Green plums cannot become lovers.

Page 210

An and Asuka pushed open the door and disappeared into the shadows of the rooftop staircase.

Kasumigaoka Utaha remained seated, gazing at the distant sky.

A breeze blew, and her long hair swayed gently.

"Idiot," she whispered.

I don't know if I'm talking about An and Asuka, or about myself.

After afternoon classes, An and Asuka went to the activity room.

The girls have all arrived.

Marina was lying on the table with a math workbook open in front of her. A few problems were written crookedly on it, but most of them were blank.

"Bird..." she weakly raised her head, "Help..."

"what happened?"

"Mathematics! I can't understand it at all!"

An and Asuka walked over and glanced at the question in front of her.

"Didn't we just cover this question last week?"

"You talked about it last week? I don't remember at all!"

Ai chuckled to herself, "Marina was drawing little figures during class."

"Little Ai betrayed me!"

That's exactly right.

Shizuka smiled and handed her a cup of tea: "Have some tea first, rest for a bit, and then continue."

Eriri sat at the keyboard, her fingers unconsciously pressing the keys, producing scattered notes. Her gaze would occasionally drift to the window, then quickly return.

Kasumigaoka Utaha leaned against the window reading a book, occasionally glancing up at the lively activity room.

An and Asuka walked over to Eriri's side.

"what happened?"

"It's nothing," Eriri replied hastily, snapping out of her reverie. "I was thinking about the song."

Which piece of music?

"Just... just thinking about it."

An and Asuka glanced at her but didn't ask any further questions.

He walked to his seat, sat down, and took out his phone to look at it.

There is a message.

It was sent by Kasumigaoka Utaha.

Don't forget our summer vacation promise.

An and Asuka turned to look at Kasumigaoka Utaha not far away, smiled, and replied with a "Mm".

"What are you looking at?"

Just then, Eriri suddenly appeared from the side, and An and Asuka instinctively turned off their phones.

It wasn't until he realized what had happened that he understood he hadn't needed to do it.

"Stop lying to me, it's news about Kasumigaoka Utaha, right? I saw it."

"Yes." Seeing that she had been exposed, An and Asuka simply admitted it directly: "Senior asked me to do something."

"What is it?"

"secret."

"what?"

Volume 1: Chapter 227 The Matter of Gathering Materials

Eriri eventually found out that Kasumigaoka Utaha was going on a research trip with An and Asuka during the summer vacation.

After all, it wasn't really something to keep secret, and after a little questioning, An and Asuka told the truth.

After some questioning—or rather, after some "accidental overhearing" and "indirect probing," she finally pieced together the truth.

The atmosphere in the activity room was somewhat subtle at that moment.

"It can't just be the two of you, right?"

Eriri stared at Kasumigaoka Utaha, her tone clearly wary.

Kasumigaoka Utaha leaned against the window, turned a page of her book, and leisurely looked up.

Yes, that's right.

She nodded, a meaningful smile playing on her lips.

"Does Eriri have a question?"

"Of course there's a problem!" Eriri's voice rose several octaves. "It's not a good idea for a lone man and woman to go out together!"

"What era are we living in?" Kasumigaoka Utaha said slowly. "Does Eriri have an old lady's mentality?"

"Who are you calling an old lady!"

Eriri's face flushed instantly, whether from anger or anxiety, it was hard to tell.

"Whoever gets impatient is the old lady."

Kasumigaoka Utaha's tone was as leisurely as ever.

"you--!"

Eriri gritted her teeth, but couldn't find the words to retort. Every time she argued with this woman, she was left speechless. That feeling of frustration made her feel terrible.

She took a deep breath and turned to look at An and Asuka beside her.

"Asuka, why did you agree to that?!"

An and Asuka were sitting in their seats looking at sheet music when they heard this. They looked up with an innocent expression.

"It's just gathering material, there's nothing wrong with that, right?"

"It's not nothing at all!"

Eriri was anxious. She didn't know why she was anxious, but the thought of the two of them going out alone for several days made her feel like something was blocking her heart.

"Eri-kun."

Kasumigaoka Utaha's voice rang out again, this time with a distinct hint of sarcasm.

"My junior and I are going to gather material, what's the rush?"

She put down her book and stared straight at Eriri with her wine-red eyes.

"You're not worried that I and my junior will do something outrageous, and then you feel like you're falling behind, are you?"

She paused, and the smile on her lips deepened.

"Or... do you have some ulterior motives towards your junior?"

"No, no!"

Eriri shook her head quickly, her movement so forceful that she almost flung her blonde hair onto her face.

"That'll do."

Kasumigaoka Utaha shrugged, picked up her book again, and looked like "the matter is resolved."

Eriri bit her lip, looking around unwillingly.

Then her gaze fell on three figures on the other side of the activity room.

Marina, Ai, and Shizuka were sitting around the table, their summer homework spread out in front of them, occasionally exchanging a few words in hushed tones.

What time is it? Stop studying!

"But...but what about Shizuka and the others!"

Eriri seemed to have grasped at the last straw, and her voice even brightened a bit.

"Asuka, Shizuka, Marina, and Ai won't approve of you going out alone with this woman, will they?"

She looked at the three girls with anticipation.

Upon hearing their names called, the three girls all looked up.

"Oh, they agreed."

Kasumigaoka Utaha seemed to have anticipated her response, speaking slowly and even with a hint of a knowing smile that said, "I knew you'd call for reinforcements."

To make Eriri give up completely, she spoke directly to the three girls:

"Junior, I'll borrow it for now."

Marina blinked, then waved her hand naturally.

"Okay, just be careful."

Xiao Ai nodded and said with a smile, "Have fun!"

Shizuka smiled gently: "Be careful on the road, and remember to eat on time."

The three girls' expressions were matter-of-fact, their tone was nonchalant, and there was not a trace of jealousy or displeasure on their faces.

Eriri was stunned.

"..."

This...this isn't right, is it?

How can someone be so calm after watching their boyfriend go out with another woman for several days?

She opened her mouth, but didn't know what to say.