I won't be a loser.

Xianren's grades were very good. Although he wasn't number one in his grade, he was now firmly in the top 20. Coupled with his status as a published author, he suddenly had privileges different from others. As long as he didn't do anything excessive, no teacher would deliberately make things difficult for him.

dull.

During lunch break, he walked towards the laboratory and saw the wise man Futaba Rio. He walked to the girl's side and hugged her in his arms with both hands.

"What?"

"Replenishing my spiritual energy, sitting in the classroom, I feel like I'm about to evolve into a scarecrow. Phew—it smells so good."

Being embraced by Xianren, buried in his long hair and taking a deep breath, Futaba Rio felt an itch on the back of her neck and couldn't help twisting her body. She wanted to twist Xianren away from her, but she found that his hands around her waist were tightening.

"Summer isn't over yet, don't you feel hot?"

"No, it feels very warm, fragrant, delicate, and gentle. I used to feel that using the word 'treasure' to describe a girl was a bit corny, but when I met the right person, it felt very appropriate."

After hearing what Kento said, Futaba Rio, who was being hugged, couldn't help but stop what she was doing. Her heart was touched and she fell silent.

In the afternoon, he recovered a little and returned to the classroom. Looking at the people in the classroom, he didn't have any interest in chatting with anyone. He returned to his desk, sat down, took out a collection of exercises, and started reading...

At the beginning of the school year, his relationship with the classmates left a pretty good impression, but after the first semester, Xianren's evaluation in the class became mixed.

He is not very proactive in talking to others, nor does he participate in other people's activities and invitations. He almost sits in his seat all day long. He also has unclear relationships with many cute girls, which makes some people in the class keep their distance from Xianren.

At the beginning of the school year, Xianren was still thinking about maintaining good relationships with others, but after one semester, he felt a little bored and no longer paid as much attention to the interpersonal relationships in the class as he did at the beginning.

He sat in his seat and continued to act like a statue. When school was over in the afternoon, he picked up his schoolbag and walked straight out of the classroom.

Nakano Satsuki hurriedly picked up her schoolbag, informed her sisters, and followed Xianren who was leaving the classroom. Her hurried figure made the other four people who were sitting in the classroom and had not yet stood up look at each other in confusion.

"I have something else to do, so I won't be going home later. You should all go home first. We should be able to get home before dinner tonight."

Nakano Ichika looked at May leaving the classroom, was silent for a moment, stood up and smiled at the other three people, and also left the classroom. The remaining three looked at each other, picked up their schoolbags, and left the classroom together.

"May and Ichika, everything feels a little off right now. Is that okay?"

Nakano Yotsuba, who was ranked fourth among the five, looked at Nakano Nino, who was second only to Ichika.

"What's the point of asking me? I feel like anyone who's interested in Miyamizu will become weird. Ichika was fine at first, but lately, she's been going off somewhere and coming back by herself in the evening."

"Mayu and Miyamizu-kun go to the same private school, so they don't have any connection. The weird one right now is Ichika, right?"

Miku, who was wearing headphones, took off her right earphone and looked at Nakano Nino.

"Ichika is indeed very strange, but I can't keep up with her. She walks so fast that by the time we reach the school gate, I can't even see her figure. How can I follow her?"

The three of them looked at each other, but couldn't come up with an accurate idea.

"go home."

"Ah."

"I want to go for a carbonated drink!"

Walking on the way to the private school, looking at the girl who was following him closely without saying a word, Xianren glanced at her sideways, and when he noticed that she was also staring at him, their eyes met, the girl's face suddenly turned red and she glanced away.

The subtle reaction made it seem like she had developed a liking for him, which gave Xianren a slight headache.

Thinking back to the morning when Nino Nakano had talked to him about related matters, she seemed reluctant for him and Satsuki Nakano to get closer.

"Have you decided on your target university?"

Thinking about Nino's expression at that time and what she said to him, Nakano Satsuki's sudden voice made Xianren suddenly wake up. He slowly turned his head and looked at the curious eyes of the girl beside him.

"Nino seems to mind me being so close to you. She even asked me to keep my distance from you this morning. Why, didn't she tell you about this?"

As if to sow discord between the sisters, Xianren looked at Nakano Satsuki beside him.

"Your sister might get mad if you walk with me."

After hearing what Kento said, Nakano Satsuki's expression couldn't help but change slightly, as if she was a little surprised. She didn't see the scene in the morning, and didn't know that Nakano Nino and Kento had talked about these things. She couldn't help but frowned.

"These are my own affairs and have nothing to do with Nino."

"So she never told you about this?"

"..."

"It seems not."

Seeing Nakano Satsuki's reaction, Kento also understood that Nakano Nino seemed to have just talked about this matter with him. As for the person involved, Nakano Satsuki, she was unaware of this matter.

The rest was silence. The two walked all the way to the door of the private school. They didn't talk to each other after entering the school. They each did their own things. Xianren didn't need to do any test today. He took yesterday's test paper and started looking at his wrong questions first. Nakano Satsuki was a little absent-minded.

At eight o'clock in the evening, the wise man picked up his things, packed up simply, and prepared to go home.

As soon as I walked out of the private school, I saw two familiar people standing at the door.

"Ah~Miyamizu-kun."

Nakano Ichika took the initiative to greet Kento, and standing next to him was Nakano Nino.

"Are you two here to pick up May?"

"Well, Miku didn't want to go out, and Yotsuba was already asleep, so it was just the two of us out."

"Is Yotsuba already asleep?"

"That's just her personality. She's always so spontaneous."

Nakano Nino explained, and seeing Nakano Satsuki coming out from behind Kento, she raised her arm and shook it gently.

"here."

"Ichika, Nino, why are you here?"

"We were worried that it would be unsafe for you to go home alone at night, so we came here to wait for you."

Nakano Ichika explained, and Xianren looked at the three sisters and walked forward without staying any longer.

"I'm going back first. See you at school tomorrow."

"Uh... yeah."

Looking at Kento's departing back, Nakano Ichika's eyes were a little complicated, but Nakano Nino didn't react at all. Nakano Satsuki responded and looked at Kento's back until he disappeared at the corner of the alley, then he looked at Nakano Nino who was standing beside him.

"What did you say to the wise man this morning?"

The careless Nakano Nino, after hearing Nakano Satsuki's question, couldn't help but frown and looked in the direction where Xianren left.

"Did he tell you?"

"What do you think?"

"It's nothing. He already has a girlfriend. It's better for you to keep some distance from him."

"I already know this, I don't need you to remind me."

After hearing what Nakano Nino said, Nakano Satsuki, who was already very concerned about this matter, couldn't help but feel worse at this moment. He stared at Nakano Nino in front of him and answered word by word.

- - - -

Tomorrow is Children's Day.

Thanks to Dreamer, Mu Chen, I'm Not a Real Person, Chaojie, Akizuki Kozo@, Code Geass: VI Britannia, Euroship San Don Juan, and the monthly tickets and blades for Lost! Thank you all for your recommendation votes!

When the Summer Cicadas Chirp: 264. He is still a child

In a Western restaurant with a leisurely atmosphere, Xianren was sitting in the lobby. Looking at Mari Fukaoka, who was rarely wearing her formal work clothes, and the strange woman next to her, he picked up the lemonade in front of him and took a sip.

"So, what's the matter with meeting with me, Ms. Machida Sonoko, the editor of the Fushigawa Fantastic Bunko? I don't think we have much in common."

"How could that be? Even though we weren't from the same publishing house before, who knows, there might be a chance for us to collaborate in the future?"

Looking at Mari Kazeoka who was standing beside her, the editor who usually looked very imposing was now holding her forehead with her hands, looking as if she had a headache. When she met Kento, she began to advise Sonoko Machida who was standing beside her.

"Miyamizu-kun is a new writer that our publishing house values. Please remember to be a little more restrained in front of me, his editor, Sonoko."

"But Miyamizu-kun hasn't signed any long-term contract with your publishing house, right? So the next book doesn't necessarily have to be published by Kaiyingsha. We, Fushigawa Fantastic Bunko, can also run and publish it on Miyamizu-kun's behalf."

"Are you serious?"

"Well, it all depends on what Miyamizu-kun chooses. If the conditions here appeal to Miyamizu-kun, you can also give priority to our Fuzugawa Fantastic Library."

It sounded like someone was trying to persuade him, so Xianren's eyes fell on Machida Sonoko. Noticing that the other person's eyes didn't seem to be joking, he nodded slightly.

"If it's appropriate, I'll consider it."

"You're talking about this topic so frankly right in front of me. Is that okay? Please be a little understanding of my position."

After hearing what Kento said, Mari Fukaoka was stunned for a moment, and then looked at the two of them helplessly.

"Settling down in Tokyo and having a home of your own is a very difficult thing, so in order to achieve this goal as soon as possible, there is no way to be unrealistic. Besides, it would be better to give a firm confirmation like now than to discuss it with others behind your back."

His eyes gradually dropped and stared at the lemonade in front of him. Xianren also knew that such topics would generally be avoided, but because he had a good relationship with Fuuokana Mari, he still chose to give his answer in person so that Fuuokana Mari could be mentally prepared.

Although work is a factor, Kento believes that his current success is also partly due to Mari Fukazaki, so he feels grateful to Mari Fukazaki.

It was precisely because of this feeling that he revealed his thoughts in person.

"Settling down in Tokyo? When I was Miyamizu-kun's age, I was still thinking about love all day long in school. Miyamizu-kun's ideas are a little different from most of his peers. He feels very adult."

When Machida Sonoko heard Kento's answer, she nodded involuntarily. She stared at the boy in front of her carefully for a while, and the corners of her mouth couldn't help but curl up slightly.

"Well, when Miyamizu-kun buys a house in Tokyo, he'll definitely need someone to take care of him. Living alone in a big house will definitely be lonely. You can consider the issue of a hostess then. I have a lot of feelings for young and talented guys like Miyamizu-kun~"

"Yuanzi!"

"Don't worry, Mari. Miyamizu-kun hasn't given an answer yet, has he? When the time comes, I'll be the mistress, and you can be the second mistress, and the three of us will live together."

Seeing Mari Fukaoka suddenly blushing and glaring at her, Machida Sonoko winked at Kento cunningly.

But the boy's reaction was indifferent. He didn't show the shyness that one might imagine. He sipped his lemonade with an indifferent expression.

"Aren't you excited?"

"Compared to what happened after I settled down, I'm still more curious. Miss Machida Sonoko, is this the reason you came to me today?"

"That's about right. Actually, I heard my family's beautiful author talking about a young writer named Miyamizu at school. Adding the name of the author Mari is responsible for, it seems like they're the same person, so I got a little curious."

"School? Toyosaki?"

"Toyonosaki, but she's already a second-year student. She's not in the same grade as Miyamizu-kun, so they probably don't have much contact."

After hearing what Machida Sonoko said, Xianren thought carefully about the other writers in the school who were women besides him, and a vague figure emerged in his mind.

He slowly raised his head and looked at the editor in front of him.

"Kasumigao Hill?"

"you know?"

Machida Sonoko was a little surprised. She didn't expect that the boy in front of her actually knew the author she was responsible for.

"I have some impression of her. I have met her before."

"Have you seen it yet?"

"We just happened to meet, it can't be considered as acquaintance."

Staring at the boy in front of him, a sly smile suddenly appeared on Machida Sonoko's face. She had some unknown plan in her heart, which made Xianren have a bad premonition. Mari Fukaoka took a sip of her coffee and looked at Machida Sonoko.

"Are you trying to use a honey trap? Let me tell you first, he already has a girlfriend, so don't cause trouble for Miyamizu-kun."

"So what if you have a girlfriend? Now is the era of free love. Even if you're dating, there's still a chance you can get married. Miyamizu-kun is only in high school now, so he can't be married already, right?"

"not yet."

After replying casually, Xianren put down the cup in his hand, and drank all the lemonade in it. He looked at the two people in front of him.

"But, since I don't have anything to do today, Ms. Machida, it's also a holiday, right? Do you want to go shopping together?"

"Does this count as asking me out?"

"I just want to see if Ms. Machida is suitable to be the hostess."

"Oh wow, interesting."

Machida Sonoko looked at the boy in front of her, and the corners of her mouth couldn't help but rise. She felt that things seemed to be developing in an interesting direction. Fuuka Mari looked at her roommate, and her reaction was completely overwhelmed with interest. She couldn't help but cover her forehead.

She opened her mouth to say something, but seeing that both of them seemed to have ignored her, she just watched silently as they smiled at each other as if they had reached some consensus, and then she stood up.

"Mari, Miyamizu-san and I are going out for a little stroll, so you don't have to wait for me to come home at night."

"..."

In the evening, Mari Fukaoka, who was alone at home, took out the food from the refrigerator. She lived in an apartment with Sonoko Machida. Usually, they divided the work of preparing breakfast and dinner every day, but now Sonoko Machida was not at home, so she had to do it alone.