Who says meal replacements can’t be eaten as meals?

Ichinose Sakuya was a little afraid to look into Xiangzi's eyes.

If I ask Xiangzi questions, even if she is unhappy, she will still tell me things about her sister.

But, I always feel a little pitiful...

Xiangzi's lonely look like a wolf cub echoed in his heart. If someone could help her, would she not be so tired?

Having made up her mind, Sakuya secretly looked up and glanced at the little hedgehog Toyokawa Shoko opposite her.

The little hedgehog with blue hair is really cute.

"Then...be my friend."

He stood up slightly and placed the meatball on Xiangzi's fried pork cutlet rice. He then took a piece of fried pork cutlet wrapped in thick batter and drew a golden arc in the air.

If we're just friends, it won't be a problem, right? Thinking of this, Sakuya spoke softly:

"Please give me more advice~ Xiangzi."

Ichinose Sakuya smiles beautifully, just like her name, blooming like a flower.

As if she realized she had been staring at him for too long, Toyokawa Shoko lowered her head in embarrassment to hide her slightly red cheeks. Then, she opened her mouth as if talking to herself:

"It's just a deal..."

"Eh? I can hear it." An obvious teasing voice came.

It was hard to tell whether he was angry or excited. Shoko raised his head and enveloped Sakuya with his golden eyes:

"Please give me your guidance, Ichinose... no, Sakuya-san."

======

"Well, it's finally over. The opening ceremony in Tokyo is no different from that in Uji." Following Shoko, Sakuya walked out of the gymnasium where the ceremony had just been held, stretching her beautiful body and waving her hands to feel the comfort of the spring breeze. The little red flower on her chest was pitiful. It trembled three times innocently, not knowing whether it was the wind or the earthquake.

"Xiangzi, do you want to walk around the college together? I heard from my senior that there is a recruitment for the club today."

Sakuya, who has never participated in a student club, seems to be eager to join.

"No need, I have other plans." As if she felt that her refusal was a bit decisive, Xiangzi added softly: "If Sakuya wants, I can accompany you after school this Friday."

Even until Friday!

Is Xiangzi the type who would schedule everything in advance and deal with it on time?

After a slight sigh in his heart, Sakuya nodded without showing it on his face and agreed happily.

"Well, anyway, I'll accompany Xiangzi back to the classroom to get his schoolbag." He took two steps to Xiangzi's side, and the two of them walked side by side in silence, maintaining a certain tacit understanding.

The sun was shining brightly, and her flaxen hair was carried by the spring breeze, like strands of sunlight floating in the fragrance of flowers, stirring the soft sensibility in the heart of the injured girl that had not been touched for a long time.

This warm atmosphere continued until Xiangzi met the weak girl with light gray hair in the corridor.

Xiangzi's steps stopped unconsciously, and there was nostalgia in his golden eyes.

The sun shone through the gaps between the windows in the corridor, and fine dust floated in the light curtain. Time seemed to have stopped at this moment.

Sakuya stopped walking and looked in the direction Shoko was looking at with some confusion, and what came into his sight was a gray-haired girl with M-shaped bangs.

The girl looked a little self-conscious, with her asymmetrical hair and bangs covering most of her forehead.

Looking at the two people wearing Yugaoka school uniforms not far away, Takamatsu Deng's amber pupils suddenly widened, and he opened his mouth, wanting to say something.

A year ago, the two would have had many things to say to each other. But now, silence is the only medium between them.

"Shoko..." Sakuya didn't have time to finish her words.

Shoko's eyes became resolute again. He reached out skillfully and grabbed Sakuya's wrist, then took a step forward.

A group of students returning home happened to pass by, and the shadows of people were moving. Gao Songdeng no longer saw the two familiar figures.

After a while, Gao Songdeng's crying voice finally rang out:

"Xiangzi...Sushi..."

Chapter 7: Still Can’t Become Human

There are really many mysteries surrounding Xiangzi.

Looking at her wrist being held by Shoko for the second time today, the gossipy spirit in Sakuya's heart was rekindled.

The little devil Sakuya, who could no longer hold back her own desires, was wearing an editor-like outfit. With a "bang", she jumped out of the mind and whispered seductively in the ear of the original body:

"Ask her quickly, ask her what the relationship between her and that girl just now is. Is she her sister's cheating partner? Or... are they a threesome?"

With a slightly red face, Sakuya dazedly responded to herself, "No... not so good. Xiangzi-san looks very disappointed."

The editor was so anxious that he rolled up the shorthand book in his hand, angrily slapped the main character's head, and continued in a tone of regret:

"Xiangzi herself has agreed to let you be her friend, so of course you should take advantage of the opportunity. The girl just now is definitely having an affair with Xiangzi."

Facing the little devil's whispered temptation, Sakuya kept shaking her head in her heart, "No, no, no... No, Xiangzi is so injured, I can't continue to hurt her."

As soon as she finished speaking, the angel Kosakuya, wearing a police hat, appeared beside the girl's ear and pinned the little devil down.

"You are breaking the law. Come back with me and turn yourself in!"

"No! You annoying guy, I'm going to fight you!"

This battle between gods and demons, with the girl's head as the main battlefield, ended with the victory of Officer Sakuya.

The little angel mercilessly suppressed the crying little devil, then picked up the rolled-up copy of "One Hundred Thousand Whys About Xiangzi" in her hand and mercilessly stuffed it into a shredder that appeared in the air for unknown reasons, tearing it to pieces.

Shaking her little head, Sakuya finally came to her senses and refocused her attention on Shoko, who had already packed his schoolbag.

I don’t think I have exchanged contact information with Xiangzi yet. Come to think of it, I forgot to ask for Xiaomu’s line number last time. What a loss QAQ.

Sakuya took out his cell phone and asked, "Shoko, can we exchange lines before we go?"

"Sure, after all, exchanging contact information between 'friends' is normal behavior." Xiangzi took out a mobile phone, which showed signs of use. After exchanging contact information, he added his name. Thinking of the possible bad development, Xiangzi added, "If it's okay, I would like to ask Sakuya to change my note to someone else. It would be bad if your sister saw it."

"Ah, that's true. If my sister sees it, I'll be exposed."

Her white and tender fingers poked at the phone and changed Xiangzi's note to 'Customer Service S'. Sakuya couldn't help but boast in her heart, as expected of me, I changed it to customer service so that even if my sister saw the message, she wouldn't be surprised.

Shoving her light grey backpack across her back and tidying up her messed up ponytail, Sakuya walked briskly to say goodbye to Shoko in the corridor. Looking up, the warm yellow sunset had already spread across half of the sky.

The elegant swallow in a tuxedo passed by Sakuya's eyes very leisurely, and landed accurately beside the puddle beside the green belt. It pecked some mud, spread its wings again and flew to the nearby laboratory building.

Sure enough, you can see little swallows building nests in spring, they are so furry and soft.

Feeling somewhat moved, Sakuya simply followed Feiyan's path and wandered slowly, but at the stairs he met a girl whom he had just met not long ago.

======

Just standing there and looking up at the chirping little swallows in their nests, Gao Songdeng's uncontrollable melancholy force field had already unfolded.

Can a newly born bird sing such a powerful sound? Life is so delicate and tenacious. A newly hatched bird can also have a partner to sing with. In comparison, I...

After all, the disbandment of Crychic was all my fault.

It’s because I don’t sing well and haven’t practiced well...that’s why Xiangzi didn’t come to the band.

Xiangzi...is now with Su Shi.

Recalling the warm scenes he had seen before, Takamatsu Deng...felt lonely.

Xiangzi had reconciled with Su Shi... without my knowledge.

So, after all...I guess being alone is more suitable for me.

Just buried in the soil like a lonely stone.

The memory of shouting with Xiangzi on the overpass a year ago gradually faded. The dark tide came and swallowed me up, and I opened my mouth, and a string of bubbles floated to the surface.

No one will come to save me.

After all...I still didn't become a human being.

======

Ichinose Sakuya subconsciously slowed down her pace. Although it was a clean and tidy concrete road, she felt like she was sailing cautiously in the center of a whirlpool.

Do you want to go say hello? This kid and Xiangzi had made eye contact in the corridor before.

But Xiangzi doesn't seem to want to have anything to do with her, so why not... forget it?

Miss Sakuya took a half step back unconsciously.

Savoring the loneliness emanating from Takamatsu Tomo, Sakuya finally stopped turning around.

He patted his cheeks to cheer himself up, then walked up to the girl with a cheerful smile.

He tilted his body so that he could see the girl's expression clearly under her bangs, and the sunlight fell just right on her flaxen ponytail.

"What a coincidence! Are you here to see the swallows, too?"

The swallow flew back to the eaves and stopped in front of the almost completed nest, and gently placed mud on the gap. He turned his head to look at the two-legged animals standing downstairs of his house, chirped a few times, and then flew away again.

Gao Songdeng listened to the familiar gentle voice and raised his head timidly. The girl in front of him was as gentle and gentle as he remembered, and the cherry blossom hair accessory tied around her neck made her look more youthful and energetic.

If you want to escape, you have to run away.

Mingming, all I have to do is make a piece of stone.

Finally, tears that could no longer be suppressed flowed from the corners of his eyes, and Gao Songdeng murmured:

"Sushi..."

Suppressing the sighs for her sister, Ichinose Sakuya hurriedly searched for the handkerchief in her schoolbag. However, Takamatsu Deng's not-so-loud sobs seemed to have attracted the attention of classmates in the distance.

Without time to think of a countermeasure, Sakuya opened her arms helplessly and hugged Takamatsu Deng with a gentle but irresistible force. Patting the girl's slender back, Sakuya tried to say comforting words:

"It's okay, it's okay. Don't cry, don't cry...you won't look pretty if you turn into a little cat."

Takamatsu Deng, crying like a pear blossom in the rain, blankly felt the girl's warm chest with the fragrance of flowers. A few tears fell on the lining of the white school uniform, and the sobbing gradually subsided.

Raising his hand to wipe away the tears that still flowed from the corners of his eyes, Takamatsu Deng apologized in a voice that was still mixed with a little crying;

"I'm sorry...Sushi...I got your clothes wet. I..."

She was responded by a gentle touch from behind her head, and she lowered her head in obedience. Takamatsu Deng buried herself in Ichinose Sakuya's chest once again.

Chapter 8: Flowers in the Mirror and Moon in the Water (Original Story)

Written in front:

This chapter mainly introduces the content of the third episode of the animation to readers who have not watched it. The viewing experience may not be very good, so you can choose to skip it directly.

--------

I thought how nice it would be if I could collect my tears before feeling sad.

I have always felt that I am somewhat out of touch with this world.

He vaguely realized that he had done something wrong, otherwise why would Mio run away from him crying?

"I'm so sorry, my child likes to collect small round things, and I think she meant well."

My mother's somewhat tired apology came from above my head.

"No, I'm really sorry to bother you."

I looked up nervously at my mother who had put down her phone, and I quietly waited for my judgment.

As if she was relieved, my mother forced a smile and called my name, "Deng..." Then she half squatted down so that I could see her face clearly:

"Mio said she'll play with you next time."

Mom narrowed her eyes in embarrassment, tilted her head and continued:

"I know Deng likes it very much...but if someone gives Mom a lot of dango bugs, Mom will also feel a little reluctant."

My vision dims as my eyelids close.

[In order not to stray from this world], I thought to myself and wrote the sentence down in my notebook.

When I opened my eyes again, I heard my mother calling me from behind the curtains.

"Deng, it's time to go to school."

"Next time, go to bed and sleep well. Sleeping on the table is not good for your health."

The notebook was filled with scattered sentences that didn't form an article. I wanted to record the normal definition, but it was covered with pencil scribblings.