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

"Oh, then I'd better obey you. Su Shi and Xiao Mu have a very good relationship. They have been together often recently and even switched to a gardening class. Could it be that Su Shi actually likes quiet children like Xiao Mu?" The black-haired lady, who looked more lively than in the photo, smiled indifferently, teased Cai Guian, and prepared to leave.

“Yes.” Miss Sakuya, not understanding the hidden meaning at all, smiled just as she had rehearsed.

"Eh? Really?" Now it was Katsume Ai's turn to be secretly shocked. As a loyal fan of an unknown yuri artist in a well-known forum, she couldn't help but feel a sense of loss as if she had been betrayed by the CP she supported.

“Yes.” Ms. Sakuya, who could only say this, kept her expression unchanged, but a small transparent question mark began to appear on her head.

"Ah... I'm so sorry, I won't bother you anymore." Katsume Ai, whose face was struck by a mental explosion, muttered to herself. She didn't expect that Su Shi-san would be so bold.

"Well, hello." Miss Sakuya responded casually, took out the lunch box prepared by her sister in advance, and walked out in a hurry. Why did Xiaomu run so fast?

======

The midday sunlight in early summer is a little dazzling. The three-tiered stepped flower racks are filled with lush flowers and green grasses carefully cultivated by gardeners. Several clusters of separated ivy are trimmed into the shape of a waterfall, pouring down over the red wall. The plants are probably very welcoming of the summer sun, glowing with joy, but it is not easy to find a shaded spot to dine in the well-lit atrium.

Sakuya finally found Wakaba Mutsuki on a slightly secluded bench. The girl was sitting in the shadow, eating her lunch box in small bites, like an inconspicuous cucumber in the flower bed at the corner, swaying a few times when the wind blew, and growing silently when there was no wind or rain, waiting for the next encounter.

"Xiao Mu, do you always eat lunch here?" Miss Sakuya adjusted her uncomfortably long skirt, imitated Wakaba Mu's posture of keeping her legs together, and sat at the other end of the bench where the sun would directly shine on it.

Ruoye Mu turned his head, and his golden pupils met the familiar gray-blue eyes.

She lowered her head again and moved the nanmu chopsticks in her hand, but still failed to pick up the shrimps in the lunch box.

“...Yeah.” After a long silence, Ruo Yemu replied softly.

Miss Sakuya's eyes rolled around quickly. She and Xiaomu were not very familiar with each other, so she just gave a simple greeting.

My sight turns to the one-piece insulated lunch box standing on her plump legs. I buckle and open the lid to eat. Fried chicken nuggets, tamagoyaki, and boiled broccoli are all homely dishes. But I still have to thank my sister for being so great that I can eat relatively warm white rice at noon.

"Not always..." Ruo Yemu still had her slightly cold tone. "Only in the spring, when cucumbers... bear fruit."

If Nagasaki Suyo were here, she would probably be able to hear the urgency hidden in Wakaba Mutsu's words. It was the tone of someone who was worried about being misunderstood but didn't know how to explain it.

"Well... it's summer now, right?" Ms. Sakuya raised her palms high, squinted her eyes, and observed the sunlight between her fingers. "Is it because the summer sun is too disturbing?"

"...Yeah." Wakaba Mu shook his head slightly, making a cute nasal sound of denial. "In the summer... there will be a lot of caterpillars on the trees..."

"Huh? Ugh!" The man who was eating meat felt his hair stand on end. He glanced anxiously at every space in the seat and almost jumped up on the spot.

The lush green plants began to exude malice, the bright flowers also concealed murderous intent, and the emerald green oak trees not far away were an absolute forbidden area. When the breeze blew, in addition to the fragrance, it seemed that one could hear the tiny movement of crickets and the like from the bushes behind.

Miss Sakuya's eyes became slightly moist, and she unconsciously moved quickly towards Wakaba Mu's side until their arms were touching. Only then did she feel a little relieved. She tried hard to swallow the half-chewed chicken nugget in her mouth, and begged in a tearful tone.

"Xiao Mu, can we go somewhere else to eat? Caterpillars are too scary..."

Ms. Sakuya's fear is genuine, but Wakaba Mutsu...

She froze.

Su Shi's chest was directly pressed against my shoulder, so soft and with a hint of floral scent...

"Xiao Mu?" Miss Sakuya, who didn't get a response, waved her hand in front of Wakaba Mu who stopped the process, and then the system came back online.

"Yeah." Ruoye Mu, with a slightly red face, lowered his head and whispered to the equally red cherry tomatoes in the lunch box.

"Well, let's put it this way. We'll go to another place tomorrow." Miss Sakuya carefully scanned the area within a radius of 5 meters, let out a long sigh, and started to prepare today's lunch again.

...Will Su Shi come to accompany me tomorrow?

Looking at Nagasaki Suyo who quickly finished her food without following the dining etiquette, Wakaba Mutsu pursed his thin lips and raised them slightly.

"Oh, by the way, this is for Xiaomu." Miss Sakuya, who was only thinking about finishing her meal as soon as possible and getting away from Bugs, resorted to despicable means. She picked up a piece of boiled broccoli, which she didn't like very much, and put it directly into Wakaba Mu's small black lunch box.

"..." Ruo Yemu was stunned. She stared at the sudden and increasing green color and fell into thought.

Wakaba Mu's cute and silly look was really heart-warming. Perhaps for the sake of her own conscience, Miss Sakuya, after moving most of the vegetarian dishes, picked up the largest piece of tamagoyaki and put it on the rice as compensation, adding with uneasiness, "Eat more so you can grow taller, Mu, don't be picky about food..."

Wakaba Mu finally moved.

She picked up the tiger prawn that she had been fiddling with with her chopsticks for a long time, lowered her eyes, and carefully placed it in the corner of the half-empty lunch box beside her.

The simple action seemed to have drained away all the girl's courage.

"Hmm." Ruoye Mu hummed lightly, lowered his head again, and devoured the slightly sweet broccoli in small sips.

I am probably a good kid, so I can't be picky about food...

Chapter 112: Copy Ninja Nagasaki Suyo

The course is over.

Lunch break.

It was a rare moment for Toyokawa Shoko not to step out, and she came to Yugaoka Shokudo gracefully and calmly.

Because before leaving, she stood at her seat and saw Ichinose Sakuya who was having a friendly academic exchange with Professor Ryoko on the podium.

It's unbelievable that the girl from Uji who was practicing "New Standard Japanese History" was actually chatting with teacher Ryoko in a friendly manner! It would be more convincing if she was called in for a lecture because she failed the exam.

Miss Xiangzi was a little surprised at this situation, but then she thought that they were probably discussing something related to the club. It was impossible that Sakuya ate the wrong mushroom and his historical knowledge improved by leaps and bounds.

After thinking for a moment, Toyokawa Shoko took out her neat class notes again, walked against the flow of people and leaned towards the podium, deciding to observe from the sidelines for a few seconds.

"Humph, it looks like you've done a lot of preparation in advance, but if I ask you the specific year of the Meiji Restoration, can you answer it? If you fail, then go and take the make-up exam!"

Hirashima Ryoko's gentle tone concealed a condescending feeling, as if she were a Pokémon gym leader facing a rookie trainer whose names were more abstract than the last. If this Miss Sakuya, who had overcome many difficulties and suddenly made a comeback, was only capable of this, then today, her pen would be a little dirty.

"18..." Nagasaki Suyo, who was deeply shocked by the answer written by his sister on the test paper, had a solemn expression and sweat on his forehead. The history class in Tsukinomori High School was not a key point, and even the exams were open-book. Just answering the questions with the weird ideas he had imagined before was enough to exhaust all his energy. How could there be a teacher so aggressive?

Could it be that Sakuya had offended this burgundy-haired teacher?

"18 what?" Hirashima Ryoko crossed her arms across her chest, the dual pressures of being an educator and a senior in a death rock band spreading wildly.

"Eh...18..." Nagasaki Suyo suddenly stopped talking halfway through, her body straightened, her pretty face flushed, and her facial expression changed three times in a row before she finished the second half of the answer with a slight tremor. "18...68."

Next to me is Toyokawa Shoko, with whom I haven't had physical contact for a long time. We are so close that I can smell the scent of shampoo that I quietly savored in the morning. I feel a slightly cool touch on the back of my hand. Her small fingers gently scratch my skin, first in an irregular arc, and then in repeated up and down circles.

"That's right..." Hirashima Ryoko looked down at the area blocked by the podium, and the corners of her mouth twitched slightly.

What's going on? Do students nowadays play so rock and roll? And... am I also part of your play! ?

After venting her inner cry, Teacher Ryoko turned her head and looked at Toyokawa Shoko, who was always a worry-free person. "Is there anything wrong, Toyokawa-san?"

"There is a knowledge point in class that I am not clear about. Can I bother the teacher for a moment to ask you something?" Toyokawa Shoko was very polite and naturally took out her notes. Her other hand finally moved away from the back of her hand, which had become much smoother, and pointed to the point circled with a pen.

Miss Xiangzi felt that she inserted herself at the right time, and the fact that Sakuya could answer half of the questions by herself was an above-average performance, but... why did it feel like Sakuya's reaction today was a little too bland?

Miss Xiangzi, who originally wanted to hear someone exclaim in embarrassment, took back the notebook that the teacher had revised with a hint of regret and stood quietly aside.

"Well, it's time for lunch, so I won't bother you anymore. But... Sakuya-chan, you obviously know most of the knowledge points, so why did you write some strange answers?" Teacher Ryoko turned the test paper in her hand over, folded it, and handed it to Nagasaki Motoyo, who had escaped the fate of a make-up exam. She stood up and planned to stay away from the two reserve girls.

"No... I just didn't think of it. And thanks to Xiangzi for tutoring me." Miss Su Shi smiled awkwardly. She was too excited about the morning class. Her heart was full of joy about the upcoming reorganization of Crychic. She really didn't expect that after changing her identity, there would be such a disaster waiting for her.

Thanks to Xiangzi's help.

As expected, Sakuya and Shoko have a very special relationship. Nagasaki Motoyo thought as she squeezed her right thumb tightly.

Ryoko Hirashima retreated quickly, and for a moment only two familiar people were left in the empty classroom.

"Sakuya, are you okay today?" Miss Shoko tilted her head with a little worry and looked at the flaxen-haired girl who hadn't seen her for two days and was at least twice as smart. She was also unusually quiet in class in the morning. Could it be that she started to study hard intermittently because the midterm was approaching?

"I'm fine~" Nagasaki Suyo turned around excitedly and smiled back. The clear force field learned from Sakuya was fully deployed, like the spring sun shining on the lake.

It’s so good that it feels like a dream.

Miss Motoyo's smile was as refreshing as the breeze. She might not be able to naturally smile as brightly as Sakuya, but she could act it out.

The soft and hard assistance of facial control and emotional empathy are activated simultaneously, the facial muscles are reproduced exactly, the smile is sculpted into a similar appearance, and the most pleasant emotions are searched out from the huge memory palace. For example, when Crychic was just formed, Xiangzi gently said to himself the name "community of shared destiny".

A combination of strength and flexibility, a thorough understanding of the essence, the smile and happiness are released from the heart, without any artificiality.

If ordinary underground idols or coffee shop waiters have this kind of acting skills and smile, they can make the female high school students who are not very determined to be religious spend a lot of money after a few conversations, either to buy the top-of-the-line matcha parfait, or to take out the reserve funds for replacing the effect pedals and buy a lot of peripherals. In the long run, the tax paid for the commission is much higher than the basic salary, and finally it climbs all the way until it becomes the legendary smiling ruthless person in Tokyo.

Sure enough, by fully utilizing Tsukinomori Shuu's facial expression management and memory assistance, Miss Sushi immediately changed the atmosphere of Group B of the first year from a mystery drama back to a campus comedy.

"Let's go to the cafeteria quickly. We didn't eat much in the morning and our stomachs are a little empty." Nagasaki Suyo half tilted her head and acted coquettishly like Sakuya.

"Well... let's go." Miss Xiangzi didn't hesitate any more. She chuckled and turned to walk out the door.

I still feel it's a little strange. I seem to have seen Sakuya's smile before, on another occasion...

Toyokawa Shoko's golden eyes opened and closed, and she finally remembered where this subtle sense of difference came from. It was Sakuya's troublesome sister, whose smile was quite similar to that before Crychic was established.

She turned her head and glanced at the country girl beside her who was grinning foolishly and fantasizing about something, but she felt that she was thinking too much. After all, Nagasaki Suyo would never make such a silly expression.

The light blue ponytail swayed in front of her eyes, and Miss Su Shi breathed a sigh of relief.

For now, I've passed the test, right?

Chapter 113 There are bad people among the members

Toyokawa Shoko looked solemnly at the history test paper that she had ordered someone to revise.

Miss Xiangzi's attitude was serious, and her golden pupils shrank slightly. The seriousness of the situation was only slightly lower than when she faced the bills at the end of the month.

The handwriting on the test paper in his hand was neat, without any randomly scribbled correction slashes or insertion symbols added at the end of the text. More importantly, the correction was completed in one go. Sakuya didn't even poke himself on the shoulder helplessly to ask for help today.

"How is it? There shouldn't be anything wrong, right?" Nagasaki Suyo remained sitting in the same position, tiptoeing quietly under the table, swaying slightly up and down happily.

Xiaoxiang will definitely praise himself now~

Miss Su Shi did not show any flaws throughout the whole day. Having fully replenished Xiaoxiang's energy, she looked radiant and her behavior pattern was a little bit complacent.

"Very serious, almost to the point where it can serve as supporting evidence that aliens do exist and are conducting inhumane human experiments."

Toyokawa Shoko complained quietly in her heart, with a suspicious look on her face, and carefully observed 'Miss Sakuya' who was begging for praise.

Her appearance hadn't changed, she still had the familiar flaxen long hair, with a not-so-obvious curl at the end that she had permed last week, and her eyes were also the gray-blue color that she had liked recently.

There wasn't much change in his attitude. He was a bit reserved today, but after I fed him a spoonful of vegetables at lunch, he suddenly became proactive and much more enthusiastic than usual.

Sure enough, the reason why her IQ changed was because Sakuya was abducted by aliens for experiments over the weekend, and because her knowledge capacity aroused their sympathy, they repaired her, erased her memory, and sent her back to Earth, right?

Or maybe, is it because of Nagasaki Suyo?

"Very good." Miss Xiangzi's compliment this time was particularly perfunctory. After all, she hadn't heard Sakuya's request with a hint of coquettishness throughout the whole day, nor had she seen the little village girl blushing and at a loss. She always felt that she was not doing anything.

"Sakuya, how is your relationship with...your sister lately?" With hesitation in her mind, Toyokawa Shoko finally asked.

Friendship is a luxury for Toyokawa Shoko now, so she cherishes it especially, cherishing this person who is willing to hug her and share warmth even if he is hurt by indifference.

Or maybe I'm just caring too much and getting confused.

The flaxen-haired girl in front of him stiffened for a moment, and the smile on her face also had a familiar flavor - one of the several smiles that she had been taught in the Moon Forest to cover up her embarrassment.

"She is my elder sister after all. Even though she was very angry last time, she forgave me after seeing how miserable I was eating minestrone soup for three days." Nagasaki Suyo adjusted herself quickly, hiding the little surprise in her heart and getting back into the state, her tone was cute and exaggerated.

Her eyes fell on Xiangzi's slender figure, and Miss Suyo borrowed Sakuya's tone to softly express her own feelings. "For Xiaoxiang... I have tried very hard!"

For Xiaoxiang and Crychic, as long as it can bring everyone back to peace, I will try my best to do it no matter what it is.

"That's true..." Xiangzi's response was interrupted by the bell for the end of get out of class, which didn't seem to understand the atmosphere. Time was always too cruel, and it was time to go to work again.

The customer service representative Xiaoxiang suppressed the unfinished words and the doubts in his heart, elegantly pulled up his shoulder strap, stood up and walked out the door.

"Don't you have to go to the Astronomy Department today?" Xiangzi looked back.

"Yeah." Su Shi lowered her head and gently pinched the tip of her index finger, avoiding Xiangzi's gaze for the first time today.

======

Nagasaki Suyo opened the astronomy department for the first time.

The remaining spring in Tokyo has been overshadowed by the summer. Even in the cool afternoon, the scattered and interconnected campuses still retain the residual heat of the day, making it a little stuffy. The leaves rustle in the summer breeze, occasionally mixed with the chirping of sparrows and the tireless calls of cicadas.

Her hair floated on her forehead without a speck of sweat. Miss Su Shi, who was already late, walked slowly. Compared to the astronomy department who were leisurely sipping tea, she was more concerned about Xiao Xiang's final reaction.

"Sakuya, you're finally here." Chihaya Aine, who was holding a familiar tea can, was the first to speak, raising her hand to greet Suyo.

Tsk, you annoying pink-haired scoundrel, that's my tea!

"Good afternoon, everyone. It took me a little time to correct the test papers. Sorry, sorry~" Miss Vegetarian clasped her fingers together, ignored the black-haired pigtailed woman who was huddled in the corner with little presence and Chihaya Aine who was unable to cope with it, and walked straight to sit next to Xiao Deng.

"Good afternoon, Sakuya-chan. The water has just boiled. Aine said it's her turn to make tea today. Let's wait and see." Takamatsu Deng has been in a good mood recently, but she still has no inspiration for writing lyrics. Fortunately, Kasuga Kage, who gradually changed the melody, finally allowed her to look at this strange world with an equal eye again.

"It was Kosaku-chan who made the drink first, right? Last time it was Kodama, and Hai Luo said she only knew how to pour Coke, so of course it's my turn to serve everyone this time!" Miss Aine said confidently.

I often make tea for my dad at home. It’s just a simple matter of grabbing a handful of tea leaves and pouring boiling water on them.

hou↗?

This annoying pink bag can actually make tea? Anyway, I have to stay for a while, so it's not bad to enjoy it for a while. Miss Vegetarian raised her eyes slightly and glanced at Miss Aine who volunteered with 1/2 of her eyes.

Ms. Aine began her performance.