I won't be a loser.

Listening to Kento's mumbling, Mari Fukaoka didn't know how to respond. She sat there silently, looking around and seeing that no one else seemed to be coming. Then she thought about having to accompany Kento and sit here until the afternoon, and she felt helpless.

"I clearly didn't need to do anything, but I didn't expect it to be such a tormenting thing."

"So, can you leave work early? No need to stay up until 2pm, right?"

Mari Kazeoka pointed to the time on the poster.

"There are two points above. Leaving early wouldn't be a good idea. You wouldn't want someone to bring this up and attack you later, right?"

"I thought coming here would help boost sales a little bit, but up to now, just this one person can roughly understand how low the sales of my work are."

"New writers basically all start from this step, and they will definitely get better in the future."

While comforting Kento, Mari Fukaoka paid attention to the expression on Kento's face. Seeing Kento having no reaction at all, she couldn't help but pursed her lips. She felt as if her words had no persuasiveness, which made her feel a little frustrated.

"As expected, at the beginning, it's better to participate in the selection and see which award is better."

"However, for a work like yours, pure literature, there aren't many awards to enter. For example, if it's released now, this year's Akutagawa Prize won't have anything to do with you. You'll only be able to enter the competition next year. As for the Mishima Prize, it's already closed, so there's no hope for you this year."

Xianren himself was well aware that he would not be eligible for the major awards this year, and he did not actually have high expectations of winning.

"Even if there is, it's not certain that I'll win. For a pure newcomer, it's still a bit difficult to win something like the Akutagawa Prize. The Mishima Prize, which favors new writers, might have some hope, but now it seems that there's no hope."

"Next year, you can participate in the selection."

"next year......."

When the awards ceremony comes next year, Xianren feels that his work has almost completely fallen into disrepute.

He shook his head slightly and stopped chatting with Mari Fukaoka. He calmly watched the situation in the bookstore and the signing booth where no one was approaching. In his heart, he began to seriously consider whether he should continue to create in this area...

On the weekend, Mito Yuge opened her eyes with dark circles under them, slowly woke up, and sat up little by little.

The small room and the familiar environment made her bite her lips involuntarily. Her mood became depressed and she could not see a single ray of sunshine.

She stood up silently, put on her clothes and walked out of her private room, then walked into the store silently. She glanced at the customers sitting in the store, but there was no familiar figure. She slowly poured a cup of coffee and slowly returned to her private room.

Close the door and lock it.

She sat down and looked at the book on the table. She had finished reading most of it last night, but because she was too sleepy, she couldn't continue. In the middle of the night, she couldn't help but close her eyes and fell asleep.

"Did you have a dream like that in your dream?"

It was as if she was another her who had not met the wise man. Just by reading the contents of the book and closing her eyes at night, Mito Yuge dreamed of another life of her own, a life without the wise man.

With her fair hands, she quietly turned the pages of the book in front of her. Mito Yuge continued reading from what she had read last night...

From nine in the morning until two in the afternoon, Xianren signed a total of about fifty books.

"It's fifty-seven."

Mari Fukaoka reported the exact number, while Xianren, who was sitting in his seat, lowered his head slightly, supported his hands on the desk, and sighed weakly.

"It doesn't matter how many books there are. It's all over now, right? Can I leave now?"

"Well, it's already two o'clock in the afternoon, we can call it a day."

Standing up, Xianren looked at Mari Fukaoka, who was sitting next to him and also seemed to be exhausted.

"What's going on next?"

"Why, you want to date me?"

Knowing that Kento had a girlfriend, Mari Fukaoka looked up at the boy in front of her and just teased him casually.

"No, I'm just asking casually. You were supposed to be resting at home today, right?"

"It's a holiday, but there's nothing to do at home."

"You've worked hard today, go home and rest early. I'll be there too. I've been sitting here for so long, I feel like I'm going to get suffocated. I'm going back to sleep first."

After waving goodbye to Mari Kazeoka, Kento walked towards the entrance of the bookstore. As for Mari Kazeoka, she looked at Kento who walked out of the bookstore in a leisurely manner, and then took a look at the posters and other signing props here, and sighed helplessly.

She didn't need to clean up everything herself. She simply tidied up the props on the table and handed the remaining tables, chairs, and posters to the bookstore staff to help deal with. Mari Fukaoka also left the bookstore and returned to her apartment early to rest...

After leaving the bookstore, Xianren did not go anywhere else. After sitting in the bookstore for almost half a day, he looked a little tired and returned to his apartment silently.

He took out the key from his body, opened the door, walked directly into the house and lay down on his bed.

Because of Setsuna last night, I didn't get any rest until late at night. In the morning, I received a call from Mari Fukaoka and woke up early. I basically didn't get any rest.

After sitting in the bookstore for a long time, Xianren felt that the world was in a daze.

Lying in his familiar bed, the scent of last night had not yet completely dissipated. Xianren closed his eyes, quietly breathing in the remaining fragrance, and unknowingly fell asleep quickly...

"Are you away from home again this weekend?"

Saionji Sekai looked at Kiyoura Setsuna in front of her, and saw that she came to see her alone again, and her mood was a little subtle.

"It's not enough that they're in different schools every day, but now he's alone on weekends too. I don't know where he goes, which always makes me feel a little strange. Don't you feel a little curious?"

After hearing the instigation of Saionji Sekai, Kiyoura Setsuna, who was just quietly sipping juice, also turned his gaze to Saionji Sekai.

"Are you curious about the world?"

"No... I am a little curious, but what makes me even more curious is you, Setsuna. Don't you feel a little curious too?"

Shanshan, who was sitting in his seat, did not answer and quietly sipped the juice. As for Gui Yanye, who was standing beside them, she watched the conversation between the two and didn't know what to say. She always felt that she couldn't get a word in on such a topic, so she could only remain silent and drink tea quietly.

Seeing that Setsuna didn't answer, Saionji Sekai gradually shifted her gaze to Katsura Kotonoha, remembering what she had talked about with Kento before. Looking at her friend again, her eyes suddenly became subtle.

“…Um, what’s wrong?”

Noticing Saionji Sekai's gaze, Katsura Yanye couldn't help but turn her gaze to Saionji Sekai, wondering why the other party suddenly looked at her with such a strange look.

"Yakoto, you're afraid of boys, right?"

"Ah."

"Have you ever considered changing your personality? If you're always afraid of boys, you won't be able to get a boyfriend, right?"

"........"

In fact, Katsura Kotonoha didn't really want to talk about this topic with Saionji Sekai. She knew very well how complicated and bad the relationship between the two friends she knew was, and she didn't want to discuss this at all.

but......

- - - -

Thanks to Silver Gospel, Aliang Benliang, Baihe Xiaoniao, Orange, and Huangpao Buzuo for their monthly tickets! Thank you all for your recommendation votes!

Cherry Blossom Season: 183. Is that lady attracted to you?

He fell asleep with his head touching the pillow and closed his eyes. When he opened his eyes again, there was a gray sky outside the window. He lifted the quilt, stood up and walked to the window. He looked out the window and saw the dim night sky. He felt depressed.

"Did you sleep from the afternoon to the evening? Setsuna should be home at this time, right?"

After glancing in the direction of Qingpu's house, Xianren walked to the refrigerator and opened his own. He hadn't prepared dinner at home for a long time, so there weren't many ingredients left in the refrigerator. Looking at the empty refrigerator, Xianren couldn't help but sigh.

There is not much food left, so I need to replenish it.

Xianren, who had not yet recovered his spirit, stood in front of the refrigerator, breathing in the cold air inside. After becoming a little more sober, he closed the refrigerator casually, walked to the edge of his bed, and picked up his wallet.

It’s so late, the vegetable store must be closed. The supermarket may still be open, but the quality of the remaining vegetables is probably not very fresh. If you go out, you can just go to the convenience store and take a look.

After walking out of his apartment and closing the door behind him, Xianren walked towards the nearby convenience store under the cover of night...

Familiar music played, and with a ding-dong sound, I walked to the door of the convenience store, and the door opened automatically.

After entering the store and looking at the other customers in the store, Xianren, who was standing at the door, looked around and his sight fell on the familiar clerk at the counter. When he entered the store, the clerk standing behind the cashier also noticed him.

'It's him again.'

Noticing the wise man who appeared in the store and realizing that he was looking at her, the clerk's reaction seemed extremely calm. After such a long time, she had become accustomed to it.

The wise man standing at the door only cast his gaze on the other person for a moment before heading towards the convenience store shelves and selecting the items he needed.

Sitting on a bench in the park, under the light, a person looked up, looked at the bright moonlight, casually inserted the straw into the milk, tore open the package of the rice ball, took a light bite, and the taste of the rice ball was really average.

In most convenience stores, rice balls will not last very long. Even so, the rice balls sold in convenience stores are not very fresh. They taste average when you bite them, but at least they can fill your stomach.

He was able to swallow the whole rice ball in just three or two bites. He folded up the remaining wrapping paper and held it in the palm of his hand. He picked up the milk, took a sip, swallowed it, took a long breath, stood up, threw the garbage into the trash can, and looked at the quiet environment around him.

"Let's go back."

Sighing, Xianren sat in the park for a while, then stood up and walked back towards his apartment.

"Drinking, of course I can drink! When I was in my hometown in the countryside, I often accompanied my grandfather."

"Really? Minors are not allowed to drink. Can you really drink?"

"Of course! If you don't believe me, wait until after school and let's go buy some together, and you'll know!"

Sitting in the classroom, listening to the boys' conversation, Xianren's eyes fell on them. Looking at the boys' defiant expressions, and then looking at the girls around them, and the gazes they gave them, he couldn't help but sigh in his heart, "youth."

Sensing a slight gaze on him, he looked at Eriri who was looking at him sideways. When his eyes met hers, the girl snorted and looked away, avoiding his gaze.

"Hey, wise man."

A hand suddenly fell on his shoulder. Xianren turned his head to look at Yoshii Akihisa who suddenly came to his side, not knowing what he wanted.

"What's wrong? Did anything interesting happen over the weekend?"

"He won two vacation vouchers at the weekend."

Before Yoshii Akihisa could speak, Sakamoto Yuji also approached.

“Yuuji!”

"You don't have time to use it anyway. Summer vacation is still a while away, and the vacation voucher expires this month. Are you still planning to take time off for vacation?"

Yuji Sakamoto looked at Akihisa Yoshii in front of him with a slight smile on his face, which made Akihisa Yoshii feel depressed. He sighed helplessly, took out his two vacation vouchers directly from his pocket and placed them on Xianren's desk.

"Okinawa?"

“Okinawa.”

"......"

Remembering the nightmare he had last month, Xianren felt a little sensitive about Okinawa and looked at Akihisa Yoshii sitting at his desk.

"So, what are you going to do?"

"Mingjiu doesn't have many family members. His parents are working abroad, and his sister is also studying abroad. He's the only one at home. My family members also need to work. If you can be of use, you can give it to your family."

He looked at Akihisa Yoshii, who seemed to have no objection to Sakamoto Yuji's suggestion for handling the situation, and nodded silently. However, Kento thought about it himself and realized that his family didn't seem to have much time. His father was the mayor and certainly didn't have much vacation, and his mother was at home taking care of his grandmother.

For example, my two younger sisters are both in school and it is impossible for them to go out. How can we let them go out when our parents are not around?

"It doesn't seem to be of any use."

Kiyoura Mai and Saionji Sekai may be able to travel to Okinawa, but Kiyoura Mai also needs to go to work, and Setsuna needs to be taken care of at home, so it is not realistic to let them use it.

"Really? If I had drawn this during summer vacation, it would have been useful. But now that I'm in school, it's completely useless."

Yoshii Akihisa, who drew two vacation vouchers, couldn't help but sigh. He didn't know whether to feel lucky or unlucky.

"You can sell it for a low price, over there during the raffle, and see if anyone's interested. Sell it to passersby for a little cheaper, and your stock of games and comics can increase, right?"

After making a suggestion to Yoshii Akihisa, I saw a look of surprise on the boy's face, as if he had never expected this to be possible.

"That seems like a good idea. Well, I'll go ask after school today."

Watching Yoshii Akihisa gradually walking away, Xianren couldn't help but fall into deep thought. It was already mid-June, and July would soon be here. The weather was getting hotter, and the holidays would start in July.

During the holidays, do you travel with Setsuna?

"No, it's probably impossible for just the two of them to go out. Mai can't be home alone, and if she really goes out, Saionji Sekai might not be able to stay at home and go out with her."

Then he remembered that he had agreed to go back to Gifu with Setsuna during the summer vacation. When that time comes, it will probably not just be him and Setsuna, but Kiyoura Mai...

He didn't think too much about it. There was still some time before summer vacation. Even if there were more than just him and Setsuna by then, it wouldn't have much of an impact. His house was quite big anyway, and he could just rest in his room when he was tired. The only problem was that the sound insulation wasn't very good.

After thinking about it, Xianren was considering whether he should send Sanye and Yotsuba away from home when he returned to Gifu.

"Last time, the relationship between you and that person called Sawamura seemed quite... complicated?"

"Why are you suddenly talking about her?"

Sitting in the laboratory with Futaba Rio, Kento finished his lunch and casually closed the lunch box in front of him. Then he heard Futaba Rio mention Eriri's name.

"I just don't quite understand. You clearly have a girlfriend, but you're involved with so many girls in school. Are you planning to keep it a secret from your girlfriend from another school and have another girlfriend in Fengzhiqi?"

Futaba Rio did not classify her relationship with Kento as a boyfriend-girlfriend relationship. Even though such a thing had happened, their relationship was no longer as pure as friends, but she was not so blind as to think that she and Kento had become lovers.

She hid half of her feelings, and the rest was to maintain the same relationship as before. Today, when she was having dinner with Kento, she suddenly remembered what happened that day, and asked Kento about Eriri.