deeper, more complex emotion.

Eight years of time collapsed at this moment.

An and Asuka looked at her, at the woman who once smiled gently in their memories, prepared lunchboxes for them, and read them stories before bed. Time had left its mark on her face—fine lines appeared at the corners of her eyes, her cheeks were no longer so full, and her temperament had changed from youthful and lively to gentle and serene.

But she is still that woman, the one who gave birth to him and gave him her flesh and blood.

—His mother.

His mother, who disappeared when he was ten years old and never appeared again.

"fly......"

The woman finally regained her voice, but it was broken beyond recognition. She took a small step forward, then hesitated and stopped, as if afraid that the person in front of her was just an illusion that would vanish at the slightest touch.

"......bird?"

The name escaped from her trembling lips, as light as a sigh, yet as heavy as a blow to An and Asuka's hearts, stirring a sharp pain.

Eriri and Kasumigaoka Utaha also noticed something was wrong. They followed An and Asuka's gaze and saw the agitated woman, the man and child beside her, and then looked back at An and Asuka's pale face and empty eyes. A terrible suspicion gradually took shape in their minds.

“Junior, who is this…?” Kasumigaoka Utaha asked tentatively, but stopped halfway through her sentence. She saw An and Asuka’s lips trembling, and saw his hands clenched into fists at his sides, his knuckles turning white from the force.

The little boy, whom the woman called "Xiao Zhi," seemed to sense the unusual atmosphere. He hid behind his mother, clutching her skirt with his little hands, and timidly peeked out to look at An and Asuka.

The man looked puzzled, glancing at his wife, then at An and Asuka, as if trying to understand the situation.

"Miho, what's wrong?" the man asked softly, his hand naturally resting on the woman's shoulder.

This action was like a key, unlocking a sealed box in An and Asuka's hearts. He saw the woman tremble slightly at the man's touch, then, as if suddenly waking from a dream, she turned to look at her husband in a fluster, her lips moving, but she didn't know how to explain.