Green plums cannot become lovers.

She is not alone.

But just as she was about to nod, another figure suddenly flashed through her mind.

Yesterday afternoon, in a coffee shop by the window, sunlight streamed in through the glass and fell on his lowered eyelashes.

Not just the minister and deputy minister, but also that boy.

He helped her a lot.

Komari pursed her lips, swallowing back the "yes" that she almost said.

"Who, who said you're not as popular as me?" she changed her tune.

Wen Shuiheyan paused for a moment, then nodded helplessly.

"Yes Yes Yes."

The two walked side by side on the way back. The sunlight shone down from above, shrinking their shadows into a small ball at their feet. The chirping of cicadas came from the trees along the roadside, in waves, as if bidding a final farewell to summer.

Komari Chika lowered her head, watching her toes take each step forward. Her mind was still filled with thoughts of An and Asuka.

The boy's profile, the boy's voice, the boy's fingers as he turned the pages of the manuscript. She thought about many things, yet it seemed like she thought about nothing at all; those images just played over and over in her mind, unable to stop.

“Um…” she began again.

"Hmm?" Wen Shuihe looked at her.

"What do you think... what kind of person is An... Anhe?"

Wen Shuiheyan paused for a moment.

He didn't answer immediately. His gaze remained fixed on the road ahead, and he remained silent for a moment. Komari didn't know what he was thinking, but she noticed that his expression was quieter than usual. It wasn't the kind of quietness where he wasn't thinking about anything; it was the kind of quietness where many things were churning inside him, but all of them were suppressed beneath the surface.

"He's a very nice person." He finally spoke, his tone gentle, devoid of any positive or negative emotion, as if stating a fact.

“Very talented, thoughtful, and mature.” He paused, then added, “He’s more impressive than a high school student.”

Hearing these comments, Xiaoju Zhihua's lips curled up slightly for some reason. The curve was so subtle that she didn't even notice it herself. But her steps became lighter, as if something had been lifted from her shoulders.

"Why are you suddenly asking this?" Wen Shuiheyan suddenly asked back.

"N-nothing!" Komari Chika shook her head instinctively, her voice much faster than usual, "Just curious..."

"Just out of curiosity?"

"Ah."

Wen Shuihe glanced at her but didn't ask any further questions.

"OK then."

The two walked for a while longer. Shops on both sides of the street gradually opened, selling stationery, flowers, and bread.

As they reached a corner, Komari suddenly stopped.

Wen Shuihe also stopped and followed her gaze.

Volume 1: Chapter 271 An Encounter

The two stood at the same point, looking in that direction.

Not far away on the street, Anwa Asuka and Hanami Anna were walking side by side. Hanami Anna was holding Anwa Asuka's arm, looking at him with a smile on her face, and they were talking about something.

That smile was bright, like the afternoon sun in summer, warm and exuberant. An and Asuka listened to her with their heads slightly lowered, their lips also curving upwards, occasionally replying with a word, and then Bana would smile even more happily when she saw Anna.

The two were standing very close.

Very close.

Komari Chika stood at the corner, staring at the scene, stunned.

Her mind was blank, like an empty room, devoid of anything, not even an echo. She didn't know why she was stunned, why she couldn't look away, or why she felt an inexplicable sensation in her chest.

It wasn't pain, it wasn't soreness, it was a feeling she had never experienced before, a feeling that was unfamiliar and left her bewildered.

Wen Shuihe was also stunned.

His gaze lingered on the two people, on Anami Hachiman's arm linked with An and Asuka's, on her smile as she looked up at him, and on his gentle response as he lowered his head. The scene was beautiful, so beautiful that it was impossible to look away, yet so beautiful that one didn't want to look anymore.

He didn't speak, and neither did Xiaoju Zhihua.

A breeze blew by, carrying the scent of summer and the aroma of a bakery in the distance. The cicadas chirped in waves, as if urging something on.

“…Let’s go.” Wen Shuiheyan spoke first, his voice very soft, as if afraid of disturbing something.

Xiaoju Zhihua didn't move. She looked in that direction and watched the two people turn into another street, their figures disappearing behind the buildings.

She slowly withdrew her gaze, lowered her head, and looked at her toes.

"......Um."

She responded and followed Wen Shuiheyan's footsteps.

The two walked very slowly, much slower than before. Neither spoke; only the sound of their footsteps and the chirping of cicadas mingled together, echoing in the summer afternoon.

The atmosphere became slightly quiet. The two walked side by side, neither speaking, and neither knowing what the other was thinking.

The chirping of cicadas came from the trees by the roadside, in bursts, like someone playing an invisible violin overhead. Sunlight filtered through the leaves, casting dappled shadows on the ground, flowing past their feet and then being left behind.

Komari Chika lowered her head, staring at her toes. The image from just now was still replaying in her mind—Hanami Anna, arm in arm with Anwa Asuka, looking up at him and smiling so brightly, as if all the light in the world was gathered on her.

That scene played on repeat, like it was on a loop, and I couldn't stop it.

She didn't know why she was like this. She shouldn't care. What right did she have to care? That person wasn't anyone to her.

He simply bought her a cup of tea, a piece of cake, and an omelet, helped her with her manuscript, and chased after her to the beach when she was at her lowest point, sitting beside her and saying a few words. That was all. He had done these things for other people as well.

To Anna Hanami, to Karen Himemiya, to everyone.

She took a deep breath, trying to suppress the tightness in her chest.

It can't be suppressed.

When she reached the next street corner, she looked up to see how far it was to home.

Then she stopped again.

Across the street, Anwa Asuka and Hanami Anna were standing in front of a general store. Hanami Anna was holding a small light blue bag and looking inside, while Anwa Asuka stood beside her, looking down slightly as well. The two were very close, their shoulders almost touching.

This time, it was impossible to pretend they hadn't seen it. They were so close that Komari Chika could see the surprised smile on Hanami Anna's face, and that when An and Asuka looked up, their eyes met.

The moment their eyes met, Xiaoju Zhihua felt her heart skip a beat. She didn't know if it was because she was nervous about being discovered, or for some other reason.

When Banana saw Anja following Anwa and Asuka's gaze, her eyes lit up.

"Hey, Xiaoju, warm water!" She shoved the bag in her hand into An and Feibiao's hands, jogged across the road, and ran up to them with a happy smile on her face. "What a coincidence!"

Komari Chika and Nukumizu Kazuhiko exchanged a glance. Both were speechless... This was truly too much of a coincidence. They had just avoided it once, and now they'd run into it again just minutes later. Fate sometimes works like that; the more you try to avoid something, the more it seems to come closer.

However, they couldn't say anything; they couldn't very well say, "We saw you just now and deliberately avoided you."

So the two of them could only laugh along.

“Yes, what a coincidence,” Wen Shuiheyan echoed, his tone still slow and deliberate, but a faint smile curved at the corners of his mouth.

"Mmm." Komari nods repeatedly, but her gaze involuntarily drifts towards Anwa and Asuka.

He was walking across the street, carrying a small light blue bag, his steps unhurried. Sunlight fell on his shoulders, making his white T-shirt shine.

Seeing Anzu's awkward expressions, Banana suddenly burst out laughing.

"Haha, you guys are still pretending!" She put her hands on her hips, her eyes curving into crescents. "Didn't you just see me and Asuka?"

Wen Shuihe and Xiao Ju Chika both paused for a moment. Then their faces turned slightly red—not for any other reason than that they had been exposed.

"I saw you when you turned the corner," Anna said smugly. "Were you deliberately avoiding me?"

"No." Wen Shuiheyan quickly shook his head.

"No," Xiaoju Zhihua echoed.

"Liar!" Bana exclaimed, seeing Anja laughing even louder. "Your expressions clearly show you're lying!"

An and Asuka walked over and stood next to Hanami Anna, glancing at Komari Chika. It was a light glance, as if they were checking to see if she was alright. Komari Chika met their gaze, and her heart skipped a beat. She lowered her head, pretending to look at her shoelaces.

“Since we’ve run into each other, let’s go shopping together!” Anna warmly invited. “It’s already noon, so we can have lunch together.”

Wen Shuihe opened his mouth, as if to say something to refuse—he probably wanted to say "I have something to do" or "I'll go back first."

But Hanami clearly wasn't going to give him that chance.

"Don't even think about running away!" She reached out and blocked Wen Shuiheyan's path. "We finally ran into each other, what's wrong with having a meal together?"

Wen Shuihe looked at her, then at An and Asuka, paused for a second, and then gave up struggling.

"......All right."

Komari Chika opened her mouth, but before she could refuse, Hachimi Anna had already taken her arm.

"Xiao Ju too!"

"...Okay, okay."

So the two people became four.

"It's really rare to see the two of you alone together." Hachimi Anzu walked in front, turned around to look at Kazuhiko Nukumi and Chika Komari, her tone full of curiosity.

Wen Shuiheyan immediately explained, "We just bumped into each other by chance."

“Yes, yes.” Komari Chika nodded in agreement. She glanced furtively at An and Asuka beside her, then quickly looked away.

"Eh, a chance encounter?" Bana saw Anja tilt her head.

"We came to the publishing house to submit our manuscript," Wen Shuihe explained, seemingly not wanting to be misunderstood: "We just happened to run into each other when we came out."

"Submitted a piece?" Bana saw Anja's eyes light up. "And what was the result?"

"I'm so-so." Wen Shuihe's tone was still the same, revealing no emotion, but Xiao Juzhi noticed that his hands in his pockets were slightly clenched.

"Where's Komari?" Bana asked as Anza turned to her.

"I... I'm not bad..." Xiaoju Zhihua's voice was very soft, but the corners of her mouth unconsciously curved slightly.

Seeing that Anzu didn't press the matter, Banana's gaze lingered on Komari Chika's face for a moment before she smiled.

"That's good."

The four of them strolled slowly along the street. Anna Hanami walked in front, like an explorer who had discovered a new territory. She would sometimes wander into a general store, and sometimes stop in front of a jewelry stall, picking up this and that to look at.

An and Asuka followed behind her at a leisurely pace. Occasionally, she would turn around and ask him, "Is this pretty?" He would glance at it and say, "Pretty" or "It's alright." Wen Shui and Kazuhiko walked at the very back, side by side with Komari Chika, and neither of them spoke much.

The sun grew stronger, softening the asphalt pavement slightly. The cicadas chirped louder than before, as if protesting the oppressive heat. Seeing that Anzu had finally felt the heat after wandering around for a while, Bana fanned herself and turned to ask the others, "Shall we find a place to eat? I'm hungry."

No one objected.

They found a roadside fast food restaurant, pushed open the door, and were immediately greeted by a blast of cool air, keeping the summer heat out of the glass doors. The restaurant wasn't crowded; a few tables were scattered with customers, some eating, some drinking, and some simply chatting. The hum of the air conditioner and the soft background music blended together, creating a relaxing atmosphere.

The four of them found a four-person table by the window and sat down. Hanami Anna, Anwa, and Asuka sat on one side, while Onami Kazuhiko and Komari Chika sat on the other side.

The menu was handed over, and Anna Hanami took it first. She flipped through a few pages, pointed to the picture on it, and said, "I want this burger combo, extra large fries, and an iced Coke."

"Didn't you say you were on a diet recently?" An and Asuka glanced at the set meal she was pointing to.

“I’ll lose weight tomorrow,” said Anna, speaking with conviction.

An and Asuka didn't say anything more, took the menu, and turned to the page they wanted to read. Wenshui and Kazuhiko also took a menu and slowly flipped through it. Komari Chika sat at the very back, a menu in front of her, but her gaze wasn't on it; it was fixed on the view outside the window.

The street outside the window was bathed in sunlight, turning it white. Occasionally, pedestrians would walk by, holding parasols and hurrying along. A shop assistant in a green apron was wiping the glass at the entrance, the rag moving mechanically and repeatedly from left to right and from top to bottom.

Komari looked at the shop assistant, but her mind was elsewhere.

She was thinking about that scene from just now: Anna seeing Anja linked arms with Anwa Asuka, looking up at him and smiling. That scene overlapped with the scene before her eyes... The girl was sitting next to the boy, turning her head to talk to him, her voice soft, but her smile was very happy. Anwa Asuka looked down at her, the corners of his mouth also curving upwards.

There was a natural understanding between them. It wasn't deliberate or acted out; it was something that had slowly developed over a long period of time and many interactions. Like two rivers merging, they didn't need to exert any effort or speak; they simply flowed in the same direction naturally.

Komari Chika lowered her head, staring at the words on the menu. The words blurred and then became clear again before her eyes, clear again and then blurred again.

She didn't know what she was thinking.

"Kokoro, what do you want to eat?" Hachimi Anzu's voice pulled her back to reality.

"Ah... I... I haven't looked yet..." She quickly shifted her gaze back to the menu, flipping through a few pages haphazardly. "This... omelet rice..."

"Didn't you just have omelet rice yesterday?" An and Asuka's voices came from across the room.

Xiaoju Zhihua's fingers paused for a moment.

“…let’s try something different.” She turned to another page, “…pasta…”