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

"Xiao Mu looks really pretty when she smiles." Miss Sakuya exclaimed without any self-awareness. Her words were straightforward and her compliments were simple. Her tone was that of a normal daily conversation between friends.

The summer breeze that blew the flowers and leaves turned into a strong wind, passing through the tree trunks and leaves, making a pleasant rustling sound. The linen-colored silk danced with the fragrance of the flowers, brushing against the light green hair that was close at hand, and also stirring the softest sensibility in the girl's heart.

Ruoye Mu lowered his head even more.

Chapter 116 I Will Be a Cucumber

In a corner of the school, next to the sink, Ichinose Sakuya took out the plastic kettle of water with satisfaction and turned the valve. After wandering around the Tsuki-no-Mori campus for a long time, Miss Sakuya finally found an ordinary item that suited her consumption habits.

The wide and thick design embodies the spirit of practicality, the stable cylindrical barrel shows safety and stability, the polyethylene material is waterproof and durable, the dark light brown appearance is particularly eye-catching among the bright flowers, and there is a long handle that can be held with both hands and a pure black nozzle. More importantly, it is really cheap, and it is a safe product that even Shoko Toyokawa can consume without pressure.

"This amount of water should be enough, right?" Ms. Sakuya weighed the fully loaded water bottle in her hand with some excitement. It was about as heavy as a GB-4. "Xiao Mu, here you go."

"Su Shi..." Ruo Yemu opened his mouth in embarrassment, as if thinking about how to express his thoughts in words. The water was enough to flood the cucumbers that occupied only a few small flower pots two or three times.

Besides...it will be a bit heavy if you carry it for too long. I usually only hold less than half of the water.

"What's wrong?" Miss Sakuya tilted her head with a smile on her face. It was a romantic smile that Wakaba Mutsu had never seen on Su Shi's face before.

Ruo Ye Mu didn't say anything, as if encouraged by the smile, he tried hard to cover his hands with the other pair of hands, which were much warmer.

"I'm letting go, be careful," Sakuya said softly.

"...Yeah." Ruo Yemu was a little reluctant, but still nodded lightly.

With her arms stretched straight, Miss Mutsu was lifting the kettle unsteadily. She followed Sakuya, who was humming a song softly, swaying like a little duck. Sakuya, who had turned on the country girl mode without any disguise, was holding some useless but fun-looking gardening tools in her hands, which she clanged together to accompany the music.

"Xiao Mu, Xiao Mu, do we need to loosen the soil for cucumbers?" Miss Sakuya, who was in a good mood, asked without turning her head while playing with a metal shovel with a little mud on her hand.

"..." Ruo Yemu really wanted to answer Su Shi's rare question, but she really couldn't shout out now, because Su Shi was already a little far away from her.

"Xiao Mu?" The country girl looked around and did not see the familiar light green figure beside her. She quickly turned around and ran to Ruoye Mu, who was left behind a little.

"Sorry, is it a little too heavy?" Miss Sakuya timidly offered her hand but did not move.

"Heavy..." Ruoye Mu's emotionless voice sounded a little resentful. Looking at Su Shi who suddenly became jumpy, she even suspected whether this was some kind of strange bullying behavior.

Because I didn't help contact Xiang...

Ruo Yemu's dark thoughts only lasted for a moment before being dispelled by the warm touch of his palm.

At least at this moment, Su Shi is only thinking about me...

Ruoye Mu closed her small hands holding the handle up and down, and clamped her other palm tightly in the middle in a slightly intimate manner. She was greedy for this beautiful moment.

"Um...but wouldn't it be a bit hard for Xiaomu to get it by himself?" Wakaba Mu's fingers were icy cold, and it felt comfortable to touch them in the summer. Miss Sakuya tried hard to think about it with her smart brain, but still couldn't understand what Xiaomu was thinking.

"......" Ruo Yemu lowered his eyes and shook his head gently. "Su Shi, I get tired too."

"Hmm..." Miss Sakuya fell into thought. If she took it herself, she would be worried. But if Xiao Mu took it alone, it would be too much for her. In this case...

"How about each of us holding one side and the two of us walking side by side?" Miss Sakuya was very proud of herself after coming up with the answer. If both of her hands were not occupied, she would probably have put her hands on her hips and been proud for a while.

Ruoye Mu should be very satisfied too. Although his face was still expressionless, the loosened hand and the slight nod of his head were undoubtedly quiet approval.

The problem that was not a problem was easily solved. The atrium in the Moon Forest that belonged to the two of them alone was still peaceful, except that the two of them were sitting a little closer and walking a little slower.

======

In the end, a lot of water from the full kettle was spilled out. Miss Sakuya evenly watered all the other potted plants on the flower stand, and finally returned the round kettle with less than half left to Wakaba Mutsu who was standing quietly.

"Xiao Mu, is this little water really enough? I remember that growing cucumbers requires a lot of water, right?" Ms. Sakuya's concept of cucumbers still remains in her distant childhood. She vaguely remembers using a long plastic water spray tube to water the cucumber vines that were built with several bamboo poles at her grandmother's house.

"Cucumbers... like moisture." Ruoye Mu nodded in agreement, holding the kettle with both hands, feeling it for a moment before speaking seriously. "If you water too much, the roots will rot... Keep the soil moist, but don't water too much at once. Especially when it's about to bear fruit, water less..."

Sakuya tilted her head slightly and listened quietly until Wakaba Mu finished the last word with great effort before she smiled and spoke. "Xiao Mu is really attentive. Anyway, it means enough?" This is the first time that Xiao Mu has said so many words in a row. It turns out that he still needs to find the right topic.

"Yeah." Ruo Yemu's lips were flat and there was a smile in the corners of his eyes. He concentrated on feeling the cucumber vines curled up between the flower pots and the iron frame.

Water flows evenly from the top of the shower head, reflecting the dazzling sunlight, slowly and leisurely bringing coolness to this small corner of the campus.

What a beautiful person! The flowers are beautiful, and the person is even more beautiful.

Looking at the beautiful girl and cucumber flowers in front of her, Sakuya suddenly felt a little hot. She tugged at the scarf on her chest, then squatted down again, and stretched out her hand to block the path of the scattered water droplets, sharing some coolness.

"Su Shi...?" Ruo Ye Mu raised the kettle and lowered his head, his eyes met the innocently blinking gray-blue eyes.

"It's a little hot..." Ms. Sakuya raised her hands and patted her forehead and cheeks before saying with a little embarrassment.

"..." Wakaba Mu's little brain worked for a moment, and he gently moved the shower head in front of Sakuya. "Su Shi... do you want more?"

“That’s okay~” Miss Sakuya wanted to say.

But if Ye Mu's expectant eyes were really irresistible, she had to stretch out her other hand, spread it out obediently, and wait quietly for Mu to water it.

The water curtain fell gently. Ruo Yemu's face was serious. The amount of water was controlled just right, moistening his palms but not his sleeves.

This was probably the most important crop to her, so she watered it a little more carefully.

It was not until then that she reacted. She curled her hands and clasped the handles tightly, and her pretty face turned red.

"Now, I'm also the cucumber watered by Xiaomu~" Miss Sakuya stood up briskly and smiled brightly.

"...Hmm." Ruo Yemu paused for a moment before he hummed softly.

Chapter 117: Enlightenment

The sun is shining brightly in the sky, cucumber flowers are swaying gently, and the breeze is blowing across the red bricks of the school wall, turning them green and tender yellow, like simple rouge, adding green to the Moon Forest.

After experiencing most of the day's unrestrained sunshine, the cucumber vines finally replenished their water and began to exude vitality again.

Ruoye Mu raised the kettle with a little regret. Time passed quickly today and Tokyo was getting hot. Fortunately, Su Shi would still be with him tomorrow.

"Don't you need someone to loosen the soil today?" Ichinose Sakuya asked again without giving up, and with the same regret took back the green iron shovel that was covered with traces of use.

"Well... the root system has developed well. If Su Shi wants, we can do it next time." Ruo Yemu's eyes moved slightly and he began to explain.

"What a pity... I quite like the feel of this shovel. Next time before class, I'll ask the gardening teacher if there are other plants that need help loosening the soil." Ms. Sakuya stood up and clapped her hands. She habitually searched her pockets but couldn't find the familiar mobile phone wrapped in a small shark phone case. She could only look up at the slightly slanted sun and silently estimate the time.

I was a little nervous at the beginning of today, but now it seems quite relaxed. My disguise and etiquette are indeed perfect.

Miss Sakuya was narcissistic for a moment, only to realize that Wakaba Mu's golden pupils had been staring at her chest since the beginning.

"What's wrong, Xiaomu?" She subconsciously reached out to cover her chest. It didn't get bigger or smaller. Could it be that she got rubbed against the mud when she bent down to play with the shovel just now?

"Su Shi, scarf." Ruoye Mu looked at the flaxen-haired girl who was confused, and gently pointed to the neatly symmetrical light gray butterfly scarf on his chest.

"Hey...what's wrong with my scarf?" Miss Sakuya lowered her head and pondered the standard scarf that she had pulled to the side. It seemed to be a little crooked.

She tried to untie the bow, then lifted the white lapel with an elegant movement, and then asked her sister to help tie a knot...

"Um..." Miss Sakuya decided not to disturb her sister, as she was probably busy taking a history make-up exam.

So she blinked at Ruoye Mu innocently.

"?" Miss Mu, who was watching from the side, tilted her head slightly, her golden eyes filled with innocence and confusion.

"Xiao Mu, um..." Miss Sakuya was a little embarrassed, but her perfect disguise would never be exposed so easily, because she was smart and had already thought of an excuse in a flash!

"There's still some mud on my hands. Xiaomu, can you help me tie them again?" Miss Sakuya showed her signature smile that she had practiced for a long time and raised her head slightly towards the light. The remaining guilt was completely hidden by her confidence. Xiaomu would definitely not be able to see it!

"......" Ruo Ye Mu opened his mouth slightly and fell into thought.

Although the country girl's reasons were very valid, adjusting each other's scarves was definitely one of the most intimate behaviors in the Moon Forest.

Su Shi, does this count as... liking me?

Ruoye Mu put the kettle away blankly and took two deep breaths before he understood Su Shi's somewhat bold and straightforward request.

"I'm starting." Mu declared in a low voice, running his hands through the ends of his flaxen hair, raising them up as high as he could, and then stopping in mid-air.

Due to some objective reasons, if Ye Mu wanted to tie his scarf elegantly, he might have to grow a little taller.

"Su Shi..." Ruo Yemu's golden pupils were obviously trembling, and his tone was mixed with a hint of crying. It was not so much that he was embarrassed, but more like he was speaking softly and coquettishly to the person in front of him in a roundabout way.

“Eh…how about this?” Sakuya leaned down and stopped just before he touched the light green bangs of the doll lady.

"How is it?" With her hands clasped tightly behind her back, Miss Sakuya sniffed, trying to suppress the itch and fragrance coming from her nose, and spoke softly.

"......" Ruo Yemu lowered her eyes again, her golden eyes staring at the chest so close to her, her face flushed as she continued the actions of her hands.

The slender fingers separated, brushed across the collar, and went all the way down, smoothing out the wrinkles on the scarf and meeting again. After a simple interweaving and the inevitable slight touch, Ruo Yemu finally turned his head, letting his bangs escape the slightly hot breath.

"Thank you, Xiao Mu." The person with bright red earlobes spoke in a normal tone, pretending to be calm. He kept repeating the etiquette rules in his mind three times before he gradually calmed down.

That's right, I was just trying to abide by the etiquette of Tsuki no Mori. It was by no means a lewd act, and I had no inappropriate criminal thoughts towards Xiangxiang's Xiaomu!

"Yeah." Ruoye Mu was looking down and counting the light-colored tiles on the ground, with similar girlish thoughts.

The air fell into a long silence. Apart from the flowers and the summer breeze, probably no one else witnessed this simple clothing arrangement.

A faint light flashed from the camera lens, and Fujimiya Hermia felt a little regretful that she didn't take this photo in a place with a better view.

======

"Thank you for your call today. Please rate my service after the communication. I wish you a happy life. Goodbye." Shoko Toyokawa frowned slightly and spoke in a skillful tone as she handled the last customer of the day.

"Oh..." She sighed softly and pressed the sign-out button a little earlier than planned. The time originally scheduled for tutoring Sakuya was shortened a lot, but Shoko was also worried about this matter.

She suspected that the one who came to school today might not be Sakuya, but that stupid twin sister, the clingy and annoying Nagasaki Motoyo...

There is no conclusive evidence, just simple doubt and a sense of disharmony.

But...even if the person sitting in the back seat today was really Nagasaki Suyo, what could he do? Should he criticize her harshly in public without regard for etiquette? Or should he risk admitting his fault and get angry at Sakuya in private?

Miss Xiangzi was a little scared, afraid of this development that she was most unwilling to accept...

She didn't want to believe that Sakuya would choose to betray her for Nagasaki Motoyo.

Because this was an agreement they had made when they first met, Sakuya would not betray her information, and he would spend his energy playing some slightly extravagant friend games with her.

This is a deal...so Sakuya won't betray me.

"Really?" A familiar voice sounded.

"We agreed to run away together." Toyokawa Shoko answered to the other self in her heart.

"What if tomorrow, the day after tomorrow, and every day thereafter are like today, will there be no problem?" The girl in a black and red dress continued to ask at her own hunched back.

"No!" Xiangzi retorted harshly. She leaned against a concrete telephone pole on the roadside that was covered with cheap advertisements, breathing rapidly.

"Really?" The dark-haired girl held up her pale cheeks with the hollow-patterned black gauze gloves and continued to speak, pronouncing the verdict word by word. "You are just afraid that Sakuya will leave you, so you chose to avoid her again. You are always like this..."

"I..."

"Because... you can't leave her anymore."

His hands were pulled away, and his head lost support and fell sharply to the ground.

In the calm water, Toyokawa Shoko could clearly see her own wildly trembling golden pupils.

"Tell me, what would you do to a betrayer?" His own voice came along with a rather ambiguous breath and appeared in his ear again.

"Gratitude, severed...righteousness, severed." Xiangzi gritted his teeth and spoke word by word.

Chapter 118: Facing Your Inner Heart

[As expected, I am still feeling sleepy]

[Having finished the sandwich in a hurry]

[Today, as usual, I met you on the way to school]

[It seems that no one will disturb me during my daily greetings]

...

I closed the light blue notebook with cucumber flowers printed on it, and I managed to come up with some fragments of lyrics today.

Ichinose Sakuya held her head with both hands, and rubbed her soft scalp with a slightly painful and listless look, and only stopped when her smooth hair was completely messed up. With one hand, she gathered her frizzy flaxen long hair bit by bit, and with the other hand, she gently squeezed the cheap vegetable drink sold in the cafeteria, using the sugar to replenish her brain cells that had been consumed by mental work.

Yes, Ms. Sakuya has returned to her loyal first-year B group. Her elder sister is still preparing two sets of school uniforms at the same time and doesn't seem to be stopping. When she asks her sister the reason, she can only hear her sister mumbling in confusion. Most of the words are fragmented, such as "Am I exposed?" and "What's wrong?". Just listening in for a while makes people feel overwhelmed.

It seemed like someone was about to grow a brain and quickly retreated. It was a pity that he couldn't accompany Xiao Mu to loosen the soil for the cucumbers, but the little blue-haired hedgehog who was often prone to daydreaming was also equally worrying.

Although Xiangzi always gives people a very strong image, he is actually much more fragile than the average person...

Miss Sakuya sighed and lay on the table tiredly, playing with her newly combed hair with her hands. After being Miss Tsuki no Mori for a day, she found the hard bench in Yugaoka more comfortable to sit on. Even the weak and weak voice of Teacher Ryoko was so nostalgic, except for one thing...

Miss Xiangzi seemed a little too quiet today.

When we met on the way to school, we greeted each other as usual and then we didn't talk much. In class, he just sat quietly, with his back straight, one hand on the side of his forehead, motionless, as if he was thinking about some century-old problem.