This is not the date I wanted.

"…Well, thank you grandma."

With Guan Meng's comfort, Tohka closed her eyes comfortably and her mood gradually relaxed.

"Hey, grandma. How do you make delicious bread? Do you have any tips?"

Tohka asked curiously.

"Hmm... I'm not sure either. As for the secrets of making bread, the manager of the bakery should know it better..."

After a moment of silence, Guan Meng looked at Shixiang's cheek and asked softly,

"Tohka...when you wanted to make kinako bread...was it for someone?"

"For...who?"

"Well, if this bread is done, I will give it to someone to eat." Guan Meng smiled and looked into the distance, "Every time I cook... I think of you... I think of you eating hot meals with happy smiles on your faces... When I see you happy, I will also feel happy, and then I can't help but cook more enthusiastically."

Hearing Guan Meng's words, Tohka couldn't help but look thoughtful.

If she just wanted to taste the taste of "happiness", she didn't need to learn how to make bread, she could just buy it. She wanted to share this "happiness" with someone, so she wanted to open a bakery.

But, when asked who this "someone" was, Tohka couldn't explain it at all.

"Is that so... Is this what I'm missing?"

After muttering to herself, Tohka took a deep breath and said with all her might,

"Okay, grandma! I've made up my mind! I really don't want to give up! I'm going to make the most delicious kinako bread, to make grandma and everyone else smile happily. And to impress Origami!"

"Well...come on. I'm looking forward to it..."

——————————I am the dividing line for fast-forwarding time————————————

After that, after countless efforts and difficulties, Shixiang finally achieved her goal and opened her own bakery.

--jingle.

"Welcome... What? It's you, Tobiichi Origami."

Seeing that the person who came in was none other than Tobiichi Origami, whom she had just said goodbye to, Tohka couldn't help but sigh in disappointment.

"You are too perfunctory in your attitude towards customers, Yatogami Tohka."

"Who just treated me as a suspicious person who abducted women?"

Tohka said unhappily.

"I'm just telling the truth. Give me a soybean flour bread, a curry bread and a pineapple bun, and two bottles of coffee milk."

"Didn't you eat Yoshino's breakfast before you left?"

"I bought this for my colleague, and it helps him replenish the calories he has consumed. Here, money."

"No need. Just ask me to treat you if you want. After all, I owe you a lot of favors when we opened the shop."

"I just made some suggestions. There's nothing to thank you for." Origami pressed down his police hat and replied indifferently, "Or do you just not want to calculate the change? If you can't even keep accounts, the store will go bankrupt in a few days."

"Can you please stop treating me like an idiot? I can still do things like keeping accounts."

"Then give me the change honestly. Otherwise I'll think you're trying to bribe the police."

"Okay..." With a helpless sigh, Tohka packed the bread and handed it to Origami along with the change.

"Here, 95 yen in change. Please make sure you keep it."

"Yeah. That's right."

Origami nodded slightly, took out the kinako bread, and tasted it with relish.

"so so."

"Hey...I'm pretty confident."

Hearing Origami's comment, Tohka pouted unhappily.

"But it's definitely better than before... Thank you for the treat. Well, excuse me."

"Speaking of which, you are neglecting your duties..."

Watching Origami leave, Tohka complained speechlessly.

Time passed by inadvertently, and since students still had some time to go to school and office workers still had some time to work, Tohka had nothing to do and could only stand in the store in a daze.

(That child...is her name Kurumi? I wonder if she will come?)

Tohka thought unconsciously in her mind.

To be honest, when Tohka saw the girl named Tokisaki Kurumi for the first time, she inexplicably cared about her.

With her snow-white skin and jet-black hair, she was as beautiful as a well-cared-for doll, and she thought she was a young lady from a wealthy family. But after the actual conversation, Tohka felt that her words and actions always seemed to be out of balance and powerless. She was like a lost child, wandering and helpless.

Looking at her, Tohka somehow recalled herself losing her memory in the hospital.

(If she comes, I will treat her to some soybean flour bread, hoping that she will be in good spirits.)

--jingle.

Just as Tohka was lost in thought, the doorbell of the store rang crisply.

“Smells so good.”

"Yeah, let's just have bread this morning."

Seeing the customers coming in, Tohka smiled cheerfully.

"Welcome to Shixiang Bakery!"

36 If Line Unknown Natural Disasters (Part )

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

"The first wish is to join the Self-Defense Forces and become a soldier, and the second is to become a police officer. Is this your wish, Tobiichi-san?"

In the school's classroom guidance room, the head teacher looked at the volunteer survey form in his hand and asked as if to confirm.

"Yes."

Sitting upright on the sofa opposite, Tobiichi Origami answered calmly.

"Ah~ I didn't expect Tobiichi-san to be so passionate and righteous at such a young age. Is there some kind of patriotic sentiment?"

"so so."

"Um...ah - that's it, right? A punishment game popular among young high school girls? Is it written as a punishment for losing the game?"

"Not really. I mean it."

Origami shook her head.

"That's it..."

Looking at Tobiichi Origami's calm face, the dean's eyes twitched slightly and he couldn't help but feel a little headache.

(Hey... I really don't understand the thinking of young people nowadays.)

Looking at the girl in front of him, the dean couldn't help but press his forehead with a ballpoint pen and couldn't help sighing in his heart.

Tobiichi Origami is one of the most talented girls in this school. Her test scores have been ranked first since she entered school, and she has always been ranked among the top in the national mock tests. In addition, she has a beautiful appearance and is good at all kinds of sports, which makes her very popular in the school.

In the eyes of her peers, she is an unattainable top student. In the eyes of her teachers, she is an excellent student with both moral integrity and intelligence.

However, at the same time, it is also a tough nut to crack.

Is it a bad thing to want to be a soldier? Of course not. What's wrong with being a policeman? Of course not. In the eyes of the dean, such an answer is at least just a hasty filling of the words "further study" and "employment", and it is obvious that the student is just going through the motions. It is much better.

On the contrary, if an ordinary student answered like this, she would give him encouragement and praise.

But the problem is that when it comes to choosing the girl in front of him, the dean feels that this choice is a bit... wasteful.

"Well... Mr. Tobiichi. I'm not saying this is a bad choice, but with your grades, you are fully capable of making a better choice. Other teachers have mentioned this to you before, right? If you are willing, the school can provide you with a recommendation for admission to a top university, and is willing to help you pay part of the tuition."

"Yes, I know. Thank you very much for the school's kindness. But after thinking about it for a long time, I still prefer this kind of support."

Origami shook her head and politely declined.

"Really? Well, the school only provides one option in the end. It's up to you to decide what to choose."

That's what they said. But in reality it was another matter. At that time, all the teachers thought that Origami Tobiichi would choose to study at a prestigious university, and they hoped that she could also improve the school's reputation.

It was originally a win-win situation. But now, after seeing the volunteers, I felt that the situation was not good, so the dean specially arranged this interview to persuade the other party to change his intention.

However, the more they talked, the more the dean felt that the situation was difficult. The student seemed modest and polite, but in fact he was much more stubborn than she had imagined. He was unmoved by her suggestions and inducements, and some of her questions were also tactfully brushed aside.

(This is not so much a wish as it is a certainty in her mind.)

After complaining helplessly in his heart, the dean continued.

"Tobiichi-san, you are living with your grandmother and sisters now, right?"

"Um...that's right."

Origami nodded slightly.

"Indeed... Yatogami-san is right. By the way, you all have different last names."

"…We are not biological sisters. We were just adopted by grandma after the disaster."

"I see. You two are indeed not alike... Sorry, that's rude."

Realizing that his topic had hit a landmine, the dean of studies said somewhat awkwardly,

"No. It's fine."

"Ahem. Let's get back to the point. I want to confirm whether your family... guardian knows about your current aspirations?"

After hearing this, Origami was silent for a moment and then shook her head.

"Yes, but it's still under discussion."

"Is that so? Then we should discuss it carefully."

The dean of studies keenly noticed Origami's strangeness and thought to himself that something was going to happen. He quickly took advantage of the situation and spoke in a serious tone.

"Mr. Tobiichi, as a teacher, you are also an elder. I suggest you don't make conclusions too early. Sometimes excessive autonomy can make people blind and impulsive. When you look back and calm down, you will easily regret it. So you should discuss more with your elders, face your own abilities and make appropriate choices."

"Okay...thank you, teacher."

————————————I am the dividing line that ends the talks————————————

"call……"

Walking on the way home, Origami let out a tired breath, as if she had just finished a difficult war.

"It's really troublesome..."

When she was called to the guidance office, Origami vaguely understood that they were going to discuss career options, but when it came time to actually deal with it, it was more difficult than she had imagined.

To be honest, a year ago, when Origami had just started school, she had tried to ask her grandmother about joining the Self-Defense Forces or becoming a police officer, but her grandmother opposed it.

But unlike the teacher, grandma’s reason was that she thought this kind of job was too dangerous and she was worried about accidents. She hoped that she would find a peaceful job in the future and live her life in peace.

Since then, Origami has given up on this matter at home and never mentioned her wishes, because she knew that even if she did, it would be difficult to get her grandmother's consent.

Fortunately, thanks to her efforts, she was able to avoid a family visit that would have put her at risk of death.

"I need to convince Grandma before the tripartite meeting before next semester, or..."

Trying to tell herself this, Origami felt a little uncomfortable. She didn't really want to discuss this with her grandmother. First, she didn't want her grandmother, who was busy all day, to worry about her affairs, and second, she didn't want to be bound by the conservative ideas of the older generation.

Another thing is - I don’t want to hear people close to me deny my ideas and ambitions.

It's like a little kid who hides his test paper because he doesn't want to be scolded by his parents.

"Really... What qualifications do I have to lecture Tohka so confidently?"

Thinking of this, Origami couldn't help but droop his shoulders and let out a self-deprecating smile.

——Tobiichi-san, why do you want to join the army?

(Why…?)

Trying to ask herself in her heart, Origami stopped and stood in front of the fence on the slope, looking at the town at the foot of the mountain.

Comfortable, peaceful, and ordinary - this is Origami and also how the locals describe the town they live in. It is neither as prosperous as a big city nor as remote as the countryside.

There are no eye-catching highlights, but there are no shortcomings in life. It is a small town that can be seen everywhere. Even if outsiders come here for sightseeing, I am afraid they will not leave any impression.