Green plums cannot become lovers.

Her heart was at peace. There was no feeling of unease, no feeling of bitterness, nothing at all. Just a vast, quiet, empty plain.

The wind blows, the grass bends down, then stands up again.

She shifted her gaze to the outside of the park. Wen Shuihe was still standing there, hands in his pockets, looking into the distance, lost in thought. His profile was clearly illuminated by the sunlight, his expression unchanged, revealing no emotion.

Komari Chika stood up and walked to his side.

"Warm Water classmate."

"Ok?"

Have you... been here before?

Wen Shuihe was silent for a moment.

"I've been here."

"When?"

"A long, long time ago."

Komari didn't ask any further questions. She didn't know what he was thinking, but she felt that he looked somewhat tired. Not physically tired, but something else entirely.

"Let's go." An and Asuka's voices came from behind. He had already stood up, and Banami saw Anna also stand up, brushing the dust off her skirt.

Four people walked out of the small park. Sunlight shone from behind, casting long shadows onto the road ahead. The four shadows, some tall, some short, some fat, some thin, overlapped, separated, and overlapped again.

Komari Chika walked at the very back, looking down at the shadows.

She saw An and Asuka's shadows close to each other, so close that the boundary was almost indistinguishable. She saw Onomizu Kazuhiko's shadow beside her, neither too close nor too far, like a quiet fence.

Volume 1: Chapter 273 Himegami Hana's Love Affair

After parting ways with An and Asuka, Komari Chika walked home alone.

The setting sun cast its rays diagonally down the western ridge, bathing the entire street in a warm orange-red hue. Her shadow stretched long behind her, like a quiet tail.

The shops along the roadside gradually lit up, their warm yellow light shining through the glass windows and falling on the sidewalk, intertwining with the afterglow of the setting sun. The air was filled with the aroma of dinner: the smoky smell of stir-fried dishes, the charred fragrance of grilled fish, and the savory flavor of miso soup.

These smells wafted from the kitchens of each household, mingling together to create the gentlest background noise of the evening.

She walked slowly, not because she was tired, but because, for some reason, she didn't want to get home so quickly.

There was her mother's homemade dinner at home, her bed with its light-colored sheets, and rows of neatly arranged paperback books on the bookshelf. That place was safe and warm; it was where she had lived for over a decade.

But today, she didn't want to go back so soon. She wanted to walk on this street a little longer, feel the evening breeze a little longer, and watch the clouds in the sky a little longer.

Today must have been a wonderful day for her.

The novel received high praise from the editor, and we also had such a wonderful day together.

However, for some reason, she still felt a little empty inside.

It wasn't sadness, nor disappointment, but an indescribable feeling, like a tiny hole in her chest, through which the wind passed, cool and empty. The key was that she herself couldn't find the reason.

She didn't know what she was expecting, what she lacked, or what that empty shape looked like. It was just there, silent and still.

She suddenly stopped walking.

Next door was a coffee shop, not the one An and Feiniao had treated her to tea yesterday, but another one, smaller, hidden between two buildings. The sign was wooden and written in French, which she couldn't quite understand.

A small blackboard stood by the entrance, with today's recommendations written in chalk: latte, cheesecake, and sandwich set meal. Next to the blackboard was a piece of paper with black lettering on a white background. Below the printed word "Hiring" were the details: 850 yen per hour, at least two days a week, from 5 pm to 8 pm, no experience required.

Xiaoju Zhihua stood in front of that piece of paper and looked at it for a long time.

She didn't know what she was looking at. She recognized every single word on the paper, and she could even understand them when they were put together. But she just stood there, staring at the words, her mind completely blank.

Perhaps the sunset was too dazzling, perhaps the evening breeze was too gentle, or perhaps the aroma of coffee wafting from the shop made her feel a little dazed.

For some reason, she suddenly thought of the scene when Anzu Hachimi was with that boy.

On a park bench, Anna leaned on his shoulder, and he took out a handkerchief to wipe her sweat. The gesture was so natural, as natural as breathing, requiring no thought, no hesitation.

Banai noticed that Anzu sat next to him very naturally, without any nervousness or shyness, as if she were on her own sofa at home. That naturalness, that unspoken understanding, couldn't have been cultivated overnight.

Xiaoju Zhihua stared at the job posting, her fingers gripping the hem of her skirt tightly.

She still owes that boy money.

Four thousand yen isn't a lot, but it's not a small amount either.

She couldn't bring herself to ask her parents for it. She felt uneasy leaving it unpaid. She wasn't used to owing people things. From a young age, she'd always been the kind of person who kept meticulous accounts—she'd return borrowed erasers, borrowed notebooks, and if someone treated her to a drink, she'd always find a way to reciprocate.

It wasn't to draw a line, but because she didn't want others to think she was someone who only knew how to take.

But that boy was different. He treated her to tea, cake, and omelet rice, helped her with her manuscripts, chased her to the beach to sit with her, and carried her back to the guesthouse while she was asleep.

Which of these things can be paid off with four thousand yen?

She took a deep breath and then slowly exhaled.

At the same time, she should also make some changes.

She didn't want to be that little Ju Zhihua who always hid in the corner, always kept her head down, and never dared to speak. She wanted to become brave, even if only a little. She wanted to start with a small thing, something she would never have dared to do before.

For example, push open this door.

She raised her hand and placed it on the doorknob. The metal doorknob was warm from the setting sun, and holding it in her hand felt like holding a small sun. She could hear her own heartbeat, thump, thump, thump, one beat after another, as if counting down.

She bit her lip and pushed hard.

The wind chimes on the door tinkled once, their crisp sound like someone tapping a glass next to your ear. A blast of cool air from the shop enveloped us, shutting out the outside heat. The coffee shop was small, with only a few tables, and there were no customers yet at this hour.

Behind the bar stood a woman with a low ponytail, who looked to be around thirty years old, wearing a dark blue apron, wiping glasses. Hearing the wind chimes, she looked up, saw the young woman standing by the door, and smiled.

Welcome!

Xiaoju Zhihua stood at the door, her lips moved, but the sound seemed to be stuck in her throat.

"Um, that..."

Her voice was very soft, almost drowned out by the hum of the air conditioner, "I... I saw the job posting at the door... I think..."

She couldn't continue. Her fingers twisted and turned on the hem of her skirt, her knuckles turning white, her palms sweaty. She didn't dare look the woman in the eye, her head lowered, staring at the wood grain on the floor.

The woman didn't urge her; she simply waited quietly. Her gaze was gentle, not scrutinizing or appraising, but rather like that of someone looking at a flower yet to bloom—unhurried, unpressured, waiting for it to open on its own.

"I want to work here," Komari Chika finally said.

The voice wasn't loud, but every word was very clear.

The woman smiled.

"Okay, wait a moment, I'll go get the form."

Xiaoju Zhihua stood there, watching the woman turn and walk into the inner room. Her heart was still beating fast, but it no longer felt like it was about to jump out of her throat.

She looked down at her hands—her palms were sweaty, and her fingertips were trembling. She wiped her hands on the hem of her skirt, clenched them into fists, and then relaxed them.

She did it.

She pushed open the door and said those words. She didn't know what would happen next, whether she would pass the interview, or whether she was qualified for the job.

But she did the first step, and that was enough.

Outside the window, the setting sun sank deeper, the orange-red on the horizon turning into a deeper purplish-red. On the distant mountain ridge, the last rays of light were slowly fading, like someone gradually dimming a lamp. The streetlights came on, one after another, illuminating the entire street warmly and brightly.

Xiaoju Zhihua stood in the coffee shop, waiting for the woman to return with the form. A small smile curved the corners of her lips.

She didn't know if this counted as courage. But at least she was trying to move forward. Even if it was just one step, or half a step, as long as she wasn't standing still.

...Qi Sanling Si Jiu Shi

the other side.

An and Asuka have been on dates these past two days. Yesterday it was with Anna Hanami, and today it's with Karen Himemiya.

Both girls were energetic and energetic, each more capable of causing trouble than the other. Yesterday, when Banami saw Anzu dragging him around the streets for the entire day, they walked from one end of the shopping street to the other and back again, going into every store and comparing every piece of clothing, but in the end they didn't buy anything.

Because she said, "The fun of shopping is in browsing, not in buying."

An and Asuka remained noncommittal, simply carrying the various bags she had given them, and followed her for at least 20,000 steps.

Today, Himegami Karen brought him to the amusement park.

The amusement park was scorching hot under the summer sun, and a thin layer of heat shimmered on the asphalt road.

The carousel's colored lights weren't very visible during the day, but the music was still playing, tinkling like someone tapping on an old music box. The air was filled with the sweet smell of popcorn and the caramel scent of cotton candy, and occasionally, the screams of a roller coaster plunging down could be heard drifting in from afar, only to be dispersed by the wind.

Himegami Karen, holding hands with An and Asuka, laughed loudly in the amusement park.

Her palms were warm, her grip neither too tight nor too loose, just enough to feel each other's warmth. She walked ahead, her steps light, her long pink hair swaying behind her shoulders, shimmering in the sunlight.

Every time she saw an attraction, she would stop, turn back to look at him, and ask with sparkling eyes, "Is this fun?" An and Asuka would always say yes, and then she would drag them to join the queue.

They rode the carousel.

Himegami Karen chose a white horse, sat sideways, one hand holding the pole, the other waving at him. As the carousel spun, her hair and skirt fluttered, her smile brighter than the carousel's colorful lights.

They played the spinning cups, which spun very fast. Himegami Karen couldn't stop laughing, while An and Asuka felt a little dizzy from the spinning, but they didn't say anything. They just closed their eyes for a while, and when they opened them, they found Himegami Karen looking at them with a smile on her lips and a light in her eyes that he couldn't quite understand.

They rode the pirate ship, and when the ship swung to its highest point, Himegami Karen grabbed his arm tightly, her nails digging into his sleeve, and cried out "Ah—", but then laughed.

They also rode the roller coaster.

As the roller coaster climbed higher, her hands gripping the safety bar trembled slightly, but her face was full of excited smiles. The moment she plunged from the highest point, the wind rushed into her ears, making a loud noise so loud that she couldn't hear her own screams.

An and Fei Niao turned their heads to look at her. Her hair was messy from the wind, her eyes were closed, and her mouth was open, like a butterfly being blown by the wind.

He couldn't help but laugh.

Finally, they arrived at the most classic Ferris wheel.

The Ferris wheel rotated very slowly, so slowly that it made time seem to slow down.

There weren't many people in line, and they boarded after waiting for ten minutes. The carriage was light blue, and once the doors closed, the outside noise was immediately shut out, leaving only the sound of the wind and the two people's soft breathing.

The carriage slowly ascended, and the scenery outside the window gradually unfolded—first, a panoramic view of the amusement park, the colorful lights of the carousel, the tracks of the roller coaster, and the swaying arc of the pirate ship.

Then further on, the streets, houses, rivers, and bridges of the small town, and finally the entire city, bathed in the gentle orange-red hue of the setting sun, like a giant oil painting.

As the Ferris wheel slowly rose, the scenery of the small town under the setting sun gradually came into view. On the distant mountain ridge, the sun had already sunk halfway down, leaving only half of its face exposed, a bright red like a ripe persimmon.

The houses below the mountain were illuminated, their roof tiles gleaming with golden light. The river flowed through the city, its surface reflecting the colors of the sky, gradually changing from orange-red to pale purple, and then to deep blue.

"It's so beautiful," Himegami Karen exclaimed, leaning against the window and gazing at the scenery outside.

Her voice was very soft, as if she were afraid of disturbing the tranquility.

“Yes, that’s right.” An and Asuka nodded.

The train car rose a little higher. The people on the ground shrank, becoming tiny moving dots. The music from the amusement park drifted up from below, distant and indistinct, as if coming from another world.

"Birds".

The girl suddenly turned to look at An and Asuka. Her eyes reflected the light from the window, a warm, orange-red, as if two tiny flames were dancing within them.

"Ok?"

Let's come together again next time.

Her tone was soft, as if she were talking about something very ordinary. But her gaze was serious, so serious that An and Asuka felt that this was not just an ordinary invitation.

"Hmm." He nodded.

The two watched each other gradually draw closer. It wasn't that either of them initiated it; it happened naturally, like two magnets that, when they got close enough, would stick together.

He could smell the faint scent of shampoo in her hair, like the fragrance of some unknown flower. Her eyelashes trembled slightly, like butterflies fluttering their wings.

Then, they kissed.

It was light and brief, like a dragonfly skimming the surface of water. But when she stepped back, her cheeks were already flushed, the redness spreading from her neck to her ears, and then down to her cheeks. She looked down at her fingers, which rested on her knees, slightly curled.

An and Asuka didn't speak, they just watched her quietly.

The scenery outside the window continued to change slowly. The Ferris wheel had reached its highest point, and the entire city was below us. The sun sank a little deeper, and the clouds on the horizon were dyed in layers, like a huge piece of silk being ruffled by the wind.

The river in the distance reflected the last rays of light, shimmering like a flowing galaxy.

As the carriage began to descend, the scenery outside the window gradually expanded, and the things on the ground became clearer again—the colorful lights of the amusement park lit up, the lights of the carousel were especially warm in the twilight, and the roller coaster tracks were outlined with smooth lines by light strips.

Himegami Karen remained silent, but her fingers slowly moved over and rested on An and Asuka's hands, her fingertips cool and her palms warm.

The Ferris wheel completed its rotation, and the carriages slowly came to a stop on the ground. The doors opened, and staff members stood outside, smiling as they invited them to disembark. Himegami Karen went out first, followed by An and Asuka.

Her cheeks were still slightly flushed, appearing from the side as if she had applied a light layer of rouge. She didn't turn around to look at him, but her steps were slow, as if she were waiting for him.

An and Asuka walked up to her and stood side by side.