Green plums cannot become lovers.

"Then next time you see her, get me her autograph!" Salted Lemon immediately raised his hand.

"Me too!" Xiaoju Zhihua whispered.

“Me too…” Wen Shuiheyan hesitated for a moment before speaking.

An and Asuka couldn't help but laugh as they looked at the group of literature club members who had suddenly become fans.

"Okay, if there's a chance."

Hana saw Anna sitting beside them, remaining silent. Her gaze lingered on An and Asuka's faces for a moment, a slight smile playing on her lips, lost in thought. Himegami Karen also didn't participate in the commotion, quietly turning the pages of her manuscript, but her ear was slightly tilted, clearly listening.

The conversation gradually shifted from light novel authors to books I've been reading recently, then to movies, and finally to games.

Shintaro Tamaki mentioned an indie game he'd recently been playing, and Shiozaki Lemon said she'd played it too. The two started arguing about the game's plot. Chika Komari quietly added details from the side, and Koto Tsukinoki occasionally chimed in to steer the conversation back on track, only to be led astray again.

The sunlight shifted slightly, illuminating the manuscript paper on the table and making the dense handwriting crystal clear. The cicadas chirped louder than before, and the distant sound of waves drifted in faintly, mingling with the laughter and chatter from the courtyard, creating the most natural background music on this summer afternoon.

An and Asuka leaned back in their chairs, watching the group. Papers lay scattered on the table; some were half-written, some only just begun, and some had only a few lines crossed out. Pen caps were undone, rolled to the corner of the table, and spun slightly in the breeze.

He suddenly felt that writing novels, making music, or anything else didn't matter anymore.

The important thing is that these people sit together at the tail end of summer, under the shade of trees, amidst the chirping of cicadas and the sound of waves, spending a time together where they can do nothing at all.

Volume 1: Chapter 262 Betrayal

After dinner, the members of the Literature and Art Department were still thinking about the plot.

The long table in the living room was covered with manuscript paper. Some people were writing on the table, some were leaning back in their chairs staring blankly at the ceiling, and some were reading their completed paragraphs aloud to get feedback.

Shintaro Tamaki was drawing circles on Koto Tsukinoki's manuscript paper with a red pen when Koto Tsukinoki snatched the pen away and said, "Go and revise your own."

Salted Lemon lay sprawled on the table, chin resting on the back of his hand. Only three lines of writing remained on the paper in front of him, one of which was the title. Komari Chika sat in the corner, head bowed, the pen scratching softly on the paper. Occasionally, she would pause to think, then continue writing.

Hana saw Anna and Karen Himegami sitting side by side, sharing a desk lamp. Anna would write for a while, then peek over to see what Karen was writing, only to be blocked by Karen's hand. Anna would then pull back, only to peek over again a little later, seemingly enjoying this routine.

Wen Shuiheyan sat a little away from the crowd, his notebook closed, his fingers resting on the cover, lost in thought.

With nothing to do, An and Asuka went out alone.

Go out the back door of the guesthouse and walk down a small path for a few minutes to reach the beach. Low shrubs grow on both sides of the path, which are silvery-gray in the moonlight. Insects chirp in the grass, their soft, dense sounds like a small concert.

Although it was night, the moonlight still illuminated the beach and the sea.

The moon is rounder tonight than last night. It hangs in the sky, big and bright, like a silver plate that has been polished.

Moonlight spread across the sea, swaying gently with the waves, breaking into fragments of silvery white that stretched from the shore to the unseen distance. The sound of the tides seemed quieter than during the day, less turbulent, becoming gentle and rhythmic, like someone softly humming a lullaby.

A night breeze blew, bringing a salty scent, mixed with the lingering warmth of the sun in the sand, and it felt cool yet slightly warm on my face.

An and Asuka stood on the beach for a while, gazing at the horizon where the sea met the sky. The sea under the moonlight was completely different from that during the day; it was bright and bustling during the day, but calm and deep at night. Waves surged up, covering his ankles, then receded, carrying away the sand from his feet, causing his body to sink slightly.

He took out his phone, scrolled through his contacts, and dialed a number.

It wasn't a call to the three girls' personal numbers, but their home landline. Whoever answered first got to know, so it wouldn't seem like favoritism. True fairness begins with every detail.

The phone rang three times before being answered.

"Hey, Asuka."

A gentle voice came from the other end of the phone, slightly dazed as if just pulled from her focus, but quickly became clear.

An and Asuka's lips unconsciously curled up slightly.

"Well, it's me."

It was Shizuka who answered the phone. He could tell that her voice was different from Marina's liveliness and Ai's sweetness; it was a steady, reassuring gentleness.

Even over the phone, even without seeing her face, he could imagine what she looked like. She was probably sitting on the sofa in the living room, holding a remote control or a book, with the TV on but not being watched.

After exchanging a few pleasantries, An and Asuka got down to business.

He's been gone for almost ten days, and I don't know if there are any problems with his game progress.

"Yes, the game went smoothly. Kasumigaoka has finished revising the last chapter of the script, and she said that once you've reviewed it and are satisfied, it can be finalized. Eriri's background illustrations are still two short, and Marina is working on them. Ai has already recorded the music; you can listen to it when you get back."

"You've worked hard."

"It's not hard work." Shizuka paused. "Have you resolved things on your end?"

“It’s resolved,” An and Asuka said. “Karen isn’t leaving; she’ll stay in Aichi and finish high school.”

"That's great." Shizuka's voice was filled with genuine joy. "We were wondering when we could see her after you told us she was going to England."

There will be opportunities in the future.

The two chatted for a few more minutes, and Shizuka asked him if he wanted to call Marina and Ai over. An and Asuka thought for a moment and politely declined.

If those two girls came too, one would rush to speak, and the other would chime in, chattering away, and who knows how long the call would last. It wasn't that he didn't want to hear their voices, but he was afraid that hearing them would make him want to go back even more, and he didn't want to leave yet.

"Please tell them for me, I miss them very much."

"it is good."

Shizuka responded with a sound of agreement, without asking any further questions or making any jokes. She was always like this, asking only what she should ask and not asking what she shouldn't, her perfect sense of propriety making it very comfortable to be around her.

An and Asuka stood there for a while, looking at the moonlight on the sea and listening to the sound of the waves.

"Then I'll hang up."

"Okay, get some rest."

The phone hangs up.

The phone screen went dark, and the beach returned to silence. An and Asuka put their phones in their pockets and were about to turn back when they suddenly caught a glimpse of a figure standing not far behind them.

His heart stopped for a moment.

Under the moonlight, a slender figure stood at the edge of the beach, wearing a light-colored long-sleeved jacket, the hem of her skirt fluttering gently in the night breeze. She didn't come over, nor did she make a sound; she simply stood there quietly, as if she had grown out of the sand.

An and Asuka squinted for two seconds and recognized the face that always carried a hint of timidity.

"Little Ju?"

Xiao Juzhihua did not move.

He walked a few steps over and, after confirming it was her, breathed a sigh of relief.

You startled me.

"I'm...I'm sorry..." Komari lowered her head, her voice so soft it was almost drowned out by the waves, "I didn't mean to scare you..."

"It's nothing." An and Asuka smiled. "Why did you come out alone? Have you finished writing your novel?"

"Not yet." She shook her head and said, "I won't write anything today."

"Oh, is that so? You came here to admire the moon? It's dangerous at the beach at night."

"You...aren't you here too?"

An and Asuka paused for a moment, then laughed.

"I'm just going to browse for a little while, I'll be back soon."

He turned around, took two steps towards the guesthouse, then stopped and looked back at her.

"Will you come back with me?"

Komari Chika stood still, motionless. The moonlight shone on her face, illuminating her expression clearly—she was hesitating, her lips pursed, her fingers gripping the hem of her coat until her knuckles turned white.

An and Asuka didn't urge her, and waited quietly.

After a while, she spoke.

"Who...who were you talking to on the phone just now?"

The voice was very soft, as if squeezed out of a throat. But the night at the seaside was so quiet that every word could be heard clearly.

An and Asuka turned around to face her.

"Hmm? What's wrong?"

"You...the tone of your voice just now...it was very intimate..." She lowered her head, her eyes fixed on her toes, her voice trembling slightly, "and you said...you missed them..."

Looking at the girl who was so nervous she was almost curled up in a ball under the moonlight, An and Asuka suddenly understood what she was asking.

“Of course.” He didn’t hesitate, his tone calm. “After all, she’s my girlfriend.”

Komari suddenly raised her head.

Her eyes were wide open, her mouth slightly agape, and the moonlight shone on her face, illuminating her momentary astonishment clearly.

"Girlfriend?" Her voice suddenly rose, but she quickly lowered it again, as if afraid of being overheard. "Hanami? Himegami-kun?"

Her mind raced... Wait a minute, they were just writing their novels in the living room, one was fighting with Wen Shuihe for the laptop, and the other was discussing the plot with the vice minister. The person on the other end of the phone couldn't be them.

Who could it be?

She could only think of these two people because the boy had such a good relationship with them that she assumed they had that kind of relationship.

“It’s not them,” An and Asuka shook their heads with a smile. “It’s another girl.”

Komari Chika was completely stunned.

Another girl.

It wasn't Anna Hachimi, nor Karen Himemiya; it was another girl in Tokyo whom she didn't know.

Her brain seemed stuck, unable to function. Her gaze fell on An and Asuka's faces, faces softened by the moonlight, with a smile on their lips, as if they were talking about something very ordinary.

But this is anything but ordinary.

She has a girlfriend, not Anzai, not Karen, but someone else.

What about Xingcai and Hualian? They were so close to him, so close that they leaned on his shoulder, so close that they gave him the first bite of food, so close that there was something unreadable in their eyes when they looked at him. They were so close, yet he said his girlfriend was someone else.

Xiaoju Zhihua's face turned pale then red. Her lips moved, and her fingers clenched even tighter.

"You...you..." Her voice trembled, "You betrayed them..."

An and Asuka were taken aback.

"betray?"

Xiaoju Zhihua's eyes were red, and her voice was both angry and aggrieved: "How...how could you do this..."

An and Asuka couldn't help but laugh when they saw her looking like she was about to cry.

It wasn't mockery, but the kind of laugh that says, "You've misunderstood, but you're so cute."

The moonlight fell on the tip of her reddened nose, illuminating her slight grievance clearly. Her lips were pressed tightly together, as if she was trying to hold something back, and her fingers gripped the hem of her coat, her knuckles turning white.

"Little Ju," he took a step forward, his voice very soft, "listen to me."

Komari Chika shrank back a little, but didn't run. Her heels sank into the sand, she swayed for a moment, then steadied herself, her eyes still fixed on him.

“Kana and Karen are very important people to me,” An and Asuka said with a smile. “We grew up together, went to school together, and formed a band together. They are indispensable to me as well.”

He paused.

"Besides, although they are not my girlfriends now, they definitely will be in the future."

The sea breeze passed between them, carrying a salty and cool scent. Komari Chika froze, her eyes wide, her mouth slightly agape, as if someone had pressed the pause button. Moonlight cast a thin, silvery-white glow on her face, freezing that moment of astonishment into a still painting.

It took her a while to realize what was happening.

"You, you..." Her voice trembled, whether from anger or anxiety, it was hard to tell, "You want to two-time me?"

An and Asuka did not deny it.

"I just want them all to be happy." His voice wasn't loud, but it was exceptionally clear amidst the sound of the waves. "That's what it means to like someone."

Xiaoju Zhihua's mouth opened and closed repeatedly. She wanted to say, "This is unreasonable," "This is wrong," "How could such a thing happen in the world?"

But the words caught in her throat, and she swallowed them back. Because she saw the boy's expression in the moonlight—not frivolous, not perfunctory, not that kind of greedy "I want it all" look.

His gaze was so serious that she felt he wasn't joking or making excuses.

That's really what he thought.

"Don't you like your minister too?" An and Asuka suddenly said.

Xiaoju Zhihua felt as if someone had gently tapped her heart, and her whole body froze.

The sea breeze suddenly calmed down.

The moonlight seemed even brighter.

She stood there, feeling her heartbeat so loud it was almost drowned out by the waves, yet so soft only she could hear it. Her face went from pale to flushed, then back to pale, her fingers gripping the hem of her dress so tightly her knuckles cracked.