I won't be a loser.

It's not that Xianren had never heard the name 'Saionji Yuko' before. He had heard this name from Saionji Sekai and Setsuna before, so he reacted quickly.

Given her age to be friends with Kiyoura Mai, and her last name is "Saionji", it is very likely that she is Saionji Sekai's mother.

"Well, it's Sekai's mother. I knew her when we were students. She... well, there's no need to talk about it anymore. Anyway, Sekai's mother, Yuko, told me today that her daughter has a boyfriend."

Facing the gaze that Qingura Mai was looking at him, Xianren also knew what Qingura Mai wanted to talk to him about. Thinking of the fact that Qingura Mai had asked him about his relationship with Saionji Sekai in his apartment before, his eyes couldn't help but wander and he didn't know how to respond.

What happened at that time was indeed caused by Shanshan, he did not deny it, but was he really not at all responsible?

"So, this is what I just talked about with Setsuna?"

"Although you don't necessarily need to avoid it, there are some things that are inconvenient to just leave right in front of you and have to deal with them in detail."

"I see."

Nodding, Xianren felt a little embarrassed and looked at Qingpu Mai in front of him.

"So, after talking with Setsuna, you're here to confirm my stance now?"

"I'm Setsuna's mother. There are things that Setsuna is not comfortable saying or doing, and I can't just ignore them. How are you going to deal with the issues in the Saiyuanji world in the future?"

Faced with Qingpu Mai's serious expression and eyes, Xianren couldn't help but sit up straight and fell into a brief silence, thinking about a question he had never thought about before. He pursed his lips and after a moment, looked at Qingpu Mai who was sitting opposite him.

"The only person I'm dating is Setsuna, and the only person I've agreed to marry is also Setsuna."

"......"

Qingpu Mai looked at the wise man in front of her and sighed.

"You're young people, and there are a lot of things... As for marriage, it's still a bit far off. Let's talk about how you plan to handle the affairs of the Saionji family. Yuko is also very curious about you and wants to meet you."

The atmosphere suddenly became relaxed, and Qingpu Mai's face no longer had the initial seriousness. She spoke helplessly, thinking about asking the wise man.

"I have to go to school on weekdays and do things on weekends, so I don't have much time to meet him."

"That's a good reason, but you and Sekai Saionji...didn't you?"

"......"

"Since it's already been done, there's no way Saionji Yuko can just sit back and watch. Don't think you can just keep avoiding her. Be careful, or she'll come knocking on your door. That woman... can be quite difficult in some ways."

"Difficult?"

Glancing at the virtuous man in front of her, Qing Pu Mai didn't know what he was thinking, but she felt that when he said "difficult", there seemed to be some other meaning. She stared at the virtuous man, and when she saw him smile awkwardly, she retracted her gaze and gave him a brief introduction about Saionji Yuko.

"That woman is similar to me... She may look serious, but... once she finds out about you and the world, and about you and me, you'll have to be careful of her."

"......"

Xianren also noticed something was wrong. Just now he was asking him to pay attention to how to maintain a good distance and relationship with Saionji Sekai, but why did he suddenly ask him to be careful of Saionji Sekai's mother now?

"She...knows about you and me?"

"...Well, I'm not very clear. She just has a general idea of your relationship with me. It's a bit ambiguous, I guess. She doesn't know the details. So, once she finds out that her daughter's boyfriend is you, you have to be careful with her. Remember to keep your distance from her."

It felt like what Qing Pu Mai had done before was just a prelude, to keep him and Saionji Yuko at a distance, which seemed to be her purpose. He looked at Qing Pu Mai subtly, but found that she had slightly turned her head away, avoiding his sight...

- - - -

Happy Lantern Festival

Thanks to Aliang Benliang, Tianren Yidao, My Lord, I kneel and praise my Lord! , Shuke 37630674227, and the European ship San Don Juan for their monthly tickets and blades! Thank you all for your recommendation votes!

Cherry Blossom Season: 163. Big sister, I really want to help you

At first, he thought that Kiyoura Mai was having this conversation with him because of what happened between him and Saionji Sekai, which made her worried about Setsuna's future. But later, Xianren felt that something was increasingly wrong.

When the topic of keeping a distance between him and Saionji Yuko started, Xianren finally reacted. He looked at Kiyoura Mai in front of him with a little surprise, and finally understood why she suddenly became so nervous.

"Are you worried about what might happen between me and Saionji Sekai's mother...so you specifically talked to me about this, wanting me to keep my distance from Saionji Sekai's mother?"

After she spoke, Qing Pu Wu, who had been evasive, realized that her little thoughts had been seen through by the wise man. She gave up dodging and looked directly at the wise man in front of her again. She took a deep breath and nodded seriously.

"Everything else is fine, but don't get involved with Yuuko, that woman named Yuuko Saionji."

"Is the other person's character very bad?"

Kiyoura Mai pursed her lips. Having known Saionji Yuko for so many years, she naturally knew her friend's character very well. She definitely had nothing to do with being a bad person, but...

"No, it's not about a bad personality, but once you get involved with Yuko, it won't be that simple. It will be over. Do you understand?"

"Does it mean that you will be entangled by the other party?"

"Almost. Even though she said she no longer has any expectations for the future and has no interest in men, it's just her casual remark. Once she sets her sights on you—"

"I understand."

At this point, Xianren no longer had any interest in finding out more. He would just not go to the Saionji family in the future. No matter what the other party did, it was impossible for them to come directly to his house, right?

In the future, if Sekai Saionji invites him to visit her home, he can just refuse directly.

Xianren, who had already made his choice in his heart, looked straight at Qingpu Mai in front of him. He did not expect that the ripe honey fruit in front of him would have such childish thoughts. Xianren could not help but stand up, walked to her side, stretched out his arms, placed them on her shoulders, gently kneaded her neck, put his face close to her ear, and whispered softly.

"Just having you is enough."

Feeling the body close to her back, Qing Pu Mai couldn't help but blush, her heart slightly jumped, and she quietly let Xianren's hand fall on her body, closing her eyes...

When Xianren and Qingpu Mai returned to the Qingpu family again, Xianren came out of his room and saw the two of them. Especially when he saw the blush on Qingpu Mai's face that had not yet faded, his eyes couldn't help but glance at Xianren who was standing next to Qingpu Mai.

Facing Shanna's gaze, the sage smiled at her, making the girl feel helpless.

After having dinner at home, Xianren stayed at Qingpu's house for a while, watched TV with the two of them, and then returned to his apartment and sat quietly at his desk. Just when he was about to sit down, he looked down at the chair.

"I left in such a hurry that I didn't have time to clean up."

He took two tissues from the desk and wiped the chair, cleaning off the sticky water stains. Then he sprayed some alcohol he had bought from the drugstore and wiped it again before sitting down.

In an hour, I watched "Honeyland" which was almost at its end. By tomorrow, it will be completely over.

"Submission is a problem. I don't know where to submit it... leaving it all to Wu... isn't appropriate either."

He also didn't want Wu to get involved in such things. If it really didn't work out, he would just keep it at the bottom of his box and release it when he was old enough. It didn't matter anyway. Anyway, it seemed that he could support his life with ordinary creations.

He put down his pen and waited for the first batch of copyright fees to arrive. He would have to buy himself a laptop. Writing with a pen was too slow, far inferior to the speed of typing on a keyboard...

"What's today's date?"

"number 26."

"It's already the 26th, and it doesn't feel real anymore. This month will soon be over, June, then July, and soon it will be summer vacation."

Futaba Rio looked at the boy in front of her, she lowered her head silently and quietly ate her lunch box.

"It's rare for us to meet at school. I haven't seen you much in the past while. Now that I have time, why don't I ask why there was lipstick on the corner of my mouth that day?"

"Why ask that?"

"Aren't you curious?"

"Although I am a little curious, I am actually even more surprised that you would take the initiative to bring up that matter."

Originally, she didn't want to talk to Xianren, but when the topic that interested her was suddenly brought up, Futaba Rio couldn't help but focus her attention on the boy in front of her. She watched him gradually walk in front of her, stop, and look into his clear and pure eyes quietly.

"Because there's nothing to hide. She's a senior."

"The one from last time?"

"Ok?"

"After school, at the school gate."

"Come to think of it, you did see me and her leaving school together. I had completely forgotten about what happened that day."

The petite silver-haired girl, who had always been remembered in Futaba Rio's heart, became even clearer at this moment. She couldn't help but frown and developed a considerable concern for the girl.

Having forgotten what happened that day when he was caught by Futaba Rio, Xianren only remembered what happened that day after hearing her reminder.

"is her."

"She's not your girlfriend, is she?"

"Well, my girlfriend is a student at Sakakino Academy. She lives near my apartment. The relationship between that senior and me is a little complicated."

"Cheating?"

Facing Futaba Rio's gaze that suddenly became sharp, Xianren nodded.

"Normally speaking, it can be considered cheating."

"...Aren't you going to deny it? Even if you admit it, it won't change the fact that you're just a scumbag, right?"

"Scum? It's hard to deny. Such behavior is quite excessive in anyone's eyes. Most girls wouldn't be able to accept such a thing. However, my girlfriend doesn't fall into that category."

Futaba Rio felt that her moral values had been slightly impacted. She did not deny that she had put most of her energy into science research, but that did not mean that she had lost her basic moral concepts.

"What do you mean?"

Futaba Rio, who had vaguely sensed something was wrong, stared at the boy in front of her with her eyes, frowning, wanting to see how the other party was going to explain his scumbag behavior.

"All you need to know is that my girlfriend doesn't mind things like this."

"The girl I met that day didn't seem like she would agree with this kind of thing. Is she your girlfriend's friend?"

"That day... Kotonoha?"

"The girl with her sister seemed surprised to see you and me together. She misunderstood our relationship and was planning to tell your girlfriend?"

Futaba Rio felt that her brain was in a mess. She didn't quite understand what she was saying, and she didn't understand why the wise man told her such a thing. Her heart was in a mess. She pursed her lips and looked at the wise man in front of her. She felt upset and couldn't calm down.

"Because you're so cute, Futaba, that's why there's that misunderstanding."

"Lovely... I just realized you seem to be quite experienced in sweet talk. Do you always talk to girls like this outside of school? Or do you think we're already close enough that you're planning to make a move on me?"

Looking at the wise man in front of her, Futaba Rio suddenly said what was in her heart. When the words came out and she looked at the half-smile on the wise man's face, she also realized that she seemed to have said something excessive.

"I don't have any plans to date anyone right now, so don't think that I will be easily fooled by you like others—"

"You may have some misunderstandings about me. I simply treat you, Futaba, as a friend and will not attack you."

"..."

Futaba Rio, who was somewhat stimulated by learning the "truth" about the boy in front of her, wanted to politely reject the wise man in front of her, but she didn't expect that before she could finish her words, the other party's word "friend" made her completely silent.

"Like the so-called simple turmoil of adolescence, I enjoy the relationships between friends more. Pure friendship, for example, is more precious than 'love' caused by hormones, isn't it?"

What she wanted to say was choked in her heart. Looking at the boy in front of her and his gentle smile, she suddenly felt a little uncomfortable in her heart. She couldn't help biting her lips, slowly retracting her gaze and lowering her head.

"That's... true."

Next, Futaba Rio did not listen to what Xianren said. No matter what he said, it turned into vague muffled sounds in her ears. When she gradually came to her senses, Xianren was no longer in front of her.

Looking at the empty laboratory, she opened her mouth, then sat down in silence, dazedly recalling what the wise man had talked about with her before, and she lowered her head in depression.

"friend........"

Futaba Rio, who had been looking forward to having friends, now inexplicably began to hate this relationship.

Covering her chest with her hands, Futaba Rio sat in the laboratory and closed her eyes...

"The publishing of your book has basically been settled. The next step is to negotiate with the bookstores and print them. With 6,000 copies, if they are distributed among the bookstores, the quantity won't be large. It will also be difficult to distribute to other places. I guess it can only be sold in the city."

After school, on the way home, Xianren received a call from Mari Fukaoka. He found a coffee shop and talked to her about publishing.

After hearing what Mari Kazeoka said, there was no joy on Xianren's face, nor was there much helplessness or dissatisfaction. He sat in the store in silence, staring at the menu for a while, ordered a cappuccino, sat down, and sighed quietly.

"I see. But can you tell me which bookstores they are?"

"...Well, there are quite a few. Kinokuniya and Sanseido, two chain bookstores, Maruzen and Junkudo, are all good. There are also a number of bookstores, both large and small."

The vague answer made Xianren not have high expectations. He would wait until the books were sold and then go to those bookstores to check out the actual situation. He sighed.

"So, now, you have already started preparing for printing, right?"

"Well, the royalties from the printing will be transferred to the bank account you left before the release. The total is 51 yen. When the time comes, remember to pay the tax yourself, Miyamizu-kun."

"I understand."

"You've already decided on that pen name, so you're not going to change it, right?"

After hearing what Mari Fukaoka said, he didn't expect that the other party was still entangled in this matter. He couldn't help but chuckle. Without anyone noticing, he nodded slightly and gave an affirmative answer to the phone.

"That's the name. I won't change it for now. In the future, if nothing else happens, I'll definitely use this name."

"Miyamizu Yuka...Okay, after the sale, I'll have to call you Miyamizu-sensei."

"Being called teacher is really embarrassing."