This is not the date I wanted.

Immediately afterwards, Mengyue asked Rokuko another question.

"What do you think of the welcome, Rokuko?"

"…If you ask me what I like or dislike, Liu Er is the latter. This thing made Liu Er suffer so much, how could he not hate it? But—"

As if recalling some unpleasant past events, Rokuko's expression was a little sullen.

"It's just like pickled wild vegetables. Although it's spicy, it's not bad in itself. Liu Er has no intention of misjudging himself and accommodating himself to other things."

"...Can I understand that although you dislike her, you don't hate her?"

"As expected of a sister, you know exactly what Liu'er is thinking."

"Haha, thanks for the compliment. Where's Yoshino-chan?"

"Well, that... I'm a little scared... but I don't hate it..."

After thinking for a long time, Shiono spoke in a low voice.

"Just like Ms. Meng Yue said... maybe after eating it... I will like it... If I avoid it because of fear... it will be a pity... So if there is a chance, I would like to get to know each other better."

"Haha, you're really worthy of being Yoshino-chan, a brave child who isn't picky about food. That's amazing."

"That's it..."

After Meng Yue pondered for a while, he finally turned his gaze to Shixiang.

"Tohka, what do you think?"

"Um, well, this, um..."

Tohka seemed to be in a dilemma, closing her eyes and thinking deeply.

It's no wonder. For Tohka, who has always been simple and straightforward, this roundabout way of speaking is really too difficult.

"For example? Do you have any similar food in mind?"

Meng Yue said helplessly.

“Similar food…got it!”

After hearing Mengyue's words, Tohka seemed to have a sudden inspiration and clapped her hands excitedly.

“Just like kinako bread!”

“Soybean flour bread?”

After hearing this, not only Meng Yue, but also Nanashi and the others were confused. They all knew that it was Tohka's favorite food. What kind of thinking circuit did she go through to connect the two together?

"Tohka...you said it's like kinako bread. What exactly do you mean? How much do you like it?"

"Well... I don't think I like it that much. But... I don't think it's a bad thing."

As if she couldn't explain it herself, Tohka tried hard to express her intentions.

"Before, I always thought that everything in the world was an enemy and everyone wanted to kill me. It wasn't until I went on a date with Shidou for the first time and ate kinako bread that I realized that not everything in the world is bad. There are kind people like Shidou, and there are delicious foods like kinako bread. That's why I like eating."

"So... does this have anything to do with your chance to become a glutton?"

Qishi asked speechlessly.

"Well...this..."

Tohka was speechless.

However, the speaker may not mean it, but the listener may take it seriously. Tohka's words made Mengyue fall into deep thought.

——Even if you yourself have never realized it, your past as 'Takamiya Shinshi' must be an indispensable part of you as 'Itsuka Shido'.

This is what Meng Yue said when he was teaching Shidao. Now think about it, but if this is applied to the elves, what will be the result?

The accumulation of the past does not become a blank sheet of paper when the memory disappears. Even without the memory, the restored emotions of Rokuko still show the same possessiveness as when he was a human.

(Although Yoshino is shy, she is not timid. She is probably in an environment where she cannot go out on her own initiative. Judging from her second personality shown by ventriloquism, she should have little communication with the outside world, especially with her peers... Is she hospitalized for a long time? Nanashi's self-loathing personality usually only appears after experiencing a heavy failure and a setback in self-confidence, or being denied and belittled for a long time. And Tohka's personality is largely influenced by Shido. What she said means that Mio has left a big influence on her in a positive sense at least once in the past.)

Is becoming an elf all misfortune for them? This question then emerged in Mengyue's mind.

Meng Yue had to admit that she had always subconsciously held some prejudice against Ling Yin, or Takamiya Mio.

She is disgusted by Mio's willingness to destroy other people's lives to fulfill her own desires, and is uneasy about the power she possesses and the risk it poses to her family.

Therefore, after she discovered Lingyin's true identity, she did not try to find out about Mio's past, nor did she want to. She just chose to remain vigilant and draw a clear line.

Even now, after learning about Mio's past from Shidou, her attitude is still to use her rather than cooperate with her.

To put it bluntly, Shidou wants to save Mio. But in Mengyue's opinion, Takamiya Mio is not worth saving.

(But isn’t this also a form of arrogance?)

Mengyue reflected secretly in her heart.

The information conveyed by biased emotions is also prone to be biased. Since Shidao and everyone else have chosen to believe in themselves unconditionally, she shouldn't mislead others with this mentality.

"Meng Yue?"

Seeing Mengyue remain silent for a long time, everyone couldn't help but feel a little confused.

"call……"

Finally, Meng Yue let out a long breath and said with a wry smile.

"Sorry to have kept you waiting. The question I asked you just now was not a test. It was just a mental warm-up for the next topic, and to confirm whether I was looking at the problem with tinted glasses."

As she spoke, Meng Yue closed her right eye and crossed her fingers in front of her lips.

"Next, I will fulfill my promise and tell you everything I know."

Chapter 1

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(The main text ends here, the following is a short story.)

Dream Moon Swimming (Part 1)

==============================

Today, the hot summer vacation continues.

In the square of Tiangong City, a woman is sitting on a public chair next to the fountain.

The brown hair was tied into a ponytail to make it easier to wear a baseball cap. If you look closely at the shadow under the baseball cap, you will find the beautiful face embellished with amber eyes. The light blue short jeans and light-colored T-shirt show the girl's slender figure, giving people a heroic and handsome feeling.

But at this moment, the beauty was looking at the clouds floating in the clear blue sky with a bit of boredom, as if she was trying to pass the time in a trance.

"Sorry, have you been waiting for a long time, Mengyue?"

A moment later, a very ordinary-looking boy named Gokawa Shido came in front of the girl.

"Well, I should have said 'No, I just got here too.' That seems to be more in line with etiquette, right? But I'll still give you some advice. If you have an appointment with someone, it's better to arrive ten minutes early. After all, this is Japan, not America."

The girl named Ryougi Yumezuki patted Shidou's shoulder and spoke earnestly.

"Haha... keep it in mind."

Although it was unclear how long Meng Yue had been here five minutes before the agreed time, it was obvious that she would not answer this question even if he asked her. So Shidao could only smile bitterly and nodded.

"Then let's get ready to go..."

[Stupid Shidou, I've told you so many times! Clothes. About the evaluation of clothes. You must seriously evaluate girls who dress up carefully. How come you can't even remember such a small thing? Do you have a fish brain? Can you only store seven seconds of memory? ! ]

Kotori's curse rang in his ears, and Shidou quickly coughed and said:

"Well, that... today's clothes are very suitable..."

"Clothes, are you talking about this set of clothes I just bought from a roadside stall?" Mengyue pulled the fabric of her T-shirt and said to Shidao with a strange look on her face.

"...Kotori."

【Halala~Failed! ☆⌒(*＾－゜)v】

Kotori made a very irresponsible and cute sound in the headphones.

"Well, well... that! With Meng Yue's talent, no matter what she wears, it will be very suitable. Really!"

"Although my heartbeat quickened the moment I heard this and I felt very complicated, please don't look so obviously flustered as if I was trapped by a useless assist and then had an idea to save the situation."

For some reason, Meng Yue covered her face with her hands and spoke in a very complicated tone.

By the way, what kind of expression do I have? Shidou thought with an embarrassed look on his face.

After taking a deep breath, Meng Yue, who looked normal, stood up from the public chair, came in front of Shidao, and took off his wireless headphones while Shidao was feeling nervous.

"Moshimoshi? Kotori-chan?"

[Uh... Sister Mengyue. ]

For some reason, there was a hint of embarrassment in Kotori's voice in the headphones.

"…I should have said it before. It's okay for others, but knowing the details, this move of mine will only have the opposite effect."

「Um... Look, just in case, why don’t we...when Shidou accidentally does something stupid, we can help remind him...」

"Do you have a habit of getting horny when you're being monitored the entire time you go out?"

Meng Yue said in a very gentle tone.

【Well……】

It's rare that Kotori, who is in "commander mode", is blocked by a sharp tongue.

Then, Mengyue ignored Qinli's shouting coming from the headphones and threw the wireless headphones into the trash can.

"Uh... Meng Yue."

"Really, don't look so nervous. I'm fine. Just act like you normally would."

With a helpless sigh, Mengyue took Shidao's hand and set off.

"Hey……"

Shidou felt like he was being dragged by a soft little hand, and his movements became a little stiff.

"Oh... by the way! There is one thing I must make clear." Halfway through the walk, Meng Yue suddenly stopped, turned to Shidao with a serious face and said, "Today, we are not going on a date!"

"……learn."

That's right, although it may be hard to believe now, our purpose today is definitely not to date.

——————————————————————————I am the dividing line where time goes back and forth——————————————————————————————————————————————－

"By the way, Shidou, are you free tomorrow?"

A few days after returning from the seaside hot spring trip, Mengyue casually asked Shidao at dinner.

"Hmm? There's nothing wrong with the reservation, just like usual. What's up?"

After thinking for a while, Shidou answered.

Meng Yue nodded in understanding and said, "Then you should go out with me tomorrow."

"Well...I should be fine."

"Hmm? What are Shidou and Mengyue going to do? A date?"

When the natural Tohka said this, Mengyue keenly noticed that the people around her stopped moving.

"No. I'm also drunk with the idea that you equate a man and a woman going out together with dating...-_-||"

"Hmm... Could it be that you know of some secret gourmet restaurant that you and Shidou want to go to taste? I want to go too!"

"We're not going to eat!" Meng Yue didn't know whether to laugh or cry and slapped the foodie on the head, "Well... I'm sorry, this time I want Shidao and I to go out alone... As for the location, I'm sorry I want to keep it a secret..."

"Hmm...sounds more like a date now."

Kotori looked at Mengyue with some suspicion.

"Heh~ Shidao is the private property of me and Yui-chan. Even my compatriot Mengyue cannot lend him out easily!"

"Agreed. To obtain the ownership of Shidao, you must first make a specific written application to Yui and Yakuya."

Well, what the Yamai sisters meant was that if you want to date Shidou, you should first tell him the details.

"Please, I really don't plan to go on a date with Shidou... It's just a personal reason that I don't really want to talk about."