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

Nagasaki Suyo ran towards the sunset, striding forward without thinking, throwing away her habitual elegance and breathing heavily. The wind was roaring, her heart was beating, the world was shaking up and down with her steps, and her flaxen ponytail also swayed in a youthful arc.

Although it was clearly something she should be anxious about, the corners of her mouth were raised. Nagasaki Motoyo felt that, as the character "Sakuya", she might also be able to do something with this borrowed courage.

Just like Sakuya.

======

It was not until Sakuya's figure passed by his eyes that Shiina Riki's eyes, which were filled with a mixture of worry and loss, regained their spirits.

There was no doubt that he had hurt Deng and Aine. The words he had mustered up the courage to speak did not help them understand each other, but instead became a sharp sword that hurt people and once again tore the band apart.

I screwed everything up.

"Ritsuki, you look very unhappy." Miss Sakuya glanced at Shiina Ritsuki, who looked helpless, and tried to comfort her.

"Su Shi..." Li Xi lowered his head in pain, clenched his left fist and wanted to pound the table to vent his anger, but then let it go. "Am I really that bad?"

"Li Xi is the one who works the hardest, and..." Ms. Sakuya picked up her sister's cup of relatively more acceptable melted iced Americano and organized her words. "This may not be a bad thing."

"How can it be a good thing? I've done the best I can, but I still messed everything up. Now Deng will face that unacceptable loss again. I..." Shiina Riki has never hated himself so much. He hated his selfishness and his unconcealed way of speaking, but what he couldn't accept the most was that Deng was sad and upset because of his behavior.

“I don’t think so.” Sakuya interrupted someone’s self-pity. “Someone will have to tell Aine about these things one day. Just like the quarrel before, everyone will always apologize to each other after the excitement. Maybe the relationship will get better.”

"I hope so." Miss Lixi sighed softly and began to worry about what kind of apology gift to prepare. The only consolation today was probably that the always reliable Sakuya also caught up with her. She would have to thank him properly afterwards.

"Su Shi, is there anything that Sakuya likes?" Riki suddenly said.

"McDonald's." Sakuya answered immediately.

"Um, I mean something that can express gratitude and has more commemorative value..." Miss Lixi felt a little strange. Su Shi seemed a lot more lively today.

"McDonald's, I remember there's one nearby. Let's go buy some together and I'll give it to Sakuya in the evening?" Miss Sakuya, who estimated that she would only have fried pork with bamboo shoots in the evening, stood up with full motivation.

"Although it's a bit rude, but Su Shi, have you become thicker-skinned? Aren't you worried about Deng and the others?" The depression in Shiina Riki's heart was slightly relieved, turning into speechless anger towards someone's heartlessness.

"Because I believe in Sakuya, just like I believe in myself." Miss Sakuya said with certainty, leaving Lixi with a back view as she walked towards McDonald's.

"That sounds like something Sakuya would say." Riki shook his head and followed with coffee.

"Because we are sisters." Miss Sakuya said confidently.

Chapter 154: Reversal of Tiangang

The sky was a hazy light pink, with small clusters of cotton clouds connected together. The high-rise buildings in Ikebukuro were undulating like the cypress trees near the park. The glass surfaces were shimmering like fish scales. Even the cold and inorganic steel frame exterior was renovated by the reddish-orange light with a longer wavelength, and the reflective windows were filled with the aftertaste of atmospheric scattering. The carefully combed flaxen ponytail behind the neck swayed gently in the breeze.

The birds were now active and no longer standing stupidly on the telephone poles. Nagasaki Suyo, who was running along the road, had a slightly red face and was sweating a lot. Many strands of hair were stuck to her forehead. She pushed her hanging hair behind her ears and was breathing freely like a young lady, fanning herself by pulling the collar of her blazer-like Yugaoka school uniform.

"Running so fast...what are you doing..." Miss Su Shi's complaints were full of resentment. She had finally made up her mind to comfort the pink-haired scoundrel whom she didn't like, but tragically found that she seemed to have lost him.

Not only did he fail to catch up with Chihaya Aine who was running away, but even the skinny and weak-looking Xiao Deng ran faster than him. Looking around, he saw only an unfamiliar park with green grass blocking his view. The duo from Yugaoka must have run out from another exit, leaving him alone to stare at the sparrows and pigeons leisurely jumping under the shade of the trees.

Anyway, there is Xiao Deng to comfort her, I really have nothing to do... Miss Su Shi, who had opened a separate grudge book for the scumbag fan in her heart, stood up with her hands on her knees, took out her mobile phone hesitantly, and pressed the screen-off button in a frustrated manner. The reflection of herself in the mirror was really embarrassing.

"Go back, like a fool..." Miss Su Shi muttered to herself.

"Excuse me... Are you Chihaya's friend?" A strange female voice sounded, the tone was polite and often heard in Tsuki Forest, but with a hint of anxiety.

Nagasaki Suyo looked at him in confusion. Sure enough, the person who came was also wearing Tsuki no Mori's navy blue uniform, with black hair and yellow eyes. He looked familiar, perhaps she had met him in school before.

"Chihaya, are you referring to Chihaya Aine?" Miss Motoyo asked calmly, holding her chest to slow her breathing.

"Yes, yes, you are Chihaya's friend, right? You are out of breath and look like you are looking for someone, just like the gray-haired girl who took Chihaya away." The girl in the Tsukinomori school uniform nodded and asked with some concern. "I am actually Chihaya's classmate in junior high school. I have heard that she planned to study in the UK in high school. Now she transferred to Haneda, or did something happen suddenly? It seems that she is in a bad condition..."

Nagasaki Suyo pursed her lips and clenched her hands unconsciously, digesting the sudden information. The date of Aine's transfer was indeed a bit strange. From this point of view, perhaps it was a failure of studying abroad, and Li Xi's "escape" today once again touched the scar that had not yet scabbed...

It's such a hassle... but at the end of the day, this matter also has its own responsibilities.

If the band is going to participate in a Live performance, it would always be a good thing to have a familiar rhythm guitar. Besides, I'm just fulfilling Sakuya's request. Otherwise, I don't care what the pink-haired lecher becomes.

"It's my fault." Borrowing Sakuya's identity, Nagasaki Motoyo was more frank or just too lazy to explain. After admitting it generously, she immediately asked. "If you saw them just now, did you know that Aine... Aine-san and the gray-haired girl ran over there?"

"Eh... they seemed to be holding hands and running towards the Sky Forest. We didn't get to talk much." The black-haired student seemed a little surprised. It took him a moment to react before he pointed to the exhibition hall area not far away.

Miss Su Shi frowned slightly. She had seen this kind of thing once before, where the girls held hands and ran together in the sunset. It left a deep impression on her, a negative one.

Chihaya Aine is indeed a bad guy who likes to take advantage of girls everywhere...

"Thank you." Su Shi thanked them briefly, sighed lightly and decided to follow the two people who were running away somewhere unknown. He felt that he was actually not needed at all.

"Please wait a moment." The black-haired girl adjusted her expression and called out to the little village girl who was about to run away. "Can you help us tell Chihaya that everyone is worried about her?"

"Well, I will."

Nagasaki Motoyo walked away quickly, complaining in her heart about her own meddling and poor athletic ability, and she blamed all of this on the annoying Chihaya Aine. But if someone asked her to do something for her, it would be one more reason to meet her.

The black-haired, yellow-eyed first-year student from Tsuki no Mori looked at the familiar flaxen low ponytail of the village girl, turned around and confidently announced to her companion with light brown hair and blue eyes, "As expected, the little village girl and the transfer student are true love~"

"I didn't expect Chihaya to really be in Hanegaoka...but wouldn't that mean she's in a love triangle with the little gray-haired animal?" The companion in the black school uniform noticed Huadian.

“The little country girl said it was her own fault... Chihaya must have given up her studies in England for love, right?” The eldest lady of Tsuki no Mori confidently took out her cell phone, ready to challenge the group of blue-haired lovers in the group.

“Is… is that so?”

======

"No...I didn't eat secretly. It's just that Li Xi was sad, so I accompanied her to McDonald's to relieve her sorrow." Ichinose Sakuya said righteously. Anyway, Li Xi was in the bathroom reflecting on herself at the moment, and her sister couldn't reach her through the phone. Even if she had Happy Soda in her left hand, Filet-O-Fish in her right hand, and salted French fries in her mouth, no one would point fingers at her.

"Swallow the fries in your mouth before you talk to me." Miss Su Shi, who had just come up empty-handed, didn't want to bother with her sister's antics. Knowing that the two were most likely in the Sky Forest, she decided to ask someone to come over to help her search.

"Didn't Xiao Deng already catch up? There will probably be no problem." Miss Sakuya said indifferently and slightly quickened her eating pace. If she didn't eat McDonald's, was she waiting to go back and eat her sister's favorite vegetable minestrone soup?

"Come here quickly." Miss Motoyo's face was full of black lines. Sakuya has become more and more disobedient recently. Simply punishing her with diet doesn't seem to be of much use. She has to find a chance to have a good talk with her.

"Call me sister." Sakuya took the opportunity to put forward a condition.

"I didn't hear it clearly!" Su Shi was furious.

"Just call me sister and I'll come to help you." Sakuya took a sip of the iced happy water slowly. It was indeed much better than coffee.

"Have you thought it through?" Su Shi said coldly.

"You were screaming happily when you were at home. I feel so nauseous." Miss Sakuya finished her meal at the speed of light and moved her neck, indifferent.

"......Sister." Miss Su Shi gritted her teeth as she recalled where her mother's belt was kept at home.

"I really can't do anything about you~"

Chapter 155 Preliminary Settlement

Ichinose Sakuya stood next to the magazine rack in the convenience store. The air conditioner that worked 24 hours a day dispelled the early summer heat. She picked up a new music magazine to kill time and waited for her sister to join her in the air conditioning.

This place is very close to the aquarium and planetarium in the Sky Forest, and is located near the city park. It is quiet in the midst of the hustle and bustle of the city. I originally wanted to drag Li Xi to enjoy the air conditioning while waiting for Aiyin and Xiao Deng, but I still couldn't persuade him. The drummer with long black hair was still straightforward. If he found that he had done something wrong, he would do his best to make up for it. He should have bought a ticket to enter the planetarium in the southwest corner by now.

Through the clean glass, you can see the newly built long wooden staircase, with pedestrians and girls coming and going in an endless stream, and pink and blue flowers growing wildly in the flowerbed. Perhaps it's time, the side of the staircase also lights up with long strips of soft white light, diluting the thin shadows that stretch diagonally at dusk, and this entertainment area near the shopping street continues to remain lively and vibrant.

Since Xiao Deng and Aine came here, they probably found a quiet place to hang out and relax.

She flipped through a few pages of the magazine in her hand nonchalantly. Ms. Sakuya never believed that the sadness of the past could overly affect the present. She decided to call and ask after she had finished reading the part that interested her.

"You seem to be very relaxed, and you asked me to suffer for you." Nagasaki Suyo, who broke into the convenience store with murderous intent, walked straight behind Miss Sakuya who was leisurely doing nothing, put his hands on her shoulders, ready to give his sister a loving pinch at any time.

Sakuya neatly put away the magazines and respectfully handed over the Suntory citron tea she had prepared in advance, in exchange for half of her freedom. After Su Shi took a sip of water, she moved her body and complained quietly, "It's time for Sister to exercise. You're not as fast as Xiao Deng, which is too bad."

"This kind of thing doesn't matter, right? I chased after that annoying Chihaya Aine in the hot sun, but was pulled away by Xiao Deng first, so I ended up being accused of meddling in other people's business." Miss Suyo said with resentment, put down the overly sweet yuzu tea in her hand, and began to use force with her other hand on Sakuya's shoulder, gently kneading the soft muscles above Sakuya's collarbone.

“This… This is all thanks to you, big sister, that we were able to find the general area.” Ms. Sakuya, who had escaped halfway, sat up straight again and tilted her head to praise.

"Hey, sister~ I have fulfilled your needs seriously, but think about how you treated me today." Miss Motoyo smiled sweetly, with a lovable smile like Sakuya's usual coquettish smile. It would have been better if the force of pinching her shoulders could be less.

"Hiss, I didn't do anything..." Apart from sleeping with Xiaomu, being almost late for a meeting, playing a prank by taking advantage of my status, and asking my sister to call me sister, I didn't do anything out of the ordinary. "...right?"

After Ms. Sakuya finished her detailed and concise defense, she turned around and gently massaged her sister's shoulders.

"Tsk." Su Shi snorted, ignoring her sister's pretense, and began to flip through her freshly made revenge notes one by one. "In the afternoon, you deliberately misread that bracket, didn't you?"

"That's not true!" Sakuya shook his head and denied it firmly.

"Oh? That elder sister is really innocent and speaks whatever she feels~" Nagasaki Motoyo rolled her eyes at her sister's reflection in the glass and continued to settle accounts. Just now someone seemed to be very proud to let her call her sister, but now she was rubbing her shoulders humbly.

"Because my sister is so frank and cute, I, as her elder sister, have to learn from her." Miss Sakuya replied by imitating her elder sister's voice.

"Are you saying that I am saying one thing and thinking another, trying to sow discord?" Su Shi glanced at him sideways.

"I mean, sister is kind-hearted and responsible." Sakuya looked away.

"Is Chihaya Aine so important to you?" Nagasaki Suyo curled her lips in displeasure and returned to the topic.

"It's not important." Sakuya answered immediately, took two steps back calmly, and quickly added, "But it's also very important."

"What do you mean?" Miss Su Shi turned around with a smile, put her hands on the edge of her skirt just below her knees, and flicked her thumbs a little bit.

“Aine and I are just ordinary friends, but I saw that some people seemed to care about little Aine so much that they stood up subconsciously without blinking and gave her a push.” Sakuya was innocent. She didn’t know what the relationship between Aine and her sister was, but this was the first time that her sister, who stayed at home every day and checked her phone, cared so much about a new friend. Who knows?

"I'm sorry, Aiyin doesn't seem to need her sister's comfort. She hasn't even returned my phone calls yet." Miss Su Shi suddenly felt murderous. It would have been better if someone didn't mention it. But since he did, she had to share half of the blame with her outspoken sister.

"I'm here to help my sister find someone. Let's go now without further ado. Li Xi went to the planetarium, how about we go to the aquarium?" Feeling the murderous intent, Miss Sakuya subconsciously stood up straight and walked towards the completely cool outdoors.

"Wait a minute." Miss Su Shi grabbed her stupid sister's wrist in time, her face as cold as iron and her expression emotionless. "Did you forget that there is one more thing?"

"..." Sakuya said nothing, closed his eyes, tilted his head, and looked like he was in deep thought.

"Why did you take so long today? Your clothes are dirty and you didn't answer the phone?" Nagasaki Motoyo kindly helped her sister recall what happened not long ago. It was not convenient for her to question her before, and now she had no suitable shield to use for Sakuya.

"I fell asleep." Ms. Sakuya said honestly.

"Falling asleep?" Su Shi was suspicious, his eyes fell on the crooked scarf and the dust on the school uniform skirt.

"I went to the warehouse to get something for my sister's classmate, but I got trapped inside by accident. I managed to escape after taking a nap with Xiaomu. After all, cell phones are not allowed in Tsuki no Mori..." Ms. Sakuya hesitated for a long time before finally deciding to tell the truth. Although she was very shy, she had to tell the truth about such an important matter as a sister who slept with Xiaomu in her arms.

Because Xiao Mu almost couldn't get married.

"Are you not hurt?" Nagasaki Suyo's focus was not on Wakaba Mutsu. Her anger for accountability had mostly disappeared and turned into worry for her sister.

"No, no. But later when I handed the flowerpot to the student council president, she asked me a lot of questions. I should say it's a good thing I wasn't late." Miss Sakuya said while playing the victim and moving towards the door. She did not lie. The student council president, who had a cold personality and looked seven or eight years older than her, first reassured her and then seriously criticized her for not being elegant in her conduct before finally letting her go.

"Is that so?" Nagasaki Suyo sighed and rubbed her little sister's head to comfort her. "Sakuya, you should go back to Haneda tomorrow. I will make it up to you when I get home in the evening."

"Ah? But I'm full." Miss Sakuya touched her belly, feeling very disappointed. Is her sister so gentle today?

"It doesn't matter. You can still eat even if you can't eat anymore." Miss Su Shi said meaningfully with a smile on her face, stroking her hair through her fingertips bit by bit.

“Let’s go find Deng and Aine-san first.”

Chapter 156 I Want to Quit the Band

"Oops... it's gone."

The world in front of Chihaya Aine suddenly became vast, integrated, and tilted down like a wall. Just at this moment, she met her junior high school friend. The failed experience of studying abroad caught up with her again, and this time there was no escape.

“My life is completely fucked.”

...

“Aine!”

“Aine…”

Takamatsu Deng panted and ran to Aine, and without thinking, he held Aine’s left hand.

"That...I..."

Miss Aine, who was in a trance, shuddered, not knowing how to explain her sudden behavior.

Gao Songdeng is not good at speaking, at least in front of strangers.

Aine wanted to escape, she could see it.

So Deng closed his eyes, grasped Aine’s empty hand by instinct, and rushed towards the aquarium.

Aine once told herself that when she felt down, she should go to karaoke, and now it was her turn to hold the other person's hand.

The sunlight in the west was not very bright, and Gao Songdeng still had his eyes tightly closed and dared not open them. The gray pigeons that had rested under the shade of the trees flew up in groups, flapping their wings and passing over the running girl.

Chihaya Aine's light grey eyes fell on the intersection of their palms. Listening to Deng Xiaokou's rapid breathing, she couldn't help but think, "Being led forward by someone, this is what it feels like..."

======

"This is my first time here at the Sora No Mori Biological Aquarium." Ichinose Sakuya looked at the light blue promotional icon on the ticket with some curiosity. The ocean bottle made up of dolphins, manta rays and jellyfish seemed very suitable for being made into souvenirs and sold.

"The penguin exhibition here is very famous, and now seems to be the best time to view it." Nagasaki Motoyo stepped into the gate first and introduced leisurely.

She asked the ticket seller at the front desk before entering the museum, and sure enough, a girl with pink hair and the same uniform had bought a ticket earlier, so it seemed she had chosen the right place.